FORMER Manager Watch: Nuno Espírito Santo

[kaz Hirai]

I'd be somewhat optimistic with ten hag in charge. But no chance of him leaving Ajax for now.
What happens if we lose to villa, bottom half of the table and international break.

 

[Roberts84]

I’m gonna have to give it a second watch as painful as it’s going to be just so I can be proven wrong. from what I remember the first was ok, but the second goal he could of shut down aubameyang so much quicker. Doesn’t help when our midfielders didn’t track back at all though, But anyway time to move on from that absolute horror show.

Don’t rewatch it, don’t do it to yourself!

He couldve shut down Aubameyang quicker but he was in the right position. A midfielder should’ve also been tracking back to cut out the cut back.
Anyway, let’s move on from the last few weeks.
We should be winning comfortably tonight with a second string team but as he’s under pressure I think he’ll field a strong team. It would be good to see Rodon gown a game.

 

[rossdapep]

I think you are right regarding Ten Hag, and I very much championed his appointment during the Summer. I'm also in full agreement regarding the fact he would need time and it could be painful at times to start with. My concern is that the fans wouldn't give him time, this has become more and more evident over the last 5 years or so and it's the same with both coaches and players alike. If they don't hit the ground running, "it's because they are shit" and "we've wasted money bringing them in".

Yeah it is a concern.

At least someone like that would probably get more time than Nuno now.

Most people who want Nuno out are pointing to the low amount of opportunities we are creating as evidence, and others are using their eyes.

Therefore, I think if Ten Hag came in and we were great one week, then pretty in different the next, most would be patient. I certainly would be.

Unfortunately there are some who are ready to jump on anything to spout their negativity and that will never change.

 

[Freddie]

What people always seem to miss regarding Poch's success with us was he had an original pressing idea which took the Prem a while to counter and copy .

Another reason why I don't think the Poch return be a huge success second time around. By the end of his Spurs tenure he'd stopped pressing, partly because it had been worked out and partly because we didn't have the players for it. And the system he used after wasn't clearly identifiable or very effective. But he seems to be trying to instill the pressing system at PSG with a front line who are too old/arrogant to do it. It feels like a disaster waiting to happen. The lack of tactical growth and versatility would be a concern for me.

 

[BSG-75]

This may not make sense, but my biggest problem with the appointment of Nuno was the lack of a plan or at least one that's visible and matches a strategy. Had he walked into the club the day after the season ended it may still not have blown the wind up my skirt, but with some PR spin I may have been able to understand. "Cut his cloth accordingly at Wolves, does like to play with width and pace etc, we're excited for the future". What we got was an absolute farce of a recruitment process and we ended up with a coach who's suitable attributes were that he was unemployed at the time and has worked in the Premier League. With Nuno there at present, I do feel we are back into the late 1990's and early 2000's with quality and form to match. I just don't think it will last BUT Levy will stay whatever and that, is the problem. Not Nuno, not a sporting director/not have a sporting director. We're in this mess 100% because of dear old Daniel and his recruitment ideas.

 

[Trent Crimm]

But it is something you can see Levy being monumentally stupid enough to do.

Not stupid because Poch is or isn't good coach, or wouldn't get us playing football we like watching or anything like that.

Monumentally stupid in thinking that he can magic bullet success. You can't. You need to spend!

Spend with the intention of it being expenditure you're not looking to recoup or mitigate for later down the line. Spend for footballing reasons, not financial ones.

I'm not saying we can spend like Chelsea or Man City, but we're one of the Big Six and have been going back to before the rise of the PL or the doping of Chelsea and Man City. Going back to the 60s, we've been part of the institution of football in this country.

We may not be able to buy trophies, but we can be competitive while living within our means. We aren't going to be able to win every league campaign, we aren't going to be able to lift a trophy every season, but we can, and should always, always be in the running, every season, year-in, year-out. We should always be part of the conversation. That is not outside of our grasp.

That's why the managerial situation is so bad. I have no personal issue with Nuno. I don't even have an issue if he wants to play defensively. If he was properly backed, given the tools he wants, I'd be willing to endure football that isn't as easy on the eye as I may want. If it meant that we remain competitive.

The issue is that he's shackled. And every manager we appoint will be likewise shackled. I said it before - it could be Potter, it could be Conte, it could be Poch, it could be Tuchel, it could be God itself. But in the absence of a chairman who treats the footballing side of the organisation as anything other than a black hole into which money disappears, it won't bloody matter.

Levy’s thinking re Poch

“I’ll give the mugs the old guy back, they liked him, these guys have such short memories, I can sell these fools anything”

 

[austinfh]

I'm praying for a miracle that Barcelona for some reason decide to replace Koeman with Nuno

 

[rez9000]

Yes there are reasons why fans wouldn't give him time but all that does is enforce my point itself. And I don't for one second believe that entertaining loses would be enough to give a coach more time. The two things need to go hand in hand or I can assure the mob would still be on the march.

It's just the nature of things, Trix. I agree, it isn't 'right' (for want of a better word), but it is what it is.

Still, I think we'd all be a lot more patient if we felt the club itself was working for the same objective. Sure, we'd have moaners. We had moaners while we were waiting for the CL Final - it's the nature of the beast, we'll always have moaners.

But I reckon there'd be far fewer of them. The voices wouldn't be as loud, wouldn't be as vociferous. Plus, there'd be more defenders of the situation if there was a sense of things going wrong because of unfortunate circumstances rather than because they're being directly contributed to by the incompatible objectives of the man running the club.

 

[Russ1201]

How much longer is this weasel going to be allowed to sow seeds of dissent amongst fans and players? Get rid, he says he loves Spurs but epitomises the entitled culture that has developed in our

do we know it's winks spreading these stories? I don't think he be that stupid to do it again after the previous rumours about him being the culprit.

 

[Russ1201]

I would love Frank, I can see some similarities between his Brentford side and Poch's Southampton.

He seems like a great bloke, whilst also being very charismatic and a bit quirky. Plus he's got Brentford playing some exceptional stuff.

Good call, i also like the look of Dean Smith, he seems to be doing a great job at Villa his teams seem well organised and playing nice football. Seems to have respect of the players.
I'm that desperate now i take Eddie Howe atleast his teams played attacking football.

 

[BSG-75]

Oh but they really can, if we fail to beat Villa on Sunday then things will definitely have gotten worse

They're more than decent, just won at Old Trafford and we're shipping goals, yep. It can get worse. I did have a thought, International break then follows, if it doesn't go well does Daniel dust off his little black book and start to call Conte and others again ? ?

 

[Trix]

It's just the nature of things, Trix. I agree, it isn't 'right' (for want of a better word), but it is what it is.

Still, I think we'd all be a lot more patient if we felt the club itself was working for the same objective. Sure, we'd have moaners. We had moaners while we were waiting for the CL Final - it's the nature of the beast, we'll always have moaners.

But I reckon there'd be far fewer of them. The voices wouldn't be as loud, wouldn't be as vociferous. Plus, there'd be more defenders of the situation if there was a sense of things going wrong because of unfortunate circumstances rather than because they're being directly contributed to by the incompatible objectives of the man running the club.

And this is why the club absolutely should not listen to the fans calling for a managers head after 6 games in charge.

 

[Trix]

Good call, i also like the look of Dean Smith, he seems to be doing a great job at Villa his teams seem well organised and playing nice football. Seems to have respect of the players.
I'm that desperate now i take Eddie Howe atleast his teams played attacking football.

Smith isn't leaving the club he and all his family have supported since he was a boy for us.

 

[Pistols At Dawn]

Good News! Ronnie Koeman available soon!

 

[rez9000]

And this is why the club absolutely should not listen to the fans calling for a managers head after 6 games in charge.

Well, sure. And I doubt they will. It will take more than three (albeit terrible) results to prompt a change.

That said, I don't think it's that far off if results don't improve.

 

[Oh Teddy Teddy]

I don' t think the tactics were great either but the rest of it stands the manager is entitled for a lot more from his players than he got on Sunday - to many poor players and you end up where we are - there is no strength of character maybe that comes from the manager but the players need to look at themselves a bit

Do you think they are coming off the pitch giving everything ? I don't think the managers blameless at all but some of our players are hiding on the pitch not winning their battles and leaving the side as a whole exposed and I am not sure what manager is going to get a tune out of midfield because its substandard and games are won and lost in that area of the pitch

Agreed — was definitely a combination of the two at the weekend: awful tactics, accentuated by the wrong line-up (which NES held his hands up for), but the lack of motivation was shocking. No urgency, no will to win the second ball.

In conclusion, everyone has to go

 

[Oh Teddy Teddy]

I'd be somewhat optimistic with ten hag in charge. But no chance of him leaving Ajax for now.
What happens if we lose to villa, bottom half of the table and international break.

Wait til you see our fixtures after the international break...

 

[Trix]

Well, sure. And I doubt they will. It will take more than three (albeit terrible) results to prompt a change.

That said, I don't think it's that far off if results don't improve.

I agree but that has to be because those at the club believe it's done. Not the fans.

 

[Russ1201]

Smith isn't leaving the club he and all his family have supported since he was a boy for us.

I know that, very unlikely his doing a great job there tho.
I doubt any manager could work with these players, most of them are lazy and have poor mentatlity.
I have never seen a team as mentally weak, as soon as they go a goal down their heads drop and they fall apart.

 

[jimbo]

Good call, i also like the look of Dean Smith, he seems to be doing a great job at Villa his teams seem well organised and playing nice football. Seems to have respect of the players.
I'm that desperate now i take Eddie Howe atleast his teams played attacking football.

As Trix said - Dean Smith is a Villa fan so he's not leaving unless he's sacked. Frank is a disciple of Smith though, similar methods but his own style - can't see him leaving Brentford before the end of the season though, and he may have better offers than us if he continues his impressive start to life in the Premier League.