Pass the Dutchie

Undeniable

Could someone who knows more about him than I explain the appeal of Mauricio Pellegrino? Is it just that he qualified with Alavés for the final of the Copa del Rey? His win record with Alavés was 38,3% (which is comparable to our last season, just a little better). Because other than that it doesn't look fantastic on paper: 2010 - Inter Milan (assistant): sacked 2012 - Valencia: sacked 2013-2015 - Estudiantes: sacked Other than those Wikipedia statistics I know very little. Why would he be the right choice?

He played for Liverpool for a while, so he must have picked some up there at the very least.

I posted some things earlier in this thread. Short version: I do rate him quite a bit, although his weakness is no real Plan B. A good assistant should be able to help with that. He didn't win anything in his last two seasons at Ajax (although they were strange seasons in which they won more points as runners up than in the winning ones). So in the past three seasons, it's all gone a bit downhill for him, if you only look at the silverware.

I'm really curious how he'll do here in the PL.

Maybe FdB can bring Ronald De Boer and/or Dennis Bergkamp along as assistants (not very likely to happen). Just a short video with some goals, doesn't show a whole lot about what kind of manager he is, but maybe a glimpse to lighten the negative perceptions a bit? Spot the players who later made it to the PL.

Didn't want to though, did he?

Yeah, I'd like that.

Imagine a Puel with a stronger personality and more respect from the players though. FdB has won titles as a player with Ajax (including UEFA Cup and Champions League) and Barcelona, and managed to win the Dutch title four times in a row in the Dutch league as a manager. I know the Eredivisie isn't much like the Premier League, but still it was the first and so far only time a manager has done that. He was also assistant manager for the Dutch team when they were runners-up at the 2010 World Cup. With a good addition - a real striker - in attack and the right team of assistants he could take the club's ideas to the next level. The forum will find something to complain about no matter who would come in. I would have loved Tuchel or Schmidt, but of the remaining names I've heard, I wouldn't mind FdB. I hardly know every manager in professional football though, so I'm very open to being pleasantly surprised.

I like how De Boer is an open and honest no-nonsense kind of guy. At least he'll do better in the media than Puel. He doesn’t believe in star players; every player will get a fair chance, based on how well they play, and the whole is always more important that its parts. In my opinion he isn't as negative as some people are making out at all. As a coach, he brought back the 4-3-3 system back to Ajax, with the emphasis (at least theoretically) on always trying to play attractive football, but indeed possession-based and with a focus on accurate passing, and youth integration. I do rate him defensively more than in attack. Under his guidance players like Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld had their first break, and they definitely improved under FdB’s guidance. Christian Erikson also had his big breakthrough under De Boer. I think the main (and fair) criticism aimed at De Boer is that he sometimes seems to struggle for a convincing Plan B, and a lack of creativity in attack. You could call him a somewhat less flexible Koeman, although that doesn’t really do him justice. So IF he’d come on at SFC, I hope he comes with one or more forward-minded assistants.

De Boer is a much better manager though. What exactly do you base your preference for Klinsman on?

I quoted it twice because you posted it twice, 10 minutes apart. That was my point.

Does it bother you that much?

I wouldn't have a problem with FdB, in fact I'd be very pleased. His failed months at Inter are not respresentative of him at all; he took over a trainwreck waiting to happen and it crashed. As it's already done for the guy who came in his place as well.

The Guardian suggesting that Claudio Ranieri could be a contender. Sloppy journalism. https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jun/14/claude-puel-sacked-as-southampton-manager

In my opinion it's (for 90%) the repsonsibility of the one in the relationship.

To be fair to De Boer, Inter has been a train wreck of a club these past few years. And Stefano Pioli, who followed De Boer (who was fired in November), was already fired before the end of the season again as well.

No doubt it's up to the people actually involved, and as I said it doesn't matter on the pitch, but you asked why you should be interested and I am (mildly) interested in who the players are when they step off the grass as well. Whether it's right to pass judgment or not (I know it's impossible to know all the facts, of course), I personally think it can be interesting to know a little about what's going on in their private lives. I'm sure that a lot of guys cheat on their partners, both professional football players and guys like you and I. I'm not saying we shouldn't sign any of those men, or that I will actively dislike them. But in general I'd have more respect for guys who didn't. (About Ched Evans: A 'not guilty' verdict means that the jury wasn't 100% sure that he did it. Which could also include to mean that Ched Evans is indeed innocent, in which case my being 'appalled' would be harsh indeed.)

Nobody says you 'should' be interested, and obviously it's mostly about what the guys show on the field. But in determining my personal preference and a player's likeability, I can't help but also be looking at the man. It's why, for example, I'd be appalled if we'd ever sign someone like Ched Evans. Now I don't want to compare being accused of raping someone to being accused of cheating on a partner, but you get the point. It doesn't matter and we don't have to care, but it matters a bit.

Goals conceded after 38 games:

Goals scored after 38 games:

Position after 38 games:

Sorry, I was unable to update this thread for a while. I'm sure you've all been eagerly waiting for the end results... Points after 38 games:

Bizarrely positive piece on VVD, trying to sell him to L'pool: https://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2017/jun/06/virgil-van-dijk-liverpool-southampton-ultimate-upgrade