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O/T Manager Sack Watch

Norwich, Fulham, Everton and Saudi Sportswashing Machine all hit more long balls than Stoke, but only Reading managed fewer short passes.
Stoke committed the most fouls of all teams and scored the fewest goals from open play.
Excluding pens they only scored one more from set pieces because they simply scored very few goals.

Shouldn't be hard to improve the entertainment, but the squad needs to be almost completely rebuilt if he wants to play anything resembling football.
 
The Hughes appointment is baffling. I can understand that the club have had enough of Pulis and his style of rugby and wanting a new direction. So then why Hughes? Did they not see the way his blackburn team played. Can't see him achieving more than Pulis tbh
 
I guess it would have been too dangerous to go completely in the opposite direction for the reasons you mention, having to completely overhaul the squad, so they've gone for an inbetween manager. If he can get the respect of the players after his reputation has taken a hell of a beating after QPR, I don't see them doing any worse than last season.
 
It's not so much his previous style of play that would concern me, more the players he went after at City and QPR, despite being backed by the board in both cases he managed to build an unbalanced squad with no clear identity.

He did well with Wales and Blackburn granted but I wonder if that was because he couldn't really shape the squad, only work with what was already there.
 
What other comparatively experienced name were they going to get, realistically? I think Hughes's style will be a reasonable fit for them to begin with and he will probably improve them over time relative to what Pulis would have done.
 
I guess it would have been too dangerous to go completely in the opposite direction for the reasons you mention, having to completely overhaul the squad, so they've gone for an inbetween manager. If he can get the respect of the players after his reputation has taken a hell of a beating after QPR, I don't see them doing any worse than last season.

I agree, I think Hughes is a good for for Stoke at the same time as being a little bit removed from Pulis. I think he will improve on Pulis' finish this season.

Martinez is a bit of an enigma but I think that's the nature of trying to play good, innovative football with players that Wigan has. To keep them up every year after constantly selling the best players is fantastic, and to do it the way he did it was superb. There will always be strange results because of what he is trying to do, but overall keeping them up for as long as he did and winning the FA cup...that's excellent.

He will do well at Everton although it may take them a little time to get going because his style is a bit different to Moyes. However I think the defence of Coleman, Baines, Jagielka and Distin is pretty well suited to him, and he may be able to reignite Jelavic. It's just in midfield where they will need to rebuild, but with the new TV money I don't think they will be as financially suffocated as they will have been in previous years.
 
Nice prediction from 7th May

Should have had some money on it.

Still mumblings down here that Laudrup is still in a strop that swansea won't spend any cash.

He's on holiday in Malaga at the moment..........bit of a coincidence that they be looking for a manager from today.
 
Players or managers who go back to their old clubs seldom do well. Let's see how Mourinho does at Chelsea. He will be under huge pressure from Chelsea fans and the media to bring trophies to Chelsea.
 
One minute on the subject of Mourinho's return to the blue scum, starting... now!

Players or managers who go back to their old clubs seldom do well. Let's see how Mourinho does at Chelsea. He will be under huge pressure from Chelsea fans and the media to bring trophies to Chelsea.

Bzzzzzzzzzz! Repetition of the word Chelsea.

Sorry, couldn't resist :)
 
Football News @TelegraphFootie

Steve Bruce targeted by Dave Whelan for surprise return to Wigan


Why even bother? He'll sign all his usually players, ensuring his agent mates get their cuts, then jump ship again as soon as the next club comes in for him. Wigan should save themselves the trouble and skip to his replacement instead.
 
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