Wilder to Coventry?

[Hog]

Apparently in the last 12 hours or so he's gone from 50/1 to 5/4 favourite. Oooh-err!

[Mooro]

http://www.oddschecker.com/football/foo ... nt-manager


Bugger, all that managerial change tracking I did over the summer, then this one breaks while I'm not looking....

2 obvious questions - i) who to replace him and ii) both he and KT off so close together....any link?

[slappy]

It is fairly obvious that the club weren't happy after last season about&#058
- not making the play-offs at least
- overspend on loans and injury cover
- continual use of short term loans.
I guess Lenagan decided that the cost of sacking Wilder in the Summer with a year on his contract, and replacing him, was perhaps too much. Instead, give him one last half/full season to get promotion, and spend the money instead on Sports Science.

So if Wilder does go to Coventry, I don't think Lenagan will stand in his way, perhaps getting some monetary compensation too.

Although the side is almost entirely signed by Wilder, I think it is good enough to be managed by anyone. Conversely, the players Wilder would want to take if he left are probably Clarke, Chapman, and Coventry don't have any money or their own ground.

As for a new manager, someone who has experience of sticking the ball in the back of the net would perhaps be on the list of requirements. I doubt they would get a big transfer war-chest either. Interesting to note that many of the first team are out of contract in the Summer.

[recordmeister]

I was watching these odds over the weekend with great interest. Let's not forget that these are just odds it doesn't mean it'll happen. In my opinion, CW needs a football league promotion on his CV - or at the very least a play-off place - before he's considered as having achieved anything at this level. On the flip side of things, he's only got a year left on his contract, so must be thinking at least about other jobs, if not only for the leverage that'll give him in any negotiations to stay at oufc on an improved package. Whatever happens, if he wants to stay or wants to go, a good agent will make sure he's linked with every job going from the Champ down to the Conf. I'm sure IL drives a hard deal, so you need all the bullets in your gun that you can poss have if going in to do a deal with him...

Either way, stay or go, I'm now confident that we have people at the helm at oufc who will actually hold interviews for the managers position unlike so many previous years of a mates mate getting the job...

[greenmurphy]

Those odds have fallen because somebody somewhere thinks they know the outcome already.

I would be sad to see Wilder go.

If for no other reason than the stability of having a settled manager and chairman.

Now we look set to lose both very quickly.

And we have a shocking record of appointing managers.

A bad managerial appointment can send us in the wrong direction again.

I hope Wilder stays. Progress with him has been slow but steady.

[Dr Bob]

We HAD an appalling record of appointing managers, under the old regime which, as others have said, was based on mates of mates, rather than a proper advertising, shortlisting, interviewing and appointing procedure. The new regime, using what I would consider correct methods, has made one appointment. I would not suggest this guarantees success every time - we have only had one (good) manager appointed under this approach - but this, plus the fact IL is now engaged more directly with the running of the club and has put resources in to support whoever is manager, makes me feel positive that, whether CW goes now or later, there is a decent chance a good manager will be brought in to replace him.

[joepoolman]

I'd be gutted if Wilder left, but I couldn't blame him. Since 21st December 2008 I'd say Stevenage and Wimbledon have definiely made more progress than us, and Southampton and Norwich probably have, but that's pretty close with us, and I can't get anyone else who's come further than we have in the 3 and a half years Wilder's been here.

[JoeyBeauchamp]

I think CW has been given a lot of what he has wanted since he joined the club - funds to sign players, funds to plug gaps with loan players, one of the largest budgets in League 2, and time. In return he has gained promotion, kept us up and has positioned the club as an upper L2 club with a realistic shout for promotion. So I think the ledger is about even.

Coventry were a big club (bigger than us), but now have no resources and no prospect of regaining the former glory days. Whereas we have the set-up to potentially progress up through the divisions. I would have thought CW would see this as a flattering approach but think he has more prospects getting us promoted and then perhaps attracting the attention of a Championship club.

If he were to go, I would want to see someone who can get the best out of Beano and decide on a system that suits the creative players we have.

[Kernow Yellow]

Let's not forget that these are just odds it doesn't mean it'll happen. In my opinion, CW needs a football league promotion on his CV - or at the very least a play-off place - before he's considered as having achieved anything at this level.

That was my thinking when I was alerted to this story yesterday evening. However, he's now as short as 1-8 with one bookie, and is odds-on with all of them, so maybe there is something in it.

Also, Wilder has been quoted as saying &quotI take it as a compliment that we're doing ok but until anything happens I'll keep my head down and keep working hard for the club.&quot (source here - also seen it posted by an Oxford Mail reporter). So he's hardly ruling himself out of anything. In fact, it makes him sound pretty interested I'd say.

On balance I'd certainly prefer it if Wilder stays - he's been our best manager of the last 15 years, and stability is generally a good thing, and something it's been nice to enjoy after a decade of merry-go-round saw us plummet out of the league. But if he left I'd not be as gutted as I would have been 6 months ago - the bad taste from the end of last season hasn't quite left me yet.

Interestingly, the quote above was supposedly made last Thursday, which might indicate that CW's focus is not completely on OUFC at the moment, whatever he might say. If this is the case, then I'd like it sorted one way or the other sooner or later. The players are bound to be aware of the speculation, and it must be unsettling not knowing whether your manager is going to be around tomorrow or next week. Applications for the Coventry job close at 5pm today, apparently, so he must either have applied or been approached and not turned it down yet...

[GodalmingYellow]

I'd be gutted if Wilder left, but I couldn't blame him. Since 21st December 2008 I'd say Stevenage and Wimbledon have definiely made more progress than us, and Southampton and Norwich probably have, but that's pretty close with us, and I can't get anyone else who's come further than we have in the 3 and a half years Wilder's been here.

Crawley?
Cheltenham?
Accrington?
Crewe?
Swinedown?
Fleetwood?
Brighton?
Blackpool?
Leeds?
QPR?
Reading?
Swansea?

There are loads of clubs who have made good progress.

In Wilder's time in charge we have made up one division, despite having probably more resources than anyone else has had in the Conference, and more than most in League 2.

Don't get me wrong, Wilder has done a good job, but I don't think he is capable of taking us any further.

I won't cry whether he goes or stays at present. If he is still here come Christmas and we are not looking like nailed on promotion candidates, then the tears will flow if he stays.

2nd half of the Plimuff game and Saturday at York told me that Wilder has learned nothing from the end of last season.

[Myles Francis]

Crawley?
Cheltenham?
Accrington?
Crewe?
Swinedown?
Fleetwood?
Brighton?
Blackpool?
Leeds?
QPR?
Reading?
Swansea?

There are loads of clubs who have made good progress.

For someone criticising our lack of progress, there are some surprising inclusions in that list. Reading have bumped around Championship promotion/Premiership throughout that time. Leeds have been up and down from League One to the Championship and back. Swansea were around the Championships play-off spots in 08-09.

The ones I would say have made real progress in that time span are Crawley (who have spent a shed load of money), Fleetwood (ditto), QPR (ditto), and Blackpool.

I do agree with the general point, though, that Wilder is lucky to have been given another chance this season and if we are not properly in the promotion mix at Christmas, he should be on the way out.

[SmileyMan]

I think he'd be mad to take it, given their lack of cash. Of the two clubs, his current one is less likely to be in League Two next season.

The official denials coming out of the club this afternoon have that funny whiff about them though.

I know a lot of people aren't that happy with him, but I can't see any decent replacements on the horizon.

[joepoolman]

I'd be gutted if Wilder left, but I couldn't blame him. Since 21st December 2008 I'd say Stevenage and Wimbledon have definiely made more progress than us, and Southampton and Norwich probably have, but that's pretty close with us, and I can't get anyone else who's come further than we have in the 3 and a half years Wilder's been here.

Crawley?
Cheltenham?
Accrington?
Crewe?
Swinedown?
Fleetwood?
Brighton?
Blackpool?
Leeds?
QPR?
Reading?
Swansea?

There are loads of clubs who have made good progress.

In Wilder's time in charge we have made up one division, despite having probably more resources than anyone else has had in the Conference, and more than most in League 2.

Don't get me wrong, Wilder has done a good job, but I don't think he is capable of taking us any further.

I won't cry whether he goes or stays at present. If he is still here come Christmas and we are not looking like nailed on promotion candidates, then the tears will flow if he stays.

2nd half of the Plimuff game and Saturday at York told me that Wilder has learned nothing from the end of last season.

Crawley - yes (with loads of money)
Cheltenham - no, they were League 1.
Accrington - no, they haven't changed divisions.
Crewe - no, same division as then.
Slumdon - &quot &quot
Fleetwood - yes, again with plenty of money.
Brighton - Pretty much the same amount of progress.
Blackpool - No, same division.
Leeds - No, they have gone up a division but they were already near the top of L1 at that time.
QPR - No, gone up but are near the bottom of the division.
Swansea - About the same.

And even if all of those were yes it would still be 15/92.
If you compare us with the rest of the conference from 08/09, only Stevenage and Crawley have made more progress, with Torquay having made about the same, and bear in mind we were firmly in the bottom half of that table when Wilder took over.

[OUFC4eva]

God - we don't learn do we !

Atkins was n't universally liked or appreciated in my view and many
clamoured for his departure and Kassam duly engineered it in ham fisted and clumsy way.

What followed was the unmitigated disaster in Rix, only there for six months, the Diaz experiment and
then a shocking relegation under Talbot and Jim did not help. Patto then took over
and failed after Jim overspent and underachieved.

Changing the Manager especially at this club often fails - BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.

Wilder has done and is doing an excellent job and anyone wanting him out needs
to understand that there is not necessarily a new dawn just around the corner.

The wrong appointment now (if that is what we are looking at) and God know's what might happen.

[SmileyMan]

It's all a bit odd - Coventry are apparently running a proper application and interview process, so they aren't going to approach anyone. I doubt that given his comments today CW has applied for the job, so it could all just be someone gaming the bookies/exchanges.