catcherintherye
Player Valuation: £80m
While in theory you might be correct, the more I see of Pellegrini the more fearful I get. You cannot consider League Cups do be a decent barometer to measure a manager of a club of that stature. His league performance this season has been awful given the resources he's had. I know his defenders are saying about Guardiola announcement being the reason. If so it's a very poor excuse that he is unable to motivate players. The reality is though, the rot had set in well before that with them surrendering top spot.
Throughout his time I think it would be hard to argue against the following be key features:
1) Inconsistency
2) Over reliance on Key players (not brought in by him)
3) Defensive frailties/a soft centre (particularly away from home).
When you talk about steadying the ship I have not seen much from him at City that would suggest he will be able to do this. At City the best you can say he did was maintain their performance after being given a huge amount of money, at worst you could say they have gone backwards. A lot of the above problems are the exact problems we have. I think given his age he is after 1 last big payday and worry he will drown in the challenge. The comparison I would make would be Walter who was completely out of his depth with inferior players and was too stuck in his ways.
I have seen a lot of people say he would turn around the ethos of the club. I really don't see that as his style at all. I would say he is a very good tactician who is able to work within a club and organise players in a calm manner. However he hasn't got Toure working any harder or in a more disciplined manner. I see him as more of a tinkerer than someone who is going to uproot us root and branch, especially given his age. At City, for all his successes he also hasn't got a particularly good record in big derby matches, so anyone expected us to start smashing Liverpool I think is a little foolhardy. I think he'd have been perfect to the over from Moyes, but the job is just too big.
If you compare that to De Boer I do see a different picture. I accept that it's only the Dutch league, Mclaren has won one and his record in Europe is hot and cold. However his record in the Dutch league far exceeds anything Mclaren has done. What he has shown over the last 6 years is a remarkable consistency, an ability to handle pressure and to improve a club he went into (they hadn't won the league in the previous 7 years). He has also done this selling his best players and bringing through younger players (which for me is a key skill for an Everton manager still to have).
I do understand people's concerns with him being at one club in a poor league, like what I say above that cannot be disputed. However my gut feeling is De Boer is close to breaking out to be a very good manager for someone, and this is why Liverpool and Spurs identified him. He is too good for Holland and needs an opportunity somewhere else.
You are spot on about steadying the ship, the performances of this team are as disjointed as any Everton team I've ever seen. However I think we should ask two things, what does steadying the ship mean and how can it be done. For me steadying the ship for us means, getting them fitter, working harder, working together as a team and having tactical flexibility. I think De Boer will do this very well (as would Emery, Tuchel etc).
On the second point I think given we have all pre-season we have time to turn things around. It is not mid season when I think the appointment of Pellegrini would make more sense. The new manager will have two months to begin to put their stamp on things and in spite of how poor we are I do think there are the raw materials to turn things around quite quickly.
I understand a lot of this post reflect my gut feelings, or summations of what I would say is the harder evidence. The harder evidence is that Pellegrini has done worse but in a more competitive league, while De Boer has done better in a poorer league. Other people will draw out different conclusions. I'm happy to be vaulted either way, particularly with Pellegrini who I think would have real difficulty.
