A (possible) theory on why Sami is still here...

[jamie the seagull]

It's simple, he is only here because TB has not been able to attract a suitable replacement.

 

[jimbob5]

We have developed a passing style and to throw it all away now to employ a Manager with a different style and outlook would be counter-productive. Rational rather than the emotional (=hysterical) way of looking at it.

We are still the second best passing side in the Championship, high up in the possession stakes, high up in shots per game and average in most statistics.

We do not even lose possession more than average, just at important times when we are over elaborate playing the ball out of defence.

Our tactics are not inferior. Team selection might seem not suited to the opposition. Recruitment is patchy at best and not really building a team but more like employing players with technical ability and trying, unsuccessfully so far, to mould them into a unit. Pre-season has been disrupted for the last two seasons.

Football's football. You pass it to a man on your team or hoof it for someone to chase. You shoot, cross from the wing, or the byline. You gets up and knocks it in with your head etc

 

[Danny-Boy]

Football's football. You pass it to a man on your team or hoof it for someone to chase. You shoot, cross from the wing, or the byline. You gets up and knocks it in with your head etc

I thought Gus developed a passing style with "tippy-tappy", that seemed to work more effectively than "Shimmy Sami". Albion have been unlucky with injuries to key squad players like Crofts though, you have lost some dressing room motivators too. When you sold El-Abd last season I thought that was a mistake. El-Abd for Albion was like Danny Shittu is for Millwall.

 

[jimbob5]

I thought Gus developed a passing style with "tippy-tappy", that seemed to work more effectively than "Shimmy Sami". Albion have been unlucky with injuries to key squad players like Crofts though, you have lost some dressing room motivators too. When you sold El-Abd last season I thought that was a mistake. El-Abd for Albion was like Danny Shittu is for Millwall.

GP style was arguably pleasant on the eye [some say boring though]. It seems, to be really effective you need really good players e.g. Spain in 2010. There seems to be a feeling that a more direct approach is more effective for mere mortals, e.g. Germany 2014.

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

You're all missing the obvious reason.

Sami clearly know what happened to the Cup Final money and is therefore unsackable in case he spills the beans

 

[Stuart Munday]

Sadly, I think the more plausible theory is simply one of financial considerations, and stubborness.

The club would love Sami to give up and resign, so they can 'reluctantly accept' and move on at little or no cost. So they are playing a (dangerous) waiting game.

Unfortunately I think this is correct, things wern't great on Friday and defeat against Reading could lead to some unpleasant scenes, Hyypias family were there on Friday and with the scuffles by the dugout I could see him walking if things get worse.

He is a nice guy and doesn't deserve personal abuse but I really can't see things getting any better, hopefully we could offer him a small settlement to walk then everyone can move on.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

There was a quote in the Seagulls Over London report (covered by [MENTION=27804]Dan Aitch[/MENTION], as I remember) that said Sami's style of football was not discussed or considered important, or along those lines. I thought it was a little odd at the time, but wasn't 100% sure of the context of the quote.

However, I keep thinking back to the first few games of the season, when people were raving about his tactics and pleased it was him, not Garcia, in charge. How times have changed...

 

[JCL666]

We have developed a passing style and to throw it all away now to employ a Manager with a different style and outlook would be counter-productive. Rational rather than the emotional (=hysterical) way of looking at it.

We are still the second best passing side in the Championship, high up in the possession stakes, high up in shots per game and average in most statistics.

We do not even lose possession more than average, just at important times when we are over elaborate playing the ball out of defence.

Our tactics are not inferior. Team selection might seem not suited to the opposition. Recruitment is patchy at best and not really building a team but more like employing players with technical ability and trying, unsuccessfully so far, to mould them into a unit. Pre-season has been disrupted for the last two seasons.

hmm....
I've just looked at whoscored.com

I disagree with your "our tactics are not inferior"

My interpretation of the stats are that either we aren't that great at shooting, or the shots are from positions that aren't great... or both. However I would be biased towards the positions we are shooting from are not that great.

Teams higher up the table have more shots from closer positions

Also I can't find a stat on "how susceptible are we to a counter attack". However if you compare year on year, you will see that last year our midfield tackled more per game relative to this year.

In comparison, our centre backs are tackling more this year. This suggests to me that we are not offering them the protection they need.

Finally. Our most used formation 433 has yielded NO wins. Our wins have come from 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1,4-5-1

Tactically Hyppia is inept.

 

[Seasidesage]

I also agree with you to a degree but it could be argued that so many loan players in the team would mean they are not all playing to their maximum potential and also there have been games this season where the tactics did work but we didn't put away the chances and defensive mistakes cost us.

If we get a bit of quality at both ends of the team plus a proper ball winning midfielder (Diarra?) we may actually start reaping some rewards?

I think we would improve for some signings, although less than convinced Diarra is the answer TBH. We have been unlucky in some games granted, but I think it's too easy to blame the loan signings. How did we get in that situation in the 1st place? Why are we pursuing tactics which a) aren't working and b) we don't have the squad to implement?

I think Bent is quality at this level and we do have some decent AM options, Tex, Bennett and Kaz to name but a few, but why are we playing with no holding midfield players when we have three fit one's on our books? That surely has to be Hyypia's call? How many times do you see opposition midfielders carrying the ball unchallenged to the edge of our box? OK I get that Sami doesn't fancy our DM's but that is not a reason to leave them all out. That is just stubborness gone mad.

Full backs bombing on past the ball and being caught time and time again on the counter? That has to be under instruction surely? Even when it is being exploited time after time, nothing changes. Who is deciding that? Why are our attacking wide midfielders constantly trying to stop crosses coming into our box? Because the full backs have over committed going forward, not once or twice a game, but repeatedly to less and less effect . That has to be under instructions surely? If not then he has no control over the side and that is even worse!

These are not problems stemming from lack of quality, these are fundamental tactical problems with the way we are set up, the players deployed and the instructions given. This has nothing to do with, Burke, Barber or Bloom even, (they can of course be held to account for appointing him) this is a Manager failing to get the best out of the squad he has, signings will only help at this point if they are so good that they mitigate the tactical problems.

I doubt we have the budget for that...

There are numerous problems at the club but by far the most serious is the Manager.

 

[Hillian1]

who will want come to us in jan transfer window when we are playing crap and in the bottom 3 and a manager who tactics are shocking and clueless

 

[Monkey Man]

I never understand the argument that a manager can't do their job because "they haven't got their own players". Most managers are only in the job 18 months or so - their job is to work with what they've got and bring in new faces over time, as finances permit.

Yes our squad is demonstrably weaker than it's been for some time, but there are managers who could work with those players and get better results and performances than we're seeing now. To my mind it's reckless and counterproductive to stick with Sami and hope that January transfers will be our salvation.

I think Bloom just likes working with Sami, after the ego of Poyet and the apparent communication breakdown with Oscar.

 

[Pantani]

hmm....
I've just looked at whoscored.com

I disagree with your "our tactics are not inferior"

My interpretation of the stats are that either we aren't that great at shooting, or the shots are from positions that aren't great... or both. However I would be biased towards the positions we are shooting from are not that great.

Teams higher up the table have more shots from closer positions

Also I can't find a stat on "how susceptible are we to a counter attack". However if you compare year on year, you will see that last year our midfield tackled more per game relative to this year.

In comparison, our centre backs are tackling more this year. This suggests to me that we are not offering them the protection they need.

Finally. Our most used formation 433 has yielded NO wins. Our wins have come from 4-2-3-1, 4-4-1-1,4-5-1

Tactically Hyppia is inept.

So much this. Our best performance of the season was at Leeds. The team that day:

Stockdale
Calderon Greer Dunk Chicksen
Bruno Holla JFC
Teixeira Kemy
CMS

So a proper 5 in midfield away from home. Since then we have only seen that in the next game against Bolton, which we also won. So Sami found a winning formula and was too stupid to realise it.

Kemy has not even come off the bench since. Bruno has not played in midfield since that Bolton game. Holla at the point of the season looked like a real player, now he hasn't had a single minute for six games, in all of which we have lost the midfield battle.

The other league game we have won? Wigan? 5 in midfield again, yet virtually every other game Sami has picked two or three of Baldock, CMS, Colunga, Lua Lua and Bent. I'm counting Lua Lua as a forward for this as he does not have the tactical discipline to defend properly.

 

[Cloughie]

Sadly, I think the more plausible theory is simply one of financial considerations, and stubborness.

The club would love Sami to give up and resign, so they can 'reluctantly accept' and move on at little or no cost. So they are playing a (dangerous) waiting game.

I don't see why they would've refused his alleged offer to resign a couple of weeks ago if this was the case. I think they're just all sticking together when times are tough. They probably cannot understand why we're not joining them either.

It's fairly obvious that there is far more to this situation than the supporters are aware of. So much so, that perhaps a sacking or two will not really change anything. I do not truly believe that TB, PB, DB & SH are purposely damaging this club. They must have a plan or some sort of idea to what the underlying problems at the club are. I just wish that the circumstances permitted a little more transparency.

 

[Pantani]

Further to what I have posted Sami had managed to accrue 6 points from four league games.

Since then the club have allowed him to sign:

Colunga
Baldock
Gardner
Bennett
Halford
Al Habsi
Bent

In return for a further 12 points in 17 games. Why let him spend anymore?

 

[dibsy]

So much this. Our best performance of the season was at Leeds. The team that day:

Stockdale
Calderon Greer Dunk Chicksen
Bruno Holla JFC
Teixeira Kemy
CMS

So a proper 5 in midfield away from home. Since then we have only seen that in the next game against Bolton, which we also won. So Sami found a winning formula and was too stupid to realise it.

Kemy has not even come off the bench since. Bruno has not played in midfield since that Bolton game. Holla at the point of the season looked like a real player, now he hasn't had a single minute for six games, in all of which we have lost the midfield battle.

The other league game we have won? Wigan? 5 in midfield again, yet virtually every other game Sami has picked two or three of Baldock, CMS, Colunga, Lua Lua and Bent. I'm counting Lua Lua as a forward for this as he does not have the tactical discipline to defend properly.

It seems so obvious - why can't Sami see it? Surely someone must have pointed this out to him? If not and Sami stays then he clearly needs a better team around him.

 

[BensGrandad]

SH is obviously not happy with the DMs we have hence him saying he invited Diarra to come and train with us to have a look at him having known him at Liverpool. I know it is boring but once we can keep clean sheets the points will come and that must be our priority KEEP A CLEAN SHEET.

 

[aolstudios]

He's certainly not the root of the problem & we need to do more than simply remove him to solve our problems but I seriously haven't seen a single positive during Sami's management. He appears to be a nice chap & was a great player but surely is inarguably a rotten Manager, tactician & (positive) game changer. Oscar barely had 'his own players' but quietly overachieved. I simply don't want Sami given the chance to waste any more

 

[Guinness Boy]

Sadly, I think the more plausible theory is simply one of financial considerations, and stubborness.

The club would love Sami to give up and resign, so they can 'reluctantly accept' and move on at little or no cost. So they are playing a (dangerous) waiting game.

Paul Hayward tweeted Sami HAD offered to resign and was turned down. It must have been "I'll resign if you pay my contract off in full".

 

[jimbob5]

Paul Hayward tweeted Sami HAD offered to resign and was turned down. It must have been "I'll resign if you pay my contract off in full".

That would make him a mercenary.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I don't see why they would've refused his alleged offer to resign a couple of weeks ago if this was the case.

.

Depends under what terms he was offering to 'resign'.

Paul Hayward tweeted Sami HAD offered to resign and was turned down. It must have been "I'll resign if you pay my contract off in full".

Exactly.