What he's up to? It's pretty clear to me, in a nutshell, very briefly:
4-2-3-1 with a profile for each position, clearly identifying a player who he thinks is of the level required for each position.
Now it's at a point where we need only quality and so he is identifying a player he considers to be one of the best in his age group and going for him. Obviously in a position where we need.
Forming a clear link between youth team and first team so players currently in the youth team can show in the first team what their potential is.
Promoting early the potential talent so you can start developing them, this could be the difference between a player developing to Xavi level or Xabi-Alonso or the difference between a player that doesn't make the cut or does like Pedro.
Tactically he wants to use a patient positional game that he thinks will work well in the big matches, the matches against smaller sides we train this system so the team is fully prepared, in the small matches the system will therefore rely on individual brilliance to break down the parked bus.
Youth education from a young level with the vision of how the team will play drilled from a young age.
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If he wins something then he wins something and if he doesn't then he doesn't, the work that he's done will still be in place, the blueprint of the club he wants is clear, to me it's sensible and so important this work is continued:
Fill out the 4-2-3-1 with players matching the profile e.g. Stones to partner Smalling and complete the backline of De Gea / Shaw / Smalling and Darmian.
Obviously such a player will have serious potential but in the short term don't lower our standards, if we have to wait for the right player to come along then so be it.
Continue to scout the best players in the world, accurately identify the best player in his age group and time it so when he is ready for the step up we go for him.
Maintain a small squad so players in the youth team will get chances to show what they can do and obviously in the first team play the players on merit so if a young player performs he keeps his place on merit.
The very best of our youth team, promote them early and play them in their actual position to develop them. This also helps energise the existing squad by adding new blood in addition to the key signing (or two) each summer.
Tactically use small matches to train how we would play in the big games so we are fully prepared relying on individual brilliance to break down the smaller sides (something we have lacked in this regime but in the past players like Robben / Ribery, Rivaldo / Figo, Litmanen / Overmars etc. mean't he was able to do that, but he has signed the players needed for this).
Educate the young players early, an amazing thing about Ajax 95 was that even though they were the joint youngest team in history to win the champions league, they also had spent more time playing together than any other side that has won it because of how early they joined their academy.
It's also important to have quality players in addition to coaching in the academy and this needs to be looked at, combined with the above part of the philosophy of giving youth a chance to show their skill and promoting early signs of talent, we could develop top top players.
I understand the above isn't what some posters want and that's fair enough, everybody has a different view of what makes a good club, I'm just saying I like this way of doing things and even though the results on the pitch haven't shown, that will come.
Should he stay or should he go? Honestly I don't care, if he was a young Louis van Gaal I'd say keep him, now I don't care he has put down the blueprint and it's in motion, we don't need him for that anymore, we do need to continue the work though so his successor should be chosen wisely or his powers limited (combined with a director of football).
I'm not sure what the board is thinking.
