Which muppet can we appoint next?

[BWFC_Insane]

yay! you've found summat to be worried about again!

Indeed. Though it is barely a wrinkle inducing concern right now.

Nixon on the case too...

Alan Nixon ‏@reluctantnicko  · 1m1 minute ago

Bolton. Strange one. Anderson has a preferred choice. Holdsworth another. #awkward

[thebish]

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

From the same BN piece:

I would like to have it done today but that’s not going to be possible. I think it’ll be the end of next week when we should know who the next manager is and I think we’re down to the last three now. We have seen all three managers and this week we will be holding second interviews.

Elsewhere in the piece, Iles says that "Northampton Town boss Chris Wilder and out-of-work former Bristol City boss Steve Cotterill both tick boxes in the club’s search."

[Worthy4England]

From the same BN piece:

I would like to have it done today but that’s not going to be possible. I think it’ll be the end of next week when we should know who the next manager is and I think we’re down to the last three now. We have seen all three managers and this week we will be holding second interviews.

Elsewhere in the piece, Iles says that "Northampton Town boss Chris Wilder and out-of-work former Bristol City boss Steve Cotterill both tick boxes in the club’s search."

Well they gotta do something to make ends meet, what with 50 applicants and all that - there must've been a lot of boxes that needed ticking along the way.

[Worthy4England]

yay! you've found summat to be worried about again!

Indeed. Though it is barely a wrinkle inducing concern right now.

Nixon on the case too...

Alan Nixon ‏@reluctantnicko  · 1m1 minute ago

Bolton. Strange one. Anderson has a preferred choice. Holdsworth another. #awkward

Based on no information at all - just personal viewpoint.

When I looked at that interview yesterday, I took out of it a couple of things 1) We were already talking to Clubs about who we could loan - didn't sound like that was a job our short term Manager was part of - sounded like KA to me or maybe KA and Deano - bit strange when you're close to finalising who your manager is going to be.

I might have got this bit wrong, but when asked about the money/finances etc. he said "I had to..." not me and Dean, me and Blumarble, me and Eddie...oh no Sir - Him. All him.

Oh and apropos of nowt, if I shook hands with him I'd be counting my fingers immediately and his eyes are scary.

[BWFC_Insane]

yay! you've found summat to be worried about again!

Indeed. Though it is barely a wrinkle inducing concern right now.

Nixon on the case too...

Alan Nixon ‏@reluctantnicko  · 1m1 minute ago

Bolton. Strange one. Anderson has a preferred choice. Holdsworth another. #awkward

Based on no information at all - just personal viewpoint.

When I looked at that interview yesterday, I took out of it a couple of things 1) We were already talking to Clubs about who we could loan - didn't sound like that was a job our short term Manager was part of - sounded like KA to me or maybe KA and Deano - bit strange when you're close to finalising who your manager is going to be.

I might have got this bit wrong, but when asked about the money/finances etc. he said "I had to..." not me and Dean, me and Blumarble, me and Eddie...oh no Sir - Him. All him.

Oh and apropos of nowt, if I shook hands with him I'd be counting my fingers immediately and his eyes are scary.

The managerial "model" KA is talking about is seemingly him and Deano sorting transfers with a manager more in a head coach capacity. The "continental" approach. Think that is what he means when he says they don't want an old school manager - ie. someone who wants to control everything.

Alarm bells there, but at the same time letting our managers pick players hasn't worked out too well so a different approach might work out for a while at least.

[Worthy4England]

I'm not tied to -ologies. models or approaches - I've seen too many of 'em in my line of work. Remember when it was en vogue not to have centre forwards - oh look all our goals have dried up. What works for us, works for us. So I'm not alarmed particularly at that. Just observing - I'd be surprised if Neil Warnock turned up.

Much more concerned around ownership - Anderson didn't get a mention until fairly late on in the process...

[thebish]

yay! you've found summat to be worried about again!

Indeed. Though it is barely a wrinkle inducing concern right now.

Nixon on the case too...

Alan Nixon ‏@reluctantnicko  · 1m1 minute ago

Bolton. Strange one. Anderson has a preferred choice. Holdsworth another. #awkward

Based on no information at all - just personal viewpoint.

When I looked at that interview yesterday, I took out of it a couple of things 1) We were already talking to Clubs about who we could loan - didn't sound like that was a job our short term Manager was part of - sounded like KA to me or maybe KA and Deano - bit strange when you're close to finalising who your manager is going to be.

I might have got this bit wrong, but when asked about the money/finances etc. he said "I had to..." not me and Dean, me and Blumarble, me and Eddie...oh no Sir - Him. All him.

Oh and apropos of nowt, if I shook hands with him I'd be counting my fingers immediately and his eyes are scary.

are we talking to clubs specifically about who we could loan - OR - are we talking to clubs about having some kind of first-dibs relationship with potential loanees of the future? You'd expect the manager to have some involvement in the former, but not necessarily the latter...

[Worthy4England]

He seemed to be alluding to specific players as I think he said something along the lines of there being a lot of other Clubs interested in them too...

[BWFC_Insane]

I'm not tied to -ologies. models or approaches - I've seen too many of 'em in my line of work. Remember when it was en vogue not to have centre forwards - oh look all our goals have dried up. What works for us, works for us. So I'm not alarmed particularly at that. Just observing - I'd be surprised if Neil Warnock turned up.

Much more concerned around ownership - Anderson didn't get a mention until fairly late on in the process...

To be fair Anderson was mentioned as being involved in the press (Nixon) quite a bit before the takeover. I'm not sure that it was leftfield.

As you say, what is interesting is how much money "he" has committed. I assume it isn't his personal money but we'll probably never find out.

You could almost read between the lines and guess that perhaps Deano preferred to do the deal with his business partner Bruce Gordon that would have resulted in Deano having total control himself with Gordon (a non football man) a more silent partner, but that perhaps the FL felt there wasn't enough money in the pot with that setup and therefore KA and inner circle were brought in.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

He seemed to be alluding to specific players as I think he said something along the lines of there being a lot of other Clubs interested in them too...

Loans: Seems a bit daft either way. By all means get (say) Man City to agree in principle to lend us a player or two, but there's no point saying "Him and him please" until we know which seniors we've got left in the squad - which may take a lot of horse-trading considering we've neither the will nor the wodge to just pay severance and have done with.

For instance: I imagine we'll be trying to shift Spearing, Davies, Pratley and possibly Trotter off the wage bill. If we manage it, we'll need another central midfielder (with due respect, as relevant, to Vela, Derik and Twardzik). The new manager might well decided - rightly in my view - that we could do with an experienced player in the engine room, so would we bother lining up some bright spark from the Etihad academy?

Similarly, I'd say it's fairly certain that we'll be looking for a new forward or two. But what kind? If the new guy likes a 4-2-3-1, there's no real point getting a 5'6" nipper up top.

[LeverEnd]

I don't like the look or sound of any of those an I'm. With Worthy on the finger counting thing. An inexperienced yes man in charge and burdened with a shit load of overpaid lovers. Brilliant.

Edit... losers. Not lovers.

[BWFC_Insane]

He seemed to be alluding to specific players as I think he said something along the lines of there being a lot of other Clubs interested in them too...

Loans: Seems a bit daft either way. By all means get (say) Man City to agree in principle to lend us a player or two, but there's no point saying "Him and him please" until we know which seniors we've got left in the squad - which may take a lot of horse-trading considering we've neither the will nor the wodge to just pay severance and have done with.

For instance: I imagine we'll be trying to shift Spearing, Davies, Pratley and possibly Trotter off the wage bill. If we manage it, we'll need another central midfielder (with due respect, as relevant, to Vela, Derik and Twardzik). The new manager might well decided - rightly in my view - that we could do with an experienced player in the engine room, so would we bother lining up some bright spark from the Etihad academy?

Similarly, I'd say it's fairly certain that we'll be looking for a new forward or two. But what kind? If the new guy likes a 4-2-3-1, there's no real point getting a 5'6" nipper up top.

The new manager will by the sounds of it, work with what he is given.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

There's more than one way to do it, even within the "continental" model. Spurs and Leicester, for instance, have sporting-director types who do the recruitment legwork, but I don't think Pochettino or Ranieri have players foisted on them. For every continental club whose president is an interfering knobhead, buying poor downtrodden Rafas a lamp instead of a sofa, there are far more who work within a structure toward a common goal. Seville have been consistently successful thanks to Monchi rather than the coaches.

However, all that's up in the air. We'll find out by and by, but I suspect you may be making presumptions based on a couple of quotes. By "old-school manager" I think Ken Anderson – a former agent, remember – is making a coded reference to the kind of boss whose insistence on transfer dealings end up investigated by TV companies and agencies of state.

Personally I think Phil Brown, for instance, would be quite happy to tell those above him "I need a pacy striker" and be given a menu of options, instead of spending all day ringing mates for favours and sitting in stands watching Development teams on a hunch or a hope.

I understand the fear when those above the manager get involved. But really, look at where the alternative got us. Yes, Allardyce took us to heaven, but it wasn't sustainable under lesser management and right now we're sliding to hell. I welcome the idea of a chairman and chief exec who are as happy checking spreadsheets as signing cheques.

[BWFC_Insane]

There's more than one way to do it, even within the "continental" model. Spurs and Leicester, for instance, have sporting-director types who do the recruitment legwork, but I don't think Pochettino or Ranieri have players foisted on them. For every continental club whose president is an interfering knobhead, buying poor downtrodden Rafas a lamp instead of a sofa, there are far more who work within a structure toward a common goal. Seville have been consistently successful thanks to Monchi rather than the coaches.

However, all that's up in the air. We'll find out by and by, but I suspect you may be making presumptions based on a couple of quotes. By "old-school manager" I think Ken Anderson – a former agent, remember – is making a coded reference to the kind of boss whose insistence on transfer dealings end up investigated by TV companies and agencies of state.

Personally I think Phil Brown, for instance, would be quite happy to tell those above him "I need a pacy striker" and be given a menu of options, instead of spending all day ringing mates for favours and sitting in stands watching Development teams on a hunch or a hope.

I understand the fear when those above the manager get involved. But really, look at where the alternative got us. Yes, Allardyce took us to heaven, but it wasn't sustainable under lesser management and right now we're sliding to hell. I welcome the idea of a chairman and chief exec who are as happy checking spreadsheets as signing cheques.

Yeah, so do I to an extent. But you know the proof is in the pudding as ever. The manager making decisions approach hasn't really worked for us since Allardyce. Equally though I worry a bit that we no have Anderson, Holdsworth and a manager, will they all agree and who makes final decisions?

Also there are the further board members to consider who apparently will be announced later this week and will be known to BWFC fans in the main.

I mean we're going from a very hierarchical structure where it was clear that Eddie had financial control at the highest level, PG operated under that mandate and did his best to bring the players a manager asked for, to something that seems a bit more complex.

Not saying it won't work. Just that time will tell.

Apparently Anderson had a go at the players in the meeting yesterday. Again that may be justified but is that the role of a chairman?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I mean we're going from a very hierarchical structure where it was clear that Eddie had financial control at the highest level, PG operated under that mandate and did his best to bring the players a manager asked for, to something that seems a bit more complex.

Well quite, but that ended up with us last summer committing to a £3.3m basic contract – for a goalkeeper. Depends who the people are. You're in trouble if the bankroller pulls the plug, or the 'CEO' is a dreamer, or the manager's an idiot. I think we might have scored a hat-trick.

Obviously it'll be chaos now if the manager, chairman (KA) and chief exec (DH) are all pulling in different directions. The manager has to know he's working for people who will make suggestions. And the two in charge have to sort out their own power-play.

Apparently Anderson had a go at the players in the meeting yesterday. Again that may be justified but is that the role of a chairman?

Good. They don't seem to have responded to Jimmy Phillips or Peter Reid. Maybe the bloke who writes the cheques can scare them. Might also be a show of strength to startle anyone who thinks he can coast through the rest of his oversized contract. Again: Anderson knows how agents work, and can work on their clients' attitude.

[Abdoulaye's Twin]

Via NewsNow Batman is claiming that the 3 shortlisted are Wilder, Carver and Cotterill.

[General Mannerheim]

Chris Wilder would be my choice of the 3, although Cotteril won the league with Bristol! dont fancy John Carver tho. he has only managed about 60 games, and lost over half of em.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Carver's an interesting one. He was long regarded as one of the English game's most-respected coaches (see also: Sammy Lee, Steve McClaren) but has obviously been damaged by the Newcastle experience, although that club has spat out far more experienced managers than him.

I'd be tempted to call him quite an old-school character...

[Harry Genshaw]

I think you could argue a case both for and against all three of them but it's more than just a manager that's needed. As long as the background stuff is sorted, then any of them potentially could do a decent job.

Bloke in the office today was insisting from a friend ITK that it was going to be Reid with Nobby as his assistant. Mind you, he told me we'd signed Klinsmann several years ago.