Only been saying this for 15 years. You’ve got to have an ethos across all levels. Man C and Liverpool aren’t doing this stuff for ****s and giggles. All the noises from the club are the right noises - it’s great to see and we can just sit back and enjoy for once.
Tell you what's most telling about that interview, which is a good listen, is quite why Man U are such a ****ing meltdown of a club. Short term, in comes Rangnick who wants to play a certain way that's very different to Ole, who was different to Jose, who was different to LVG. Coaching ever-changing styles of play, whilst at the top there's just no vision whatsoever as to who they should be after, players that fit the style, and so on. Liverpool, City, they knew exactly where they wanted to go and whilst it's clear having an open chequebook helps, I find it hilarious what a pigs ear Spurs, Man U and to a lesser extent Arsenal make of things. We'll see how it pans out, but front foot press is Howe's desire. The time out of the game seems to have had an impact, we look very different to the relegated Bournemouth side. Ashworth's philosophy, looking at Brighton, is comfort on the ball from front to back. Between the two is the way all the best teams play. Contrast it with Spurs or Man U, who are heavily reliant on individual performances. It's also interesting to see what impact Ashworth might have on two key areas - recruitment and youth. I think we needed his help in Jan, but look like we did enough anyway (if we'd had a DoF, Wood most likely wouldn't have been taken on, or that might be wishful thinking). Will be really interesting to see how philosophies influence recruitment. The next big thing will be loans. We've been abysmal with them for 15 years. Maybe longer, if you consider KK didn't even use them. That's a HUGE area of development for me, and maybe spells the end of Shola. Will definitely be interesting to watch the back office, see what happens with Shola, Steve Nickson, and then to see who comes in as Chief Exec of this club.
In 113 days the owners have..... Took over the club Sacked Steve Bruce Sacked Steve Bruce's coaching team Appointed Eddie Howe and his coaching team Removed all trace of the leach and his shop signs. Removed Charnley Signed Kieran Trippier Signed Chris Wood Signed Dan Burn Signed Matt Targett Signed Bruno. On verge of appointing a DOF. On verge of moving the Shearer statue. On verge of renaming Shearer's bar. I'm really happy with the steady progress being made. Yes mistakes have been made but mistakes will always be made when doing something new. HWTL
Dan Ashworth will become our technical director and is signing a 4 year contract. He's already looking at new signings.