I have a genuine (not rhetorical) question for the posters here who don't think Ricki should go, either now or at the end of the season, and for those who say they don't care either way: under what circumstances would you definitely think he should go? Because I assume there would be some point where you would join the sack Ricki crowd. Or would you support him regardless of results and relationships with players, the board and the media? I honestly want to know peoples opinions on this.
Because I personally think some people in the past have been too quick to cry SACK RICKI but I do think that the time has come for him to go. I don't think he's solely to blame for the current situation but I do think he is definitely part of our issues. Players and the board are too, of course. But replacing the coach is much easier to do than replacing the players, and the board aren't going anywhere any time soon.
The coach does multiple tasks, such as:
1) player recruitment
2) player selection
3) player development (ie youngsters)
4) motivating players
5) deciding and implementing tactics
Now I think on points 1 and 3 I think the jury is out because you can argue about the limits the club's position has put on him in the last few years. On point 2 I'd say he's overly conservative, sticking with players who are underperforming, but that can be construed as a good thing for promoting stability and consistently. So 1-3 are neutral for me. However 4 and 5 are where I think he's failed recently, and after so long in the job I can't seem him turning either of them around so I think he should go.
Ultimately in my eyes a coach is judged by onfield performances and ours have been too bad for too long to justify keeping him on IMHO.