Ex-Manager watch: Antonio Conte

[Gb160]

This is the crux of it for me, essentially, what on earth was Levy and Co thinking hiring him in the first place if they had no intention to fully commit to him as a manager.

I've come round to this conclusion.
After hiring Nuno the pressure on Enic was really starting to build.
Putting Conte in place has given them another 12-18 months breathing room. It's Levy's classic distraction trick to make the fans look at the shiny new thing, while he slips the real problem (Enic's actual stewardship) into his back pocket while no-ones looking.
Levy's probably dusting his magic wand off as I type this.

 

[SargeantMeatCurtains]

I mean everyone was impressed with our transfer window prior to the shit show we see now?
It's not easy to rebuild a squad but we are and we are doing it at a solid pace that no manager we have ever had has had the pleasure to enjoy. I do think it's on Conte to be getting the squad into gear, you can blame Levy for not being 'fast' enough but Conte also needs to assure us he's worth it

Were they?

We were promised £150m PLUS stadium revenue, champions league prize money and any existing budget and spent less than £150m. We never signed a RCB replacement for Rodon, we couldn’t sign a world class LCB so got Lenglet on loan and we didn’t get a creative midfielder.

I won’t speak for others but I feel our transfer window left us (again) with more questions than answers.

 

[sidford]

I've come round to this conclusion.
After hiring Nuno the pressure on Enic was really starting to build.
Putting Conte in place has given them another 12-18 months breathing room. It's Levy's classic distraction trick to make the fans look at the shiny new thing, while he slips the real problem (Enic's actual stewardship) into his back pocket while no-ones looking.
Levy's probably dusting his magic wand off as I type this.

Thing is though man there is no where for him to go now. Even Poch would split the fanbase. What possible other manager might take attention off him?
He has no more cards left, pretty much the whole fanbase have made up their mind on levy now & no once off small splurge or shiny new manager will fix that.
Trust is broken with him no matter what he does from now on the fans will always only be a few defeats away from chanting they want him out.

 

[bat-chain]

There needs to be a meeting between Levy, Conte and Kane.

Conte needs to find out if Levy is going to sign the players he needs, Levy needs to find out if Conte intends to stay so it's actually worth backing him and the need to tell Kane he'll either be kept to the last year of his contract or sold (Or sign an extension).

I suspect not keeping Kane gives Conte an out so they need to know what's going on.

Levy needs to get a grip on this ASAP.

 

[WhiteStripe]

Arsenal finished 8th, 8th again and 5th in Arteta’s first three seasons. Conte has previously said that it will take 2 or 3 more transfer windows for us to start being competitive. Yes right now we’re painful to watch and it would be easy to give up on him. Patience and backing in the market is needed to progress and move forward.

Arteta wanted to build a long term project at Arsenal. Conte has a rapidly running out contract and a track record of short tenures. Arteta also had a vision and style that matched the fans desire to see attractive football. The comparison can’t really be made.

 

[Pochemon94]

I've come round to this conclusion.
After hiring Nuno the pressure on Enic was really starting to build.
Putting Conte in place has given them another 12-18 months breathing room. It's Levy's classic distraction trick to make the fans look at the shiny new thing, while he slips the real problem (Enic's actual stewardship) into his back pocket while no-ones looking.
Levy's probably dusting his magic wand off as I type this.

yup, bringing poche in would buy him another 12-18 months again.

 

[Gb160]

Thing is though man there is no where for him to go now. Even Poch would split the fanbase. What possible other manager might take attention off him?
He has no more cards left, pretty much the whole fanbase have made up their mind on levy now & no once off small splurge or shiny new manager will fix that.
Trust is broken with him no matter what he does from now on the fans will always only be a few defeats away from chanting they want him out.

I really hope so mate. This is why I hope the 'Enic Out' pressure really builds again. Not just on here and social media, but at the games. It's there that the media will pick up on it....although I understand the venting on here and on social media, shouting 'Levy Out' into the internet isn't going to achieve much.

 

[yido_number1]

Arteta wanted to build a long term project at Arsenal. Conte has a rapidly running out contract and a track record of short tenures. Arteta also had a vision and style that matched the fans desire to see attractive football. The comparison can’t really be made.

Arteta has been backed shifting out the cross and bad attitudes over a number of windows and had massively worse results than Conte in his first year.

Arteta could be back to being shit next year who knows. We'll most likely end up with another Nuno and be back out of the champions league and starting again, again, again....

 

[carpediem991]

I just don't get why it is so much about backing and transfers. There has been some ambitious moves like Richarlison, Perisic and Bissouma and recently before Kulusevski, Romero and Bentancur. Surely there is more to do BUT it seems like some close their eyes when it comes to our development on the pitch.

Conte is responsible to get a spirit in this group and to do a groundwork worth building on. He is earning 15m a year and wouldnt it be Conte with his CV no one would have a clue why he is still here. His squad management is questionable, his selections too. He is so stubborn with stuff that is not working, it is driving you insane.

Surely the board is to blame for some decisions but i have honestly no idea what Conte is doing in training and sometimes on the sidelines. I wish to enjoy watching Spurs again, and I feel his approach of football won't do that for me.

Can I have Tuchel please on a long term deal?

 

[Ray Ray]

Conte isn't the manager for this squad at all

And I think this squad is what we are going to be left with

So whether it's his fault or not I'd have Conte out

So we end up with the same shit squad, but hoping for a different outcome on another punt with a new manager?

At some point, we need to just fully back a manager and go through the "painful rebuild" that was quoted 4 seasons ago.

Lloris, Dier, Davies, doc, royal, sess all need to go as a starting point.

I've also seen plenty of calls for us to hire Poch - do we really see Son and Kane being able to sustain a high press?

Let's be honest the reason we are playing a lesser version of Contes system is because we can't trust our players. The goal keeper and CBs shit the bed continuously by giving away cheap goals through individual mistakes.

If another manager comes in, then they all get yet another clean slate. That can't happen. The players need to go asap.

 

[Lifelong]

We did, but the difference is below. In the last six years we've downgraded in basically every single position on the pitch and now both Son and Lloris need replacing too, plus who knows if Kane will even be here next season. We essentially have an entire team to replace and that's just to get us to the point this team was at, which was very good but still fell short, so it needs even more than 11 players. This idea that Poch will come back and everything will be sunshine and rainbows and butterflies all over again is detached from reality. He was a great manager but he - like every good manager out there - needed great players.

View attachment 121193

Christ you look at that team and realise how far we’ve regressed, that was a team that was a joy to watch, yet as you say, still fell short. Whatever happens next one things for sure, we’ve an awful long way to go before we get near that.

 

[WhiteStripe]

Arteta has been backed shifting out the cross and bad attitudes over a number of windows and had massively worse results than Conte in his first year.

Arteta could be back to being shit next year who knows. We'll most likely end up with another Nuno and be back out of the champions league and starting again, again, again....

Doesn’t change what I said. Arteta wanted a long term project. Conte, from what I can tell and history would dictate, does not.

 

[yido_number1]

Doesn’t change what I said. Arteta wanted a long term project. Conte, from what I can tell and history would dictate, does not.

If long term project translates with happy being shit for 3 years before getting somewhere then no he doesn't. Does any fan want us to finish between 8 and 5 before we click into gear for a year?

Difference is levy would have sacked Arteta and not spent the money arsenal have.

 

[G Ron]

I mean everyone was impressed with our transfer window prior to the shit show we see now?
It's not easy to rebuild a squad but we are and we are doing it at a solid pace that no manager we have ever had has had the pleasure to enjoy. I do think it's on Conte to be getting the squad into gear, you can blame Levy for not being 'fast' enough but Conte also needs to assure us he's worth it

Did he not do that last season though? Taking a team in total disarray into the Champions League.

This season has been poor and it’s not good enough, but the injuries and the World Cup mid season haven’t helped. I read yesterday that Kulusevski, Bentancur and Romero have only managed to be on the pitch at the same time twice all season.

It was always going to take 3-4 windows to address all the shortcomings adequately as the squad is so poor. Should we be performing better? Of course we should. But Conte has enough credit in the bank with me from last season to improve the situation.

 

[DelBoyN17]

We all knew we’d require an extra body in midfield to counteract Arsenals 4 in Partey, Xaka, Odergaard & at times Zinchenko, yet after a full weeks prep he plays Sarr & PEH in a 2 & guess what, they were completely over run, oh & he persists on playing 343 & it’s woeful, that’s not elite management, that’s shocking!

 

[EssexSH27]

I think we can all see the writing on the wall. Our performances against the big 6 + Newcastle are my largest concerns where we seen flat out scared to go into all of the games against them in first halves. We’re not even really sitting back hoping to counter anymore and instead just sitting back and hoping the ball doesn’t go in.

 

[bat-chain]

If long term project translates with happy being shit for 3 years before getting somewhere then no he doesn't. Does any fan want us to finish between 8 and 5 before we click into gear for a year?

Difference is levy would have sacked Arteta and not spent the money arsenal have.

I may be wrong on this but haven’t we spent a very similar amount?

Just looked it up we've spent about 100m less over 5 years.

 

[Stamford]

I may be wrong on this but haven’t we spent a very similar amount?

The funny thing is we spend money on the likes of Gil and sarr. Our rivals are buying Casemiro and varane.

 

[Gbspurs]

I just don't get why it is so much about backing and transfers. There has been some ambitious moves like Richarlison, Perisic and Bissouma and recently before Kulusevski, Romero and Bentancur. Surely there is more to do BUT it seems like some close their eyes when it comes to our development on the pitch.

Conte is responsible to get a spirit in this group and to do a groundwork worth building on. He is earning 15m a year and wouldnt it be Conte with his CV no one would have a clue why he is still here. His squad management is questionable, his selections too. He is so stubborn with stuff that is not working, it is driving you insane.

Surely the board is to blame for some decisions but i have honestly no idea what Conte is doing in training and sometimes on the sidelines. I wish to enjoy watching Spurs again, and I feel his approach of football won't do that for me.

Can I have Tuchel please on a long term deal?

I think most of us are happier with recent transfer business and mainly frustrated it didn't come sooner, but I think out of those you'd only argue Romero and Richarlison could be called ambitious. Perisic is clearly a talent but was a free transfer for a 33 year old. Bissouma is an excellent player and could still be good for us, but was an opportunistic swipe at a team below us in the league. Kulusevski and Bentancur are brilliant but both were a punt on out of favour players at a bigger club.

Ambition is knowing where your weakness is and going out to address is by signing your number 1 target. Alisson and VVD at Liverpool are always used as the example of this but they are a good one for they reason.

Let's use Lloris as an example, clearly time is nearly up (if not already) but do you think we will go out and spend "record" amounts to replace our world Cup winning captain who has been here 10 years? Of course we won't so that will no doubt be another position we have downgraded in the last decade.

 

[Trix]

Did you not see how we started? The players themselves just retreated after the defence went all wobbly after 10 seconds as usual

This is the crux of it for me. I've said it numerous times over the last 18 months or so but the trust of our back line is non existent from those in front of them. I keep saying it but when Hugo, or Dier for that matter, make a mistake I expect more to follow. How expressive can you be as a midfielder or forward if you know it's gone all Benny Hill behind you. The game plan just goes out the window when you feel losing the ball up the field will end up in the back of your own net due to keystone cops defending. The old saying you are only as strong as your weakest link is never more apt than with us and fear/nervousness is contagious and then leads to mistakes everywhere.

Hugo is not a poor goalkeeper(except with the ball at his feet), he is however a liability and has been throughout his career. The older he gets the more that liability is showing through and we need better if we have any chance of winning something. It again takes a halftime reset, and Conte telling them they have nothing left to lose before we start to play because of an early doors moment of fuckwittery.