He does make some obviously correct points, but bringing back Koeman simply wouldn’t work. He alienated the Academy and reports stated that many parents were considering removing their boys because of his attitude. I have said this before, but in my opinion we still haven’t recovered from that situation, as there is still a gulf between the Academy and the first team which seems to be crossed very rarely. As for Nicola, I just don’t know any more. I understood the reasons he was sacked but looking at the apathetic mess the board is today, we need someone with his flair and drive to get things moving in the right direction. If not Nicola himself, then a slightly more financially prudent version of him. Ralph Krueger was a Katharina appointment, and that’s where Mr Gao needs to start in terms of shaking things up, followed by Les Reed. Bring in a chairman and director of football with sound knowledge of the Premier League and the ambition to go to the next level (a cup and regular Europa qualification would do for starters), as well as the will to improve the pathway for the best Academy boys, and let them make the decision about the manager and coaching staff.
Oh, and appoint Sir Rickie Lambert as U23 coach...
