Writing is on the wall

[Bojinov The Bull]

I fear you may be right - the shadow of Mourinho looms very large

Mourinho will not come, i dont know why everyone keeps on saying this! The guys that are in charge now interviewed Mourinho for Barcelona when they were there and decided not to go with him because they didn't like his personality and thought he would reflect on the club in a bad way. I very much doubt they have changed their mind already and now want him.

 

[irishblue]

New board, he obviously didnt want to sell Mario even if he understood the reasons, the summer window, the window just closed, the contract situation at the end of last season although he got a new deal and a few other bits.

I don't get why people keep saying this. You are basically saying that the club didn't sign players in the summer and in January just because they could weaken the squad so that they could sack the Manager at the end of the season. You are saying that the club don't want to win anything this season, so signed no 'star' players so that they can sack the Manager. Why give him a 5 year contract in the summer though? I think he had two years left on his original contract, so they could quite easily have let him sit there and sack him during / end of this season if that was part of their 'masterplan'.

The reason, in my opinion, why we didn't sign anyone in the summer was because Marwood fucked up. The reason, again in my opinion, why we didn't sign anyone in January was because a) the club couldn't get who they wanted in January and b) their targets will be easier (and possibly cheaper) to get in the summer.

Everyone was spouting on about Pep coming for the first half of the season because we have two ex-Barcelona men in senior positions. Surely, if Pep was coming, these were the guys to make it happen. Secondly, I can't see Jose coming because of these same two ex-Barcelona men (the Real Madrid factor) - from what I can remember, Jose hasn't really being complimentary about things he has said about Barcelona and the club in the past.

 

[Anonymous]

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

He did want to sell Mario. Mario was causing him too much hassle for no return. Even though he has a lot of time for Mario, it was causing him too much stress.
Soon as they got a decent offer for him, he was always going, unless he turned into the player we all wanted him to overnight.
Saying he wasn't for sale etc was done to keep his price up. If he said he's had enough of Mario and wanted rid, we would be lucky to get 10 mil for him.
I got told this 3 months ago by someone at the club!

What has been said contradicts this. Before the training ground incident there was a talk about being Marios last chance. That says to me bobby wanted him to stay but had been given directives from bove. There are murmurs about txixi wanting Mario out.

Then Mario has said him and bobby were emotional in a heart to heart before Qpr. Then bobs interview after looked sad. In fact the footage of him on the bench at lotus road was a little odd. He wasn't his usual animated self at all.

If Bobby was supposedly complicit in a sale of Mario all along, I would consider it foolish for him to state only in December that he was Sheikh Mansour's favourite player and had 100 more chances.

There's plenty of other ways of bluffing without bringing our owners' name into the equation.

Also, Mario and his agent would not have gone to the many lengths they did last September.<br /><br />-- Fri Feb 01, 2013 10:40 am --<br /><br />

i don't want Mourinho! He will bring a bad name to the club and only be a short term manager.

I see where you're coming from but Mourinho = Trophies. and that's a fact.

I agree he'd only be here as long as it suits him but I would not mind if Mourinho came for couple seasons, we won something nice and during his tenure we would already have in mind who is the next Long term manager who would take over after Jose

IMO, Mourinho has fewer options these days in terms of the clubs he can pick and choose.

Whoever gets him will be very lucky, as he will actually be having to rebuild a reputation, somewhat, unless he wins Champions League this year.

There were plenty who made the argument that Mario was great for the club, good publicity or bad.

There is also a myth that Soriano and Begiristain would never go near somewhere like him.

Which is not entirely the case, having interviewed him for the Barca job in the first place.

 

[BlueAnorak]

But, it's fairly obvious to me the only way bobby will still be here at the start of next season is if we retain the league.

Why? Our owners work for the long term and only sack the manager during their contract only a matter of last resort. (Consider the firing of Hughesless - he'd have been gone in the summer 2009 if our owner had a trigger finger.) The only way Roberto will be toast is if we fail to qualify for the champions league.

Strikers aside there is improvement everywhere else in the team.
Mancini was given a new contract in the summer from our owner who see's agreements through. Mancini also said what would happen if we didn't move to the next level and his warning has come to pass.

So I say again. Why will Roberto be toast this summer?

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

If we win the FA Cup and come runners-up that's not too shabby I reckon.

 

[St Helens Blue (Exiled)]

If we win the FA Cup and come runners-up that's not too shabby I reckon.

Great post colin..fully agree

 

[johnmc]

Why? Our owners work for the long term and only sack the manager during their contract only a matter of last resort. (Consider the firing of Hughesless - he'd have been gone in the summer 2009 if our owner had a trigger finger.) The only way Roberto will be toast is if we fail to qualify for the champions league.

Strikers aside there is improvement everywhere else in the team.
Mancini was given a new contract in the summer from our owner who see's agreements through. Mancini also said what would happen if we didn't move to the next level and his warning has come to pass.

So I say again. Why will Roberto be toast this summer?

Just my opinion and I hope I am wrong as you say.

However, it the general mood of Bobby as well as anything else. You say our owners work for the long term but we already know that Bobby was preparing to leave at the end of last season if we didnt win the league. Do you think he would have walked or been pushed?

You see the improvement in the team but looking from the outside and taking the blue glasses off, not winning the league with most probably less points than last year and going out of the champions league with less points than last year is not progress.<br /><br />-- Fri Feb 01, 2013 11:16 am --<br /><br />

If we win the FA Cup and come runners-up that's not too shabby I reckon.

Not shabby at all. We won't win the league every year and surely everyone can accept this. An FA cup win keeps the momentum going. I'd be content with that. But will the powers that be? I am not sure to be honest.

One thing I will say is that a lot of posts have conceded the league and also taking an FA cup win as a strong possibility. Truth is we have 14 games to turn a 7 point gap around so thats not impossible but difficult, and the FA cup we are one win of going out. We could do a double. We could win jack.

 

[ell]

We would be bonkers if 2nd place and an FA Cup is not good enough

 

[Impeccable]

Can't see Mourinho being our next manager. I wouldn't be against the idea of David Moyes taking over from Bobby, whenever that day comes.