Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[Mr Pink]

Conte is known for moaning about the board in the media. He's literally done it at ALL of his jobs. Doesn't necessarily mean he's thinking of leaving. He's just very demanding. I'm not really concerned.

Agree to an extent.

But the pertinent difference is...in those other jobs he was seriously fecking backed.

I'm a little uneasy given our MO with transfers.

 

[only1waddle]

Yea completely fair enough mate.

Id also prefer our manager to be giving us hope and belief rather than seemingly just giving up and being defeatist but you look at how he’s build squads and his track record and you have to trust that overall if backed he will do well so put his comments to one side.

But I do completely agree with your points and perspective and would ideally rather our manager was more daring and positive for sure, but Conte is one of top 5 in the world so I’m fine to accept and ignore and embrace his baggage ?

I mostly agree, but the defeatist attitude before Chelsea wasn't healthy, although I suspect it was aimed directly at our lack of transfer activity at the time, he might be an elite coach but there needs to be a better way to get a public message across to those with the cheque book without a very public resignation of defeat before the game has played out, and pissing a section of fans off in the process.

 

[only1waddle]

Agree to an extent.

But the pertinent difference is...in those other jobs he was seriously fecking backed.

I'm a little uneasy given our MO with transfers.

We need a new "feeling a little uneasy" rating...

 

[curlacious]

The fact Conte says that in January we sent away 4 players and only brought in 2 so on paper weakened the squad doesn’t worry me too much, what does worry me is that he says that “if you want to go faster to be competitive you need to sign experienced players who are ready now who can add their experience and improve the squad but this is not the clubs strategy, they want to sign young players they can improve and I understand this now”.

That worry’s me because WHO is deciding that this is our strategy, it sounds to me like that is Levy yet again being involved and saying he wants the signings to be under x age with the potential for their value to grow basically.

If Paratici has set this strategy as part of a long-term full re-build then fair enough, I’m not against us focusing our signings on younger players under 25 etc, I actually think it is a good idea in principle if we can sign good ones who develop to a high level BUT if so then:
1) why is Conte only just realising this now?! Surely this would’ve been discussed before he joined?
2) will we flex and still allow Conte to sign some experienced players this summer as it is important we have a mix of experience and youth and not only signing young players
3) if we are focusing on signing under 25 players then the majority still still to be of a high quality level now, if they’re all at Bryan Gil level then we will be waiting a good 4-5 years to be anywhere near top4, if most the signings are more like Bentancur level or above then ok fine.

I think the first point is the concerning one. Why is this something he's just realising - there must've been HOURS of talks before he even signed for the club, and many hours since, to discuss transfer strategy. I mean, it's obvious that this is the case even looking from the outside. He seems to be suggesting that now he knows this he must revise down his ability to be successful here. It just seems very very strange to me. I can only think that he's covering his back for if and when it doesn't go well.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

I think the first point is the concerning one. Why is this something he's just realising - there must've been HOURS of talks before he even signed for the club, and many hours since, to discuss transfer strategy. I mean, it's obvious that this is the case even looking from the outside. He seems to be suggesting that now he knows this he must revise down his ability to be successful here. It just seems very very strange to me. I can only think that he's covering his back for if and when it doesn't go well.

You’ve summed it up perfectly mate

 

[jolsnogross]

I think and hope people are over interpreting the interview. The four that left weren't playing and their effort and determination is questionable. There's no way Conte is regretting their departures. We need to change the mentality (as ever) so those departures are good.

I also think people are getting carried away about 'senior' players and the club only wanting youthful prospects. Surely Gil coming in and going on loan so soon, after a chunky signing fee, would suggest we're not just going to punt on untested youth.

Bentancur looks good and looks like he's the right profile in terms of 'seniority' - he's important for his national side, he's had top level experience at Juve. If that checks out and we can add a couple more like that, we'll improve significantly.

 

[only1waddle]

I think the first point is the concerning one. Why is this something he's just realising - there must've been HOURS of talks before he even signed for the club, and many hours since, to discuss transfer strategy. I mean, it's obvious that this is the case even looking from the outside. He seems to be suggesting that now he knows this he must revise down his ability to be successful here. It just seems very very strange to me. I can only think that he's covering his back for if and when it doesn't go well.

Yeah, I'm guessing he thought that even though the squad needed a rebuild he could get a few firing, but now he's realised the squad is far weaker technically and mentally than anything he's had since pre Juventus days, then two defeats with two key players out, the booing, Man City looming..

 

[thebenjamin]

This smacks of preparing the narrative for him to walk away, citing that it wasn't what he was promised.

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Nobody has suggested this was what he meant?

He’s spot on to question our philosophy of buying young players and developing them. To do that, you need a stable base. Look at how Chelsea have integrated Reece James into a winning side, Foden at City and Elliot now at Liverpool.

We don’t have the team to be integrating youngsters because we aren’t winning games on a consistent basis. There would be far too much pressure on the shoulders of these players to perform consistently.

If signing young players is our philosophy, it stinks of a money spinning scheme tbh.

Bang on mate

 

[Johnny J]

If the club's vision is to buy and develop young players, that's fine. But that's not a job for a manager like Conte, who joins clubs, buys experience, wins something and then leaves soon after.

I actually would like us to follow the Dortmund-type model, but if we are committed to that - either by choice or financial necessity - then we should have got in Ten Hag, Potter or Hassenhutl.

I'm glad we've got Conte, but I think deep down we all fear what will happen if Levy doesn't back him.

Of course, if Conte was clearly told the vision and joined anyway, he shouldn't be moaning about it now.

 

[Trent Crimm]

Except they wouldn’t. Putin would, after assessing the squad, claim there was genuine quality that gave him much promise. Then we’d start brightly, not losing our first five or six matches, allowing us all to believe again until a bizarre loss at Watford in the final minute of injury time leaves Putin puzzled, threatening to annexe Georgia in a bizarre post match interview. Then, the rot sets in- Putin develops a soft spot for Harry Winksybollockov, building the team identity around him: we crash out to Norwich, Newcastle and Exeter in the cup before a bare chested Putin, enraged and increasingly paranoid fires a Kalashnikov into the home fans after they start singing a filthy rendition of The Red Flag. Defeated and utterly broken, Putin retires from international affairs and tries his hand at punditry where he builds a reputation for bating an increasingly ape-like Martin Keown

This kids is what Drugs do to you. ?

Stay safe. Stay clean.

 

[Trent Crimm]

It’s always the wrong time for our managers recently isn’t it, funny that ?

Maybe Tampax will be stadium sponsor.

“Spurs, it’s always that time of the month”.

 

[ZiggySpurs]

 

[curlacious]

If the club's vision is to buy and develop young players, that's fine. But that's not a job for a manager like Conte, who joins clubs, buys experience, wins something and then leaves soon after.

I actually would like us to follow the Dortmund-type model, but if we are committed to that - either by choice or financial necessity - then we should have got in Ten Hag, Potter or Hassenhutl.

I'm glad we've got Conte, but I think deep down we all fear what will happen if Levy doesn't back him.

Of course, if Conte was clearly told the vision and joined anyway, he shouldn't be moaning about it now.

A Southampton director was on the BBC football podcast speaking about the club's strategy. He spoke insightfully, and explained how recruitment is about the best fit for the club's philosophy, not necessarily the 'best' manager. He said Guardiola wouldn't fit at Southampton at all. I think this is true of Spurs - our successful managers haven't been the 'elite', they are the scrappy underdogs or up and comingers (Jol, Redknapp, Poch). The problem is we look to our manager to create the strategy for us instead of creating it ourselves and recruiting accordingly.

 

[Lea]

What disappointing to me is the fact he asked us the fans recently to have patience , in fact it was on Sunday well he doesn’t show much of that.

 

[Adam456]

Bold of you to assume we have a superior squad.

I'll be honest, there are perhaps 12 players in our squad that I think are worth keeping. Two of them are new signings and perhaps another 3-4 of them will never be stronger than squad rotation.

Bold of me ? Are you sure about that ? Wolves, Brighton, Southampton, Villa, Palace and Brentford have substantially inferior squads are all punching well above their weight. With different managers any one of them could conceivably be in a relegation battle or, indeed, a promotion battle from the championship

We all want Conté to do well and appreciate that he should be backed in the transfer market but you also have to get results with what you have like all the others do

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

What disappointing to me is the fact he asked us the fans recently to have patience , in fact it was on Sunday well he doesn’t show much of that.

To be fair, the fans don't show much either...

ETA - there is definitely an expectation that the club should be able to play above its level. I blame Poch for setting that standard.

 

[g_harry]

I think the first point is the concerning one. Why is this something he's just realising - there must've been HOURS of talks before he even signed for the club, and many hours since, to discuss transfer strategy. I mean, it's obvious that this is the case even looking from the outside. He seems to be suggesting that now he knows this he must revise down his ability to be successful here. It just seems very very strange to me. I can only think that he's covering his back for if and when it doesn't go well.

? Levy would have sold him the dream around transfers. A vast majority of fans actually thought we would sign Diaz this Janurary. Before that it was Dybala or Countinhio. Levy has no intention of buying top quality players, however makes it look like Spurs are in market for big players, that we are competing with major clubs for such players. We tried, did you see sky sports we tried to sign Diaz, we tried to sign Dybala, we tried to sign Couthinio, we tried to sign Grealish, we tried to sign Mane, we tried to sign Morientes, we tried to sign Zaha, we tried to sign Mounthino, we tried to sign Suarez, we tried to sign Hazard. 100% if no other club had come for Diaz this janurary, Spurs still wouldn't have signed him. It's a total sharade into which managers and fans have been falling for year on year.

 

[mattdefoe]

Regardless of what he says , it’s not an excuse for losing to Southampton and Wolves at home

how about take some pressure off the squad and say he got it wrong

 

[rio bryan]

Him saying "we have weakened the squad in term's of number's" is it a round about way of saying we didn't get enough in as he must have sanctioned them leaving !