But was that who we really wanted?
We were forced into because of conte, I don't think we were really prepared for it, which is really quite damning all things considered.
Totally agree 100% on nuno.
Whenever we appoint a new manager I look at his record, look at what he has to deal with and set my expectations accordingly.
I knew he was never going to get a fair crack of whip here.
We were in a worse state than we were when we appointed ange, he had a mammoth task ahead of him, he had experience of not just PL but the PL with "difficult" owners and he was successful.
But he never got a chance.
Tbh that is the point I've been trying to make all along, want a new manager, fine, but don't think he is going to turn it around quickly, because IMHO it will be a minor miracle if does and a major miracle if they get the time to do it.
Since our last season at the Lane we have been in decline, that’s not going to be turned around in 18-24 months.
I think very rarely is there a manger/player that a club says "it's that person or bust", Ange was on the list, this first choice/second choice honestly smacks of people who don't hire top level talent. As someone who hires people, I do stack candidates by CV, but once I get to the actual interview the stacking goes out the door, and most companies interview multiple people and compare.
We have been in decline, and Nuno did get a worse job, but reality is we have spent the 4th most money in the league in the last 5 years, and while the squad has a few areas to build on, the deadwood has (mostly) been shifted, the rebuild mostly done and there is a very strong core of 18-25 year old players that could push the team forward in next 3 years. The turnaround is already here, the manager isn't executing.
I keep coming back to this
- Could the owners invest more? yes
- Are the injuries an important context? yes
- Are we sure another manager would get us 4th? no
That is very different from
- Is Ange underachieving with this squad? yes
- Can another manager do better? yes
I like Ange but if I really go through the results, the injuries, the full 18 months I can't come up with a good argument to why he still has a job outside of some broad "keep manager long = good" and some unsubstantiated idea that he brings something that will culturally improve the club in time.