The Football Thread

[Roger Allott]

Interesting article on the BBC website yesterday about Watford FC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41710640

Essentially, what it says is that their strategy is to view the manager as more of a head coach role, which they recognise to be one of many cogs involved in creating a successful club. Thus, they understand that anyone doing the job is probably transitory - they'll move on within a couple of years regardless of success, so don't expect that person to be the pivot around whom they base their whole philosophy. That's the job of the owners and directors to create.

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[pierrelm]

Originally Posted by Meini Again

Paul Scholes, meanwhile, recently interviewed for the Oldham vacancy

Lifelong Oldham supporter.

I suspect part of the problem with elite players aspiring to management is their expectations of player's abilities? Bobby Charlton famously stood his Preston midfielders in the centre of the pitch during one training session and demonstrated how he'd like them to distribute the ball to either wing, with a deft 30 yard pass into the stride of the wideman on either flank. He was taken aback by the players retort that they simply weren't good enough to do that in the way that he could.

Meanwhile, am I the only one to eye roll when the old nugget about 'black' coaches and managers is rolled out to much wringing of hands and talk of fast tracking, implications of prejudice etc? This I perhaps should clarify, is due to the number of high profile black players who are generally trying to make a living as pundits but noticably not pushing to the front of the queue for coaching badges.

I suspect that football clubs, like their supporters will welcome anyone who can improve what they already have, irrespective of skin colour, gender, sexual orientation (give me strength - personally, I don't care and am really not interested) or any other personal attribute or trait you care to define folk by?

I don't remember any stats being trotted out as to what the relevant %'s are? Perhaps they should be looking at why we're not attracting more ex-players into coaching...perhaps it's more to do with man management skills, and the ex-players knowing all too well what a complete bunch of unreliable self serving gits modern players now are?

[Motorboater]

Ryan Giggs as a manager? Idk what is. But there's something about him that tells me he'd be a failure. Despite his career, the first thing I think of when hearing his name is that fact he rooted his sister in law.

David Unsworth is the manager at Everton so he can participate in training and lose a few kgs.

I'm telling you now. The next football manager superstar will be Tony Popovic. He'll spend a few years in Turkey. Then he'll be ready to make Mourinho look like a football nimrod.

You read it here first!

[gordian_knot]

Originally Posted by pierrelm

Meanwhile, am I the only one to eye roll when the old nugget about 'black' coaches and managers is rolled out to much wringing of hands and talk of fast tracking, implications of prejudice etc? This I perhaps should clarify, is due to the number of high profile black players who are generally trying to make a living as pundits but noticably not pushing to the front of the queue for coaching badges.

I don't buy it at all. How many black players are there? Owners don't care where they come from if they bring success. The same with managers. The truth, though, is that many ex-players want to jump the queue and some black players and activists use race as a way of doing that, or as an excuse for why they are not successful or why they are not trying.

The stat is a few years old now, but back when Sol Campbell was moaning about not getting a job, there were just two black men with their coaching badges (Campbell wasn't one of them) while there were about 1,000 qualified men out of work.

Ex-players need to convince owners that they can bring their club success, and if they have no track record in coaching few owners are going to take a chance on them. I wouldn't either.

[Devius]

Leicester City have appointed ex-Southampton boss Claude Puel as their new manager on a three-year deal.

Puel becomes the Foxes' third manager this year, replacing Craig Shakespeare who succeeded Premier League title winner Claudio Ranieri in February.

Puel, 56, led the Saints to eighth in his first season in charge, as well as reaching the EFL Cup final, but the Frenchman was sacked in June.

Michael Appleton will remain as Leicester's assistant manager.

Details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41746701

PS: Kudos to the England team, who beat Brazil 3-1 in the Under-17 World Cup semi-final...

[victor meldrew]

Watched the first half which was almost a re run of the Brighton debacle. Decided to give the second half 15 minutes and ended up watching the whole game and all the nonsense afterwards. However it will all be meaningless if we lose to Palace on Saturday.

As for the draw tomorrow, anyone but Bristol City.

[gordian_knot]

Originally Posted by Devius

Leicester City have appointed ex-Southampton boss Claude Puel as their new manager on a three-year deal.

That's a strange one for me. He inherited a really good Southampton team and took them backwards in terms of performance and points tally. They may have finished 8th, but were a long way behind 7th. And the football was boring.

Does anyone else have a revolving worm for the thumbs up smilie? And a thumb for the quote button?

[Devius]

Originally Posted by gordian_knot

That's a strange one for me. He inherited a really good Southampton team and took them backwards in terms of performance and points tally. They may have finished 8th, but were a long way behind 7th. And the football was boring.

Equally strange was Pedro Caixinha as Rangers manager. So you can guess the rest of this post:

Rangers: Pedro Caixinha sacked as manager after board meeting

Rangers have sacked manager Pedro Caixinha after seven months in charge.

Coach Graeme Murty takes over on an interim basis, as he did before Caixinha's appointment in March.

Caixinha, 46, won 14 of his 26 games, with assistant manager Helder Baptista and coaches Pedro Malta and Jose Belman also leaving Ibrox.

The decision was made at a board meeting after Wednesday's 1-1 home draw with Kilmarnock, which left Rangers fourth in the Scottish Premiership.

On Sunday, Rangers lost their League Cup semi-final to Motherwell at Hampden.

Details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41762385

[victor meldrew]

Gooners away.

I believe this is the third time we have drawn both North London sides in the League cup in the same year.

After a complete mess the full draw as follows

Chelsea v Bournemouth
Arsenal v West Ham
Leicester v Man City
Bristol City v Man. Utd.

[Devius]

Arsene Wenger has confirmed that the Arsenal board will review his position as manager at the end of the season.

The Frenchman signed a two-year extension in the summer to extend his 21-year reign at the club.

But, speaking on Thursday at the club's annual general meeting, he suggested that talks would take place when this campaign concludes - something he confirmed in a news conference.

"I want to see what the board thinks of my performance," Wenger said.

"After that we decide where we go from there. My desire has always been to respect my contracts, but that is what I meant."

Details:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41760850