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The Managerial Merry Go Round™ - Ivan Juric to Southampton


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On 06/06/2023 at 15:30, brummie said:

Spurs' root problem is that they are so desperate to be seen as big, as glamorous, as successful, they'll make decisions which are largely based on what it makes other people think of them. They would never, ever have appointed Eddie Howe around the time you did, for example, for precisely that reason.

 

As a result, they employ the likes of Mourinho and Conte because they think, hey, that's what big clubs do, they employ people like that. Then they get linked with Nagelsmann because, hey, he's European and trendy, and that's what big clubs do, too.

 

When they do get a Conte, what happens? He realises it's basically a job where it keeps them happy because he's so swoony and Levy looks good to his mates, and the fans can act like they're part of some football aristocracy rather than a bunch of arriviste non-achievers, but they get treated like shit, because the manager doesn't give a fuck really, he knows they're lucky to have him. It's an imbalanced relationship.

 

So maybe this time the dynamic will be a bit different, and a tubby Australian from the Scottish league will treat them with a bit of respect back rather than what they got from Conte and Mourinho, which was basically to treat them like some fat granny they picked up down at Julie's on the Quayside at 2am* because, hey, at least it's a bit of leg-over, it's better than nothing.

 

But it probably don't, and Ryan Mason will be there again with his hopeless, comatose teenage stoner facial expression on MOTD most weeks by January or February.

 

 

* apologies, my Newcastle cultural references are decades out of date, but if you wanted to pick up a ropey granny in the late 1980s, Julies was the place to do it.

 

 

 

It also should be mildly concerning to hear Levy talk about a 'focus on youth' with Ange as I don't see a bevy of talent waiting to step in. Man City are the standard bearers in terms of just a mad level of young players making a significant impact both at first team level and on loan at a high level.  

 

I don't doubt Ange will throw himself into it, but when you look at the club's U21s there's two that I could say might be ready in Alfie Devine and Harvey White. Spence and Udogie are two I don't think get talked about enough as being potential breakouts next season, but they aren't Spurs academy players. For the rest it could be a baptism of fire. Dane Scarlett didn't record great numbers in League One, and Troy Parrot the same in the Championship. 

 

Romaine Mundle would have been in that group to step up, but he's opted to leave. Maybe Levy is talking about that bundle of first-team players like Skipp, Sessegnon, Papa Mate-Sara and Tanganga (pushing it a bit at 24). 

 

It may all be a ploy to get deals done cheaper, but I somehow doubt it with Levy.

 

If he truly believes Postecoglu is his man, then he has to block out the noise. It's amusing to me how short-term we are in England with managers. Liverpool didn't challenge for the league properly until Klopp's third full season (and that's forgetting he had about 8-9 months prior to that to figure stuff out). If you look at that Champions League winning team, there was only two of the starting XI at the club when he joined and one of them was Trent. I don't say that to set the same bar for Postecoglu, because I don't see a trajectory where he makes 4th in his first full season, but I think with the Conference League now a thing he has other avenues to find success and take the club into a better position. 

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1 hour ago, The Prophet said:

Villa after Monchi as sporting director.

 

Purslow has stepped down as CEO today, I think Monchi (which of course makes me thing of the mental TV show Monkey) or whoever goes into that role completes a structure that doesn't really need CEO.

 

He's not massively popular as he comes across as smarmy, but to the guy's credit - been here 5 years, club on its knees when he arrived, he's played his part in a total turn around.

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20 minutes ago, GeordieDazzler said:

I always got the feeling that he was the primary driver of the Gerrard appointment and Coutinho deal given his Liverpool links - you think that’s ultimately what he’s paid the price for? 

 

He apparently pushed through the Gerrard appointment big style, whilst Sawiris and Edens were unconvinced.

 

When Gerrard got sacked after Fulham away, Sawiris was, according to those around him in the corporate area, absolutely fuming and left during the second half.

 

He then sacked Gerrard before he'd got on the team coach home, whereas you'd expect the CEO to do it.

 

The last few months he's had a very low profile (normally he'd turn up to the opening of an envelope) and they've appointed new big-hitter names to run the various bits of the club, particularly some guy from the Philadelphia 76ers to run commercial, which doesn't really leave much for the CEO to do.

 

Basically, though, Gerrard was hugely Purslow's appointment.

 

It's the only mistake I think he's made so far. Unfortunately, it was the biggest one he could make, and what Emery has done with the same squad has really made that starkly clear, so yep, this smells of Gerrard basically.

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NB Coutinho - started doing well before his last injury.

 

It won't be that - we've a big recruitment team inc a recruitment director they think very highly of. Players sometimes don't work out, that's not what it'll be (and besides, that was on Gerrard).

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6 minutes ago, brummie said:

NB Coutinho - started doing well before his last injury.

 

It won't be that - we've a big recruitment team inc a recruitment director they think very highly of. Players sometimes don't work out, that's not what it'll be (and besides, that was on Gerrard).


That’s fair I had just always seen the Gerrard appointment and the Coutinho purchase as inextricably linked as he was a Liverpool old boy and he wouldn’t have signed if not for the Gerrard factor.
 

Felt like a very public backing of him despite him playing in a position where you already had a decent starter in Buendia. Obviously Coutinho is a quality player on his day. 

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8 minutes ago, GeordieDazzler said:


That’s fair I had just always seen the Gerrard appointment and the Coutinho purchase as inextricably linked as he was a Liverpool old boy and he wouldn’t have signed if not for the Gerrard factor.
 

Felt like a very public backing of him despite him playing in a position where you already had a decent starter in Buendia. Obviously Coutinho is a quality player on his day. 

 

To be fair, if you appoint the manager, you have to back him, so if Gerrard really wanted him and the money was there, wage structure permitting, all Purslow could do was back him.

 

It was the appointment of Gerrard in the first place that was the catalyst. 

 

I dunno, I might be wrong, for all this, perhaps he just wants a change. 

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2 hours ago, brummie said:

 

Purslow has stepped down as CEO today, I think Monchi (which of course makes me thing of the mental TV show Monkey) or whoever goes into that role completes a structure that doesn't really need CEO.

 

He's not massively popular as he comes across as smarmy, but to the guy's credit - been here 5 years, club on its knees when he arrived, he's played his part in a total turn around.

 

Purslow is excellent on the commercial side of things. Problem is that he likes to meddle in the footballing side and loves associating himself with the old-boy English professional footballing network.  He was the main driver in sacking Rafa and appointing Hodgson. He was apparently boasting to everyone about how he managed to convince Joe Cole to reject other clubs and sign for us on a free transfer. If he had just stuck to the commercial side of operations in which he had strong credentials, successes, and connections - he would probably still be at Liverpool.

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1 minute ago, Caleb70 said:

Scott Parker [emoji38] 

 

So, Leicester don't want to bounce straight back up. 

To be fair, Parker has had two season managing in the Championship, and been promoted both times like :lol:

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