Ok. I get what you are saying in the first two lines.
It brings more questions to the fore though:
1. Is the manager not able to instill his style/ethos on the team till half the season's over?
a. Because the players are not responding to him - Manager has not got the confidence of the dressing room
b. Because the players are pony and are utter tripe - Doesn't seem to be the case as they play well when chasing the game
c. Because the manager is clueless and dated - Players are just left confused about what they are supposed to be doing
2. Is the manager's job only to remind them of pre-game plans? Not having a footballing background I am clueless about this, but I am sure it is more than that.
3. What exactly is being told to the players pre-game that we are largely, chasing games?
4. If one player out of the team is not playing well, we can understand he is not pulling his weight, but when the entire team appears clueless(even after 20 odd games with the new manager), where does the problem lie?
5. Einstein said once: Performing same experiment multiple times and expect different result is a sign of insanity. Is our coaching staff suffering from insanity? If the system that is being looked at is not working, shouldn't the coaching team be flexible enough to make adjustments to their own plans to ensure the team does not sink rather than being obstinate that only their way works?
6. Is having proven player sat on the bench better than a player playing out of position better? (I have heard theories about him being on a showcase to protect the selling price, but that's just reaching for.... I smelt spite)
Just summarizing few questions that I have.... Admittedly, I don't have any managerial experience, so what do I know? ?