The replacement for MON...?

[pauliewalnuts]

199/1 Betfair.

[Monty]

Oh, not a chance of getting Ranieri, not a hope. The man's a bit of a psychotic Roman, and as we know from the likes of Bruno Conti, Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi, psychotic Romans don't leave Roma. Obviously it's slightly different for managers, but it's his dream job, they nearly won the Scudetto last year and have a real chance of doing so this coming year with Mourinho gone, they're in the Champions' League - in short, he's not leaving all that to come to B6 I'm afraid.

[KevinGage]

No idea Monts, can't even verify it as I didn't see the game.

I could understand him talking to Friedel as an ex teammate, but the club official part makes little sense to me.  In saying that,  John Harkes was the first semi respectable US player to make a name for himself in England, so maybe he is on speaking terms with some of our American management.

[Dave]

Italy and Germany by nationality maybe? In either case, Klinnsman has a house or two in the Vaterland, and if you're unemployed I suppose it doesn't matter.

What Italian would we get though? Perplexing.

*checks oddschecker for price on Ranieri*

200-1

Shorter odds on Collymore, Venglos or Bosnich. Would be the mother of all inspired punts if it came off.

[Big Dick Edwards]

Italy and Germany by nationality maybe? In either case, Klinnsman has a house or two in the Vaterland, and if you're unemployed I suppose it doesn't matter.

Is Joachem Loew still the German national team manager?

[Monty]

Italy and Germany by nationality maybe? In either case, Klinnsman has a house or two in the Vaterland, and if you're unemployed I suppose it doesn't matter.

Is Joachem Loew still the German national team manager?

Certainly is, and the most popular one since Beckenbauer since the World Cup.

[KevinGage]

Painting with broad strokes perhaps, but a German coach/manager would have a similar (though hopefully more refined) approach to the Northern European style of football and they generally learn English as a second language from a young age.

We've seen with Ramos (Spanish I know) and even Ranieri/ Cappello the problems a highly rated manager can have if he isn't fluent in the language.

[Monty]

The style of football is less of an issue than the language, which as you say is a big advantage for a German, Dutch or Scandinavian coach. Wenger has proven that stylistic and cultural differences can be thoroughly overcome if you can speak the language well, which he can.

[Dave Cooper please]

That Big Sam Twitter feed is pure comedy genius:

The miracle of birth never fails to take my breath away. How an entire human being can slide out of a minge is truly staggering.

[pauliewalnuts]

That Big Sam Twitter feed is pure comedy genius:

The miracle of birth never fails to take my breath away. How an entire human being can slide out of a minge is truly staggering.

TheBig_Sam
 
I forgot all about training today. My secretary rings while I'm in the middle of my morning wank. Made her wait on the line til I finished.

[Quiet Lion]

She nervously asked: "Where are you, Mr Allardyce?" I replied: "In paradise, Ethel. I'm in fucking paradise."

[KevinGage]

The style of football is less of an issue than the language, which as you say is a big advantage for a German, Dutch or Scandinavian coach. Wenger has proven that stylistic and cultural differences can be thoroughly overcome if you can speak the language well, which he can.

By style of play I mean the approach.

In so far as Italians are more comfortable with safety first attritional football, and a new manager rocking up there would face little criticism if he set up a side to defend from the front and bore the opposition into submission. There are a few who've bucked the trend over the years of course. But any new manager coming into VP and presiding over the above would pretty soon exhaust any initial goodwill that had come his way.

Traditionally there has been a notable difference between the styles of play of most Northern Europeans, the UK and Scandinavian sides playing a more direct game, the Germans relying on strength and tactical nous and the Dutch being different still, with a 'purer' approach to the game. The lines have blurred over the years, so that even different sides in those different domestic leagues will all play a variation of the above. But the focus has generally always been on the attack, rather than the defensive. So a manager/ coach moving around those leagues should -in theory- find the transition somewhat easier.

[KevinGage]

That Big Sam Twitter feed is pure comedy genius:

The miracle of birth never fails to take my breath away. How an entire human being can slide out of a minge is truly staggering.

TheBig_Sam
 
I forgot all about training today. My secretary rings while I'm in the middle of my morning wank. Made her wait on the line til I finished.

I found this strangely erotic too:

@fourquadrate depends what I'm up to, squire. I'm just wearing a Juicy Couture tracksuit today. It's cute and sexy, but still sensible.

All 15+ stone of Big Slobbering Sam squeezed into a woman's Juicy Couture tracksuit.

Enduring image.

[Monty]

Well that's a specific issue with Italian football then (as they are easily the most defensive country in Latin Europe). However, only radicals with a lot of cajones impose their style of play come what may on a club in a new country - again, Wenger springs to mind. Most tend to adapt to their new countries pretty quickly. It's a peculiar habit, but managers always seem to do it.

I would also argue whether England, Norway and especially Germany have focussed "generally always on the attack". England's World Cup victory was one for defensive, reactionary football, Liverpool had great success with largely functional, positional football, Norway against England was a sit-deep and counter-attack contest in the early nineties, and the Germans - well, their team in the eighties was one of the most deathly tedious and dislikeable teams imaginable.

[Phil from the upper holte]

Ha ha, brilliant Big Sam stuff.

Does he really write that stuff?