I think fans forget that we said Beale had set us back the best part of a decade, and every thread on here talked about the next manager / DOF being a long term project! The guys been in the door 6 months, qualified out our group from Europe when we were looking to be out, won a cup, got us to a final and taken the league down to the last 2 games of the season! Had you offered me that in November I’d have thought we actually did hire Harry Potter!
He’s made a few dreadful decisions in team selection but he has also made some brave ones (ie dropping Goldson). Some of his subs have been poor but others have been inspiring and a lot earlier than Beale or Gio would make changes. The greatest managers in the world make mistakes with line ups, have poor spells and have transfer howlers. He’s not the greatest manager in the world but then if he were he would not be here!
And what will be even more difficult for some on here to accept is I think we need to stick by him if we don’t win the league next season either! This idea of “if he doesn’t win x game it’s over” is nonsense. With the windfall the scum will get for CL next season they will start as absolute odds on to win the treble. They won’t (I’m sure of that!) but next season is all about rebuilding our foundations. Get a strong backbone to the team, overhaul the training, overhaul the medical squad, overhaul the youth system. Don’t disgrace ourselves in CL qualifiers but expect to drop to the EL. Again don’t disgrace ourselves there but no expectation we will qualify. Keep within touching distance of the league by Christmas and in both the cups. Add some other players in the January and put up a fight. Learn how to go to the piggery and not look like a rabbit in headlights. Do all that and regardless of any silverware that’s “success” for me as it’s the building blocks for the decade ahead. No more quick fixes (Mciniss FFS!).