Last couple of months of last season we were very good. Not at all this season though.
That is really the crux, isn't it? Conte is meant to be one of the best managers in the game, a proven "winner". Would having, say, Tim Sherwood on the bench today made any difference? There's supposed to be one, right? Not an entirely genuine question of course, but makes me think whether being a "top manager" is more conditional that skill dependant.
Exactly, I don't think there's such a thing as "best" managers, only more or less "right" managers. The exception may be Ferguson, due to his undeniable presence and ability to deal with problems and counterproductive players. But he wasn't alone, and could probably not have done it so well without his sergeants. Or even at some random club. If Poch could have dealt with the problems rising the months before the CL final, he could have been our Fergie. I wanted him to be, but he wasn't. But he sure gave us some exciting seasons. Heck, even Harry Redknapp was the right manager for us until he wasn't anymore.
Poch didn’t do what fergie did very 2/3 years
By sergeants, I meant players like Keane and Scholes. There are numerous stories about them being Fergie's loyal eyes and ears in the dressing room, catching and reporting any dissidence rising. Every player had a love-hate relationship with this system, but they respected it. Even Beckham got the boot (literally) when he felt he was bigger than the system. I think Poch was the opposite, trying to be a friend. Which probably suits an up-and-coming team much better than a settled team with hardened non-winning veterans. But that's just my theory.
That's what I miss the most except the actual football, the feeling of coherence and that everybody was pulling in the same direction and had the same goals. Good times.
I agree
