Is Bruno Lage A Good Manager Or Should He Go?

[sycophantia]

It will depend on context surely rather than just results? ( yeah I know, points are king, blah blah)

If we only have 4 or 5 points but have been a bit unlucky and there is a progression in our play, I think he'll survive a bit longer. If with the players we will have by then we are still playing turgid, ugly football, he'll be gone.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'm not sure there's any more context to be had than having the kind of long-term record we'd be left with if we don't get those 7+ points...

This was always going to be the problem with finishing last season THAT badly. Plus while I appreciate it's not all in our control, having the resources that we had available for two entirely winnable games at the start of this one has meant we've already chucked points away.

I don't think there's any way we could get say, 5 points from the next 6 games, leaving us in the bottom 5-6 at absolute best, and you'd think "actually this is ok". There isn't a realistic scenario where that would apply.

 

[sycophantia]

I'm not sure there's any more context to be had than having the kind of long-term record we'd be left with if we don't get those 7+ points...

This was always going to be the problem with finishing last season THAT badly. Plus while I appreciate it's not all in our control, having the resources that we had available for two entirely winnable games at the start of this one has meant we've already chucked points away.

I don't think there's any way we could get say, 5 points from the next 6 games, leaving us in the bottom 5-6 at absolute best, and you'd think "actually this is ok". There isn't a realistic scenario where that would apply.

I don't disagree with you but there will be a sizable percentage of the fan base and maybe the higher management team that will say he needs time to knit the new players together.

 

[AndyWolves]

I think whether Lage stays or is sacked will depend on if we get a functional striker.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

In an ideal world he'd have that time, this isn't an ideal world. I suspect they've made that investment to complete insure against any threat of relegation, if we're still going along with relegation-level results then he won't last very long.

The World Cup break is at 16 games. By which point he'll have had 54 league games in charge of Wolves, if he's still here. At least at that point "he needs time" would absolutely get in the sea. So what mark does he need to be at there?

 

[sycophantia]

If we aren't in mid table at least after 16 games (I'm assuming we bring in a vaguely competent striker) he'll deserve to get the bullet, the club aren't spending the money they have to be anywhere near a relegation battle at that stage.

 

[Keef]

The money we’ve spent, and Bruno saying he needs a certain type of player in to make us better, and we see no improvement, he’ll be gone

 

[WsWolf]

I'd expect us to get 7 points from that. Bournemouth and Southampton should be games we expect to win and picking up 1 point from the other 4 is more than possible.

I'm far from convinced by Bruno but if we do get in a quality striker then even a below average manager should be able to guide that squad to midtable.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

If we hadn't bought GG Nunes (and a striker) then I think Lage would have been safe for the season since relegation was extremely unlikely and there would have been little pressure to achieve a top 7 place.
Now things have changed and it appears that Fosun expect more from us, which puts more pressure on Lage. I still don't think Jeff will panic, and Bruno should be safe.
It is possible that Fosun have already decided that investment in a new manager is an integral part of the investment in the squad, but unless Uncle Jorge knows something the rest of us don't, there is nobody available with an obviously better pedigree than Lage.
Next summer is a more probable time for a change.

 

[jd1981]

Pressure now moving onto Bruno, simply can’t hide behind the no backing claim. If he has the squad we’ll have come September flirting with relegation come WC break he’ll be gone. At best I think we’ll be inconsistent.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

If we hadn't bought GG Nunes (and a striker) then I think Lage would have been safe for the season since relegation was extremely unlikely and there would have been little pressure to achieve a top 7 place.

I wouldn't have said the squad we had a month ago, with Lage in charge, was "extremely unlikely" to get relegated. I'd say there was a fair chance of that happening. We weren't favourites to go by any means but it was entirely possible. We have had definitive relegation form for what amounts to nearly half of an entire season now.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

there is nobody available with an obviously better pedigree than Lage.

 

[prawnking]

He'll get till the end of the season minimum unless we go totally to shit.

Coady going and this sizeable player investment has to be partially a sign of faith in the manager, I imagine in the short term half-decent results and improvement on the pitch/in goalscoring is all he needs. I think outside of this forum the manager has most of the fan base onside too, rightly or wrongly.

I'd be surprised if the club views the end of last season as anything more than a Nuno hangover tbh

 

[Lupo]

Guedes hadn't played any games this season though where as Nunes has 2 plus a goal for Sporting so is ahead of Guedes in terms of match fitness

Nowhere to hide for Bruno from now on. He has been well backed this time and its no longer 'Nuno's team', the run towards the end of last season is absolutely relevant as the form (or lack of) has continued into this season. With £100m of recruitment and counting, this is not acceptable

 

[Lupo]

unless Uncle Jorge knows something the rest of us don't, there is nobody available with an obviously better pedigree than Lage.

Off the top of my head, Poch?

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

I wouldn't have said the squad we had a month ago, with Lage in charge, was "extremely unlikely" to get relegated. I'd say there was a fair chance of that happening. We weren't favourites to go by any means but it was entirely possible. We have had definitive relegation form for what amounts to nearly half of an entire season now.

My glass is always more full than yours, Dan. We are a mid-table team on a poor run of form. The season is 2 games old.

 

[Dennisons Wrong Foot]

Off the top of my head, Poch?

Now that would be a statement of intent by Fosun.

 

[Del Woppio]

They won't even consider it until the world cup break, but which time we'll be 12th and looking up rather than 15th and looking down. It may take another 6 weeks to gel but they'll be prepared for that

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

They won't even consider it until the world cup break, but which time we'll be 12th and looking up rather than 15th and looking down. It may take another 6 weeks to gel but they'll be prepared for that

Well, yes and no.

If in six weeks we've lost every game bar Fulham, where the keeper saved a penalty with five minutes to go or we'd have lost that one too, they won't have any more room for gel than Gregg Wallace has.

 

[Carsy]

Just to preface this with I'm not saying he should be sacked right this second, but it's tied in and I couldn't be bothered starting a new thread.

We know Nunes is coming (surely won't play on Saturday though) and hopefully Ramos will arrive too. If no-one important leaves then I think we'd all be happy with that window and the squad it leaves us.

Now, we have 1 point from 2 games. For us to be averaging 1PPG at the first international break, we need a minimum of 7 points from the following:

Spurs (A)
Newcastle (H)
Bournemouth (A)
Southampton (H)
Liverpool (A)
Man City (H)

1) Can we get those points?

2) If we're sub 1PPG after that City game - 8 games gone in total, and would mean we'd won an absolute maximum of 5 of our last 22 games - do you think the board would pull the plug? After that we're into an away double header at West Ham and Chelsea.

With a £100m+ investment and keeping our star player, you can't see them tolerating bottom half results for very long, let alone if it's relegation form.

No. I think now with the new players in, he doesn’t quite get a clean slate, but if we are performing well and there’s clear progress and a change in direction last year won’t really come into it.

With those run of fixtures, 7 points wouldn’t be a bad haul anyway.

If with the new players the standard is like last year and the results the same then he’s in trouble, but if there’s clear progress and the results don’t necessarily show that he won’t be going anywhere