ijjysmith
Calm
10 years ago. With a totally different team. In a totally different league. In a totally different country. In totally different circumstances.
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10 years ago. With a totally different team. In a totally different league. In a totally different country. In totally different circumstances.
This is a beaut from a couple of days before he got sacked. Ronald Koeman: "If they left me to it I'd make a winning team. I'd need to make more drastic changes, as I did with the three players who have been separated and in order to improve, I'd need another squad.
Not particularly. As the article states, Valencia had a long and public history of internal unrest and instability. They had a group of well established players who refused to buy into Koeman's ideas and resisted his criticism. I don't think that's the situation Koeman finds himself in here, and it's not one that has been replicated since.
This situation seems to be the consequence of the club giving him assurances they weren't ready to deliver on, and Koeman becoming more frustrated as things drag on. When we appointed a chief scout as DoF there seemed to be an assumption that he, along with Koeman's reputation, would be enough to secure major signings, but the summer obviously proved there's more to it that that.
Koeman apparently sees the same struggles in this window and is publicising it. I'm not particularly worried about that and I think it will probably result in a few big signings in this window. What does concern me a bit, though, is that we have a manager who doesn't seem overly interested in getting the best out of the squad he has.
ijjysmith
Calm
Do you reckon another manager would come to Everton and be like 'love this squad, full of boss players. No new players needed'?
So you can all finally see the finer points I've been making about the ambition of Everton over the decades. Now RK is coming out and demanding the ambition from the board in the form of transfer activity - in and out hopefully.
1. Every single manager we had hired in the past was a Grade below "the best" - with little or no pedigree or historic winning record of titles and the like - don't get me wrong we got it right with Catterick and Kendall (and to a lesser extent Moyes and Royle of course, we can get it right) but against them there was a Kelly, Buchan, Bingham, Lee, Harvey and Oswald Smith - oh and then Walker and Martinez and so on and so on. Finally, in Koeman, we pick a man with some pedigree, titles and ambition.
2. We do the same sh*t with players - we hover on the deadline day and miss out on Muller, Sissoko (thankfully) and a whole host of other players we weren't buying anyway because we won't pay the price, pay it now, pay the wages whatever.. however.. and we end up with the likes of Fellaini (a find, no one else was willing, easy to prise from a lower quality league) but for every Fellaini, Arteta and Cahill there's a Bily or a Niasse.. we don't do top class buys at high end prices.
3. Kitbag.. and many many more examples like it
The bottom line is - the ambition of this club is to sit in the higher echelons. We strike it lucky now and again with a winning formula though that can never happen now can it (unless it's Leicester!!!)?
1. Every single manager we had hired in the past was a Grade below "the best" - with little or no pedigree or historic winning record of titles and the like - don't get me wrong we got it right with Catterick and Kendall (and to a lesser extent Moyes and Royle of course, we can get it right) but against them there was a Kelly, Buchan, Bingham, Lee, Harvey and Oswald Smith - oh and then Walker and Martinez and so on and so on. Finally, in Koeman, we pick a man with some pedigree, titles and ambition.
2. We do the same sh*t with players - we hover on the deadline day and miss out on Muller, Sissoko (thankfully) and a whole host of other players we weren't buying anyway because we won't pay the price, pay it now, pay the wages whatever.. however.. and we end up with the likes of Fellaini (a find, no one else was willing, easy to prise from a lower quality league) but for every Fellaini, Arteta and Cahill there's a Bily or a Niasse.. we don't do top class buys at high end prices.
3. Kitbag.. and many many more examples like it
The bottom line is - the ambition of this club is to sit in the higher echelons. We strike it lucky now and again with a winning formula though that can never happen now can it (unless it's Leicester!!!)?
Thomasc
Formerly known as By God I'm Blue
Do we just ignore everything else he has done since Valencia 10 years ago and focus solely on that period in his career? Just to appease a few people who want to use it to have a dig at him.
True he has not exactly been pulling up trees since of course as his spell at AZ also proves. But he did a very sound and competent job at Southampton for 2 years after Feyenoord and a 7th and a 6th with them made him probably a safe bet with Mosh, though probably not worth the ridiculous money he had to throw at it to land him.
As for his time at Valencia, he won them a cup, something we were all wetting our knickers with about last year when we got to 2 semi finals. Funny how things can be twisted to suit agendas.
At the moment he is under performing for me, but I am willing to give him a bit of time as the side he took over finished 11th last season. Add to that the board totally ballsing up the summer transfer window and for these 2 reasons I believe we cannot truly give him too hard of a time right now.
I think another manager might have at least tried to work with this squad whilst making changes instead of deciding the minute he walked in the door that he wanted a new squad...
collymcd
Player Valuation: £15m
Have you considered that the very premise of Koeman signing was that he'd be given the opportunity to rebuild the squad?
ijjysmith
Calm
Doubt it. This lot of bottlers needed jibbing off way before Koeman even got here. I'm glad he's at least trying to do it.
Same Everton Time, Same Everton Channel
Little Ralphy
Player Valuation: £15m
This all day. Moyes made the mistake of holding on to them for too long as he angled for his own move, and then Martinez kept them on too long. At least Koeman has identified the issue, although Barry's new contract suggests otherwise.
ijjysmith
Calm
I'm not sure the Barry and Gibson contracts weren't promises from before Koeman got here.
Ashtonian
Banned on request
It is getting boring now.
Are you a valencia fan? No?
Then talk about your teams manager for once and stop with this one track mind of criticising him every chance you get. What sort of fan turns on their teams manager before he has even got the job?
Probably the same type of fan who apparently boots dogs in their spare time.
blue62
Player Valuation: £5m
You have to question what is going on in the background, surely Koeman was tempted by the big salary and the prospect of big investment, after a disappointing summer we appear to be stalling again, when it's clear new faces are needed. I wonder if we will be gently told that this season is now a write off and the rebuilding will start in the summer? For me Schned will be a key signal of intent, if we fudge it will be to get him cheaper in the summer, if we pay over the odds to get him now it will be a signal that times might just be changing.
Little Ralphy
Player Valuation: £15m
I hope you're right, and you probbaly are like the Stones sale. Although personally I don't think barry should even be playing now, if he had anything about him he'd hold his hands up and walk away now. Like Neville sort of did.
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