Marcelo Bielsa

[Mountain]

Big Sam!

It's good that after a grim result we can still have a laugh anyway.

[CHAPELALLMAN]

To answer the question, I don't think we can sack Bielsa mid season.

We have put our everything into Bielsa and committed to him 100% as you have to do.

The upside is obvious.

The downside is this situation now.

The squad is very 1 dimensional with very little talent or flexibility tactically.

We have a very off the ball lots of effort sort of squad, we don't have a very talented or flexible one.

Therefore we are effectively held to ransom by Bielsa (not meant in a critical way) but because of his demands in terms of squad size and the sort of player he wants it leaves very little flexibility in the squad.

Therefore it limits what a new coach can do without significant investment the level of which its unlikely Radz and the Venture capital group would consider in January.

The concern I have though is the fans may applaud but players won't keep faith forever especially if they see flaws in the system that we can

They won't be happy being sent out like lambs to the slaughter week in week out so something will need to give.

What if he was sacked after the upcoming Liverpool massacre and a number of January loan signings were made - chosen by the new manager ?

[joelufc20]

Moronic quote of the year. You left it late!

Why is it moronic, pretty much seen every game this season and been to a few. We are easy to beat, we haven’t played 90 mins of decent football. Battered by Newcastle in the second half and we have beaten Norwich who dominated us in the first half, Watford where we clung on and palace who should have had 3. Brighton and Southampton battered us. Name a game where we have dominated the game. Yes his football is attractive when it works but it’s not working at the moment. Players look fucked. The insistence on playing Tyler Roberts in midfield, 3 at the back etc is costing us points. We should have been coasting on at least 22 points by now but yet we are getting battered conceding 16 goals in 4 games. That’s a mess. The only saving grace is we conceded 4 today instead of 7. I was at the city game and tactically it was a complete disaster.

What we need is someone to sort out that back line and stop conceding goals. Not interested in running stats or pass percentage etc points is what we need.

[CHAPELALLMAN]

Why is it moronic, pretty much seen every game this season and been to a few. We are easy to beat, we haven’t played 90 mins of decent football. Battered by Newcastle in the second half and we have beaten Norwich who dominated us in the first half, Watford where we clung on and palace who should have had 3. Brighton and Southampton battered us. Name a game where we have dominated the game. Yes his football is attractive when it works but it’s not working at the moment. Players look fucked. The insistence on playing Tyler Roberts in midfield, 3 at the back etc is costing us points. We should have been coasting on at least 22 points by now but yet we are getting battered conceding 16 goals in 4 games. That’s a mess. The only saving grace is we conceded 4 today instead of 7. I was at the city game and tactically it was a complete disaster.

What we need is someone to sort out that back line and stop conceding goals. Not interested in running stats or pass percentage etc points is what we need.

Ignore it Joe. Some people can't cope with the idea of other people having a different point of view, and show their mental immaturity through making sarcastic and personal comments.

[joelufc20]

Joel, I was with you all the way there up until you mentioned Mr Potato Head.

Thing is he’s been there and done it several times, I don’t like the idea of it but it’s what’s needed at the moment. We need to stop leaking goals and become hard to beat. Premier league managers hate him cause they struggle to beat him as he sets up to snuff them out. We need a rebuild

[SG90]

The problem with relegation is we will lose our best players on the cheap Raph, KP, Meslier, Gelhardt, Llorente and then we'll be stuck with Roberts, Klich, Cooper, Dallas, Ayling who are nothing without Bielsa and will be 3 years older. And Radz will pocket the parachute payments for himself.

49ers will not want relegation on their CV, especially as Americans don't agree with it anyway. They are ruthless, so they won't be afraid to make a decision to protect their asset.

[SG90]

Thing is he’s been there and done it several times, I don’t like the idea of it but it’s what’s needed at the moment. We need to stop leaking goals and become hard to beat. Premier league managers hate him cause they struggle to beat him as he sets up to snuff them out. We need a rebuild

That's why I said Nuno. I hate his style, but that's not important now. Getting a few 1-0 wins is. Only till the end of the season, then we can show a bit more ambition in the summer.

[Overman]

Big Sam!

It's good that after a grim result we can still have a laugh anyway.

Maybe we could entice Hockaday from his role at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. We wouldn't need to pay them too much compo.

[danhirons]

I have no idea how he thinks, but the body languge today from some of the players suggests they are not happy

I would say losing 7 nil and then 4 1 is enough to make the players dejected, not sure it necessarily means there is a problem with bielsa

[Cjay]

What if he was sacked after the upcoming Liverpool massacre and a number of January loan signings were made - chosen by the new manager ?

Season will be paused by them I am fairly sure.

If we could get the right manager in and the club committed to significant first 11 improvements in January then it would need to be considered.

I have always felt Bielsa should never be sacked but at some point the club does need to take care of itself.

It's very difficult, have to balance appreciation and love for Bielsa with with greater good of the club

One thing for sure is we cant afford to get relegated

[weasel]

Moronic quote of the year. You left it late!

And there was a lot of competition too.

A right back making his first start, a centreback playing his first match since the opening game of the season and having not even a reserve match to prepare, Ayling just back from injury and playing in his 2nd best position and Dallas having to slot into a different position every week yet some fans and the media expect them to just snuff out a full strength Arsenal side. Not to worry we have our poster boy defensive midfielder to provide a shield, oh no hang on he's injured so we have Forshaw there instead trying to dribble in our penalty box. Not to worry though we have our outlet up front who defends from the front and scored 17 goals last season, oh wait he's out injured too.

Get a grip on reality. Yes maybe Bielsa was naive not to demand more players but I don't think anyone expected that we'd have 4 centrebacks injured at the same time not to mention the other injuries too. Easy to say we needed more strength but how much do you pay for someone to be our 5th choice centreback, how much do you pay for a back-up for KP that is nearly at the same level and a back up for Bamford that will score the same amount that he did last season.

To suggest sacking Bielsa and then expect anyone else to do better with the players at his disposal is ludicrous. IF he was failing with a full strength squad then maybe but it likes trying to compete in a formula 1 race with a bicylcle with two flat tyres at the moment.

[velo]

I would say losing 7 nil and then 4 1 is enough to make the players dejected, not sure it necessarily means there is a problem with bielsa

I love your optimism mate, but I've said for a long time, there's trouble at the mill

[MightyWhites]

Why is it moronic, pretty much seen every game this season and been to a few. We are easy to beat, we haven’t played 90 mins of decent football. Battered by Newcastle in the second half and we have beaten Norwich who dominated us in the first half, Watford where we clung on and palace who should have had 3. Brighton and Southampton battered us. Name a game where we have dominated the game. Yes his football is attractive when it works but it’s not working at the moment. Players look fucked. The insistence on playing Tyler Roberts in midfield, 3 at the back etc is costing us points. We should have been coasting on at least 22 points by now but yet we are getting battered conceding 16 goals in 4 games. That’s a mess. The only saving grace is we conceded 4 today instead of 7. I was at the city game and tactically it was a complete disaster.

What we need is someone to sort out that back line and stop conceding goals. Not interested in running stats or pass percentage etc points is what we need.

Because the reason we're in the league we're in is because of him! My blame mainly is with the owners and Orta. Bielsa took a group of average Championship players and got them promoted. We had a great first season, but instead of developing the squad they sat on their laurels and look where we are! Replace Bielsa and we're down because the majority of the players we have are Championship level if that.

[Overman]

Thing is he’s been there and done it several times, I don’t like the idea of it but it’s what’s needed at the moment. We need to stop leaking goals and become hard to beat. Premier league managers hate him cause they struggle to beat him as he sets up to snuff them out. We need a rebuild

I hear what you're saying, we really need to shore things up at the moment that's for sure. We are hemorrhaging goals at an alarming rate. With West Brom he wasn't able to make much of an impact at all, perhaps a bit outdated now.

[Mick Jones shoulder]

Wouldn't want Sam but it makes me laugh having watched Bolton with hierro, Campo ,Okocha, Djorkaeff etc being branded as one dimensional..

[Mountain]

Maybe we could entice Hockaday from his role at South Gloucestershire and Stroud College. We wouldn't need to pay them too much compo.

It's a fairly ridiculous thread. Hockaday belongs in it.

We have one of the world's greatest. The manager of the year last year.

And the premise of this entire thread is that we'll gloss over the 10 missing players, he's just gone bad, so we'll get Big Sam in.

[SG90]

It's a fairly ridiculous thread. Hockaday belongs in it.

We have one of the world's greatest. The manager of the year last year.

And the premise of this entire thread is that we'll gloss over the 10 missing players, he's just gone bad, so we'll get Big Sam in.

You keep hiding behind injuries but we couldn't beat Newcastle or Burnley when we were at full strength.

And I never said hire Big Sam. I said so on the first page.

[Cjay]

Pre season was a red flag and injuries weren't an excuse then.

Only difference was back then everyone just convinced themselves that results didn't matter and fitness was the only concern.

It's become more clear that the issues were ingrained.

[The Subhuman]

And there was a lot of competition too.

A right back making his first start, a centreback playing his first match since the opening game of the season and having not even a reserve match to prepare, Ayling just back from injury and playing in his 2nd best position and Dallas having to slot into a different position every week yet some fans and the media expect them to just snuff out a full strength Arsenal side. Not to worry we have our poster boy defensive midfielder to provide a shield, oh no hang on he's injured so we have Forshaw there instead trying to dribble in our penalty box. Not to worry though we have our outlet up front who defends from the front and scored 17 goals last season, oh wait he's out injured too.

Get a grip on reality. Yes maybe Bielsa was naive not to demand more players but I don't think anyone expected that we'd have 4 centrebacks injured at the same time not to mention the other injuries too. Easy to say we needed more strength but how much do you pay for someone to be our 5th choice centreback, how much do you pay for a back-up for KP that is nearly at the same level and a back up for Bamford that will score the same amount that he did last season.

To suggest sacking Bielsa and then expect anyone else to do better with the players at his disposal is ludicrous. IF he was failing with a full strength squad then maybe but it likes trying to compete in a formula 1 race with a bicylcle with two flat tyres at the moment.

Took three pages but first sensible post

Apologies if I missed one folks

[The Subhuman]

Wait 4 pages ... and apologies Mountain