The Manager Sacked/Hired Thread 2022/23

[Alan]

Marsch would be a weird choice that I wouldn't hate but equally I don't need another American flopping in the Prem.

 

[YoungWolf]

Not at all. Any other manager that played the same week in week out despite conceding a hatful of goals would be slaughtered for it. It's just cool to make him out as some kind of genius.

It’s also extremely tedious that anyone who rates/admires Bielsa is made out to be some type of hipster.

 

[Tony Towner]

It’s also extremely tedious that anyone who rates/admires Bielsa is made out to be some type of hipster.

Perhaps he should have compromised his principles to justify your admiration? Probably not the day for it but if Bruno hadn't done the same we'd be where they are.

 

[YoungWolf]

Perhaps he should have compromised his principles to justify your admiration? Probably not the day for it but if Bruno hadn't done the same we'd be where they are.

His principles took them from a crap championship team to a top half premier league finish. He has much more reason than Bruno to believe his way of playing works. He readily admits he is by no means perfect too.

as I say. Me thinking he is a great coach doesn’t mean I think it makes me cool. I don’t even buy into the whole influencing other coaches either. His Chile team in the World Cup went out in the last 16 but I still loved watching them play and take on teams. Bilbao got hammered in the Copa del Rey final but they were still a joy to watch under him.

if we start next season slowly playing the football we are now and Bruno gets sacked then what. Will sacrificing his principles as you say have been worth it?

 

[Alan]

We could do worse than Bielsa given our stature, IMO.

 

[Tony Towner]

It's a cult. I could give you a long list of average to poor managers who've got mediocre sides out of the championship. They did semi well in what for me was a nothing season last year (no fans Covid), but the seeds for what has happened this year were abundantly clear. He's suffered from poor recruitment and lost two of his best 3 players to injury and not adjusted at all. Not even sure what impresses you all. Yesterday and midweek at Liverpool was pathetic.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

His brand of football is very entertaining, surprisingly so at Leeds considering some of the average players he's had at his disposal. Sure it's gone to shit now with key players missing, most managers would've tried to do something different to cover for the losses but other than saving a few embarrassing scorelines would it have made much difference? Nuno got loads of slack for missing Jimenez last year, if Neves had missed as much football would Wolves have been much further from relegation last year than Leeds this?

It's all ended it tears now but I bet most Leeds fans will look back on his time fondly, probably the best football their team have played for many of their lifetimes and it's taken them to a level they've not played at for ages. It doesn't make him the messiah by any means but the way this season has played out doesn't make him a jokeshop Sunday league manager either.

 

[Tony Towner]

As Wolves weren't any closer to relegation at any point in the second half of the season than 9 points whilst having numerous injuries in addition to Jimenez then, very obviously yes

 

[Deutsch Wolf]

I suppose ultimately he's achieved less for Leeds than David O'Leary did which doesn't look great.

His insistence on parking career centre halves in Phillips' position was just mad, that alone kept costing them points this season.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

As Wolves weren't any closer to relegation at any point in the second half of the season than 9 points whilst having numerous injuries in addition to Jimenez then, very obviously yes

I don't recall any absences as pivotal as those Leeds have suffered this season, beyond Jimenez being the equivalent of Bamford missing. Their record last season without Phillips was horrific so he's obviously been massive loss to them and none of their other options in midfield match even his style let alone quality.

He's done a good job there overall and been too stubborn to try anything different now he's suffering with key injuries. He's by no means a fraud.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

I suppose ultimately he's achieved less for Leeds than David O'Leary did which doesn't look great.

His insistence on parking career centre halves in Phillips' position was just mad, that alone kept costing them points this season.

O'Leary had a much better starting point and greater resources though. Bit like saying no Villa manager since has matched what O'Neill achieved.

 

[PuntsWolf]

He’s neither a genius or a fraud.

 

[YoungWolf]

It's a cult.

I stopped reading at this point.

 

[leedswolf]

I grew up as a Leeds fan. A proper northern team. Their football was certainly no worse than Chelsea.

The dirty leeds tag was media promoted. leeds played some wonderful football back in the day. Chelsea's assault on lufc in the 1970 Cup Final was certainly a 'dirty' performance from a cynical team.

 

[big mean bunny]

So much is made of the idea he won't change but I don't think that is just him or that it's totally fair.

He is a very methodical coach and uses a lot of data and analytics in his approach, when he had the spying scandal he was trying to see the areas opposition players were lining up in during training prep, he also showed a breakdown during that rant defence conference he held where he was showing data about the areas opposition move to or occupied during games, so he isn't "not changing" - it seems he tweaks or alters very minor things game by game depending on the opposition and what they may do, he just approaches that instructionally rather than shape changes.

I personally admire lots about him overall, it's easy to moan about coaches and say they need to be more flexible, but I managed two school teams, 1 adult amateur side, 1 youth side and one decent u18s lower league side and they all ended up playing variations of 433/451 because that is what I feel works best, and I was always ultimately moving the sides towards that.

Coaches and managers do have a pre built blueprint ingrained in them from their own experiences I feel.

 

[Tony Towner]

I don't recall any absences as pivotal as those Leeds have suffered this season, beyond Jimenez

Best wing back missed the vast majority of the season, best centre half played just over half the games, best centre midfielder was knackered from having back to back seasons. We were awful to watch last season, but never looked like going down and by and large people excepted Nuno to "find solutions". Leeds have conceded 20 in their last 5 games, with very little attempt to correct it. On top of that they've been done 7 earlier in the season. If that was Steve Bruce the forum would be laughing at him, but as it's Bielsa it's injuries.

They would have struggled this season whatever, as just like Sheff Utd teams with unusual styles get found out if they don't evolve them. I've got more sympathy for Wilder who had a worse injury problem and lost home advantage due to Covid.

 

[MARKakaJIM]

Best wing back missed the vast majority of the season, best centre half played just over half the games, best centre midfielder was knackered from having back to back seasons. We were awful to watch last season, but never looked like going down and by and large people excepted Nuno to "find solutions". Leeds have conceded 20 in their last 5 games, with very little attempt to correct it. On top of that they've been done 7 earlier in the season. If that was Steve Bruce the forum would be laughing at him, but as it's Bielsa it's injuries.

They would have struggled this season whatever, as just like Sheff Utd teams with unusual styles get found out if they don't evolve them. I've got more sympathy for Wilder who had a worse injury problem and lost home advantage due to Covid.

RAN wasn't anything like as big a drop off from Jonny as any of Leeds alternatives to Phillips are.

Losing Boly didn't end up with Semedo playing centre half, Ayling has had to play centre half for Leeds loads of times due to injuries.

Knackered midfielder is very subjective, Leeds squad is small and they play at a frantic pace so imagine their workload is in excess of anything any Wolves player did in the same period.

I'm not trying to make out the like guy is amazing or anything but he's got a very average squad promoted and then took them to a very comfortable finish last season. As you say this season would've likely seen a very Blades-esque return to the mean regardless but other than turning a few cricket scores into narrow losses would it have ultimately made much difference? That Leeds squad is largely shit, they're bound to lose a fair chunk of games regardless of whether they put 11 men behind the ball or if Mr Bucket decided to hang them out to dry every week.

 

[sycophantia]

RAN wasn't anything like as big a drop off from Jonny as any of Leeds alternatives to Phillips are.

Losing Boly didn't end up with Semedo playing centre half, Ayling has had to play centre half for Leeds loads of times due to injuries.

Knackered midfielder is very subjective, Leeds squad is small and they play at a frantic pace so imagine their workload is in excess of anything any Wolves player did in the same period.

I'm not trying to make out the like guy is amazing or anything but he's got a very average squad promoted and then took them to a very comfortable finish last season. As you say this season would've likely seen a very Blades-esque return to the mean regardless but other than turning a few cricket scores into narrow losses would it have ultimately made much difference? That Leeds squad is largely shit, they're bound to lose a fair chunk of games regardless of whether they put 11 men behind the ball or if Mr Bucket decided to hang them out to dry every week.

RAN wasn't anything like as big a drop off from Jonny as any of Leeds alternatives to Phillips are.

Losing Boly didn't end up with Semedo playing centre half, Ayling has had to play centre half for Leeds loads of times due to injuries.

Knackered midfielder is very subjective, Leeds squad is small and they play at a frantic pace so imagine their workload is in excess of anything any Wolves player did in the same period.

I'm not trying to make out the like guy is amazing or anything but he's got a very average squad promoted and then took them to a very comfortable finish last season. As you say this season would've likely seen a very Blades-esque return to the mean regardless but other than turning a few cricket scores into narrow losses would it have ultimately made much difference? That Leeds squad is largely shit, they're bound to lose a fair chunk of games regardless of whether they put 11 men behind the ball or if Mr Bucket decided to hang them out to dry every week.

Tend to agree with most of your post but RAN was a massive drop off from Jonny last season...the lads upped his game considerably this season, especially defensively.

 

[Tony Towner]

We were so short of a LWB that we played Saiss and Kilman there

 

[prawnking]

Regardless of his reputation, letting your team haemorrhage goals over and over again, with the demoralising effect that must have on the players, surely shows that by the end he was either out of his depth or pretty unprofessional