Slot reminds me of a bleached Real Ronaldo.
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Management Ange Postecoglou
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Come on mate. If he was doing really well this season the tactics wouldn't be over-analysed. The reason they are being over analysed is because we are struggling in the league and have had two games where we've lost after getting a 2-0 lead. Going to the wire after being 3-0 up is always going to attract criticism when you are having a topsy turvy season and have fucked up leads repeatedly.
If we go on an amazing run and end up pushing our way back in the top four, the pundits will be all praise again. They were when he first joined, loved him. I agree that English managers get an easier ride but let's be honest, guys like Lampard have mates in the media. Is Redknapp gonna hammer someone he's probably quite good friends with?
This is all true but Neville and Carracgher started from game 2 vs United when they went absolutely ballistic because Tottenham dared to play out from the back when only City were only allowed to dare such shenanigans
It’s a bit OTT for me the whole media thing. I don’t think Carragher or a Redknapp said anything bad, Carragher even said he hopes we win something.
They’ve just said for them it’s a bit naive that we don’t seem to adapt to game states, it’s a fair enough point that they are literally paid to put across. Are their other teams they could say things about? Sure. But let’s not make out like they’ve been horrendous and said wildly out of order things about Ange here, they’ve just given their views on the style. If Ange is so resolute in his style, and he’s telling the truth when he says he won’t ever change then why would he care? I get he’s answering questions put to him direct but I don’t think the pundits said anything out of order tbh.
Plus what was it Ange himself said? “It’s not criticism, it’s an assessment” maybe Carragher and Redknapp weren’t criticising him. Maybe they were assessing him.
They’ve just said for them it’s a bit naive that we don’t seem to adapt to game states, it’s a fair enough point that they are literally paid to put across. Are their other teams they could say things about? Sure. But let’s not make out like they’ve been horrendous and said wildly out of order things about Ange here, they’ve just given their views on the style. If Ange is so resolute in his style, and he’s telling the truth when he says he won’t ever change then why would he care? I get he’s answering questions put to him direct but I don’t think the pundits said anything out of order tbh.
Plus what was it Ange himself said? “It’s not criticism, it’s an assessment” maybe Carragher and Redknapp weren’t criticising him. Maybe they were assessing him.
This is all true but Neville and Carracgher started from game 2 vs United when they went absolutely ballistic because Tottenham dared to play out from the back when only City were only allowed to dare such shenanigans
In fairness - Pep got it too didn't he? When he first joined anyway. We had Merson & co desperate to assert it wouldn't work and the Premier League was different.
I have absolutely zero issue with playing out, high lines etc, never been any of my issues with Ange. The media are mostly made up of dinosaurs from a different era of football with very few exceptions to that. Occasionally you get some insight, usually when a foreign pundit who is an ex-manager pops up.
I think you've missed my overall point.
The media are entirely selective of their criticism of certain coaches, it's not even about Ange, it's about where the manager comes from as opposed to what his performance is, they clearly don't respect or rate his background, that's fine but they are very quick to dismiss coaches and players that haven't done anything in the Premier League, we've seen it before.
We saw it with AVB for example when he was here, I distinctly remember Neil Custis from the Sun going at him before matches and putting pressure on him before he went to Old Trafford and won 3-2. That's why Ange bought up Emery and Nuno into it because they've suffered the same fate.
Garanteed an English manager wouldn't be getting the same stick, when Lampard and Gerrard was stinking out the place as managers not a peep from the media, they were offered so much sympathy when they were managing in the Premier League.
This press conference Ange spoke in came in the wake of the win against Utd and they were talking exclusively about Carragher's comments, I listened to Carragher throughout the match and he couldn't wait to stick the boot in. It's fair enough to say that he is right to question Ange's tactics from what he's seen so far but peddling a lazy narrative during that particular match is boring and easy to do, it's so forced and if these pundits actually did their job properly and call it down the line they probably wouldn't be so quick to point to the manager after the match.
I made this exact point in the match thread, he has a short memory when he kept bringing up Porro goign into midfield and Sarr having to cover him when this is how Klopp played with Trent and Henderson/Wijnaldum, he knows it works or has worked before so why did he act like it's the first time we've seen in in this league and that it doesn't work? And yes we know that Klopp won the league blah blah but the point is that he was hammering tactics that have been successful in this league before.
One note on this, the ranks of pundits in the English media include almost universally very successful and experienced players who have a lifetime of experience in what it's like to be out there playing for these clubs.
And unless I'm missing someone, not a single former manager of any substance whatsoever now that Graeme Souness is gone?
(EDIT: I'm forgetting Glenn Hoddle I guess, though he hasn't coached in almost two decades, kind of an exception that proves the rule)
These guys know the game and they know the culture of these clubs and the English supporters, but they don't know jack shit about management.
It's a weird blind spot given how much of the coverage is about managers and management. Managers want to manage, so it's harder to hire and keep someone who knows what they're talking about, but they ought to try.
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Every team we win against is awful.
Because managers tend to know what they''re talking about compared to ex players - I'll always remember when Jose was on Sky and the levels between him and Neville and Carragher was so eye opening, incredibly articulate, knowledgeable, empathetic etc...most of all not spouting baseless cliches and desperate to follow a common narrative.
I don't think it takes a lot to be a pundit more than ever because you don't have to think when you speak, you can spout a lot of shit which suits the common opinion and get away with it.
Mourinho is the dream pundit, he would be unbelievable as a permanent part of the Sky panel.
But yeah, because coaching is so much about teaching and communication, they tend to make the best pundits, I definitely think that's the case in American sports.
Ange probably wouldn't get a fairer hearing from a Big Sam or Alan Pardew than he does from Neville and Carragher (and they should try to get someone more tactically sophisticated than that if they can), but it would make for a more interesting show.
Like what the hell else is Graham Potter doing while waiting for his next job? He's in London isn't he?
If we ever sack Ange, Sky should make him an offer he can't refuse, he'd be brilliant.
He was good value during the Euro's for ITV.
With a depleted squad, I don't think we'll really get a good idea of where we stand until we have a few more players back.
Not true- and i’m not being a pessimist.
Utd match was one of the biggest examples of a match turning on its head out of nowhere, solely due to not one but two calamitous individual errors. There was no anticipation, and therefore prevention, possible by the manager. Even Utd had probably written the game off at 3-0 because they knew they were thoroughly getting outplayed. What happened next was a total anomaly. It's not comparable to Brighton and Chelsea matches at all.
Unlike what scoreline indicates, this was a one sided match. I also choose to stay grounded after a win against a toothless mid table team, like how I wasn't overly excited after Soton match. But let's not act like this wasn't a totally deserved win.
Unlike what scoreline indicates, this was a one sided match. I also choose to stay grounded after a win against a toothless mid table team, like how I wasn't overly excited after Soton match. But let's not act like this wasn't a totally deserved win.
It wasn't a one sided match at all. We were extremely clinical and both goalkeepers made mistakes. They were better for large periods of the game (incl the first half) without being overly threatening, and we made use of the chances we had. We then had our own keeper mistakes and the game shifted.
The way you talk, you'd think we had 60% + possession, way more shots and created clear chances. That didn't happen and we never really "deserved" to be 3 up at any point.
Everyone on here knows Foster is bad with his feet so how about we Ping balls across the box to him. The opponent goal is the other way
Funny thing is, those 2 mistakes aside, he's not been bad with his feet. In fact, he's been pretty good.
He hasn't. Those mistakes were coming. Lots of moments where he looked awkward but got away with it and he's mostly kept things VERY conservative.
He had one lovely moment which was funny vs Rangers but it has been evident that he is awkward with a ball at his feet.
Disagree, he's been keeping it simple but the mistake wasn't "coming". I can remember one wobble vs Fulham and that's it.