Something was wrong near the end. There was no dressing room revolt Too many players in round holes Too many of their mates out injured Tough enough under Bielsa playing your own role without learning to do someone elses all the time. Bielsa takes the fall because of his idiosyncrasies and Jesse Marsch arrives. Results start to pick up because of one of two reasons Jesse Marsch Bielsas players coming back from injury
He was undoubtedly a wonderful coach but genuinely believe the demand of the pl may have been beyond him. As Eddie gray alluded to this week, man management wasn’t his strongest point. That’s what puts klopf pep and Rodger’s on a different level for me. They’re interaction with all their squads is incredible win or lose. They’re handling all sorts of Prima Donna’s like Grealish foden, salahs sulks. Bielsa didn’t or couldn’t handle that. His solution was to either ship out troublemakers in his eyes or refuse to sign them in the first place
You forgot that there was a 3rd reason - Bielsa was retained to get the tough run of defeats out of the way, so JM could come in riding his white charger to 'save us', as had been decided by the Shermans some months earlier. There was no knee-jerk reaction whatsoever - it was all planned well in advance, and anyone who says otherwise is in denial. If JM had come in at the start of that awful run of losses, would HE have survived? At the very least, his honeymoon period would have been wrecked immediately.
Let's see what happens tomorrow WJ. Will we see another Villa (h) performance and who can forget the atrocious first half against Wolves. However if Jesse can oversee 3 wins on the bounce then it's more than just good timing.
Don’t give a damn who’s in charge. Leeds win I’m in good form for following week. Foul mood if we lose. Been the same for last 50 years
When we got found out, and the opposition cut off supply routes to our forwards, Bielsa refused point blank to change our tactics. He used to give out the starting XI 48 hours before the match (until the club stopped him), insisted on playing players out of position and many of his substitutions were absurd. He had plenty of opportunities to bring new blood in, but refused. The players looked jaded, dejected and ready to throw in the towel, until Marsch came in. In 2022, Bielsa was a liability! I will remember him fondly, what he has done at Elland Road before this season. I do velieve the club treated him badly, how they got rid of him, but he had to go!
All bollocks elland. We didn't get found out at all. Facts are we had to put inferior teams out against Top 4 clubs due to injuries and it wouldn't have mattered one jot who was in charge for those games. During that losing run we played Arsenal, Man U, Man City, Liverpool & Tottenham or have you conveniently forgotten that again ?
Of course we did, even Bielsa insinuated so!!! “We had a problem in the creation prior to the ball reaching Patrick, where he had no influence and he could not receive the ball in positions where he can cause harm to the opponent. When we can't overlap out wide and when we can't give the pass from the centre from a closer distance, it is difficult for him to shine.
I guess I’m in denial then and you’ve been reading Billy’s monologues again WJ? Conspiracy bollox I’m afraid. if we’d beaten Newcastle and Everton the two worst form teams in the division there is no way they sack bielsa. it’s also the manner of the defeats to the better sides. Eg. Spurs had just been well beaten at Burnley and put 4 past us. We were a shambles. He was going in may anyway.. the idea you bring it forward 2 months to make the new guy look good? When there’s £100m+ at stake. Just fanciful. You can Agree with the decision or disagree agree with the decision… but the board’s sole interest is what they thought gave the best chance of the club staying up. They’re businessmen ffs.
Your dead right. To make matters worse, he had no action plan, no plan B! Triumphantly, he said he would continue to do exactly the same. I don't like saying it, but this year, he has been a complete imbecile, a buffoon, a liability and a joke. He would have dragged us down, then buggered back off to Argentina a shed load richer, still telling everyone that it was his fault. He had one plan, and once we were figured out, we were fcuked because Bielsa wouldn't or couldn't change. I understand some fans like to bury their heads in their hands and pretend its not happening, then start whining when we're playing the like of Rotherham and Wigan next season.
Exactly this, I do also believe there was a dressing room divide, something definitely went on with Llorente and Bielsa as well as Raphinha and Bielsa, those two are glad to see him gone, I have no doubt about that. I don't know if Marsch will keep us up, I do not know if Bielsa would have done, I do know we would never be top 6 under Bielsa and he did have the final say on the signings that are now letting us down
Exactly. Businessmen. Not football men. Not arguing with that. The decision was a financial one, made in January. They panicked though & brought in JM early. It was always on the cards, & aimed at May. Correct again. However, it all went tits up, so the decision to bring in JM was executed early. Remember, we were falling apart LONG before Bielsa got sacked. Plenty of opportunity to replace him, but no, we waited until the particularly hopeless games were out of the way. Are you telling me it was an absolute coincidence that JM came in immediately after Bielsa's really bad run against the better teams? Not a chance! They couldn't have a Septic appointed by Septics coming in & being stuffed in his first few matches now, could they? Of course not. If you think this was all very coincidental, could I interest you in some magic beans?
That's you definitely off my Xmas card list. Fortunately, I prefer to listen to his disciples, all successful in football management, rather than an Estate Agent who's never even been present at ER for a Bielsaball match. And that Plan A got us promoted from the Championship, remember. Finally, how dare you use words: "complete imbecile, a buffoon, a liability and a joke" when referencing an ER legend. Let me turn it around & aim that phrase right back at you for being such a cock.
Listen Rab C Nesbit, Bielsa used a bucket load of cash to get us promoted. Most of the rest of the Championship were relying on loans and free transfers.
He did, as did others with no success in this & previous years. You also seem to forget that a ridiculously large number of our opponents were cash-rich in the Championship through player sales & parachute payments, so your single thread argument has just snapped.
