Part of me thinks Roman brought Rafa in here to (1) try to save the CL season, (2) maybe get a cup or two, (3) finish top 4, (4) do the dirty work and take the negative brunt of the Lampard/Cole situation. There's a zero percent chance Rafa is our manager at the beginning of next season as Roman will be/has been courting Pep hard, which is a different issue altogether (as to whether he will be successful or what we do when Pep decides to go somewhere else). I don't think Rafa has much say, though getting Ba for around 8 million is a no-brainer when your existing forward sucks.
That is how I feel about it. He is a stop gap, nothing more nothing less. He's using us and we're using him.
and there is some beauty in that relationship if you think about it. not that i have any love for rafa, but if he can keep us in the CL, get a cup run going, then he'll be hireable again as well for another club. it's mutually beneficial, and i respect that about the situation.
Spot on. It works great for all parties. We've played decent football with him at the helm. I don't begrudge him, just wish Robbie was still here. But when all is said and done, we get Pep, and Rafa gets a good gig. Win win IMO.
I would like to see how Ba does and if we sign another forward this season or Summer. Personally I think we have found a very good place for him to get experience and adjust to the Premiership and should we remain in a status quo type situation then I would be all for him going on loan again- even to WBA where he is familiar with the players, manager and system- for another season. I would hate for us to bring him back to rot on the bench. I already feel we wasted one year of his career doing that.
seems to be along those lines unless he really pulls something dramatic this season I can not see him staying on so I do not believe the club would let him have much say in transfers regardless it certainly seems that the club has been moving and is possibly at the Continental model of having a "Coach" (Manager) for the first team and a DOF who handles potential transfers/targets
also helps with him being the perfect fall guy to tow out the likes of Lamps and Ash and possibly JT as well put the blame on someone the majority of the fans universally dislike and thus the focus will remain there instead of higher up we saw how quickly things went South for AVB when his tactics were exposed but I think his death knell was the Lampard situation
dream scenario. we get rid of torres and his wages, making way to keep on lampard and HIS wages. even if just for a season. unlikely though, as if we get rid of torres, it's likely we just bring in someone else that will have insane wages anyway. though i don't want that to be the case. get Lewandowski, or some of the like. good enough for chelsea, but not the astronomical demand. i'm sure we could improve on his wages and it wouldn't be insane, right? if united go for him, cheeky bid on welbeck.
http://metro.co.uk/2013/01/09/chels...guingamp-midfielder-giannelli-imbula-3345496/ dont know anything about this lad tbh
In the grand scheme of things, I cannot see him as the gaffer next year and cannot see him making personnel decisions. This really is AVB part deux, minus the training room rift.
Most comparable to Grant for me- a loathsome character with no business being our Manager who will inevitablely cost us a chance at several trophies we could/should have won
I hope that Luis doesn't stay at DM. Now reports say that he did reasonably well last night, but he isn't a DM, and likely never will be. We have two already, and with one out until the beginning of next season Fellaini could fill in, but he'd fill the Lamps role as well and could he a big target man in the middle.
Oye, the place is a ghost town today. Liven up lads, we're 4th with a match in hand against an AVB squad that still has half a season left. Also, we are still in the Capital One Cup with a reasonable shot yet. Nothing to be ashamed of.....yet.
problem is, AVB and totts seems to be gelling a bit now. ugh. yesterday's activity was uncanny. i see that everton might go after james mccarthy if fellaini leaves. he's a quality player, wouldn't mind if we went for him actually. be a heck of a lot cheaper i'm sure. as for luiz in midfield....a decent stop gap, but not a long term succesful thing in my mind. just doesn't play the way you want a DM to play.
Been agreeing with you a lot. Luiz is not a ling term solution, and if he is then Rafa needs a trial in front of the Spanish Inquisition. He doesn't have the touch on his passes that he needs. Any chance Maka says goodbye to Carlo and coaching and starts skimming passes to Mata and Hazard? One can dream right?