Shadow Puppets

I’m actually (genuinely) more excited by Howe than Emery. Something about that Emery news didn’t sit right with me earlier this week…it didn’t feel like the right fit bringing a high level manager to a relegation battle mid season, with a language barrier to contend with too. Howe is up and coming, bright, intelligent, plays nice football once he gets his team sorted, knows the league, no language barrier, has rebuilt / built up a club before. And he’s used to working with this calibre of player, and has a track record of improving them. He wouldn’t have been my absolute first choice (Rafa), but he’s a good appointment for where we are at this point in time and where we should be aiming for over the next 2-3 years. He can grow with us, if given the opportunity.

Pretty much how I feel ?

He relegated a team. He also took them from League 2 to the PL and kept them there for 5 years.

Shambolic search? Hyperbole much?

Really don’t dislike Howe at all. Achieved a hell of a lot at Bournemouth, is clearly a very good football mind, and is potentially a manager who can grow with us, with the right investment. Think it would be a good appointment. I will caveat all of this by saying I’d be happy with most of the linked managers. All are big improvements over Bruce, and all are potentially good for the “next step” in our development. I would even be very happy with Gerrard. Sometimes there’s a lot to be said for having a talisman in the building. I would back most of the linked managers to keep us up. There are some good players in that squad that have been woefully mismanaged.

The last 3-4 weeks have really highlighted to me the reason why other fans look at our fan base as one with a delusion of grandeur. It’s been embarrassing on this board at times. These few weeks were always going to be hugely difficult. No football structure in place. Skeleton staff. New owners with big ambitions for a club currently on its knees. (Some) Fans with expectations of huge name managers wanting to take on a challenge that is polar opposite of what they’re used to. The only thing the owners (or certain people close to the club) have been guilty of, in my eyes, are leaking certain bits of info without it being 100%. That’s naivety and comes across a little amateur. But they are new to this and will learn. In terms of what we actually know…the process, them looking for DoF etc, I don’t think the decisions have been wrong. Just perhaps played out in public too much. But a decent amount of fans have been pathetically embarrassing. Expecting huge names, impatience, the lot. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Well of course, the longer they have the better. But I won’t be panicking / getting angry about it for another 10 days or so yet.

I’d say as long as the new manager gets a solid 7 days with the players before their first match, that’s fine.

Is there a rush for Saturday like? Either way a new manager isn’t going to make any difference in that space of time. I’d rather they take a few days to really grasp the correct next step, rather than just going for Howe just to get someone in ASAP.

Me too. Genuinely not bothered about it not being Emery. He would have been a good appointment, but I also think Howe, Fonseca and even Martinez would be big steps up to what we’ve had. We were always going to struggle to attract a manager with big credentials in a relegation fight.

How's his English these days? That was always reported as one of the problems at Arsenal... his grasp of the language wasn't great.

Ah, the classic “let’s get angry about something that may or may not happen before it does or doesn’t happen” post. Tiresome.

I’ve thought this for some time. I genuinely believe we need a personality, a leader, a talisman…probably more so than we need a master tactician (at the moment).

Anyone with a subscription post the article?

Who?

Or…. it’s just another story in another newspaper by another journalist who actually knows fuck all and is piecing together stories to sell papers. There’s some incredible overreactions on this forum ?

The statement earlier reiterated that we’re looking for a head coach.

It’s been 10 days.

Exactly this ?

I know. I had the pleasure of meeting him quite a few times. Genuinely lovely guy. Know one or two people who know Bruce and say he’s a lovely guy. I have no reason to doubt that. Sadly, being nice doesn’t win football matches. Else McClaren would have won us the league.

Delighted that he’s left, for footballing reasons. An obviously poor manager, a poor tactician, and all round failure. But I wish him well. I do think he probably is a very nice bloke. He’s not remotely at the top of my dislike list of those associated with NUFC in the last few years.

Eh…he definitely didn’t win the Serie A like ?

Name spelt wrong in the title ?

Roeder wasn’t involved with our first team day to day. He was youth development before he stepped up. So it was a fresh face.

He couldn’t do any worse, sure, but I don’t understand how putting him in charge would give the players a lift. He’s been there for months and they’ve been shit.