Welcome to Wolves - Jean-Ricner Bellegarde

[NicholasG1973]

Having a coaching licenses isn't a guarantee of ability.

Plenty of ex-pros with coaching licenses who aren't anywhere near as good as non ex-pros

The system is corrupt.

There's also plenty of coaches who aren't good enough to be at PL level and plenty who shouldn't be anywhere near a managerial role.

Mr Bruno Lage springs to mind.

 

[prawnking]

So you're sitting there happy as Larry typing negative thoughts? Seems odd.

Why is it negative to state that cheap punts = likely mediocrity?

If you disagree, feel free to explain why, rather than pursuing this odd 'negative/miserable' strawman route you've confected

 

[Alan]

"Cheap punts" are how Brighton got where they are tbf.

Bellegarde at least seems to have really grown into his prime based on the reports. 15m will be a snip if his progression continues as it has over the last couple of seasons (again, based on reporting, Ligue 1 isn't as easy to watch as it used to be).
Bueno is at least a CB with regular top flight experience so I think we can expect him to be a solid addition, which is all we really need at the back currently.
Enso could end up being a total bust but at 5m that's fine for an 18 year old.
When we were linked with the Brizzle lad Doyle was the other name that came up most often; I didn't hear anything negative about him until after we'd signed him.

 

[Tony Towner]

"Cheap punts" are how Brighton got where they are tbf.

Bellegarde at least seems to have really grown into his prime based on the reports. 15m will be a snip if his progression continues as it has over the last couple of seasons (again, based on reporting, Ligue 1 isn't as easy to watch as it used to be).
Bueno is at least a CB with regular top flight experience so I think we can expect him to be a solid addition, which is all we really need at the back currently.
Enso could end up being a total bust but at 5m that's fine for an 18 year old.
When we were linked with the Brizzle lad Doyle was the other name that came up most often; I didn't hear anything negative about him until after we'd signed him.

Doyle and Scott aren't similar players, so not sure where you saw that comparison. McAtee and Scott would be. Doyle plays deeper

 

[Alan]

Doyle and Scott aren't similar players, so not sure where you saw that comparison. McAtee and Scott would be

Less a comparison between the two and more of "oh we're looking at midfielders, well there's this Doyle lad at City who is available and good" kind of thing. Nothing as blatant as "Scott > Doyle" or "Doyle > Scott" that I recall tbf.

 

[Dire Wolf]

An option you and Kenny haven't chosen, otherwise you'd also be lecturing Dire Wolf?

I'd say at this stage assuming GON is mediocre at best is perfectly reasonable, and anyone making greater claims should provide greater evidence/thinking

I'm concluding that you're trying to say that they should be lecturing me because I'm being too positive about GON? When I've clearly said multiple times 'wait and see'. So either you just wanted to drag my name into it to have a go at me, which is your previous MO, or you're just not very good at reading. Or I've misinterpreted your post?

 

[Lycan]

Hobbs: He’s a player the recruitment team flagged towards the end of last season, and he’s started this season very well. He’s athletic, technical and has ability to drive with the ball, and you can see from his goal and assist record that he’s had an excellent start to this season.

“He’s another player who adds to our depth and gives us something different. He will add creativity and he’s got good end product. With the runners that we have going forward, his athleticism from the middle of the pitch, as well as his strength and his ability to find that final ball – as he’s shown in France – will be really important to us

Just trying to work out what kind of player we've got here and where he's likely to fit in to our squad. Straight swap out for how Matheus was used on either flank? A change to more 3 man midfields? Depth/rotation or more of a key player?

 

[Kenny]

To me it sounds like he will be a direct replacement for Nunes out wide but if GO changes the set up he can slot into a couple of other positions

 

[prawnking]

I'm concluding that you're trying to say that they should be lecturing me because I'm being too positive about GON? When I've clearly said multiple times 'wait and see'. So either you just wanted to drag my name into it to have a go at me, which is your previous MO, or you're just not very good at reading. Or I've misinterpreted your post?

I'm talking about the exchange a page or two back, where Del was downplaying GON's coaching ability and you were disagreeing with him. I was agreeing with Del's appraisal, and that's all there is to it!

Point being that neither you or I were being 'neutral'

 

[Wolvensam]

Doyle and Scott aren't similar players, so not sure where you saw that comparison. McAtee and Scott would be. Doyle plays deeper

Doyle scored more than Scott last season tbf

 

[Alan]

To me it sounds like he will be a direct replacement for Nunes out wide but if GO changes the set up he can slot into a couple of other positions

His heat maps indicate he favors the right channel, so this seems probable.

 

[Tony Towner]

Doyle scored more than Scott last season tbf

And?

 

[prawnking]

"Cheap punts" are how Brighton got where they are tbf.

And how many Brightons are there? They've earned the trust of their fans by having multiple player/manager successes to point to, generally without breaking the bank, and with great research involved.

Hobbs and Shi don't have or do any of those things. They have a bizarre, stop-start transfer strategy, change their player and manager model at a whim and have a toxic relationship with a super agent.

So while, say, GON and Bellegarde may turn out to be enormous successes, Wolves don't deserve the wide-eyed 'wait and see, they could be amazing!' comments coming from a number of posters

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

"Cheap punts" are how Brighton got where they are tbf.

They're how Southampton, Norwich, Albion, Blues and many more got to where they are too.

Brighton have done brilliantly - due to an exceptional business and scouting plan, but it's a strategy that doesn't always work, and won't last forever either.

 

[Alan]

And how many Brightons are there? They've earned the trust of their fans by having multiple player/manager successes to point to, generally without breaking the bank, and with great research involved.

Hobbs and Shi don't have or do any of those things. So while, say, GON and Bellegarde may turn out to be enormous successes, Wolves don't deserve the wide-eyed 'wait and see, they could be amazing!' comments coming from a number of posters

It's fair enough if you don't want to take this stance, but equally I don't think it's fair to surmise that the more positive of us are just blindly slurping the club off.

I'm saying "wait and see, they could be amazing" because the scouting reports are promising, Hobbs' recruitment thus far has been genuinely good, GO has us playing on the front foot so far, and because I want the players to be good so I'm not going to roll my eyes over having scarcely heard of them before (this bit sounds more accusatory than I meant it to, apologies).

They're here, they're ours; I'm excited to get them out there and see what they can do at this level.

 

[Alan]

They're how Southampton, Norwich, Albion, Blues and many more got to where they are too.

Brighton have done brilliantly - due to an exception business and scouting, but it's a strategy that doesn't always work, and won't last forever either.

Fair point.

As I've said previously, as well, Brighton may be the current model of success for clubs our size, but as a lot of their statistical witchcraft comes from gambling they can get to fuck.

 

[prawnking]

It's fair enough if you don't want to take this stance, but equally I don't think it's fair to surmise that the more positive of us are just blindly slurping the club off.

I'm saying "wait and see, they could be amazing" because the scouting reports are promising, Hobbs' recruitment thus far has been genuinely good, GO has us playing on the front foot so far, and because I want the players to be good so I'm not going to roll my eyes over having scarcely heard of them before.

They're here, they're ours; I'm excited to get them out there and see what they can do at this level.

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty neutral on the players signed, and excited to see them in action. My thoughts on GON are well documented haha

 

[Alan]

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty neutral on the players signed, and excited to see them in action. My thoughts on GON are well documented haha

Nah, I know we're on different sides of the fence at the mo but I appreciate that we've been able argue our points without getting entirely OTT.

Give it 'til post-match tomorrow and we can be back at each other's throats.

 

[Wolvensam]

Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty neutral on the players signed, and excited to see them in action. My thoughts on GON are well documented haha

I’m interested to see how this pans out. As I’ve said elsewhere, an inexperienced coach with young players - all of whom have limited to no experience of Premier League football - is a huge risk.

 

[Dire Wolf]

I'm talking about the exchange a page or two back, where Del was downplaying GON's coaching ability and you were disagreeing with him. I was agreeing with Del's appraisal, and that's all there is to it!

Point being that neither you or I were being 'neutral'

I didn't disagree, I said it was an assumption that he couldn't coach attacking football and maybe we should wait and see if he can or not before entrenching our positions. You've already dug your trench, built barricades and fortified it with barbed wire and sandbags.

I don't know what he'll be like. I suspect better than Lage, Saunders and Zenga but some way off Nuno and Lopetegui. And to be perfectly honest our attacking play under both Nuno and Lop was hit and miss. We've never created loads of chances or scored that many goals, even at our best under Nuno. So it's not like GON is coming in and dismantling a free flowing attacking team now, is it?