Is the problem bigger than the manager?

[Bwian]

So in your opinion, everything he has said about how the stadium and training facility was financed by HIM alone and his continuous affirmation that he doesn't want the money back, backed up by people is lying to the fans? He is a liar basically?

What he said was that any debts will be converted to shares and that he doesn't expect the money back. That is very different to not wanting the money back. I've not called him a liar at all.

Let's put this conversation on pause for a couple of years and see where things stand.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

So, for people to suggest it's possible TB may have made some wrong decisions leads logically to 'hounding him out'? Really?

Sorry, I hadn't realized the finger pointing at the chairman was just a gentle academic exercise . . . . I was under the impression that the hundreds of messages in this and related threads was a reflection of general discontent . . . . apologies for my naivety.

 

[PILTDOWN MAN]

Let's be honest here, Tony Bloom would not invest that kind of money unless he thought that at some point he'd get it all back-or at least most of it. At no point has he said the stadium is a 'gift'. Any debts will be converted into shares. He's talking of a hotel to be convenient for the Uni(s) and visiting supporters. That's an attractive package for some Oligarch or Arab Billionaire to buy into in the future.

We're all grateful to TB but if he pulls the plug and bails out we'll simply do what other clubs do-go into administration, possibly twice and then find ourselves in the Premier League. After all, we are PL Ready already. However, that all means diddly squat if we're struggling in League 1 for a few seasons. At the very least TB needs to take some kind of action to protect his investment.

I could be wrong and TB is indeed an altruistic owner...

Why would we need to go in administration if Bloom wanted out. The club is worth only what someone is prepared to pay, the same for the separate stadium company. As Bloom holds the vast majority of the shares for both he would take the hit not the business. Given the high investor lending to the stadium company from Bloom I doubt many would be interested in taking it on meaning the real share value of company is probably very low.

 

[aolstudios]

Sorry, I hadn't realized the finger pointing at the chairman was just a gentle academic exercise . . . . I was under the impression that the hundreds of messages in this and related threads was a reflection of general discontent . . . . apologies for my naivety.

There is general discontent, of course. & some, but frankly not that many people suggesting that TB isn't utterly blameless (although 95% of the ire is directed at Sami, Burke & Barber).
To suggest any of this comes within a trillion miles of suggesting he be 'hounded out' is bizarre
Good sarcasm though, really nice touch...

 

[Bwian]

How many managers that applied for the job here didn't have a period of failure on their CV? if they have ever been sacked then they will have. Most the Premier League and other top European managers will havce failed at at least one club so would you dismiss their applications for the Albion job on that basis?

At Hyypia's last club he was fired because he was awful as their manager-difficult to avoid that fact. That awful record was the job he held immediately before we hired him. By 'we' I mean TB, obviously.

What worries me is that he was given a damn good job at a club that was on the verge of getting promoted 2 years in a row after having such an appalling record at Leverkusen. Now his record with us is worse than his previous efforts. I'm struggling to see how he was ever suitable for the Albion job under the circumstances. Maybe he should have tried re-building his career at a lower level until he was ready for a bigger challenge?

Like many I was pleased to see another 'big name' join us, wanted him to do well, etc., etc. I was supportive of him for the first couple of months but it is obvious to most that he is out of his depth at the moment. Sometimes a club needs change for change's sake and we are at that stage.

 

[perseus]

And in a off the record chat with Andy Naylor he made it very clear the problem was Barber and Bloom and the way they insist on running the club.

This always happens with manager-types in business i.e. Barber and Burke. Some are worse than others though. The coach/manager e.g. Sami Hyypia, has to have the strength of personality and authority to deal with this and get his way. Not the tantrums of Gus Poyet or the dogmatism of Oscar Garcia. Sami Hyypia seems the right sort of character to me as a strategist. What seems to be going wrong to me is the second in command or tactics.

What is worrying we are getting worse at passing. I don't want to go back to percentage football.

It would be difficult finding a replacement manager/coach. I don't want an older experienced manager. Nor do I want an inexperienced (Poyet had much more experience when signed than Hyypia).

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

There is general discontent, of course. & some, but frankly not that many people suggesting that TB isn't utterly blameless (although 95% of the ire is directed at Sami, Burke & Barber).
To suggest any of this comes within a trillion miles of suggesting he be 'hounded out' is bizarre
Good sarcasm though, really nice touch...

Lol. I guess I just get tetchy at any criticism of the chairman . . . . and can be slightly prone to exaggeration . . . ahem.

I think, to be fair, it is possible to raise an eyebrow at TB given that he has appointed a hierarchy who look after football matters and if he keeps them all in place then he's arguably responsible by proxy if we get relegated. Separately, I would be very disappointed if TB keeps in place a manager for reasons unrelated to his performance (such as the cost of sacking him) and that manager takes us down. But to 'blame' TB, as some folk are beginning to do, i.e., pinpoint him as the primary reason for our malaise is . . . . oh well, you get my drift. Coat on, and a firm eye on the front door . . .

 

[Bwian]

Lol. I guess I just get tetchy at any criticism of the chairman . . . . and can be slightly prone to exaggeration . . . ahem.

I think, to be fair, it is possible to raise an eyebrow at TB given that he has appointed a hierarchy who look after football matters and if he keeps them all in place then he's arguably responsible by proxy if we get relegated. Separately, I would be very disappointed if TB keeps in place a manager for reasons unrelated to his performance (such as the cost of sacking him) and that manager takes us down. But to 'blame' TB, as some folk are beginning to do, i.e., pinpoint him as the primary reason for our malaise is . . . . oh well, you get my drift. Coat on, and a firm eye on the front door . . .

Don't let it hit your ass on the way out

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

At Hyypia's last club he was fired because he was awful as their manager-difficult to avoid that fact. That awful record was the job he held immediately before we hired him. By 'we' I mean TB, obviously.

What worries me is that he was given a damn good job at a club that was on the verge of getting promoted 2 years in a row after having such an appalling record at Leverkusen. Now his record with us is worse than his previous efforts. I'm struggling to see how he was ever suitable for the Albion job under the circumstances. Maybe he should have tried re-building his career at a lower level until he was ready for a bigger challenge?

Like many I was pleased to see another 'big name' join us, wanted him to do well, etc., etc. I was supportive of him for the first couple of months but it is obvious to most that he is out of his depth at the moment. Sometimes a club needs change for change's sake and we are at that stage.

Agree 110%