The Conte In/Out Poll

[monkeybarry]

is he in or ..out.. you shake it all about...you do the hokey cokey and you turn around..thats what its all about
OK......... I'll get my coat......

Ooohhhh the hokey Conteeee.
Ooohhhh the hokey coooonntteeeee

 

[DeanoAustin]

We are 5th in the league, other then Saudi Sportswashing Machine who should we be outperforming? We are certainly not better player wise then Chels or Pool, our Defence and GK are barely top 6 material yet there we are again flirting with top 4.

Conte may or may not be the answer, Poch certainly is not he has zero history of this sort of rebuild (and no he didn’t rebuild anything 1st time round, he lucked into the players we had), his time at PSG in terms of performance shows his level. Tuchel? I guess it’s an option but his track record isn’t better then Mou or Conte, so no guarantees.

We need to replace most our team, so have no issues giving Conte and Paratici the time to do so assuming they are both up for it, but no manager coming in will do better then Conte has done position wise and this can’t be bothered some games attitude dates back to Poch times

Fine if you don’t want Poch back, I disagree but can see the argument. But the bit in bold is absolute nonsense.

 

[Gutter Boy]

Ive just been thinking about the idea of bringing in Carrick to Poch's coaching team. I know the Jol/Hughton/Poyet/Freund/Mason role has had mixed results for us. But one criticism of Poch's first reign was that he didn't refresh his coaches, and Carrick seems talented.

Id like Paratici to stay. But if he doesnt, we have to get Michael Edwards back.

Poch-Edwards-Carrick dream team?

 

[DubSpur]

Ive just been thinking about the idea of bringing in Carrick to Poch's coaching team. I know the Jol/Hughton/Poyet/Freund/Mason role has had mixed results for us. But one criticism of Poch's first reign was that he didn't refresh his coaches, and Carrick seems talented.

Id like Paratici to stay. But if he doesnt, we have to get Michael Edwards back.

Poch-Edwards-Carrick dream team?

Carrick isn't leaving Middlesborough, with a good chance of promotion, to become a coach, backwards step for him

 

[billyiddo]

Perhaps the news of him staying in Italy is a managed early exit?

Had a similar thought myself

 

[billyiddo]

We are refreshing the squad. This is not the same issue Mourinho or Nuno faced we are further down the rebuild cycle. I think we are in the top 5 of transfer spend. Conte will never get all the players he craves. The problem is he is so wedded to play a certain way. I just don't think he is the right fit for us.

Tbf most managers are wedded to their style of play and need the right players to make it work - you know my thoughts on Poch mate but when he wasn't getting the transfers he wanted/needed things went south for him too. So i don't particularly hold that against Conte - he has us in the mix, albeit whilst playing poorly and in an unfashionable manner but in order to kick on he needs more of the right players.

I'd be happy to see what he can do next season with what will hopefully be an improved defence & GK - and tbh i don't think anyone would do much better than challenge for top 4 without improvements in these areas- however other managers would potentially have us looking better/more entertaining, even if results weren't much different, whilst also giving more time to our younger players which naturally makes things look more promising for us supporters.

 

[billyiddo]

However i do see a squad taking shape that would suit Poch pretty well and i think that if he was back and given the backing that we have seen over the last few windows he would really be able to push us on as well as anyone - if someone offered me success with him or success with anyone else I'm taking the former every day of the week

 

[Robspur12]

Tbf most managers are wedded to their style of play and need the right players to make it work - you know my thoughts on Poch mate but when he wasn't getting the transfers he wanted/needed things went south for him too. So i don't particularly hold that against Conte - he has us in the mix, albeit whilst playing poorly and in an unfashionable manner but in order to kick on he needs more of the right players.

I'd be happy to see what he can do next season with what will hopefully be an improved defence & GK - and tbh i don't think anyone would do much better than challenge for top 4 without improvements in these areas- however other managers would potentially have us looking better/more entertaining, even if results weren't much different, whilst also giving more time to our younger players which naturally makes things look more promising for us supporters.

Fair as ever Bill. The thing I dislike the most about Conte’s management is that he doesn’t appear to put much stock in a holistic approach developing talent at the club. I think part of that is that he is an instant success type manager. I never thought that would be the right model for us here. That said I do feel for the guy given everything he has been through in the last year. I don’t wish that on anyone.

 

[Lilbaz]

In any other industry he'd be given a sideways move and a little 3 month 'consultancy' project to work on.

Perhaps we could move him to 'Assistant DoF (Italy)', with responsibility to cover the areas Paratici is currently suspended from operating in? Get him to pick and then secure the best two U19s playing in academy football over there.

In any other industry there would be no question of letting him go. Only football would you think of sacking him.

 

[Gutter Boy]

However i do see a squad taking shape that would suit Poch pretty well and i think that if he was back and given the backing that we have seen over the last few windows he would really be able to push us on as well as anyone - if someone offered me success with him or success with anyone else I'm taking the former every day of the week

Even with no signings, imagine this under his coaching:

---------------------Lloris
Porro-------Romero--------Dier------Udogie
--------------Sarr----------Bentancur
Kulusevski---------Kane---------Son
------------------Richarlison

 

[Gutter Boy]

This is a decent article on this question: https://crimble123.wordpress.com/2023/02/15/a-valentines-message-for-antonio/

 

[demotw]

Fine if you don’t want Poch back, I disagree but can see the argument. But the bit in bold is absolute nonsense.

You think? Let’s look at it - players here before Poch:
Kane/Lamela/Lloris/Dembele/Verts/Rose/Walker/Eriksen - for me that’s the core of our best team. Take a look at his signings, we had dele/Wanyama/Alderweireld/dier and Sonny. Care to name his other 22? I see the names of Fazio, N’Jie etc and I’m hardly filled with confidence.

My point was the core of his team was already here for him to build around, his success rate of bringing in the right sort of players is 1 success for every 5 transfers so I don’t think he is the guy unless our current team is setup for his high work/high press tactics.

That is not to say with the right team in place he wouldn’t have us playing fantastic attacking football, I just don’t believe personally that’s us today.

 

[billyiddo]

Even with no signings, imagine this under his coaching:

---------------------Lloris
Porro-------Romero--------Dier------Udogie
--------------Sarr----------Bentancur
Kulusevski---------Kane---------Son
------------------Richarlison

That's not a team on paper that is going to do more than put up a fight for top 4 - granted i think it'll look a better team/unit under a manager like Poch and probably play more entertaining football than what we have now but that's not going to trouble the big guns

 

[billyiddo]

You think? Let’s look at it - players here before Poch:
Kane/Lamela/Lloris/Dembele/Verts/Rose/Walker/Eriksen - for me that’s the core of our best team. Take a look at his signings, we had dele/Wanyama/Alderweireld/dier and Sonny. Care to name his other 22? I see the names of Fazio, N’Jie etc and I’m hardly filled with confidence.

My point was the core of his team was already here for him to build around, his success rate of bringing in the right sort of players is 1 success for every 5 transfers so I don’t think he is the guy unless our current team is setup for his high work/high press tactics.

That is not to say with the right team in place he wouldn’t have us playing fantastic attacking football, I just don’t believe personally that’s us today.

I think we have a core of good players here to kick on with - that group he started with came 5th in his first season iirc a little bit off the pace for top 4, following season with more time under him and some additions we kicked on.

 

[demotw]

Even with no signings, imagine this under his coaching:

---------------------Lloris
Porro-------Romero--------Dier------Udogie
--------------Sarr----------Bentancur
Kulusevski---------Kane---------Son
------------------Richarlison

I imagine Sarr and Bentancur being overrun in midfield, Kane further away from the 6 yard box, Romero getting sent off every few games due to no cover, dier heading into his own net after a poor attempted clearance from Lloris. Not seen enough of Porro or Udogie to fairly comment, other then them being more wing backs - I would bring back Ardillies for that lineup not Poch

 

[demotw]

I think we have a core of good players here to kick on with - that group he started with came 5th in his first season iirc a little bit off the pace for top 4, following season with more time under him and some additions we kicked on.

We do have some good players, some very good ones and arguably a couple of “world class” ones but are they in the Poch mould?? Unless he has stepped away a bit from his high energy pressing game I’m struggling to see who would really flourish and would probably mean having to lose Kane for a more energetic striker

 

[billyiddo]

We do have some good players, some very good ones and arguably a couple of “world class” ones but are they in the Poch mould?? Unless he has stepped away a bit from his high energy pressing game I’m struggling to see who would really flourish and would probably mean having to lose Kane for a more energetic striker

I think on paper Romero Porro Udogie Sarr Bentancur Hojbjerg Kulusevski & Richarlson would all suit him to varying degrees and then it comes down to what he can do to work around a slower, less mobile Kane and what level Son can get back to.

Obviously Udogie is a question mark given we won't really have seen much of him but he appears to be a good attacking wingback with an engine on him. Porro too, but having dropped big(ish) money on him you have to hope he delivers the goods but on paper ticks the right boxes.

 

[Gutter Boy]

That's not a team on paper that is going to do more than put up a fight for top 4 - granted i think it'll look a better team/unit under a manager like Poch and probably play more entertaining football than what we have now but that's not going to trouble the big guns

That's the start though. Add an Ndicka and a Kudus and we really start looking the business

 

[Gutter Boy]

We do have some good players, some very good ones and arguably a couple of “world class” ones but are they in the Poch mould?? Unless he has stepped away a bit from his high energy pressing game I’m struggling to see who would really flourish and would probably mean having to lose Kane for a more energetic striker

Richarlison and Kulusevski are perfect for him. Kane and Son can either step back up to their old selves, or be replaced and phased out over the next few years.

 

[Mosquito_Coasting]

Problem any manager will have/has is the injury proneness of our best new signings in Romero and Bentancur. Not 100% with Bentancur now but I'd expect him to need more rest and pick up little things after an ACL tear. Hard to build a team around players that spent 33% of the time out injured.