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[Football] An open letter from Graham Potter



amexer

Well-known member
Aug 8, 2011
6,809
What I really dont understand is one of worlds best clubs has taken on a manager who went 20 games last season without winning, only 3 sides scored less goals, and although doing well this season have only played 6 games. I think there would have been protest if Liverpool.City or United had taken him on.
 




Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
But we never got to a stage where results weren't good enough. Yes we had that bad run and maybe had that continued to the end of the season TB might have got rid of him, we'll never know.

How many chairmen would have stuck with a manager who delivered 1 home win in a calendar year?

Not that I personally ever wanted him sacked
 


Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,436
Hove
How many chairmen would have stuck with a manager who delivered 1 home win in a calendar year?

Not that I personally ever wanted him sacked

Pretty much every chairman that takes an interest in what’s happening on the training ground, team spirit, progress and style on the pitch. Plenty of idiot chairman might have sacked him. None with even half a footballing brain though.
 


Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
Pretty much every chairman that takes an interest in what’s happening on the training ground, team spirit, progress and style on the pitch. Plenty of idiot chairman might have sacked him. None with even half a footballing brain though.

So most then? :lolol:
 


Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,436
Hove
What I really dont understand is one of worlds best clubs has taken on a manager who went 20 games last season without winning, only 3 sides scored less goals, and although doing well this season have only played 6 games. I think there would have been protest if Liverpool.City or United had taken him on.

And 27 without losing :lolol:
 




Justice

Dangerous Idiot
Jun 21, 2012
20,623
Born In Shoreham
The odds of a well-run club providing inside information to a grumpy old bloke who day out and day in throw more shit around him than a caged cholera infected monkey... I consider the chances slim.
Bruno leaving Colwell on loan I knew both before it was announced. The abuse you get on here though I won’t bother anymore shame really some might be interested.
 


BNthree

Plastic JCL
Sep 14, 2016
11,442
WeHo
Hardly like he’s going to write a letter saying “eff you, I’m off for the cash”. Damage limitation at its finest.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 






Cheeky Monkey

Well-known member
Jul 17, 2003
23,854
Hardly like he’s going to write a letter saying “eff you, I’m off for the cash”. Damage limitation at its finest.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And either written by Ken Bates, Bjorn, Benny or GraPott’s wife, he’d be far too busy with Chelsea stuff to give time to writing that.
 




Hugo Rune

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 23, 2012
23,644
Brighton
“I have always tried to act with integrity and be a good person. These are values I hold dear.”

Must try harder.

Integrity is about not doing what the mayor of Hamelin did all those years ago.

When Potter and his team negotiated his last contract, a buy-out clause was inserted. It was there to protect both parties. It means that Potter is absolutely free to go whenever he wants (if a club meets the fee) and that we were protected by a clause that contained what would have been considered an absolutely absurd and crazy amount of money when the contract was written. In fact, NSC’s greatest soon tore the idea of that contract to shreds, many questioning our dear leader’s judgment but not one single poster stating that we should have a buy-out clause of more than £21m.

Tony had made it all but impossible for Potter to leave but left the door open for a clean break based on integrity. Both sides showed integrity. We have received £1m compensation per back room staff member. That really, really hurts now but as with GP’s contract extension 2 1/2 years ago, time will show that the Lizard has played another blinding hand. And maintained integrity at all times. If he didn’t want the pied piper to go, he’d have never put the buy-out clause in. Everyone is replaceable and we have £25m+ in the pot to make sure we get the right man (we compensated the Swans £3m for Graham).
 
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Hugo Rune

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Feb 23, 2012
23,644
Brighton
What I really dont understand is one of worlds best clubs has taken on a manager who went 20 games last season without winning, only 3 sides scored less goals, and although doing well this season have only played 6 games. I think there would have been protest if Liverpool.City or United had taken him on.

I’ll try and help.

Some people put the focus on the manager for the style of football and stats such as XG and put the responsibility of finishing chances on the players (plus recruitment team). Others hold the manager accountable for absolutely everything.

The Todd has realised that his money and Chelsea’s recruitment can sort out the ‘finishing’ problem.

Meanwhile, Potter managed us for 134 games. Taking away the chance conversion issue, finding more than 10% of those games where we didn’t play well is very tough.

Like it or not, it’s a sound recruitment and likely to reap Chelsea plenty of silverware.
 


chaileyjem

#BarberIn
NSC Patron
Jun 27, 2012
14,586
So he did know when we played Leicester that he was likely on his way, that is all I am suggesting.

So Boehly would risk sharing his thoughts that he was thinking of sacking his coach - perhaps next week Perhaps not, - with a rep who would then go direct to Potter and explain that plan and sound him out ? Really ?

And then lie about all of this in a note to fans.

And why ? Who is really surprised that Potter has accepted an offer from Chelsea (and Albion - once their exit fee was agreed) didn’t stand in his way.


So why the need for subterfuge from anyone ? Apart from satisfying a pretty unseemly desire to paint Potter as duplicitous.
 






Garry Nelson's Left Foot

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
13,522
tokyo
Am I alone in still being quite angry but actually thinking that those are quite nice words, well written and are appreciated.

No, I'm similar although I don't think I'm angry, more disappointed that Bruno and Roberts went too.

I don't blame him for that, they both could have turned it down just as he could. It's left us in a spot of bother as there will now be no link with the club 'culturally' and the first team coaches/management. That's my real disappointment not that the manager has gone. One way or another that was always going to happen and will happen with whoever takes over the job.

With the postponement of this weekends games and next weeks against palace has left us with plenty of time to find and appoint the new staff and for them to have some preparation time before their first match.

The key line in his letter for me is:

I may not be able to persuade you all to forgive my departure – but I would at least like to take the chance to say thank you.

That'll do me. We move on.
 


Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
So Boehly would risk sharing his thoughts that he was thinking of sacking his coach - perhaps next week Perhaps not, - with a rep who would then go direct to Potter and explain that plan and sound him out ? Really ?

And then lie about all of this in a note to fans.

And why ? Who is really surprised that Potter has accepted an offer from Chelsea (and Albion - once their exit fee was agreed) didn’t stand in his way.


So why the need for subterfuge from anyone ? Apart from satisfying a pretty unseemly desire to paint Potter as duplicitous.

Simple, I think Potter had been sounded out as the whether he’d take the job before Tuchel was sacked, is that really so hard to believe?

You work for an organisation who have not always been upfront with the truth, why the doubt it possibly happened?
 




British Bulldog

The great escape
Feb 6, 2006
10,974
Decent letter from a decent bloke and a decent manager. The King is Dead long live the King.
 




WATFORD zero

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Jul 10, 2003
27,692
From the Athletic link posted by [MENTION=24867]chaileyjem[/MENTION] written on Thursday

Brighton swiftly gave Chelsea permission to talk to Potter on Wednesday, and he travelled to London after training on Wednesday to hold face-to-face talks with Boehly and Eghbali. Discussions are believed to focus on details like the make-up of his backroom staff — assistant Billy Reid and coach Bjorn Hamberg are expected to accompany him to Stamford Bridge, together with recruitment analyst Kyle Macaulay — rather than the bigger question of whether he actually wants the job.

Potter turned down an approach from Tottenham in the summer of 2021, underlining his willingness to be patient if he deems a potential job a bad football fit.

Money will not determine this decision either; Potter is well paid at Brighton, with a salary understood to be in the region of £7million to £8million per year. The key questions are whether he feels the same level of trust in Boehly and Eghbali as he has had for Barber and Brighton owner Tony Bloom over the past three years, and how enticing he considers the task of reinvigorating Chelsea to be despite the current flux.


https://theathletic.com/3576054/2022/09/08/tuchel-sacking-chelsea-potter/?source=user_shared_article

Excerpts from a very interesting and somewhat lengthy explanation of what happened over the last few months at Chelsea and last week at Brighton by people who actually do this as a profession, and who are actually paid for the contacts and subsequent information they obtain, rather than posting about it on some forum :shrug:
 
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