Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[rossdapep]

The Conte appointment was a real chance to show who was boss amd really stick it to some of these players.

But two problems occurred with this.

1. Levy hasn't really, and I mean really, backed him.

We sign 2 big CBs and RWB in the summer and thats his base settled and he raises the standards of the team..

Without it, too many players from previous regimes get a look in and are likely 'comfortable' as noone holds them to task.

2. Contes contract. This is his fault. To really have total authority, the players needed to know that the boss is here, he's here to stay and bullshit wont be tolerated and you'll be gone.

If you look at Arteta, he basically gpr the keys immediately. Laid down his rules and has been allowed to do what he feels. He was also given a good contract and backing so players knew he is the boss.

We can talk about system and tactics til were blue in the face. Handing a coach a long contract and backing changes the entire picture.

To then make an example of Aubameyang, their captain and high earner. Shows everyone that the club back the coach.

If Conte had a longer contract maybe he could have taken some to task.

I have to admit when he was still defending the players back in January or whenever I was a little concerned.

Some of these haven't deserved any defence and should have been sidelined for not being up to standard

 

[Joshua]

I agree with a lot of what he said. He can also fuck off.

 

[mil1lion]

100% agree, and I would actually include Paratici in that too.

IMO, Levy's biggest mistake was that summer was hiring Paratici either without discussing or in spite of the fact that FP didn't want a manager that was too attacking. After what he said about our Spurs DNA it was borderline negligence IMO.

To be fair his signings have largely been attacking ones who do fit our DNA.

 

[DenverSpur]

Sorry, but which players doesn't care then?

I think the real question is which players do care??

 

[spurs9]

To be fair his signings have largely been attacking ones who do fit our DNA.

I'm only talking from a hiring of a manager POV, I actually think his signings have been good.

 

[mill]

100% agree, and I would actually include Paratici in that too.

IMO, Levy's biggest mistake was that summer was hiring Paratici either without discussing or in spite of the fact that FP didn't want a manager that was too attacking. After what he said about our Spurs DNA it was borderline negligence IMO.

It’s the epitome of his lack of knowledge of football imo, how can you be so clueless of what happens on the pitch after 20 odd years and being present for pretty much every home game, surely you must be able to understand the difference between entertaining football and dour football after all that time? Or imo it’s more likely we hired Nino out of pure desperation after having all that time to deliberate over it. The fonseca comments about paraciti changing everything are very damming too.

sorry if that doesn’t make sense, I’ve had few

 

[only1waddle]

He's challenging the club to essentially change its culture but we all know they won't

Absolutely, someone gets it.

 

[mill]

I just want him gone now so we can appoint a new manager, take sides accordingly (those who want him and those who don't) and get to work on another 1k+ pages thread arguing the toss

It’s all we’ve got left

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

We need a manager to build the mentality of the team up. We have plenty of young talent who just need direction. We're never signing a team who already have that mentality. This is what Conte needs so it's the wrong club for him. The big spenders sign players when they're already top players. It's not what we do as a club. We also need to play attacking football. Conte wants a team that can get a goal up and then defend to the death. Again we don't have the players to do that and won't sign them. I'm glad Conte has called the club out as it's necessary. However we still need a change of manager and hopefully the words from Conte light a fire under the players to want to prove him wrong under the next manager.

Great points, I also fear this is why Paratici is also a bad fit for us, he’s come from Juve and he will also be saying to Conte and Levy it’s about getting players with winning attitude etc, that’s not going to work with us, we don’t have the budgets to go out and buy world class proven winners we need to be astute and cute in the market, buy decent players for decent fees who go together as part of a plan and blueprint to play a certain style of football we want to see.

I think it’s all very doom and gloom but really what’s soooooooo frustrating is that it’s not even that difficult for Levy to fix.

Step 1. Get rid of Conte & Paratici
Step 2. Hire a new DofF who specialises in buying young talented technical players
Step 3. Have the DofF hire a project type manager who he knows plays a technical attacking possession based entertaining style and who he will fit well with in terms of player recruitment
Step 4. This summer sign: GK, LB(or being Reguillon back), CB, Maddison, AM, ST
Step 5. Put our clear comms saying sorry for fucking around the last 3 years and getting it wrong with quick fix managers who don’t suit our club or play the style of football we want to see and that this summer we’ve signed 5 players to suit what the new manager is trying to achieve in playing a brand of football we will enjoy and trying to compete for and win trophies. Then call out to the fans to get behind the team and club and here’s to a successful enjoyable season.

Then sit back and see how the season goes, give full control of the football strategy to the new DofF and let them decide exactly which players to bring in that Jan if needed.

That sounds like a lot but he’s made changes so many times the biggest thing here is Levy just needs to learn from his mistakes, but he’s a business man and not a football man so he will never ever truly get it which is why he just needs to hire the right people who are the right fit for our club and let them do their thing.

 

[Ribble]

All his success was in Italy which lets be honest isn't the greatest league in the world, and 90% of that was achieved with the very dominant Juventus.

Before he went to Juve they were still reeling from the season in Serie B and were utterly mediocre. The reason they were so dominant and remained so even after he left was Conte and the relentless winning mentality he revived, not the other way around. I expect when he arrived he thought he could do the same at Spurs. Instead he found, well, ketchup. It's always the fucking ketchup.

 

[chrisd2k]

Could say the same if pep managed us

I've seen the clever clogs in here make this argument a few times but honestly do you actually believe we wouldn't be in a better position with him in charge?

Contes tactics have made some average EPL players look like complete donkeys, and I can't believe people would even make that comparison unless to just get a rise

 

[Joshua]

Absolutely, someone gets it.

Is he? I think he’s just firing some shots off on the way out. It’s his self-preservation kicking in as well as his contempt for the standard of player we have and the way the club is ran. He’s right but for the wrong reasons. This isn’t an attempt to improve us it’s a bitter, frustrated man lashing out as he exits.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

The Conte appointment was a real chance to show who was boss amd really stick it to some of these players.

But two problems occurred with this.

1. Levy hasn't really, and I mean really, backed him.

We sign 2 big CBs and RWB in the summer and thats his base settled and he raises the standards of the team..

Without it, too many players from previous regimes get a look in and are likely 'comfortable' as noone holds them to task.

2. Contes contract. This is his fault. To really have total authority, the players needed to know that the boss is here, he's here to stay and bullshit wont be tolerated and you'll be gone.

If you look at Arteta, he basically gpr the keys immediately. Laid down his rules and has been allowed to do what he feels. He was also given a good contract and backing so players knew he is the boss.

We can talk about system and tactics til were blue in the face. Handing a coach a long contract and backing changes the entire picture.

To then make an example of Aubameyang, their captain and high earner. Shows everyone that the club back the coach.

If Conte had a longer contract maybe he could have taken some to task.

I have to admit when he was still defending the players back in January or whenever I was a little concerned.

Some of these haven't deserved any defence and should have been sidelined for not being up to standard

So so so spot on mate what a great post!!

Conte kept saying in his pressers the length of my contract doesn’t matter etc etc but it absolutely does for so many reasons especially because the state the club was in when he took over more than anything we needed stability, the players, the fans, everyone.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Carragher makes a good point that Arsenals improvement compared to ours after we beat them to top4 makes a lot of his points invalid.

The board did need calling out but Conte can’t just absolve himself of all the blame as he’s continued to do during his whole tenure with us.

 

[AnotherSpursFan]

Conte spitting hard facts.

However, his persistence in playing an out of form player in Son Heung Min contradicts his message.

 

[chrisd2k]

Before he went to Juve they were still reeling from the season in Serie B and were utterly mediocre. The reason they were so dominant and remained so even after he left was Conte and the relentless winning mentality he revived, not the other way around. I expect when he arrived he thought he could do the same at Spurs. Instead he found, well, ketchup. It's always the fucking ketchup.

No. A lot of the players stayed at Juve to get them back. Also, especially in that period, the league was dog shit and no team really had a penny to spend due to their bubble bursting financially. Juve still had more financial backing than most, not saying they were making mega deals but they didn't need to to get ahead

 

[mill]

I've seen the clever clogs in here make this argument a few times but honestly do you actually believe we wouldn't be in a better position with him in charge?

Contes tactics have made some average EPL players look like complete donkeys, and I can't believe people would even make that comparison unless to just get a rise

I don’t believe we’d be any higher than the fourth position we are currently in

 

[Reece_Spurs]

I dont value his displays of passion on the touchline personally, so I don't read into it. There are many ways to display passion and they are all equally legit. While I wont go so far as to say that he fakes this passion, I also won't be surprised if there is an element of theatre in this because it adds to his persona and marketability, in a similar mould to Mourinho.

I dont know how he can inspire the players. I think inspiration needs to be done behind the scenes and in training, on a personal basis. But I don't know. I'm not a leader.

It is because Conte's an elite manager that I expect him to have better control of himself. What does calling out the players actually achieve for the squad? At best some kind of self-reflection on the player's part but results have been inconsistent for sometime now and the trend is worsening. There is an underlying problem that wont be solved by finger-pointing.

This is why it's difficult for me to see this presser as anything more than blame deflection, in a way that resonates with the fans. What he has said we already know.

I wish Conte had said what you think he had said (that it's not just his fault). However in the interview he seems to me that he is distancing himself from the players. He didn't own up to anything.

I give up.

 

[chrisd2k]

I don’t believe we’d be any higher than the fourth position we are currently in

I think wed be in a real 4th position in the league with a gap not forgetting the games in hand our rivals have. A secured 4th spot which we could look upwards and not downwards from.

And let's face it , playing proper football with a system that works in the league's current format, not something that worked years ago but not anymore.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

I don’t believe we’d be any higher than the fourth position we are currently in

I think if we had a less rigid defensive manager and style and we played to our players strengths and we didn’t have to re-build the squad to a 3atb system and had instead spent the money on a CB and creative attacking midfielder I think we’d be easily 3rd and still in at least 2 of the cup competitions.