by WAZZOCK »
05 May 2018 22:02
From Despair To Where? Undoubtedly, it's just that we used to be a well run club with an identity and for the past 5 years we haven't been. As a club, we are rudderless. It starts from the top.
Not asking for miracles or bundles of cash, just that the current owners stick around for more than 5 minutes, show some leadership and reassert an identity for the club.
Madejski didn't understand football but he had people on board who did. He showed loyalty to people but if a change was needed, he usually acted pretty quickly. I don't think he would have waited til March to sack Stam (granted, he probably wouldn't have had the necessaries to apppoint him in the first place but that's another story).
Maybe that's what Gourlay's role is meant to be, that footballing brain who identifies when things are going wrong and acts decisively. If that's the case, he's not doing that well at the moment but who knows? However, rather than the knee jerk "Sack Gourlay" reaction, maybe it should be "(Re)Define his role". He's chief executive, he should be the owners' man on the ground and have the power to act on their behalf in their absence, it should be a powerful position, not be a glorified pa. He's worked at and been successful at enough clubs to know what to do but again, that all about leadership from the top down.
So no, the current owners are not to blame but they are absolutely the only people who can provide a solution. They just need the bollocks to take it on head on and do it properly so that we are not here in 2 years still asking the same questions.
Until last summer, it has always been Howe that has been running the club, I can assure you of that. When Madejski owned us he would more than happily be the face of the club, but it was always Howe who was trusted to make the informed decisions because Sir John trusted his judgement, and his track record for the most part was exemplary.
Gourlay is not a football man, he Is someone who has undertaken roles in the commercial side of business (not very well at all from what I've been told). Whilst he sat in a position of CEO at Chelsea, this was not a position that oversaw the footballing operations of the club. He had no experience of this prior to joining us, and it is glaringly obvious based on the direction he has taken the club in his short stint in charge. The one thing he has to his credit is clearly he can talk himself into strong positions of power, unfortunately he cannot walk the walk it seems.