I think we could do with one or even two "Trippier" like signings. Experienced, hard working leaders who will have instant respect and help the manager to get the most out of the younger players.... answers on a post card please.
That's a very good thought. We'll be needing all the grit and experience we can lay hands on. A couple good journeyman like Tripp would go a long way to settle my nerves. 🙂
I think optimism is the only thing we have left at this point, Dai. We can only hope for the best given the turbulent 12 months we’ve had. I just hope the new manager is given a fair shake as I think the knives will be out for him if he doesn’t get off to a decent start.
You make some very valid points here, Dai. Especially with reference to the ownership of the club, and the fact that they do not appear to have a clue what they are doing.
However, the comparison of Craig Bellamy as reason for feeling negative about wor Matthias, strikes me as being a little off the mark. Funny that you referred to Bellamy as Vincent Kompany's number two; although he was a valuable player for us back in the day, he was - and presumably still is - an irritating little shit. Maybe it is this characteristic which drives his failure at management level?
My point is that we shouldn't be quick to judge the new guy. Most of us hadn't even heard of him until two days ago, me included. My hope is that he is just the breath of fresh air we need. Let's give the lad time to show us what he's got, insread of writing him off.
Agree, Mik, that the Bellamy-Kompany comparison doesn't feel quite the same. You highlight Bellamy, but Kompany is surely also very different from Rangnick who has built his own football philosophy and practice over many years and through many young coaches.
This is exactly how I feel. I'm puzzled by the optimism of a lot of the fan base. My worry is that with all of the changes happening at once we'll be in a position of playing catch-up from the opening fixtures and will be in a relegation struggle from the off. Yes I know that the "Back the manager and team" lot will think this is heresy but I actually think we're back to where we were at the takeover. Five years wasted.
Completely agreed Dai. I think we're in for a hard season, especially if Bruno goes, as seems very likely. Frankly, I think it's just as likely that spend the season battling the drop as it is that we surprise everyone (including me!) and challenging for Europe.
The squad is in a very precarious position. We have an unfortunate death of players in their prime: most of the squad consists of older players past their best, or young players who will need time to adapt. In Steur and Bamba, we've signed two lads who might grow into world beaters, but have fewer than 50 senior appearances between them. We don't have a forward line that's fit for purpose. Going into a season with Osula, Wissa, and Woltemade as your 'goal threat' seems to me to be asking for trouble, and a lot will seemingly rest on how fast Toure adapts.
I'm desperately hoping that Jaissle turns out to be an inspired choice as manager, and I like the sound of his ideas about how to play football. But he just hasn't really managed in a properly competitive league - it strikes me that anyone can win the Austrian league with RB Salzburg, given their advantages over the rest of the league - and so we're resting a lot of hope in his reasonably successful Champions League campaign. We're taking some pretty large risks.
I would be inclined to agree with some of this but Sturm Graz just battered Hearts in the CL qualifiers - I think the Austrian league is more competitive and produces more good players who go on to play across Europe than we think.
Remember it was where a young Norwegian striker properly made his name … wonder what happened to him
Oh I'm not saying that the Austrian league is a bad league, but RB Salzburg have such an advantage over the rest that it's barely a competition. Sure, Sturm Graz and Rapid Vienna are decent, and of course historic, teams, but I'm not sure I accept beating the SPL runners-up as a measure of quality!
I think I read that when Jaissle won his first title there, RB had won 17 of the last 18 titles. The CL results with such a young squad are more encouraging
We all hope the changes are going to work out and until we see how he works it's a 50/50 at the minute, we were never going to get a top named manager because they wouldn't be able to spend cash like it's going out if fashion, all we can to is wish everyone involved the best of luck, we could do with a bit of joy after watching the last 4 months of last season.
Absolutely spot on! The ‘new model’ seems exactly like the Ashley model but with more money available that we can’t spend due to the horrendously restrictive PSR rules. Howe has carried the club for the majority of his reign because the top brass have been pretty inept. The constant musical chairs regarding CEO/Director of Football has meant Howe had to front for non existent staff in key roles & was the only constant. Now he’s gone & it sounds like he’s justifiably exhausted. I hope the new guy is good with the youth team because that looks like all he’s going to have to work with. The new signings are young lads who will take time to develop. I have images of Ossie’s Army of 91/92 nagging away at me. To give the new manager any sort of fair chance, our CEO/DoF need to use whatever minuscule part of the incoming money were allowed to spend & get off their backsides to try & attract/beg/bribe a couple of experienced players to join us. Though quite how that’ll happen, I’m not entirely sure. Most of this is the fault of PSR but some of it isn’t. Several people seem to be being paid a lot of money to flog off our best players & buy unproven youngsters. Whilst some of this seems to be a PSR based necessity, some of it is by choice, so I hope their plan for our ‘new model’ is more nuanced than Ashley’s was. I’m not holding my breath & would definitely take 14th! I’m also not expecting much from the cups, which have been an important part of Howe’s reign & we’re such a contrast to the Ashley years. And more than anything, I hope I’m completely wrong.
The ‘Ashley Model’ as in selling our top players - Cabaye, Sisoko, Ba etc - & buying in young, unproven players who might, or in more cases, might not develop into Premier League players - Vukic, Bigrimana, Marveux, the younger Ameobi. We all know what that led to. I agree that Howe didn’t want the ‘interference’ from CEO/DoF & that contributed to his exit. That’s the modern set up of a club & he should have bought into it more than he did. However, when you mention those names again - Ashworth is another one - & look at their track record for the club, you can possibly see why he didn’t have that much confidence in them. There’s a lot riding on this now, so the current incumbents’ strategy/model needs to be spot on. I’d suggest we need a strong final 3 weeks of the transfer window to show it is spot on. Again, I’m not holding my breath. Sadly.
The 'Ashley model'? Are you for real? That FCB went through a period where the only player signed in 18 months was Anita. Give yer heed a wobble man.
As for Eddie, part of the problem was himself and his need to have overall control like an old-school Manager. His ally Staveley jumping ship and then Ashworth broke that. Mitchell upset the apple cart further when Eales then brought him in. He was clearly wanting to do then what Wilson is doing right now and Eddie was having none of it.
The same is now playing out with Wilson as a SD with far more say on who comes in and out than Eddie wanted, so he left.
Great article, very pragmatic, which has been lacking from a lot of fans in the last few days. Jaissle might be the best thing since sliced bread, or he might flop completely. I also think you've nailed it on the owners and the running of the club.
The expectation for Jaissle at Al-Ahli was that he'd win the Saudi Pro League but in three seasons he had two third place finishes and a fifth place finish. This despite having the second most expensive team in the league, filled to the brim with world superstars, and in a league that can't even be compared to the Premier League.
As I understand it, his team in Saudi struggled to break the low block and he was criticised for tactical stubbornness. Sound familiar? Let's hope he cracked that nut in Saudi, because we're in trouble if not.
My hope is that he can at least be successful for a while, until other managers figure out his tactics. My worry is that his tactics seem remarkably similar, if not identical, to Howe's, so he may get found out very quickly. I certainly hope not, and hopefully Jaissle can adapt.
I look back on the Isak situation last summer, and like you said Dai, Howe being honourable and having to deal with a player with no honour behaving like he did, well to me it was visibility having a massive negative effect on Howe.
OK - maybe you liked stale boring football played by players who'd probably preferred to be shopping with their lasses in Eldon Square. Jaissle has been groomed to be Eddie Howe's successor and I'm sure that PIF haven't made this move without having confidence in his ability. I can't wait for the season to start which is remarkable as there are a record number of clubs with new managers bringing fresh ideas and systems of play. If I was a Man City or Liverpool fan I'd be more worried and pessimistic about the new appointment and I think that Wor Matty with his fiery temperament and intense playing style will be just what we need.
Jaissle hasn't 'been groomed' to be Eddie's successor whatsoever. Eddie told the Board he was staying so they had no need to be looking anywhere else - until he changed his mind after his holidays.
Anything can happen - so strap yourself in and enjoy the ride, with all its ups and downs and twists and turns. Like any rollercoaster - you'll end up where you started anyway. I'm living for the match day and trying not to worry about the future or the trajectory.....
Lots to be pessimistic about and I agree we still need a couple of solid pros to add what we’ve got but ‘happy’ to finish 14th/beat relegation seems way off to me.
Confident we’ll finish above all the newly promoted as well as the smaller teams in Europe (safc/Brighton/Palace/Bournemouth (also lost their manager) and Brentford (did they qualify??). Fulham have lost a good manager and Forest and Leeds are doable too. Everton, already some unrest and generally no ambition other than staying in the league.
If we don’t finish 10th or above I’ll be foaming and very surprised.
I would be less worried if the chairman come out and announced a actually real tangible long term plan for the club, you know something like what's happening with regards to the stadium and training facilities.
Iraola won what before going to Bournemouth and now LFC on the back of it? He lost his 5 best players (inc Semenyo mid-season) and still finished above us and qualified for Europe. He improved their league position each of the three years he was there.
Hurzeler has continued a steady performance and position for Brighton who also finished abioe us getting Europa Conference League as a bonus..
Reggie Le Cheese had an entirely new squad literally bought for him and he still managed to beat us twice and finish above us and also getting Europa League football.
Perhaps opinions such as yours really do lend weight to the claim many of our supporters are deluded - and with a sense of entitlement.
I think we could do with one or even two "Trippier" like signings. Experienced, hard working leaders who will have instant respect and help the manager to get the most out of the younger players.... answers on a post card please.
I think we all must agree with this. Looks absolutely essential
Barry Venison should be well-rested 🤣
That's a very good thought. We'll be needing all the grit and experience we can lay hands on. A couple good journeyman like Tripp would go a long way to settle my nerves. 🙂
I think optimism is the only thing we have left at this point, Dai. We can only hope for the best given the turbulent 12 months we’ve had. I just hope the new manager is given a fair shake as I think the knives will be out for him if he doesn’t get off to a decent start.
I understand the caution about Jaissle but I think it will be misplaced.
In terms of signings we seem to be getting linked to all sorts of his ex-Salzburg players who are playing well elsewhere.
Susic from Real Sociedad, the Benfica right back Dedic. All quality players.
Even an Ivan Toney return...!
I agree that the previous boards let Eddie down. But I don't think Wilson and Hopkinson have. And they seem to have a proper plan in place now.
You make some very valid points here, Dai. Especially with reference to the ownership of the club, and the fact that they do not appear to have a clue what they are doing.
However, the comparison of Craig Bellamy as reason for feeling negative about wor Matthias, strikes me as being a little off the mark. Funny that you referred to Bellamy as Vincent Kompany's number two; although he was a valuable player for us back in the day, he was - and presumably still is - an irritating little shit. Maybe it is this characteristic which drives his failure at management level?
My point is that we shouldn't be quick to judge the new guy. Most of us hadn't even heard of him until two days ago, me included. My hope is that he is just the breath of fresh air we need. Let's give the lad time to show us what he's got, insread of writing him off.
Agree, Mik, that the Bellamy-Kompany comparison doesn't feel quite the same. You highlight Bellamy, but Kompany is surely also very different from Rangnick who has built his own football philosophy and practice over many years and through many young coaches.
This is exactly how I feel. I'm puzzled by the optimism of a lot of the fan base. My worry is that with all of the changes happening at once we'll be in a position of playing catch-up from the opening fixtures and will be in a relegation struggle from the off. Yes I know that the "Back the manager and team" lot will think this is heresy but I actually think we're back to where we were at the takeover. Five years wasted.
Completely agreed Dai. I think we're in for a hard season, especially if Bruno goes, as seems very likely. Frankly, I think it's just as likely that spend the season battling the drop as it is that we surprise everyone (including me!) and challenging for Europe.
The squad is in a very precarious position. We have an unfortunate death of players in their prime: most of the squad consists of older players past their best, or young players who will need time to adapt. In Steur and Bamba, we've signed two lads who might grow into world beaters, but have fewer than 50 senior appearances between them. We don't have a forward line that's fit for purpose. Going into a season with Osula, Wissa, and Woltemade as your 'goal threat' seems to me to be asking for trouble, and a lot will seemingly rest on how fast Toure adapts.
I'm desperately hoping that Jaissle turns out to be an inspired choice as manager, and I like the sound of his ideas about how to play football. But he just hasn't really managed in a properly competitive league - it strikes me that anyone can win the Austrian league with RB Salzburg, given their advantages over the rest of the league - and so we're resting a lot of hope in his reasonably successful Champions League campaign. We're taking some pretty large risks.
I would be inclined to agree with some of this but Sturm Graz just battered Hearts in the CL qualifiers - I think the Austrian league is more competitive and produces more good players who go on to play across Europe than we think.
Remember it was where a young Norwegian striker properly made his name … wonder what happened to him
Oh I'm not saying that the Austrian league is a bad league, but RB Salzburg have such an advantage over the rest that it's barely a competition. Sure, Sturm Graz and Rapid Vienna are decent, and of course historic, teams, but I'm not sure I accept beating the SPL runners-up as a measure of quality!
I think I read that when Jaissle won his first title there, RB had won 17 of the last 18 titles. The CL results with such a young squad are more encouraging
We all hope the changes are going to work out and until we see how he works it's a 50/50 at the minute, we were never going to get a top named manager because they wouldn't be able to spend cash like it's going out if fashion, all we can to is wish everyone involved the best of luck, we could do with a bit of joy after watching the last 4 months of last season.
Absolutely spot on! The ‘new model’ seems exactly like the Ashley model but with more money available that we can’t spend due to the horrendously restrictive PSR rules. Howe has carried the club for the majority of his reign because the top brass have been pretty inept. The constant musical chairs regarding CEO/Director of Football has meant Howe had to front for non existent staff in key roles & was the only constant. Now he’s gone & it sounds like he’s justifiably exhausted. I hope the new guy is good with the youth team because that looks like all he’s going to have to work with. The new signings are young lads who will take time to develop. I have images of Ossie’s Army of 91/92 nagging away at me. To give the new manager any sort of fair chance, our CEO/DoF need to use whatever minuscule part of the incoming money were allowed to spend & get off their backsides to try & attract/beg/bribe a couple of experienced players to join us. Though quite how that’ll happen, I’m not entirely sure. Most of this is the fault of PSR but some of it isn’t. Several people seem to be being paid a lot of money to flog off our best players & buy unproven youngsters. Whilst some of this seems to be a PSR based necessity, some of it is by choice, so I hope their plan for our ‘new model’ is more nuanced than Ashley’s was. I’m not holding my breath & would definitely take 14th! I’m also not expecting much from the cups, which have been an important part of Howe’s reign & we’re such a contrast to the Ashley years. And more than anything, I hope I’m completely wrong.
The ‘Ashley Model’ as in selling our top players - Cabaye, Sisoko, Ba etc - & buying in young, unproven players who might, or in more cases, might not develop into Premier League players - Vukic, Bigrimana, Marveux, the younger Ameobi. We all know what that led to. I agree that Howe didn’t want the ‘interference’ from CEO/DoF & that contributed to his exit. That’s the modern set up of a club & he should have bought into it more than he did. However, when you mention those names again - Ashworth is another one - & look at their track record for the club, you can possibly see why he didn’t have that much confidence in them. There’s a lot riding on this now, so the current incumbents’ strategy/model needs to be spot on. I’d suggest we need a strong final 3 weeks of the transfer window to show it is spot on. Again, I’m not holding my breath. Sadly.
The 'Ashley model'? Are you for real? That FCB went through a period where the only player signed in 18 months was Anita. Give yer heed a wobble man.
As for Eddie, part of the problem was himself and his need to have overall control like an old-school Manager. His ally Staveley jumping ship and then Ashworth broke that. Mitchell upset the apple cart further when Eales then brought him in. He was clearly wanting to do then what Wilson is doing right now and Eddie was having none of it.
The same is now playing out with Wilson as a SD with far more say on who comes in and out than Eddie wanted, so he left.
Great article, very pragmatic, which has been lacking from a lot of fans in the last few days. Jaissle might be the best thing since sliced bread, or he might flop completely. I also think you've nailed it on the owners and the running of the club.
The expectation for Jaissle at Al-Ahli was that he'd win the Saudi Pro League but in three seasons he had two third place finishes and a fifth place finish. This despite having the second most expensive team in the league, filled to the brim with world superstars, and in a league that can't even be compared to the Premier League.
As I understand it, his team in Saudi struggled to break the low block and he was criticised for tactical stubbornness. Sound familiar? Let's hope he cracked that nut in Saudi, because we're in trouble if not.
My hope is that he can at least be successful for a while, until other managers figure out his tactics. My worry is that his tactics seem remarkably similar, if not identical, to Howe's, so he may get found out very quickly. I certainly hope not, and hopefully Jaissle can adapt.
I look back on the Isak situation last summer, and like you said Dai, Howe being honourable and having to deal with a player with no honour behaving like he did, well to me it was visibility having a massive negative effect on Howe.
OK - maybe you liked stale boring football played by players who'd probably preferred to be shopping with their lasses in Eldon Square. Jaissle has been groomed to be Eddie Howe's successor and I'm sure that PIF haven't made this move without having confidence in his ability. I can't wait for the season to start which is remarkable as there are a record number of clubs with new managers bringing fresh ideas and systems of play. If I was a Man City or Liverpool fan I'd be more worried and pessimistic about the new appointment and I think that Wor Matty with his fiery temperament and intense playing style will be just what we need.
Jaissle hasn't 'been groomed' to be Eddie's successor whatsoever. Eddie told the Board he was staying so they had no need to be looking anywhere else - until he changed his mind after his holidays.
Anything can happen - so strap yourself in and enjoy the ride, with all its ups and downs and twists and turns. Like any rollercoaster - you'll end up where you started anyway. I'm living for the match day and trying not to worry about the future or the trajectory.....
Lots to be pessimistic about and I agree we still need a couple of solid pros to add what we’ve got but ‘happy’ to finish 14th/beat relegation seems way off to me.
Confident we’ll finish above all the newly promoted as well as the smaller teams in Europe (safc/Brighton/Palace/Bournemouth (also lost their manager) and Brentford (did they qualify??). Fulham have lost a good manager and Forest and Leeds are doable too. Everton, already some unrest and generally no ambition other than staying in the league.
If we don’t finish 10th or above I’ll be foaming and very surprised.
I would be less worried if the chairman come out and announced a actually real tangible long term plan for the club, you know something like what's happening with regards to the stadium and training facilities.
Honestly man, take a look at the League table.
Iraola won what before going to Bournemouth and now LFC on the back of it? He lost his 5 best players (inc Semenyo mid-season) and still finished above us and qualified for Europe. He improved their league position each of the three years he was there.
Hurzeler has continued a steady performance and position for Brighton who also finished abioe us getting Europa Conference League as a bonus..
Reggie Le Cheese had an entirely new squad literally bought for him and he still managed to beat us twice and finish above us and also getting Europa League football.
Perhaps opinions such as yours really do lend weight to the claim many of our supporters are deluded - and with a sense of entitlement.
I'm optimistic with the proviso that the DoF must know we need some experience in and are looking hard for it.
Nick Xhaka from the mackems?
No, but you know what I mean. The leadership group is almost gone and needs reinforced.
Bring it on.
Howay the Lads