Good article by Ron, my thoughts entirely. I've nothing against Eck personally and couldn't care less he came from Blues. But he's not what we should be and could be getting. It's RL who annoys me.
Perhaps we should have realised that the majority of club owners treat their club as their own little plaything and nothing else, but it's a shock to realise how far RL is up there with them. I say that knowing how much he's put into the club. The problem seems to be a cosy little vision of how the club should be run, of which a manager who doesn't cause to much grief is a major part. Ambitious managers need not apply. The fact is that the best managers are also the most ambitious. There's always some degree of stress and strain in a club, it can't be avoided; better it being through an ambitious manager than dire performances and fed up fans. This was an opportunity not so much lost but not even attempted.
What would be a success for Eck? Same as anybody else who got the job. On paper we've got all the ingredients (with a few right signings) for a good year. A top 8 finish is the minimum acceptable but that wouldn't be a success. 6th would be success for the first year, hopefully showing promise of doing that or better in future years. Anything above that would be a great success. If we're slugging out with the Stokes and Boltons then that's failure, and if we're near or in the drop zone then ...
With Eck I think the style's going to be the issue. Would he be looking to sign Walker? Would he have Albrighton (or Young, has he gone yet?), Bent and Downing playing with the same fluidity up front? Will he go out to win, rather than not to lose which is what he did at blues and was his and their downfall? My gut instinct for all these is no. Unfortunately!
Having bottle and Big Ron ?
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posted on 16/6/11
Judging by the ill feeling that currently exists between the two clubs, players like Foster and Dann won't be going to Villa unless you pay massive money.
posted on 16/6/11
Good article by Ron, my thoughts entirely. I've nothing against Eck personally and couldn't care less he came from Blues. But he's not what we should be and could be getting. It's RL who annoys me.
Perhaps we should have realised that the majority of club owners treat their club as their own little plaything and nothing else, but it's a shock to realise how far RL is up there with them. I say that knowing how much he's put into the club. The problem seems to be a cosy little vision of how the club should be run, of which a manager who doesn't cause to much grief is a major part. Ambitious managers need not apply. The fact is that the best managers are also the most ambitious. There's always some degree of stress and strain in a club, it can't be avoided; better it being through an ambitious manager than dire performances and fed up fans. This was an opportunity not so much lost but not even attempted.
What would be a success for Eck? Same as anybody else who got the job. On paper we've got all the ingredients (with a few right signings) for a good year. A top 8 finish is the minimum acceptable but that wouldn't be a success. 6th would be success for the first year, hopefully showing promise of doing that or better in future years. Anything above that would be a great success. If we're slugging out with the Stokes and Boltons then that's failure, and if we're near or in the drop zone then ...
With Eck I think the style's going to be the issue. Would he be looking to sign Walker? Would he have Albrighton (or Young, has he gone yet?), Bent and Downing playing with the same fluidity up front? Will he go out to win, rather than not to lose which is what he did at blues and was his and their downfall? My gut instinct for all these is no. Unfortunately!
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