Kevin Prince Boateng interview (some Spurs-relevant stuff)

[DC_Boy]

yep - it's not good news for jol if this is true

 

[double0]

Jol knew the deal before he took the job, wasn't it a DoF that brought him to Spurs...what a hypocritical thing to say to KPB "I didn't want you" very poor man management.

Boateng has been tremendous for Ghana and good luck to him in his future, shame it didn't work at Spurs.

 

[Sanj]

Backs up what Benoit said that there was a Hierarchy under Jol.

Really? Is that any different to playing under Harry? Or Ramos?

Also - Jol said he didn't want KPB. Yet our DoF bought him. If Jol din't rate him, and KPB showed a big headed attitude in training (per princes own quotes) then why should Jol play him?

Every manager has his favourites, and some players can't hack it if they don't fit in.

 

[Sanj]

Yeah - but how and when did he tell him?
Did prince storm into jols office and demand to play every game - and therefore Jol spills the beans?
Or did jol just walk upto prince on the team coach and say - "i didn't want you at my club"
To slate Jol for what he said without any context seem ridiculous given what he did to us, and under the circumstances of not being allowed the players he wanted to take us to the next level.

 

[Bronno]

Bear in mind as well, that this is only one side of the story. And from someone who was effectively forced out of the club at that.

Jol seemed to have genuine affection for Spurs and us fans, and aside from what we've recently achieved, we had our best season in my memory under him. He was visibly affected when we beat Chelsea and put their '3 point lane' crap to bed, and he was clearly distraught at leaving Spurs. The man always responded to the fans in the best possible way, so I'll choose to give him the benefit of the doubt.

 

[StartingPrice]

Yet some people still want us to get another DoF.

Yeah, loonies like Dan 'I have overseen our march to the CL' Levy:duh:

As always communication between Club management is vital for the success of a team. With Redknapp, currently, we thankfully don't have this problem. Commolli should have worked with Jol on signing players they both agreed on (and worked to improve his relationship with Jol), and Jol should not go around telling players signed for him "I didn't want to sign you".

Obviously KPB is a player with ability, and like most players he needed the backing of the management at the club he joins. All it took was to be told you're not wanted, and he stopped putting the required effort into training. So we 'lost out' on developing a good player because of football politics and bad management.

Although it should be added that KPB came to the club with a big ego too, that he didn't need to train. Similar in that respects to Gio last year. He needs to hold himself accountable for his poor time at Spurs (which is suggested with the interview). It all isn't about the management but the player too.

In any case this highlights a very important aspect of why continuity at the management level is so important. KPB has pretty much been a wasted asset for us, and he wasn't the first foreign player brought in that has struggled to 'fit in'. With Redknapp in place, he knows what he wants and what is required (after hearing his Talksport interview) on the training pitch. And the players in our squad know it too, making them responsible for their success at Spurs or not. Sandro won't have Redknapp come up to him and say "I didn't want to sign you".

This. +1

Yeah, but a DoF role doesn't necessarily have to include control over transfers, particularly for the senior side. It's just a title after all.

This.

Im sorry to say this but the more and more i hear people talk about his time at Spurs the more and more i get the feeling that Martin Jol was a bit of a prick.



*dons hard hat and hides behind a rock*

And this.

I was always a big fan of BMJ (still am in many ways), but the way some Spurs fans are making him into a saint is ridiculous. All human beings in all walks of life make mistakes...including Damien Comolli.

The fact is that this interview indicates, amongst other things (KPB admitting he can be a bit of a cock), that there was a break down in relationship/communication between BMJ and Damien Comolli (and, presumably, Dan Levy - who gave Comolli his ear, and, apparently, took his side).
In reagrd to BMJ: he has given contradictory statements on this matter (no players were bought over my head and without my consent/players were bought without my consent); he could have handled the man management a bit better (come on son, it doesn't matter whether you were my choice or not, you have to buck your ideas up in training and then I'll see if you merit inclusion in the match-day squad/I didn't want you FCUK-orf); and quite frankly, if he didn't want a player he should have absolutely refused to accept the situation - he stated unambiguously on appointment that he knew the DOF system intimately and would have no problems working within it. So, did he have an internal objection to this signing but not vocalise it, and then decide after the event that he had objected:shrug:; did he sit at their round-table and in a squeky little boy voice say "I'm not sure I want this lad", and then work that up to "I don't want him" after he was sacked:shrug:; or did he say emphatically "I bloody well do not want this bloody player", and when Levy/Comolli purchased him anyway, keep his mouth shout (for fear of losing his job), but take it out on the lad (which reflects badly on him), whilst issueing the statements he was issueing that he had the final say on transfers and there were no problems, and then decide when sacked to grow a pair and tell the truth:shrug:

It is easy to just take his side and lay all of the blame at Comolli's feet (whilst, coward like, avoiding the indictement of Levy that this entails 'cos he is still Chairman and has brought us CL football). But these are the facts, and the most likely responses BMJ made to them.

 

[Huddlestone22]

Arrogant japs eye, would love to punch him.

No wonder he got beaten up when he was living in London as well.

 

[Bus-Conductor]

I don't think it's conducive to a successful working relationship that a DOF should sign major players without a consultation process with the manager and chairman or that even young potential first team "squad" players should be signed without some sort of conversation taking place.
I can’t believe that that was often the case where major signings were concerned.

But I always believed that in the type of (fully functioning) DOF system that we were using the coach was primarily that and the major burden of scouting and signing - and ultimate responsibility for the decision making process - was held by the DOF, which as far as I am concerned is a double edged sword for him. But I thought this was the basic idea re recruitment; that a DOF insured a level of continuity.

As personalities and personnel change in the relationship so do the dynamics and the nuances of the process I would imagine.

In the end I definitely had doubts about Jol and Comolli, but not the system. They were doubts about both individually. Jol was a weak decision maker, my doubts about his abilities is well documented on here and the purchase of Bent and Bentley for 30m+ and the staggering failure to spend the 50m raised by the Keane/Berbatov sales on quality replacements which severely hampered the man Comolli replaced Jol with meant that my patience with him had worn thin as well.

But I think the biggest problem lies when there is a personality clash between any one of the three principle players (Chairman, DOF, Manager) or if there is ambiguity in the roles or job description.

We don’t know the circumstances of the conversation Jol had with KPB.
If the words came out in a heated exchange, or if they were delivered cold. Jol was paid to coach and man manage and KPB was paid to train and play football. It would appear that neither were exactly making a great job in this particular relationship.

I couldn’t really give a fuck now. I’m glad Jol has gone and I’m not mourning Comolli too much either. I liked the system though - and all it’s implications - and thought it was directly responsible for our complete change in direction as a club.

 

[Spurger King]

Bear in mind as well, that this is only one side of the story. And from someone who was effectively forced out of the club at that.

Jol seemed to have genuine affection for Spurs and us fans, and aside from what we've recently achieved, we had our best season in my memory under him. He was visibly affected when we beat Chelsea and put their '3 point lane' crap to bed, and he was clearly distraught at leaving Spurs. The man always responded to the fans in the best possible way, so I'll choose to give him the benefit of the doubt.

This. Ok, if Jol sat KPB down and said "oh by the way, I didn't want you here", well that's bad management. But we don't know what he said or how he said it.

KPB still had opportunities under Jol to do something. I got the feeling that Jol wouldn't let personal grudges get in the way of what was best for the team. He clearly didn't like Berbatov, and suggested to Levy that we sold him after his first season with us, but he kept playing him despite that.

Nice to see KPB being frank about it though.

 

[mano-obe]

The fact that Kevin Prince came with the attitude not to train hard shows what a plum he is

He could have proved Jol wrong with his comments but didn't, and didn't play well under Ramos * (edit)

Prince was nothing special at Pompey last season, and he's just doing what Diouf did a few world cups back putting in a good performance.

Above average player only

 

[llamafarmer]

This. Ok, if Jol sat KPB down and said "oh by the way, I didn't want you here", well that's bad management. But we don't know what he said or how he said it.

Agreed.

Imagine Jol sits KPB down in his office to get to the bottom of why he isn't happy or isn't trying in training. KPB says he expects to be playing, he feels he's one of the best players in the squad and if he's not starting, what's the point? Jol tells him something along the lines of: 'Sorry Kev, unfortunately you were signed over my head, I didn't want to sign you because I didn't see where you'd fit into my system, but the man upstairs went ahead with it anyway. I'm not ruling you out, but for the time being you might not get much game time'.

Is it not possible a combination of a footballer with a dented ego and some selective quoting can make the situation look a lot different to the way it was? I might be completely wrong, but I don't think any of us can know for sure, so let's not spit too much vitriol at either of them eh?

 

[fortworthspur]

KPB is progressing nicely in his career, and at times has been the most influential player on the pitch in the world cup games he's been in. It may have been a matter of timing, but we may still regret selling him.

As far as attitude, it goes both ways and Id expect more out of management than a 20 year old.

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

Disappeared as soon as the going got tough. Nowhere good enough for our side.

 

[fortworthspur]

you could say the same about Lampard and Gerrard in this tournament.

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

you could say the same about Lampard and Gerrard in this tournament.

They have both been in Champions League Finals and were made to look like mugs by Germany, not Uraguay.

 

[mill]

The fact that Kevin Prince came with the attitude not to train hard shows what a plum he is

He could have proved Jol wrong with his comments but didn't, and didn't play well under Ramos * (edit)

Prince was nothing special at Pompey last season, and he's just doing what Diouf did a few world cups back putting in a good performance.

Above average player only

I thought diouf flopped on the wworld stage but made his name at the anc

 

[Eric_s]

He refused to let Sean Davis have time off after the birth of his daughter (who was born with many complications and they feared she might not make it) when he did so anyway Jol told him he would never play for Spurs again and blanked him until he was moved on to Pompey

If that was true, jol is an idiot and deserve very bit of humiliation he got from the sacking.

 

[fortworthspur]

They have both been in Champions League Finals and were made to look like mugs by Germany, not Uraguay.

dont forget Algeria and Slovenia. BTW, Ghana fared much better against Germany than England did.

 

[Jamturk]

Looking at KPB character from afar, I think Jol was using psycology suited to KPB types. A kick up the ass!

 

[riversmonkey]

It wasn't apparent that he was a playmaker in the number 10 mould when he was with us. I remember him playing defensive midfield (where he looked clumsy and ill at ease), and on the right side of midfield. Can anyone remember him being vocal about getting played out of position?