Nagle's First Big Test: Moore or Less
Elliott Wheat-Bowen, Writer and sufferer
Twitter: @ElliottHTAFC
Well then... you know, it’s not going exactly to plan.
We’re not quite bottom of the form table, but I think we must be scoring pretty high on the apathy charts. Expected Apathy (xA) hasn’t quite taken off yet, but I’m sure it will do at some point.
I suppose the question is, how badly is Darren Moore actually doing or is another case of a Town manager being set up to fail?
For me, it’s the latter. I’m not going to sit here and say I’m inspired and convinced by Moore’s management or the way he is setting up for games - it’s very Chris Powelly and very hard to watch, but then I do wonder about the nature and the timing of the appointment.
Stepping into the shoes of Neil Warnock is a thankless task to say the least, especially when it is the shoes of someone adorned by what is quite literally generations of fans. There was a delicious cocktail of charisma, nostalgia and personality to Warnock’s approach to management. Imagine trying to follow that up.
When you then have Mark Cartwright shouting from the rooftops about attacking styles of play, philosophy and exciting the fans – it’s a play from the Phil Hodgkinson playbook which enamoured precisely no-one.
An image which will come back to haunt Darren Moore and Town repeatedly.
I think the enormous unavoidable problem, it’s a chronic one, is that this squad is simply not good enough. Rather than Moore being exposed as a terrible manager (he’s not), all that’s been exposed is how poor this squad really is, and how well Warnock had done to overachieve and get this group of players to well outperform the level that they would typically operate at.
We could say ‘well you know look at all the injuries’ and I think that’s a fair comment, the squad is decimated with injuries, but it’s also as shallow as a paddling pool. There is no depth and if we are pointing the finger, Darren Moore is not to blame for years of under-investment.
I think my big problem is the amount of missed opportunities, not necessarily the retention of Warnock, but the basics of being a savvy Championship side are missing. Loans. Premier League loans. Where are they?
You only have to look at Hull City, the injections of quality in that side came from loans - including the winner scored by loanee, Liam Delap. Our forays into the loan market have resulted in Tom Edwards and Delano Burgzorg. When we look at any successful Town sides at this level, it’s underpinned by inspiring loan signings: Emile Smith-Rowe, Aaron Mooy, Levi Colwill, Danny Ward (GK), Izzy Brown. The list goes on.
I don’t think anyone was expecting Kevin Nagle to flex his wealth and splash the cash in the summer, but then again, I think there’s a dangerous naivety to look at that squad in the summer and decide to thin it out and fill it out with academy graduates – many of whom had not got any senior experience beyond league 2. It was always a massive ask to ask them to step up to and perform well in arguably the most competitive league in the world. The infrastructure is not in place to cope with such a premature transitional period; we’re beginning to pay the price for it.
Complicating the matter further is the instalment of Darren Moore at this juncture. From an emotive point of view if he’d arrived in the summer, there would have been closure on the chapter of Warnock’s return - a fairytale ending as he returned to the Cornish coast (more likely he’d haunt us as he rescued a relegation rival). From a practical and logistical point of view, any signings or planning going forward would’ve been with Moore in mind. This is all theoretical considering Moore was on gardening leave, however, having said that if Darren Moore really was the man in mind to lead the club into the new age, it would’ve made more sense for him to arrive next summer on the back of a season of stability.
This is a recurring rhetoric, sensible choices and sustainability, and yet there seems to be a lack of cohesion. The sides that perform the best, regardless of what level they are at, tends to be the one with a clear plan and/or philosophy in mind. If you go into the transfer market to buy players that fit the style and system or even the philosophy that you’re wanting to play, it will inevitably be more fruitful. This was thrown out the window with such an early managerial change, I just don’t really see the plan or thinking behind any of it really.
As much as Nagle has offered a polished beginning to his tenure as Town’s owner, all of the good faith that was earned early on has begun to evaporate and the clear transparency which was appreciated has made way for a shroud of opacity. The social media exchanges have disappeared and his conspicuous absence from Twitter (I refuse to call it X) means we’re now in a place where there are more questions being asked than answers being offered.
“As we look forward, I think we’re on the brink of Kevin Nagle’s first big test. Since taking over, he had been carried by the crest of momentum provided by Warnock, but now with his own man at the helm, it’ll be interesting to see how much leniency is offered to Moore. ”
Personally, I do hope that Moore succeeds at Town or at the very least, he’s given the time and resources to actually give it a go – if he isn’t backed in January, Kevin Nagle must continue to mute the htafc hashtag because it will not be a pretty sight. At the moment, it is really a torrid time. Beyond the unbridled loyalty of tribalism and the emotional connection to the club, there are not many reasons being offered to fans to get behind this side or part money to follow this club up and down the country.
The danger that the apathy that was seeping in prior to the appointment of Warnock and the takeover by Nagle has now returned with a vengeance and in that case, expect Town fans to vote with their feet.
Over to you Town... give us something to cheer about.
