Roberto Di Matteo

[Woodytom]

2 minutes ago, dn1982 said:

 You're basically saying RDM can bring back Gabby Richards and Guzan and we'll win the Championship? 

Not at all, I'm debating (as I have for a while) that RDM's champions league success shouldn't be overlooked - as some posters seem to be doing that. I had you down in that bracket when you said it wasn't his team. Apologies if I have misread that.

[DeadlyDirk]

 

Do you mean David Oh Dreary?

[emoji3]

Honest bunch of lads...

[dn1982]

Just now, Woodytom said:

Not at all, I'm debating (as I have for a while) that RDM's champions league success shouldn't be overlooked - as some posters seem to be doing that. I had you down in that bracket when you said it wasn't his team. Apologies if I have misread that.

Just read all the post before hand. My worry about RDM is we need a bit of a rebuild he can obviously get players in the right frame of mind to perform but we have some that need kicking out and an example shown throughout the club. He hasn't been anywhere long enough to do that so its unproven. Give him a good squad and he'll get us up We haven't got that at the minute. 

[Dave J]

3 hours ago, dont_do_it_doug. said:

What experience does Pearson have in building a club? I think this is a bit of a myth.

I'd say the piling's, footings and foundations at Leicester were all down to Pearson-  all of which contribute immensely to a strong stable finished structure. For me we've missed out here. 

[Stevo985]

The more I consider Di Matteo, the better an appointment I think it is.

[sharkyvilla]

Is it really that hard to 'build a squad'?  Obviously if the club hasn't got a pot to piss in then it requires lots of skill, but we should have enough money to make it fairly simple to get players in.  The key is tactics and man management which Di Matteo seems relatively good at.

[Wainy316]

Just want us to get this announced now.

[Dave J]

9 minutes ago, Stevo985 said:

The more I consider Di Matteo, the better an appointment I think it is.

I'm not saddened by his impending appointment - I just honestly believe Pearson would have been a better option, now this is over I will support RDM when he walks into VP

[The Moustache of Teale]

5 minutes ago, sharkyvilla said:

Is it really that hard to 'build a squad'?  Obviously if the club hasn't got a pot to piss in then it requires lots of skill, but we should have enough money to make it fairly simple to get players in.  The key is tactics and man management which Di Matteo seems relatively good at.

I guess the key is how quickly it gels and works as a unit. Teams like Newcastle and Derby who don't face rebuilding on a large scale are likely to click into gear sooner and we could lose valuable ground on them if we have wholesale changes, no matter how good the players.

As last season's shower of sh*te showed, building a squad can go horribly wrong.

 

[Kingman]

17 minutes ago, Dave J said:

I'd say the piling's, footings and foundations at Leicester were all down to Pearson-  all of which contribute immensely to a strong stable finished structure. For me we've missed out here. 

If only you had put the footings on the foundations i would have been with you. 

[Demitri_C]

3 hours ago, NurembergVillan said:

Fixed.

Completely wrong what has Sherwood won? RDM has achieved so much more. 

[stewiek2]

Well the first thing Bobby needs to do is reinstate Stan Petrov into the squad and hand him back the captains armband. Be a big start to inject some leadership and positive presence into the squad.

[markavfc40]

1 hour ago, dn1982 said:

 Give him a good squad and he'll get us up We haven't got that at the minute. 

I think I'd feel far more confident if we had a half decent squad that RDM was a good fit for us. If he was walking into Newcastle for example and they were keeping the majority of their squad I would say he was a very good appointment.

RDM managed an excellent squad of players at Chelsea and did a great job in getting them to produce winning performances and won the biggest prize of all. At West Brom he inherited a squad that had fell 3 points short of safety and been relegated, kept the vast majority of it together and then got the best out of them to secure promotion.

He won't have those luxuries here though. We finished 22 points from safety which should tell you this is a dire squad but on very rare occasions you may be able to put up an argument we were unlucky, suffered with multiple injuries etc. We didn't. This is a truly diabolical squad that needs a big rebuild to compete for promotion. Ideally I'd have personally liked a manager with a proven record of doing that. I really hope that RDM even though he hasn't done it before has the ability to quickly put a decent squad of players together and then mould them into a team and get the best out of them. Just as importantly I hope he is given a fair chance of doing so by getting the support both financially and in personnel above him to do so.

Edited May 28, 2016 by markavfc40

[Made In Aston]

On 27/05/2016 at 08:20, alreadyexists said:

People criticise RDM but you have to consider the options.  A championship / league 1 journeyman like Mccarthy /Warnock / Grayson or an unproven foreign manager from a second tier European league.  When you look at these alternatives it is clear to see RDM is a coup.   

P. S  This comment is by Made In Aston and not alreadyexists.  VT mobile site playing up

Edited May 28, 2016 by Made In Aston

[markavfc40]

1 hour ago, Fairy In Boots said:

Ask the current champions they remember him in his first spell getting them out of league 1 with a record points tally and then in the championship playoffs first year. Then upon his return stabilising them and getting them prompted and surviving in the PL.  Both sides exhibited a very strong resilience and willingness to work hard, exactly what we need. 

You put it like that then I don't think there is any reasonable argument that at Leicester in two spells Pearson did an excellent job and that certainly some of the work he did there would translate over to what we need to be done here. There would though be an opposing view that there would be things within his make up that would mean he wouldn't be such a good fit.

Bottom line now is though that ship as sailed and we could waffle on that he would have been a good appointment for us or a diabolical one but it is all pointless. It is time to move on.

Edited May 28, 2016 by markavfc40

[alreadyexists]

10 minutes ago, Made In Aston said:

 

Ha, I did think; "I don't remember saying that!" 

[John]

Still no confirmation. Are we waiting for the Doctor to turn up at BHX and head for a press conference before we make this appointment or to get all of RDM's staff signed up or are we waiting for the F&P test before we do it or have we not yet decided RDM despite being 1/9 or 1/10 with those bookies still offering prices is the man for us?   

[It's Your Round]

I don't know, but I'm hoping that he's been offered the job and accepted already and we're just waiting for an initial announcement. If he's expecting the job then I imagine he will be researching and preparing his plans for the job already. I'd be very surprised if he only starts thinking about it once it's officially announced.

[meme]

They're either in the final stages of the contract, or setting up approaches for the backroom staff/scouting team RDM wants. Hopefully the latter.

[The Fun Factory]

4 hours ago, markavfc40 said:

I agree to some extent as Pearson has moved around clubs quite frequently.

Two years at Leicester in his first spell. Four years in his second spell there. He also had 18 months and two summer transfer windows at Hull.

Getting this back to RDM he had a year at MK Dons and 18 months at WBA. Chelsea and Shalke he was only at for around 8 months in both.

That is my major reservation with RDM is that he hasn't got much experience in building a squad. The Albion side he got promoted in 2009/10 was pretty much the same squad that got relegated the previous season. He won't have that luxury here and will have to make major changes. As I have said previously that doesn't mean he isn't capable of doing so but we have no evidence to show that he can.

This is a huge task for anyone and I am just not sure if we should have gone down the path of a manger with more experience. Big club just relegated, needing a massive rebuild and an owner with huge expectations it seems to be promoted, given what he apparently said that if the team is not in the top six the manager can be sacked, is a heavy burden for any manager to carry let alone one who has very little experience and has managed for 16 months in the last 5 and half years. You look at Newcastle another big club that have just been relegated and who they will have managing them and you have to say that is a far safer pair of hands.

Maybe it was unrealistic to think we could get someone with vast experience and proven pedigree. I don't know but I think if what Xia says can be backed up then we should have been capable of attracting Moyes or even prizing Allardyce away from Sunderland.

All of the above isn't to say that I think RDM will fail because I don't. There are many things I like about his CV, the promotion with the baggies, his handling of some big players/characters at Chelsea and getting the best out them to win the ultimate prize, is a big plus for me. This is just such a huge challenge here though that will come with pressure, certainly from the owner, that I just hope RDM has enough in his locker to make it a success.

Given his lack of experience in buying players then what would make me far more confident is if someone came in above/alongside him with a proven track record in this regard. Given what Xia said about scouting this will hopefully be the case. To also give him a fair chance then the sooner he is appointed the better as there is just so much to do here that every day lost makes the job, certainly of competing next season, that bit harder. Just ten weeks today until the season kicks off.

While I agree this to a certain extent I think the days of a manager coming in and building a squad up no longer exists. Managers or coaches, like most players, are hired guns to come in to do a certain job in about 2 to 3 years max time period. It is more down to the owner, CEO and board to create the 'foundations' to restructure a club.  Swansea have had 7 managers in the past 10 years but the same chairman, and Southampton have had 9 managers in 8 years- but Les Reed has been head of recruitment for the last 6 years.