I’m undecided as to whether now is the time to pull the trigger or not. For the record, I don’t think Cormack will do it (it’s his decision ultimately, not Lutz’s). I think Jimmy gets until the end of the season unless things get really bad e.g relegation battle, which I don’t think they will, or multiple scuddings or cup embarrassment, which are maybe more likely. The other reason might be that, by April or so it’s clear that nothing has changed (noting that it’s already difficult to refute that accusation), and they decide that a new manager needs the last x games to get used to the squad etc.
My main worry is that I’ve seen no progress (outwith the cup win, but how do you gauge that?) and see little likelihood of any following. Accordingly, I see his demise as inevitable, just not impending.
P.S. I predicted a little while ago that we’d win the Scottish Cup again this season. How ironic would it be if we were bottom 6 after a dreadful season, but win silver again? I’d take it like, even if it’d mean he was unsackable and would therefore bake in the following season as a repeat to this one… 🫢
What an incredible piece. I will always be grateful for the first Scottish Cup win since I was 14!!!!!! And one which I got to experience in person for the very first time, but that 1% simply can’t outweigh the 99% of sweet FA that the club have achieved outside of 24.05.25.
To quote the late, great Owen Hart, “enough is enough and it’s time for a change”
Even with the nod to Cena in the title which makes it a bit more light hearted i'm still on the fence. You hit the nail on the head with perhaps some fractures in the dressing room which leads to an incohesive team. I'm forever an optimist so looking to see what happens in the first two weeks of Jan
Genuinely sad reading this after the unbelievable high of 24th May and most of the summer still recounting the joy of that day. Almost feels disrespectful to say it, but it is time.
I dont see things as badly as made out here or in recent pods. Even if you take some of the following as devil’s advocate (which I think your podcast could do with more of), I’d like to put this forward not just in response to this blog post but the discussions in recent pods.
1. We actually do have a gameplan, contrary to what some people think - possession-based patient build-up. Pull the opposition around the pitch until one of our 4 creative players unlocks a pass. However, it’s not working, in the main because the players are carrying it out too slowly, and the creative players - particularly Karlsson - are not unlocking the defences because of bad decision making.
2. We had a huge turnover of players in summer. All the key parts of our great run at the start of last season - McGrath, Pape Gueye, Morris - got injured (which coincided with our loss of form) and then sold. Take the players that are scoring and assisting 80% of any team’s goals, and they’ll suffer.
3. You are repeatedly underestimating the effect of additional European fixtures on the squad. History shows time and again that non-OF teams in Europe suffer because their squad quality and depth is not sufficiently higher than the other non-OF teams in the league.
4. You are also ignoring the severe effect of the behind the scenes nonsense at the club - Gunn, Bajrami going and not being replaced, Cormack’s naivety, stadium/council distraction. Look around all other clubs in every league throughout history: behind-the-scenes issues = bad results. Ask yourself this: if we had Motherwell’s manager, do you truly believe in your heart of hearts that things would turn around? And then ask yourself why not.
5. Individual errors are not the manager’s fault. How can Thelin account for cup final hero Mitov costing us points in at least 2 and arguably 5 games? Ditto Devlin’s drop-off in form, Karlsson massively underperforming, Armstrong being decent one game out of three and awful the other two…
Now I’m not saying Thelin is blameless - eg chopping and changing core areas of the first XI, playing players out of position, etc, but there is a Rizla between the teams below third - our games against Motherwell were swung by a Mitov error at Fir Park and dozing at a corner at Pittodrie. In fact take Mitov’s de facto points-costing errors out of our season and we’d be fourth, despite a challenging European schedule.
I’m not saying things are going brilliantly but I also don’t think it’s time to start again with a new manager yet, by any means.
Agree with this pretty much verbatim.
His time is up.
He looks most, bereft of ideas
Most of us mere mortals can see it, but the Board seemingly can’t/wont.
I think we’ll draw away at Falkirk, then it’s back to back (probably defeats) against the huns in 3 days.
I do wonder whether even our inactive, feckless Board might act?….
I meant he looks lost, not most ^^^^
I’m undecided as to whether now is the time to pull the trigger or not. For the record, I don’t think Cormack will do it (it’s his decision ultimately, not Lutz’s). I think Jimmy gets until the end of the season unless things get really bad e.g relegation battle, which I don’t think they will, or multiple scuddings or cup embarrassment, which are maybe more likely. The other reason might be that, by April or so it’s clear that nothing has changed (noting that it’s already difficult to refute that accusation), and they decide that a new manager needs the last x games to get used to the squad etc.
My main worry is that I’ve seen no progress (outwith the cup win, but how do you gauge that?) and see little likelihood of any following. Accordingly, I see his demise as inevitable, just not impending.
P.S. I predicted a little while ago that we’d win the Scottish Cup again this season. How ironic would it be if we were bottom 6 after a dreadful season, but win silver again? I’d take it like, even if it’d mean he was unsackable and would therefore bake in the following season as a repeat to this one… 🫢
What an incredible piece. I will always be grateful for the first Scottish Cup win since I was 14!!!!!! And one which I got to experience in person for the very first time, but that 1% simply can’t outweigh the 99% of sweet FA that the club have achieved outside of 24.05.25.
To quote the late, great Owen Hart, “enough is enough and it’s time for a change”
Even with the nod to Cena in the title which makes it a bit more light hearted i'm still on the fence. You hit the nail on the head with perhaps some fractures in the dressing room which leads to an incohesive team. I'm forever an optimist so looking to see what happens in the first two weeks of Jan
Genuinely sad reading this after the unbelievable high of 24th May and most of the summer still recounting the joy of that day. Almost feels disrespectful to say it, but it is time.
I dont see things as badly as made out here or in recent pods. Even if you take some of the following as devil’s advocate (which I think your podcast could do with more of), I’d like to put this forward not just in response to this blog post but the discussions in recent pods.
1. We actually do have a gameplan, contrary to what some people think - possession-based patient build-up. Pull the opposition around the pitch until one of our 4 creative players unlocks a pass. However, it’s not working, in the main because the players are carrying it out too slowly, and the creative players - particularly Karlsson - are not unlocking the defences because of bad decision making.
2. We had a huge turnover of players in summer. All the key parts of our great run at the start of last season - McGrath, Pape Gueye, Morris - got injured (which coincided with our loss of form) and then sold. Take the players that are scoring and assisting 80% of any team’s goals, and they’ll suffer.
3. You are repeatedly underestimating the effect of additional European fixtures on the squad. History shows time and again that non-OF teams in Europe suffer because their squad quality and depth is not sufficiently higher than the other non-OF teams in the league.
4. You are also ignoring the severe effect of the behind the scenes nonsense at the club - Gunn, Bajrami going and not being replaced, Cormack’s naivety, stadium/council distraction. Look around all other clubs in every league throughout history: behind-the-scenes issues = bad results. Ask yourself this: if we had Motherwell’s manager, do you truly believe in your heart of hearts that things would turn around? And then ask yourself why not.
5. Individual errors are not the manager’s fault. How can Thelin account for cup final hero Mitov costing us points in at least 2 and arguably 5 games? Ditto Devlin’s drop-off in form, Karlsson massively underperforming, Armstrong being decent one game out of three and awful the other two…
Now I’m not saying Thelin is blameless - eg chopping and changing core areas of the first XI, playing players out of position, etc, but there is a Rizla between the teams below third - our games against Motherwell were swung by a Mitov error at Fir Park and dozing at a corner at Pittodrie. In fact take Mitov’s de facto points-costing errors out of our season and we’d be fourth, despite a challenging European schedule.
I’m not saying things are going brilliantly but I also don’t think it’s time to start again with a new manager yet, by any means.