Graham Potter | turns down Ajax job

[Raees]

The squad is imbalanced. They lack pace and power throughout the side - powderpuff side whose only physicality came from James, Kante and possibly Werner and none of those players are fit or there anymore. Pedestrian side that reminds me of Spurs.

 

[duffer]

Nobody had the balls to take my bet.

 

[justsomebloke]

He is doing exactly what he was doing with Brighton : « mid-table success ». It’s exactly the same as Moyes. Out of his depth. You can’t emulate what you are doing at a lower level to the top. It doesn’t work like that. The Brighton sustainable success is for Chelsea sustainable mediocrity.

Let’s be honest, Bohely hired him only because he was flavor of the month and because he is out of his depth as well.

It’s just a massive f*ck up. It’s not like at Arsenal where the team was built around young players buying a project. At Chelsea it’s full of experienced players who wants him out already. 1 win in 8 in the league. That’s relegation form.

Only Graham Potter isn't David Moyes, and there's no particular reason to assume that just because Moyes failed at a top club, Potter will too. You could just as well take the example of Mauricio Pocchetino, which proves the opposite. A mid-table result is the opposite of "doing exactly the same thing". At Brighton, that's success. At Chelsea, that's failure.

Pretty much all managers start at smaller clubs before they move on to big ones. Some fail, some succeed. We'll see where Potter ends up, but whatever the outcome is, the example of David Moyes means feck-all.

 

[SuperiorXI]

Potter is a good manager but he is completely wrong for this Chelsea side in transition. They need someone like Simeone imo.

 

[Redfrog]

Only Graham Potter isn't David Moyes, and there's no particular reason to assume that just because Moyes failed at a top club, Potter will too. You could just as well take the example of Mauricio Pocchetino, which proves the opposite. A mid-table result is the opposite of "doing exactly the same thing". At Brighton, that's success. At Chelsea, that's failure.

Pretty much all managers start at smaller clubs before they move on to big ones. Some fail, some succeed. We'll see where Potter ends up, but whatever the outcome is, the example of David Moyes means feck-all.

He looks out of his depth, that’s why I said it looks like a Moyes situation. He is uninspiring by the look of it as well.
sure, we don’t know how it will go but it doesn’t look good , does it ?

 

[WeePat]

Potter is a good manager but he is completely wrong for this Chelsea side in transition. They need someone like Simeone imo.

Totally disagree with that. Simeone is the opposite of what we need. Potter will be fine. The hysterics in here is just that, hysterics.

 

[SuperiorXI]

Totally disagree with that. Simeone is the opposite of what we need. Potter will be fine. The hysterics in here is just that, hysterics.

He will be fine if he is afforded the time but I doubt he will be. I'd keep him. But in for a painful transition.

 

[justsomebloke]

He looks out of his depth, that’s why I said it looks like a Moyes situation. He is uninspiring by the look of it as well.
sure, we don’t know how it will go but it doesn’t look good , does it ?

No, I agree, it really doesn't. They've looked uninspired even when they win.

(I guess I'm just a little exasperated by how easily questionable analogies are resorted to in football discussion).

 

[crossy1686]

Potter is a good manager but he is completely wrong for this Chelsea side in transition. They need someone like Simeone imo.

I think they'd be fine with any manager that has big team experience and defensive, so effectively one of the Italian coaches, or maybe a Mourinho 4th stint or whatever it would be now.

 

[crossy1686]

Totally disagree with that. Simeone is the opposite of what we need. Potter will be fine. The hysterics in here is just that, hysterics.

Potter won't be fine, he'll be fired when the season ends.

 

[justsomebloke]

Totally disagree with that. Simeone is the opposite of what we need. Potter will be fine. The hysterics in here is just that, hysterics.

Would like to see you expound a little on that, you're usually knowledgeable and reasonable when it comes to Chelsea. Are supporters genuinely not worried about one win in seven, and being eighth on the table? I have a lot of respect for Potter and generally is of the patient persuasion when it comes to managers, but I'd have thought they would be, and find it hard to think they shouldn't be. Also, I really don't think Chelsea has looked very good at any point of his tenure (with the caveat that I haven't watched anywhere near everything).

 

[mctrials23]

I think Potters issue is that he works in a side where all the players are expendable. Not in a side when the manager is the most expendable. From what I have read, he got Brighton working really well by developing a great mentality and understanding with his players, sometimes by doing silly things. Those things just don't work in the same way with overpaid stars with an inflated sense of their own worth.

 

[WeePat]

He will be fine if he is afforded the time but I doubt he will be. I'd keep him. But in for a painful transition.

I’ve written off this season so I guess I’m finding it less painful but yeah it isn’t pretty viewing.

 

[WeePat]

Potter won't be fine, he'll be fired when the season ends.

You may be right, I don’t know have enough info on these new owners to be confident one way or the other, but my feeling is he’ll be fine and be given time.

 

[SalfordRed18]

Potter to spurs then. He'll do well there.

 

[tenpoless]

Nobody had the balls to take my bet.

Your bet is not a bet. It's more like a sure win for you. Potter is Boehly's golden child. He is that one employee that the boss handpicked after firing the other one and will protect at all cost because if that employee fails the boss will look bad.

 

[SilentWitness]

Totally disagree with that. Simeone is the opposite of what we need. Potter will be fine. The hysterics in here is just that, hysterics.

Yep, I’d be very surprised if Potter is sacked too. You went with him for a reason.

 

[cyberman]

Yep, I’d be very surprised if Potter is sacked too. You went with him for a reason.

Because the owner was new to the sport and acted on his own because he hadn’t replaced the Chelsea board / team before he made the decision?

 

[duffer]

Your bet is not a bet. It's more like a sure win for you. Potter is Boehly's golden child. He is that one employee that the boss handpicked after firing the other one and will protect at all cost because if that employee fails the boss will look bad.

Its not a good bet for the reasons you state but it's certainly a bet!

Plenty of people are saying he'll be sacked this season though. They just don't have the courage to back up their nonsense.

 

[The Corinthian]

Nobody had the balls to take my bet.

What was the bet?

 

[Ayoba]

Who signed aubamayeng, potter or tuchel?

 

[duffer]

What was the bet?

A few posters said he'd be sacked before the end of the season. I offered a massive £10 that he wouldn't. Nobody took me up.

 

[duffer]

Who signed aubamayeng, potter or tuchel?

Tuchel was in charge when we signed Auba.

 

[cyberman]

A few posters said he'd be sacked before the end of the season. I offered a massive £10 that he wouldn't. Nobody took me up.

When the fun stops, stop.

 

[crossy1686]

You may be right, I don’t know have enough info on these new owners to be confident one way or the other, but my feeling is he’ll be fine and be given time.

I think the benefit of time only comes when there is reasonable doubt in the squads ability, upper management accept the manager hasn't been helped by their actions previous to his recruitment, and he has a track record of getting it right more times than not at this level, for example Ancelotti.

I think for Potter none of those things are true. Also, the haste at which Bohely was willing to cut Tuchel loose, (a CL winning manager at Chelsea) should be a red flag to all involved.

As United fan's we know how you feel, the only reason we're adamant Potter is finished is because we saw this happen with Moyes and to an extent Solskjaer. It's not because we're desperate for Chelsea to fail, it's just history repeating itself. We said the same things about Lukaku and Chelsea fans were adamant again that it was different this time. I'd honestly be amazed if Potter was allowed to finish outside the top 4 and keep his job.

 

[crossy1686]

A few posters said he'd be sacked before the end of the season. I offered a massive £10 that he wouldn't. Nobody took me up.

As soon as top 4 is out of reach he gets sacked, that way no one can grumble that 'the chosen one' wasn't given a fair shake.

 

[RuudTom83]

It’s always difficult to make great players work hard…it shouldn’t be really, but that’s the challenge Potter now faces.

Interesting to see how it goes.

 

[Rnd898]

Even if a bigger name becomes available?

Like who?

Of the ones who are free right now I would definitely stay clear of Pochettino and Enrique. The current managers for the rest of the PL Top-6 are probably out of the question because most of them aren't going anywhere in the first place and Conte we've already tried with. The likes of Simeone and Allegri have been somewhat successful in their managerial careers but represent a totally different 'brand of football' we're in the process of trying to build the squad towards so probably not worth it to ditch that idea and go on to hire either of them. Mourinho for the third time would be a terrible choice too, for many reasons.

A wild card hire would be Marcelo Gallardo, previously of River Plate, but he's never coached outside of South America so he's really far from being a sure thing. Ancelotti for a second stint could be fun but if I recall correctly he's said he's retiring after Madrid decides they no longer want him. The one I'd be very tempted by is Nagelsmann if he became available and Potter was still having problems when that happened.

Things aren't looking great for Potter at the moment but there is a real lack of top candidates which probably plays in his favor here. He'll very likely see out the season no matter what happens and after the season the club will look how everything has gone and see who's available if they feel a change is needed.

Some of the results and performances under Potter have been inexcusable but we've also had a rotten injury record all season and missed some very important players (Kante, James, Chilwell, Fofana) for most of the games. On top of that our midfield was already starting to turn into a problem even before Kante got injured and following the Lukaku debacle we only managed to secure a mediocre stopgap striker in Aubameyang for the season before a more permanent solution comes in. All in all it's not like he's had an easy ride coming into the job so I'd be wary of being too harsh on him because a lot of those problems are something he couldn't possibly have had any effect on. That said, he definitely needs to start showing some improvements soon.

 

[duffer]

As soon as top 4 is out of reach he gets sacked, that way no one can grumble that 'the chosen one' wasn't given a fair shake.

You don't believe that.

 

[NoPace]

You don't believe that.

Question is if he doesn’t get top 4 next year does he go.

 

[duffer]

Question is if he doesn’t get top 4 next year does he go.

Probably. Depends on the nature of the season of course but if there's no progress and we're miles off, he should be sacked.

 

[SilentWitness]

Because the owner was new to the sport and acted on his own because he hadn’t replaced the Chelsea board / team before he made the decision?

I know it’s on trend to laugh at Americans and Boehly but I think his heart and head are in the right place. I genuinely think he wants to build with Potter and will afford him the time he needs.

 

[bazza3727]

I think they'd be fine with any manager that has big team experience and defensive, so effectively one of the Italian coaches, or maybe a Mourinho 4th stint or whatever it would be now.

Conte?

 

[Jim Beam]

2nd half stats are grim:

Possession: 54% - 46%
Shots: 9 - 0
Shots on target: 3 - 0
Touches in opp. box: 16 - 0

All in favor of Forest.

Don't think he is in danger though as he is Boehly choice and he would look ridiculous if he sacks him so soon. However, City comes in the worst possible moment. There is nothing worse than getting smashed against a big rival in your own house. As we've seen in our example because the fans might start to make noise and players might start to question him. Talking about players he needs to be more ruthless, those stats are saying more about them, than him.

 

[FrankDrebin]

The only way I can see Potter be a success if the club affords him obvious time. That Chelsea squad is just all over the place interms of age and quality.
Like our squad post SAF.

 

[Sandikan]

You don't believe that.

How do you view your squad overall?

I know as footy fans we're usually mired in bias and exaggeration, but as a rival fan, I look at your squad and can't believe it.

It just seems to massively lack quality in most areas, and when a top form Reece James is out, just looks totally stale.

 

[Bluelion7]

He is tinkering with a dead horse that is behind by about 3 yrs of squad maintenance at least.

Thing is, Roman was a notorious “player power” guy. You could go around the manager , or, if things weren’t going your way, help engineer the managers exit.

That won’t be the case with the new group for a few reasons: First, Boehly and the others won’t be starstruck by athletes (the unofficial term is “jock sniffer”). They regularly deal with a LOT bigger stars like Lebron James. For Roman, Chelsea was the only window to that world.

Second, they know the idea of getting rid of a manager being the more cost effective Avenue is a mirage.The long term squad and front office costs of frequently changing managers is immense. And it leads to ….

Third, they have seen what kind of squad an impatient philosophy can bring. They are spending big money to fix it right now.

They said awhile ago that Potters job wasn’t tied to things like making top 4. They know the squad issues we have. They want a consistent vision and philosophy to build on.

We are also witnessing the result of patience rewarded right now with Arsenal.

 

[TheReligion]

2nd half stats are grim:

Possession: 54% - 46%
Shots: 9 - 0
Shots on target: 3 - 0
Touches in opp. box: 16 - 0

All in favor of Forest.

Don't think he is in danger though as he is Boehly choice and he would look ridiculous if he sacks him so soon. However, City comes in the worst possible moment. There is nothing worse than getting smashed against a big rival in your own house. As we've seen in our example because the fans might start to make noise and players might start to question him. Talking about players he needs to be more ruthless, those stats are saying more about them, than him.

That’s quite a surprise. Especially given we played Forest the match before and they didn’t have a sniff.

 

[cyberman]

I know it’s on trend to laugh at Americans and Boehly but I think his heart and head are in the right place. I genuinely think he wants to build with Potter and will afford him the time he needs.

My question about it is he bought all these players with Tuchel in mind. If he wanted a new direction then Tuchel would have been gone in the summer. How long was he looking at Potter for and who was advising him? If it wasn’t the people he has around him now then do they agree with that decision? If I remember he was basically on his own at the time.
There’s also the awkward point of asking was it that bad under Tuchel that things becoming worse after the sacking was the plan? Was it even that bad? 1 league win in 8 (an unconvincing home win v Bournemouth)that could easily spread to 12/13 games has to but some doubt on Potter to the point it’s not even the owners that the danger but completely losing the dressing room.

 

[Member 125398]

He is tinkering with a dead horse that is behind by about 3 yrs of squad maintenance at least.

Thing is, Roman was a notorious “player power” guy. You could go around the manager , or, if things weren’t going your way, help engineer the managers exit.

That won’t be the case with the new group for a few reasons: First, Boehly and the others won’t be starstruck by athletes (the unofficial term is “jock sniffer”). They regularly deal with a LOT bigger stars like Lebron James. For Roman, Chelsea was the only window to that world.

Second, they know the idea of getting rid of a manager being the more cost effective Avenue is a mirage.The long term squad and front office costs of frequently changing managers is immense. And it leads to ….

Third, they have seen what kind of squad an impatient philosophy can bring. They are spending big money to fix it right now.

They said awhile ago that Potters job wasn’t tied to things like making top 4. They know the squad issues we have. They want a consistent vision and philosophy to build on.

We are also witnessing the result of patience rewarded right now with Arsenal.

He sacked a manager over not wanting Ronaldo.