These are the options that Sky Bet are currently listing as our manager for the first game of next season. What this is effectively showing, is they have no idea who it will be. And I’m quite glad by that because it’s not the most inspiring list.
In theory we are quite an attractive proposition for a lot of coaches. We are a PL level club that will be gunning for promotion over the next few seasons and will spend to get there. And with all the changes at every level of the club over the next few months, it really will be like being able to start from an almost completely fresh slate.
The problem I think we will have in the manager recruiting department is that we (I mean SR - specifically Rasmus) will take this as an opportunity to try something bold again - like maybe bring in an up and coming league 2 manger that shows promise. We won't attract the players on the back of that and the current ones will leave. For me an Viera style appointment would be ideal as he has Premier League experience and can attract good players to the club. I also think he was unfortunate at Palace. It is a shame that Kompany got Burnley promoted - would have been better for them to almost do it, then we could have gone for him. Yes, it is no coincidence I am touting ex-Man City players.
I have one concern about Patrick Vierra. I went to Yankee Stadium in 2016 and watched the Noo Yawk Doiby, in which NYCFC got thoroughly spanked by the Red Bulls (who are actually based in Joisey). I remarked to someone at the time that NYCFC and their stable of superannuated superstars didn’t look like they’d been coached at all. Then checked the program to discover they were coached by…Patrick Vierra. Hopefully he’s come on a bit sense them.
Rasmus is getting loads of stick and rightly so, but if Joe Shields hadn’t ****ed off to Chelsea then he wouldn’t have been making footballing decisions from my understanding. Then choosing to hire Wilcox who couldn’t start til the end of the season was another master stroke and meant Rasmus had free rein over the football side. He clearly is good at what he does (and it clearly isn’t footballing decisions) as he achieved a lot with his previous clubs, so I assume he will be back in that role when we actually have a director of football in place
A full list of the key dates ahead of the 2023/24 EFL Championship season: Fixture Release Date – Thursday 22 June 2023, 9am Start Date – Saturday 5 August 2023 (with a likely live game on Friday 4 August) Carabao Cup Round One – w/c 7 August 2023 Carabao Cup Final – Sunday 25 February 2023 Championship Play-Off Final – Sunday 26 May 2024
I'd like to think (hope?) that all this planning is well underway and that effectively being relegated already is probably better than the rollercoaster of still being in it on the final day. Find out which players want out and let them talk with other clubs now. Start touting the new manager now. Arrange for a decent pre-season tour / squad building to take place in early July and try to get as much of the pieces in place by then. If there's one thing this season has lacked, it's the concept of a team. Multiple managers, too many ins and outs and no consistent lineups. I'm sure many of you will recall that the reason we didn't make the playoffs in the first season in L1 was not really because of the minus 10 points, it was because we were still trying to build a team ethos after the season began due to not being able to start that process until very late.
Knowing his “against the grain” mentality, I reckon he’s in Outer *****lia looking for our next manager.
My dog had a crazy 5 minutes in the garden today and injured the only decent striker we had left. I hope he's fit by August
Yes yes yes we get 8 extra league fixtures! I'm not sure why but I keep thinking Frank Lampard would be a good fit at Southampton. I did genuinely admire his work ethic as a player. He made the best of himself not the most naturally gifted but incredibly effective. Might be good with a young squad
He did a good job at Brentford, precisely because he had another co-director to temper his stranger instincts. When Rasmus left, they didn't replace him (but kept his co-director) and they don't seem to be doing so badly now...
Have a look in the Staplewood maintenance shed....think there may be a couple of stronger Arms surplus to requirement. (desperately trying to be the first with an Armstrong pun, sure someone can improve on my effort)
