There's is just so much utter s**t there I don't know where to begin ... So let's get the record straight. Sousa had never heard of Beattie ... he was the Board's signing not Sousa's. Sousa started the season with a projected -23 goal difference - last season's goals minus the goals from Scotland, Gomez and Bodde - who were no longer available - a total of 40 goals lost. A -23 goal difference is a guarantee of relegation. So we started the season so deep in the s**t it was a miracle we didn't drop. Sousa turned a sieve of a defense into something you could barely fart through. He somehow dealt with our Achilles heel, which was anything crossed into the box, because neither Monk, nor Williams, no DeVries had half a clue on how to defend a cross. Beattie didn't get the nickname "sick note" by accident - he was never available. Kuqi was something of a last gasp retread - and not a Sousa selection - he was all that was available in January. Dobbie was out of shape, carried an attitude and didn't shine at all and Pintado was, poor bastard, asked to do everything, which he did to the best of his ability - don't forget he came to us from a L3 club in Spain (or possibly worse). I was at the Doncaster match at the end of the season. Sousa pulled every tactical maneuver in the book to try and get the result we needed to make the playoffs. We were thwarted by our lack of finishing power up front and .... Trundle's infamous hand ball in the last couple of minutes. So if you didn't care for the style of football we had to play to finish 7th versus bottom OK, that's your opinion. But you don't have to twist history to s**t on a guy that came here with no back room staff of his own - Martinez walked off with everybody when he went to Wigan - and did the best with what he inherited and a total lack of support form our illustrious board. Sousa performed a minor miracle - a very technically competent coach who got the most he could from the resources at his disposal.
And I would further add in support of Sousa (see post #22) .... he also had to deal with Monk-Back-Stabbing Version 1.0. Needless to say, despite this, he still managed to work a miracle on Monk et al at the back - so he couldn't have been that bad a guy now could he.
Your original Sousa love in post accepted, your entitled to try I suppose but....... .......then you go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like its Mooooooonks Fauuuuult...... You know the tune yankee
The irony is, put Monks attacking style with Sousa's defensive tactical nous and it's the perfect set up, but then we'd win all the time and this forum would be boring
Actually, put Laudrup's attacking style with Sousa's defensive discipline and that would make a winning combination.
Actually, put Laudrup's attacking style with Sousa's defensive discipline and that would make a winning combination.
Because this is a Brenda v Sousa thread not Monk v ML Either way, put Sousa with either attacking style and it would be very effective.
GM 2014 15 +2 ------ 7 played GM 2013 14 +6 -----14 played ML 2013 14 -6 ------24 played ML 2012 13 -4 ------ 38 played BR 2011 12 -7 ------ 38 played BR 2010 11 +27 ---- 38 played PS 2009 10 -3 ------ 38 played RM 2008 09 +13 ---- 38 played PS after Leicester Videoton +39 ---- 30 played Tel Aviv +40 ---- 26 played (left out part seasons) Basel +7 ---- 8 played Sousa stacks up quite well when he has a decent forward or two.
It would be interesting to see what his goal difference would have been if you factor the goals of someone like Sinclair from the following season
Sinclair almost single handedly got us up imo. He is listed on Wiki as still being a Man City player. Thought he'd moved on.
