Match Day Thread Aston Villa vs Southampton Saturday 21st Dec 3pm

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Really strange comment, although with some that you have rated it doesn't surprise me. Koeman was our best manager since the Liebhers took over. He joined when the club were in mini turmoil and took us up a level.

Pochettino was and is a far better manager. Koeman benefitted hugely from the systems that had been put in place, and by far the best squad we’ve had in an age. He also nearly managed to cock things up with that squad, alienated players with his aloofness, and lucked into a successful formation through having his hand forced by injuries (when he was on the verge of being sacked).

He’s been pretty hopeless everywhere else he’s been too (though is having a good period with the national team, which requires an entirely different skillset. Southgate/Coleman are poor club managers who have seen success with international teams).

That’s why.

What bad managers have I ‘rated’, out of interest?
 
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The most surprising thing for me was how badly he got on at Everton. Shows how ****e that club is behind the scenes


Does it? Or does it show that he’s not that good. An awful lot of people are saying that Ralph should be blamed over the turmoil in the upper echelons here, but Koeman gets away with being hopeless at Everton (as he was at Ajax, Benfica, AZ, Valencia)?

Regression to his mean. He’s not a great club manager.
 
Pochettino was and is a far better manager. Koeman benefitted hugely from the systems that had been put in place, and by far the best squad we’ve had in an age. He also nearly managed to cock things up with that squad, alienated players with his aloofness, and lucked into a successful formation through having his hand forced by injuries (when he was on the verge of being sacked).

He’s been pretty hopeless everywhere else he’s been too (though is having a good period with the national team, which requires an entirely different skillset. Southgate/Coleman are poor club managers who have seen success with international teams).

That’s why.

What bad managers have I ‘rated’, out of interest?
Plus, he completely shut down the progression of youth players and led to many parents removing their kids from the Academy. Set us back years.
 
Pochettino was and is a far better manager. Koeman benefitted hugely from the systems that had been put in place, and by far the best squad we’ve had in an age. He also nearly managed to cock things up with that squad, alienated players with his aloofness, and lucked into a successful formation through having his hand forced by injuries (when he was on the verge of being sacked).

He’s been pretty hopeless everywhere else he’s been too (though is having a good period with the national team, which requires an entirely different skillset. Southgate/Coleman are poor club managers who have seen success with international teams).

That’s why.

What bad managers have I ‘rated’, out of interest?

That squad that was our best was mainly his doing, before he joined there was an exodus of players so his starting position with us was not ideal. Sorry i didn't mean to imply you had rated bad managers but you have gone well over board about some bang average players Claise being the main one.

I get that Poch was good for us but he inherited a great squad that was on the up so had a much easier start, also the fact that he didn't speak much english when he joined us shows how good his coaching team were.
 
How would Ralph be getting on with a front three of Mané/Pelle/Tadic, Big Vic in midfield, and Fonte/Alderweireld/VVD in defence?

With a relatively stable ownership.

I’d wager he’d be doing a damn sight better too.

If he did as good as Ron in the transfer window he could of had players of that ability.
 
If he did as good as Ron in the transfer window he could of had players of that ability.

I think you’re putting far too much credit the manager’s way regarding transfers, and Ralph now has even less say (and Ron was given wedge to spend beyond the likes of Ralph’s dreams).

I was just thinking - Ings would really struggle to have got in the 14/15/16 teams, and he’s by a long stretch our best player this season. RK had three of this years top twenty Balon D’Or players in his side at once and still managed to nearly get sacked. He’s bang average (as has been shown through his career).
 
How about;
McCarthy
Cedric bednarek Steph Bert
Hojberg jwp
Redmond long
Ings Adams

Very attacking. When we (inevitably) get dominated in midfield just hoof to Ings and co.

I've said it a few times recently: whilst ideally I wouldn't want to see it, our current situation dictates needing to play in a way which will most likely get results, so it that means launching the ball up for Long to chase or flick on, then so be it. I'm comfortable with that.

I just wish though that we'd make a decision.

Three home games in a row now that we've switched, mid match, between being a side who goes long and a side who tries to play patient possession football. The former lends itself to playing Long. The latter really, really does not (to be honest it barely suits any of our players, but Long in particular; why go the trouble of trying to spend all that time working the ball around, if Long is the one there to finish it all off - or if it requires Long to take a first touch that doesn't resemble something akin to a 40 yard pass).

For me, the decision is very easy. Ditch the attempts at possession football. But if we are to continue with it, then at least pick the most suitable players for it.
 
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Exactly.

This thread feels rather like the recent Ralph thread too (and yet Koeman’s squad was ten times better than the current one, and the ownership was stable). How soon we forget.

https://www.not606.com/threads/koeman-poll.320373/

and now as was then people have the right to question what's going on.

not many, very few intact have said they want Ralph gone, just maybe it's not all blind faith and that he surely just shoulder some blame, or do you not believe so?
 
and now as was then people have the right to question what's going on.

not many, very few intact have said they want Ralph gone, just maybe it's not all blind faith and that he surely just shoulder some blame, or do you not believe so?

Absolutely he has to, and absolutely people have a right to question. I’m just pointing out that the two situations are remarkably similar, except Koeman had a squad and environment significantly better than this one, yet he’s strangely held as some kind of paragon of managerial brilliance.

I just think Ralph is getting a seriously short straw from the club and many fans. Just trying to give some perspective (though I’m not necessarily saying he’s 100% the right man. He’s having to get a tune out of a load of crap).
 
I think you’re putting far too much credit the manager’s way regarding transfers, and Ralph now has even less say (and Ron was given wedge to spend beyond the likes of Ralph’s dreams).

I was just thinking - Ings would really struggle to have got in the 14/15/16 teams, and he’s by a long stretch our best player this season. RK had three of this years top twenty Balon D’Or players in his side at once and still managed to nearly get sacked. He’s bang average (as has been shown through his career).

Well if you say so it must be true. Pretty sure Ron had a major input in to Pelle and Tadic.

I think Ron was our most successful manger, you think he had it easy but I believe he had the core of a complete new team when he started the fans wern't happy and it looked like it could be the start of everything going tits up. Instead he managed to get a new team to well over perform and not only do it once but improve on it the following season. You say he had 3 of the 20 players in the world, maybe he is part of the reason they were in the top 20.

Look you don't like him i get it but to say he was bang average for us says to me that you don't really know what you're talking about.
 
Well if you say so it must be true. Pretty sure Ron had a major input in to Pelle and Tadic.

I think Ron was our most successful manger, you think he had it easy but I believe he had the core of a complete new team when he started the fans wern't happy and it looked like it could be the start of everything going tits up. Instead he managed to get a new team to well over perform and not only do it once but improve on it the following season. You say he had 3 of the 20 players in the world, maybe he is part of the reason they were in the top 20.

Look you don't like him i get it but to say he was bang average for us says to me that you don't really know what you're talking about.

That’s cool. You have your opinion, I have mine. Look at his record. We’re the outlier. That to me says the squad was fantastic, which it was.
 
Absolutely he has to, and absolutely people have a right to question. I’m just pointing out that the two situations are remarkably similar, except Koeman had a squad and environment significantly better than this one, yet he’s strangely held as some kind of paragon of managerial brilliance.

I just think Ralph is getting a seriously short straw from the club and many fans. Just trying to give some perspective (though I’m not necessarily saying he’s 100% the right man. He’s having to get a tune out of a load of crap).

I've not once slated Ralph and I agree i think he could be a great manager. He has to take some blame for us not improving, in fact we have probably got worse since he's been here which is quite achievement. Having said that the whole club has gotten a lot worse so not completely blaming him.
 
That’s cool. You have your opinion, I have mine. Look at his record. We’re the outlier. That to me says the squad was fantastic, which it was.

That makes no sense. Those players were not the worlds best when they joined us. He turned that squad in to a team that challenged for champions league. You could say the same about ralph when he was at RB Lipzig but no doubt you will have a different explanation for that.
 
That makes no sense. Those players were not the worlds best when they joined us. He turned that squad in to a team that challenged for champions league. You could say the same about ralph when he was at RB Lipzig but no doubt you will have a different explanation for that.

And he also nearly got sacked with those players. I’m not saying he didn’t do a good job here, but as I mentioned before he had a comparatively brilliant squad. Who in the current squad would get in that team as a regular? Who in our current squad has the ability to do a Mané or a VVD?
 
I think you’re putting far too much credit the manager’s way regarding transfers, and Ralph now has even less say (and Ron was given wedge to spend beyond the likes of Ralph’s dreams).

I was just thinking - Ings would really struggle to have got in the 14/15/16 teams, and he’s by a long stretch our best player this season. RK had three of this years top twenty Balon D’Or players in his side at once and still managed to nearly get sacked. He’s bang average (as has been shown through his career).


Pelle and Tadic both came here thanks to RK, no doubt at all about that.

He walked onto a sinking ship, and he didn’t just steady it, he steered it into Europe. Twice.