Rome wasn't built in a day

[Pogue Mahone]

While that is true about supporter analysis when we fail to win, you have to admit the evidence is starting to accumulate. I hope he turns it around but many other clubs wouldn't allow him that privilege after this start.

You think many other clubs would sack their manager after 3 wins, 2 draws and a loss in their first 6 games in charge?!? (4 wins in 7, if you include FA Cup)

 

[Zen86]

But I thought the whole idea of bringing in Rangnick was for him to assist the club in buying players in a more cohesive way than we've been doing. So it's not having a squad overhaul to cater to an interim manager, per se, it's more to do with imporving this clubs recritment policy under his guidance. We should be starting that process now. Otherwise, what's the point in bringing him in.

Which is fair enough, but right now his number one priority is points on the board and he’s not even close to delivering on that.

 

[VP89]

Which is fair enough, but right now his number one priority is points on the board and he’s not even close to delivering on that.

I dont think the short term goals will come at a priority to setting the right philosophy and weeding out the players.

It makes more sense that he weeds out the dirt whilst hes on the ground, so that he and Murtough can complete the overhaul required for the next manager. I think thats as big a priority as points on the board.

And when you say he's not close, thats not exactly fair since hes had a few wins and from a performance standpoint we actually played the most controlled game we looked since the opening day.

 

[KingCavani]

It is astounding how reactionary our fanbase is.

Ralf was not brought in because of his accomplishments as a manager. They’re mediocre by any significant standard and there were clearly better options if the goal was short term success. How can people not see that it clearly wasn’t the priority when the appointment was made? It’s just wilful ignorance.

It was about getting adults in the room. An acknowledgment that this club has been a shambles for a long time and that the structure needs overhauling - Which is literally Ralf’s forte in the game. Anyone ranting at Ralf’s work when what we’re seeing is just a continuation of pre-existing issues is absolutely insane. I warned when the appointment was made that things may get worse before they get better, because he needs to upset some of the people in this club. We need to stay the course and let him evaluate what is needed to give his successor every chance at succeeding.

He’s already exposed one rat in Martial and the club can make it a priority to get him away from the main group whatever it takes. A purge is in order and it was obvious even when Ole was here, he just obviously wasn’t the man to oversee it given his recruitment. Anyone who wants to sack Rangnick now to move on to the latest shiny toy is just falling into the same traps again and again. Pathetic.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Which is fair enough, but right now his number one priority is points on the board and he’s not even close to delivering on that.

11 points out of a possible 18 in the league so far. Add on the FA Cup game and those results would earn 76 points over a season.

Not amazing but hardly “not even close” to where we need to be. Two points more than the total that got us second place last season anyway.

And all during a covid outbreak so big it closed down our training ground.

 

[Escobar]

At least there was some progress to build Rome. Have not seen much in a very long time, and if we do, we take a step back

 

[M16Red]

We look no better now than under the previous regime. Probably worse.

Players are not robots, they don't come with a settings switch. They are human, it'll take time. I think you should watch the Watford game again.. we were all-over the place.

I agree but when young players can't get consistent results the fans blame the manager. And the players win again. Honestly there's something truly toxic in our squad

Also with the fans aswell, people think that after years (8+) there is a magical player or formation that could fix years of miss-management.

Ralf isn't toxic in his disappointment and never focuses on a single player after a game - if a player wants to leave and has said so, hes honest with that as well and if players don't have the mentality to deal with it then, they probably don't have a mentality to deal with a cup final or going 1-0 down

 

[Dec9003]

I’m at the point where I’d accept more poor results and maybe even performances if we rebooted with the academy players for the rest of the season.
We have talented lads like Shoretire, Hannibal and obviously Elanga. At this point Cavani, Ronaldo, Matic etc won’t be here by the time we’ve sorted ourselves out so it’s pointless picking them.
Fetch Garner back too and put him in, build for next season with the talented young players.

 

[Red Dreams]

It is astounding how reactionary our fanbase is.

Ralf was not brought in because of his accomplishments as a manager. They’re mediocre by any significant standard and there were clearly better options if the goal was short term success. How can people not see that it clearly wasn’t the priority when the appointment was made? It’s just wilful ignorance.

It was about getting adults in the room. An acknowledgment that this club has been a shambles for a long time and that the structure needs overhauling - Which is literally Ralf’s forte in the game. Anyone ranting at Ralf’s work when what we’re seeing is just a continuation of pre-existing issues is absolutely insane. I warned when the appointment was made that things may get worse before they get better, because he needs to upset some of the people in this club. We need to stay the course and let him evaluate what is needed to give his successor every chance at succeeding.

He’s already exposed one rat in Martial and the club can make it a priority to get him away from the main group whatever it takes. A purge is in order and it was obvious even when Ole was here, he just obviously wasn’t the man to oversee it given his recruitment. Anyone who wants to sack Rangnick now to move on to the latest shiny toy is just falling into the same traps again and again. Pathetic.

good post.

But will go over the heads of the majority on here.

 

[Water Melon]

It is astounding how reactionary our fanbase is.

Ralf was not brought in because of his accomplishments as a manager. They’re mediocre by any significant standard and there were clearly better options if the goal was short term success. How can people not see that it clearly wasn’t the priority when the appointment was made? It’s just wilful ignorance.

It was about getting adults in the room. An acknowledgment that this club has been a shambles for a long time and that the structure needs overhauling - Which is literally Ralf’s forte in the game. Anyone ranting at Ralf’s work when what we’re seeing is just a continuation of pre-existing issues is absolutely insane. I warned when the appointment was made that things may get worse before they get better, because he needs to upset some of the people in this club. We need to stay the course and let him evaluate what is needed to give his successor every chance at succeeding.

He’s already exposed one rat in Martial and the club can make it a priority to get him away from the main group whatever it takes. A purge is in order and it was obvious even when Ole was here, he just obviously wasn’t the man to oversee it given his recruitment. Anyone who wants to sack Rangnick now to move on to the latest shiny toy is just falling into the same traps again and again. Pathetic.

Do you believe that getting CL footy next season was not a priority when we were employing Ralf? Do you believe that the owners will back Rangnicks decisions if we finish below their expectations?

 

[glazed]

Do you believe that getting CL footy next season was not a priority when we were employing Ralf? Do you believe that the owners will back Rangnicks decisions if we finish below their expectations?

They have no choice but to back him or someone very like him. Their 'busk it to top four' business model has run out of road. We will soon be facing four, possibly five extremely well funded clubs all doing high press. Fifth will be the highest we could get in that scenario without this change.

 

[InspiRED]

It's far from perfect but I don't think you can just lay the blame on RR, he clearly inherited a right old mess.

Probably the best reason to be positive is that against Palace and yesterday we actually started both games well. We've had a habit of starting poorly for a long old time and it was marked under Ole. Starting matches well is encouraging tbh. It makes sense that good organisation will be most obvious early on in games as as the game goes on players get tired and one of the first things to show will be mental fatigue, at which point the organisation will start to wane and the players revert to type. Hopefully as time goes on the organisation stretches longer and longer til it covers whole games.

 

[Ali Dia]

It is astounding how reactionary our fanbase is.

Ralf was not brought in because of his accomplishments as a manager. They’re mediocre by any significant standard and there were clearly better options if the goal was short term success. How can people not see that it clearly wasn’t the priority when the appointment was made? It’s just wilful ignorance.

It was about getting adults in the room. An acknowledgment that this club has been a shambles for a long time and that the structure needs overhauling - Which is literally Ralf’s forte in the game. Anyone ranting at Ralf’s work when what we’re seeing is just a continuation of pre-existing issues is absolutely insane. I warned when the appointment was made that things may get worse before they get better, because he needs to upset some of the people in this club. We need to stay the course and let him evaluate what is needed to give his successor every chance at succeeding.

He’s already exposed one rat in Martial and the club can make it a priority to get him away from the main group whatever it takes. A purge is in order and it was obvious even when Ole was here, he just obviously wasn’t the man to oversee it given his recruitment. Anyone who wants to sack Rangnick now to move on to the latest shiny toy is just falling into the same traps again and again. Pathetic.

Good post. We can either keep these current players comfortable and happy in a soft system that financially rewards failure and always be a nearly club or take the much harder route which should set us off in a more modern and clearer direction for years to come. It’s pretty obvious that at some point a hard reset was needed. We were stuck in the past but with modern players and their wages and influence had gotten out of control. You only need to scan the media recently to realise this. Most damningly from a value and work rate standpoint it’s total shambles. We are consistently getting some of the worst value in the game. Season after season. It’s not a coincidence. Im hoping this is a sign that our owners are genuinely looking to relinquish any control or say over football or contract matters to people who are much more hands on from now on. Their favourite players are the ones that have us in this mess. The ones they overpaid and gave unwarranted new deals to are the ever present factors in our failures. I have a nagging feeling that this is just another thing they’ll half arse though if I’m being honest. If the man wants a midfielder then get him one. He’s your guy resetting the whole club. Midfield is clearly lacking and has been for some time.

 

[Water Melon]

They have no choice but to back him or someone very like him. Their 'busk it to top four' business model has run out of road. We will soon be facing four, possibly five extremely well funded clubs all doing high press. Fifth will be the highest we could get in that scenario without this change.

I hope the Board posses as much common sense as you do, but I would not bet my house on it. However, I can actually see them selling their shares, once Newcastle become another well funded club.

 

[Zen86]

We’re not overhauling the squad to cater to an interim manager’s preference. We’re overhauling it so we can start to approach matches in the same way as all the most successful clubs around. A change in approach that is long overdue, with an interim manager better qualified than anyone else I can think of to get the ball rolling.

This is a shift that 90% of the caf seemed to be fully behind until a handful of mediocre performances/results (either side of a covid outbreak in our squad) has caused everyone to shit the bed and demand we start over again.

A change in approach? We’ve spent lots of money, sacked one manager and replaced him with someone radically different. Cue blaming of the players, the old regime, cultural reboot etc. It’s exactly what we’ve been doing for the past however many years.

 

[mitchmouse]

It is astounding how reactionary our fanbase is.

Ralf was not brought in because of his accomplishments as a manager. They’re mediocre by any significant standard and there were clearly better options if the goal was short term success. How can people not see that it clearly wasn’t the priority when the appointment was made? It’s just wilful ignorance.

It was about getting adults in the room. An acknowledgment that this club has been a shambles for a long time and that the structure needs overhauling - Which is literally Ralf’s forte in the game. Anyone ranting at Ralf’s work when what we’re seeing is just a continuation of pre-existing issues is absolutely insane. I warned when the appointment was made that things may get worse before they get better, because he needs to upset some of the people in this club. We need to stay the course and let him evaluate what is needed to give his successor every chance at succeeding.

He’s already exposed one rat in Martial and the club can make it a priority to get him away from the main group whatever it takes. A purge is in order and it was obvious even when Ole was here, he just obviously wasn’t the man to oversee it given his recruitment. Anyone who wants to sack Rangnick now to move on to the latest shiny toy is just falling into the same traps again and again. Pathetic.

agree with this... the clue is rather in the title: interim manager. he's there to stop the rot (and boy, is there a lot of rot). Of course we need to win games and get the points to finish fourth but if United thought Ralf was the main an, they'd have given him the job full time. He isn't and he knows that -he's there to do a much bigger job from the summer

 

[InspiRED]

Another really encouraging thing about Rangnick is you can tell he just doesn't give a feck what fans or the media thinks, again this is massive contrast to Ole though no doubt he will get compared to LVG. I like that about him tbh, very calculated and empiricist like. He's gonna need that quality seeing as so many idiots in the fanbase want him sacked after one month and chronic issues within the club and playing staff.

 

[Abraxas]

The mistake was thinking that one man can come in mid season and wave a wand, with a floundering side with no particular framework, low confidence and a bunch of disgruntled players that are tenuously placed within the club at this moment.

Sure, it's his job to make them improve, and ultimately at the end of the season his interim spell will be judged upon reaching minimum expectations. He's judged against normal standards as a manager - reaching goals.

It's not even about building Rome at the moment. It's about getting results. It's a fantasy to think that in 6 months this man can reinvigorate all areas and lay this "foundation." The "process" is for the next manager and the hierarchy to think about, they should be doing that right now. RR has his hands full simply getting the results necessary. He can consider the rest later in a different capacity.

You have to be realistic about RR and what his remit is. In a 6 month spell where the results are terrible that IS the task. Not pressing football, not free flowing attacking, it's whatever is required to get us through this season with some measure of success. That is the only thing I care about with respect to Ralf, that he gets the job done and then we have a massive summer ahead. If he doesn't get top 4 he has failed in this role, if he does then he's a success, I'm not arsed how he does it or how we currently look. His spell is short enough that the ends will justify the means no matter what we say about his decisions so far.

 

[Zen86]

I dont think the short term goals will come at a priority to setting the right philosophy and weeding out the players.

It makes more sense that he weeds out the dirt whilst hes on the ground, so that he and Murtough can complete the overhaul required for the next manager. I think thats as big a priority as points on the board.

And when you say he's not close, thats not exactly fair since hes had a few wins and from a performance standpoint we actually played the most controlled game we looked since the opening day.

We’ve looked poor under him, as we’ve looked poor all season. We were at rock bottom when he came in and it’s worrying that not a lot has changed except that the finger is now pointing at the players, rather than the manager.

I’m rather fed up of long term goals, overhauls, reboots at this point. The squad isn’t perfect but is capable of playing better than it has been, and whoever is in charge should be working towards and delivering on that. It’s just more of the same otherwise.

I’m not saying he should be sacked, but I haven’t seen anything to say he’s going to turn this ship around so far and I find it curious why some people are so adamant he’s the man for the job.

 

[C'est Moi Cantona]

It is astounding how reactionary our fanbase is.

Ralf was not brought in because of his accomplishments as a manager. They’re mediocre by any significant standard and there were clearly better options if the goal was short term success. How can people not see that it clearly wasn’t the priority when the appointment was made? It’s just wilful ignorance.

It was about getting adults in the room. An acknowledgment that this club has been a shambles for a long time and that the structure needs overhauling - Which is literally Ralf’s forte in the game. Anyone ranting at Ralf’s work when what we’re seeing is just a continuation of pre-existing issues is absolutely insane. I warned when the appointment was made that things may get worse before they get better, because he needs to upset some of the people in this club. We need to stay the course and let him evaluate what is needed to give his successor every chance at succeeding.

He’s already exposed one rat in Martial and the club can make it a priority to get him away from the main group whatever it takes. A purge is in order and it was obvious even when Ole was here, he just obviously wasn’t the man to oversee it given his recruitment. Anyone who wants to sack Rangnick now to move on to the latest shiny toy is just falling into the same traps again and again. Pathetic.

You'd think more people would understand this, but it seems not, we have a longterm plan this time so what is happening now on the pitch isn't really that important.
I don't think Ralf even wanted to be the manager myself, but took it for what he can do afterwards, and that should help us massively if he can through it without the board losing their nerve and giving him the boot if things get really bad before the end of the season.

What was the alternative, pay Rodgers out of his contract and be stuck with him for 18 months minimum, get a medicore interim who would probably do no better and offer us nothing at the end of it, or give it to Carrick and us hoping he doesn't do too well in case they give it to him fulltime.

The mistake with Ole was massive, and maybe we have finally learnt that there isn't a quick fix.

 

[VP89]

We’ve looked poor under him, as we’ve looked poor all season. We were at rock bottom when he came in and it’s worrying that not a lot has changed except that the finger is now pointing at the players, rather than the manager.

I’m rather fed up of long term goals, overhauls, reboots at this point. The squad isn’t perfect but is capable of playing better than it has been, and whoever is in charge should be working towards and delivering on that. It’s just more of the same otherwise.

I’m not saying he should be sacked, but I haven’t seen anything to say he’s going to turn this ship around so far and I find it curious why some people are so adamant he’s the man for the job.

The squad is very rotten to be fair. No manager is going to get an immediate tune out of them whilst building for the long term.

Mata, Cavani, Matic, Lingard, VDB, Martial and Henderson are ones who are definitely on their way out soon and thats 7 off the top of my head. You cant build a proper philosophy when so many want out or will be flogged.

The squad isnt as good as you claim. Ole did a real number on it.

 

[glazed]

I hope the Board posses as much common sense as you do, but I would not bet my house on it. However, I can actually see them selling their shares, once Newcastle become another well funded club.

Either way it's a win. Club will not be a cash cow for anyone in future unless run properly.

It's not even about building Rome at the moment. It's about getting results. .....In a 6 month spell where the results are terrible that IS the task. Not pressing football, not free flowing attacking, it's whatever is required to get us through this season with some measure of success. That is the only thing I care about with respect to Ralf, that he gets the job done and then we have a massive summer ahead. If he doesn't get top 4 he has failed in this role, if he does then he's a success, I'm not arsed how he does it or how we currently look. His spell is short enough that the ends will justify the means no matter what we say about his decisions so far.

Are you a Glazer? Everything you say is the opposite of what I think. Results are secondary. Top four is secondary. Building the basic structure of a high pressing team is all that matters.

 

[Pogue Mahone]

A change in approach? We’ve spent lots of money, sacked one manager and replaced him with someone radically different. Cue blaming of the players, the old regime, cultural reboot etc. It’s exactly what we’ve been doing for the past however many years.

This is not exactly the same as what’s gone before. This is the first and only time since Fergie retired that we’ve got someone on board whose vision for how we should play the game is aligned with the football being played at a bunch of top clubs that is a) effective and b) good to watch. Literally none of which applied to any of the past four appointments.

Taking all of this into account it seems absolutely nuts that anyone wouldn’t be prepared to reserve judgment until he’s had at least a dozen games in charge, never mind giving up on him after 6 or 7.

 

[GregtheRed_]

You can tell by his interviews Rangnick is great at understanding the game and having a system, which we lacked under Ole. I think his real potential for us is upstairs - implementing structure and an importance on football instead of the commercial side.

We did have some good spells against Villa, but ultimately shit the bed. I’m sure with enough time Ralf could make us play better, but he’s not realistically gonna be able to instil much before the season ends and he’s replaced with someone he’ll work closely with long term.

Happy to write this season off and hold out for next year being more exciting.

 

[elmo]

Recall Garner and play him.

He can't be worse than Matic.

Ralf has shown that he's willing to play the youth in Elanga and we need more of this. If the first team players are unhappy, they can feck off and get their ass out.

It doesn't matter if we fall out of the top 4 this season if we can get a proper clear out for the squad and get in hungry young players with a point to prove instead of overpaid divas.

 

[Red Dreams]

Recall Garner and play him.

He can't be worse than Matic.

If we recall him And get a DM we will be in good shape in midfield.

 

[MoskvaRed]

We’ve looked poor under him, as we’ve looked poor all season. We were at rock bottom when he came in and it’s worrying that not a lot has changed except that the finger is now pointing at the players, rather than the manager.

I’m rather fed up of long term goals, overhauls, reboots at this point. The squad isn’t perfect but is capable of playing better than it has been, and whoever is in charge should be working towards and delivering on that. It’s just more of the same otherwise.

I’m not saying he should be sacked, but I haven’t seen anything to say he’s going to turn this ship around so far and I find it curious why some people are so adamant he’s the man for the job.

He’s only here as first team manager until May and the season was largely ruined before he even arrived. His job is to introduce some structure into the footballing side of the club - something he is well-qualified to do - rather than be a quick fix coaching solution (in which his record is nothing spectacular). If Ralf can finally drag the club into the modern era, then I am happy to sacrifice some short-term on-field gains of the type someone like Conte might have brought.

 

[Longshanks]

The squad is very rotten to be fair. No manager is going to get an immediate tune out of them whilst building for the long term.

Mata, Cavani, Matic, Lingard, VDB, Martial and Henderson are ones who are definitely on their way out soon and thats 7 off the top of my head. You cant build a proper philosophy when so many want out or will be flogged.

The squad isnt as good as you claim. Ole did a real number on it.

When ole was here and we were struggling the general consensus was that we have a strong squad probably 4th best in the league and a decent coach would get more out of them. Now that ole has gone the consensus is that the squad is mid table quality and even a good coach wouldn't get a tune out of them.

So which one is it?

Also of the players mentioned only 2 were ole signings cavani who was always short term and V.D.B who it just hasn't worked out for. No club gets all there signings right. The other players were either signed by previous regimes or come through the youth system hardly Ole doing a number on the squad.

For what its worth I believe the squad is still 4th best in term of quality but a combination of low confidence and the change in style from oles less structured allowing individuals to blossom style to Ralfs more pragmatic structured teamwork style is causing us to struggle at the moment. Hopefully given time Ralfs style will produce an improvement in performances and results, however I'm yet to see much evidence on the pitch of that happening.

 

[horsechoker]

Sicut aliquis qui in Roma Antiqua vixit, utinam homines nobis comparativo utere desinerent cuius exemplo metirentur progressus. Veritas pernoctare nihil obtinetur, sed patientia requirit.

 

[Poborsky's hair]

If we recall him And get a DM we will be in good shape in midfield.

Of course Gardner who is not exactly setting the championship alight will be better a league tier up. Matic is finished though and shouldn have been playing for our club for the last 2 seasons, 5 minute spell per game when he's good on the ball won't change the fact he's testimonial level player now.

We need to change the shape and not accommodate both Cavani and Ronaldo because they are nice guys and once were top strikers, we need to build toward our future shape and start playing players who are willing to run through bricks. One extra midfielder acquisition could help with that but let's start playing players who are devoid of any hard work.

 

[Ali Dia]

The problem with the club is the tail is wagging the dog. Say for example Ralf/Jose/Murtough whoever says ok can we let Pogba (or any player) go and we get a more suitable player for the league with those wages but the owners ignore the request and insist on keeping him on a long new deal to protect their investment? Whose to blame next year when Pogba is injured for half the season or is blowing hot and cold and we still have no long term plan because we are stuck with the same old guard.

The truth is the owners have veto here and releasing PR saying Ralf is going to reboot the club over a few years is only really true up to the point where the owners (whose decisions have mostly been slow and horrible) actually continue to agree with him. what if he wants to do things they don’t agree with? Sounding like he wants a midfielder and move some players on in this window. Evidence is clear on the pitch. I don’t really see any fresh desire or urgency to improve on that side. It’s just business as usual.

It’s the owners. Up to this point they will neither lead nor follow with any conviction.

 

[Lost bear]

I trusted the process last time. It got us nowhere.

You need to be careful about what processes you trust. Ole was never gonna cut it. Look at Cardiff. I do think this guy knows what he's doing, but there seems to be no patience in the fanbase. I'm even hearing calls for the return of the ancient regime. I think the OP is right to remind us of this fact, even if the analogy is a little tired.

 

[IhabX7]

You think many other clubs would sack their manager after 3 wins, 2 draws and a loss in their first 6 games in charge?!? (4 wins in 7, if you include FA Cup)

Probably not many, but there a few teams of such standards like Real Madrid. We were lucky to win one of these let alone 4. We’ve been battered by the bottom teams mate.

 

[Zen86]

This is not exactly the same as what’s gone before. This is the first and only time since Fergie retired that we’ve got someone on board whose vision for how we should play the game is aligned with the football being played at a bunch of top clubs that is a) effective and b) good to watch. Literally none of which applied to any of the past four appointments.

Taking all of this into account it seems absolutely nuts that anyone wouldn’t be prepared to reserve judgment until he’s had at least a dozen games in charge, never mind giving up on him after 6 or 7.

The only difference is we’ve got someone who has a history of gegenpressing. Besides that it’s the same shit, different guy so far.

Like I say, I’m not putting out judgement either way just yet, but I’m far from convinced. We might well have a new messiah to overhaul the club in another year or two’s time. Basically, I’m tired of this shit. I’m not getting my hopes up until I see a difference on the pitch.

 

[Lost bear]

It is astounding how reactionary our fanbase is.

Ralf was not brought in because of his accomplishments as a manager. They’re mediocre by any significant standard and there were clearly better options if the goal was short term success. How can people not see that it clearly wasn’t the priority when the appointment was made? It’s just wilful ignorance.

It was about getting adults in the room. An acknowledgment that this club has been a shambles for a long time and that the structure needs overhauling - Which is literally Ralf’s forte in the game. Anyone ranting at Ralf’s work when what we’re seeing is just a continuation of pre-existing issues is absolutely insane. I warned when the appointment was made that things may get worse before they get better, because he needs to upset some of the people in this club. We need to stay the course and let him evaluate what is needed to give his successor every chance at succeeding.

He’s already exposed one rat in Martial and the club can make it a priority to get him away from the main group whatever it takes. A purge is in order and it was obvious even when Ole was here, he just obviously wasn’t the man to oversee it given his recruitment. Anyone who wants to sack Rangnick now to move on to the latest shiny toy is just falling into the same traps again and again. Pathetic.

Totally agree.

 

[AaronRedDevil]

10 years down. 1,000 years to go!

 

[Zen86]

The squad is very rotten to be fair. No manager is going to get an immediate tune out of them whilst building for the long term.

Mata, Cavani, Matic, Lingard, VDB, Martial and Henderson are ones who are definitely on their way out soon and thats 7 off the top of my head. You cant build a proper philosophy when so many want out or will be flogged.

The squad isnt as good as you claim. Ole did a real number on it.

If the squad was good enough to get second place last season, then it’s sure good enough to get in the top 4 with Ronaldo, Sancho, and Varane added in. Not that it’s stopping the excuses from starting already.

 

[mu4c_20le]

You need to be careful about what processes you trust. Ole was never gonna cut it. Look at Cardiff. I do think this guy knows what he's doing, but there seems to be no patience in the fanbase. I'm even hearing calls for the return of the ancient regime. I think the OP is right to remind us of this fact, even if the analogy is a little tired.

Looking at his limited experience in England so far, do you think Rangnick would have kept Cardiff up?

 

[DatIrishFella]

Ralf has, arguably, one of the worst sets of CM's in all of the league. Any manager would struggle to make their mark with the dross in this squad.

 

[bond19821982]

Looking at his limited experience in England so far, do you think Rangnick would have kept Cardiff up?

Ole was a shit manager. You have to let go of it first. Ralf being unimpressive (for ole fans) doesn't vindicate Ole. He was the worst of our post SAF managers. The major mistake which the club has made since SAF.