Who's the Rioch to Evatt's Neal?

[GhostoftheBok]

Same as player recruitment. If you have good processes you get a better success rate. You'll still get failures.

The smarter clubs tend to have better structures around managers, which obviously also helps.

It's a bit like Big Sam having a whole department to help players and their families settle in. You control what you can control, the rest is luck.

[BWFC_Insane]

Markham's job is to find what he's asked to find, whether that's by the manager or the board.

If he delivers a list of managers who all play the same style of football it's because that's what he's been told the club higher-ups want the playing identity to be.

The search criteria and your CV get you in the room. The interview gets you the job.

One sentence was the difference between Ole being our new manager and not. Literally one sentence. What the people doing the choosing react to, or don't, we'll probably never know - or not until years later.

Roy Evans blew it when he mentioned signing a player who would cost a transfer fee.

I suspect that’s most good appointments are purely accidental in football.

I doubt it. The smart clubs often make smart coaching picks.

Which clubs are they?

[The_Gun]

Well Brighton and Brentford for starters.

[Bertie Wooster]

Big move tonight on Gary O'Neil, which would be a surprise IMO

[BWFC_Insane]

Big move tonight on Gary O'Neil, which would be a surprise IMO

Big move? I reckon I could with about £50 get Paul Ince into top 3 favourites. Odds changing rapidly cos it’s a tiny market and any money swings it massively. It’s a bit meaningless.

[Bertie Wooster]

Big move tonight on Gary O'Neil, which would be a surprise IMO

Big move? I reckon I could with about £50 get Paul Ince into top 3 favourites. Odds changing rapidly cos it’s a tiny market and any money swings it massively. It’s a bit meaningless.

I don't disagree with you, just pointing it out - my preference is probably SS

[GhostoftheBok]

A lot of people who have been saying they wanted to simplify things and get rid of Evatt's "too detailed" approach seem to want Gary O'Neil, who once said his coaching style was "More detailed than Premier League players are used to."

I fear for them.

[The_Gun]

I’d say GON is incredibly unlikely.

[Spartan2]

I think there are levels with managers just like with players, GON has done reasonably well in the PL, which -to me at least- is a big indication of future success. Not that I could tell you the first thing about him though. I didn't even remember that he played for us.

[Bertie Wooster]

I would be absolutely shocked if O'Neil dropped down to League 1, again as with Dyche his salary would be surely be too high and he will fancy a job higher up the football pyramid.

Also, we need someone who is used to league 1, and who knows a system, tactics, style of play, type of player mix required (physicality required !) to get out of league 1 and O'Neil has only ever worked with Premiership level players as a manager, he'd be shocked having to coach & manage league 1 players.

I'll be really surprised if it wasn't Schumacher, although I still wouldn't mind Wagner.

[BWFC_Insane]

A lot of people who have been saying they wanted to simplify things and get rid of Evatt's "too detailed" approach seem to want Gary O'Neil, who once said his coaching style was "More detailed than Premier League players are used to."

I fear for them.

Well this would after consideration be my concern. O Neil has managed in the premiership and made a lot of his pressing patterns and adapting them to the opposition.

Which is nice. But he’s had more analysis staff up there. More coaches. More time to work with players. And of course better players.

But he’s also been in situations where broadly 10 wins plus change achieves what those clubs need. So catching teams out with his press and overloads is good especially if they can do it enough times to amass 35 plus points. Yet here in league one you need to win most weeks. If you listen to Duff or Parky a lot of what they talk about is imposing their games on the opposition. They obviously tweak tactics but I suspect the main patterns are the same week in week out. With players who are limited, less staff and less time to prep I think you need to be realistic about what works.

GoN though I’d take because he’s a good bloke and not some massive dickhead and he’d get a chance. But I do not think he will be the choice anyway.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I really like Gary O'Neil as a person, I loved him as a player and I wish him all the best as a manager. Indeed, when he was at Wolves he even reversed my usual antipathy for that mob into wanting them to win.

However, however. At Bournemouth he - how to phrase this? - did a remarkable job of making results exceed the underlying numbers. And at Wolves, it ended in some of the worst defending the Premier League has ever seen. When he was sacked, they'd conceded 40 goals in 16 games, 20 of which were from set-plays. Gaz spoke quite openly about the players not being good enough to execute the things asked of them - if you can stomach it (and wait through the preroll ads), watch his painful five-minute post-match after the lethal home loss to Ipswich, where he talks about the opposition "booting it", his defenders being bullied and nobody listening to his plans:

https://www.skysports.com/football/vide ... to-ipswich

I therefore worry that this fine man, if chosen as Bolton manager, could be a terrible combination of Parky's reactive submissive football and Evatt's dogmatic disappointment with players failing his brilliant system (and being utterly dogshit at defending, especially set-pieces). As noted by BWFCi, scraping survival is a very different prospect to expecting - having - to get 2ppg. All. Season. Long.

One thing, though. If he does get the job, or even an interview, it suggests that this selection is not being done by spreadsheet.

[BWFC_Insane]

I really like Gary O'Neil as a person, I loved him as a player and I wish him all the best as a manager. Indeed, when he was at Wolves he even reversed my usual antipathy for that mob into wanting them to win.

However, however. At Bournemouth he - how to phrase this? - did a remarkable job of making results exceed the underlying numbers. And at Wolves, it ended in some of the worst defending the Premier League has ever seen. When he was sacked, they'd conceded 40 goals in 16 games, 20 of which were from set-plays. Gaz spoke quite openly about the players not being good enough to execute the things asked of them - if you can stomach it (and wait through the preroll ads), watch his painful five-minute post-match after the lethal home loss to Ipswich, where he talks about the opposition "booting it", his defenders being bullied and nobody listening to his plans:

https://www.skysports.com/football/vide ... to-ipswich

I therefore worry that this fine man, if chosen as Bolton manager, could be a terrible combination of Parky's reactive submissive football and Evatt's dogmatic disappointment with players failing his brilliant system (and being utterly dogshit at defending, especially set-pieces). As noted by BWFCi, scraping survival is a very different prospect to expecting - having - to get 2ppg. All. Season. Long.

One thing, though. If he does get the job, or even an interview, it suggests that this selection is not being done by spreadsheet.

And there is also the intangible that he might learn and adapt. As he’s clearly very bright.

Sam had different problems when he came here but of a similar scale to GON. I guess Sam was hugely driven and knew Bolton was his chance and his club to make it. And he changed very rapidly from thinking you needed 11 6ft plus monsters to adapting to other qualities mattering. He said so himself. Sadly not fast enough to keep Johansen but….

GON might be similarly driven but having already tasted and to some extent proven himself in the highest level of the game will it be quite the same for him if he ended up near the bottom of the ladder with a club with a lot of growth in it?

Thats why I feel there are managers who have shown capability down here who might not otherwise get a chance at getting to the premiership - and their best bet would be to take Bolton (or similar sized club) there if that became a possibility.

[Bijou Bob]

There are tangibles in all of this.......and intangibles. O' Neill has had two decent contracts which have ended early, presumably with significant pay offs, but perhaps not. We all live to our means and for some people, if you're used to a lavish lifestyle or if you have a gambling addiction, money can leave a bank account, very, very quickly( See Chris Sutton, Matt Etherington, David James, Merson, Adams etc etc)

O' Neill, along with others on the job list, hasn't had a wage for some months now (Unless he/they are still on gardening leave (a là Robbie Fowler/Graham Potter). Who knows what pressure that brings at home with boredom, mental health issues etc, or what financial pressure that puts people under. £250k a year is peanuts to some people .......until they're' skint.

[nicholaldo]

It looks like it might be Schumacher.

He shot to 1/4 in the betting market, which has now been suspended.

[BWFC_Insane]

It looks like it might be Schumacher.

He shot to 1/4 in the betting market, which has now been suspended.

I’d say yesterday confirmed to me that of the available (out of work) candidates based on what we know that Schumacher is the best bet. Simply because he’s the least wedded historically to any one style of football.

And I think our squad as it stands needs a bit of flexibility. It is not set up for big long balls down the middle. Sure. But yesterday also showed it can play a simpler game inspite of Evatt’s protestations to the contrary that can be very effective. But the thing is picking and choosing the games.

Then in the summer it’s about for me adding pace. Bit of physicality but more pace. And Schuey has talked about both those as mattering to him in the past.

I worry that Buckingham and O’Neil and Martin might all be wedded to trying to be the next Pep. Which is admirable but not necessarily what we need. Equally I’m not convinced that someone who just wants a big target and playing off them all the time would find it easy here.

We need some balance. Any appointment is a risk but Schumacher for me is the most obvious and sensible choice available.

[Bertie Wooster]

It looks like it might be Schumacher.

He shot to 1/4 in the betting market, which has now been suspended.

I’d say yesterday confirmed to me that of the available (out of work) candidates based on what we know that Schumacher is the best bet. Simply because he’s the least wedded historically to any one style of football.

And I think our squad as it stands needs a bit of flexibility. It is not set up for big long balls down the middle. Sure. But yesterday also showed it can play a simpler game inspite of Evatt’s protestations to the contrary that can be very effective. But the thing is picking and choosing the games.

Then in the summer it’s about for me adding pace. Bit of physicality but more pace. And Schuey has talked about both those as mattering to him in the past.

I worry that Buckingham and O’Neil and Martin might all be wedded to trying to be the next Pep. Which is admirable but not necessarily what we need.

I thought you said last night that they haven't even put a shortlist together or commenced interviewing ?

[BWFC_Insane]

It looks like it might be Schumacher.

He shot to 1/4 in the betting market, which has now been suspended.

I’d say yesterday confirmed to me that of the available (out of work) candidates based on what we know that Schumacher is the best bet. Simply because he’s the least wedded historically to any one style of football.

And I think our squad as it stands needs a bit of flexibility. It is not set up for big long balls down the middle. Sure. But yesterday also showed it can play a simpler game inspite of Evatt’s protestations to the contrary that can be very effective. But the thing is picking and choosing the games.

Then in the summer it’s about for me adding pace. Bit of physicality but more pace. And Schuey has talked about both those as mattering to him in the past.

I worry that Buckingham and O’Neil and Martin might all be wedded to trying to be the next Pep. Which is admirable but not necessarily what we need.

I thought you said last night that they haven't even put a shortlist together or commenced interviewing ?

What have I said that contradicts that? But that is the talk going round that it’s still at shortlisting stage and indeed Iles has also said that. It could be though that they want to do it under the radar and are not doing so formal stuff instead whittling it down on the fly.

But regardless me saying ‘I think it should be Schumacher’ is not really the same as the club deciding that!

[Bertie Wooster]

Several people saying that Schumacher is a done deal, after an apparent meeting last night - to be confirmed tomorrow. It could be bullshit but more people jumping on the band wagon in the last hour or so claiming to know that its done.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Several people saying that Schumacher is a done deal, after an apparent meeting last night - to be confirmed tomorrow. It could be bullshit but more people jumping on the band wagon in the last hour or so claiming to know that its done.

I'll wait for Agent McGee to confirm it

Could be a good weekend, this...