Andre Villas-Boas - Head Coach

[indianspur]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Ardiles brought in a lot of players, but couldn't make it work. Francis comes in and steadies us, but he's unable to take us further and we eventually begin to decline. I only mention this as it has some similarities with my next examples.

Skip through loads of rubbish and we arrive at 2004. Levy has done his homework and sets out to transform our club.

Santini came in and so did a LOT of players. Couldn't make it work, Jol takes over, but after a couple of season we slowly start to regress.

Ramos wins a cup, Comolli signs lots of player, but it doesn't work out. Redknapp comes in and saves the day, but again we start to stagnate after a while.

We have been, and will continue to, growing as a club, but growing pains are to be expected. We are moving upwards, but every now and then we hit a glass ceiling and take a bit of a knock. Every step up is always a little harder than the last and sometimes you have to take a step back to gain a bit more momentum. We've just had another big turnover of players and we're struggling to make a team out of them. Maybe it's us using AVB as a stepping stone? For every manager that has come and gone in the last 10 years, we've continuously been improving our squad. That's the real benefit of Levy not letting any one of them go crazy with his cheque book.

yeah it could be the case that we have a very good group of players but avb isnt necessarily the right man to get the best out of them

 

[AdamB]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I think re-evaluating his priorities will be very important for us. I would like for us to scrap the whole EL affair and focus on the league. A large reason for why Southampton are doing so well is that they do not have to worry about midweek EL games which allows them to have double sessions to instill that high energy/high tempo style. As things stand, AVB needs to seriously sit back and really ask himself whether or not playing well in the EL is worth these performances in the league.

I dont think the EL is having the remotest impact on our league performances. We have plenty of players and rotate enough. The EL cant be blamed for us not creating chances - if we were playing well for 60 or 70 mins then fading then you might have a point, but we're utterly devoid of any attacking tactics/ideas/structures for the entire 90 mins

 

[thfcsteff]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Ardiles brought in a lot of players, but couldn't make it work. Francis comes in and steadies us, but he's unable to take us further and we eventually begin to decline. I only mention this as it has some similarities with my next examples.

Skip through loads of rubbish and we arrive at 2004. Levy has done his homework and sets out to transform our club.

Santini came in and so did a LOT of players. Couldn't make it work, Jol takes over, but after a couple of season we slowly start to regress.

Ramos wins a cup, Comolli signs lots of player, but it doesn't work out. Redknapp comes in and saves the day, but again we start to stagnate after a while.

We have been, and will continue to, growing as a club, but growing pains are to be expected. We are moving upwards, but every now and then we hit a glass ceiling and take a bit of a knock. Every step up is always a little harder than the last and sometimes you have to take a step back to gain a bit more momentum. We've just had another big turnover of players and we're struggling to make a team out of them. Maybe it's us using AVB as a stepping stone? For every manager that has come and gone in the last 10 years, we've continuously been improving our squad. That's the real benefit of Levy not letting any one of them go crazy with his cheque book.

i think one thing we always knew was that Franco Baldini would be around for a while yet...

 

[Spursman]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

That's why I've given up with football.

You start to make progress.

Bigger clubs buy your best players.

You start again

Bigger clubs buy your best players.
Etc etc

Just pointless getting so upset about it. Best we can hope for is a trophy every few years.

We will never win the league or be amongst the elite.

Only a rich owner can change our fortunes.

 

[indianspur]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

good job Levy didnt extend avbs contract....a year and a half left so any payout wont be hefty

 

[Jordinho]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

yeah it could be the case that we have a very good group of players but avb isnt necessarily the right man to get the best out of them

Yeah, I think that sometimes maybe the man in charge is necessarily the right one to make the most of the players he asks for/signs, though other times it could just be that it takes time. AVB has an idea of how he wants us to play, but maybe the players weren't the right ones after all. We need to forget any rosy notions of loyalty though, it's what will take us forward that matters. Until/unless we have someone ready to take over there's no point in a kneejerk sacking. We have a lot of games coming up. It's good as we can hopefully start to gel, but if it takes time it can cost us. Lots to consider for those on the Board.

 

[indianspur]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

agree with VHSF....it is a watershed moment

 

[Pirate55]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

A great question.

My HEART wanted Hoddle to succeed so much, but I knew he had to go after a 2-4 defeat the Chelski…out of all of that list, I'd have given Ardiles more time for sure, but politics were huge at the time (points deduction, etc)…Ramos hit personal issues, Santini was a figurehead placed by Arnese and Jol? Well, I'd have let him go that summer personally…Harry? The biggest tragedy in the sense that as I've said many times, he could've won things had he kept his eye on the prize, but for the long-term health of the club he had to go.

AVB has absolutely gone into a freeze-mould in the last month, and looks to be regressing. I suspect that being young, and a nervous type, he is amidst a personal crisis of confidence that will require every ounce of his managerial skills to keep from the squad. It doesn't look to be working. The thing I was saddest about today was seeing the lack of confidence in the side, the nerves, the fear of doing something wrong. He seems unable to arrest that slide right now.

I am not sure what the answer is honestly. I don't think it is to change the manager right now, I really don't, but the unfortunate thing about modern football is that the players almost dictate these situations, and if they want to stop believing/don't believe in a manager, then it becomes an inevitability.

We shall see…he still has my support, if only because I believe he needs the rest of the season to see what will happen and whether he can make his ideology work…but ultimately, players and their support (or not) will drive the train.

If training ground rumours I am hearing are true, then AVB may already have lost the players:

Dembele - when AVB wanted to tell him something about playing in midfield, he said I already play for the best team in Europe (Belgium) and don't need you to tell me how to play that position.

Verts - I am not a left back. I am a centre back. AVB apparently said, you will play where I tell you. Verts immediately handed in a transfer request

Chadli - wants out after being given no game time.

Other players rumoured to be unhappy are Lamela ( not being played in his best position ) and Sigg (same reason).

Defoe, Townsend, Capoue, etc all need first team football in World Cup year.

Does AVB really have the man management skills required to manage at this level?

 

[thfcsteff]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

If training ground rumours I am hearing are true, then AVB may already have lost the players:

Dembele - when AVB wanted to tell him something about playing in midfield, he said I already play for the best team in Europe (Belgium) and don't need you to tell me how to play that position.

Verts - I am not a left back. I am a centre back. AVB apparently said, you will play where I tell you. Verts immediately handed in a transfer request

Chadli - wants out after being given no game time.

Other players rumoured to be unhappy are Lamela ( not being played in his best position ) and Sigg (same reason).

Defoe, Townsend, Capoue, etc all need first team football in World Cup year.

Does AVB really have the man management skills required to manage at this level?

I think I might do some fishing…TBF, I know Vertonghen doesn't enjoy left-back…Dembele? LOL at that comment…Belgium = the new Holland????

 

[charlietheyid]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Actally losing like that to City is bad, but no worse that the 3-0 defeat to West Ham at home. That was bad. City beat United 4 nil and when they start scoring they cant really stop, 7-0 vs Norwich...

Its not AVB thats not working, its the all new project... Baldini... The 100m spent... If you sack AVB what do you do with Baldini and these players?

The big problem is there is no cohesion between the lines, the players seem lost and we cant play good football at home.

So its sad really but yes we do need to change the manager.

 

[thfcsteff]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Actally losing like that to City is bad, but no worse that the 3-0 defeat to West Ham at home. That was bad. City beat United 4 nil and when they start scoring they cant really stop, 7-0 vs Norwich...

Its not AVB thats not working, its the all new project... Baldini... The 100m spent... If you sack AVB what do you do with Baldini and these players?

The big problem is there is no cohesion between the lines, the players seem lost and we cant play good football at home.

So its sad really but yes we do need to change the manager.

I think that the whole thing of Baldini is that he is considered the cohesion????? I still look at who we signed versus who AVB wanted…it's interesting to me…

Oh well, time will tell I suppose...

 

[Spursman]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

What's worrying is as it stands we will make big loses on the likes of soldado, lamela, paulinho if we were to sell them.

Back to how it used to be.

 

[Jordinho]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

What's worrying is as it stands we will make big loses on the likes of soldado, lamela, paulinho if we were to sell them.

Back to how it used to be.

Why would we sell them? Even if we did, I can only see us taking a hit on Soldado.

 

[Baleforce]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

If training ground rumours I am hearing are true, then AVB may already have lost the players:

Dembele - when AVB wanted to tell him something about playing in midfield, he said I already play for the best team in Europe (Belgium) and don't need you to tell me how to play that position.

Verts - I am not a left back. I am a centre back. AVB apparently said, you will play where I tell you. Verts immediately handed in a transfer request

Chadli - wants out after being given no game time.

Other players rumoured to be unhappy are Lamela ( not being played in his best position ) and Sigg (same reason).

Defoe, Townsend, Capoue, etc all need first team football in World Cup year.

Does AVB really have the man management skills required to manage at this level?

if that's true we should sell the lot of them now, you can't have that attitude in the squad

 

[ALtottenham_hotspur]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

I think that the whole thing of Baldini is that he is considered the cohesion????? I still look at who we signed versus who AVB wanted…it's interesting to me…

Oh well, time will tell I suppose...

How do you know who AVB wanted? Not being funny, general question? Do you have any sort of position within the club?

 

[Yiddo]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

If training ground rumours I am hearing are true, then AVB may already have lost the players:

Dembele - when AVB wanted to tell him something about playing in midfield, he said I already play for the best team in Europe (Belgium) and don't need you to tell me how to play that position.

Verts - I am not a left back. I am a centre back. AVB apparently said, you will play where I tell you. Verts immediately handed in a transfer request

Chadli - wants out after being given no game time.

Other players rumoured to be unhappy are Lamela ( not being played in his best position ) and Sigg (same reason).

Defoe, Townsend, Capoue, etc all need first team football in World Cup year.

Does AVB really have the man management skills required to manage at this level?

What a load of ********. You have taken a couple of non stories and made them into a bull**** rumour.

 

[indianspur]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

What's worrying is as it stands we will make big loses on the likes of soldado, lamela, paulinho if we were to sell them.

Back to how it used to be.

seriously, had we not spent the 68-70 mill on Soldado, lamela and Paulinho, would we really have been any worse off??? would Defoe, Townsend and Thudd have done any worse???

scary

 

[Armchair Expert]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Why would we sell them? Even if we did, I can only see us taking a hit on Soldado.

We would lose millions on Lamela and Paulinho. No-one would pay more than a couple of million each based on what they've shown this season.

 

[THFC]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

Let's all just accept that as a club we are cursed to never succeed

 

[DubaiSpur]

Re: ***The Official AVB Discussion Thread***

if that's true we should sell the lot of them now, you can't have that attitude in the squad

Entirely true. AVB is not remotely close to convincing me of his future usefulness at the moment, but that kind of attitude is ridiculously disgusting. Probably utterly unfounded rumours, but if they do turn out to be true I'd rather we sell them all than sack AVB, because those attitudes will just carry over to the next manager when he asks them to do something they feel they don't want to do.