- Mar 7, 2005
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Unveiling AVB would make us the laughing stock of the league, he did well at Porto but strangely I find myself agreeing with Spursking on him. He completely lost the dressing room at Chelsea and I'd have serious doubts about him and his man managment especially
I think there are a few question marks, which make him a risk, but there also a lot of positives which suggest he could be a risk worth taking. Certainly of the realistic possibles he's one I'd accept.
I know what you mean about his man-management, but in reality we only have his experience at Chelsea, with the hoary, objectionable, opinionated veterans which fill that dressing room. He's not the first Chelsea manager to fall out with some of those characters in recent years, Jose Mourinho famously got the flick when JT stabbed him in the back, how much harder when you're no older than they, and haven't got multiple Championships to back you up?
On the other hand, more worrying for me than his man-management skills, was his inability, or unwillingness to adapt his formula to the realities of the team he managed. Trying to get that side to play a high-line, and the kind of dynamic football he managed at Porto was never going to work; he should have realised it and done something different. But on the other hand (can you have three hands? ) Abramovich presumably brought him in to reshape that Chelsea side in the image of Porto. I think it's well documented that Roman wants Chelsea to be less dour, more like Barcelona, that would have been the brief, and it was also why Ancelotti got the flick. Not because he wasn't successful - he clearly was - but because he was pragmatic in shaping his tactics to the strengths of his players. In that situation, what would you do? Do what got the last guy the sack? Or take on the challenge, take the risk, and try and make that silk purse? And therein lies the cause of the dressing room unrest, because of course to do it he had ruffle feathers, he had to get shot of those who'd made a career out of playing one way. He also had to accommodate Torres. And he had to do it under a Chairman unwilling to take a step back to take a step forwards. In short none of the ingredients were there.
Are they there with us? Well I'd say we've a chairman who desperately wants to do it the visionary way, and who can't afford to follow the Abramovich path. AVB would have authority if he demonstrated he bought into that vision, even if the results weren't good (provided it wasn't relegation form!), and our team also really suits AVB's preferred style, imo.
All of which says why he might not be such a terrible choice, but doesn't make the case for why he'd be a really good one. Basically we can think of reasonable reasons for his failings, but that's a long way from saying this guy is definitely our man. Personally I think he'd be a big risk, however it much easier to envisage a big pay-off, if it works out, than it is for some of the other guys mentioned.
Who are all these AVB lovers. Are you people on prescription medication?
Not sure there are many AVB lovers in this thread. But you seem to have a strong anti-AVB opinion, what are your main fears?