Manager Watch: Ange Postecoglou

[Styopa]

Record after eighteen games.

Best since 18/19. Even if we lose to Brighton, we've only had four PL seasons better at the halfway mark.

After selling our best player and with a ridiculous injury list.

Bloke's a wizard.

Ange has done a brilliant job, especially given the injuries and poor squad depth.

I think losing Kane during the summer was a blessing in disguise though, and I said so at the time. Yeah maybe we would have even more points with Kane now but unless Kane committed to another contract it would be a sideshow sucking out enthusiasm from the new project.

Selling Kane (rather than periphery players like Dier or Davies) was the real final step in the “painful rebuild”. It’s given Ange the freedom to start shaping a genuinely new team, as opposed to the Mourinho/Conte teams which tried to make it all about Kane.

 

[Nebby]

We do need to find a way to replicate Kane’s hold up play. It would allow us to switch things up a bit and go long once in a while. Give teams something else to think about. Can’t always play out.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Merry Christmas Everyone!

This year, I'm loving Big Ange instead

 

[bubble07]

Record after eighteen games.

Best since 18/19. Even if we lose to Brighton, we've only had four PL seasons better at the halfway mark.

After selling our best player and with a ridiculous injury list.

Bloke's a wizard.

Jeez in 18/19 we had 45 points from our first 19 games

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Jeez in 18/19 we had 45 points from our first 19 games

We have double the points we had at this stage in 4 of our premier league campaigns, double! After selling our best player.

Only bettered at this point twice, peak Redknapp and peak Poch. Also shows just how good Redknapp was and that we really were in a title fight at half way under Harry until the famous Nelson & Saha January

Leicester had 38pts at this stage of the season when they won it…

If we can somehow beat Brighton & Bournemouth and get a few early January signings we are right back in this, but either way I’m loving Big Ange instead!

 

[BPR_U16]

We do need to find a way to replicate Kane’s hold up play. It would allow us to switch things up a bit and go long once in a while. Give teams something else to think about. Can’t always play out.

Think I'll leave those sort of decisions to Ange, if that's OK.

 

[Styopa]

We have double the points we had at this stage in 4 of our premier league campaigns, double! After selling our best player.

Only bettered at this point twice, peak Redknapp and peak Poch. Also shows just how good Redknapp was and that we really were in a title fight at half way under Harry until the famous Nelson & Saha January

Leicester had 38pts at this stage of the season when they won it…

If we can somehow beat Brighton & Bournemouth and get a few early January signings we are right back in this, but either way I’m loving Big Ange instead!

I loved the football we played under Redknapp but he had at least two genuine world class players in Bale and Modric. And whilst they may not have been at that sort of level when Redknapp took over they were basically there when he left.

I don’t think we have anyone those sorts of levels yet, which makes the job Ange is doing even more impressive.

 

[Navy Spur]

Record after eighteen games.

Best since 18/19. Even if we lose to Brighton, we've only had four PL seasons better at the halfway mark.

After selling our best player and with a ridiculous injury list.

Bloke's a wizard.

Wizard of Oz I heard

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

I loved the football we played under Redknapp but he had at least two genuine world class players in Bale and Modric. And whilst they may not have been at that sort of level when Redknapp took over they were basically there when he left.

I don’t think we have anyone those sorts of levels yet, which makes the job Ange is doing even more impressive.

Totally agree mate, you could argue Van Der Vaart was world class at that time too so 3 top top top players whereas whilst we have a lot of very good players right now, only Son and possibly Romero as a World Cup winner come close to being world class and neither are on Bale & Modric’s level.

As you say shows what an incredible job Ange is doing!

 

[PaulThurston]

Think I'll leave those sort of decisions to Ange, if that's OK.

And where do you think he gets all his ideas from?

Here, obviously!

If we stop giving him sage advice it'll all come crashing down, trust me...

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Just checked and none of his CB’s at Celtic had any hamstring injuries last season, one of them had a knee injury that kept them out for 6 games but otherwise they were mostly fit all season and that was playing 2 games a week as they had CL football.

So either it’s just a coincidence and bad luck that both Romero and Van Der Ven have done their hamstrings this season under Ange, or it’s because the premier league is so much more intense and end to end so they’re naturally having to do a lot more sprints.

 

[$hoguN]

Bloke is getting absolutely zero luck. If it wasn’t for injuries I think he would have us top

 

[cliff jones]

Ange has done a brilliant job, especially given the injuries and poor squad depth.

I think losing Kane during the summer was a blessing in disguise though, and I said so at the time. Yeah maybe we would have even more points with Kane now but unless Kane committed to another contract it would be a sideshow sucking out enthusiasm from the new project.

Selling Kane (rather than periphery players like Dier or Davies) was the real final step in the “painful rebuild”. It’s given Ange the freedom to start shaping a genuinely new team, as opposed to the Mourinho/Conte teams which tried to make it all about Kane.

there’s no world in which losing Kane was any kind of blessing. We’ll never know but a fit Maddison supplying him and a bit more luck with injuries to other key players and I think we’d have given anyone a run for their money this season. Anyway all fkin hypothetical.

Key now is to invest the money we got for our greatest ever goal scorer in one or two signings in the next 10 days

 

[jordibwoy]

Just checked and none of his CB’s at Celtic had any hamstring injuries last season, one of them had a knee injury that kept them out for 6 games but otherwise they were mostly fit all season and that was playing 2 games a week as they had CL football.

So either it’s just a coincidence and bad luck that both Romero and Van Der Ven have done their hamstrings this season under Ange, or it’s because the premier league is so much more intense and end to end so they’re naturally having to do a lot more sprints.

Let's not forget both Romero and VDV have had previous with hamstring injuries. Some players just have these issues more than others. Only need to look at Sess or Reece James.

 

[Styopa]

there’s no world in which losing Kane was any kind of blessing. We’ll never know but a fit Maddison supplying him and a bit more luck with injuries to other key players and I think we’d have given anyone a run for their money this season. Anyway all fkin hypothetical.

Key now is to invest the money we got for our greatest ever goal scorer in one or two signings in the next 10 days

I understand where you are coming from but we had the benefit of Kane for something like ten senior seasons, under Pochettino, Mourinho and Conte. And we still couldn’t get over the line. And some seasons towards the end of Kane’s time here were really poor in spite of Kane being excellent. Lots of teams won trophies during that time without a Kane level striker both at the club and international level.

Bur really I just think we needed a change and to move on and keeping Kane would have stalled that.

I remember Alex Ferguson was great at renewing his teams and wasn’t afraid of losing his best players. Beckham and Ronaldo for example left United at their peak. He also sold players like Keane and RVN. Sometimes I think you need to be brave and renew the team, for the good of the team, even when you are talking about incredible players.

I understand why people might think differently though.

 

[Stamford]

He's doing an amazing job especially given the circumstances. However, he's asked for a new cab early in the window. You cannot leave him short. Levy and co have been given a reprieve by many but we could do something serious this season if we back this manager

 

[fishhhandaricecake]

Let's not forget both Romero and VDV have had previous with hamstring injuries. Some players just have these issues more than others. Only need to look at Sess or Reece James.

Oh really? I didn’t know VDV & Romero have had previous hamstring injuries if so then yes as you say they can re-occur quite easily unfortunately.

 

[Cochise]

VdV always struck me as one where he might risk a hammy being so big yet so fast.

 

[jordibwoy]

Oh really? I didn’t know VDV & Romero have had previous hamstring injuries if so then yes as you say they can re-occur quite easily unfortunately.

Yeah VDV was out for 3 months with a hamstring injury two seasons ago (his first season with Wolfsburg) and Romero was out for 10 weeks with a hamstring injury in his first season with us (under Nuno)

 

[Marauder]

Yeah VDV was out for 3 months with a hamstring injury two seasons ago (his first season with Wolfsburg) and Romero was out for 10 weeks with a hamstring injury in his first season with us (under Nuno)

Thanks, I needed something to cheer me up.