Walker Praises AVB

[TheGreenLily]

Look, Spak, if it makes you feel any better, for fear of beating my own drum , I said last Summer that AVB had taken on such a big job way too soon, he had made a horrible choice of jobs, and that I thought he was on the definitive hiding to nothing, due to his previous work as a relative menial at the club, the nature of his remit (again, see above), the fact that he had no experience in the EPL, the fact that Chelsea were no longer the undisputed richest kids on the block who could outspend anyone, and the simple plain fact that at 32 YO he was being asked to manage players older than him who he was supposed to phase out and had created something of a poisonous dressing-room. It seemed obvious to me that once he had a few bad results (always going to happen with a remit like his), those older players were going to start acting the Billy and demanding to know who this kid was.

In hindsight, he made the best choice and not just for us. He is now at the a club that shares his philosophy, new training facilities and more importantly, the ability to build a club that encompasses his style football, not for now but for the future. Very very few managers have the chance to undertake or even get the backing to fully implement their ideals from the youth squad to the senior and create something truly amazing.

The only problem now is, not the results, but those Spurs fan who refuse to see or even appreciate what is going on, far to many by the likes of the Mirror and Sun newspapers and take it as gospel. Very few spurs fans actually come to this forum (even if there are a few thousand) and debate and have the discussion we do, as the majority are arguing it out what the papers say.

This is the problem for Spurs, it is not the manager or the results, but those Spurs fans who just can not realise or see the bigger picture fo what we are trying to see and how Harry Redknapp and for all his good work, would simply never be able to achieve. Walkers comments in the papers today confirm this, training has got serious (with fun of course), learning tactics, developing styles of play etc etc, it is something that Harry just would nto be able to do in the modern game.

 

[StartingPrice]

In hindsight, he made the best choice and not just for us. He is now at the a club that shares his philosophy, new training facilities and more importantly, the ability to build a club that encompasses his style football, not for now but for the future. Very very few managers have the chance to undertake or even get the backing to fully implement their ideals from the youth squad to the senior and create something truly amazing.

The only problem now is, not the results, but those Spurs fan who refuse to see or even appreciate what is going on, far to many by the likes of the Mirror and Sun newspapers and take it as gospel. Very few spurs fans actually come to this forum (even if there are a few thousand) and debate and have the discussion we do, as the majority are arguing it out what the papers say.

This is the problem for Spurs, it is not the manager or the results, but those Spurs fans who just can not realise or see the bigger picture fo what we are trying to see and how Harry Redknapp and for all his good work, would simply never be able to achieve. Walkers comments in the papers today confirm this, training has got serious (with fun of course), learning tactics, developing styles of play etc etc, it is something that Harry just would nto be able to do in the modern game.

I agree, by and large - it is all about time, now and whether AVB will get it.

 

[chinaman]

All it needs are the players doing the talking on the field today.

 

[TheGreenLily]

I agree, by and large - it is all about time, now and whether AVB will get it.

I am not saying it will definitely happen, but what I am really excited about is that the opportunity is there and it is down to the fans, the board, the manger and players to grab it with both hands for once and really live up to the expectations that are rightfully there

 

[Sp3akerboxxx]

No, I don't think it is relevant to factor in the EPL successes. Maybe Mourinho's first one, but the contexts were completely different. Mourinho took over a Chelsea team on the crest of a wave, due to being the Big Boys with the Big Stick. he inherited a good team and was allowed to lavish untold million on players at that peak to fill it out. AVb inherited a Chelsea side with quite a few aged veterans from the Mourinho days, and a hodge-podge of a squad around them comprised of players that one incoming manager, who didn't last, wanted, who were then unwanted by the next incumbent, who, in turn brought in his own nominees, many of whom were unwanted by his successor in turn. AVB took over a team that had developed a notoriously poisonous dressing-room since Mourinho's departure. Most importantly, AVB took over a club that is no longer the Biggest Boy with the Biggest Stick, and his immediate remit was totally different to Mourinho's. The comparison doesn't really hold good.



1) Not bad. AVB didn't lose any games in his first 15 in charge.
2) A fair and direct comparison. AVB did it while remaining unbeaten in the league.
3) AVB didn't have a second season*, so you are right, we will never know.
4) Yes...for which see above ^^^ Context makes the direct comparison you are tying to make less certain than you would have it.

Look, Spak, if it makes you feel any better, for fear of beating my own drum , I said last Summer that AVB had taken on such a big job way too soon, he had made a horrible choice of jobs, and that I thought he was on the definitive hiding to nothing, due to his previous work as a relative menial at the club, the nature of his remit (again, see above), the fact that he had no experience in the EPL, the fact that Chelsea were no longer the undisputed richest kids on the block who could outspend anyone, and the simple plain fact that at 32 YO he was being asked to manage players older than him who he was supposed to phase out and had created something of a poisonous dressing-room. It seemed obvious to me that once he had a few bad results (always going to happen with a remit like his), those older players were going to start acting the Billy and demanding to know who this kid was.

I also suggested that once he went through that experience, gained that vital year in the EPL, and was jsut plain a year older, he may make a decent manager for us. He wasn't my first choice to replace Mr Redknapp, but I do think the meeja is whipping a lot of fans up to not give him a proper chance, and basing it on a very superficial reading of his time at Chelsea and nothing more, TBH.

I think it is a fallacy to say that he inherited a bad Chelsea side. They still had a lot of top quality players with multiple champions in that team. You cannot complain about a squad when your first 11 includes Cech, Cole, Ivanovic, Ramires, Mata, Torres, Drogba, Sturridge. They are all top quality players and a great spine for the team to have. Certainly a stronger squad than the likes of Newcastle. At the end of the day he has been manager of two of the biggest clubs in the league, and his results have been very poor.

 

[Riandor]

The other factor is that the media want him to fail.
They want to be proven right about their opinions of him at Chelsea and they want to be able to wield a big told you so stick. Yes some will have an anti spurs agenda anyway, but there are simply journalists out there who can make more money writing bad press and creating a storm in a tea cup than they can writing positive or just plain neutral stories.

No on wants to read about a guy who needs some time to mold a squad and get his ideas across, no, they want to tear him down and watch him fail so that they can sell more papers.

 

[JUSTINSIGNAL]

Love this.

The fact that Ashley Cole talked him up as well says a lot. Maybe there wasn't as much unrest at Chelsea as the media have led us too believe.

 

[StartingPrice]

I think it is a fallacy to say that he inherited a bad Chelsea side. They still had a lot of top quality players with multiple champions in that team. You cannot complain about a squad when your first 11 includes Cech, Cole, Ivanovic, Ramires, Mata, Torres, Drogba, Sturridge. They are all top quality players and a great spine for the team to have. Certainly a stronger squad than the likes of Newcastle. At the end of the day he has been manager of two of the biggest clubs in the league, and his results have been very poor.

I never said he inherited a bad side, or bad players, though, did I. I said he had a remit to phase the veteran players out, and alter the style of the team's play (for which the veterans, who had had a lot of success playing a certain, more defensive, style of pay, stood as a direct obstacle) and that the rest of the squad was made of a mish-mash due to a high turnover of managers buying for their own particular vision, not necessarily seeing a role for some of the players they inherited, and buying players that their successors may not necessarily want. I seriously do not believe he was so stupid that he didn't realise that results would probably improve in the short-term if he just played the veterans. But he was there to phase them out and change the style of play for the long term benefit, and he had been told that finishing in the top 4 wasn't a requisite, as the owner understood that what he was doing was for the long-term, and made it clear that was how he saw the future of the club. So it is just not even really pertinent to beat on and on and on about his immediate results or hwo terribly awfully dreadful and stupid and cretinous he was for leaving the veterans out of the side.

He had Chelsea in fifth and within touching distance of the top 4, in any case. His results have been a bit disappointing, even if you want to attach maximum import to results when, as per paragraph above, he was told that results were not of paramount importance.