Was listening to TalkSport and something subtle but really interesting came out of the mouth of Danny Murphy. I know, I was shocked too.
He was (predictably) bigging up Liverpool but the conversation was a little about Klopp and a bit about Poch. The words he used when talking about Klopp was that he constantly uses "charged" words in the press, in conferences, and is really alive/animated on the touchline and it got me thinking that you could say ALL successful managers follow this template, and all unsuccessful ones simply don't. No prizes for guessing the category the likes of Howe, Potter, Poch, sit in.
Look at the characters who have consistently won trophies, the way they conduct themselves and the things they win. Guardiola chief amongst them, but also Klopp, Jose, Conte, Sir Alex, Trappatoni, Ancelotti and on and on. There's a way about managers that set them apart - we've got someone you wouldn't think was out of place coaching your local U-11's. He sits there, scribbles on paper, looks anguished then gets into a press conference and pulls out the most banal, beige sentences you can imagine. Why are the fans so entrenched behind this bloke, just because he had a lucky season (after spending £200m)? Why is it "Eddie Howe's black & white army"? He's uninspiring, uninteresting and unsuccessful (unless promotions are the yardstick).
At this point, I no longer get it. The football is dross, insipid. The ability to spot a player is shocking. Identity of the team has vanished, transfers have been pathetic. The loyalty to Champ level players is embarrassing. He's very rapidly making us look like mugs, again. We're back to being the team you want to play against, the easy fixture, the predictable opponent, the perennial under-achievers - why does anyone, given the promises of Staveley, the wealth of our backers and our commercial explosion, want this? It's like we're stuck in a vortex of "well, it's better than Bruce" as if a Mike Ashley-owned club is some yardstick to measure anything against. I mean, if we're doing that, why not argue it's on a par with Pardew, except Pardew had 1/5 of the budget?
We need a character, someone the World listens to, someone opponents look at with envy, someone the fans can truly get behind, who uses charged language to inspire the fanbase, who inspires the team from the touchline, who makes the big calls and doesn't suffer fools or **** footballers. Eales et al need to ****ing wake up if there are genuinely aspirations of trophies and being a top 6 club.
He was (predictably) bigging up Liverpool but the conversation was a little about Klopp and a bit about Poch. The words he used when talking about Klopp was that he constantly uses "charged" words in the press, in conferences, and is really alive/animated on the touchline and it got me thinking that you could say ALL successful managers follow this template, and all unsuccessful ones simply don't. No prizes for guessing the category the likes of Howe, Potter, Poch, sit in.
Look at the characters who have consistently won trophies, the way they conduct themselves and the things they win. Guardiola chief amongst them, but also Klopp, Jose, Conte, Sir Alex, Trappatoni, Ancelotti and on and on. There's a way about managers that set them apart - we've got someone you wouldn't think was out of place coaching your local U-11's. He sits there, scribbles on paper, looks anguished then gets into a press conference and pulls out the most banal, beige sentences you can imagine. Why are the fans so entrenched behind this bloke, just because he had a lucky season (after spending £200m)? Why is it "Eddie Howe's black & white army"? He's uninspiring, uninteresting and unsuccessful (unless promotions are the yardstick).
At this point, I no longer get it. The football is dross, insipid. The ability to spot a player is shocking. Identity of the team has vanished, transfers have been pathetic. The loyalty to Champ level players is embarrassing. He's very rapidly making us look like mugs, again. We're back to being the team you want to play against, the easy fixture, the predictable opponent, the perennial under-achievers - why does anyone, given the promises of Staveley, the wealth of our backers and our commercial explosion, want this? It's like we're stuck in a vortex of "well, it's better than Bruce" as if a Mike Ashley-owned club is some yardstick to measure anything against. I mean, if we're doing that, why not argue it's on a par with Pardew, except Pardew had 1/5 of the budget?
We need a character, someone the World listens to, someone opponents look at with envy, someone the fans can truly get behind, who uses charged language to inspire the fanbase, who inspires the team from the touchline, who makes the big calls and doesn't suffer fools or **** footballers. Eales et al need to ****ing wake up if there are genuinely aspirations of trophies and being a top 6 club.
