Your comments are better connected to a franchise, closed model industry structure than an open pyramid structure. The former, common in everything over here (USA - NHL, NBA, NFL, Baseball etc), is a closed shop, rigidly managed entertainment structure, where profit is maximized and where the players are the "asset" under strict management and if they are not playing for the restricted number of clubs have no living and likewise the industry has no "show" - so its a tightly symbiotic relationshop. In the latter, the players can go and play, within certain labor law / immigration constraints, anywhere in the world, for literally thousands of potential employers. The former is agnostic to and isolated from the rest of the world, the latter IS the rest of the world. This is a big difference. Another big difference is that in the franchise model players are not transferred for fee, they are traded typically one-for-one (i.e. player swaps) although one-for-many can/does happen. In our pyramid system, clubs can be predated and their developed assets picked off in the middle of contract and suffer loss / damages as a result. In the franchise system, clubs never do harm to each other, there is little to no predation - in the closed shop it's not tolerated. Regardless of the system, players are employees, they are paid hansomely to work hard and perform. The majority I would say are highly focused, motivated, super competitive types that understand their place and role. Things go badly wrong when players think they are bigger than the club, the situation or manager and player power is allowed to usurp the effectiveness of a manager. We cannot tolerate that as a club .... and quite frankly none of our players are so ****ing good that they can even dream of copping an attitude. Everything I have observed so far, in terms of interviews and videos of training (the little there is) indicates that ML is making the right noises and doing the right things ... whatever he did and said at half-time against Stuttgart produced a positive result on the field - he did his job and the players went out and did theirs. HJ had weeks to evaluate candidates to replace BR and is on record as stating that succession planning had been undertaken before the Liverpool affair raised its head (probably because of the rumors flying around about Redknap and Spurs). I don't think HJ would have got this wrong and ML is not up to the task.
Huw signed Rodger's & Allen to long long term contracts to our financial advantage , in the long run , & all should be appreciated in for there part . Allen ... no Allen , we were going to be a huge success anyways . As futures with a lot of big & medium clubs starts to diminish over the next few seasons , Swansea possesses a huge future no matter what league she starts in 2013 - 2014
Only an ironic question after reading the top post ........ sorry Dilligaf: To be honest, I'm just a football fan, and as a Dane, is very interested in seeing how Laudrup will do at a high level. I think he is under pressure to do well now. For the first time he's in a club who have chosen him for his playing style more than his name. Organisation and money seem right - so this time it must be a marriage in heaven ....................
I believe its a marriage in heaven...that said i do have issues with his methods regarding the squad size he is proposing. I think its too small for a premiership club and i fear that if we lose key players early in the season that we have no option other than to replace them with fringe players until January window opens, IT could be too late to save us then....But im very happy with the appointment of ML overall.....
Welcome, Jan, looking forward to hearing more from you. I think ML will do well for us but he has a tricky transition period in front of him. If we were going to play in identical fashion this season it actually would be easier for him. The reason I say this is because, in that event, our existing players could help the new boys integrate into our style more easily. But now we have a situation where our existing players are having to learn new things as well, so they are having to concentrate more on their own game, as opposed to helping the new guys settle in to a system that they had been completely familiar with. Unfortunately, I don't believe that this is a quick process, so we might struggle in the early games whilst everybody beds in to the new system and we might drop points that otherwise we wouldn't have. But we will get it right and, as long as we stay up this season, I believe we will derive the long term benefit next season.
Thank you and good post. Patience is the word for the next matches. In the other clubs as Laudrup trained, was this very small or non-existent. Laudrup's team always do well against the big teams, while they have it hard against the lower teams.........................
Welcome, Jan. Will be interesting to see a Danish perspective. Be sure to update us on how the Danish media is handling the ups and downs of Laudrup's reign.
You'll put your knee out jerking it like that. Rodgersball had to change. Whilst possession is important, Laudrup has quite rightly identified that possession for the sake of it will only get you so far. Eventually we were always going to have to man up and start taking games to the opposition instead of sitting back as much as we did. It'll take time for players to get used to not always taking the easy out. I'm looking forward to seeing Danny Graham get some support. I'm looking forward to seeing us play some forward balls. I'm looking forward to seeing us take games by the scruff of the neck for a change.
Me too LR! As much as I admire tiki taka, the best exponents (Barca) use it effectively by getting the bloody ball forward. We've not done that enough and I hate to say it but Allen was one of the major culprits. It now looks as if Laudrup is going to retain the ethos of possession football but give us more of a cutting edge. When you do that it's inevitable you'll concede possession more. Who cares if we score goals and win games?
Laudrup read your comments, musty. But hold your horses. We'll still play possession football, and the imports from La Liga willl see that this approach continues. But there will I think be more of a cutting edge at the cost of possession. That'll keep you happy.
I think what was quite interesting about the Stuttgart game is how often Leon got forward. Under Rodgers he seldom passed the halfway line, even more so last season. Saturday he was up winning possession back in their half. It will leave us more open at the back until they get the hang of covering each other, but it's a price well worth paying to get an extra 15-20 goals a season.
