El-Reacho

7 minutes ago, Indigo said:

Personally think we could do with 4 or 5 but realistically most of that will be left for the summer and probably rightly so, but getting a midfielder right ASAP is the main thing and it feels like everyone can see that. 

As much as this stewardship of the club has garnered praise - deservedly - I thought the pursuits of JWP and ESR in the summer were borderline amateurish, hopefully lessons were learned from that and there's no mucking about in January when it comes to signing a player in that area of the pitch.

Don't understand your logic here? One was Southampton's best player and captain, and the other is part of Arsenal's family silver and now playing for England. If we'd got either it would've a huge statement of intent. Both were clearly unsettled with their contracts. Why not try and get them - we've clearly got the money. If it doesn't work out so be it - nothing ventured nothing gained.

7 minutes ago, TRO said:

why I think he is right for the job.....

Quote:

I hate watching footballers and football when there is no physical side and you don’t compete.

"There is a showboating mentality through academies. A lot of kids that play the games think they have to do 10 lollipops or Cruyff turns to look good or stand out. We all love a bit of skill and talent, I love all that, but the other side of the game is huge. It’s massive.”

I'm just pleased to think, he appeciates, this....I am looking forward to how it transcends in to the first team too.

Thats the kind of footballing philosophy, I was expecting from him.

Lol - says the man who perfected the utterly useless 'Hollywood Pass'....

5 minutes ago, Eastie said:

Just read gerrards book - what cost them the title was that slip v Chelsea - something he says will live with him till the day he dies - very open and honest account of how he cried his heart out in the car after the game and is still affected by it 

Yes that's what I meant. If he had been playing further up the pitch where he was better suited, and an actual DM been where he was it would never have happened.

19 hours ago, ReasonforRevolution said:

Anyone else feeling slightly excited by the proposition of Stevie G as manager?

• Big name who players both domestic and abroad will want to play for. They'll have grew up watching him.
• High press football.
• Statement appointment with global outreach.
• He won't accept anything below 100% effort.
• Ryan Kent in January anyone?
• He shunned Newcastle with all their money. So it must means he believes in the project and the goal of Europe.
• In his latter years, he played DM. We've finally got a DM!

Just really hope he doesn't caress the 'This Is Anfield' sign.

This was one of his (and Brendan Rodgers) biggest mistakes. He was never a DM - whilst he had all the physicality for it he didn't have the brain. Him being at DM ultimately cost Liverpool the title. There's a good section about this Michael Cox's book The Mixer.

32 minutes ago, TheEgo said:

He does indeed and has his private jet available, so would of thought he'd be flown down.  

Probably couldn't find a space at Glasgow Airport because of all the Cop26 delegates' private jets.

10 minutes ago, Zatman said:

In fairness the Liverpool link I think is the least bit concerning for a lot of people. 

If he's going to replace Klopp he'll need to be one of the top 10 managers in the world I reckon. If it turns out that he's that good then that'll be great from our perspective because we'll obviously be in good shape at that stage. Unfortunately I don't think he'll be anywhere close to it. Will happily eat my words though.

14 minutes ago, Rugeley Villa said:

Lee Hendrie makes me cringe anyway but when interviewed yesterday about Gerrard he referred to him as Stevie G.  Gerrard is ambitious and doesn’t seem to shy away from big jobs. If he does come to us he’s coming for one reason and that’s to try and make us successful and because it’s a big job, too big to turn down.  The Rangers job was a brave decision. He’s also a scrapper and will harden us up hopefully. 

Agbonlahor  was the same on Talksport. Is it any wonder Gerrard walked all over us twice a season for about 20 years when these guys are in such reverence of him.

16 minutes ago, The_Steve said:

I trust the board with whoever they pick. 

Purslow has credit in the bank from appointing Smith. But I am slightly worried that it appears to be him making this appointment and not Lange. It's always been my understanding that the DoF appoints the coaching staff to complement the current playing staff? That's Lange's specialism not Purslow's. If Purslow has stepped in and told him he's hiring Gerrard then that's not a good reflection on the hierarchy we've put in place. It all just smacks of Tom Fox being mates with Tim Sherwood all over again.

4 minutes ago, JAMAICAN-VILLAN said:

I'm kinda warming to the idea of Gerrard

Tim Sherwood 2.0 for me. They call him 'Mr Let's Go' in Scotland.

19 minutes ago, tomav84 said:

one plus about gerrard. gives the likes of sanson a fresh start

Same for any new manager though.

8 minutes ago, TrentVilla said:

Did he? Experience, yes he had a few years on Gerrard I'll give you that. He finished 9th, 10th and 9th in the Championship with Brentford and he never got close to promotion with Walsall. 

I don't see a great deal of difference between Smith and Gerrard in terms of managerial experience to be honest. Smith had more years under his belt but Gerrard has managed in Europe and won a trophy, again not saying he is the right man but I don't recall people making similar comments re Smith.

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But we were in free fall in the bottom half of the Championship back then. We’re a PL team with an expensively assembled squad with aspirations of playing in Europe now. We’re not entertaining any championship managers for the job now like we were the last time.

If there’s no real difference between Gerrard now and Smith when we hired him where’s the next level going to come from?

7 minutes ago, TheEgo said:

First job is to somehow get this lot a damn sight fitter than we are now. Will make a huge difference to us pressing and regaining possession 

Think that’s just a new manager cliche. Everyone said it when Smith took over from Bruce. Fitness is likely nothing to do with Smith - Lange would appoint the fitness trainers. They’ll know exactly how fit everyone is and it’ll be the same as every other team in the PL.

5 minutes ago, thabucks said:

Well it’s been said we’d be willing to pay comwknsation to get the right man and the list was going to be ambitious. Think the days of managers moving for big fees akin to players is upon us - nanglesman coat Bayern €33 million Euros … 

He’ll be more important than any of our players so it’s not unreasonable to think that we should have to pay similar to what we would for a player. You’d hate to have to sack someone 6 months after paying that sort of money though.

3 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

Almost England manager too during his time with Villa.

That was way before he was at Villa. Pretty sure it was when Erikksen ultimately got the job.

In our current position this is as attractive as the Villa job has been for managerial candidates since ONeill got it at the start of the Lerner era. We’re in the PL and are spending Top4 levels of money. That has to be attractive to most managers.

3 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

Martin O'Neill did alright though.

He’d already proven himself with Leicester though. He was being tipped as a potential successor to Ferguson in the really 2000s. If anything his stock fell staying so long Scotland.

3 minutes ago, Davkaus said:

Martinez is a world cup manager, sign him up

Accordingly to the mail he’s flying into the UK in the coming days….

(with Belgium to play Wales).

5 minutes ago, AvfcRigo82 said:

To some on here, he will never be good enough or accepted so it seems.

He will if he’s successful outside of the SPL. Why don’t we give Neil Lennon a shot at the job? 5 SPL titles, consistently qualified for group stages of the champions league, beat Barcelona etc… He then moved to Bolton where he got them relegated from the Championship.

5 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

MARTINEZ.

Not sure where this name has come from, but nooooo way!

He can't do nothing we a Belgium team full of Lukaku's and DeBruyne's. So he definitely won't be be able to do anything with us.

He's done alright with them. Semi-finals in the WC and Quarters in Euro 2020 - knocked out by the eventual winners both times. They've also be ranked No.1 in the world for most of his tenure. As good as the Belgian squad is in some positions it's incredibly weak in others.

11 minutes ago, The_Steve said:

He’s my top pick. 

If you ignore Wenger French managers haven't exactly excelled in the PL. When I think of managers coming from L1 I think of Remi Garde/Alain Perrin/Claude Puel - all arrived with great reputations and were all terrible. 

9 minutes ago, sne said:

Julian Alvarez scored 4 goals for River Plate tonight. One that got away this one. He has 15 goals and 6 assists in 16 league games so far.

Then again I guess we could try and get Gallardo as new manager and have him bring Alvarez as first signing in January...

This would be the ticket. Martinez, Buendia, and Alvarez, with Gallardo as Coach....

4 minutes ago, PieFacE said:

I can genuinely see us bringing in Martinez and I think it would be horrific. 

Might be as good as we can get right now - I think he keep us safe. I'd certainly take him over Terry/lampard/Gerrard.

5 minutes ago, macandally said:

Sorry mate, none of them suggest “next level”!

Don’t really know who would suggest ‘next level’ without it being ridiculed for being unrealistic. Purslow has a tough job on his hands here.

3 minutes ago, Swerbs said:

Appointment by the end of tomorrow?

If so it’ll be Nuno.

17 minutes ago, tomav84 said:

i don't get why people don't want gerrard?

Winning the SPL is not a high bar, particularly when the only other team with the same level of spending as rangers were a dysfunctional basketcase last season. If you take his reputation out of the equation he wouldn’t even enter the discussion. He’s on a par with Neil Lennon.

Would be happy if we went back to Brentford again.