If he was Gazzetti O’ Neillina and he’d miraculously kept Spezia in Seria A you’d be waxing lyrical about him.
You can’t really debate the figures.
How do you know they’ll get a superior player? McAllister has just won the World Cup and he wasn’t a bit part player, he was a major player. He was Brighton’s Player Of The Season. These players don’t grow on trees. Football isn’t a science. You can put “scientific” elements in place, but you can never be totally scientific or anywhere near it when dealing with human beings. There is human judgement involved, which is by definition fallible. There is human behaviour. There is a large amount of luck involved, how players settle into the culture, how dedicated they are, how their personalities fit into a team. Once a team gets a bit of money their strategy tends to change because they have that money, and they can start making bad decisions because they start to stray a bit from what they’ve been doing.
I’d expect Brighton will find it very difficult next season to match their sixth place from the season just gone. Chelsea will surely improve under Pochettino. Liverpool will be better. Maybe Arsenal or the Saudis will drop off and Spurs could stay dropped off but there are other possibles to come into the frame like Aston Villa or Brentford or Fulham or AN Other.
Brighton will probably keep up a decent show for the next couple of seasons but beyond that you wouldn’t be sure. And the better De Zerbi does the more the chance of him leaving for a bigger club.
Brighton will finish above Liverpool and Chelsea.
De zerbi will likely move on but Brighton will replace him with somebody better and by some outside chance they make a mistake they’ll remove that person much quicker than many expect to limit the damage.
Noted for possible future reference.
You can’t always get somebody better, sometimes you can only get worse. The real top managers are not going to go to Brighton. Conte will not go to Brighton. Mourinho will not go to Brighton. Nor will Tuchel or Ancelotti. Klopp will not go to Brighton. Guardiola will not go to Brighton. There isn’t an endless supply of genius managers. Therefore you have to take a chance on somebody, and sooner or later that goes wrong.
I mean why didn’t Southampton think of getting somebody better than Ralph Hassenhuttl, why didn’t Leeds think of getting somebody better than Marcelo Bielsa, why didn’t Leicester think of getting somebody better than Claudio Ranieri, why didn’t Bournemouth think of getting somebody better than Eddie Howe, why didn’t Stoke think of getting somebody better than Tony Pulis, why didn’t Spurs think of getting somebody better than Mauricio Pochettino, why didn’t Manchester United think of getting somebody better than Alex Ferguson?
Why?
Brighton will identify the top managers before they become top managers. That’s what they are always doing.
Using data to stay ahead of the game.
Stevie Gerrard goes to Saudi.
Former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is the latest big name to make the move to Saudi Arabia after signing a two-year contract to become head coach of Al-Ettifaq.
Once you’ve managed Rangers there’s no move beneath you
5 Likes
75 year old Woy gets another season at Palace.
Building for the future
Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui is poised to leave the club, with former Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil set to replace him in charge.
The club have known for sometime that Lopetegui, 56, wanted to quit Molineux before the new season started.
Talks held today over the Spaniard’s exit from the club have been amicable.
Several candidates were considered but 40-year-old O’Neil impressed the hierarchy and is set to be named Lopetegui’s replacement.
Former Spain boss Lopetegui took over in November when Wolves were bottom of the Premier League table before guiding them to safety, but the club’s financial situation led to speculation earlier this summer that he could leave.
Sporting director Matt Hobbs recently said that Lopetegui was “committed” to the Molineux side, but fresh questions about the Spaniard’s future are being raised following the publication of chairman Jeff Shi’s open letter to fans.
Shi wrote that the club’s Chinese owners, Fosun, have no intention of selling the club, which finished 13th in the Premier League last season.
However, he stressed that Wolves must be cautious with their summer spending in order to meet the Premier League’s financial fair play rules.
According to FFP rules, the club must make a profit on player trading this summer to avoid exceeding the accumulated £105m loss over a three-year period, the maximum permitted.
They sold captain Ruben Neves to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal for a club record £47m in June and also allowed Mexican striker Raul Jimenez join Fulham for £5m last month.
Lopetegui has struggled to recruit new signings for his squad, with the only notable incoming being Republic of Ireland full-back Matt Doherty’s return as a free agent in July.
O’Neil guided Bournemouth to Premier League safety last season with a 15th-place finish but was sacked in June and replaced by Andoni Iraola, who led Spanish side Rayo Vallecano to 11th in La Liga last season.
Wolves will play Manchester United on Monday in the opening fixture of their Premier League season.
And he’s gone.
Does that count as the sack race for this season? What a bizarre way to start the season for all concerned
Same lad was fired by Spain right before a World Cup. Bizarre.
I think he’s just beneath Pep/Klopp personally and as good as anything else out there
They’ll struggle to keep the wolves from the door this season.
1 Like
No more Italian job for Roberto Mancini.
Going to Saudi Arabia seemingly.
At least both parties might be up front about what he’s earning this time unlike his experience with their Abu Dhabi neighbours
1 Like
Roberto will win the lot over there same as he’s done everywhere. A great sort.
Spalletti is the new manager of Italy. A box office appointment.
2 Likes
Celtic legend Scott Brown SACKED as Fleetwood Town. One point from six games doesn’t cut it League One.
I’d imagine he’ll be St Johnstone boss by the end of the month, be more his level.