New Manager Search *BACK ON*

[GLASGOWOLF]

I think most of us feel Jeff and Fosun have just about used up all their 'wait and see's by now

Yes because the last 4 years have been so fecking shit.

FA cup semi
Europa Quarter final
Two 7th place finishes
14th (the Lowest)
And a 10th

Now this year has been a shit fest they took a manager who should not have got the gig, there first choice is not coming for none footballing reasons now we need to act quickly we are still an attractive proposition

 

[Wilf Wolf]

Yes because the last 4 years have been so fecking shit.

FA cup semi
Europa Quarter final
Two 7th place finishes
14th (the Lowest)
And a 10th

Now this year has been a shit fest they took a manager who should not have got the gig, there first choice is not coming for none footballing reasons now we need to act quickly we are still an attractive proposition

We’re a lot less attractive than we were in May. It was clear as day that Lage was out of his depth but we stuck with him and between him and those above him we contrived a squad where he didn’t trust his third choice centre half enough to play him yet released four centre halves. We have three fullbacks, loads of sitting midfielders and wide forwards who don’t score. We are less attractive by the day.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

We’re a lot less attractive than we were in May. It was clear as day that Lage was out of his depth but we stuck with him and between him and those above him we contrived a squad where he didn’t trust his third choice centre half enough to play him yet released four centre halves. We have three fullbacks, loads of sitting midfielders and wide forwards who don’t score. We are less attractive by the day.

I mean all those squad issues have existed for months but prior to Saturday the consensus was generally anyone but Lage would have them chugging away like a well oiled machine. Find it strange that the mood has shifted so much with a single post Lage performance/result and then further still with the first hiccup in the search for his replacement.

 

[Tony Towner]

I don't think that's true, I think most knew the issues lay deeper than Lage and the squad being unbalanced isn't an original thought. I and a number of others have been calling out the way the club is structured for at least 2 1/2 years. Lage was a symptom of that, removing him was only ever going to be part of the cure. On the pitch It is fixable tactically but requires more than a couple of youth coaches to do so and a huge injection in confidence because all the defeats have shattered it. No matter how good players are it's impossible to not be impacted by that. It's why writing the last third of last season off whilst keeping the same manager in place as many were happy to do was flawed. I mentioned the Watford and Sheff Utd comparisons at the time, that's what happening now. We do on paper have the players to avoid the rest of the comparison

 

[Langers]

Chat was that JL was getting sacked what? Monday? So when he was actually sacked why has it taken nearly a week to get a definitive answer?

I’m not blaming JL. I’m blaming Shi, I struggle how you can’t “default” to this position. He hired Lage, he didn’t sack him, He finally did sack him after an international break, he didn’t have a replacement lined up, then tried to get a replacement who didn’t want the job, then took a week to get a definitive “No”. Every single one of those issues is Jeff Shi’s fault. And each one of those takes us a step closer to relegation.

Because I don't buy that every mishap that happens is automatically Jeff Shi's fault. He's made a lot of mistakes and I'm no big fan of his but not everything that goes against Wolves is automatically down to Jeff Shi being crap.

Not sacking Lage earlier (realistically, it should have been at the end of last season and lots of people - myself included - thought this) is on him, not doubting that. As were plenty of other missteps before that. That's not the point I was getting at though.

This new JL news just seems down to bad timing, and obviously very bad circumstances for his family. Not going to blame Shi for that - shit luck IMO, circumstances beyond his (or JL's) control. Without this, it probably would have been a straightforward, sensible appointment. But it's happened, he's not coming, it's shit luck but the right call to put family first. I wish him well.

Remains to be seen what happens next and who we'll turn to. I understand and appreciate any lack of faith in Shi to get the appointment right but that doesn't mean he's responsible for not appointing Lopetegui.

FWIW I don't understand why so many people seem so against Pedro Martins - think he'd be a perfectly acceptable appointment and a huge improvement on Lage.

 

[Kenny]

Some seem to think Martins is shit because he thought about taking the Hull job. Therefore he has no ambition

Conveniently forgetting our best manager in years came from being sacked from a club in Europe and took over a bottom half Championship side....oh and then we signed some of the best players we had seen in years. No ambition, the lot of them.

 

[Tony Towner]

This new JL news just seems down to bad timing, and obviously very bad circumstances for his family. Not going to blame Shi for that - shit luck IMO, circumstances beyond his (or JL's) control. Without this, it probably would have been a straightforward, sensible appointment. But it's happened, he's not coming, it's shit luck but the right call to put family first. I wish him well.

I can see how people have this view, I can also see how people are cynical about it. Not doubting his father's health issues, but his desire for a break was suggested by Ballegui last Thursday I think, the same journalist who broke that he wasn't coming. It's not difficult to assume he got both of those pieces of information from someone very close to JL. It's fair to question whether we've spent the last few days trying to change his mind rather than moving on.

Our biggest issue is the games we have coming up and the likelihood they will be pivotal to us staying up, that week has increased the chances of 2 youth team coaches being in charge for them who as seen on Saturday don't look like they are going to provide a bump.

 

[Dire Wolf]

As has probably already been said, I think what we need is a Director of Football with a clear vision of how the team needs to play, a clear plan in place of players to make up the squad to play that way, a transfer policy that fulfils that need and a manager/coach to deliver that. We have none of those things in place and we are just stumbling, bumbling along from one fuck up to the next. As things stand we are standing on the precipice and if we don't get the next decisions right we are going to fall right in.

I don't have faith that we'll get the next decisions right.

 

[Johnny75]

I can see how people have this view, I can also see how people are cynical about it. Not doubting his father's health issues, but his desire for a break was suggested by Ballegui last Thursday I think, the same journalist who broke that he wasn't coming. It's not difficult to assume he got both of those pieces of information from someone very close to JL. It's fair to question whether we've spent the last few days trying to change his mind rather than moving on.

Our biggest issue is the games we have coming up and the likelihood they will be pivotal to us staying up, that week has increased the chances of 2 youth team coaches being in charge for them who as seen on Saturday don't look like they are going to provide a bump.

You would've thought any competent CEO looking to sack and then appoint would know about JL father's health, given the agent acting involved represents both parties.

The man should've never been considered.

It is clearly on Shi and any company CEO/ owner would've done this already, use Tony Bloom as your yardstick for example.

 

[prawnking]

No axe to grind against Lopetegui; if he doesn't want the job he doesn't want the job. After two times for two different reasons I hope we've learned our lesson and give him a wide berth from now on.

I've lost both my parents in recent years, so I'm not insensitive to this, but I am not fortunate enough to have a job where I could take unlimited time off to be with them 24/7. He can, so good luck to him.

I do wonder if he hadn't been sacked from Sevilla and was still there if he would have quit to do the same parental caring though? Not doubting its true, just that it seems an easy way to get out of a middling job offer. I think if it were Barcelona or City calling the result may have been different? Call me cynical.

I agree with Johnny and Tony in that this is totally on Shi. Another wild goose chase with zero return

 

[prawnking]

Some seem to think Martins is shit because he thought about taking the Hull job. Therefore he has no ambition

Conveniently forgetting our best manager in years came from being sacked from a club in Europe and took over a bottom half Championship side....oh and then we signed some of the best players we had seen in years. No ambition, the lot of them.

I'm not against Martins, he's obviously coming if he's next on Mendes' list anyway.

Worries me that the other team courting him recently are so much further down the pyramid than where we are and want to be though. Not questioning his ambition, more the circle we're mixing in. If we were competing with Notts County for a first XI striker I'd feel the same

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I'm not against Martins, he's obviously coming if he's next on Mendes' list anyway.

Worries me that the other team courting him recently are so much further down the pyramid than where we are and want to be though. Not questioning his ambition, more the circle we're mixing in. If we were competing with Notts County for a first XI striker I'd feel the same

That's just Hull doing the equivalent of Venky's saying "we're going to sign Ronaldinho and Beckham for Blackburn" though. It's not relevant at all.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I don't know anything about Martins or any of the names we've heard mentioned to be honest, but I did think it odd that we were linked with someone who was also linked with Hull. Knowing that it was just Hull trying to punch above their weight (like every one of us on here) is kind of reassuring.

 

[Tony Towner]

That's just Hull doing the equivalent of Venky's saying "we're going to sign Ronaldinho and Beckham for Blackburn" though. It's not relevant at all.

More us trying to sign Steve Sidwell in as much as he at least took the time to go and watch them play. The Hull thing doesn't concern me tbh

 

[prawnking]

That's just Hull doing the equivalent of Venky's saying "we're going to sign Ronaldinho and Beckham for Blackburn" though. It's not relevant at all.

Ronaldinho and Beckham didn't watch a game at Ewood Park with a view to joining?

 

[Tyrannosaurus Dan]

Ideally, I would like us to have a list of highly rated, up and coming managers that we are looking at but that's not the way we do things under Fosun so it is likely to be Martins.

He should be a decent enough appointment though and, whoever the new manager is, it is not like the job should be that difficult if they know what they're doing. I know we have injury issues but we have some talented players and a not too horrific run of games coming up. Basically, don't get relegated, score some goals and win some matches.

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

Ronaldinho and Beckham didn't watch a game at Ewood Park with a view to joining?

This is splitting hairs really

If some nutbar Serie B club decided they wanted to appoint Thomas Tuchel then it wouldn't automatically devalue him.

 

[prawnking]

The examples you give are all one-sided though. He attended a game as a guest and clearly met and spoke with them. Not like he was aloof and disinterested, or even unaware of the interest.

Not dying on this hill anyway, I'm pretty neutral about Martins, certainly not looking to poison his imminent appointment. He does look like a miserable bastard though

TBH he probably bailed on Hull because he saw the writing on the wall with Lopetegui before our chief exec...

Forget manager, with that rare insight (at Wolves anyway) Martins should be our new DOF!

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Ronaldinho and Beckham didn't watch a game at Ewood Park with a view to joining?

I've been to job interviews for opportunities I had no intention of taking, sometimes it's just good to get out there. Maybe he just fancied a free day out.

 

[GLASGOWOLF]

I think most of us feel Jeff and Fosun have just about used up all their 'wait and see's by now

Yes because the last 4 years have been so fecking shit.

FA cup semi
Europa Quarter final
Two 7th place finishes
14th (the Lowest)
And a 10th

Now this year has been a shit fest they took a manager who should not have got the gig, there first choice is not coming for none footballing reasons now we need to act quickly we are still an attractive proposición

We’re a lot less attractive than we were in May. It was clear as day that Lage was out of his depth but we stuck with him and between him and those above him we contrived a squad where he didn’t trust his third choice centre half enough to play him yet released four centre halves. We have three fullbacks, loads of sitting midfielders and wide forwards who don’t score. We are less attractive by the day.

We are still attractive proposición for any manager.

Remember most managers are absolute confidence nuts every single mánager will believe they can get us out this shite.