Postecoglou & Lange (& Paratici) Watch

Yep but feels like the only solution.

Sticking with something bad will only guarantee bad things.

Continuously twisting until you (hopefully) find something good at least offers hope if nothing else.

 

We didn't have the players to play a defensive game under Mourinho...and we didn't have the money to buy them for the next manager...so appointing another defensive manager made absolutely no sense whatsoever...but that's what happens at the club. Decisions are taken based on nothing more than expediency. Nuno was appointed because so many better fitting managers told us to **** off. He didn't and we'd wasted 10 weeks when we should have been planning for this season.

The truth about the club's DNA, is that we don't have one anymore. Until that's resolved, we're just pissing money down the drain on DoF's, coaches, players, whatever, who will all fail... which is why I'm not giving them anymore of mine.

 

I think most half decent managers want to steer well clear of Levy. His hard-bargaining reputation was, initially, to be admired (and went to his head) but is now holding us back when it it comes to shifting deadwood. All too often we're left with players who are no longer wanted/needed or don't want to be here, simply because Levy doesn't back down on his player valuations. That's hardly a recipe for success and creates a problem for any incoming manager before they've even started.

 

I argued this back in February...seemed bloody obvious at time but instead we got this very predictable farce...genuinely I can not see any decent manager joining us right now

 

Its the fans too…both feed each other

Some think Moura deserves a statue for his CL semi final heroics and they don’t want to sell him ever, ever, never. Yet he’s supposed to be providing better goal/assist stats than he has considering his position on the pitch…no amount of tracking back, running around can compensate for you doing your primary job. The running around is the game..it’s not an option or a special request.

On the other hand Liverpool fans and the club couldn’t wait to get rid of Origi even though he scored the winner in the semi final, the clincher in the final and some vital goals in the PL on their way to winning the title because he isn’t the required quality consistently enough and everyone knows it.

mentalities

 

Exactly, it’s a ruthless business and clubs should be moving players on once they can’t often what is needed regardless of their past.

 

to be fair origis still at liverpool.

Your club is getting Levy'd

 

but happy to get rid is my point Bob but no one wants him, can’t get a game etc etc

 

A lot of people are copping ten minute Twitter bans today

 

wondering why the website slowed to a crawl. It's your user name XD

 

I honour my bets as you know

 

Think you’re a bit wide of the mark on Levy with the outgoings. Nobody wants the players, ultimately, or they don’t want to leave to the clubs that want them, so why would they sign the contract and leave. It’s more down to wages than transfer cost IMO, still think it’s a miracle we managed to sell Lamela given what he was on.

Tanguy only wanted elite clubs (what a joke), Winks wanted to stay (he knows that we don’t have a lot of depth so he’s going to play games, we can’t freeze him out due to lack of alternatives), nobody wanted Aurier to the extent we had to terminate his contract and he still (I think) hasn’t got a club…the problem isn’t Levy’s valuations, the problem is the club as a whole - no doubt Levy played a part - signed ageing filler players to long term contracts on better money than they deserved over that period of time. Why would the players want to leave when they know the club won’t sign replacements beforehand, so they know they’ll play?

Ironically, the whole situation stinks of an over-emotional attachment to players and Levy being unwilling/unable to play hardball, which is stereotypically uncharacteristic for him. If you really want a player gone and they’re not getting the hint you sign his replacement and tell him to find a club or he’s training with the 23s. We did everything but this in most cases and the players knew Levy would blink first.

 

I hated Mourinho as our manager but he wanted rid of Winks, Dele and a number of others. Levy didn't want to sell. He thought that he knew better than the coach and that the players would come round. They didn't and Mourinho was a dead man walking based on the lack of authority he had over the squad.

When Poch came in on a 5 year contract, he had the authority to purge those that needed to go. They went because he was done with them and he was THE BOSS. The players know that Nuno's expendable and that they can easily outlast his stay at the club...and it looks like players like Winks will get their wish.

Given the Harry Kane situation, the lack of funds for transfers, the extent of drift in the squad and the number of players who aren't doing it, bringing an unsuitable manager in, on a 2 year contract, was a ****ing ridiculous decision...so business as usual for the last 6 years.

One out / one in isn't serving our best interests...and hasn't for some time. The Wanyama situation was a ****ing joke. We kept a player for 2 seasons who couldn't run, because nobody would buy him....FFS!

 

Never a truer word here.

 

Both Mourinho and Nuno do feel very short-term, for different reasons. Mourinho because we know what he does at clubs these days. Nuno because nobody else was available.

Ultimately giving a manager a 5 year deal and carte blanche to purge the squad is only successful if it’s the right manager. We lucked out with Poch, who wasn’t first choice and fell into our laps somewhat. With Paratici in place it’s now his remit to take the lead on that sort of thing, that’s usually how the DoF works. I suspect his long term vision of the club doesn’t include Winks but he’s under contract until July 2024 so I think it’s unlikely he’ll want to leave until we replace him aggressively.

I understood the realities of the one out one in policy for years but hopefully now with fans back in the stadium and the financial situation recovering, we can move past that and not only invest in a way that improves the starting XI, but also in a way that helps force out squad players who have outstayed their welcome. Getting Lamela, Aurier and Sissoko off the books in the summer was a good start but long-term the picture of the squad management is far bleaker.

 

This is where we part ways. Whilst Enic remain as owners, with Daniel as our chairman, things will not meaningfully change. We will continue to buy and sell players based upon the economics of the deal and Daniel's/Enic's agendas, rather than sporting reasons. The signing of Pape Sarr (and loaning him back) and Emerson Royal, over addressing our very immediate lack of a striker or decent midfield options will forever remain a mystery to me. They may turn out to be very good players ,but right about now, they're not what we need...and our need is very significant.

I've no faith that Paratici's got any real authority or that he won't be out the door as soon as the flames start licking above Nuno's pay grade. He'll be gone when it suits...and he'll be even cheaper to get rid of than Nuno. Given that he's supposed to be the one who went in for Conte, Gattuso and Nuno, he should probably be looking over his shoulder already. When Ramos went, Commolli went with him. Watch your back, Fabio.

 

Poch was very fortunate to have half a dozen or so Academy graduates ready to replace the Kaboul, Capoue, Adebayor cabal. Also, we did good business in those days. Neither of those things are true now...but the need to take decisive action is just as pressing...but because it can't be done on the cheap, it isn't happening.

Currently, players who aren't up to it are outlasting the coach by seasons. We're buying players based upon a good season, maybe 2, in weaker leagues, because they're cheap...and so are we.

There were project managers that we could have pursued and given licence to clean house...Potter and ten Haag come to mind. However they were employed and we'd have had to pay compensation...which we wouldn't because sporting decisions are always made on economic grounds. We are stuck in a Groundhog Day of poor recruitment, poor results and it isn't coming to an end until someone else is put in charge of the club and we start again on the basis of some sporting rationale and put the football team at the forefront of the owners' concerns.

 

I think it was a good window but not a great one for precisely the reasons you outline. We’re missing two sources of goals from last season (Bale got 16 and Vinny got 10) and it’s looking like a bad call to trust in our current midfield options too.

I’m perhaps more optimistic about Paratici’s role and autonomy than you but I think this stems from ultimately our views on Levy. In the short term, Levy has wanted to hire Paratici for half a decade or so and has finally got his man, albeit in a remarkably unplanned way. To dispense of him so soon, or to cast doubt on him by sacking his chosen manager (admittedly not first choice but Fabio wanted Nuno and reportedly had to convince Levy) would be a massive loss of face for Levy. I think Nuno is here until Christmas at least, for that reason.

I 100% agree with this and would have preferred a project manager, or even giving Nuno a longer deal to show some faith. Sounds weird to say now but a major issue is players knowing they can outlast a manager and that they will get to play because the squad depth isn’t there to ostracise them, even if they’re not up to task.

 

Perfectly reasonable

For another example, look at how waiflike Dier or Winks were in their first seasons compared to 2017-18, or for another how Lamela took an English course when he was out injured in his first season