Who do you want as the next manager? New poll option.

[not3bad]

Martinez is a good manager, but I'm not sure that he's what we need right now.  Whoever replaces McLeish doesn't have a squad full of footballers who like to play attractiv football, plus he's going to have to try and improve the squad on the cheap. 

Martinez will, I suspect, end up elsewhere, in his own good time.
However, i disagree with your comment about the squad of attractive-playing footballers: we have some excellent players who need to be properly led.

And what about the kids who came up through the youth/reserve teams?  I thought they were all coached to play a good passing game? 

[James]

From oddschecker.mobi
Lee Clark 20/1

That's a decent price for a good young up and coming manager. Available for free too, the job he did with Huddersfield was fantastic.

But I bet our board has never even heard of him.

Didn't he have a comparitively huge sum of money to work with for League 1?

My Hudds mates reckons they were mostly glad to see the back of him, spent shit loads and left them four years later the grand total of one place higher than where they were when they appointed him. Also reckons his much publicised unbeaten run contained far too many draws from a strong position due to overly defensive tactics against weaker teams.

Also had a reputation locally for disloyalty and speaking to a lot of clubs about vacancies behind the chairman's back.

Yes, and we all give a glowing reference to MON don't we?

[PeterWithe]

True although MON left, Clarke was sacked by the chairman whilst being seemingly in a strongish league position leading me to assume that the fans would be on his side and view the sacking as unjust. Not so apparently.

[James]

True although MON left, Clarke was sacked by the chairman whilst being seemingly in a strongish league position leading me to assume that the fans would be on his side and view the sacking as unjust. Not so apparently.

Fair point!

[Dave]

One thing I'm not sure about for Martinez is his transfers - Tim Vickery was talking recently about Mauro Boselli and how his agent touted him around virtually every Premier League club even though it was obvious he was never going to be good enough or adapt.

The only manager to be led by the chap's agent into paying £6.5m for him was Martinez.

[Doorbell]

One thing I'm not sure about for Martinez is his transfers - Tim Vickery was talking recently about Mauro Boselli and how his agent touted him around virtually every Premier League club even though it was obvious he was never going to be good enough or adapt.

The only manager to be led by the chap's agent into paying £6.5m for him was Martinez.

Aye, but how many decent signings has Martinez made for not a lot of cash?  I'd say his ratio of good to bad favours the good...

[Dave]

One thing I'm not sure about for Martinez is his transfers - Tim Vickery was talking recently about Mauro Boselli and how his agent touted him around virtually every Premier League club even though it was obvious he was never going to be good enough or adapt.

The only manager to be led by the chap's agent into paying £6.5m for him was Martinez.

Aye, but how many decent signings has Martinez made for not a lot of cash?  I'd say his ratio of good to bad favours the good...

I'd say Moses and if we are being generous, Al-Habsi, Maloney and Alcaraz.

Not exactly spectacular for three seasons work.

[Doorbell]

One thing I'm not sure about for Martinez is his transfers - Tim Vickery was talking recently about Mauro Boselli and how his agent touted him around virtually every Premier League club even though it was obvious he was never going to be good enough or adapt.

The only manager to be led by the chap's agent into paying £6.5m for him was Martinez.

Aye, but how many decent signings has Martinez made for not a lot of cash?  I'd say his ratio of good to bad favours the good...

I'd say Moses and if we are being generous, Al-Habsi, Maloney and Alcaraz.

Not exactly spectacular for three seasons work.

Valencia, palacios, n'zog (there IS a good player in there somewhere!), Figueroa...

[PeterWithe]

He didn't sign any of them though.....did he?

[Dante Lavelli]

In that interview with Marnitez a week or three back, one of the things that stood out (apart from having a fucking huge TV) was that a lot of the work he was doing (he claims) is for the future benefit of Wigan, despite them being in a relegation battle.  In this regard he appears to be getting some credit for Swansea’s success too.

I think this will be a vital attribute of our next manager.  He needs to have the vision to plan and build for the future beyond just signing players.

[ozzjim]

Nope. Who signed McCarthy in midfield though? He is quality little player.

I would agree his weekness is transfers so far. I would want to see a really strong scouting network in place for ANY new manager. Maybe Montgomerie and Numan are a decent start with that and should be retained, but the secret of the success for Spurs, Arsenal and now Newcastle is their scouting system and ability to turn a profit on a player and then find a replacement.

[Dante Lavelli]

Nope. Who signed McCarthy in midfield though? He is quality little player.

I would agree his weekness is transfers so far. I would want to see a really strong scouting network in place for ANY new manager. Maybe Montgomerie and Numan are a decent start with that and should be retained, but the secret of the success for Spurs, Arsenal and now Newcastle is their scouting system and ability to turn a profit on a player and then find a replacement.

I agree with that Ozzjim.  It’s also important that they’re allegiance is with the club rather than buddies of the manager.  The scouting knowledge and structure should remain in place regardless of who the manager is.

[tomd2103]

Nope. Who signed McCarthy in midfield though? He is quality little player.

I would agree his weekness is transfers so far. I would want to see a really strong scouting network in place for ANY new manager. Maybe Montgomerie and Numan are a decent start with that and should be retained, but the secret of the success for Spurs, Arsenal and now Newcastle is their scouting system and ability to turn a profit on a player and then find a replacement.

If we can only spend money on one player this summer I would go for McCarthy.  Just the kind of player we need in central midfield and is only young as well.  He's going to become a really good Premiership player and I hope it is with us. 

[Dave]

One thing I'm not sure about for Martinez is his transfers - Tim Vickery was talking recently about Mauro Boselli and how his agent touted him around virtually every Premier League club even though it was obvious he was never going to be good enough or adapt.

The only manager to be led by the chap's agent into paying £6.5m for him was Martinez.

Aye, but how many decent signings has Martinez made for not a lot of cash?  I'd say his ratio of good to bad favours the good...

I'd say Moses and if we are being generous, Al-Habsi, Maloney and Alcaraz.

Not exactly spectacular for three seasons work.

Valencia, palacios, n'zog (there IS a good player in there somewhere!), Figueroa...

All signed by Steve Bruce.

As was James McCartby.

Martinez's record is more along the Jason Scotland, Jean Beausejour, Steven Gohouri, Hendry Thomas level.

[N'ZMAV]

It probably isn't easy attracting big players to Wigan, i mean we have a nightmare getting quality to come down the Villa.