Manager Merry Go Round 2014
- Thread starter G|mp
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On the other hand, there are 18 seasons in a row to give fans faith that they'll be in the CL next season and competing for trophies.
I'm pretty sure this was the season that Arsenal were going to drop out of the top 4. Or was it last season. Or the season before that. Etc etc
If United hadn't decided to appoint a car crash of a manager then I would have expected us to be in the top 4 and it would have been at the expense of Arsenal.
If we actually pull our finger out and spend big on quality players, who do you think is more likely to be in the top 4, Arsenal or Man Utd? We don't have any european football next season and we have a good manager and are apparently going to actually sign some footballers this window. I would expect us to be top 4 again at least.
I thought Arsenal would struggle to get top 4 this season but United imploded spectacularly and Tottenham decided the Gareth Bale money should be spent on muppets.
Caporegime
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u wot m8? They had to play Tottenham, Liverpool and Everton.
Two of those had new managers, Liverpool were in a fight for the title and literally thrashed the living crap out of us a just before losing a limp FA cup tie that would have worked against them in the title. Everton likewise gave us two much tougher games in the league and put in a pretty limp performance when 4th place was a WAY bigger target for them than the FA Cup. City/Chelsea both had new managers and while FA cup would be nice, again they had much bigger priorities.
If we manage to get to the FA cup final or actually have a half decent record against the top 4 next year, that would be improvement.
4th place is meaningless to me. Up until around 2004 we were in the top two for league spending, in several years having the highest wage bill. Then for the next several years we were in the top 3-4 spenders till City got money. We're still big spenders, people who put together a team in a short space of time will spend a lot more than a team that does it over a long period. City and Chelsea could have their current squads having easily spent 1/3rd of what they actually have. Because they had no limits and no real sense to spend wisely they didn't.
Chelsea/City spent recklessly because they could, not because they needed to, you can't directly compare transfer spending because frankly it's stupid. A team already in the top two doesn't need to spend what a team in the bottom half does to get competitive. Likewise when you have a good team you can afford to buy younger cheaper players and bed them in over time where as if you need to buy players who are going to be top notch that year you end up spending significantly more.
It shouldn't be ignored also that for all the spending Chelsea/City/Utd have done, in terms of wages + transfer spend per cup achieved... Arsenal are easily the heaviest spending most wasteful of these clubs.
What's better, spending a billion or so in wages over 9 years and winning one cup, or spending 2 billion and winning 4-6 titles/cups? Any which way you look at it Arsenal are by no means a tiny spender, nor incapable of competing with the finances we've had available.
The thing that gets to me most is the major problems the team has had in the past 9 years, injuries/poor rotation, inability to sensibly bring a player back in from injury(every time.. player returns from injury, played almost every game straight off the bat till injured again, over and over again, expecting a different result). Crap at set pieces, no significant change in set pieces in years, inability to let go of players he seems fond off who should have been cut off years ago, consistently letting the wrong players leave for stupid reasons. Gilberto/Pires should have finished careers at Arsenal and be coaching currently, truly world class players we let leave for stupid stupid reasons, the kind of guys who would make a difference had they stayed and be great inspiring and helping younger players, like what Zidane/Vieira are doing at their clubs.
nothing changed this season, we panic bought an expensive player being pushed out of his club, overspent massively on a position that simply pushed Cazorla into near uselessness(rubbish out wide, needs to play where Ozil does), while ignoring the positions we desperately needed improvements.
Chance of another season in which Chelsea, City, Everton, Spurs, Man Utd all have new managers in the same season happening again.... slim to none. Even as the most settled club in the league, in the year in which the rest of the top 8 was the weakest it was ever going to be, we still didn't look like winning the league.
Tbf you say top 4 and the FA Cup is meaningless but the server would have imploded had they failed to get either or both..
Yeah and it's the same old BS. At the start it's "this season will be the one Arsenal drop out of the top 4" and then at the end of the season it's "well, but for x, but for y, Arsenal would never have made top 4 or won the cup". Seemingly they are the luckiest club on the planet that their competitors suffer season after season of bad luck, misfortune and mismanagement which accounts for their poor performances or crumbling under pressure and somehow Arsenal just end up in the top 4 every time without ever playing well or deserving their place.
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Would be quite happy if this is true (certainly one of the better names out of the hat), I just wish that the club would pull their finger out and confirm it
/EDIT - Just been confirmed by the club! Just need a team now
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/EDIT - Just been confirmed by the club! Just need a team now
Only about 6/7 players!...first up, re-sign Orlandi!
Very optimistic, but then I always am!
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Soldato
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Can't say I know much about his managerial style at all, nor do I have any idea as to whether he'll be a success or failure. But at least he's a big enough name to be able to stand a good chance of keeping a lot of our team together.
Associate
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Sherwood claims he turned it down. WBA relegated this year with either of them in charge !
Dave Hockaday. He is the Head Coach we don't need no manager. I watched the Press conference on the website with Cellino and him talking about the set up and plans for the coming season.
Hockaday is in charge of the players and the football. I am not sure if we are getting a director of football or Cellino is doing that job. In regards to buying players Hockaday outlines areas he think need improving then they look at targets together with Cellino having final say.
Sounds good to me, the two previous experienced managers we had didn't do a very good job.
Hockaday is in charge of the players and the football. I am not sure if we are getting a director of football or Cellino is doing that job. In regards to buying players Hockaday outlines areas he think need improving then they look at targets together with Cellino having final say.
Sounds good to me, the two previous experienced managers we had didn't do a very good job.
From the Bundisliga matches that i saw this season, yes he did do well. Bit surprised they sacked him though. If i remember they were sitting 3rd when they got rid of him and they ended up in 4th overall.
The Leeds fans I know aren't half as optimistic as you and think this Hockaday guy seems like a bit of a tool.
