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Roberto De Zerbi

I'm not a huge Poch fan and think it was right to let him go when he did (not interested in another debate around whether it was right or wrong) However, until he does come back he's always going to be a bit of a shadow in the background. At this point we need somebody that can unite the club and fans, and someone that everyone can get behind. Poch is the only candidate that I can see doing that. I don't think he's the long term solution but would be a much more stable appointment than De Zebri and set us up with proper balance.
I'd like Poch back myself, it's the current decision makers that don't appear particularly interested in making that happen.

Like @billyiddo said, it's probably for the best with this current lot in charge as he'll be left hung out to dry....
 
If he does come, I'd hope there was a break clause if we get relegated (obviously), but also a break clause if we stay up and are not top half before any transfer window (to appoint Poch).

Or anyone else we give a permanent contact to now.
 
Considering you yourself were talking yourself into Ben Davies being a decent appointment, that is exactly how he is the standout candidate - how Vinai chooses to dress it up is up to him, but he's the best we could realistically get.

As for 5 year contracts, every man and his dog knows they are meaningless not just at our club but everywhere - if you aren't doing well you won't last a couple of years, that's just football management. But he wanted that security and was in the position of power, no one would have wanted to offer him 5 years off the bat....

Yeah I hear you, I’m more just laughing to myself at the unbearably cringe corporate speak to come that justifies the appointment.

It may well be the best we can do right now, and that says something in and of itself. The fact that we are in such a poor negotiating position is also something that concerns me. That’s what I mean by bad decisions compounding. We’re now having to offer a very short term guy a long term contract to hopefully get us out of the mess.

That said, credit to the idiots on the board for at least recognising the seriousness of the situation and engaging in some realpolitik about this. We can’t be too proud to not do the right thing here even if it does look like we’re over a barrel. And I have thought that maybe the way we get the players to awaken from their slumber is by knowing that the manager coming in will be the manager next season. The club offering him a big contract shows theirs a commitment, and it shows the players won’t have the leverage. That might be a good thing.

If they don’t want to get relegated, if they don’t want their salaries dropping, if the don’t want to risk failing to get their moves to big clubs because they’re tarred with the relegation brush, they need to lock in. I’m taking myself into it but overall I just hate that bad decisions have compounded and that we are clearly not in control.
 
As much as fans want to bash Lange and Vinai, do we not think that if there was any chance of Poch then those guys would be working on it. It is most likely that Poch has shut the door on THFC for now.
 
As much as fans want to bash Lange and Vinai, do we not think that if there was any chance of Poch then those guys would be working on it. It is most likely that Poch has shut the door on THFC for now.

I’m assuming that there is some sort of idea that because it’s unknowable when exactly he would start because of the WC that we want to have more control over who’s coming in and when they can start, and what they can plan for etc?

That said, I’m genuinely fascinated in why De Zerbi. Genuinely. I get what he did with Brighton. But why him over anyone else? What’s the bull case? Why does he suit our club? What is our club trying to be? I’d love the real explanation and not the corporate nonsense explanation.
 
Is this trying to repeat the idea of Frank - eg get a manager from one of the ‘data clubs’ - only this time do it with someone who plays more palatable football?
 
I suspect the idea of him coming now is a no and the club doesn't/won't wait because now is critical. People just need to get over Poch IMO

I don't. I just reckon people in the know have a heads up where he'll be next season. It is not Spurs.

I'm not sure where it will be, but I reckon it will be one of the top 10 European clubs excluding England.
 
I think they are very interested in having Poch back, which is exactly why we went for an interim appointment after TF.
They went for an interim after de Zerbi didn't want the job full time or otherwise. And crucially because all the good managers are available in the summer, and no one decent wants to come us in our current plight if at all - it's not because of specifically Poch.

Theres been plenty of indications previously that they aren't interested in him returning. If that's not the case then happy days....
 
As much as fans want to bash Lange and Vinai, do we not think that if there was any chance of Poch then those guys would be working on it. It is most likely that Poch has shut the door on THFC for now.
He may well have shut the door until the summer, hence the Tudor appointment. But with relegation now being a very real possibility, the club's #1 priority has to be avoiding that at all costs. The losses incurred by a season (or three) in the Championship far outweigh any release clauses or high manager salary due to a brick negotiating position. Not just straight financial losses, but also losses in terms of players and the club's profile.

So we have to avoid relegation and, if Poch was ever a genuine possibility, worry about that later.
 
I think it's more probable that Poch is not an attractive choice for the board.

He'd be unsackable, the board would have to bend to any demand he wanted, we're happy to chuck a wage at managers but less happy to give them the support and structure they need.

Hire Poch and there is nowhere the spotlight goes except on the board if things go sour, makes absolutely no sense for them to remove a buffer (the manager) which exists between them and proper scrutiny. The Ange, Frank, de Zerbi, roundabout of blame will keep spinning.

Hire Poch and that all goes away.
 
I’m assuming that there is some sort of idea that because it’s unknowable when exactly he would start because of the WC that we want to have more control over who’s coming in and when they can start, and what they can plan for etc?

That said, I’m genuinely fascinated in why De Zerbi. Genuinely. I get what he did with Brighton. But why him over anyone else? What’s the bull case? Why does he suit our club? What is our club trying to be? I’d love the real explanation and not the corporate nonsense explanation.

It's the pendulum effect. It now swings way back to stylistic fit and the other factors are deprioritised in the selection process.
 
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