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A year ago, our club was in a bit of a mess. We'd just lost the play-off final, "lost" our manager, and half the squad were either not good enough, out of contract, or loanees heading back to their parent club.

Pity the poor bugger coming in to do the cleaning up job. Step forward Martin Ling.

I'm not going to go into all the good he's done, it's well documented already, and so is the season we've had.

I'm talking now about the way ML has conducted himself, and how he's put a backbone where there wasn't one before. We had become used to excuses, mainly feeble ones, and where excuses were not the order of the day, usually some other BS was dished up.

so what a breath of fresh air it has been (and continues to be) that ML tells it like it is. No BS, no flowering things up, just straight-to-the-point, no-nonsense honesty. He's done it all season, and i know some laugh at his cockney approach and the way he puts things (fingers in pies and all that), but even now, he's coming out, letting everyone know how and why the decisions are being made.

It might not be to everyone's liking - there are lots of people out there who thrive on BS and being told how wonderful everything is, but give me ML's approach any day.

Once again, take a bow Lingy, you the man !!

I like his atitude i think its better to be told the truth than fed a load of Bull! Fill's me with confidence for the next seasona and probably gives the guys on the pitch confidence too, no point in being a fairy about it let them know and they can work on it!

well said mate

so much respect for this man and how he's shaping our squad for the future

has there ever been a greater contrast between two consecutive managers in our history?

I bet we could even trust him with our wives!

Maybe yes lol. He is doing a great job. So pleased we got a proper manager

This is just it, he commands respect because he makes a decision and offers his reasons for it. We can have absolutely no respect for the 'do as I say, because I'm the boss' attitude. I imagine the players see this too. With Bucks, I rather assume that the matchday XI plus subs was announced and that was it. No explanation as to why some had missed out, or changes had been made, so players were always unsure. With Dinger, I imagine it is more like the England manager picking his squad and telling them all personally, why they either have or have not made it.
I'm delighted with Dinger and hope that he stays for a number of years, I can't see us ditching him (who was the last manager who served more than 1 year that we actually sacked?), so it's pretty much up to him and how far he thinks he can take us and who comes in for him.

Matt.

No complaints so far..

I think every decision he's made this summer has been spot on so far. Harsh in some cases, but definitely fair.

bobby93 wrote:I think every decision he's made this summer has been spot on so far. Harsh in some cases, but definitely fair.

Totally agree with this. It's great to have a manager on board that appears to see the same things we do as supporters. Naturally we are not privy to what goes on behind the scenes, but there's no better way to enhance your credibility with supporters than to make sensible decisions and act in a professional manner.

You get what you see with Ling and whether he ultimately goes on to bring further success to the club or not I have a feeling he will always be one of those managers who will be warmly welcomed through the gates of Plainmoor for years to come.

This thread and other talks of player contracts has got me thinking, how long is left on the manager's contract? If it's less than 2 years I'd be very keen to see him sign an extension as I can see him building something good at Plainmoor. The same could also be said of his coaching staff who also deserve hefty praise for their work this season.