I had a sense of dread when we appointed Mourinho, just felt it was so obvious he wouldnt work and he'd leave us in a toxic mess within 2 years. Whilst i have a few reservations about Conte i'm more optimistic now than i've been for a good 2.5 years. He will have to be backed, it will be short term but no reason it cant work.
Jose was never going to work, it was clear he was a busted flush.
Conte is genuinely one of the best managers in the World today. Having said that I'm under no expectations that we're picking up trophies, to me his appointment translates to saving our season. To gain CL qualification is entirely possible.
If he's around next season and if he can repeat what he's done at his previous Clubs then there is a possibility to look at a season of challenging for something. It's hard to envision this being a PL Title challenge though as it would still be hard to look beyond Chavs, LFC and City but having said that it's likely one of those clubs will be having a bad season (we've not had more than two teams challenging for a title for many, many years) so a lot also has to do with timing and the ebb and flow of rival clubs.
But just to be at the pointy end is all I ask, along with good football. Whilst the aesthetics of Conte's game aren't a personal preference of mine, there are games that should be fun to watch and his teams don't kick the ball into channels for players to chase onto.
If his relationship with Paratici remains sound and the two of them can operate cohesively then I think the team built (and left when he departs) will be better than the one when he arrived.
So, however, I dissect this, even looking at the known dislikes, I can only see a positive upside to this hire.
