Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

Rout-Ledge · Feb 14, 2024

easley91 said:
Have any of you actually read the article/interview? Because I have and it really isn't that bad.

Some of you also seem to forget that he had lost three close friends in a very short period and had a health scare of his own yet you talk about him like Harry Potter talks about he who should not be named.

As above, I have absolute sympathy for his personal issues. The way he dealt with the club (which supported him throughout) though was really poor, and utterly disrespectful. He made a very nice wedge out of it too, by the way.

Styopa · Feb 14, 2024

easley91 said:
Have any of you actually read the article/interview? Because I have and it really isn't that bad.

Some of you also seem to forget that he had lost three close friends in a very short period and had a health scare of his own yet you talk about him like Harry Potter talks about he who should not be named.

I read the article, I didn’t think it was that bad. In fact it was a bit of a nothing fluff type piece for the most part.

I have sympathy for him losing three close friends, but it doesn’t mean he’s beyond criticism for the job he did. It’s a mitigating factor, but that’s all.

We all have to deal with personal losses in our lives. I actually lost my mum to cancer the same month Nuno was sacked. She wasn’t a particularly old woman, she had just reached retirement age that year. Conte’s first game in charge was the day of her funeral. The game was on the TV in the pub where we had the wake.

Misfit · Feb 14, 2024

Had he resigned after all the off-field loss and heartache, and his own health issues, he'd probably be remembered quite fondly funnily enough.

But he didn't.

Anyways, I'm sure he'll positively love life working with AC Milan's budget next season if the rumours are true.

Styopa · Feb 14, 2024

Misfit said:
Had he resigned after all the off-field loss and heartache, and his own health issues, he'd probably be remembered quite fondly funnily enough.

But he didn't.

Anyways, I'm sure he'll positively love life working with AC Milan's budget next season if the rumours are true.

Yeah most people were massively behind him after the first season.

Then the football was really uninspiring during the first half of the second season, but most people were hoping it would improve after the World Cup.

I think what really turned the mood was when he basically refused to commit to his future here, around January. I think the whole project then just ran out of steam. It was becoming pretty clear he wasn’t going to be around next season and at the same time it was looking increasingly unlikely that we would win anything during the remainder of the season. So it was like, what’s the point? The whole reason to employ a coach like Conte is to win something during the short period he’s at a club.

easley91 · Feb 14, 2024

Styopa said:
I read the article, I didn’t think it was that bad. In fact it was a bit of a nothing fluff type piece for the most part.

I have sympathy for him losing three close friends, but it doesn’t mean he’s beyond criticism for the job he did. It’s a mitigating factor, but that’s all.

We all have to deal with personal losses in our lives. I actually lost my mum to cancer the same month Nuno was sacked. She wasn’t a particularly old woman, she had just reached retirement age that year. Conte’s first game in charge was the day of her funeral. The game was on the TV in the pub where we had the wake.

To be honest if I had lost three friends and had medical issues myself (meaning I had to go back and forth between countries away from family etc) in the same period I'd probably struggle to do the job to the best of my abilities and my mind would certainly not be right for it. So I think he should get a bit of slack for that timeframe, but perhaps I am alone on that front.

What he said after Southampton was actually nothing different from what gets said on here about our players. He was wrong to say it in public, but to this day I don't think what he said was completely unfair and I bet he told them face to face as well. We had all thought it at one point hadn't we? I know I did.

Styopa · Feb 14, 2024

easley91 said:
To be honest if I had lost three friends and had medical issues myself (meaning I had to go back and forth between countries away from family etc) in the same period I'd probably struggle to do the job to the best of my abilities and my mind would certainly not be right for it. So I think he should get a bit of slack for that timeframe, but perhaps I am alone on that front.

What he said after Southampton was actually nothing different from what gets said on here about our players. He was wrong to say it in public, but to this day I don't think what he said was completely unfair and I bet he told them face to face as well. We had all thought it at one point hadn't we? I know I did.

Yeah but I think he does get slack for it from most people. It’s regularly brought up in discussions about the job he did here. It’s not like it’s totally forgotten or overlooked. It was one of the centre pieces of the interview just released. It gets taken into account nearly every time his name is invoked.

Like I said, it’s a mitigating factor. But at the same time it doesn’t mean the job he did is beyond scrutiny?

And to compare what Conte said as manager of the club, to what fans say on here, as if that makes it ok, is silly. Look at some of the nonsense and abuse that is spouted in the match threads. Conte is a professional who was paid by the club to perform in a professional manner. The people on here aren’t paid millions to represent Tottenham Hotspur. We can’t be expected to be held to the same standards as someone who is.

-Afri-Coy- · Feb 14, 2024

Styopa said:
It’s true we were ninth when Conte took over (after ten league matches), but we were only two points behind 5th placed Arsenal who we eventually finished two points above. A four point swing over twenty eight matches.

I’m not saying Conte didn’t do a good job during that season, but a miracle? Not for me. I suppose the bar had been set so low by Jose and Nuno that it maybe it felt like a miracle?

This part I've put in bold is probably why it seemed like more of an achievement that it really was.

tottenhamlad · Feb 14, 2024

He didn't exactly do a terrible job.

He got us 4th and when he left we were in 4th.

tottenhamlad · Feb 14, 2024

-Afri-Coy- said:
This part I've put in bold is probably why it seemed like more of an achievement that it really was.

With that defense/midfield it was a bit of a miracle.

-Afri-Coy- · Feb 14, 2024

BorjeSpurs said:
No it wasn't.

After the United game when Nuno was fired we were 2 points away from any realistic top 4 contenders.

On top of that, Nuno had already played City, Arsenal, Chelsea, United and West Ham (at London Stadium).

View attachment 137895

Just look at that goal difference in comparison to the teams around us, and we got 9 of those 15 points in the first 3 games of the season.

It just so happened that the teams above us weren't too far ahead already, but we were the worst team in the league at that point and if Levy hadn't made the change after United we would've kept on sliding down.

It's all conjecture though, we were horrid under Nuno and taking away from what Conte achieved that season to get us into 4th is a bit unfair tbh.

Styopa · Feb 14, 2024

-Afri-Coy- said:
This part I've put in bold is probably why it seemed like more of an achievement that it really was.

I completely agree that the turnaround he achieved in a short space of time was a really good achievement.

That was probably an insight into what has made him successful at other clubs. He goes in and has an instant impact before things fall apart after a couple of seasons.

The problem for us was that it was never going to be a one or two year job. There was just too much to do.

-Afri-Coy- · Feb 14, 2024

Styopa said:
I completely agree that the turnaround he achieved in a short space of time was a really good achievement.

That was probably an insight into what has made him successful at other clubs. He goes in and has an instant impact before things fall apart after a couple of seasons.

The problem for us was that it was never going to be a one or two year job. There was just too much to do.

In hindsight, Levy was trying to put a bandage on a bullet wound with both JM and Conte, it was never going to work out because of how he runs the club.

It's crazy to think that he couldn't see it, and that we all knew what would happen if he didn't loosen the purse strings.

Honestly, we should've been 2-3 years into project Ange by now and I'm glad we're finally heading in the right direction.

TOLBINY · Feb 14, 2024

Rout-Ledge said:
Conte says he is such a winner that finishing fourth isn’t enough for him. Great, but so what? If he’s too good for this job then he should have either (a) not taken it in the first place or (b) proven it whilst he was here. He finished fourth, just like Poch and Harry before him. Stay humble, Antonio.

Where did he say he thought he was too good for the job? He's a winner, as a player and as a manager. he is not willing to settle for anything less than giving everything you can in pursuit of winning and he wants players and employers who are like minded.

SirHarryHotspur · Feb 14, 2024

easley91 said:
What he said after Southampton was actually nothing different from what gets said on here about our players. He was wrong to say it in public, but to this day I don't think what he said was completely unfair and I bet he told them face to face as well. We had all thought it at one point hadn't we? I know I did.

Not sure he did , according to Hojbjerg he didn't tell the players what he was going to say at the press conference.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg responds to Antonio Conte’s criticism of Tottenham players

The Denmark international has become the first Tottenham player to give his verdict on Conte’s extraordinary outburst

www.independent.co.uk

To be fair to Conte we were in a worse position after 24 games when we made fourth than we are at the moment in trying to stay in top 4

Misfit · Feb 14, 2024

Besides anything else, he didn't rate Bissouma, gave Sarr only a cursory chance in which he did well enough before ignoring him roundly afterwards again and rejected Maddison outright. Dubble yew tee eff!

He has his fans and detractors but ultimately he was about as bad a fit for this club as it's possible to be.

Stamford · Feb 14, 2024

The anger towards him is actually a bit weird now

mil1lion · Feb 14, 2024

-Afri-Coy- said:
In hindsight, Levy was trying to put a bandage on a bullet wound with both JM and Conte, it was never going to work out because of how he runs the club.

It's crazy to think that he couldn't see it, and that we all knew what would happen if he didn't loosen the purse strings.

Honestly, we should've been 2-3 years into project Ange by now and I'm glad we're finally heading in the right direction.

I think the project really started a couple years ago when we got Paratici in. Conte always felt like a short term fix until the squad started to take shape. It felt more a waste under Jose when we had no dof and no transfer strategy. At least prior to Ange we had things in motion and we got the likes of Sarr and Udogie. Even Porro was signed not long before Conte was fired. All things considered we've actually come out a lot better than we could have.

Conte always spoke about needing a few windows and I think we've done as well as we could the last 2. Just the summer before last we left ourselves a bit short in defence. We still got a few good players in though. It's just lucky a lot of those players have worked wonders for Ange and his system. I think we're one strong summer from having a team to challenge for titles. I think even Conte would have done great with this squad now but thankfully so will Ange. Difference is the fans have a much close bond with Ange than Conte largely due to the football but also his personality.

EssexSH27 · Feb 14, 2024

I don’t really think about him anymore beyond a real annoyance how we treated that Milan double header. For me we should’ve been in another CL final with the route we had.

If he signs that contract, which 99% of managers probably do, we’re in a complete mess right now, guess we can be grateful that he decided against it.

Japhet · Feb 14, 2024

tottenhamlad said:
With that defense/midfield it was a bit of a miracle.

It was a miracle because he set us up with a numerical disadvantage in midfield every fucking game.

TOLBINY · Feb 14, 2024

Misfit said:
Besides anything else, he didn't rate Bissouma, gave Sarr only a cursory chance in which he did well enough before ignoring him roundly afterwards again and rejected Maddison outright. Dubble yew tee eff!

He has his fans and detractors but ultimately he was about as bad a fit for this club as it's possible to be.

Sarr was great away to Milan in ECL he was awful at home in the NLD. Which Sarr was Conte supposed to pick?

You're right about him being a poor fit - he has a winners mentality.

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