Non of the other managers have ever been employed in a similar role to this. He took the job as a caretaker. He was always in the job till Pep was available.
To argue otherwise is pointless and wrong. It's the first time to my knowledge a manager has been employed with his fate already sealed. Stats regarding anyother manager are totally irrelevant. Unless those managers were employed under identical or even similar circumstances. Name one manager who took a job knowing it was semi permenant.
I refer you to your initial response. You tell me Sorriano has written in his book about this happening at Barcelona. Txiki was at Barcelona, no?
So they have experienced this before, yet decided to repeat it? Under more difficult circumstances. Idiotic if you ask me.
As a DOF Txiki has overseen a squad growing old and complacent before? Seems like he's a bit shit to me then.
You argue we've gone backwards since Pellegrini, I could argue the same can be said of Txiki.
On field they have done nothing Cook and Marwood weren't doing.
Off field Sorriano is doing a great job as far as I can see.
The bringing up of youth is an interesting. The EDS seems to be utterly rudderless too. Viera gone, some ex rag put in charge of an EDS full of players way below standard. The true talent are still eligible for the u18's. I'm talking Faupala, Glendon, Horsefield, Barker, Ambrose et al.
The EDS seem to be in an almost identical situation to the first team. In limbo, waiting for the next chapter to start.
Youth should be introduced, it was creeping in. Garcia and Celina were making inroads, Iheanacho was in. Since Viera has gone, it's stopped. Where's the link between EDS and Pellegrini?
I agree, Pellegrini has plenty to answer for. But I think there's plenty of reasoning to be heard about massive fuck ups all centred around getting Guardiola. Players have been signed for him, plans put on hold for him. For three years we have been working towards a manager we didn't have. Pellegrini has been a caretaker. He's done a decent job. No more.
He's being asked to manager players bought for another manager. He's being asked to manage players with no future. There are huge holes in the squad. Again players with little or nothing left in way of motivation. For all we know he may have wanted a totally different side. From what we know Demichellis was his man. He's washed now, but I doubt Mangala or Otamendi will ever have the impact he did in our 2014 title run in.
Pellegrini should have done better, I won't argue that. He should have been more progressive in terms of tactics, he should have been more progressive in terms of youth. All I'm saying, he's not alone.
Pep will have a very hard job, what do we do if he sneaks in 4th, win a league cup and makes the CL semis? Fire him?
I won't judge Pep till he's through our door.
Yep you make some good points about Txiki, and I have always agreed that he has made a lot of mistakes. I think he's done a lot of good too, getting 12m for Jack Rodwell is a modern day miracle. Paying 12m for Fernando is a modern day scandal. We over paid for Mangala, but I personally think he's playing very well now and will improve even further if he is given the opportunity. Same with Otamendi, he's a talented player who needs the edges knocking off, needs to stay calm and stay on his feet.
I think the obvious fuck up is letting Yaya go on one season too long and not replacing him. I do think it was always the strategy to bring in Pogba last summer to learn under him, but for whatever reason we couldn't get it over the line. We've had to stick with Yaya for one season too many and it has possibly cost us in some games. As I've said before, personally I would concentrate pretty much all of our recruitment budget this season on centre midfielders. Yaya legs seem to have gone, Fernando is nowhere near fit for purpose, Delph is a useful squad player but not good enough to be starting every game, and Fernandinho is 31. Really we need 3 or 4 top draw central midfielders with energy, ambition and real quality on the ball. Gundogan is a fantastic start.
Some people think we need a whole new back 4, with two new centre halves. Personally I think you'll see a vast improvement in the back 4 and a vast improvement in the centre halves when we have 4 or 5 centre midfielders in the squad who are at the required level to provide them with protection. Our attacking players (with the exception of Navas and Bony) are brilliant, and if anyone can mould them in to an effective system, it's Guardiola.
I disagree about Txiki letting the squad get old and unambitious at Barca. For me that was a management issue, not a recruitment one. Guardiola essentially took the same squad that Rijkaard had finished 3rd with and made them treble winners in his first season. He didn't totally rip up the squad, throw out all of the old guard and bring in a whole new team. He bombed out Ronaldinho and Deco, brought in Henry and Keita, which was actually probably increasing the average age of the squad. What he did was totally reinvigorate the core players of a very talented squad. The key players in that team were Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Eto'o. Those players had all been there under Rijkaard, but had lost motivation and underachieved. Their dramatic upturn in form was very little to do with recruitment, and far more to do with outstanding management from Guardiola.
I'm not sure I understand your point about Pellegrini being a caretaker? He was given a three year contract initially, he's served all three years. That's more than double the average term for a manager in England. It's exactly the same term Guardiola served at Bayern, but he's not considered a caretaker. It's the same term Sorriano has said is most effective for managers at the top level. So what makes Pellegrini a caretaker? It's certainly not based on time served.
He was given 3 years and he's served all of them, so why would the fact he knew he was being replaced at the end of the 3 years affect him? Because he didn't feel loved? You've argued the players are professional and well paid enough to motivate themselves, well I'd argue Pellegrini on a 3 year contract, serving all 3 years and getting paid 4million a year, he's not got really got too much complain about.
I totally agree that Pellegrini is not solely to blame. Txiki made some big mistakes in recruitment, and the players have to take some of the responsibility too. Even bad luck with injuries has played a part. But the proof will be in the pudding, my guess is that next year we will have the same core squad of players as this year. There will be some tweaks no doubt as there is every year, but I would be stunned if Guardiola doesn't get much more out of the very same players that Pellegrini has so clearly underachieved with.
