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I’d intended to wait until the end of the season before addressing the Pochettino Question, but our recent encounter with Tim (Smiling But Not Gloating – No Really) Sherwood’s Villa has brought it into sharp relief. Not that our lame defeat impacts directly on my assessment. It was just one pathetic display of several recently and it happened to be against a highly motivated team still fighting for something. But given Villa’s revival – as further evidenced by their fearless performance against Liverpool at Wembley - it’s worth asking whether Mr Levy acted too rashly in dumping Tim for someone whose managerial record was hardly stellar.
Tim’s appointment was, to say the least, grudging, Mr Levy taking the path of least resistance mid-season. We were told he was something of a genius with the kids and hindsight would suggest that that wasn’t far from the truth. And he trusted them. Bentaleb became a regular and Kane was given a run towards the end of last season.
But he was a dead man walking. Why? His win percentage was excellent and, despite some heavy defeats against the top teams, he only had the one window and wasn’t in a position to demand major singings. And he certainly freed the team of its Villas Boas strictures and introduced some flair. So was it that clip of him owning up to a predilection for the Gooners? I did tweet at the time asking his detractors to name a Spurs side from the current squad comprised only of Lilywhite-from-birth players, but got no replies (if you discount the ones suggesting I ‘fuck off and die’).
No, Tim’s fatal flaw was that big trap of his allied to his towering hubris. He wouldn’t even accept the job of Manager unless the ‘Interim’ prefix was deleted. And then there were his many ill-advised and boorish pronouncements when his brain failed to engage. He shouted the odds, told everyone who was boss, trumpeted his brilliance. Sadly, he seemed oblivious to the quicksand beneath his feet. But, despite his many flaws, I’d have kept him on for the current season having insisted he take a summer course in Shutting It And Getting On With The Job.
So what of Poch? He’d guided Espanyol to safety in his first season, a mid-table position in his second, and bottom in his third before being sacked. Shall I go through that again? Not great, is it? Did Levy do his research? He then guided a terrific Southampton squad to a respectable position in the EPL. But, again, nothing to write home about.
None of this, I hasten to add, marks him down as good or bad, but it wasn’t a lot to go on and I for one was surprised at the club’s enthusiasm for someone with such mediocre credentials. Surely there were more experienced and successful candidates available. I appreciate that a great manager can become a tit in the blink of an eye, but there is something to be said for a strong track record.
And as we come to the end of Poch’s first season, what can we conclude? Well we did ok. Just ok. A major final and 7th at worst, a so-so Europa League campaign and a dire FA Cup exit. Martin Jol and Redknapp did better, most others of recent memory about the same or worse.
The Twitter morons have been out in force giving Poch a bashing and I do feel some of the criticism is valid. He has been uninspired in his transfer dealings (though that may not be entirely down to him) and has shown some tactical inflexibility. Worse, while he did bring Harry through (if somewhat grudgingly - it took Soldado to miss his ninth consecutive open goal and Ade to finish an entire game without needing to wash his shirt before he caved) he has persisted with the lamentable Lamela, a man for whom retaining possession is a pipe dream. And why couldn’t extract the zip from Lennon we’ve seen at Everton?
But I’m prepared to give him another season at least. Let’s see if he can bring in some rather more talented performers than the leaden-footed Fazio and the ordinary Davies in the summer and offload the deadwood effectively. A few defeats early doors will have Levy twitching, but my guess is that he won’t be pulling the trigger any time before Christmas. Which would be something of a result for the Argentinian.
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Id rather have Jacques Santini in charge than Sherwood.
ReplyDeleteLacking in humility can't keep his mouth shut and saw nothing from his football at Spurs to suggest any tactical nous either.
True test of him will be next season at Villa.
Poch needs to weed out the brainless footballers to play a high tempo possession game you cannot have so much indecision and slow wit, the Lennon's, Walkers, Chadli, Paulinho, Dembele and replace them with players that can not just engage their legs but brains too.
I'd say that there isn't much in it. I disliked Sherwood and the way he played up to the media, shouting how good he was when we won and how bad the players were when we lost. With that said, his lack of a clear cut system saw us beating a lot of the lower half teams with ease. However when up against someone with a plan we looked second best.
ReplyDeletePoch on the other hand has a rigid system which has its bonuses. Against the better teams of this league we have held our own and actually played some great football. Even against Villa we played some decent stuff, Villa just happened to sit back and counter with balls to Benteke and Agbonlahor down the channels. That right there is where Poch differs. His rigid system is very susceptible to counter attacks and against the lower half teams that Sherwood had us beating, Poch is struggling to find the answer.
So in essence we are better off in some ways, yet poorer in others.
Potchettino is so limited that it is painful unless you admire 1. the philosophy of the same plan against everyone 2. sitting glued to the bench unable to do anything to respond to what happens 3. strangely unable to coach defensively given his own playing career, 4. shipping out players who were needed all season 5.bringing in players who have not improved us, 5. burning out the young players by refusing to rotate and 6. appointing Kaboul as Club Captain. Add that to making ridiculous excuses for his own failings such as 1. the pitch is too narrow 2. the Europa league has tired us out and 3. playing for England and trying to impress tires out the players. We are dead-men walking under this buffoon.
ReplyDeleteSherwood - no managerial experience and no coaching badges, but out-foxed Potchettino on each of the three times they have met as managers. Spent no money during his tenure but achieved a position and points that may not be matched by Potchettino. If only he could keep his mouth shut.
Sherwood all day every day over Potchettino for me. Redknap over Sherwood all day.
FDB next please.
Oh - Pleeze - RU serious?? All the bleatings about what could have been - The club has a brighter future now than under Redschnapps or Robin Hood - It's so easy to look in the rear view mirror and bitch - Poch is flying the plane now - deal with it - luckily he's not German!
ReplyDeleteWhat bullshit
ReplyDeleteYou lot are fucking unbelievable. Poch is the best manager since berkinshaw. Football is entertaining and he's getting the best out of the young lads. This guy given another window will turn us into a force. Anyone who can make rose half decent gets my vote. Get behind him coys
ReplyDeleteEntertaining football? Did you watch us v Burnley, Leicester, West Brom... and on and on? We are the benchmark for negative side and back passes. No-one with vision.
DeleteThe same rose-tinted twerps who thought AVB and his 'project' would take us to the promised land seem to have switched allegiance to Pochettino - 'entertaining' football? Half-a-dozen reasonable performances in nearly a whole season, and that's progress? I know foreign managers have been fashionable for years, but for every Mourinho or Wenger, there've been dozens of Santini's and AVBs, and I know which group our current 'coach' belongs in.
ReplyDelete