Puel out?

[TornadoShaunUK]

Whether Puel stays or goes is like a game of shit or bust based on whatever ambition the owner's have for the club. Puel is like the safe bet, we have enough talent in the squad to be safe from relegation but you just know we're never going to be anywhere near the likes of Man U, Chelsea, Liverpool etc etc with him. In many ways he's Mike Ashley's perfect manager - someone who will probably keep the money ticking over who can probably do it with relatively little input. Maybe we should do a swap with Newcastle, I imagine it'd work out well for both parties.

 

[Skitzo]

If we want to be pushing for the top 6 the squad is no where near as good as some seem to think, just look at the bench past our starting players there is no one that can change a game, with the possible exception of Gray and he’s very inconsistent.

Maybe Puel could be doing better but the bigger issue is recruitment and that’s down to Rudkin

 

[homer]

Maybe Puel could be doing better but the bigger issue is recruitment and that’s down to Rudkin

And yet we have previously seen claims that it was Puel who was the key to sgnng Ghezzal, Ricardo and Diabate (remember him)

Well they were all feckin hopeless signings - Rudkin just did the paperwork

 

[Skitzo]

And yet we have previously seen claims that it was Puel who was the key to sgnng Ghezzal, Ricardo and Diabate (remember him)

Well they were all feckin hopeless signings - Rudkin just did the paperwork

We’ve signed more than 3 players since the title win, problem is only about 3 have them have been a success.

Diabate, if you go and look at the press releases at the time, was signed to be in u23s

 

[londonfox]

the bigger issue is recruitment and that’s down to Rudkin

Sorry mate but you simply don’t know that to be true (or not). You speak with such authority about the structure of our recruitment policy. How can you know that?

 

[Skitzo]

Sorry mate but you simply don’t know that to be true (or not). You speak with such authority about the structure of our recruitment policy. How can you know that?

Because I know people that have known Rudkin for years, he’s a power hungry self promoter, he fell out with Pearson over it, he never wanted Shakespeare, and he pick Claude because Claude will just get on with coaching players whilst making suggestions.

Rudkin runs the football side with Susan Whelan running the business side, if Claude goes you’ll get someone with a similar personality.

 

[City Fan]

Because I know people that have known Rudkin for years, he’s a power hungry self promoter, he fell out with Pearson over it, he never wanted Shakespeare, and he pick Claude because Claude will just get on with coaching players whilst making suggestions.

Rudkin runs the football side with Susan Whelan running the business side, if Claude goes you’ll get someone with a similar personality.

So Rudkin runs the football side, but appointed Shakespeare even though he never wanted him?

Righto.

 

[Skitzo]

So Rudkin runs the football side, but appointed Shakespeare even though he never wanted him?

Righto.

Owners appointed him when they couldn’t get Wagner, remember how long it took? He was the last resort

 

[City Fan]

Owners appointed him when they couldn’t get Wagner, remember how long it took? He was the last resort

You are just guessing aren’t you?

 

[Skitzo]

You are just guessing aren’t you?

Nope but if that makes you feel better think it if you want

 

[Redditch Fox]

Nope but if that makes you feel better think it if you want

Puel is completely hopeless.

 

[Blaarev]

Puel is completely hopeless.

To be fair, it wasn't him that was guessing. It was City Fan, but I don't know if he is hopeless at it or not.

 

[H T B]

Puel is completely hopeless.

As hopeless as Wagner, Benitez or Rodgers?

 

[Brown Nose]

I went by the mural on Kate St earlier today. A magnificent depiction of the title winning eleven plus Ranieri and King. Thirteen legends of our club.

Less than 30 months since we won it, and one has been sacked, three sold, one released. Of the rest, five are marginalised nowadays and appear to be sad shadows of their former selves. Just marking time until being kicked out. Albrighton and Okazaki made cameos yesterday and I was almost embarrassed for them. Only Morgan, who is largely vilified now, Vardy who is now getting murmurings of discontent about his shifts, and Schmeichel, remain of any importance. Soon they'll all just be names that we will occasionally cheer as they give us a wave from the pitch at half time.

Their wonderfully innovative style of play has been consigned to the bin as some sort of ugly and outdated nonsense. It's now all about youth and pace and possession. Apparently, if we stick to this policy, great times are ahead. I think that's bullshit.

Are we really any better than we were a year ago when eight of the title winners routinely lined up for us? I can't help thinking that if any of these kids really do well for us, they'll be off to more glamorous pastures as soon as possible. So what are we trying to achieve? Even now, we all know that Maguire is only here out of duty until the owners let him go.

Puel has made his name as a producer of talented youngsters. That's all well and good if you're a youth coach or manager of a small club that needs to sell players to survive. But it shouldn't be what we're all about should it? I just don't get it.

I'd have Puel out of the door asap but I'm not confident that his replacement will be any better suited to what our club really requires. I know what I think the club needs but what do they think?

I've often bemoaned the lack of contact from the powers that be at the club. Nobody will talk anything other than beige soundbites about what the club is trying to be on the pitch. When did we last hear from Rudkin or Whelan or Vichai or Top properly?

I don't want to go to that mural again for a while.

 

[Brown Nose]

Just checked Puel's record and he's now completed exactly 38 league games with us, so we have the stats equivalent of a full season.

In 38 games, he's won 14, drawn 8 and lost 16 for a total of 50 points. Over the last 5 seasons, that total averages a 9th place finish. This is what the owners would describe (as they did last season) as 'satisfactory'.

However, that trend is gradually worsening over time. For example, we have 16 points from our last 16 league games, conceding 32 goals in the process - or 2 per game. That sort of form over a season usually sees you 16th/17th. Clearly, this is less than satisfactory.

We've got 3 points more this season than the corresponding point last season. We've also played 5 of the same opponents as we did in the first 9 matches last season - and we've got 3 points this season from those games as opposed to 2 points from them last time round. All very meh.

If the team from game 9 last season played the one from this season, who'd win do you think?

Schmeichel, Maguire, Ndidi and Vardy played in both. The others a year ago were Simpson, Morgan, Fuchs, Albrighton, Iborra, Mahrez, Okazaki. As opposed to Amartey, Ricardo, Chilwell, Evans, Mendy, Maddison and Iheanacho.

I think last season's team would.

 

[Skitzo]

9th is fine for a team that is quite clearly in the midst of transitioning and still in need of a lot of new players and old ones shipped out, especially if he continues to take the cups seriously as he has so far this season, we are no where near the top 6 and I would suggest quite far from Everton interns of depth of attacking talent, people have allowed one miracle season to blind them to the real state of our squad, what was already an old side was kept together a couple of years too long, coupled with expensive mistakes in previous transfer windows means we missed a big chance and are now playing catch up to what we could have done with a shrewd Director of Football calling the shots from on high

 

[Brown Nose]

9th is fine for a team that is quite clearly in the midst of transitioning and still in need of a lot of new players and old ones shipped out, especially if he continues to take the cups seriously as he has so far this season, we are no where near the top 6 and I would suggest quite far from Everton interns of depth of attacking talent, people have allowed one miracle season to blind them to the real state of our squad, what was already an old side was kept together a couple of years too long, coupled with expensive mistakes in previous transfer windows means we missed a big chance and are now playing catch up to what we could have done with a shrewd Director of Football calling the shots from on high

So you would have dismantled the title winning side whilst they were winning the title or immediately afterwards?

Only Huth (by 6 months) and Morgan (by a year) are older than Ronaldo who was sold for £100m in the summer. None of the other players, by any measure, can be called over the hill now. Most are still at their peak.

I blame the Football Manager generation for all this youth is best nonsense . . .

 

[Robin127]

You can't win anything with kids...

 

[Skitzo]

So you would have dismantled the title winning side whilst they were winning the title or immediately afterwards?

Only Huth (by 6 months) and Morgan (by a year) are older than Ronaldo who was sold for £100m in the summer. None of the other players, by any measure, can be called over the hill now. Most are still at their peak.

I blame the Football Manager generation for all this youth is best nonsense . . .

you had a squad of players that hit their absolute peak, you don't have to dismantle the squad but you can replace a couple of the players in the team, we refused to do that, in fact we made it near impossible to do so by handing out massive contracts to anyone whether they were wanted else where or not.

Look at the current champions, they got the most point, biggest winning margin most goals and what did they do? Spent £60m on a winger they don't really need just to keep improving, we stood still, and in sport if you stand still you go backwards, anyone with common sense knew that back line would never recreate that form and nor would the likes of Albrighton or Drinkwater yet the club was too busy congratulating themselves to do their job properly re recruitment, sport is a ruthless business and so the decision makers need to be as well.

Only due to Huth's injury was that back line broken up last season and Wes is well past his best now same with Fuchs, both of whom have lost their mobility.

Albrighton has gone from pacey winger with good delivery to seemingly lost his pace floating in hopeful balls straight to a CB's head.

That team needed to be improved that summer and we didn't bother

 

[H T B]

It's okay blaming successive managers after our fantastic achievement, but the players have to take some of the blame.
They were still dining out on the win at Christmas, some seemed to be saving themselves for the Champions league, for some that season was the pinnacle of their careers.
We weren't geared up to win the league, we weren't geared up for what happened next..
Even as fans, our attitude had changed.