Bournemouth's shoes...

[The Great Mass Debater]

Imagine you're in them. Your gameplan (provided you arent a team that just concentrates on its own style and doesnt take much notice of the opposition) has just been skittled.

How do you approach the game?

Research Alex Neil's approach, anticipate he will adopt these tactics and prepare for them? Expect Norwich to play the same way as they have all season, with changes more gradual? Do you think, well we cant predict how they're going to play so lets not bother and lets just play our own game and adapt as it evolves?

its an interesting curve-ball to throw the league leaders. Didnt work when we played Fulham, but hopefully we'll get a bounce and the place will be invigorated

 

[Fenway Frank]

I don't think Bournemouth will be too bothered, they probably feel they can get a result regardless of how we play

 

[Monty13]

Probably our toughest game of the season so far and the guy will have been in charge 24 hours. Agree, I doubt Bournemouth are particularly bothered.

 

[Killiecanary]

Surely Micky Phelan and Gary Holt will select the team and set them up. Even if Neil is confirmed tomorrow he won't have taken a single training session yet?

My hope is that some of the players wake themselves out of their collective doze and realise that they have a scary new manager to impress and that we perform well as a result.

I see a draw I think...

 

[It's Character Forming]

They will know it's likely to give us a boost but he'll have no time to change our approach. So they'll stick to their game plan and hope for the best

I always hate it when we play a team that've just appointed a new manager because they often raise their game. I imagine a lot of Bmth fans feel the same way

If they watched our performance at Derby they'd know we can give them a game anyway.

 

[Suffolk Canary]

I highly doubt Alex Neil will have anything to do with the preparations for the Bournemouth game.   Holt and Phelan will be in charge until Saturday.  AN will probably just watch from the stands like most managers do when appointed mid-week. 

 

[Yellow Fever]

On the other hand, Phelan and Holt may decide to do things differently as well. It'll be interesting to see what comes of it anyway!

 

[Din]

I can't see Bournemouth changing their tactics at all for Saturday. What they've been doing all season has got them to top of the league, they're not likely to change that for a team that have been poor overall over the last 10/15 games. 

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Surely Micky Phelan and Gary Holt will select the team and set them up. Even if Neil is confirmed tomorrow he won't have taken a single training session yet?

My hope is that some of the players wake themselves out of their collective doze and realise that they have a scary new manager to impress and that we perform well as a result.

I see a draw I think...

Will Alex Neil be respected though? He was a stalwart for them and had been at the club 10 years. It was natural for him to be respected both on and off the pitch. Most Norwich players, not least Bassong, probably wont know who he is. No reputation at our club, no club history like Adams, no Champions League achievements like Lambert or big club history like Hughton.

And to cap it all he's only 33. Most Hamilton fans say he isnt good enough to play for us.

Can imagine a few of the big egos thinking 'are we supposed to know who you are'?

Lets hope he can stamp his authority on the club. He seems that type of manager, its just whether the players will get on board. We saw with AVB how the players bucked his authority and undermined his methods all the time

 

[It's Character Forming]

The AVB comparison is certainly one we and the club need to be wary of. A bright young manager doing very well then moving to a bigger club and finding the players won't accept his authority.

I guess this is why he wanted it so clear that he's fully in charge so he'll have the power to get rid of anyone who doesn't knuckle under.

 

[Yellow Fever]

I don't think we have the same 'ego-levels that AVB had to contend with, but I think it's pretty certain that Bassong won't be coming back (loan to Brighton?). 

 

[Fenway Frank]

I would think bassong would give the same response to Neil as he did to neyull

 

[Brian Fantana]

If we were Bournemouth and they were us (stick with it) we would lose this game in spectacular fashion - a struggling team changes manager who you would not expect to have enough time to influence things against a team playing with confidence, we always lose these. So, let's see if Alex can shift the Norwich dynamic and one of these can go for us for once!

Either way I would expect to see a significant increase in the effort at the weekend, if they aren't prepared to put a shift in with a new manager then they just aren't ever going to be up for the fight.

 

[The Great Mass Debater]

Neil sounds like both a nurturer and a disciplinarian - difficult to pull off but sounds like he does it well. Will be interesting to see how long it takes for his ruthless streak to come out (or his confidence in the role to grow).

He hasnt flushed out the backroom team, a wise decision imo, but I wonder what his approach will be with the players? Take Bassong for example. Bassong has been unprofessional. Cant see Neil tolerating that. BUT, if he is the great man-manager the Accies fans and players say he is, and he is a good judge of talent, I would also expect him to have the nous to realise that Bassong when playing well is our best centre-back, and with an arm round his shoulder and the right words in his ear could be dynamite again.

So what does he do? Headbutt him and say 'get tae f*kk!' as someone said on another thread! (and assert his authority as Adams tried to do, and continue the message to the rest of the squad that he is the man and not to be trifled with - and that a lack of discipline will not be tolerated?)

Or is he wilier than that? Does he tell Bassong everything his ego needs to hear, welcome him back into the fold and get him firing again? - that would be what I would expect from a truly great manager

 

[It's Character Forming]

Looking over his career Bassong seems to do well at the start but then lose it. With us he'd lost it and was no longer contributing well before Hughton left

There's only so much you can do with someone like that - he needs to want to turn it around and none of us know if he has that motivation

If Neil can get him performing I'd be impressed

 

[Brian Fantana]

Well, nice to see Bournemouth took a leaf out of the City play book and lost that game.