I would like to say "now that it has sunk in", but it hasn't. At the risk of admitting to something that will draw the idiocy of the Chelsea WUMS/Plastics/Bad winners and general gooners, there was a brief moment this morning when I woke up before the events of last night had dawned on me. Then I remembered.
I'm sure we're still all sick, but a day on, which factor do you think is most to blame for our missing out on champions league football...?
Vote 5 for Harry - He never rotates (leading to fatigue), has his favourites (alienates those who aren't), doesn't shut up in the media (leading to the story of us potentially winning the league sticking around for weeks), never comes out and says 'we weren't good enough' (leading to Bale thinking he is world class / leading to a lack of shake up when we lose 2-0 at home to Norwich) and had his head turned by the media/FA for the England job. Add to that, the fact that he is tactically suspect and potentially taking a small club to mid-table mediocrity is his comfort zone.
Vote 4 for Levy - He runs the club like a business - which in many ways is great! But that leads to us not signing players until the last day of the window (hence missing Ade and Parker for the United and City games in August, and pre-season), leads to us missing out on the very top players because we're bartering over price and time runs out, leads to Saha and Nelsen :|. We've been crying out for NEW STRIKER for at least three years, the squad is less and less balanced, when Kaboul isn't fit, we have no pace at the back etc.
Vote 3 for The Players - Modric, Bale etc. just weren't good enough. They want Champions League, yet they bottled a 13 point lead, and 2-0 up at Arsenal. You want CL football? Earn it. We need battlers, but we have bottlers.
Vote 2 for Luck - Chelsea had it all last night/against barca/against us, but what have we had? The goal in the semi final that didn't cross the line, Martin Fulop, Chris Foy, the 'handball' which rules out the goal against Utd where we would have gone 1-0 up just before half time, the 'ball to hand' that drove the ball into Cole's path to cross at the lane when we drew 1-1 with Chelsea but probably should have won etc.
Vote 1 for The FA - Well done FA, you ran that recruitment process really well and have every right to be as smug as you are Good job you didn't derail West Brom's season - that mid table position might have been at threat - forget costing Spurs tens of millions of pounds
Am I missing a factor? Either way, vote and discuss.
Who is to blame? [POLL + DISCUSSION]
posted on 20/5/12
Sahin as part of a deal for Modric, perhaps?
posted on 20/5/12
Herr
Perhaps - we'll see how the summer progresses. The disappointing thing is we don't have CL football to attract the players or pay the wages, and looking at our accounts released late last year, we needed that.
For those voting 5, whilst it's a rumour that will almost certainly never come true:
"Chelsea could be ready to make a shock move to tempt Harry Redknapp to take over at Stamford Bridge.
Full story: Mail on Sunday"
posted on 20/5/12
Drogba
posted on 20/5/12
I don't understand the often stated opinion that "Harry knows nothing about tactics" Does anybody really think that a manager who who is tactically naive would get two 4th and one 5th place in three years in a league dominated by clubs spending fortunes ?
posted on 20/5/12
Hod
Yes he is tactically naive. When has Harry been able to change a team midway through a game to improve/change formation. He has his best 11 I'm their positions and plays them there.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not in the Harry out brigade. He is limited and that is simply that. To be fair there are very few managers who seem able to change things during a game and Harry certainly aint one of them.
He finished 4th (x2) and 5th due to us having a very strong starting 11 which was largely in place (but certainly improved by hr) before he arrived.
posted on 20/5/12
"Tactically suspect" does not mean he knows nothing, but up against Fergie, Wenger and the up and coming managers like Lambert / Rodgers, do you think he has what it takes to change a game that is slipping for our grasp?
As I went on the say, he has managed small clubs with a siege mentality to break into the top half of the league. Managing a club against the very best managers at the top of the league and hopefully in Europe is a different kettle of fish. It's not binary, yes or no, tactically aware or not, it's a question of how tactically aware - I'll leave you to make your own judgement on that.
posted on 20/5/12
Well if he is as bad tactically as you say then the 88 managers below him in the league must be really dumb! As for the "up and coming managers" may i remind you that Owen Coyle was one last season and where is he now ? It is so easy to get carried away with judging managers on there first season in the top league,lets see how these guys get on in their second season before we start thinking the are gods gift to football.Maybe all the anti-Harry people could tell me of their experiences managing at the top level ?
posted on 20/5/12
Comment Deleted by Article Creator
posted on 20/5/12
<b>"Well if he is as bad tactically as you say then the 88 managers below him in the league must be really dumb!"</b>
Not 'really dumb'. Many have less to work with, but you're right, I would assume they weren't as tactically astute. Management is a profession, and as such, some will be better than others, and there is some correlation between managing Macclesfield vs. managing Man City, and not being as good a manager.
<b>"As for the "up and coming managers" may i remind you that Owen Coyle was one last season and where is he now ? It is so easy to get carried away with judging managers on there first season in the top league,lets see how these guys get on in their second season before we start thinking the are gods gift to football."</b>
You're doing exactly what you're accusing me of, except making a snap judgement on Coyle based of this season, rather than two or three good seasons before. Relegation doesn't always happen because the manager is bad.
<b>"Maybe all the anti-Harry people could tell me of their experiences managing at the top level ?"</b>
You're right, no one can comment on this, apart from managers. You should probably call the BBC, Sky, ITV etc, because they're wasting their time and have no right to mention tactics. PS. I'm wicked at football manager
posted on 20/5/12
"I'm wicked at football manager"
How did you do at the Library ?? Did you lose 5-2 ??