We've got good players in most positions now.Trick now is to sign even more of them so we actually have some game turning options on the bench.Realistically we're not getting into europe anytime soon though while our backup strikers consist of one who hasn't scored a league goal since 2017 and the other been injured for 14 months so we have to give him time to get back up to speed.Was having a debate this afternoon with someone somewhere else on the web and he was saying we shouldn't sign another decent striker as it would "hurt Ollie's feelings" given according to DS he dosen't like playing out wide.I say tough, that's not the mentality we need. I doubt Tuchel gives a stuff about hurting Tammy's feelings by leaving him out of the Chelsea 11 constantly atm, he's doing the best for the club and results are there for all to see.If Tammy or Giroud suddenly decided they wanted to join us I'd sign either without hesitation and work the rest out, Ollie would still play loads at CF.Think we're at the stage where signing a Giroud and plucking another name Riyad Mahrez would get us very close to top 4 but I'm just not convinced we have that pull as a club just yet.Everton have over last 18 months improved their quality in terms of signings and they've improved significantly but still short of top 4 when you see them play tonight but that's a good yardstick for us. We are getting there.
We have been where we were because we’ve had dog shit managers for a long time...... We have got to raise the bar and stop wallowing at where we’ve come from in the last few years and start looking at where we’re going
We are well short of a top 6 squad IMO - need more depth in defense, a lot more power and creativity in the middle and 2/3 genuine PL striking options up front - that’s two summers worth investment right there so for me, it’ll be another solid season next before we can hope to really be in the mix
Tuchel's been there ten minutes. Let's see how he does after his new cat bounce wears off. Darren Farley's impression of Lampard is genius so I'm gutted Frank was sacked.
Quote from: john e on March 08, 2021, 05:10:34 PMWe have been where we were because we’ve had dog shit managers for a long time...... We have got to raise the bar and stop wallowing at where we’ve come from in the last few years and start looking at where we’re goingWe have been where we were because we’ve had dog-shit owners who've hired dog-shit managers.It would appear we now have owners who know a thing or two about running sports businesses and have the dosh to deliver.TV made the point about Tuchel's apparent magic wand effect on Chelsea. It's a good case study because he has indeed put Lampard's time at Chelsea into perspective. Also, see how Ancelotti has turned Everton into a very decent team.The great thing about where we are now is that if we find Smith reaches his natural ceiling, the owners will doubtless not waste time in 'cutting him unnecessary slack' but will bring in the equivalent of a Tuchel or Ancelotti. That may sound harsh, but it gives me great confidence to know that we will not risk a return to mediocrity because the owner either doesn't recognise a need for change or be too attached to the status quo.The next transfer window will be an important one for us: will we cautiously consolidate or ambitiously stretch toward a much-improved 2021-22 season?
Tuchel's been there ten minutes. Let's see how he does after his new cat bounce wears off.
Quote from: Mister E on March 09, 2021, 09:14:54 AMQuote from: john e on March 08, 2021, 05:10:34 PMWe have been where we were because we’ve had dog shit managers for a long time...... We have got to raise the bar and stop wallowing at where we’ve come from in the last few years and start looking at where we’re goingWe have been where we were because we’ve had dog-shit owners who've hired dog-shit managers.It would appear we now have owners who know a thing or two about running sports businesses and have the dosh to deliver.TV made the point about Tuchel's apparent magic wand effect on Chelsea. It's a good case study because he has indeed put Lampard's time at Chelsea into perspective. Also, see how Ancelotti has turned Everton into a very decent team.The great thing about where we are now is that if we find Smith reaches his natural ceiling, the owners will doubtless not waste time in 'cutting him unnecessary slack' but will bring in the equivalent of a Tuchel or Ancelotti. That may sound harsh, but it gives me great confidence to know that we will not risk a return to mediocrity because the owner either doesn't recognise a need for change or be too attached to the status quo.The next transfer window will be an important one for us: will we cautiously consolidate or ambitiously stretch toward a much-improved 2021-22 season?I see our management model differently. It feels like we don't have a traditional manager. Instead, we've got a recruitment & analysis team, and a coaching team. Both can have their performance measured to some extent without using a league table.Recruitment team - have the players they've identified increased in market value (regardless of whether we've signed them or not)? For players we've signed, do the real life stats (from both games & training) match up with the ones they'd predicted? Are they correctly identifying the opponents weaknesses? Are they correctly identifying our weaknesses?Coaching team - are players stats improving? Are they improving at the things they're being coached to do better? Is the player's decision making improving? Is our game management improving?I suppose my point is that - obviously in the end it comes down to league results - but I suspect the owners wouldn't sack Dean, say, if he's improving as a head coach even if the results in a particular season don't quite go our way. We'll be able to say how much of our league position is down to hard work, and how much is due to good fortune.I think/hope we'll see much longer term planning at Villa than simply sacking a manager because there's been a run of half a dozen results that haven't gone our way.
Didn't Wes fire a Bucks coach who was personally a good friend of his? My impression of him is that he's not afraid to make difficult decisions at all.