I noticed @vimhawk joined the dissenters yesterday and he is usually a voice of optimism on here. Intrigued to know where @PowerSpurs stands.
One thing crossed my mind: has anyone noticed that, ever since it emerged that there's the clause in Nuno's contract saying he can be sacked next summer and not receive a penny we've seen a drop in tactical discipline? While I don't want to single him out as he is somebody who plays like he gives a ****, but Lucas deciding that he's a central midfielder wasn't something that was happening a month ago - yet he's been doing it in at least two of our last five games I have a feeling that's fatally undermined him and there's no going back, regardless of the Torygraph's claims he has the Vitesse and Everton games to save himself
I have several thoughts but they are all inconclusive..... The first is that it seems a matter of common agreement that a PL manager needs to be paid several million pounds a year. I don't know of any other job with that kind of salary where the opinions of the public on the technical competence of the job holder would matter one jot to the people making the appointment. The counter argument is that people are paying for entertainment and can vote with their feet so the customer is always right etc. It seems completely obvious that very few managers actually make a difference which is why they get fired so often. You don't have enough data from results to judge whether you have one of the few good ones until at least 100 matches. So you need to have a different criterion for sacking them. Our big mistake was sacking Pochettino who clearly could make a difference and was sacked despite that. I don't see anyone having an edge in choosing a manager. You either appoint one of the few who clearly made a difference in the past and hope they have not lost their edge or you take a punt on getting the next good one. My main issue with Nuno is that I don't think he is delivering the style of football he apparently promised to get the job. The results are not bad enough to warrant sacking him by themselves. I don't think he has more than a one in ten chance of being a difference maker but that is equally true of most others we could hire.
Well if that theory holds water it makes Levy even more of a mug for inserting such a stupid clause into what was anyway just a 2 year contract, then trusting that it wouldn't get leaked. Hiring a 6th choice manager on a short term contract is probably more than enough undermining without us needing to resort to rumours about break clauses. The team have never fought for Nuno. They fought against Harry Kane in the City match as they had a point to prove and their egos were stung. But as that issue resolved itself they were left with nothing to rally around. With Lamela sold only 3 players remain who appear to give a toss about the badge (Son, Hojbjerg and Lloris) and the performances tell you exactly how that's working out.
Your last point is harsh on skipp ... and I think Lucas has a bond with the fans but I agree other than that
I'd possibly add Romero, although he hasn't really had time for the malaise to sink in yet, and if I'm feeling generous Dier does seem to give a **** but that doesn't really translate into much
I'm sorry but I didn't agree with the way Skipp was strolling around smiling after the West Ham game. Those defeats need to hurt. And yesterday, Lamela drags Fernandes back and takes a yellow for the team rather than letting him break. Don't get me wrong I love Skipp but he is palpably inexperienced and what worries me is his current role models are a collection of horse droppings.
No one can ever have a guarantee of picking the perfect manager but there are variables that you can use to give you a greater chance of picking the right one. Ajax and Dortmund are notorious for developing young players whilst playing an attacking brand of football. So who/ what do they hire? Progressive coaches, happy to work with young players. And as simple as it sounds, it proves successful. Ajax remain one of the best clubs in Europe despite often losing key players, Dortmund constantly challenge at the top of the Bundesliga, occasionally nick a cup despite Bayern's monopoly on the league and they make insane profits by developing the very players they've hired the manager to coach. I think Liverpool set an example when hiring Klopp too. They needed a rebuild and someone known for playing good football. They hired Klopp, backed him and with the help of Michael Edwards' negotiating skills he's built one of the best teams in Europe and brought them amazing success, he done brilliantly with Dortmund too. If as a club you have a particular DNA then I think it's "easier" to hire managers if you look in the right places. We're a club who's amazingly gotten it so wrong though as we seemingly pride ourselves on being an attacking team yet have hired two of the most defensively minded managers out there and we're now where we are. Whilst it's no quick fix, I truly believe hiring one of ten Hag or Potter would massively change things so long as they got backed - and backed is the key thing here.
I think Potter is going to sit tight and wait for the United job. They've got a very good squad and just need a better manager. Coming to us is a rebuilding job and with our tracking record of buying poorly in the past 4 or 5 years we must look like a serious risk to any up and coming manager.
Football BSider and one unpronounceable Turkish blog claim that Nuno's gone Tempted to put £5 on him being there for the Vitesse match...
There's no way he's gone...he's got at least another 2 months or so judging by how late we were in sacking JM
Summing up Conceicao: His Porto team play 442 and press the living **** out of opponents, although for all their pressing they don't seem to actually do much when receiving the ball as they regularly end games with more bookings than shots on target, especially in the Champions League. Oh, and he's somehow an even more miserable human being than the last Portugeezer we sacked, and by complete coincidence has the same agent...oh ****, doesn't Paratici want inroads with that agent? Okay, so if we stick him in the teleporter with Nuno and the ubermensch so we get a team that can retain the ball, be devastating on the counter, and presses teams into submission, we might actually have something...
The difference here is that I don't believe the fans were mutinous under JM. Toxic fans will make Levy act quicker, and certainly the added pressure from our new DoF will hasten the process. Personally, I think once a new manager has agreed to come onboard, then nuno is gone. I don't think levy will want to drag things on with a caretaker manager while looking for a permanent replacement.
Fans were mutinous, but they weren't in the stadium It's odd that the club can pick up on Twitter/Reddit moaning about our style of play and push down from above, which I certainly believe was the case with both Nuno and Villas-Boas, but were slow to react to the ever growing ennui about the ubermensch and not do anything - and I don't think the usual cheering section he brings along helped him stay in the job, either, considering he'd made Dele a political hot potato a few months earlier
I think he will be, mate. I reckon we’ll get an announcement tomorrow at around 10 or 11am. Unfortunately for Nuno, he had crowds in the stadium which Jose luckily didn’t, otherwise I think he’d have gone earlier, also Jose was on a hell of a lot more money too which I reckon is what aided the delay, I think sacking him set us back about £20m+, sacking Nuno will set us back about a quarter of that, possibly less.
Nuno is toast. Levy is briefing against him this evening, snidey little twat. I don't think Nuno is right for Spurs - never was going to be with the squad and other issues surrounding the club - but he doesn't deserve this. Certainly not from the prat who appointed him. Stirring memories of the way Levy ditched Martin Jol. Same cheap, cowardly tactic.
