Sam Allardyce

[ijjysmith]

well, it's one of the main things being used to beat Sam with, in fairness!

A lot of snobbery around the boy Dyche. Yeh, he sounds and looks like the weird divorced Dad in the pub whose there on his own through Monday to Thursday, commenting when you buy a bevvy, but he's clearly a very good manager.

Dyche would have been way down my list to be fair. Not as low as Sam who wouldn't even have been on my list like but way down.

 

[JLW]

If he's genuinely concerned that the team is better and has more potential than he first thought then we absolutely have the wrong manager.

Of course we have the wrong manager! The board flapping about in October/November for a new manager thinking we were in a relegation battle!! We’re not!!!! That just blows the long term ‘project’ out the water, drafting in the two fat Sams who will probably be gone this time next year then we start all over again.

 

[bluestevon]

Funny thing is, yeah we have been terrible this season, but Huddersfield are in freefall, as are Newcastle, West Ham we just saw how bad they are, Swansea look the worst i have ever seen them, theres 4 teams minimum far below us - we didn't need a specialist against relegation in the slightest just a permanent manager appointed really.

 

[Pabbers]

Pabbers - look at the state of the squad ffs.

We have conceded 20 goals in eight games. That's mental.

We fail to beat Huddersfield on Saturday and other results go against us and we're right back where we started.

I'm consistently positive, but we are one of the worst teams I've seen. I try to avoid sensationalism but this season we have been that bad.

So no, in my mind - and I know this will be the thinking of everyone at the club as well, ultimately - the first target is to get to that 40 point mark.

First target. We string a good run together and that could be done come the end of January.

Then, it's about building on that and seeing what we can salvage from this shambolic season.

I'm not having one win - against a dreadful West Ham side - has changed our season. It hasn't. We're full of false starts and still have issues to address all over the pitch.

If not for a great save from Pickford last night, that game was very, very different. But, we spent £30m on our keeper to ensure he makes those saves.

Defensively, we're still atrocious. Imagine Salah and Mane going up against Martina in ten days' time!?

So no. I'm not getting carried away.

40 points is our first port of call now. That is Sam's first target - get the team playing as a team and working as a unit, in a system that suits us. Get to 40, and then go from there.

Squad is unbalanced and lacks organisation and leadership....it does not lack quality.

Never ever should or will our target be 40 points.

 

[Pabbers]

Please tell me he doesn't get a bonus for keeping us above 18th??

 

[Who's_up_for_cumpkins?]

Seen a good shout elsewhere he should send a scratch squad and unsworth to Cyprus and stay at finch farm drilling the team for the Derby next week.

Saying that I'd send mirallas and Schneiderlin with the kids so they are under no illusions they need to pull their fingers out.

Saying that doubt big fat sam will want to pass up a bit of sun and Team bonding. Reckon he'll be raar on the hotel karaoke. Maybe do moody blue by elvis....

 

[BlueToff]

Dyche would have been way down my list to be fair. Not as low as Sam who wouldn't even have been on my list like but way down.

Can I just ask why?

Because honestly, at first, I wasn't convinced either. I thought that Tuchel or the like would be the first ones on the list. But after that Leicester defeat I realised our problems clearly stem from the back - and not just Koeman trying to squeeze 4 no.10s into our side.

It's more than just a 'good run' for Burnley.

They looked brilliant last night. Played much better stuff than we have all season and he's got them all playing as a unit, with everyone knowing their jobs.

They've overtaken Spurs and are in the exact position where we all thought we might be come this stage.

Obviously the bubble could burst, but there's been no sign of it so far.

 

[Thomasc]

Of course we have the wrong manager! The board flapping about in October/November for a new manager thinking we were in a relegation battle!! We’re not!!!! That just blows the long term ‘project’ out the water, drafting in the two fat Sams who will probably be gone this time next year then we start all over again.

Are we all forgetting that the person they want for the "long term project" was not prepared to walk out of his current role and we have to sit tight for 6 months now until they land him?

I'm getting very confused, so many conflicting things going on here.

We obviously wanted Silva, we can't have him, but he might have said wait until summer. What are we supposed to do until then? Unsworth wasn't working, he might have done, but he was far more of a gamble than the road they have gone down and that is undeniable IMO.

 

[bag a yoko]

Oh this was all about preserving the value of Moshiri/Usmanov's shares. No question. They knew PL status was paramount and went for Allardyce for that very reason.

This was not a sensible long term football decision.

We have a self serving fool as owner(s).

I think most people on here would agree that Premier League survival is paramount.

 

[Yarrgh]

I wont be eating my words mate, because I'm not predicting he'll fail here. I'm merely stating what failure or success will look like for Allardyce.

I'll be eating them on my own then hopefully!

 

[MartSlinger]

Funny thing is, yeah we have been terrible this season, but Huddersfield are in freefall, as are Newcastle, West Ham we just saw how bad they are, Swansea look the worst i have ever seen them, theres 4 teams minimum far below us - we didn't need a specialist against relegation in the slightest just a permanent manager appointed really.

That was the difference last night IMO. They knew they had to perform because we've finally sorted a permanent manager - but it wouldn't have mattered whether it was Allardyce or Dyche or Silva or even Simeone. Any competent Manager can get something out of this squad because they are capable of performances like last night, and performances which are better.

 

[Dublin blue 75]

Has there been any mention of a presser to introduce Allardyce yet, or do we wait for the next regular pre-match event, presumably tomorrow lunchtime? Will be very insightful to hear him expand on what his targets have been set to, what his short / medium targets are and if (early days) he will reveal where he sees changes needed in the squad... most of these questions, if answered, will be a window into Moshiri's same plans.

 

[ijjysmith]

Can I just ask why?

Purely because i'm bored of getting managers who are over achieving at small clubs in the hope they can reproduce that at us, a bigger club.

Felt the same about Silva, Howe, or anyone like that.

 

[Bob Elstone]

Is there a press conference today? What time?

 

[BlueToff]

Squad is unbalanced and lacks organisation and leadership....it does not lack quality.

Never ever should or will our target be 40 points.

The first target is 40 points.

Not our only target. I didn't say that.

The illusions of grandeur need to stop, please. We're where we are because we've been very poor. We've ended up with Sam because the top dogs let the search drift and go on too long.

So yes, now the first target is get to 40. Then we build from there. It's doable in the next two months, if we hit a good run, and then we have half of the season and a cup still to try and make something of this campaign.