2020/21 Sack Race

Caporegime
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A good 1st check is can they give a post-match interview with any eloquence and charisma? If the answer is no (and there a lot like that) then they're hardly going to be able to enthuse and inspire players to perform for them are they? Equally there are some managers who can't give a decent interview too

I disagree with that. Ancelotti hardly gives off charisma in his interviews. He does look like a Mafia Boss however so that makes up for it.
 
Man of Honour
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Personally I find it utterly bizzarre that clubs think ex-players will make good managers
I don't, it seems very natural to me - ex-players will have an excellent first hand knowledge of the game, have attended numerous training sessions, have contacts within the game etc etc. Most successful managers are ex-players, the likes of Mourinho are very much the exception.

I admit years ago I found it a bit strange the way the players I'd grown up watching as players like Robson step over into management at top division clubs so quickly but that was just because I didn't have a frame of reference having never seen the managers of my childhood play and there was no internet to look stuff up.

If anything I'd say it should be even MORE likely for players to become "first team coaches" these days because clubs have such a big backroom staff these days. Before the Champions League era, you typically had "Managers" in the traditional sense, who had quite a broad involvement ranging from coaching to transfers to contracts to organising pre-season etc. A lot of that is all taken care of nowadays, some clubs will just appoint a coach to do tactics, training, pick the team that's about it.

What I would say is perhaps I am surprised to see players get top jobs so quickly, by which I mean people managing top clubs within 5 years of retiring as a player. Thought they would earn their stripes in lower divisions first.
 

fez

fez

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Being a manager isn't really that related to being a player though.

As an ex-player you may have a better understanding of the game and certain aspects of it but as most people know, someone who is good at doing something isn't always good at teaching or managing that same role.

The people who can gain those skills or who already possess them should find the transition to management easier but giving top tier jobs to people who have only been managing for a few years is silly. It only ends well if the team they manage is basically a finished article and just needs tweaking. Guardiola and Zidane took over arguably the best club sides of the past 20 years.
 
Caporegime
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Guardiola is a strange one as he knows how to get players playing well but also arguably had the best teams and unlimited funds with City. He ultimately failed at Bayern as he took over a treble winning side and achieved nothing bar winning the league which is par for the course with them.
 
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It may carry some weight though, for example an ex-player may be popular with the fans resulting in slightly better support / less toxic atmosphere. They may also have insider knowledge about the dressing room (if they've played there recently) and potentially have existing relationships with people behind the scenes.

Being a manager isn't really that related to being a player though.

As an ex-player you may have a better understanding of the game and certain aspects of it but as most people know, someone who is good at doing something isn't always good at teaching or managing that same role.
I don't disagree with this however you have to compare it to the alternative. The fact that not all ex-players are cut out for management doesn't necessarily mean that appointing them is a mistake, on average they may be no worse than non-footballers.

In other words, assuming that an ex-player is a guaranteed success is a mistake, but they are still highly logical candidates to move into the profession, compared to someone coming another route.
 
Soldato
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Mourinho has lost 5 of his last 6 premier league games, and made some interesting comments in his post match interview yesterday!

I wonder what the odds are on him getting the boot. :)

high, especially with rumours of Poch trying to lure Kane away to join him. The club will be starting to get nervous about that prospect, and if the manager is losing the dressing room...
 

fez

fez

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high, especially with rumours of Poch trying to lure Kane away to join him. The club will be starting to get nervous about that prospect, and if the manager is losing the dressing room...

Thats why a lot of managers get sacked unfortunately. It the manager loses the dressing room or ****** off the star player its usually an easy decision. £100m plus Kane and Son vs £20m Mourinho. Only one is going to win that one. Same with Mourinho and Pogba etc.
 
Man of Honour
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Weird timing to save the season, I guess it only makes sense if they're planning for relegation and want the new guy in early to prepare for the summer.

According to a few journos on twitter it's still not 100% confirmed, a press conference was scheduled for early afternoon but has been moved to the evening.
 
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