If true, this is great news. We need a young, up and coming manager with passion, desire.... Forget ego's this is what I feel we need!!! The real debate starts now on who?
Some interesting stuff coming out of this: Surely all managers would expect that as a minimum requirement? Does this imply the owners are playing around with team selection or is there a Director of Football who's been playing the role of manager under Sven too? Edit: just checked and you don't have a Director of Football. Hmmmm. A few other articles mentioning the 'assurances' O'Neill was seeking too before he bowed out.
I mean about O'Neill not coming, as Dirkster said. Your link is about us having to bend over backwards, it's not a confirmation one way or the other.
Roy Keane would be ****ing awful but I'd love abusing him. McDermott would be decent but probably wouldn't offer the pizzazz that your newfound Thai fanboys are after. Then again, the owners have implied they want someone with second division experience so maybe they will go for substance over style this time.
I'd love McDermott actually. No to Keane. He's another who's name is bigger than his list of achievement. And his name is only five letters long.
I doubt our owners have any say in team matters, they pushed for a Beckham move (which Sven was in favour of) but that's about it. Sven has been tactically naive since he's been managing in England so I've no doubt it was his team I saw out there every week. The assurances appeared to be about the time and funds he would be given. I think he was willing to listen to offers but deep down did not really see it as a good move. This is a great job for someone wanting to boost their reputation, but O'Neill could easily get a Premiership job, he's not desperate for this one. He'd have easily been my first choice Dirkster so can't really agree there, his record of improving teams is exceptional. I'm still holding hope for Di Matteo, if not him then Clark, failing that Davies, who would no doubt be far more attractive to our fans if A) he hadn't managed Forest and Derby and B) wasn't a whinging scottish hobbit.
Hell no and no thanks. McDermott is just another flash in the pan IMO, Reading will be mitable this season.
Not sure that the tactics being inept is positive proof Sven was picking the team. You think the owners would have done any better? Emilio, what do you think about the prospect of McDermott?
Also, I'm not convinced that the story about O'Neill is anything more than guess work. There is no quote from O'Neill or anyone close to him, nothing to validate it. Shoddy journalism.
Maybe you're right Emilio - it just seems weird that your local journos (who are the most likely to be in the know and seem to have interviewed O'Neill's agent or friend) chose to mention the playing side rather than the more obvious assurances you mention. Implies to me that O'Neill thought Sven wasn't in full control. Maybe I'm reading too much into it.
It was tongue in cheek But I really don't think anyone other than Sven picked the team. McDermott - He's done a good job at Reading but I fear, as I said above, that it's a flash in the pan. I think they will regress this season and finish around 8th-11th. He's a decent Championship manager but he's not one that excites me. I'd have the 3 I mentioned above all ahead of him in the pecking order.
Think most clubs have seen chairmen bring in players. Mandaric tried to bring in a couple of journeymen when Pearson was in charge. Thankfully Hasselbank and the coke sniffing scouser ended up elsewhere. Martin would also insist on bringing with him Robbo and Steve Walford. Think this all relates to the playing side, and I believe Martin has insisted on the clause of control over the playing side at us previously, Celtic and Villa. Standard terms for him, and as a trained solicitor he would demand that in his contract.
If this is true, and the owners have said "No, you must play <player>" then thats madness on their part, especially if it is a deal clincher with O'Neil. It wouldn't surprised me if they say a certain player must play though, and i think we all know who it is.
