2019/20 Marco Silva

[matty1878]

We could put you in charge temporarily and be better off.

Literally anyone. The point of getting rid is to not tolerate obvious failure.

Ok so WHO?

 

[matty1878]

But there are loads available. Loads.

WHO AND WHO will come

 

[BlueToff]

Why do we have to lose so many games and ruin entire seasons before making a change.

We talk a good game but act like a championship yo-yo club. Everything we do is mired in mediocrity and failure.

I suppose, playing Devil's advocate, if we sack yet another manager it's just admitting more mediocrity and failure, Tim.

And in another two years' time it'll just be the same.

You know I agree with you here, but just look at it that way. Whatever way this turns out, it's mediocre and a failure.

And there is no way we are in a good enough position to attract an elite manager.

 

[Lanolin]

I wrote a piece at the time (and stand by it) that all the signings are good players. But once again it's the players we didn't sign that are the issue. Failing to address key voids in the side/squad is negligent when there was so much time to do so.

I also said in the summer - I'm sure you and many others will remember as I tended to repeat myself (sorry) - that selling Gueye and then, not getting Zouma or a CB with pace, would set us back massively in terms of style. Basically, I expected the start of the season to be a bit dogged because we'd lost two key players. One in Gana who, I'm sorry, we should not have been selling for £28m, and another in Zouma who is really more the 'type' of player than Zouma himself.

Now, that was always going to take time to overcome. But, and I said this too, people would have to accept it if they were wanting us to sell Gana etc (plenty were), but also it would only be acceptable if Silva adapted and tried to play a different way. My fear was always we had finally found a system that clicked by the end of last season, and then were tearing it up.

That's proved to be the case because Silva is showing no signs of changing and now the issues that were present at the low points of last season (set-pieces, subs etc) are coming back too. Throw in Brands' failures and it's a massive melting pot of tosh.

Couldn't agree more. I was another one who was banging on about Gana and Zouma being key to the way we play, it's amazing how many people just don't seem to have realised what they - Gana in particular - brought to the team.

 

[BlueToff]

Tactically spot on when he's played elite teams last season. It's nonsense to suggest he cant get the tactics right when allowed to work for a long time with players...as he underlined last season.

Of course, the fans will get him out, because they think by getting shut of enough managers we'll solve this mess. We wont. The mess is off the pitch in the boardroom and now in the role above the manager at DoF.

I literally said he can get it right when he has time and all the players are fit.

But the point of being a manager is to get it right when you don't have time and the players aren't all fit. That's the majority of the season, mate.

 

[davids]

I don't think it's that tbf. Everyone who has worked under Silva has said he's firm but fair but improves them in their play, their positioning.

Look at Gana. I love him and always have as a player but there is no doubt Silva helped him improve last season. PSG are now the side reaping the rewards of that.

Silva's tactics are dreadful, though. And his former assistant - whose new side are currently leading the way in Portugal - seems to have been the one who could twist his arm. Without him he's lost.

Firm,if that's what players say then that's what he must be,but this shower need a rollocking.Last season beating top six sides closing down and working from front to back.This season seeing free runners and pointing fingers at them?

 

[billyblue80]

Lost 19 a pathetic record

 

[davids]

I literally said he can get it right when he has time and all the players are fit.

But the point of being a manager is to get it right when you don't have time and the players aren't all fit. That's the majority of the season, mate.

The top managers find a way. Even a man down on Saturday we could and should have got a point.

 

[BlueToff]

Couldn't agree more. I was another one who was banging on about Gana and Zouma being key to the way we play, it's amazing how many people just don't seem to have realised what they - Gana in particular - brought to the team.

I was reporting on the PSG game the other day. Nearly cried when he scored. Love him, miss him.

We were crap plenty of times with him in the side, like. It's not that when he left we've suddenly become crap. It's just that the system that clicked - he was crucial to it. Same with Zouma in that he had the pace to make up for our defensive deficiencies but really, with both players, it's more to do with that their pace and energy helped us push 10 yards higher up.

Now Gbamin's injury has been a set back. While we can't know how he'll adapt as he hasn't yet had the time to judge, we do know he has pace. Maybe not that speed over 10 yards like Gana, but he has energy and can cover the ground much more than Schneiderlin or Gomes (who yes, has been a big miss). The recklessness with the CB is dreadful, and entirely on Brands.

We had an alternative, but from the same bloody club! How, in any world, is that sensible? One injury or sale (as seen with Luiz) and that's up in the air, as proved.

 

[BlueToff]

The top managers find a way. Even a man down on Saturday we could and should have got a point.

At a man down on Saturday the change was simple.

If you do Sidibe for Gylfi (fine, he was tosh), then chuck on Gomes too for Schneiderlin. It doesn't change our shape at all. That's what a half-decent manager does. Silva is crap with his changes. He genuinely hasn't got a clue.

 

[Deleted member 38674]

WHO AND WHO will come

Who's available and who will come depends almost entirely on the level of ambition the club are prepared to show.

If we're serious about breaking the top six and are willing to throw some money behind that, plus a new stadium, Mourinho would already be here.

As we're not (there can be no disputing that now, right? We're literally keeping hold of a bloke with the lowest win percentage at the club in decades) the likes of Allegri, Spalletti, Wenger, Blanc, Marcelino, Tedesco, Pablo Machin, Luis Enrique, Van Bronckhorst, Bosz, Rudi Garcia and Kohfeldt are available.

If we were ambitious enough, you could add Benitez, Deschamps, Howe, Mancini, Arteta, Bielsa or Tuchel to that.

 

[riddick]

I was reporting on the PSG game the other day. Nearly cried when he scored. Love him, miss him.

We were crap plenty of times with him in the side, like. It's not that when he left we've suddenly become crap. It's just that the system that clicked - he was crucial to it. Same with Zouma in that he had the pace to make up for our defensive deficiencies but really, with both players, it's more to do with that their pace and energy helped us push 10 yards higher up.

Now Gbamin's injury has been a set back. While we can't know how he'll adapt as he hasn't yet had the time to judge, we do know he has pace. Maybe not that speed over 10 yards like Gana, but he has energy and can cover the ground much more than Schneiderlin or Gomes (who yes, has been a big miss). The recklessness with the CB is dreadful, and entirely on Brands.

We had an alternative, but from the same bloody club! How, in any world, is that sensible? One injury or sale (as seen with Luiz) and that's up in the air, as proved.

That part never made ANY sense to me. So they aren't going to let go a player because they have a transfer ban and your plan B was another player from the same club that STILL has a transfer ban??

 

[jayden28]

I really hope the reason he isn't gone yet is because we are trying to find a replacement for him,if that's not the reason then we're fooked.

 

[billyblue80]

I literally said he can get it right when he has time and all the players are fit.

But the point of being a manager is to get it right when you don't have time and the players aren't all fit. That's the majority of the season, mate.

Is right, he got it right with last year's squad. I've seen very little evidence he will with this years. Maybe losing his assistant had more impact than we realised? The tempo has gone and selection and tactics are stale.

 

[billyblue80]

But what if the DoF is the problem? The standard of player he's brought in has been poor overall...and expensively assembled. Over £200M he's spent - would you say it's been good value?

A manager plays with that deck he's handed.

We definitely still had holes in the team and some of his buys are on potential. I never thought we would be in the top six personally without more additions in every area. But doing this badly with this squad absolutely is on the coach. Most coaches in this league would be doing better in my view.