Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[Jamturk]

I don't think it's a case of Arteta being better than Conte at all, it's just that one size doesn't Fitz Hall in football management and that you need for horses for courses.

Anyway enough of the cliches, have a good day!

 

[McFlash]

Right, we're paying him for trophies he won elsewhere? Hero worship gone mad...

Bringing this in here so as not to clog up the itk thread.

Of course we're paying him for trophies he's won elsewhere, that kind of how being successful works, no?
It's the same in all walks of life, if you're proven to be good at whatever job you do, you'll be more in demand and can command higher wages than someone who isn't.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

I'm guilty of being pro-Conte and therefore this is aimed at posters like me. Half my reason for wanting to stick with him is continuity, and lack of faith in those in charge of identifying a successor or maintaining investment in the squad. I'll suffer the less than scintillating football as a price worth paying for this. Mind you, I'm not currently paying the fortunes Levy demands to get into the stadium as I live overseas. I respect all game goers if you have the opposite view.

I do think the absences of Romero and Kulu have cost us big time this season, at both ends of the pitch. It would have been less of a struggle if injuries had fallen elsewhere in the squad.

I fkin hope we get a couple in quickly, so they are good to go for the Goons and the double header v City from mid-month.

And this is my thing. Not everyone criticising Conte thinks he should go. Some of us just want him to do a better job than he's currently doing.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

There are no excuses good enough for such a swing between ourselves and them in such a short period.

Yet, the swing is even greater for Liverpool and Man City but I don’t see anyone suggesting Arteta is a better manager than Pep or Klopp, or that either need to improve or leave.

 

[jurgen]

Nearly 2023 and people here are still pretending that problem was scouting and not appointing Mourinho was not only bad manager but with completely different style than Poch lol

Both were an issue, it's not either or.

 

[jurgen]

Yet, the swing is even greater for Liverpool and Man City but I don’t see anyone suggesting Arteta is a better manager than Pep or Klopp, or that either need to improve or leave.

Pep brought in Haaland and sold 'Tets' his benchwarmer striker as well ffs...

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

Noone is beyond criticism. However, the bloke is still using a core of players that previous coaches were stuck with. Who also failed to get a tune.

The common denominators here, are obvious. Conte isn't without flaws, but he does have, for me, considerable leeway with the players he's using.

I actually think he's got us punching above.

Well yes, that's usually how it works. A manager comes in, and for the most part has to work with the players already there. He joined us just over a year ago, and in that time has had Romero, Kulusevski, Bentancur, Richarlison, Lenglet, Perisic and Bissouma to work with that our previous managers didn't (I know Romero came in a couple of months before Conte did).

in that time, we've also gotten rid of Ndombele, Lo Celso, Alli, Reguilon, Bergwijn, Winks. That's 7 first-team level players in and 6 players considered deadwood in 13 months. That's not to talk about players like Spence, Sarr and Gil who he clearly doesn't fancy. How many other managers get that kind of backing straight off the bat? Is there still work to do? Of course there is. It's a work in progress. But where is this core of players that have been letting the side down over the tenure of successive managers? It doesn't exist anymore. There's Sanchez, Dier, Davies and Lucas Moura. If we're being creative, we can add Doherty who has been here just over 2 years to that list. And if you're struggling for names, then we can perhaps also include 22 year old Sessegnon and 23 year old Tanganga. And that's where it ends.

I'm very much still Conte in, but to claim he's being given mission impossible to do is demonstrably ridiculous.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

Yet, the swing is even greater for Liverpool and Man City but I don’t see anyone suggesting Arteta is a better manager than Pep or Klopp, or that either need to improve or leave.

Can you think of any reasons why that might be the case?

 

[SPURSLIFE]

Yet, the swing is even greater for Liverpool and Man City but I don’t see anyone suggesting Arteta is a better manager than Pep or Klopp, or that either need to improve or leave.

In fairness Pep and Klopp have won quite a few trophies between them over recent seasons so the club and I believe their fans would accept a temporary drop in form. However I think what the poster was getting at is the Arteta transformation for Arsenal seems to have come from nowhere. You would expect after them missing out on CL by us in the last few games of the season they would improve this season but not where thay are at the moment. They could actually win the bloody thing although I still believe City will in the end.

 

[Guernman]

I have no illusions that we can challenge the likes of City on a continuous basis. As long as clubs have infinite resources and are funded by oil states they will always dominate. Sadly, Newcastle will soon be up there too. But that doesn't mean we couldn't win the league or even the CL as a one-off freakish event. We are seeing that now with Arsenal, who will not have a better opportunity than this season while the likes of Liverpool, United and Chelsea have transitional years.

For a club like Arsenal or Spurs to win something significant they need to be very lucky with a number of big clubs having a bad year at the same time, and they need to get everything right themselves.

Conte has his flaws, but he is still an elite manager. If Arsenal had backed him these last few years instead of Arteta they would be ahead of where they are. Arteta is not an elite manager. Perhaps he will be one day, but he isn't yet and that is just a fact. But he has been truly backed by his club, with money, patience and control.

There is no doubt that a manager like Conte is capable of winning something with Spurs, in fact he represents the best chance we have had in decades. But it is never going to happen unless we fully back him in the way Arsenal have backed Arteta. We have limited resources, and because of this Conte, alongside Paratici, must be given complete control over how those resources are spent.

It was always going to be a challenge for Levy to really step back from the football side of things, but if he doesn't get out of his own way now, he will forever condemn his legacy. We have more than enough money to keep Conte happy, this is now just about total control between two total control freaks. It's time for the one who is pretty clueless about football to back down.

 

[ComfortablyNumb]

Bringing this in here so as not to clog up the itk thread.

Of course we're paying him for trophies he's won elsewhere, that kind of how being successful works, no?
It's the same in all walks of life, if you're proven to be good at whatever job you do, you'll be more in demand and can command higher wages than someone who isn't.

Nonsense. His pedigree is why we pay him big bucks, but he still has to deliver on his objectives while he's here. Look back through the comments, and that's what is being said, until The Lad suggested he didn't have to justify his wedge because of his past glories. Ther're a few others on here who won't have Conte criticised because of what he's achieved elsewhere. I don't car what he's done elsewhere, I care about what he hasn'nt done here.

 

[Flobadob]

Nonsense. His pedigree is why we pay him big bucks, but he still has to deliver on his objectives while he's here. Look back through the comments, and that's what is being said, until The Lad suggested he didn't have to justify his wedge because of his past glories. Ther're a few others on here who won't have Conte criticised because of what he's achieved elsewhere. I don't car what he's done elsewhere, I care about what he hasn'nt done here.

He got us CL while scoring goals for fun second half of last season when we had absolutely no business being anywhere near it before he arrived. He literally earned his 20m a year just with that alone

 

[McFlash]

Nonsense. His pedigree is why we pay him big bucks, but he still has to deliver on his objectives while he's here. Look back through the comments, and that's what is being said, until The Lad suggested he didn't have to justify his wedge because of his past glories. Ther're a few others on here who won't have Conte criticised because of what he's achieved elsewhere. I don't car what he's done elsewhere, I care about what he hasn'nt done here.

Of course he's still got to meet his objectives here and so far, he has.
Yes there are improvements to make and of course he's not above criticism but in the flip side of that, it's pretty nonsensical to just ignore what he's achieved in the game so far.

With many in our squad, he's trying to make a silk purse out of a sows ear.
Let's just give him a bit more time to build his squad before we criticise him too harshly.

There are plenty of signs as to what he's trying to do, he's just being let down by the usual suspects in the squad.

 

[EastUpperDK82]

Nonsense. His pedigree is why we pay him big bucks, but he still has to deliver on his objectives while he's here. Look back through the comments, and that's what is being said, until The Lad suggested he didn't have to justify his wedge because of his past glories. Ther're a few others on here who won't have Conte criticised because of what he's achieved elsewhere. I don't car what he's done elsewhere, I care about what he hasn'nt done here.

That's fine as long as people remember that he is not only trying to change things on the pitch... but very much off it as well... he knows very well that it goes hand in hand if you want to succeed at the highest level...

Conte's name and pedigree alone opens up for Paratici and Levy to do magic in the windows if they want to.

Conte keeps pushing because he knows we can do much better... of course he has to deliver as well... he did it against all odds last season with the CL Qualification... this season has been up and down. Weird... but we are still in the top 4 and in the knock-out phase in the CL.... the FA Cup is also still a possibility.

We can do much better on the pitch than we are at the moment. But if we back him in january again and give him support, then we will be up and running again like the end of last season. He has already shown what he can do with the team when everything is clicking... no doubt.

The changes Conte is trying to make
is not only for here and now. He is trying to impact how we operate and think as a club.

And many of the players we have signed during the Conte/Paratici partnership will make us competitive for the next years no matter what happens... I hope they get to do more work for us. Because they are doing exactly what we need.

 

[worcestersauce]

Bringing this in here so as not to clog up the itk thread.

Of course we're paying him for trophies he's won elsewhere, that kind of how being successful works, no?
It's the same in all walks of life, if you're proven to be good at whatever job you do, you'll be more in demand and can command higher wages than someone who isn't.

Cheers McFlash I'm still banned from that since last summer.

 

[PeeEyeEmPee]

I have no illusions that we can challenge the likes of City on a continuous basis. As long as clubs have infinite resources and are funded by oil states they will always dominate. Sadly, Newcastle will soon be up there too. But that doesn't mean we couldn't win the league or even the CL as a one-off freakish event. We are seeing that now with Arsenal, who will not have a better opportunity than this season while the likes of Liverpool, United and Chelsea have transitional years.

For a club like Arsenal or Spurs to win something significant they need to be very lucky with a number of big clubs having a bad year at the same time, and they need to get everything right themselves.

Conte has his flaws, but he is still an elite manager. If Arsenal had backed him these last few years instead of Arteta they would be ahead of where they are. Arteta is not an elite manager. Perhaps he will be one day, but he isn't yet and that is just a fact. But he has been truly backed by his club, with money, patience and control.

There is no doubt that a manager like Conte is capable of winning something with Spurs, in fact he represents the best chance we have had in decades. But it is never going to happen unless we fully back him in the way Arsenal have backed Arteta. We have limited resources, and because of this Conte, alongside Paratici, must be given complete control over how those resources are spent.

It was always going to be a challenge for Levy to really step back from the football side of things, but if he doesn't get out of his own way now, he will forever condemn his legacy. We have more than enough money to keep Conte happy, this is now just about total control between two total control freaks. It's time for the one who is pretty clueless about football to back down.

I think this is my main source of disappointment. After our finish to last season, and the transfer window we had, I quietly thought everything was possibly in place if the odds were in our favour for us to spring a surprise with an elite manager, a squad with momentum plus quality new additions, City and Liverpool not being able to maintain their monstrous pace of the last few seasons, a World Cup midseason etc. Basically like Arsenal are doing now. The one thing I didn't even consider as a possibility was that we'd be worse.

 

[McFlash]

Cheers McFlash I'm still banned from that since last summer.

Ah mate sorry to hear that.
I still think we should have a mass unbanning as we've lost many decent posters from that section.
I understand the need to ban but some appear a bit harsh, compared to others.

 

[TOMSPURS]

Arsenal's Mikel Arteta tries to motivate his players with a LIGHT BULB

Fans will be keen to see Gunners manager Arteta's bizarre motivational techniques, as he urged his players in a pre-game speech to create 'energy' and 'electricity' as he held a lit light bulb up to them.

www.dailymail.co.uk

I know that shower down the road have had a fantastic start to the season, but comparing Mr. Lightbulb Arteta to Antonio Conte is laughable ........ Son, Kane & Kulu will start scoring regularly 2nd half of the season. Let's see how successful that shower down the road are when the real pressure comes on them & Mr. Motivator.

 

[C1w8]

The Arteta is better than Conte brigade have their entire opinion based on current league position.

They don't have the balls to say Arteta is better than Pep and Klopp by the same token though.

Im not in this brigade but Ive watched a lot of arsenal this year and the credit arteta is getting is not league position, its the way they play with so much intent and purpose and they dominate the games for the most part.

Flip it around and the reason we're down on our team at the moment in spite of our league position which is good, is because the football is so bad.

I agree with everyone saying comparing them is pointless, but just saying that arteta is a good manager as a few have dismissed him, and if we want to tally up whos done better at what stage of rebuild let's also remember he won them an fa cup also.

Conte is not a certain bet to win anything just because hes done it before, even if he is backed, and i wouldnt particularly hold it against him if he didnt as the competition is so strong, but i would like to see progress and improvement which at the moment we're struggling for. Contract limbo also doesnt help in this regard.

Hoping we come out firing against villa and get go on a bit of a run, which would include beating arsenal. My fear is that they come to ours in a couple weeks and really stick it to us (again), then things could really turn sour.

 

[THE SPURSBOY]

Im not in this brigade but Ive watched a lot of arsenal this year and the credit arteta is getting is not league position, its the way they play with so much intent and purpose and they dominate the games for the most part.

Flip it around and the reason we're down on our team at the moment in spite of our league position which is good, is because the football is so bad.

I agree with everyone saying comparing them is pointless, but just saying that arteta is a good manager as a few have dismissed him, and if we want to tally up whos done better at what stage of rebuild let's also remember he won them an fa cup also.

Conte is not a certain bet to win anything just because hes done it before, even if he is backed, and i wouldnt particularly hold it against him if he didnt as the competition is so strong, but i would like to see progress and improvement which at the moment we're struggling for. Contract limbo also doesnt help in this regard.

Hoping we come out firing against villa and get go on a bit of a run, which would include beating arsenal. My fear is that they come to ours in a couple weeks and really stick it to us (again), then things could really turn sour.

Yes I’m dreading the city and arse matches tbh