I think AVB was a young manager who had plenty of learning to do, but I think he was doing a very good job under very difficult circumstances.
I think he was probably the only coach/manager we'd had in the last few years who's work on the coaching field wad clearly visible. I think we were better disciplined as a result of his coaching.
I think all coaches are hostages to fortune in terms of the quality of player they have - look at ManU, Dortmund, Liverpool, Arsenal & Chelsea in recent years to see what happens when great players come and go.
I think achieving our record points haul after losing Modric and VDV (and effectively Adebayor) was a phenomenal achievement. We then lost our last top quality player and we were still chugging along totting up points at a similar rate.
We've now had a whole year of looking equally devoid of creative wit, so we can all see the problem isn't one of pure coaching, and we look much worse defensively IMO.
I think AVB's inability to integrate the development group better was his biggest failing, but if the direction from Levy was top 4 or else, and you add in a fractious relationship with Sherwood you can mitigate it to an extent. AVB was happy to pick Rose and Townsend over the experienced Ekotto and our most expensive signing Lamela.
AVB was heavily criticised for ostracising Adebayor, but Pochettino has now added several others to Adebayor's black ball club.
I don't have a problem with a coach isolating and jettisoning players who are bad for group harmony, discipline and morale, I just wish AVB had been given the same backing to get things done his way and received a little more encouragement (in the form of tolerance of results and league position etc) to integrate development players, and the initial judgement that he was a young progressive coach with strong ideas given proper time and trust to achieve - or fail.
Top post. Take the rest of the day off.
Your work is done.