Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

While I have always wanted Conte to stay, there is probably little point as he will never be backed the way stop manager should be, the teamsheet for the game against Leicester clearly illustrates this. Suspect he will leave at the end of the season no matter what happens between now and then and Levy will no doubt see it as someone elses fault yet again and will present the fans with another new shiny manager, another 5 yr plan and the cycle continues, nothing changes until it changes at boardroom level.

H-SF said:

This stat creates a misleading narrative. Pochettino largely failed at PSG, Jose really hasn’t done an impressive job at Roma (yes they won the fucking conference league) and Nuno is managing in Saudi Arabia. None of them have done anything to suggest we were wrong to sack them.

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Why would you even reply to that comment, leave him in the clouds with the star dog.

Lot of connecting the dots here I admit but what if what I'm currently thinking is right.

Conte isn't staying behind the season, he has been through hell losing three friends and having surgery whilst staying in a hotel away from his family.

He is really down, the players know he is and it's a hard environment because of it, the players also know he isn't staying which whether we agree with it or not lessens his effect when demanding commitment.

What if all that is really effecting our form and whilst yes it's awful for Conte at what point does the club say to him thanks very much but take gardening leave early and try to get someone to rejuvenate the squad in terms of spirit and also delivering the message because whatever he was telling this last season isn't working this one.

Loyalty to a man who has lost a lot this season is commendable but if he isn't staying you don't put that loyalty above potentially losing out on being in a 100 million pound competition.

As I said a lot of connecting the dots and it could be bollocks but I don't see it being totally far fetched at all.

4 more months of this…

So all this "elite" manager needs is all the best payers in all positions. ?

I haven't seen any evidence of him improving a player. Kulu and Bentancur came and hit the ground running straight away, so not sure they count. Most players seem to have regressed.

He plays the same formation regardless of the players he has. We obviously have a poor defence, so why persist with a system that puts extra pressure on your weakest area.

An elite manager should be able to change things up. Different formations, tactics etc. We are so predictable to play against.

On top of that he won't commit to the club and he has pretty much bitched and moaned his way through his tenure, giving off an air like we're lucky to have him.

Im done with him now, he needs to go. Let's give the new/next guy the rest of the season so that they are properly integrated for next season and we go again.

AJW said:

4 more months of this…

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Italian loves Italy. Huge shocker.

rossdapep said:

Did Levy forget that? If so, why did he abondon it for the least 'project coach' in the game? Which ended up costing the club millions and wasting time.

Why did he then fail to appoint any of Ten Hag, Gallardo, Potter, Rodgers etc etc who would all do well in a project?

I think its simply that he will always turn to a 'winner' and hope they magically come up with the goods.

The pursuit of rehiring Poch also comes with tints of 'quick fixism'. Lets just get back the coach who was our most adored and succesful (In PL/CL) and hope it all comes together.

So another reason why Levy should step aside and let a footballing person select and hire the coach.

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You're using words like 'project coach' but how is what Conte is doing now not a 'project'? It's a different kind of project to what Pochettino was doing but then it starts at a different point. Lots of these words and concepts sound good and seem to make sense, but reality is usually a lot more simple and straightforward.

In your next post you even spell out the simplicity of it all.

Hiring a coach like Mourinho or Conte is the logical step if you want to get us over the line, if you want to get the most of Harry Kane and Son whilst you still can. Plus we have become good enough to be able to hire coaches that were once out of our league. Wouldn't you do the same?

We are a club that is evolving and growing. With respect, a club like Brighton might hire left-field managers with little to no experience and try to recruit diamonds in the rough. But we have expanded beyond that (they may too); we are not bound by a philosophy (on the footballing side at least) and will try to take the best possible course at any given moment.

I didn't like Mourinho and thought he was finished. But it made sense in a lot of ways. Plus, do you remember all his talk at the time? He was very big on how he'd changed and adapted and wanted new challenges.

I had some reservations about Conte but again it makes sense. Is it not the case that Conte's style is exactly what this squad and club needed? Wouldn't you have hired him at that point?

Why would hiring any manager be a short term fix? They are either successful or they are not. If Pochettino gets us into the champions league and gets Kane to stay, isn't that good? You might say that we should clear the decks, sell Kane and rebuild. But I think that there are almost no managers that wouldn't want to keep Kane and wouldn't want to finish top four, and wouldn't try to rejuvenate the squad at the same time.

Do you see what i'm getting at? I'm not knocking you but it seems as though people are talking about certain things as if they are mutually exclusive, or are invoking these concepts that don't really mean very much. You can plan for the future and try to capitalise on the present at the same time. For example. It's just not the case that 3 years of Conte will leave us with some bizarre squad that only he can use and the next manager will flounder around aimlessly, not knowing what to make of this strange Porro creature.

So much of this discussion feels like String Theory... not even wrong.

AJW said:

4 more months of this…

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Can't really judge this quote without context. Could be negative, could be nothing.

ZiggySpurs said:

Italian loves Italy. Huge shocker.

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It's almost as if some people on here / Twatter would fully expect that Pochettino would do an interview next week saying that England will always be his first love and that the Falklands will be English forevermore.... and then ripping open the sleeve of his shirt to show a tattoo of the chicken badge on his arm with #COYS in script underneath, with " I 8 Chelsea" underneath that on the next line.....

If we play the way things are sounding from him, then we're in for a grim 4 months until season's end.

From Hytner's piece in the Guardian:
Conte was horrified with the performance at Leicester, especially as it had followed the win over City – the best result of his team’s season – and he said that his players were struggling to cope with the relentless pressure.

“We are lacking stability,” Conte said. “It’s very difficult to stay focused all the time. Playing under pressure all the time is good for some players and bad for others. Sometimes players feel motivated and sometimes players feel so under pressure they cannot perform, they collapse under the pressure.

“The pressure is different between Italy and England. In Italy, you speak about football from Monday and you finish on a Sunday. They put a lot of pressure. You’re born in this way and you grow with this pressure. In England, there is an atmosphere that brings you to enjoy football without a lot of pressure because football is a sport. In Italy, it is sometimes a war between the fans and the teams. This is the main difference.”

What is he on about here? Isn't it his job to build the team up? Why aren't we more stable/consistent in our performance level? All fucking season we've played like Jekyll and Hyde. Why would they be feeling so under pressure at a regular weekend game vs Leicester, having just pulled off a smashing result vs City? Has he no agency over how we prepare and perform?

How people still defend this guy is absolutely comical. You are simply living in utter defiance of reality if you don’t see how poor of a job he is doing, in all aspects of managing.

AJW said:

4 more months of this…

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Reading that first paragraph ???

Then you arrive at the last sentence ??

PrettyColors said:

How people still defend this guy is absolutely comical. You are simply living in utter defiance of reality if you don’t see how poor of a job he is doing, in all aspects of managing.

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It's very easy to get fooled by the woman in the red dress and you have to understand Tottenham fans are desperate very desperate to be sitting around the trophy table.

Tottenham fans are like guys who haven't pulled in a club whens it's ten to three, clubs ready to close lights are coming on, but their desperate to pull. Them 3's who they gave no attention to are now 10's, don't wanna go home empty handed and call it a day.

ZiggySpurs said:

Italian loves Italy. Huge shocker.

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Stavrogin said:

You're using words like 'project coach' but how is what Conte is doing now not a 'project'? It's a different kind of project to what Pochettino was doing but then it starts at a different point. Lots of these words and concepts sound good and seem to make sense, but reality is usually a lot more simple and straightforward.

In your next post you even spell out the simplicity of it all.

Hiring a coach like Mourinho or Conte is the logical step if you want to get us over the line, if you want to get the most of Harry Kane and Son whilst you still can. Plus we have become good enough to be able to hire coaches that were once out of our league. Wouldn't you do the same?

We are a club that is evolving and growing. With respect, a club like Brighton might hire left-field managers with little to no experience and try to recruit diamonds in the rough. But we have expanded beyond that (they may too); we are not bound by a philosophy (on the footballing side at least) and will try to take the best possible course at any given moment.

I didn't like Mourinho and thought he was finished. But it made sense in a lot of ways. Plus, do you remember all his talk at the time? He was very big on how he'd changed and adapted and wanted new challenges.

I had some reservations about Conte but again it makes sense. Is it not the case that Conte's style is exactly what this squad and club needed? Wouldn't you have hired him at that point?

Why would hiring any manager be a short term fix? They are either successful or they are not. If Pochettino gets us into the champions league and gets Kane to stay, isn't that good? You might say that we should clear the decks, sell Kane and rebuild. But I think that there are almost no managers that wouldn't want to keep Kane and wouldn't want to finish top four, and wouldn't try to rejuvenate the squad at the same time.

Do you see what i'm getting at? I'm not knocking you but it seems as though people are talking about certain things as if they are mutually exclusive, or are invoking these concepts that don't really mean very much. You can plan for the future and try to capitalise on the present at the same time. For example. It's just not the case that 3 years of Conte will leave us with some bizarre squad that only he can use and the next manager will flounder around aimlessly, not knowing what to make of this strange Porro creature.

So much of this discussion feels like String Theory... not even wrong.

Click to expand...

I used the term 'project coach' because most people associate the meaning of that to be a coach who has a longer-term goal and is afforded a bit more patience.

Id like to think Conte is/was in it for a 'project' and I have been very very vocal about him being given that time, patience and backing. I'd be very pleased if I woke up tomorrow to find that he will sign a new contract in the summer, FP will be staying and the club will address the defence/gk which is where i think we are really being let down.

Unfortunately I don't feel like that will happen, certainly as FP looks to be in big troue. So it's only natural for the mind to drift towards what next - and I dont think we can keep making appointments based on the simple assertion 'X coach will get ua over the line'.

We are not set up like that.

Although, when we first got mutterings we were going for Conte, I got excited and I didnt think short term fix because it was evident the squad needed a ton of work. I was thrilled though.

I guess what I meant by 'short term fix' is that it feels like not much thought goes into the decision. Especially the Jose one, that was Levy acting on a long-term target despite that item expiring.

Lastly, those quick fixes are not really working out for us, so its something that needs serious consideration.

Sure, we hire a coach because we hope they can succeed and not because we think they can improve year on year until year 5 we fight for the title.

But by the same token, if we are going to sign players like Spence, Gil and Sarr, then we aren't going to have any immediate success because they aren't close to ready yet, we need to have a little more of a longer strategy to match their development.

Lastly, Ive been very vocal about post-Conte and that we wont have issues adapting players to different systems. Ive stated that I believe Udogie and Porro would be great options in a Poch team, for example.

I draw the line on Jose's signings though ?

Was it a question from an Italian journo? And were they asking him about returning in the future?

If so, its not actually a big drama.

AJW said:

4 more months of this…

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Sorry but what is wrong with what he has apparently said ? He is merely speaking the obvious truth as anyone would about their home country.

rossdapep said:

I used the term 'project coach' because most people associate the meaning of that to be a coach who has a longer-term goal and is afforded a bit more patience.

Id like to think Conte is/was in it for a 'project' and I have been very very vocal about him being given that time, patience and backing. I'd be very pleased if I woke up tomorrow to find that he will sign a new contract in the summer, FP will be staying and the club will address the defence/gk which is where i think we are really being let down.

Unfortunately I don't feel like that will happen, certainly as FP looks to be in big troue. So it's only natural for the mind to drift towards what next - and I dont think we can keep making appointments based on the simple assertion 'X coach will get ua over the line'.

We are not set up like that.

Although, when we first got mutterings we were going for Conte, I got excited and I didnt think short term fix because it was evident the squad needed a ton of work. I was thrilled though.

I guess what I meant by 'short term fix' is that it feels like not much thought goes into the decision. Especially the Jose one, that was Levy acting on a long-term target despite that item expiring.

Lastly, those quick fixes are not really working out for us, so its something that needs serious consideration.

Sure, we hire a coach because we hope they can succeed and not because we think they can improve year on year until year 5 we fight for the title.

But by the same token, if we are going to sign players like Spence, Gil and Sarr, then we aren't going to have any immediate success because they aren't close to ready yet, we need to have a little more of a longer strategy to match their development.

Lastly, Ive been very vocal about post-Conte and that we wont have issues adapting players to different systems. Ive stated that I believe Udogie and Porro would be great options in a Poch team, for example.

I draw the line on Jose's signings though ?

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Jose was helping a mate out with those signings.

rossdapep said:

Was it a question from an Italian journo? And were they asking him about returning in the future?

If so, its not actually a big drama.

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Context doesn’t matter, any chance to get the pitchforks out and SC loses its collective mind.

PrettyColors said:

How people still defend this guy is absolutely comical. You are simply living in utter defiance of reality if you don’t see how poor of a job he is doing, in all aspects of managing.

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Defiance of reality = delusional

jolsnogross said:

If we play the way things are sounding from him, then we're in for a grim 4 months until season's end.

From Hytner's piece in the Guardian:
Conte was horrified with the performance at Leicester, especially as it had followed the win over City – the best result of his team’s season – and he said that his players were struggling to cope with the relentless pressure.

“We are lacking stability,” Conte said. “It’s very difficult to stay focused all the time. Playing under pressure all the time is good for some players and bad for others. Sometimes players feel motivated and sometimes players feel so under pressure they cannot perform, they collapse under the pressure.

“The pressure is different between Italy and England. In Italy, you speak about football from Monday and you finish on a Sunday. They put a lot of pressure. You’re born in this way and you grow with this pressure. In England, there is an atmosphere that brings you to enjoy football without a lot of pressure because football is a sport. In Italy, it is sometimes a war between the fans and the teams. This is the main difference.”

What is he on about here? Isn't it his job to build the team up? Why aren't we more stable/consistent in our performance level? All fucking season we've played like Jekyll and Hyde. Why would they be feeling so under pressure at a regular weekend game vs Leicester, having just pulled off a smashing result vs City? Has he no agency over how we prepare and perform?

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Im starting to actually feel sorry for Conte. He is clearly a total imbecile. There is an easy fix for this and that is to simly just stop playing the deep laying defensive non pressing style of play that will let the opposition put pressure on us.