Is Tony Bloom our manager?

[Theatre of Trees]

Really. Sami's got at least 20 years experience as a football manager?

You said a CEO wouldn't be taken on from college then assumed that was the case with Hyypia with your metaphor whereas Sami has worked on the 'shop floor' and moved up to the next level. And that is not even counting the period he had in charge of Leverkusen.

Therefore your comparison is rubbish because Hyypia is not a fresh faced 'boy' out of college with no work experience.

 

[Tubby-McFat-Fuc]

The thing I find hilarious is watching people call Barber and Burke every single name under the sun, yet will refuse to accept anything other than glowing praise of TB.

Who do they think installed Barber and Burke, got them to do the jobs they are doing, and has often stated how "delighted" he is with their work?

Because as this thread proves, people are so blinkered that they will not have a word said against him. Fair easier to call Burke and Bloom arses than to say anything against Tony Bloom!

 

[BBassic]

Easy to mock, but harder to answer this point!! Would Bloom sack Paul Barber and bring in a CEO straight from college, of course he wouldn't, so why has he done exactly this with the playing side of the club? Or maybe you think Sami is the experienced manager to lead us to the premiership? Hope he is, but he isn't doing a very job of it at the moment is he! Or maybe you think being 5th bottom, and seeing the crowds leaving in their thousands is acceptable?

I think 'acceptable' is the wrong word here. It's worrying, sure unacceptable? No.

I maintain though, and I have done ever since this season started, that he will come good for us.

 

[Tubby-McFat-Fuc]

He was a complete failure there. All his Leverkusen experience taught us is that he is nowhere near a top manager.

Or does it tell us he is someone desperate to stay in football, and would become someones puppet to do it?

Still begs the question if the Brighton job is so good, why the **** did Oscar walk away??

 

[Tubby-McFat-Fuc]

Football management is a very different kettle of fish... Managers get jobs all the time without direct coaching experience, as do managers with no playing experience, but Bloom has a very clear managerial type: young, ambitious and hungry with a high calibre, recent playing career. I don't see anything wrong with that strategy as it's worked well up until now. The Hyypia expreiment is still ongoing, but I don't forsee Bloom replacing him with an experienced "old hand".

Yet two of them, have walked away. Is there a pattern emerging, or are we to believe Gus would have stayed if he wasn't "sacked" and what about Oscar then walk away 12 months later..... If Sami ends up walking away at the end of the season without an explaination, will you think there is nothing up as far as the managers position at the club goes? How many more need to walk away before you think there might be an issue there?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Yet two of them, have walked away. Is there a pattern emerging, or are we to believe Gus would have stayed if he wasn't "sacked" and what about Oscar then walk away 12 months later..... If Sami ends up walking away at the end of the season without an explaination, will you think there is nothing up as far as the managers position at the club goes? How many more need to walk away before you think there might be an issue there?

I agree that there's an issue, but I think you're wrong that Bloom is wanting to play at being manager.

 

[Machiavelli]

Sorry, should have read "back seat manager" but I expected people to work that out for themselves?

I'll ask you the same question as well then. Would Bloom sack Paul Barber and bring in a CEO straight from college, of course he wouldn't, so why has he done exactly this with the playing side of the club? Do the experienced managers want more control over managing the team than we are willing to allow them?

Well this post -- and your subsequent exchange with Goldstone 1976 -- makes far more sense.
My view is that Bloom has shown that he likes a certain managerial type -- young, dynamic, up-and-coming, committed to a certain style of football -- and is far less concerned with other qualities, such as experience, familiarity with the Championship, etc.
Broadly, he wants B&HA to play passing football, although there are clear differences between the application of our three most recent managers.
Beyond that and especially after the initial appointment, I don't think there's too much, if any, interference in the day-to-day stuff: this is the manager's responsibility.
What is slightly more interesting is the different personality type that seems to have followed Gus, with both Oscar and Sami being more reserved and less demonstrative. That might be a deliberate decision following the fall-out with Gus.
All three most recent managers have had some experience (and I'd argue improved levels of experience), but the type fits in what I understand to be Bloom's approach to life, which favours those characteristics that I've listed in the second sentence.
One final point: it's too early to say whether Sami is a good or bad manager, whether in general or for us specifically, and I don't think Bloom has spent enough on the squad for Sami. I say this because of the amount accrued in transfer fees on Ulloa, Buckley, Barnes and Bridcutt (combined value of £14m-16m) in comparison to the outlay, where we've only really spent (undisclosed amounts) on Stephens (c£0.6m), Baldock (c£1.5m), O'Grady (c£0.5m) and Stockdale (c£1.m). I think our biggest problem has been strikers -- and to a lesser extent midfielders -- not taking the many chances that have been created for them, alongside the odd defensive lapse, rather than poor management by Sami. I'll wait to see if I'm proved wrong on that one.

 

[Mellotron]

Or does it tell us he is someone desperate to stay in football, and would become someones puppet to do it?

Still begs the question if the Brighton job is so good, why the **** did Oscar walk away??

Who says it is "so good"? The managers get a lower budget than the chairman's expectations merit.

 

[LamieRobertson]

I think the OP has attempted to raise some interesting debating points albeit in a kind of roundabout way ..but I'm struggling with the point he is trying to make that SH doesn't pick the side/formation

 

[Machiavelli]

No, he probably wouldn't, but the two roles are entirely different. Barber was hired for a specific purpose and experience was deemed a requirement of the role, something someone from college clearly wouldn't have.

Football management is a very different kettle of fish... Managers get jobs all the time without direct coaching experience, as do managers with no playing experience, but Bloom has a very clear managerial type: young, ambitious and hungry with a high calibre, recent playing career. I don't see anything wrong with that strategy as it's worked well up until now. The Hyypia expreiment is still ongoing, but I don't forsee Bloom replacing him with an experienced "old hand".

This is a more eloquent response to the one I managed in my previous post.
And when Tubby-McFat-Fuc selectively points to Sami's 12 game run without a victory, he's ignoring what happened at Leverkeusen the previous season (or attributing that success to whoever Sami's workmate was).

 

[Bold Seagull]

I think it does. How does a couple of season in the German league, set him up for the Championship, and how does that compare to the experience Paul Barber has in running football clubs?

Two years that ended in failure compared to 10 years of experience as a board member of football clubs.

Like I said, off the field Brilliant, on it, inexperience and its showing. If Sami was so good in Germany, then why are we 5th bottom now? Don't forget the chairman thinks we have a play off quality squad.

He was a complete failure there. All his Leverkusen experience taught us is that he is nowhere near a top manager.

I think the example of Pochettino shows how difficult football management is and the squads you have. Sacked by Espanyol (3 years that ended in failure), seemingly brilliant at Southampton, now looking lost.

It was only a month ago I felt Sami had to go, but to be honest, I'm seeing signs of a recovery from us and a bit of fight. I think he's been dealt a poor hand, and could earn himself January to get in some people he can hand pick and see how we go.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

I think the example of Pochettino shows how difficult football management is and the squads you have. Sacked by Espanyol (3 years that ended in failure), seemingly brilliant at Southampton, now looking lost.

It was only a month ago I felt Sami had to go, but to be honest, I'm seeing signs of a recovery from us and a bit of fight. I think he's been dealt a poor hand, and could earn himself January to get in some people he can hand pick and see how we go.

Don't forget that when Sami got the job, we still had Ulloa & Buckley.

 

[Mellotron]

I think the example of Pochettino shows how difficult football management is and the squads you have. Sacked by Espanyol (3 years that ended in failure), seemingly brilliant at Southampton, now looking lost.

It was only a month ago I felt Sami had to go, but to be honest, I'm seeing signs of a recovery from us and a bit of fight. I think he's been dealt a poor hand, and could earn himself January to get in some people he can hand pick and see how we go.

I have nothing against Hyypia, I'm still willing to give him time and I hope he succeeds. The OP's original point is a different one and is worth exploring - why do we have such an odd approach to managers?

 

[KZNSeagull]

I have nothing against Hyypia, I'm still willing to give him time and I hope he succeeds. The OP's original point is a different one and is worth exploring - why do we have such an odd approach to managers?

Why odd? Our last 2 "bizarre" managerial appointments got us 1 promotion and 2 play off spots.

Having said that, your budget point is a good one. A young, up and coming manager is far more likely to want to work within our constraints and have the hunger to succeed than perhaps someone who has been around the block, I would have thought.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I have nothing against Hyypia, I'm still willing to give him time and I hope he succeeds. The OP's original point is a different one and is worth exploring - why do we have such an odd approach to managers?

We're on our 3rd manager in 5 years. The previous 2 delivered a League One title and a play off spot each in the Championship. Some would argue our approach isn't actually that odd. Maybe not worked out as well as it could have, and the squad handed to Sami has been far from ideal.

You can look at some clubs that go from manager to manager who ultimately have all the control and clubs can be left in a complete mess. You look at clubs like Southampton and Swansea who have structures in place and can get in managers with little experience at all, but still succeed. I don't think our approach is odd, it's just hit a bad patch, and experienced 2 managers who walked out on us as much as we did anything wrong as a football club.

 

[Mellotron]

Why odd? Our last 2 "bizarre" managerial appointments got us 1 promotion and 2 play off spots.

Having said that, your budget point is a good one. A young, up and coming manager is far more likely to want to work within our constraints and have the hunger to succeed than perhaps someone who has been around the block, I would have thought.

One left under a very odd cloud that still hasn't really been explained, the other walked out to go work in a warzone, then came back to work in the Championship, but clearly didn't want anything to do with us, just a year after joining.

Something's not quite right.

 

[Mellotron]

2 managers who walked out on us as much as we did anything wrong as a football club.

We have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. Why did 2 managers in 2 years walk out?

 

[Bold Seagull]

We have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. Why did 2 managers in 2 years walk out?

I don't really know, but it doesn't necessarily make me conclude that we have an odd approach to managers.

 

[Mellotron]

I don't really know, but it doesn't necessarily make me conclude that we have an odd approach to managers.

Well, something odd is clearly going on. It's unusual that we seem to break the bank in every area of business other than the one area that is guaranteed to make you money.

 

[symyjym]

We have no idea what goes on behind the scenes. Why did 2 managers in 2 years walk out?

Two managers in 5 years really, I don't think it is fair to not include Gus's full tenure if this is being used as an example.