Poll: Would you take a results-based manager or an attacking manager?

Who would you prefer?


  • Total voters
    310
  • Poll closed .

Fortitude

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Hoping this is polled as it's been the crux of a lot of intense discussion over the last six years.

Some supporters wanted Mourinho in purely on the notion he was a winner; someone who gets the results and trophies in irrespective of style or displeasure in the football played. Problem is, as we've seen, when that doesn't work out, you're left with dire football and a lot of discontent amongst the support, especially between those who are not in favour of this approach in the first place and those who back it and are prepared to stick to their guns.

In this era of high scoring, high-pressing, manic attacking, it really does feel like a team that does not play in this way is missing out. At the very least, supporters of these clubs are enjoying the football played and, perhaps, it's only once the mind has become accustomed to it that gripes about poorly organised defences, high amounts of goals conceded and so forth come to the fore.

We're very probably going to be in the market for yet another manager, and this question will once again split supporters. In an ideal world, you get both the results and the attack, but, the reality is pragmatic managers are supposed to come with the guarantee of stabilising a club and very steadily, but surely, making an outfit incredibly difficult to beat with high-scoring precedence far from assured. On the other hand, attacking managers can nosedive rapidly if 'found out', also, a lot of them have nothing to fall back on - if their football comes unstuck, they can look downright amateurish as their inability to orgainise defences compounds the problem if their attacking ideas are falling short.

Which way do you lean with regard to the question? The middle of the road manager is a thing of the past, which is why I've not included them - ironically, football is more black and white in terms of manager than I can ever recall, so, you get pragmatism or adventure. Where do you place your hat.
 

roonster09

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We're very probably going to be in the market for yet another manager, and this question will once again split supporters. In an ideal world, you get both the results and the attack, but, the reality is pragmatic managers are supposed to come with the guarantee of stabilising a club and very steadily, but surely, making an outfit incredibly difficult to beat with high-scoring precedence far from assured. On the other hand, attacking managers can nosedive rapidly if 'found out', also, a lot of them have nothing to fall back on - if their football comes unstuck, they can look downright amateurish as their inability to orgainise defences compounds the problem if their attacking ideas are falling short.
It works both ways. Result only managers won't have anything to fall back on when they stop getting results, whereas attacking manager will have good football to showcase progress.

This is sort of lose lose question anyways, defensive and dull but results manager or attacking but might not get results manager. If we make it as binary with only these 2 options then I would go with first choice. Defensive manager but results.

Ideally, would love manager who sets up team to attack and gets results.
 

VorZakone

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Results and attacking football don't have to be mutually exclusive. Therefore, an attacking manager would be preferable in my opinion.
 

shamans

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A manager that is a really good tactician.

I am also an attack based manager and love the club with all my heart so don't see how that's a bar.
 

Alabaster Codify7

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If we have to take one or the other, rather than the full shebang - I honestly don't mind.

The fact is, our current manager ticks neither of those boxes. Shit results, shit performances and shit, defensive, underdog football completely devoid of creativity.
 

el3mel

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We can get a manager who does both, why not ? If forced to choose then of course results based one.

Though it doesn't matter. I'll be happy with either, because whom we have now provides neither anyway. We play crap football and get crap results, so get anyone who does the basics and I'll be pleased.
 

mav_9me

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There is no such thing as results based manager IMO as results will catch up to performances sooner or later.

Now if you ask me defensive manager or attacking manager, I would go for attacking manager.
 

SteveJ

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F*ck pragmatism. We had enough of that with JoMo the Wicked Witch of the West.
 

sullydnl

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City and Liverpool are both winning trophies with attacking football. This begs two questions:

1) Why would we deliberately settle for not even aiming to match our two biggest rivals?

2) Is "pragmatic" football really more likely to get long term results than attacking football?

Regardless, feck pragmatism.
 

JPRouve

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No manager guarantees result whether they are pragmatic or not. Results are based on the quality of their work, so you are essentially asking if we would take a worse manager if he is labelled as attacking but the issue is that if he is a worse manager then there is no guarantee that he will be able to implement his supposed style.

For me the answer is that I would pick the better manager, the one that I believe will be the better manager in the future.
 

Skills

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It's funny how the two best performing in the world can also somehow play the best football in the world. Yet it's just a choice for us.
 

Skills

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Well clearly this forum just wants attacking football, since we had a results orientated manager who got results and we bombed him out
Yeah he was doing a great job getting results down in 12th last season.
 

Skills

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City and Liverpool are both winning trophies with attacking football. This begs two questions:

1) Why would we deliberately settle for not even aiming to match our two biggest rivals?

2) Is "pragmatic" football really more likely to get long term results than attacking football?

Regardless, feck pragmatism.
Yeah it's funny how the most successful teams around win by playing great attacking football, yet our fans are still stuck in the late 80s Serie A.

You'd think the two best managers in the world right now are Capello and Trappatoni rather than Klopp and Guardiola.
 

Steve Bruce

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If we win leagues not playing expansive football I can live with that.
 

Abizzz

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I've had enough of not winning. Give me the pragmatic one.
 

RedRonaldo

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These days who are the managers that is pragmatic and guarantee success anyway?

Guardiola? Klopp?

I'd prefer a manger who has a plan on how to play attacking football anytime of the day.
 

Deglobalise Football

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Yes, I would take Ian Holloway over Allegri. I'm assuming everyone who voted for 'attacking manager' feels the same.
 

Raw

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Attacking, easily. Sure it may not produce results immediately but in the long term it will give success. Stick to the plan, buy appropriate players and it'll put United back on top.

Sick of short term solutions that get us up there but not among the elite, because there's really no shortcut to the absolute top.
 

hobbers

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I'd rather win a title playing 'meh' football than play blistering football that ends up with us finishing 4th or worse. Just common sense.

In reality it's impossible to win a title without playing barnstorming football at times. Just look at Chelsea under Mourinho. They blitzed a lot of teams off the pitch.

And presumably we would all take an attacking manager, or a pragmatic successful manager, over what we currently have. Which is just shit football and shit results.
 

AshRK

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No manager can continue to play attacking football if you keep on losing or drawing. Ultimately you have to show results.
 

Judas

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Attacking good football generally ends up being successful. I hate this narrative on here that it often equals you being a bit shit and not winning much?
 

ROFLUTION

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Im torn.

The Jose approach will inevitably turn the fans against the manager, but a manager like Solskjær lacks pragmatism and the shipping out of Lukaku and Smalling has cost us points.

Maybe we just haven't found a good attacking manager yet. While we've had the best pragmatic manager which did not end well.

Then there is the eye test. During shitty times, you really just want to be entertained a little.

Voted attacking manager
 

Skills

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I'd personally frame the question a bit differently.

Should we be hiring managers who are best suited to the group of players at hand? And then as the club changes the makeup of the squad, you change manager to get the best out of the group of players you have at that given moment. That may involve changing manager every 18-24 months as a club. That to me is a more pragmatic approach as a club, rather than just hiring a pragmatic manager.

Thoughts, @Fortitude
 

Champagne Football

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We've already gone the dinosaur route 3 times. The Dinosaur route doesn't work as defensive managers don't know how to move with the times and often have lost the hunger, and just come for 1 last monster payday.
We need a younger hungry manager who develops youth, plays nice football and who overachieves with what they're given. Right now there's only a handful of those that might be gettable - Naglesmann, Pochettino, Marco Rose, Tuchel, Brenda Rodgers

Yet for some bizarre reason we keep going for dinosaurs who are only after the dollar. There's a reason no one hires Capello, Martin O'Neil, Mourinho anymore
 

Fortitude

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No manager guarantees result whether they are pragmatic or not. Results are based on the quality of their work, so you are essentially asking if we would take a worse manager if he is labelled as attacking but the issue is that if he is a worse manager then there is no guarantee that he will be able to implement his supposed style.

For me the answer is that I would pick the better manager, the one that I believe will be the better manager in the future.
Doesn't really address anything, does it?

There are clearly managers who are regarded as pragmatists who come with the expectation of results and trophies over anything else. Equally, there are managers out there who guarantee attacking football, whether that falls short at the final hurdle, who can say, but their bottom line is that they're going to arrive at a club and turn into an attacking unit.

Rodgers/Nagelsmann or Allegri/Simeone - the distinction between the two sets is apparent.
It's funny how the two best performing in the world can also somehow play the best football in the world. Yet it's just a choice for us.
You need to increase the sample size to say that. Guardiola and Klopp don't make your post absolute; what about the remainder of managers around the continent, are they delivering both great attack and results?
 

ash_86

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Ideally i'd take an attacking manager who gets the results. If attacking manager does not guarantee titles and defensive manager does, i'll take defensive manager. It's all about the titles and cups for me
 

reddev3

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Definitely attacking, that's how you build DOMINATE teams. It also seems easier to get back on track if you replace a manager as they tend to prioritise attacking talented players which means the new manager has more to work with.
 

Cassidy

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Both

Attacking manager that gets results
 

fps

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In the modern game, it’s not an either or.
 

fps

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Exactly, the question is how we’d like the team to attack, not whether we should be attacking. The very use of the term “attacking” implies a certain naivety as well, as if putting 5 forwards on would mean more goals scored, for instance.
 

Chipper

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If having to choose between results and attractive football I'd go with results. Winning is exciting and I'm not sure it's possible to bored as a fan if you won the league.

I don't see why it has to be one or the other though.
 

Skills

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Exactly, the question is how we’d like the team to attack, not whether we should be attacking. The very use of the term “attacking” implies a certain naivety as well, as if putting 5 forwards on would mean more goals scored, for instance.
This. On the other side of the scale, if you're setting up not to concede against the worst team in the league - that's not being pragmatic, that's called being stupid.
 

AshRK

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Attacking good football generally ends up being successful. I hate this narrative on here that it often equals you being a bit shit and not winning much?
If you end up losing or drawing or don't win much for a year or two at big clubs the pressure increases. Pochettino is supposedly called attacking manager but for almost a year his football doesn;t resemble anything attacking , in fact a boring pragmatic style. Klopp's last season at Dortmund also became the same. Once you start losing and the pressure increases any manager's football look clueless. It's not black and white like many think it is.