Roberto De Zerbi *OFFICIAL*

[Silly McSilly Face]

I certainly appreciate your perspective, and you say some very accurate things... and (by proxy) am forced to adhere to it because he is our manager. Like Frank, I find myself having to accept a manager I don't think is a long-term hit for the club, but at the same time he is managing my club so he will get my support by that proxy. One thing; I am not sure what he is 'buying into' with us because I do not know what 'us' Lange and Vinai have been touting around these days. I look forward to seeing, and hope it alligns with what we all want...

It isn't about him buying into us, it is about me buying into him being the right fit, in terms of the squad suited for his style, in terms of the style suited to the club, in terms of the intensity and energy he himself brings. It is the first time in a long time i am looking at a club decision and not going "WTF"

 

[Silly McSilly Face]

He was asked how MG was doing off the pitch and whilst RDZ did say he does not interfere in/talk about people's private lives, he did go on to say that he felt sad for what had happened and that MG had paid a high price for it - which was kind of commenting on MG's private life. He would have been better off sticking with the no comment on private matters and talking instead about helping MG settle into the team etc. The Marseilles PR team ought to have briefed him better ahead of the press conference. I hope our PR team manage to do so.

I don't know anything about RDZ outside of football so I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he is not a rape (attempted or otherwise) apologist nor someone who intentionally belittles domestic violence and coercive control. But words do matter and it was disappointing at best to read what he said.

Thing is, the criminal investigation was dropped and the civil investigation commissioned by Man Utd found that the material posted online did not provide a full picture and that they were satisfied MG had not committed the acts he was accussed of. Therefore, there was no rape, domestic violence or coercive control to apologise for or belittle according to official statements from an investigation and so i just do not understand this "words were poor", "poor show" attitude towards De Zerbi.

 

[ShipOfTheseus]

Thing is, the criminal investigation was dropped and the civil investigation commissioned by Man Utd found that the material posted online did not provide a full picture and that they were satisfied MG had not committed the acts he was accussed of. Therefore, there was no rape, domestic violence or coercive control to apologise for or belittle according to official statements from an investigation and so i just do not understand this "words were poor", "poor show" attitude towards De Zerbi.

What do you think Manchester United’s motives were in commissioning a civil investigation, other than mitigating legal risk and protecting a balance sheet asset?

Do you think that an investigation commissioned by a business concern is ever going to step outside of its terms of reference and come up with findings that damage the business’s interests?

 

[tommysvr]

He was asked how MG was doing off the pitch and whilst RDZ did say he does not interfere in/talk about people's private lives, he did go on to say that he felt sad for what had happened and that MG had paid a high price for it - which was kind of commenting on MG's private life. He would have been better off sticking with the no comment on private matters and talking instead about helping MG settle into the team etc. The Marseilles PR team ought to have briefed him better ahead of the press conference. I hope our PR team manage to do so.

I don't know anything about RDZ outside of football so I will give him the benefit of the doubt that he is not a rape (attempted or otherwise) apologist nor someone who intentionally belittles domestic violence and coercive control. But words do matter and it was disappointing at best to read what he said.

Great summary

 

[ShipOfTheseus]

As far as I can see, RDZ rocked up at the EPL with a clever trick of exploiting opposition pressing which delighted football hipsters, but which other managers soon worked out how to counter, and which turned out to be the only weapon in his armoury. He was stuck when dealing with a low block, as have been so many of our managers this decade.

Tactics aside, he is volatile and unpredictable as a communicator, and lacks judgement in front of cameras, which is why his saying badly judged things about Greenwood and telling players to call their agents is now part of his public record.

Some players will like him, some will hate him, some will be baffled by him. This would be fine if we had a big squad. For the next seven matches, we don’t.

So all I can see is a manager who is unsuited to our relegation fight, unsuited to the grind of the Championship, and is almost certainly going to disgrace himself in public when under stress. I hope it works out, but it will only do so if we get some lucky points, one of our relegation rivals fudges up worse than we do, and the squad is overhauled in summer. That feels like a coin toss at best.

 

[Kandi1977]

Wasn't Frank the unanimous choice in the summer? This mob are all over the shop with comms

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Oh! We got our first choice panic option! That's reassuring!
Now if they could just tell us who the next first choice is, when this goes to brick in 6-12 months (or after 7 games), that would be swell!

 

[DubaiSpur]

It's clear he was brought in as a panicky last bet. From everything that's going on, it looks like we approached him after Frank, he said no to our offer, we said fine and appointed Tudor thinking we would survive and reapproach the issue in the summer.

Seven games on, we finally realized the extent of the danger we are in, sacked Tudor and went back to this guy with a suitcase full of money and a desperate plea - which worked. And then the question becomes - why didn't you take that approach seven games ago?

Answer - we weren't panicked then, we are now. Which speaks volumes of the capabilities of ENIC, Vinai and Lange.

As for de Zerbi himself, he's a combustible, messianic nutcase, which is a major risk when it comes to managing a bunch of spineless crybabies, which most of our players are.

He's said multiple times that football means more to him, than even his family - 'I sacrificed my family for football' is a verbatim quote. It's this sort of rabid devotion to what is, in the end, a game, that leads to things like defending c*nts like Greenwood because his football value is more important than his worth as a decent human being.

I don't think de Zerbi is guilty by association, like some folks do. But I think he has poor judgement - of character, and of what matters in life. And it's fair for many fans to be worried about that. It's up to de Zerbi to address these worries.

And from a footballing perspective, I don't think he'll be here for the entirety of that five year contract we have him. Characters like him rarely last at a nutcase of a club, which is what we are.

 

[monkeybarry]

How can we get rid of those clowns that are in charge of this club?
All of them need to be replaced by people that have a clue, have a vision and a fudging PLAN, and fudging stick to that plan, not change it every 10 minutes!

IF we stay up, the shock of how close it was should act as a catalyst for that.

I don't think Lange will survive the summer.
The Lewis' might consider selling

 

[MartyFunkhouser]

IF we stay up, the shock of how close it was should act as a catalyst for that.

I don't think Lange will survive the summer.
The Lewis' might consider selling

They have played at being involved owners and its been a disaster, they will either sell up or step back, no one wants to go to games and get abused.........either way we win

 

[ShipOfTheseus]

And from a footballing perspective, I don't think he'll be here for the entirety of that five year contract we have him. Characters like him rarely last at a nutcase of a club, which is what we are.

Goodness yes, the only question is whether he stays a respectable eighteen months or flames out in six.

 

[Mr Gogolak]

That's the whole point! The club has no plan whatsoever! It's all reactionary and badly thought trough. It's not just this appointment, but everything happening. Was hoping for better when Vinay was appointed, but it just got much worse!

I don't think anyone's been impressed with the way the club's run this season. But I also think everybody's way past the point of talking about a Top 6 or long-term strategic planning. We've been circling down the drain for quite some time now. If we stay up, we can always hope for a better (or at least, less stressful) time next season if we finally decide to do what needs to be done with this squad.

I have zero idea whether De Zerbi can succeed where Tudor and Frank failed. Our fate remain in the players' hands (or feet) (or heads, maybe), I believe. It's shambolic, but I can't really blame the board for throwing money at the biggest name available - even more so if Tudor wasn't up for the fight after the loss of his father.

 

[Finney Is Back]

It's a massive gamble, no question, but as a football manager he is the right level, and regardless of the cash thrown at him, he (in his mind) isn't coming here to get relegated.

The piece I find interesting is I think RDZ got them over a barrel, everyone is talking about the salary, the avoid relegation bonus, the 5 yr contract. I can't see anyway he took the gig without some guarantees on summer transfers, spend and input.

Reports say that he will be picking up the third highest salary in the PL. I would imagine there is a relegation clause in the contract that drops his salary by 40 or 50 percent if we go down. Even then, I suspect he would be earning more than many premier league managers (probably all but the top ten) and more than he was earning at Marseille. It would still be financially beneficial for him to manage Spurs in the Championship, especially if he got us back up at the first attempt.

I must say that I really like this long term appointment. He seems the right kind of manager to do well at Spurs and the 5 year contract tells everyone we're serious and committed to his project no matter what.

 

[Finney Is Back]

As far as I can see, RDZ rocked up at the EPL with a clever trick of exploiting opposition pressing which delighted football hipsters, but which other managers soon worked out how to counter, and which turned out to be the only weapon in his armoury. He was stuck when dealing with a low block, as have been so many of our managers this decade.

Tactics aside, he is volatile and unpredictable as a communicator, and lacks judgement in front of cameras, which is why his saying badly judged things about Greenwood and telling players to call their agents is now part of his public record.

Some players will like him, some will hate him, some will be baffled by him. This would be fine if we had a big squad. For the next seven matches, we don’t.

So all I can see is a manager who is unsuited to our relegation fight, unsuited to the grind of the Championship, and is almost certainly going to disgrace himself in public when under stress. I hope it works out, but it will only do so if we get some lucky points, one of our relegation rivals fudges up worse than we do, and the squad is overhauled in summer. That feels like a coin toss at best.

I'd be absolutely delighted if our opponents decided to start playing a low-block against us. We might at least get some 0-0 draws!

 

[MartyFunkhouser]

I must say that I really like this long term appointment. He seems the right kind of manager to do well at Spurs and the 5 year contract tells everyone we're serious and committed to his project no matter what.

We would have to be his break out club if its going to yield anything beyond the survival.

 

[Mcfee]

It's a massive gamble, no question, but as a football manager he is the right level, and regardless of the cash thrown at him, he (in his mind) isn't coming here to get relegated.

The piece I find interesting is I think RDZ got them over a barrel, everyone is talking about the salary, the avoid relegation bonus, the 5 yr contract. I can't see anyway he took the gig without some guarantees on summer transfers, spend and input.

You’d hope so. Setting aside the possibility of relegation, it feels like we’ve circled back to when Conte arrived. What exactly is our ambition and are we going to back this guy or not? Except now we know exactly where lack of ambition brings us.

 

[Glenda's Legs]

Thing is, the criminal investigation was dropped and the civil investigation commissioned by Man Utd found that the material posted online did not provide a full picture and that they were satisfied MG had not committed the acts he was accussed of. Therefore, there was no rape, domestic violence or coercive control to apologise for or belittle according to official statements from an investigation and so i just do not understand this "words were poor", "poor show" attitude towards De Zerbi.

So Man Utd declared he had not committed those acts therefore there was no rape, domestic violence or coercive control. Did not happen. End of.
The CPS decided the case was not viable after key witnesses (mainly his partner) would not testify. Pretty impossible to bring a case in those circumstances but that does not mean it did not happen.
Is it any wonder there is such a low success rate in prosecuting sexual assault and domestic violences cases when men are happy to take such statements at face value?
I know what I heard and I know what I saw.

I don't hold RDZ responsible for any of what happened and I don't believe he condones it. But I stand by what I said that his choice of words was poor at best. You can think what you want.

 

[Lemonade Money]

Am I missing something, did Greenwood's victim have the option of him being convicted, or a big fat payoff?

 

[Finney Is Back]

It's clear he was brought in as a panicky last bet. From everything that's going on, it looks like we approached him after Frank, he said no to our offer, we said fine and appointed Tudor thinking we would survive and reapproach the issue in the summer.

Seven games on, we finally realized the extent of the danger we are in, sacked Tudor and went back to this guy with a suitcase full of money and a desperate plea - which worked. And then the question becomes - why didn't you take that approach seven games ago?

Answer - we weren't panicked then, we are now. Which speaks volumes of the capabilities of ENIC, Vinai and Lange.

As for de Zerbi himself, he's a combustible, messianic nutcase, which is a major risk when it comes to managing a bunch of spineless crybabies, which most of our players are.

He's said multiple times that football means more to him, than even his family - 'I sacrificed my family for football' is a verbatim quote. It's this sort of rabid devotion to what is, in the end, a game, that leads to things like defending c*nts like Greenwood because his football value is more important than his worth as a decent human being.

I don't think de Zerbi is guilty by association, like some folks do. But I think he has poor judgement - of character, and of what matters in life. And it's fair for many fans to be worried about that. It's up to de Zerbi to address these worries.

And from a footballing perspective, I don't think he'll be here for the entirety of that five year contract we have him. Characters like him rarely last at a nutcase of a club, which is what we are.

This is our MO mate. We saw exactly the same thing when we didn't get Conte and ended up with Nuno, only to then cave into Conte's demands when we were desperate. (funny how 'we want ENIC/Levy out' chants in the stadium would always tend to focus the boards' minds).

Of course we lucked out that year when he managed to sneak us into the Champions league. Though, once that happened and we'd reached the height of the club's ambition we then reneged on the promises leading to him eventually melting down and calling the club out in his famous rant.

Let's hope we again get lucky and RDZ keeps us up. We'll then see whether or not the promises we've made to persuade him to sign are empty ones or not.

 

[MartyFunkhouser]

So Man Utd declared he had not committed those acts therefore there was no rape, domestic violence or coercive control. Did not happen. End of.
The CPS decided the case was not viable after key witnesses (mainly his partner) would not testify. Pretty impossible to bring a case in those circumstances but that does not mean it did not happen.
Is it any wonder there is such a low success rate in prosecuting sexual assault and domestic violences cases when men are happy to take such statements at face value?
I know what I heard and I know what I saw.

I don't hold RDZ responsible for any of what happened and I don't believe he condones it. But I stand by what I said that his choice of words was poor at best. You can think what you want.

Given that around 40% of women remain in abusive relationship, the massively low conviction rate and the content of that audio, I don't think you are wrong to see this as you do

The fact we have had some on here now say they would take Greenwood makes for grim reading

 

[Robspur12]

I think RDZ is a very good coach and he was my first choice to take the job after I think the second Conte season before we settled on Ange.

I cooled on him a bit after he fell out with Brighton. Plus didn't like the way he appeared to justify Mason Greenwood's actions. I have got a teenage daughter and witnessed domestic abuse first hand as a police officer; so I completely understand people's concern about it and we shouldn't belittle it. Words are important especially coming from someone in a high profile position.

That said if someone has truly atoned for a mistake I also believe in second chances. If that was RDZ's intention, although clumsy, I can understand that

I will support him while he's the Spurs manager but I'm sure the Greenwood question will not go away. I do hope he comes out strongly against domestic abuse as he is a mentor now to a team of young men.