Im sorry mate but if there's anyone trying to find a catch all excuse it's yourself and others with the answer to everything being the manager, whereas the opposition to that view are explaining the multitude of external factors that have contributed to where we currently are. There is no one figure of blame it's a culmination of many things that have happened over the last few seasons that has bought us to where we are.
The answer to everything about how the team performs, how it is set up, how it is motivated, how it is selected - if thats not the manager, then who?
THAT is precisely where I have issues, and Poch is absolutely the person to be asking questions of.
He has been manager 5 years. Throughout which time the team has had a plan, an identity, an ethos. He built it, established the standards. And now he is acting like a man who has just had the job a few weeks, apparently doesnt know his best set up, how to manage the group, who to pick...
When actually he should know these players inside and out, who can do what, what buttons to press to get a response, who is up for it and who isnt...
THAT is a management issue.
Yes, we moved stadium, had a year without buys, have a budget... Yes, these things can impact upon the squad/team etc. And Yes, while the manager should have an eye on the road ahead and have plans in place - not all of this is his doing at all (although there certainly appears to be a fair amount he has inflicted upon himself).
However, for the most part it does fall to him to fix.
If he doesnt have the players for a formation, its his job to find one that works with/for them.
If he doesnt have players that are committed, its his job to either re-inspire them or find players that are (and there are those players in the squad)
If he doesnt think the players can perform to his established ethos, he needs to find a way of providing them the required focus
If the players dont understand what they should be doing, dont understand the system - its on him to train them and get them up to speed.
And its these things where I am just not seeing him perform. NONE of which have anything to do with all the noise around complicating factors. It is fundamentally a management issue.
Im not just referring to the one summer/year where we didn't sign anyone, it's also the 2 or 3 years/seasons prior where we operated at a net spend of 0 and in turn meant we decided to stick with players running down their contracts as opposed to moving them on - it's all contributed to where we are with the squad atm and stems from the stadium move/finances - which was the point of my response, to highlight that you didn't need to accept that we'd need to rebuild the team every 3 or 4 seasons, it's unique to now. Going forwards you would have to imagine that with the financial constraints lessened we will be able to recruit as and when we see fit, similar to the teams we compete with.
And even still, during that period, he has brought in Sanchez, Moura, Son, Foyth, Sissoko, Aurier... Players of either reputation or potential, and most often at no small cost.
After already having the like of Kane, Lamela, Eriksen, Dier, Vertonghen... in the squad.
Yes, we have a budget, and have had to try and operate with a bit of ingenuity, but despite that we still have an excellent team/squad. One capable of mounting title challenges, hitting finals/semis, and being considered one of the best and most consistent in the land.
So yes - we havent spunked billions like others - but does that really mean its just to be in this situation now - in this form - with these players?
If thats yes for you, then fine - we'll have to agree to disagree. Because its a firm no for me.
I don't think that how long the manager has been in position has any bearing on it, other than much of the squad being there for much of that time and being in need of refreshing.
The impact of that summer was that it happened at the moment when the rebuilding should have begun. Delaying it gave us a bigger and more pressing job to do.
I has massive bearing on it. He knows them all, intimately. As they know him. He knows what they are capable of. They know the standards they have reached. He knows the strengths/weaknesses of them all, do the finest detail - and so has absolutely NO excuse for the aimless scrambling he appears to be going through now in search of something that works.
If he was new to the job things would make much more sense. He isnt. And that is, IMO, not to be dismissed - I believe its a significant point.
Even if the whole refreshing thing is true (and I do doubt it) Poch should know precisely what works, how to work, to get this team playing somewhere near the level the quality of players it has demands.
