AVB

[Red Banjo]

Isn't that the very job of an agent tho?

 

Provide advice to financially appease all parties

[VladimirIlyich]

I dont believe he has become a bad manager overnight,i just think he chose the wrong job and was a bit pressured into taking it.

Another year at Porto,which didnt look to be an option or a job in Spain or maybe Germany for a year or two would have been ideal i think.

Hes also taken over a team thats on the slide due to the age of its players and i reckon Abramovich hasnt allowed any manager to bring through younger replacements. Sturridge should be a shoe in there but hes being given cameo roles to prove his ability,which is a crime.

Bad timing and the wrong club i reckon.

 

I would also tell him to forget about trying to walk in Mourinho's footsteps and be his own man,which is very difficult at Chelski.

[Gym Beglin]

There was already a big thread on AVB, why another one?

 

But, anyway.

 

I agree with Redknapp post-game, which scared me. He needs time and he needs money, otherwise it's a complete nonsense. He may well turn out to be shite, but there's no real way of knowing that until you've given him some time.

How much time is up for debate, personally I think you know if a manager is doing the right thing within two years tops. How do the players react to him, what are the first two years worth of buys like, and has the team improved in playing style or gained more points than the last manager. If you can't see improvement, however small, in two years then you likely won't see it over 5 or 10 years. Not at the top clubs.

It's all very well to have 5 year plans, but that doesn't mean that your team is shit after two years, it means that you should be improving year upon year. The first year, you can make excuses for, not your players, getting used to the country, style of the league. But after a season, and then a Summer of spending, you'd be looking for signs of improvement.

 

Chelsea are an odd looking side, one of the biggest and heaviest in the division (Stoke being the biggest and heaviest, by the way). But this lumbering does seem to manifest itself on the pitch. Redknapp said it was a Mourinho side, but I disagree with that, because Mourinho did like solidity, but he always looked to compliment it with mobility and pace in attacking areas, which Chelsea do not really have. Robben, Duff, Wright Phillips, just some of the wide players brought in under Mourinho to stretch teams. Same at Inter, but to a lesser extent, with Sneijder and Etoo providing the guile and movement to beat players. You look at Chelsea now and there's only really Mata who is 'exciting' and capable of the unexpected, with Sturridge the second most exciting, but not of the required quality to compete with other big teams. Malouda tries but usually fails, and is almost too big to be playing as an out and out winger.

 

Same in the middle of the field, did you know that Lampard is one of the heaviest players in the division? Fat jokes aside, it's the truth, he's one the heaviest midfielders in the Premiership. Lukaku is the heaviest forward in the Premiership, Ivanovic is one of the heaviest defenders, though Richard Dunne wins it hands-down. You have to have more mobility in key areas, or if you don't, then you'd better be a damn good footballer to balance it up.

[silverlining]

 

Chelsea are an odd looking side, one of the biggest and heaviest in the division (Stoke being the biggest and heaviest, by the way). But this lumbering does seem to manifest itself on the pitch. Redknapp said it was a Mourinho side, but I disagree with that, because Mourinho did like solidity, but he always looked to compliment it with mobility and pace in attacking areas, which Chelsea do not really have. Robben, Duff, Wright Phillips, just some of the wide players brought in under Mourinho to stretch teams. Same at Inter, but to a lesser extent, with Sneijder and Etoo providing the guile and movement to beat players. You look at Chelsea now and there's only really Mata who is 'exciting' and capable of the unexpected, with Sturridge the second most exciting, but not of the required quality to compete with other big teams. Malouda tries but usually fails, and is almost too big to be playing as an out and out winger.

 

Same in the middle of the field, did you know that Lampard is one of the heaviest players in the division? Fat jokes aside, it's the truth, he's one the heaviest midfielders in the Premiership. Lukaku is the heaviest forward in the Premiership, Ivanovic is one of the heaviest defenders, though Richard Dunne wins it hands-down. You have to have more mobility in key areas, or if you don't, then you'd better be a damn good footballer to balance it up.

 

I'm hopeful that "heavy" players and teams will be your new obsession. Where do you find these stats?

 

*crosses fingers that you've looked up the weight of individual players and added them all up on your own*

[silverlining]

I would also tell him to forget about trying to walk in Mourinho's footsteps and be his own man,which is very difficult at Chelski.

 

Well, it's also difficult given that he has essentially worked for, and followed, Mourinho at every club he has ever been (apart from Madrid), and also managed the same club in Portugal.

 

He was brought in by Chelsea to be the new Mourinho

[Gym Beglin]

I was having a bath this morning and reading a copy of FourFourTwo that I've been too lazy to read in the last few weeks. The article feature was in there.

Richard Dunne is a stone heavier than any other player in the Premiership. This excludes keepers I think.

 

Heaviest -

Defender: Richard Dunne at 15st 10lb

Midfielder: Yaya Toure and Frank Lampard (unsurpisingly) at 14st 2lb

Forward: Romelu Lukaku at 14st 10lb.

[Lee909]

The issue isn't him it's the players there.

He has a way of playing that did him well with Porto but he doesn't have the players to set up the same way.

Mongo is slower than a turtle and has the turning circle of a tugboat,Cech is scarred of his shadow.Mikel is shite. Half is forward line are either old or do not give a shit.

If he has the power to do do he needs to get rid of all of Maureen's players and get some pace into the side.

Hopefully though Mongo and Fat frank still have there say and he gets the boot

The basis is there up front with Mata and Sturridge,I think he would have loved to get Falcao in the summer to play with them.

[Red Banjo]

No way Frank Lampard is 14st. No way. That magazine must be edited by an Arsenal fan having a laugh

[usernameunknown]

The issue isn't him it's the players there.

 

Surely the issue is with him then? If they havent got the players for his way of playing then he needs to show something different and adapt to it until he can change things. Spent a very decent amount in the summer on a squad that finished second aswell, if these results keep up then fat Guus will be getting a call.

[Gym Beglin]

Doesn't mean to say he's fat, but he's 6'2" and not skinny, he's bound to weigh a bit.

[ChrisM]

Fat jokes aside, it's the truth, he's one the heaviest midfielders in the Premiership.

 

Big bones innit.

 

Anyway, any exscuse to wheel this out -

 

[Lee909]

You do have a point but if you bring a young manager he needs time to implement his style on the team.He did bring Mata in and played Sturridge in the wide positions,Lukaku I think was brought in earlier than he would have wanted to stop him being snapped up.I would imagine the idea was for him to watch Drogba and learn under him for a year as well.The issue is while Lampard and Mongo run the dressing moron and have the comrades ear no manager will be able to go there own way.Terry frailties were hidden for years by Gallas's pace and Carvhallo being a top defender. He holds to much sway there and can't be dropped.Alex and Ivanovic is there best pairing in my eyes with Coco the clown playing as the holding midfielder or right back if needed.

[ChrisM]

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has hit out at Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville after he said the Blues' attack-minded defender David Luiz played as if he was being controlled by a "ten-year-old on PlayStation." Villas-Boas said: "It's a stupid approach to an opinion. If that's the way he wants to take the game, that's ridiculous."

 

Ha ha, ratboy is spot on.

[moof]

I hate to say it but i've been impressed by Neville's punditry, from what i've seen of it.

[brucespanner]

I hate to say it but i've been impressed by Neville's punditry, from what i've seen of it.

 

As much as it pains me to say I prefer Gray's calm confidence, as opposed rat boys pre-pubescent bury squeal, I fucks me right off, it sounds like a helium balloon being slowly let down!

 

He's been quite impartial, from what I've seen so far, and that's something I really didn't expect.

[Evil_Ways]

It's hard to really fault Boas this early i think. It's not really his team yet, and alot of the players they have relied on for years are on the wrong side of 30. Their most important player, IMO, Essien is missing. Relying on Mikel and Ramires in midfield they will get shown up.

 

Chelsea are not the side they were 2-3 years ago.

 

Having said that 22 points in 12 games is not good enough and im sure he has to take alot of the the blame for that.

[Lee909]

I think Ramires is decent enough but he should be playing we're Lampard is.

If you are playing a three man midfield Ramires,Essien and a attacking player would be great.

Essien is done though imo,really good player but them Knesset are knackered.

[Elite]

I think given the time he'll do well. He needs an overhaul in the summer.

 

Doubt he'll be given the time though.

[dirk grout]

I hate to say it but i've been impressed by Neville's punditry, from what i've seen of it.

 

Sickening but true. Its actually quite strange listening to someone on sky who actually has some knowledge of the game, as opposed to Jamie 'they've literally passed them to death' Redknapp.

[dirk grout]

I think given the time he'll do well. He needs an overhaul in the summer.

 

Doubt he'll be given the time though.

 

Thing is, no one really has any idea if he is a good manager or not. There is no way of knowing.

[dirk grout]

]No way Frank Lampard is 14st[/b]. No way. That magazine must be edited by an Arsenal fan having a laugh

 

Of course he isn't. He doesn't look 6'2 either. In fact, he definitely isn't that tall.

[Unrighteous]

AVB will be sacked because it's Chelsea. It's Abramovich.

 

Any other club would likely give him time and any monies they could to try to make it work... as he's a very talented, ambitious young manager.

 

However, he's got the worst coat in football. Fucking shockingly shit. He needs one of those ridiculously ugly massive knit caps, some skinny jeans, and flat stupid canvas sneakers... and some sort of scarf to complete the utter-douchy emokid look.

[Manny]

In some ways he's the ideal manager for them - they're in need of an overhaul, to start a new era, etc and he's young enough to spearhead that. He should be given sound financial backing as well.

 

On the other hand, though, in amongst all of that is an owner who expects trophies every year (and scintillating football to boot) so a transitional phase is out of the question. And he can't quite have a complete overhaul of the squad no matter how much money he's given, because there are a few egos in that team with the ear of the owner that MUST play - and play in a system that suits them - so he's trying to implement changes in the style of play with one hand tied behind his back.

 

I don't know whether he was pushed by Porto due to the money on the table or whether his self-belief got a little carried away when the contract was put in front of him. But even a bit of research would have told him what everyone in this country knows - Chelsea are a fucking bizarre club to manage. He'd have been better off staying at Porto - and I wish he had, because him at the helm of that team in the Champions League would be very interesting.

[Xherdan]

I dont know how often I have to say this but it doesnt matter whether Gary Neville comes across as being a good pundit, He is Gary Neville and therefore a massive CUNT. As a result his punditry is fucking shit. This is just how it works.

[Unrighteous]

I dont know how often I have to say this but it doesnt matter whether Gary Neville comes across as being a good pundit, He is Gary Neville and therefore a massive CUNT. As a result his punditry is fucking shit. This is just how it works.

 

Spot on.