but the longer he goes on, the more likely that he will begin to sound like a bitter

---

agree....which is why maybe someone shld have a word with AVB and tell his too stop chatting about the CH-HAVES.......

Chronic,

well no. that was quite an obvious move that most fans said should happen anyway. bale at left back had excelled going forward only, so it was natural.

===================

Totally disagree. Bale was a new-era wing back, not a left winger. And if you cant give Harry credit for how Bale has turned out, you are unlikely to give credit for anything.

I cant think of many fullback's who have turned into successful wingers, so it was by no means obvious.

When he came to us he was just an average left back who could cross.

junction8

That as well. Well said.

Nothing he said is unreasonable or untrue.

Whether or not he should bother saying it is another matter completely.

By any definition the sacking was harsh. Even his most ardent critics (ala chronic) admit he wasn't sacked for 'footballing reasons'. The truth is we will never know the full story of how his relationship with Levy collapsed, and whom was most to blame. Criticism for talking about the England job has always been a red herring. He did not 'take his eye of the ball' Saying otherwise doesn't explain how we performed so well during some of the crucial moments in his court case. I'd be looking at his failure from the perspective of squad rotation.

Levy backing him in Jan would have sealed third place.

Levy never backed him in the transfer market, even prior to his new contract offer. Failure to get third was Levy's fault as much as HR.

Just look at how much we spent the last three transfer windows he was in charge - virtually nothing (bottom 5 in the league in terms of spending or something like that). VDV was the last (and only) 'big signing Redknapp was given in all the time he had there. You could maybe add Defoe to that I suppose.

AVBsJacket

I agree with alot that you have said.

Although, I dont think anyone took their eye off the ball. I just think our bad results were purely based on something known as "form". Yes, we suffered at the same time of the season the year before, but does 2 events really make a pattern?

Arsenal have their dips in certain periods & even Man Utd usually start off slow - which is why we should rate a season after the 38 game period - not the start, middle or back end.

Clearly Harry did a good job, we needed him after Ramos' reign came to an end and we can pick out his individual mistakes and double them with the number of things he did right.

However since getting us 4th place first time around, there didn't seem to be any natural progression from that point on. Considering Arsenal and Chelsea were there for the taking, we just didn't take advantage. Player-by-player, there's no doubt our squad was better than Arsenal's last season. But they finished 3rd, we didn't.

Levy could have stuck with Harry, and with his approach to the game it's likely we'd have kept yo-yoing between 4th and 5th for the next few seasons. But as a club we want more than this. We want consistent Champions League football and to get this we needed a change in management.

Perhaps bringing in a bright young coach with new ideas will give us more of a chance. Who knows? But to get to where we want to be, a change was clearly needed in my opinion.

Dembele

Fair enough pal....but i disagree that we would have Yoyo'd between 4th & 5th. I genuinely believe we would have cracked the Top 2 under HR.

Just out of interest, if we finish 5th this season, will you see it as a failure?

There is no ulterior motive to this question, i'm just intrigued.

Chicken, I don't think I'd see it as a failure. I think we should give the new coach some leeway seeing as Levy made big changes last season.

Obviously there's the loss of three massive players, but he's had more to contend with than just this. He's had an out-of-form team to revitalise (did someone say we picked up 14 points from the last 14 games last season?), an awkward pre-season where our main deals went through in the final week/day of the window, injuries to big name players, and only a couple of months to get totally new ideas across to his players.

He's under pressure to get 4th, but he seems an honest man and I'm sure he'd be more disappointed than the fans if he didn't achieve this. However, as old-school as it sounds in today's world of "instand success or bust", I'd prefer to judge him next season after he's had proper time to do things his way.

Dembele

We did drop alot of points towards the end, but we finished the season on a good run.

And surely, the teething problems should be at the start. The manager should be pretty comfortable within his skin after nearly 30 games (league + cup).

In the position we're in, it'll be just as much a failure in my eyes, as some would make you believe last season was, from this position.

But as that other saying goes, "the proof will be in the pudding". Which reminds me, i was meant to go Greggs at lunch to get some doughnuts. Damn it.

So back to the question (which only Chronic and RBDB have answered I believe):


Talk about the club you were sacked from - it's your right?

Don't talk about your old club - you have a new club, concentrate on them?

Sorry HRH...

I think it depends what the gist of the comments are. If he's asked a question about why he was sacked, i think he has the right to give his side - but i dont think he should write a colum in The Sun, for example, completely off his own back.

Oh & to be fair, the debate didnt get out of hand (for a change), which was quite satisfying.

Probably because Weare hasnt turned up.

Cheers Chicken

"Even his most ardent critics (ala chronic) admit he wasn't sacked for 'footballing reasons'."

Not solely for "footballing" reasons.
But they probably helped the final decision making.

Harry was sacked for a variety of reasons which ultimately made his position untenable.

1) He held off signing a new 3 year contract in the first couple of months of 2012.

2) Harry was distracted by the England job vacancy

3) The team's form from February ro May was relegation form

4) HR made indiscreet comments to the media about Levy & The Board, especially insensitive at the time because Levy was trying to organise his Mother's funeral

So I really don't think he can bemoan the fact he was sacked!

GG

What's your stance on him talking to the media about us, and especially as now he has another job too?

I think it is unprofessional for any manager to go on about their previous club if it is in a derogatory manner. I don't like it when AVB does it about Chelsea, (which is not often I am pleased to say.)

Harry just does not know when to shut up, he has enough to be going on with at QPR, without trying to score points off the pitch with us.

Genius :

Arry has to let it out, and then move on.
He must be on a restraint clause to have been totally un-Arry to date.

Or perhaps he will vent it all if QPR win on saturday.

Here's your link RBDB......

.....was feeling a bit mischievious this morning

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4733473/Andre-Villas-Boas-still-fuming-at-Chelsea-a-year-after-he-was-sacked.html



STILL HURTING ... Andre Villas-Boas
AVB dig at Rom
By ROB BEASLEY
Published: 08th January 2013
14

ANDRE VILLAS-BOAS is still fuming over his sacking at Chelsea — almost a year later.
Tottenham’s Portuguese coach blames Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abramovich for taking the easy option — rather than standing up to the dressing room.
AVB complained: “There are no plans at Chelsea, it’s results that rule.
“There are times in football when it’s easier to replace the coach.
“But when you embrace a project you believe in people. There was a commitment from Abramovich and his word was given.
“Yet there was a premature departure.”
Villas-Boas, who is enjoying the stability of life at Spurs, added: “We’re achieving what we’ve been asked to achieve.
“We’re still in the Europa League and third in the Premier League.”

AVBs' one actually reads much better than your fabricated Arry one.

Meh - was trying to make it relevant.

I was l interested to see (without guiding opinion either way) whether the fact it was Harry rather than AVB spouting off about an old club whether it would make a difference to how people felt about it.

It ended up being a fairly reasonable chat about Harry/AVB though and everyone behaved so no bad thing.

There were pretty rational opinions on doing it too....but then none of the fishes I was hoping to catch posted ....probably why it was a sensible discussion

"was trying to make it relevant"

Why not wait til the restraint clause expires and then get the real thing (which will be 1000x more entertaining) .

HRH

Firstly to answer the question, IMO Harry is entitled to say what he likes its called freedom of speech. The fact that he makes himself look bad by being petty is his problem

As for the rest of the debate I personally think Harry was over rated by us mainly due to the impact he had.

Ramos had us in a dreadful position even tho we had a damned good squad. I honestly believe any half decent manager would have steered us clear of relegation and into the top 6 so I dont give Harry a great amount of credit for that personally.

You are all talking about our collapse in the league which is fair comment but Harry also failed us in many other ways. There is no way we should have lost the semi against Pompey for a start. We got slammed in the semi by th ch avs last season. In fact virtually every time w efaced pressure we cracked and IMO the manager has to take a lot of responsibility for that.

Most of his transfers were poor. Palacios must have been the worst midfielder player at passing in the world, resigning Robbie Keane who had one good game for us on his return. Hutton I think was another one of Harry's, Peter Crouch .

I agree with most that the "Bale conversion" was as much luck as judgement and there were plenty of times he made dreadful mistakes.

QPR away last season when he blamed everybody in the world (including the fans) for the defeat except himself. The Lennon fiasco against Real. The list goes on.

Combine that with some of his stunts in the media regarding THFC and his blatant two faced approach to things I personally do not blame Daniel Levy one iota for sacking him and I think I would still have sacked him if we had of come second let alone 3rd.

Genius Greaves

AVB does it about Chelsea, (which is not often I am pleased to say.)

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http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/4733473/Andre-Villas-Boas-still-fuming-at-Chelsea-a-year-after-he-was-sacked.html

Hhmmmmmmmmm