I've seen quotes comparing him to Franz Beckenbauer before, google if you like. I don't think anybody in their right mind would compare him to Der Kaiser now
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11675/2393422/jol-makes-kaiser-comparison Knew I didn't imagine it
I take it back. "As a sweeper he would be the best player in the world" might be the best quote I have ever read in my life.
That article did make me laugh to be honest but its also a bit sad that he's always had this potential but never really built on it.
Doesn't it say a lot about Jol that he thought he had the best player in the world in a certain position but then didn't play a team with that position? Surely you base your formation around the personnel available to you?
To be honest I want Bruce to go if we can get a suitable replacement. Firstly he just doesn't look healthy, and a promotion chase is just as draining as a relegation battle. Secondly he seems to have lost this group of players, if they haven't performed for him this season why will they next season? His style of play has been horrendous, forcing the ball out wide and aimlessly crossing it, worse than Big Sam or even Pulis IMO. The main problem though is that I don't think he's shown that he's good enough for the premier league, so even if we go up straight away I'd expect us to keep him and end up in the same situation we are in now the season after. If we can replace him with somebody capable of making the step up then we'll be in a better position looking forward.
It was the same at the end of last season, we even struggled over the promotion line the season before that. I was hoping Phelan could have an effect, but maybe he isn't the motivator who gets players to wake up at half time.
I think it is just plain daft to claim that all of Steve Bruce's experience, as player, Captain and manager gifts him tactical astuteness; we have had ample example of the opposite. Yes, he has got experience and, when things run right for him, he is able to do a half reasonable job of managing a decent squad of players, but we need someone who can do a bit more than that, someone who has a flexibility of thought and, more importantly, someone who does not lose faith in his own tactics. There is now an opportunity to break the Bruce cycle of boom and bust, we need new blood, new thinking and new players. This won't happen unless Bruce steps down, which he should.
By all accounts Fulham were willing to offer Bruce a king's ransom to move this season... Why? Because he's a very successful manager at Championship level. It would be madness to dump a manager who knows our club and the players inside out and does his best work at this level.
What do you suggest? We bring in Phil Parkinson and give him the chance to take us into League 1 at his second attempt? SB staying is good news as far as I am concerned. Gives us a great chance of getting straight back up and after that if we struggle as we have done this season in the PL then perhaps that would be the time to make a change - but for me that time is not now. Look at Norwich - keep most of their squad together and have got straight back up - we can do the same.
Norwich City replaced Neil Adams with a 33 year old Alex Neil as manager. Alex Neil took them into the Premier League.
Neil Adams was crap -we have an experienced manager and need to keep him. Not every novice will do as well as Alex Neil has done and Hull City have hastily sacked managers too often in the past and then regretted it. We need to keep SB and not press the panic button!
