Big Ben Foster
Correctly predicted Portugal to win Euro 2016
Should've been sacked after that disgraceful display against the Scousers.
Who the feck is Setien?
Who the feck is Setien?
I guess they "resign" or their contract runs out, but certainly if Barcelona wanted Rijkaard, Martino, or Enrique they would have stayed? Genuinely curious.Terrible job to have, Valverde is the first manager we've fired since Van Gaal in 2003.
Pretty sure Enrique got burnt out by the job (just like Pep with all the politics) and think Rjikaard just realised it was the end of the cycle with likes of Ronaldinho and Deco being move on. Can't remember Martino but it was a very unmemorable season for them.I guess they "resign" or their contract runs out, but certainly if Barcelona wanted Rijkaard, Martino, or Enrique they would have stayed? Genuinely curious.
Kind of reminding me of our fan base haha.Guess they dont take bullshit, no league position or win % can mask most important thing in their eyes. Regardless of my opinion of their fans or club as a whole, seems they have a line and that line is not moving a inch.
hehe, Barcelona scouting my posts .It’s not really hypothetical anymore, Mourinho is essentially the Walking Dead. We need a manager who is known for getting his teams to play with intensity and effort before or else. We need a manager who is capable of identifying players who can play in such a way.
Pochettino - first choice no brainer but don’t think it’ll happen.
Setien - if we had a board who knew about football and thinking outside the box he’d be a great shout. Not Hollywood enough for Woodward though so never gonna happen.
Simeone - probably the most realistic one.
Zidane - he’ll probably be great for getting an instant reaction but we need to think a bit longer.
tuchel - dunno maybe he’ll get bored of PSG.
The coach needs to fire up the players. Look at the difference of Madrid’s under Zidane and under the coaches they had before his return.What a weird move to sack him over the supercup when he has 6 months left on his contract and he’s top of the league.
He got blamed for Roma and Anfield but the main reason it happened was the players’ lack of character and their weak mentality rather than him getting his tactics wrong.
Not really. Valverde was doing a poor job. Messi despite being 32 is still the best player in the world and of his era, and has been carrying the side which is a sign that not enough is coming from the managers side. Essentially it's a conservative manager in charge of Barcelona and hence a wrong fit. Nothing ridiculous about it.Joke of a club and joke of a fanbase if you ask me.
Valverde has them in first place in La Liga and alive in both the Cup and the Champions League. While the football is not as attractive as it used to be, the Barsa board and fans might do well to remember that Xavi and Iniesta are gone and Messi is 32. The sense of entitlement down there is ridiculous.
So the new fellow is not very good either? Barcelona have had some poor managers in recent years.Operation "Vindicating Valverde" has begun. It's only downwards from here. They just hired a guy who finished 11th in La Liga last season. Because why not.
Thing is, to me it seems that general coaching quality doesn't have too great an impact at a club like Barcelona. Rijkaard has had great success there and literally fell apart wherever he tried coaching afterwards. Luis Enrique I also consider bang average, was IMO very good in his stint. Valverde himself is basically a Betis level manager and yet results wise he's done fairly good (though the quality of football left a lot to be desired). There are some hard decisions to be made, and if Setien gets the majority of them right they might actually improve (although it is a big if).So the new fellow is not very good either? Barcelona have had some poor managers in recent years.
Valverde won La-Liga twice. So when Barca fails in upcoming seasons, I am sure Valverde era will be seen well in future.So the new fellow is not very good either? Barcelona have had some poor managers in recent years.
Joke of a club and joke of a fanbase if you ask me.
Valverde has them in first place in La Liga and alive in both the Cup and the Champions League. While the football is not as attractive as it used to be, the Barsa board and fans might do well to remember that Xavi and Iniesta are gone and Messi is 32. The sense of entitlement down there is ridiculous.
Winning the league is not the be-all and end-all, though, otherwise Bernd Schuster would be Madrid manager beyond 2008. You have to consider so many things instead of focusing on league silverware in a reductive way — and for reference, even someone proven like Ancelotti had won the league and German Super Cup with Bayern when they decided to sack him after just 14 months — that's the nature of the business at the highest level, organisations have to regularly make harsh decisions to take a step forward.Fair point that we could (and should) be much more demanding and ambitious. But what Barsa is doing is frankly ridiculous. Valverde is no Guardiola, but he's delivering. They have won back to back leagues for fecks sakes and are in first place.
Quique Setien is a very good manager and his teams play great attacking football. He has a clear idea of how he wants the game played and he’ll give the Barcelona team a clear structure. He really can be compared to Sarri in that he’s spent a lot of time managing lower level clubs and has worked his way to the top.So the new fellow is not very good either? Barcelona have had some poor managers in recent years.
REBUILD.There is a reason they have remained at the top for so long. Just think about it, winning the league title is not good enough for them and our management is happy with a midtable position. If our club and fanbase had that attitude we wouldn't be hoping to challenge for top 4 next year.
Style of play not deemed good enough. More importantly they’ve been a failure in EuropeTop of the league and back to back titles not good enough then
Style of play is crap by Barca standards. And Barca not elite in Europe under him.As someone who doesn't pay much attention to the goings on in La Liga what has he done to warrant being sacked? Are they not top of the league and still in the Champions League?
Which is fine. Attacking Barca should be amazing again, but defense wise we’ll be worse than ever.This guy is 61 years old and the only trophy he was is a Spanish Super Cup. They are offering him a contract which is split into 6 months + 1 year + 1 year instead of a long term contract. Shows that the board actually is waiting for Xavi.
Norwich at times play a wonderful style as well -Loved watching Quique's Betis, they played a wonderful style.
O.k he hasn't won anything or managed big clubs before but that's never stopped Barca before in appointing managers with modest club records (Frank Rijkaard, Tito, even Martino at the time).
Interested to see how it goes. Not sure he'll improve their away form much though as Betis were usually useless on the road bar the odd big team scalp like Barca or Real Madrid.
Check some of the posters above who keep in arguing why this is a timely and smart move.I don't understand this decision.
Valverde has won 2 leagues in 2 seasons and is the leader in his third. What is wrong with that?
Yeah, they're single-handedly responsible for Darfur, the Syrian civil war and the Ukraine conflict.I hope he fails miserably. Despicable institution.
Why is it disgraceful? Maybe not handled elegantly, but firing Valverde is the right decision. It's clearly more than just a couple of results, it's about Barcelona capitulating time and time after having commanding leads. Against Roma. Against Liverpool. This season against last placed Espanyol after a 2 goal lead. Against Atletico in the Super Copa. His inability to prevent these kind of debacles and steer the ship have caused fans to lose all confidence in him.Disgraceful really. First in the league and you get sacked. Give him till the end of the season at least.
Doubtful, Koeman is overrated and his football is just as dire as Valverde’s.Wonder what the odds are they ll dump again and go for Koeman after the EC.
Sure. But a new manager not being good enough doesn't mean that Valverde was the right man. I do think a poor appointment can show him in better light. But the same time I do believe he has ridden on the brilliance of some outstanding individuals in that team rather than managing the team excellently.Valverde won La-Liga twice. So when Barca fails in upcoming seasons, I am sure Valverde era will be seen well in future.
its not east to win La-Liga twice and this new manager needs to continue winning...
What? Barça have been on the verge of sacking him for over a year and fecked it up every time. Now, they’ve sacked him with less than 6 months left of his contract. It’s baffling, it was always going to happen but absolutely baffling management from their directors. This is absolutely not how a big club should act. When a club legend like Xavi turns down the job you know something is wrong behind the scenes. He’s even said it was his dream job.This is how big clubs act. And we don't have the balls to sack the guy who has led us to our worst start in 30 years. Can't understand any fan who backs Ole.
He wasn't the right manager for Barca but he's not a midtable manager either. He wasn't out of his depth.The coach needs to fire up the players. Look at the difference of Madrid’s under Zidane and under the coaches they had before his return.
The first score line against Liverpool was flattering and yet Valverde refused to make any changes. Valverde’s halftime “talk” against Liverpool in the second was beyond laughable. He’s a mid-table coach who owes it to Messi, Ter Stegen and Suarez that he was employed for as long as he was. The football being played was painful to watch.
Having said all that, I wish Barca handled his exit better.