Likely candidates

[Dartford Ox]

And lastly - a name for discussion.

Hope Powell.

A very interesting suggestion, but would she really leave her job in charge of one of the biggest national teams (maybe 5th behind mens, u21s, rugby and cricket?) to come to a 4th tier mens team.

And while I'm sure she's probably a very good manager I think 2 problems could be:
1. Does she have any League 2 knowledge? Possibly but seems unlikely.
2. Personally I wouldn't want the media circus that would follow her/the club.

She was short-listed by Grimsby last year. Whether it was by application or invitation I do not know.

[Isaac]

At the start of the season I'd have given Wilder at least until Christmas to see if we were in a strong position for promotion but with the caveat &quotbarring disasters&quot. 5 defeats on the bounce is fairly disastrous and he's rightly under some pressure. I think the injury situation is a mitigating factor but it is certainly doesn't explain everything.

Perhaps the general upheaval at the club over the last couple of months may not have helped either, plus the uncertainty over his own contract || other clubs possible interest, but it is the managers job to overcome this.
I'm glad it's not my decision to fire him or not though, for the most part he's done a good job at Oxford, promotion from the conference the major achievement and it's always a gamble to change the manager, especially when you know the manager is basically competent. However maybe IL would be more comfortable working with a manager he's appointed.

[Dartford Ox]

Eh?

Not sure which bit your querying - my mis-type 'Or is that' or were you trying to kill a thread on a forum that has recently been complaining about the lack of activity. It seemed that way to me.[/quote]

Not sure what you're on, but I don't want any!

I was questioning why you think there is a ban on any discussion on this forum.[/quote]

Obviously the implication that we shouldn't be discussing this until he has gone was not meant. If my misunderstanding has offended you then I apologise.

[Dr Bob]

At the start of the season I'd have given Wilder at least until Christmas to see if we were in a strong position for promotion but with the caveat &quotbarring disasters&quot. 5 defeats on the bounce is fairly disastrous and he's rightly under some pressure. I think the injury situation is a mitigating factor but it is certainly doesn't explain everything.

Perhaps the general upheaval at the club over the last couple of months may not have helped either, plus the uncertainty over his own contract || other clubs possible interest, but it is the managers job to overcome this.
I'm glad it's not my decision to fire him or not though, for the most part he's done a good job at Oxford, promotion from the conference the major achievement and it's always a gamble to change the manager, especially when you know the manager is basically competent. However maybe IL would be more comfortable working with a manager he's appointed.

I would, not that long ago, have agreed whole-heartedly with you on this. It is not just the five defeats in a row that has turned me, but five wins in something like 24 matches. Sadly, the successful period under CW is already disappearing in the rear view mirror. I have no intention trying to draw up a table based on calendar year 2012 results (how do you deal with promoted and relegated teams?), but it is clear to me that in such a table, we would be a very long way down.

[Myles Francis]

Is there a vacancy to fill?

I believe that there will be should we lose on saturday. Even CW cant survive six straight losses.

I'm inclined to agree.

Many of us have said he should be given time, but we expect some wins and draws in that period, not perpetual losses.

Agreed. We're starting to get to the point where a run of 1995-96 proportions is needed to get anywhere near the promotion places.

[GodalmingYellow]

Obviously the implication that we shouldn't be discussing this until he has gone was not meant. If my misunderstanding has offended you then I apologise.

No problem, no offence, no need to apologise.

[Kernow Yellow]

Many of us have said he should be given time, but we expect some wins and draws in that period, not perpetual losses.

Agreed. We're starting to get to the point where a run of 1995-96 proportions is needed to get anywhere near the promotion places.

Oh come off it! We're barely a month into the season, and only 7 points off automatic promotion. It could easily be turned around by Christmas.

Having said that, I agree with GY and others that we cannot continue to tolerate successive losses indefinitely. Wilder needs to quickly show that he can motivate the players at his disposal to put in performances that are acceptable and which garner a few points along the way, to keep us ticking over until the long-term injured return.

[joepoolman]

Agreed. We're starting to get to the point where a run of 1995-96 proportions is needed to get anywhere near the promotion places.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/14864061

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/15045714

In the first table to the right of the report Slumdon and Crewe have played 1 game more and have 3 points than we have currently.
Skip forward 2 matches and there is still little improvement in terms of position and distance from the promotion places. Crewe didn't really make any upward movement until the turn of the year, the sat in 15th place, 10 points off the play-offs after the boxing day fixtures, so I don't think it's time to write off the season yet.

While the confidence, quality of play and tactics must improve, surely a major problem if you've got quite a few injuries and it's hitting hard is that the squad does not have enough depth! It seems like Heslop and Raynes just aren't up the players to cover for Leven and Duberry, and no one is really covering for Whing. It's far from just Heslop's and Raynes' fault but when you combine the fact that they don't seem to be good enough (anymore*) with a lack of form and confidence we're really struggling.

*I used to rate Hes as a good League 2 midfielder, but this season apart from short spells in games I think he's been poor.

[Myles Francis]

Granted I may have been exaggerating slightly, but the Slumdon and Crewe examples just support the case - Crewe only lost 7 games post- Dagenham, and Slumdon only lost 6 and drew 6 of their remaining 37 games.

To get into the automatic promotion spots, you can only afford to lose 10-11 games in the season. So, that leaves us with only 6 defeats from the remaining 37 games. Yes it can be turned around, and no I'm not writing the season off. But with the current string of results added to the end if last season, I'm not confident that Wilder is the manager to deliver.

[Geoff]

I don't think problems with individual players are the issue here. The majority of the problems (apart from injuries) have been caused by Wilder's intransigence with the formation. Most of the clubs in Division Four had sussed out 4-3-3 last season. They mustn't be able to believe their luck to see we're still persisting with it. In the main, the only time he flirts with 4-4-2 is when we're already behind in a game. I've been a keen Wilder supporter until now, but unless we see some variety and invention in the next few games the decision will have to be made.

[Dr Bob]

According to a piece in the OxMail, CW is now considering going Route 1. This is about style rather than formation, but it also comes back to how bereft of ideas he now seems to be.