Completely different set of circumstance - if we were in the relegation zone when Puel took over then fair enough! We declined under Puel, that was clear, and 8th place doesnt tell the whole story - we were closer to the relegation zone than 7th!
Completely with you there - results and performance are everything. Opinion would swing around massively if we put good form together. His odd comments would piss off other fans and we would probably lap it up!
He would have stayed on. And I'd have continued to believe that he wasn't that good of a manager. Puel got better results than Ralph overall. You'll never convince me that Puel was the better manager.
And it's been really top drawer stuff ever since, well sometimes, occasionally, yes. Top of the PL for a brief while but sliding back since. So despite the continual advice, 'be careful what you wish for etc ' let's see this passage of gloom through and keep the hope, with or without NJ. I have a feeling that we just might all be pleasantly surprised tomorrow at 5pm. Feel free to remind me at 5.05pm!!
I mean obviously this is all conjecture as I doubt he even turns around the form, but being competitve and winning some games isn't enough longer term. He has an uphill battle getting fans on side in the short term due to the awful start + the mental **** that comes out his mouth. Results and keeping us up will likely quell the Jones out narrative in the short term, and many fans will give him some more leeway and stop jumping on his every misstep. However as we know with Puel, performances also matter, and Puel didn't have the awful start or the mouth on him that Jones has, so I struggle to see Jones lasting longer term even if he did manage to keep us up (we're not winning the FA cup). He would need to not only manage to turn the form around but also improve the football we play and Jones isn't exactly known for good football.
As mentioned above elsewhere it was a totally different set of circumstances though. No one can begrudge Puel that cup run and we were achingly close to winning that final, he will always deservedly receive credit for that. But League performances had significantly declined on the previous season, we may have finished 8th but we were 17 points down and performances on the pitch were notably worse. Was it harsh when you consider where we are now? Maybe. But context is important, it was a significant decline in performance on the previous season and the clubs aims at the time were very different to what they are now. Of course we then had to go and appoint one of the worst managers in the clubs history as Puel’s replacement.
I agree. That wasn't the argument though. I didn't mention Ralph. Puel wasn't great, but he was hindered by the successes of the two previous managers. Jones is in a totally different situation. If he somehow turns this round, and keeps us up (forget winning silverware even), most of our fan base will change their opinion on him. IF we were to stay up and win the cup, every single fan would adore him.
I wouldn't. If that actually happened every fan SHOULD hold him in the same regard as Lawrie Mac. But they won't, myself included, because he's someone a lot of fans simply cannot warm to. If he turned our form around I'd tolerate him. No more than that.
Genuinely wouldn't surprise me if he nutted someone, Osvaldo style, and we booted him out because of it.
He was like this at Luton and they adored him whilst other fans hated him. There is only 1 difference between him now and then... results.
Creating a hyperbolic scenario that is seriously unlikely to occur as a defence of Nathan Jones is right up there with the most bizarre I've seen yet...
Liking the positivity Brinks, too many here have a cloud for every silver lining but Hey ho here we go.
hyperbolic hī″pər-bŏl′ĭk adjective Of, relating to, or employing hyperbole. hyperbole hī-pûr′bə-lē noun A figure of speech in which exaggeration is used for emphasis or effect, as in I could sleep for a year or This book weighs a ton. Nah - Hyperbolic.. We ain't finishing 12th and winning the FA cup - in this case it is a certain use of exaggeration for effect.
