The New Manager Thread

[Kenneth]

"I didnt want him out before the owners went."

That's the bit I'm not convinced by. It is the get out clause for your change of view, but I recall it slightly differently. You were very much pushing the line that another manager (Jose) would get more out of the existing squad without spending.

[Craig_H]

"I didnt want him out before the owners went."

That's the bit I'm not convinced by. It is the get out clause for your change of view, but I recall it slightly differently. You were very much pushing the line that another manager (Jose) would get more out of the existing squad without spending.

I still think that would've been the case, but i also thought that a new manager would get decent funds, which doesnt look likely now. Which consequently means we probably wont get a top class manager, which at the time, i thought we would. Without one, we may as well have kept rafa.

I'm not altogether bothered how 'convinced' you are, you may be surprised to know.

[BobTheCharmer]

I didnt want him out for 3 years.

I didnt want him out in the circumstances that it happened.

I didnt want him out before the owners went.

Given the prospect of no proper investment into the team and therefore the lack of a top manager to take over, i'd have rafa back in a heartbeat.

Stop telling me what i think, because you're proving to be not very good at it.

ok, well for the most part of last season you wanted Rafa replaced.

You didn't like the circumstances in which it happened? Hardly worth getting upset about, departures in life are hardly ever in the way we'd ideally like. Be it sacked from work, death or whatever. Rafa has been plotting an escape route for ages and has walked away with a tidy sum for his efforts and got a new job with Inter. I don't think he's all that upset right now.

I don't remember you after defeats last season saying get rid of rafa but make sure the owners go first. You may well of been thinking that but you didn't state it.

And why would you take Rafa back in a heartbeat despite all his obvious failings that you have told us all about for months now? He'd still have those very same failings surely?

I too would like the owners gone as well but you can't have everything all at once. The rumours of Kuyt joining Rafa means its already beginning to feel like christmas and birthday rolled into one. I'm prepared to wait a little longer for the last bit, the icing on the cake and the filling I guess too.

[Kenneth]

I still think that would've been the case, but i also thought that a new manager would get decent funds, which doesnt look likely now. Which consequently means we probably wont get a top class manager, which at the time, i thought we would. Without one, we may as well have kept rafa.

I'm not altogether bothered how 'convinced' you are, you may be surprised to know.

I'm not bothered whether you're bothered about how convinced I am, although I am convinced that you are really.

[Pablo]

"I didnt want him out before the owners went."

That's the bit I'm not convinced by. It is the get out clause for your change of view, but I recall it slightly differently. You were very much pushing the line that another manager (Jose) would get more out of the existing squad without spending.

That's how I remember it too to be fair

[Craig_H]

ok, well for the most part of last season you wanted Rafa replaced.

You didn't like the circumstances in which it happened? Hardly worth getting upset about, departures in life are hardly ever in the way we'd ideally like. Be it sacked from work, death or whatever. Rafa has been plotting an escape route for ages and has walked away with a tidy sum for his efforts and got a new job with Inter. I don't think he's all that upset right now.

I don't remember you after defeats last season saying get rid of rafa but make sure the owners go first. You may well of been thinking that but you didn't state it.

And why would you take Rafa back in a heartbeat despite all his obvious failings that you have told us all about for months now? He'd still have those very same failings surely?

I too would like the owners gone as well but you can't have everything all at once. The rumours of Kuyt joining Rafa means its already beginning to feel like christmas and birthday rolled into one. I'm prepared to wait a little longer for the last bit, the icing on the cake and the filling I guess too.

Bob, it's not that complicated mate...

Last season, i didnt realise the extent to which the manager wasnt going to be backed. I naively thought we'd spend decent money this summer, which now looks like pie in the sky, to me.

So with that in mind, i thought that a new manager, with funds to spend, would do well. Now it's clear to me that there wont be funds, i take the position that no top manager will come to us, hence why i'd rather rafa stayed. If the owners had gone first and been replaced with proper owners who'd back the manager, then fair enough - we might then have got a top class manager to come in. In which case, i wouldnt mind a change in management. Hence why i'd have wanted the owners out before rafa and if the owners are going nowhere we may as well have kept Benitez, cos the current clowns wont back a manager, meaning we wont get a quality one coming in.

I'd take rafa back in a heartbeat now because i dont think we'll be getting a top manager under the current regime, and rafa is (for all those failings) an excellent manager.

[Craig_H]

You were very much pushing the line that another manager (Jose) would get more out of the existing squad without spending.

Yes, but the point is that without backing or financial security, a Jose Mourinho (or any top manager) wouldnt come to us anyway - so we might as well have kept Benitez because in our circumstances, he's the best we're likely to get.

So yes, while i feel Mourinho would've done better than rafa did, even without spending, he wasnt going to come to us with the clowns still in charge.

[wiw]

In light of who we seem to be being seriously linked with, I think I'm now leaning towards Kenny. Imagine the atmosphere at the first home game of the season (assuming we have any decent players left).

This ^. I want Kenny now too

[Pablo]

Yes, but the point is that without backing or financial security, a Jose Mourinho (or any top manager) wouldnt come to us anyway - so we might as well have kept Benitez because in our circumstances, he's the best we're likely to get.

So yes, while i feel Mourinho would've done better than rafa did, even without spending, he wasnt going to come to us with the clowns still in charge.

It's cool with me, everyone is allowed to change their mind, after all circumstances have worsened slightly in the last month or so.

However, the money aspect irks me. It's been pretty obvious for a good long while now that we had no transfer budget this summer, regardless of who came in. It's the reason why sacking Benitez made even less sense to me. A new manager would understandably want to bring his own men in.

I don't get how within the last 12 months, at any point, you thought a new manager would have any money to spend at all. We all knew this wasn't going to be the case.

[Vermilion]

It's cool with me, everyone is allowed to change their mind.

[Vermilion]

It's cool with me, everyone is allowed to change their mind, after all circumstances have worsened slightly in the last month or so.

However, the money aspect irks me. It's been pretty obvious for a good long while now that we had no transfer budget this summer, regardless of who came in. It's the reason why sacking Benitez made even less sense to me. A new manager would understandably want to bring his own men in.

I don't get how within the last 12 months, at any point, you thought a new manager would have any money to spend at all. We all knew this wasn't going to be the case.

Think Craig was betting it all on Hiddink or Maureen coming in tbf, even without money he felt they'd be better, but as many said...we would'nt get either, we'd get a yes man, an easy appointment for the board, tread water till the clubs sold...spend little in the mean time, maybe raise some money to pay debt, this is their likely plan imo...as it has been for a while really, just that Rafa fought it which they didn't like, as long as he kept us in europe and in the money he was safe.

[Craig_H]

It's cool with me, everyone is allowed to change their mind, after all circumstances have worsened slightly in the last month or so.

However, the money aspect irks me. It's been pretty obvious for a good long while now that we had no transfer budget this summer, regardless of who came in. It's the reason why sacking Benitez made even less sense to me. A new manager would understandably want to bring his own men in.

I don't get how within the last 12 months, at any point, you thought a new manager would have any money to spend at all. We all knew this wasn't going to be the case.

Call it wishful thinking, or maybe i thought they'd get that £100m investment they were looking for - there were quotes from Purslow saying that if they'd got that, they would've put aside a fair chunk for transfers.

I dunno, but a year or so ago, i didnt think things would be THIS bad.

[Kenneth]

And the last 6 months?

[Pablo]

Call it wishful thinking, or maybe i thought they'd get that £100m investment they were looking for - there were quotes from Purslow saying that if they'd got that, they would've put aside a fair chunk for transfers.

I dunno, but a year or so ago, i didnt think things would be THIS bad.

Again, fair enough.

I seriously weighed up getting rid of Rafa during the course of this season too, for a while I reluctantly came to the conclusion it would be the best thing for us to do. Then I quickly saw the bigger picture and realised that we needed him here to fight our corner and that if we were to replace him things would be even worse. Sadly, that's exactly what's happened now, and I still feel sick about it.

[Craig_H]

And the last 6 months?

Well the stuff with the Rhone Group WAS being reported within the last 6 months.