Next manager discussion (poll reset 21/05/2016)

[Walken]

I don't think there is any final decision yet, I think both options are still open. As far as I know talks have continued, but I'd have to say the chances of landing Jose must be slimmer than Koeman coming here just by virtue of the options open to him, hence my comments last night.

if they are slimmer than a fat high calcium dieting koeman, then there is still a hefty chance

 

[zandvoort blue]

Rafael is the stalking horse to drive us gratefully into the arms of Martin O'Neill
I'd give the FSW 6 weeks max before everything went tits up

 

[eternal_defiance]

I don't think there is any final decision yet, I think both options are still open. As far as I know talks have continued, but I'd have to say the chances of landing Jose must be slimmer than Koeman coming here just by virtue of the options open to him, hence my comments last night.

is frankaldo still a possibility, if you do not mind me picking your opinion

 

[Toothman]

No problem, I keep banging on about Emery but he's streets ahead of Koeman and we should be at least getting him to talk to us. He may well say no like he did at West Ham but at least we'll have asked. He won't want to carry on with a negative spend at Sevilla (£83 million so far) for too much longer and is surely going to move on sooner rather than later. He also works with a director of football as far as I know. Sell him the plan Moshiri!

Emery would be a dream, if we don't at least speak to him then there is something wrong.

 

[d34noj]

There is literally zilch chance that Benitez will manage Everton. None.

 

[jceverton]

from the guardian in 2008 - he was sacked a day or so after this article

King's Cup half empty for Koeman
Despite the Copa del Rey in the cabinet, Valencia are preparing to say adios to beleaguered manager Ronald Koeman




Sid Lowe

@sidlowe
Monday 21 April 2008 15.36 BSTLast modified on Tuesday 5 April 201603.49 BST


It was just before 11 o'clock last night when the chant went round one of Spain's most emblematic, soon-to-be-bulldozed stadiums. Massive smiles stretched across the faces of fans who had just seen their side produce a fabulous 5-1 victory and they began hopping from foot to foot, swirling scarves from their wrists and bellowing at the Dutchman down on the bench: "Koeman quédate, Koeman quédate, Kooooe-man qué-da-te!" Never mind bitter chants of "Koeman, go now!" - the latest in a long and imaginative line from "Cúper, go now!" to "Benítez, go now!" and "Claudio, go now!" to "Quique, go now!" - the call was forRonald Koeman to stay.

The chants might not have been surprising, coming four days after Koeman's team won their first Copa del Rey since 1999, but for one thing: the giggling fans doing the chanting were Athletic Bilbao fans. When Valencia ran on to the pitch at San Mamés last night, Athletic gave them a guard of honour; by the time they trudged off the pitch at San Mamés, Athletic had given them a kicking. The side that hadn't managed to score more than twice at home all season and that had only once scored three - when they visited Valencia - had banged in five. Five more nails in Koeman's coffin. "The dressing room," said Raúl Albiol, "is a funeral" - and the funeral was Koeman's.

If Athletic's fans called for Koeman to stay, Valencia's fans can't wait for him to leave - nor can the players, the board and the media. Today, an €8m pay-off permitting, they will get their wish. Even though they were happy enoughsacking Quique Sánchez Flores at 4:24am, puppet president Agustín Morera pledged he wouldn't react "in the heat of the moment", insisting "all decisions are agreed by the board". What he meant was: "Right now I can't get hold of flabby-jowled owner Juan Soler so he can tell us what to agree on." Meanwhile, Carlos Marchena kindly pointed out: "Us players have to work with the coach, whoever he is. But if the board want our opinion, they know where to find us."

Their opinion is that Koeman is a disaster. And they may have a point. When Valencia sacked Sánchez-Flores, they were four points off the top; now, they're 35 points off. Worse still, they're just two points above the relegation zone and have the hardest run-in of the struggling clubs: Osasuna, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Levante and Atlético. They've picked up just 18 of a possible 66 points since he took over, winning just four in 22 and completing their worst ever season at Mestalla. Last night's 5-1 defeat was their worst away result in 25 years and they've won just once in the last six, losing the other five. Mind you, that win was against soon-to-be-champions Real Madrid in the same week that they defeated Barcelona in the Cup, creating a sudden surge of optimism. And they did win the Copa del Rey.

Trouble is, the Cup has only revealed the depth of the division, making the warring parties even more entrenched. From Koeman's point of view, winning the Cup showed he could succeed if only the players could be bothered more often; from everyone else's point of view, it showed that Valencia could succeed if only he'd leave, some players slyly letting it be known that they'd ditched Koeman's tactics and done it their way. Joaquín admitted that Koeman's 4-3-3 has the players "running round with headless chickens".

Nor is it just the tactics. Koeman lost much of a divided dressing room when he lacked the personality to stand up to Juan Soler's demands to sack the Valencia Three, ending up in court and with Vicente, Silva and Villa looking for a way to leave. He lost Joaquín when he dropped him from the squad for arriving two minutes late to a team-talk, even though he had included Ever Banega, who'd been picked up by the police for drink-driving, prompting the winger to snipe: "Maybe next time I'll get pissed and run a red light instead." And he lost Iván Helguera and more when he publicly berated the players for not being good enough, prompting Helguera to bemoan a "lack of respect". "I don't know if I have the squad behind me," shrugged Koeman, "but I reckon four or five of them are on my side."

The squad is indeed behind him. Right behind him, knives at the ready like the passengers on the Orient Express. What the Cup success really showed is that, apart from trusty poodle José María Bakero, Koeman is utterly isolated, that "four or five" is wishful thinking. As the final whistle blew on Wednesday's final, he stumbled on to the field at the Vicente Calderón looking forlornly for someone to hug. The few players to embrace him did so half-heartedly, leaving Koeman to hover on the fringes as the photos were taken. When he finally left the stadium well after 1am, emerging into the gloom, he strolled about as if he was looking for someone to pat him on the back, say 'well done' or just smile in his rough direction. As the players came past, each and every one of them ignored him until eventually he boarded the bus. Alone.

Koeman has hardly helped himself, but the real culprit is a club that's never at peace; the Dutchman walked into a viper's nest, where sporting directors and coaches are at each other's throats like a bunch of deranged emus; where, with honourable exceptions, fans are never satisfied; where president and shareholders are always at war, creating tension and instability. As Koeman boarded an empty bus on Wednesday night, the club handed out press communiqués saying there would be no formal celebration. No visit to the town council. No open-topped bus. No silly wigs. No offering to the virgin. And no one informing Koeman. Above all, no embracing of the one thing that could have brought the club together, revealing yet again what a miserable, self-destructive institution Valencia has become, one that's about to put a fourth manager in charge. If they go down many will wave goodbye, but many too will wave good riddance.


The points i highlighted would give me massive concern

Oh dear I knew things were bad when Emery took over but not that bad. That's another massive tick in his box for me as he got those players back on side and sorted Banega out as well. As for Koeman that would give you massive pause for thought if he's got to manage bigger players than he has at Southampton, which he will have to at Everton judging by the money available.

 

[The Esk]

is frankaldo still a possibility, if you do not mind me picking your opinion

I don't know mate.

 

[Goat]

Conversely, if Man Utd qualify for the Champions League, it makes the money men secure enough to release LVG with blessing earlier than they'd all planned, pay for it all and please their fanbase by going for Mourinho, paying for that too.

A fair point and something I hadnt considered.

 

[KUEFC09U2]

I don't think there is any final decision yet, I think both options are still open. As far as I know talks have continued, but I'd have to say the chances of landing Jose must be slimmer than Koeman coming here just by virtue of the options open to him, hence my comments last night.

Will all this be sorted in time for a decent pre season?

 

[bluestevon]

I don't think there is any final decision yet, I think both options are still open. As far as I know talks have continued, but I'd have to say the chances of landing Jose must be slimmer than Koeman coming here just by virtue of the options open to him, hence my comments last night.

Thing is mate, i know you have said a few times about the start of a new era, an appointment that will show without doubt that we have moved on massively from the previous owners etc, but for you personally does Koeman count as a 'top level' manager who is a different league than what we have been used to and will make people sit up a bit and really take notice that things have changed - given his career, and his obvious limitations that have been shown in his various jobs i find it REALLY difficult to imagine he is

 

[Coffee and TV]

Apparently SAF has been out having lunch with Pochettino. Wouldn't be surprised if United were hoping to get him for the long term in a season or so.

 

[longers]

Benitez is an awful shout.

Not only did he insult Everton, he's not as great as is made out.

Actually think he did a decent job at Liverpool, expected to revive their glory days and didn't succeed but achieved a decent amount.

There aside, even Napoli with the resources, crap.

Does have an impressive record in European Cups like.

But no.

Didn't he win La Liga twice with Valencia and also the UEFA cup ?

He's vastly superior to moyes and martinez, i don't hold grudges either so wouldn't be that upset if he became our new manager.

 

[bluestevon]

Oh dear I knew things were bad when Emery took over but not that bad. That's another massive tick in his box for me as he got those players back on side and sorted Banega out as well. As for Koeman that would give you massive pause for thought if he's got to manage bigger players than he has at Southampton, which he will have to at Everton judging by the money available.

Losing players is one thing and can happen to any manager mate - see Mourinho this season, but losing ANY form of respect from them like it is apparent that Koeman did is much more alarming, players publicly slagging and taking the piss out of a manager just shows a massive warning sign.

Different losing players because they find your ways too demanding over a few years and can happen to the best, to just within a season to have the players think your clueless though is a whole lot more worrying

 

[neil999]

koeman be alright, bar v few managers(mourinho,fergie,guardiola) I think they just need to be decent, get a bit of luck and buy the right players

I don't think pochetinno is a genius, he has a world class keeper, a striker in form of his life and a great centre back signing in aldereirweld...it aint that difficult really

 

[Goat]

Didn't he win La Liga twice with Valencia and also the UEFA cup ?

He's vastly superior to moyes and martinez, i don't hold grudges either so wouldn't be that upset if he became our new manager.

Of course hes vastly better than Moyes or Martinez, but so are roughly around 100 other managers in world football.