This is certainly the toughest period he has had since being at the club, probably the hardest challenge is to get us going now with where we are and the squad he has, more difficult than when he first arrived as this is his squad.. More difficult than winning over the fan base to start with.
Brendan talks a great game, he talks in riddles that he knows we will lap up, I'm sure he means what he says but the way he says it is designed to win us over.. I took a while to warm to him, mainly due to my utter distain for the way the owners sacked Kenny, it took me a big chunk of his first season to get back into things and try to rid the feeling that the club had changed over the last decade with the two most recent owners, I hated H&G for obvious reasons, I dislike Fenway for ultimately similar reasons, they see our club as a way to make money in the long term and we and success ultimately come a long way down their list of priorities, if at all we feature on them, but just because these are smarter at what they do and what they say doesn't mean that they are here for anything less..
They recently said that CL isn't a necessary tool to our business model now that we are stable.. Well maybe not if you are simply talking profit, keeping a wage bill down, attracting players that ultimately are less of a gamble but potentially aren't going to take us to where we want to go..
This is going to the manager I promise
It's amazing how we can all read things different ways though, look at the summers transfer business, the headline that we have spent 100m looks great, it's not a small amount don't get me wrong but in the grand sceme of modern football if you seriously want to compete is it a lot? It's not really the way we have spent it.
The manager.. So last season with the help of one of the worlds best took us very close.. Going into the summer do we think that he was working with complete freedom in the market? I don't, I think he is working to the model set down to him , moneyball, lower wages, potential, sell on, lose less, less risk, less drain on the overheads. Do we honestly think if he had a choice of his own complete free will he wouldn't have replaced Suarez with more established stars? He must have looked and thought well two of my best most effective players last season were two worldys, even if one was coming towards the end, still a massive man in the dressing room.. So with two or three more of that type we can go the next step? However those types cost 50+ on their own and their wages are 6-8 times the size of a Markovic.. So no Brendan you can't and we work to this model..
He stated a month before signing Balotelli that we wouldn't, no chance.. And you know what I believe him, he wanted others but the moneyball theory pointed out that Balo was a risk worth taking and he was told we were bringing him in. So now he has to work with him.
The manager has got lots to work on and improve but I can't help but think he is trying to work within certain aspects pushed into him which for me he can't take the complete heat for..
I'm sure had he been given the choice, a straight choice of Balotelli or Cavani then I think I know who he would rather work with but one would cost 16 million and be forced out of his previous club to the extent he takes a wage cut which the club love and the other would cost 45 million and want 200k..
Can we honestly say a Rafa would work under that type of owner? Where he couldn't get who he wanted? Did Fenway bring a younger man who would love the chance to be here no matter what was asked of him that they could mould themselves?
All this talk of lvg as DOF when Rodgers came in, I don't blame Brendan for not wanting such a figure above him but I doubt for a second that van Gaal and Fenway would have lasted long as bedfellows either.
We had a great platform to kick on from last season and we needed to add a couple of worldys but that costs and Fenway won't cover that, Luis eventually got the wages but was brought in as a classic moneyball on 35k a week.. Hogan may have said it's not essential to our structure CL football but it is if you want to push on nowadays, either that or the only way you do get those top players when you're not in it is to well over pay on wage like Utd have this summer and we know to F**k they won't do that, F**k they wouldn't pay what was needed while we are in it.
Moneyball? An utter flawed system if you want to be winners.. A fantastic one if you want to keep the books straight.
So yes the manager has lots to work on on the training field and ultimately if he doesn't sort it he will have to go.. But he is trying to fight at the top table with and eat with the big boys sat on the floor and eating with a broken plastic fork
Get done what you can control Brendan, get the F***ing system sorted as last night was a bit embarrassing how they won so easily, like an older brother holding his kid brothers head while he swings like a windmill.
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