[Albion] Are the club thin skinned and unable to take criticism?

[Barham's tash]

We always look at these things through a social media lens.
i.e. someone has to be right and someone has to be wrong.
There is no nuance.

It has been fairly clearly articulated that both parties wanted it to work, but each sides red lines created an impasse.
i.e.
Roberto wants to build a squad capable of competing for champions league.
Tony needs to keep a sustainable wage structure in place.

For Roberto to get what he wants - Tony has to break the model.
For Tony to get what he wants - Roberto has to rebuild the squad each season.

No blame on either party.
De Zerbi arrived at the club too soon. That's all.

Not only did he arrive too soon but he also knew the parameters when he interviewed and got the job. I'm just surprised Tony didn't smell this out during this process. It is a rare mistake in that respect.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Not only did he arrive too soon but he also knew the parameters when he interviewed and got the job. I'm just surprised Tony didn't smell this out during this process. It is a rare mistake in that respect.

smell what out?

He has pushed each and every employee of the club, strive for improvement.
There are very few owners who would not have wanted that sort of leadership from their head coach.

There has been no mistake.
He has made millions of pounds for the club and left us in a better place.

 

[Guinness Boy]

They went downhill quite a while before he was sacked.

From: https://www.goal.com/en-gb/lists/ri...gation/blt1c9a087011f37725#csc36001c766ca5886

View attachment 182738

Sure, that's why he got sacked.

But Marsch barely kept them up, needing the last day of the season, before Marsch, Gracia and Allardyce combined took them down.

You could argue that, for us, finishing 11th instead of 6th with Palace above us is going downhill. That would ignore a tremendous European campaign and the injury crisis but you could argue it. It means that progress for the new guy will be a top ten finish again.

 

[portlock seagull]

I’m still shocked someone’s been banned from WAB, a dedicated Albion fans website so they must love the club, because of something they put on a social media. Could it not have been resolved more amicably? Seems very heavy handed approach.

 

[jackalbion]

Not that anybody would care about my opinion anyway, but I might give more of a shit about these people's grievances if they expressed them on platforms that didn't make me want to poke my own eyes out.

The pub makes you want to scratch your own eyes out?

 

[Guinness Boy]

I’m still shocked someone’s been banned from WAB, a dedicated Albion fans website so they must love the club, because of something they put on a social media. Could it not have been resolved more amicably? Seems very heavy handed approach.

A while ago now though. Best to draw a line under it I think.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

The pub makes you want to scratch your own eyes out?

No, I learnt to control that impulse after the barstaff complained I was being "too weird".

 

[American Seagle]

Working up till now. Leeds went downhill after Bielsa left.



However, this is good self awareness and what a lot of people wanted to hear.

If we do get it right again we’ll be back in Europe again in 25/26 IMO.

The foundations are there. Let’s see if the next building is a beautiful castle or a shack.

I fail to see the similarities in the Leeds model and the Brighton model. They are wildly different - one major difference is Brighton have one.

 

[American Seagle]

Losing the best manager we’ve ever had that wants ready made players after making over £120 million profit … yes

I don't think a manager that was her for under two seasons can be close to being described as "the best manager we have ever had". Not even close.
Ready made players....ok how do we afford that long term? The reason we made that money is from the current model. You break that, we lose the income. So next year we have huge wages and little income. Great plan.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I fail to see the similarities in the Leeds model and the Brighton model. They are wildly different - one major difference is Brighton have one.

But do you see the similarities between Bielsa and De Zerbi?

 

[Littlemo]

But do you see the similarities between Bielsa and De Zerbi?

Of course, just look at the goals against columns.

 

[dazzer6666]

But do you see the similarities between Bielsa and De Zerbi?

Injuries to players from training?

 

[Guinness Boy]

Of course, just look at the goals against columns.

Injuries to players from training?

Yes, all of that. Plus the winning, scoring for fun and fan adoration at the start.

Whoever comes in inherits a tired, multi-injured squad low on confidence, potentially with split loyalties in the team and fan base, and a club that has already achieved more than expected and now has a higher (though obviously not a stratospherically inflated Leeds like) sense of entitlement.

That's the whole point of my Leeds analogy

 

[dazzer6666]

Yes, all of that. Plus the winning, scoring for fun and fan adoration at the start.

Whoever comes in inherits a tired, multi-injured squad low on confidence, potentially with split loyalties in the team and fan base, and a club that has already achieved more than expected and now has a higher (though obviously not a stratospherically inflated Leeds like) sense of entitlement.

That's the whole point of my Leeds analogy

Good job you’re not on the interview panel

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Can I interject briefly...

@Harry Wilson's tackle - we've known each other well for a long, long time. I've not met @Talby, we've liaised extensively over the last year or so.

You're both fine chaps and I'm entirely confident you would very much enjoy each other's company, probably over a bottle or two.

For the record, I know why @Talby feels the way he does, and I expect I would feel the same if I'd had the same experience.

Thanks for the heads up.

Apologies for being salty, @Talby

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

We are all very aware of your view.

Yoof…how wonderfully disparaging. I take it you’ve not got a healthy regard for our younger supporters then?

If you have a club with a set of values, charter, policies and make various statements via matchday programmes and the media then there should be a reasonable expectation that these are adhered to.

Dishonesty is done knowingly and is associated with deceitful, illegal behaviour. No one has accused the club of that.

But they haven’t taken ‘criticism’ well in the past - even though they’ve implemented change without publicly acknowledging their error in the first place.

But they have. Specifically the owner. Someone started a whole thread about it. That's what set me off the other day.

Anyway I don't want to argue with you any more. Too many misunderstandings already.

 

[Talby]

But they have. Specifically the owner. Someone started a whole thread about it. That's what set me off the other day.

View attachment 182752

Anyway I don't want to argue with you any more. Too many misunderstandings already.

Likewise, neither of us need the unnecessary grief.

All the best.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

I think @Guinness Boy & @Talby have perfectly summed up my exact thoughts on the matter and how I would have replied to some of the responses here.

However, I still stand by what I said. Whilst the club is superbly run, I do feel they give the impression that they don't take kindly to criticism. Not only with an opinionated manager (I'm not getting into why he shouldn't have done it in public), but they seem to not accept when they are in the wrong when making incorrect decisions against our fans for reasons that are not true or jumping on the slightest sign of untoward behaviour without gathering the facts.

These little things all make sense when they can sometimes come across as though the know what is best.

Also, some of the replies on here are a little over the top. No need to be for harsh haha it's a forum at the end of the day.

It's just my opinion and the recent big change in RDZ leaving made me think that it may well be the case.

 

[Barham's tash]

smell what out?

He has pushed each and every employee of the club, strive for improvement.
There are very few owners who would not have wanted that sort of leadership from their head coach.

There has been no mistake.
He has made millions of pounds for the club and left us in a better place.

Smell out the fact he played lip service to the strategy and was always likely to rock the boat if he didn't get what he wanted. Yes everything else you said was of course true and I loved that about RDZ but if he can't see there had to be compromise to his other wants then it's his loss.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I think @Guinness Boy & @Talby have perfectly summed up my exact thoughts on the matter and how I would have replied to some of the responses here.

However, I still stand by what I said. Whilst the club is superbly run, I do feel they give the impression that they don't take kindly to criticism. Not only with an opinionated manager (I'm not getting into why he shouldn't have done it in public), but they seem to not accept when they are in the wrong when making incorrect decisions against our fans for reasons that are not true or jumping on the slightest sign of untoward behaviour without gathering the facts.

These little things all make sense when they can sometimes come across as though the know what is best.

Also, some of the replies on here are a little over the top. No need to be for harsh haha it's a forum at the end of the day.

It's just my opinion and the recent big change in RDZ leaving made me think that it may well be the case.

I'd draw a distinction between the footballing side (managers, players etc.) and the fan side of things.

There are, undoubtedly, specific decisions made on the fan side that seem, at best, counter intuitive to a neutral observer. On the other hand, if I try and be positive about it, the club are often making decisions based on "he said this / they say this / some camera only shows that" while trying to be fair to tens of thousands of fans. I don't think they always get it right, but I don't think anybody would in the same situation. That won't make anybody on the wrong end of one of those decisions feel any better, or make it right.

On the other hand, on the footballing side there's a clear strategy with a wealth of data behind it, and a proven record of success. Even if some decisions are still somewhat bewildering at times, I don't think there's any reason for anybody to question the club on that score.