"I am very proud to be the coach of this club." Oscar Garcia 5th October 2013

[Kalimantan Gull]

I hesitate to carry this on but all the comments I have found from Gus are that he is proud of what he has achieved at Brighton, not proud to be the manager here. There is a big difference imo.

Yes of course he had every reason to be proud of his players, he turned this club around completely and gave us the best football we have seen in my lifetime. Most seem to believe that the football was what it is all about and the touting and press circus didn't matter as long as he produced on the pitch, which he did. I wonder if Bloom was happy with Poyet gobbing off having given him the tools to do what he did and taking the risk in appointing him. Maybe it had nothing to do with the shit hitting the fan at the end but it can't have helped.

Oscar has yet to achieve anything with us and results and some of the performances have been poor, so although I warm to him saying he's proud to be manager here and thanking the fans for sticking by the team this could be seen as a sop. I don't see it that way, but I could of course be wrong and we could end up with a manager who loved us but couldn't produce on the pitch. I am happy to give him the benefit of the doubt at the moment and get the feeling that this is a job he wants rather than a fast track to a better job.

I accept I am out of step with most on here though.

I agree. and Gus said lots of nice things about us. Watch his speech at the awards dinner from last May again

 

[Hungry Joe]

The problem with Poyet is that his negative, controversial and disrespectful comments and actions will always overshadow the positive things he had to say about the club. I say club as he rarely mentioned the fans, very much like Coppell, who also preferred to focus on players and staff rather than fans. We as fans will always warm to a manager who publicly displays his respect for us and the value with which he holds the fans. With some managers this comes across as playing the game, with Oscar he seems to me to be genuine. At the end of the day the results matter uppermost, but for me anyway it does matter how the manager conducts himself publicly, especially regarding us fans. One thing I've felt this season, no matter the performance, is that it feels more like Brighton & Hove Albion again, and not Project Poyet. Some fans will ultimately put a higher value on that than others. Those whose only motivation is seeing us in The Premier League will put up with pretty much anything from the manager if the results are moving us in that direction, others with different or broader priorities won't.

 

[theonesmith]

The problem with Poyet is that his negative, controversial and disrespectful comments and actions will always overshadow the positive things he had to say about the club. I say club as he rarely mentioned the fans, very much like Coppell, who also preferred to focus on players and staff rather than fans. We as fans will always warm to a manager who publicly displays his respect for us and the value with which he holds the fans. With some managers this comes across as playing the game, with Oscar he seems to me to be genuine. At the end of the day the results matter uppermost, but for me anyway it does matter how the manager conducts himself publicly, especially regarding us fans. One thing I've felt this season, no matter the performance, is that it feels more like Brighton & Hove Albion again, and not Project Poyet. Some fans will ultimately put a higher value on that than others. Those whose only motivation is seeing us in The Premier League will put up with pretty much anything from the manager if the results are moving us in that direction, others with different or broader priorities won't.

This. With Oscar & our new facilities and academy coming in soon, I think the identity of Brighton & Hove Albion will become stronger than ever.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

The problem with Poyet is that his negative, controversial and disrespectful comments and actions will always overshadow the positive things he had to say about the club. I say club as he rarely mentioned the fans, very much like Coppell, who also preferred to focus on players and staff rather than fans. We as fans will always warm to a manager who publicly displays his respect for us and the value with which he holds the fans. With some managers this comes across as playing the game, with Oscar he seems to me to be genuine. At the end of the day the results matter uppermost, but for me anyway it does matter how the manager conducts himself publicly, especially regarding us fans. One thing I've felt this season, no matter the performance, is that it feels more like Brighton & Hove Albion again, and not Project Poyet. Some fans will ultimately put a higher value on that than others. Those whose only motivation is seeing us in The Premier League will put up with pretty much anything from the manager if the results are moving us in that direction, others with different or broader priorities won't.

Nice fuzzy warm words are all very well, when the team is winning, but ultimately the fans will always want results.

 

[Hungry Joe]

Nice fuzzy warm words are all very well, when the team is winning, but ultimately the fans will always want results.

Which I have said. My point is that most fans will be tolerant in the short to medium term if they feel involved, valued and respected. In the longer term then the manager will always be judged by results. And I wouldn't class Oscar's comments in those terms anyway, there is a difference between 'nice fuzzy warm words' and being humble and respectful. Like I said, it's horses for courses. People like me will always value ethical behaviour higher than some others, mentioning no names.

 

[marshy68]

I agree, he comes over as an absolute dullard. Not only does he talk in a monotone style, he rarely says anything of even vague interest. Not that that is a problem if we play well and win games. But when we're not, he doesn't exactly seem to be the most inspirational character.

I'm by no means writing him off. I think we have to give it half a season before making any firm judgements on what he offers. But on the 11 games of evidence I have before me, I would suggest about 75% of what I've seen is negative. Most managers take over struggling teams, and if that were the case here I would have no problems with what he's doing. But Oscar has got hold of a team that finished fourth last season and turned it into one that seems prone to losing games against any team, home or away. A notable downturn in performance is not exactly what any of us had in mind in August. The next handful of games are going to be really interesting, firstly because if we mess them up we could find our top six chances are all but gone very early in the season - something that will affect the mood of the fans for the next seven months. And secondly, because it is one thing losing to Nottingham Forest but it is quite another losing to Yeovil, Doncaster and Barnsley (all of whom we have coming up). The fans won't be anywhere near as forgiving if we fail to take points in those.

Worringly TCB - I agree with every word you say. Top post.

 

[Stat Brother]

Nice fuzzy warm words are all very well, when the team is winning, but ultimately the fans will always want results.

It's just a shame the f***nuts are so stooopid we have to go through this navel gazing just because we haven't won every single game.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Which I have said. My point is that most fans will be tolerant in the short to medium term if they feel involved, valued and respected. In the longer term then the manager will always be judged by results. And I wouldn't class Oscar's comments in those terms anyway, there is a difference between 'nice fuzzy warm words' and being humble and respectful. Like I said, it's horses for courses. People like me will always value ethical behaviour higher than some others, mentioning no names.

Ethical or honesty?

 

[hans kraay fan club]

I agree. and Gus said lots of nice things about us. Watch his speech at the awards dinner from last May again

Do you mean LAST May? May 2012 or May 2013?

Surely the things he came out with at the 2013 event, in light of the revelation that he tried to leave the club in MARCH, make him look like a snide hypocrite?

 

[Hungry Joe]

Ethical or honesty?

Honesty is ethical behaviour is it not?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Do you mean LAST May? May 2012 or May 2013?

Surely the things he came out with at the 2013 event, in light of the revelation that he tried to leave the club in MARCH, make him look like a snide hypocrite?

No, I don't. What did he say that was hypocritical?

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Honesty is ethical behaviour is it not?

My point exactly.

 

[BensGrandad]

I would like to know why we have so many groin injuries this year - ..

The theory I heard on Saturday is that the under soil heating pipework is too near the playing surface so it is like playing on a concrete pitch This is possibly backed up by the fact that the water sprinklers are on at a rapid rate of knots right up to kick off and then back on at half time as soon as the players move off the pitch.

 

[Hungry Joe]

My point exactly.

But honesty in isolation doesn't necessarily equate to ethical behaviour. If you are 'unnecessarily honest' to the point of being disrespectful of your employer and those who ultimately pay your wages then that is not ethical. The trouble with honesty is, that apart from a few absolute truths, it is subjective.

 

[ozzygull]

If Gus made that phone call to Tony in March, then the club had every justification to start looking for a new manager for this season. If they found the one they wanted and Gus changed his mind that's not the clubs fault and I can completely understand why they would not want to pay out his contract.

They would have been a mugs not to look for a replacement for him. Even if he did stay at what point would he have had another hissy fit, It would have been hard for the club to trust him.

If Gus made that call then he only has himself to blame for what happened.

Oscar comes across to me as genuine and totally different to Gus. It was always going to be a hard job to take over a club when the last manager on the pitch was so successful. When Gus took over there was a lot that needing improving and we gave him a chance. I think Oscar has a much harder job trying to improve what Gus achieved, but we can not judge him on this season alone. He needs to be given time and we really have to want him to succeed in the way we wanted to Gus to. That's the only way he will have a chance.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

Do you mean LAST May? May 2012 or May 2013?

Surely the things he came out with at the 2013 event, in light of the revelation that he tried to leave the club in MARCH, make him look like a snide hypocrite?

You only know that in hindsight, if Oscar left tomorrow, it would be no different.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

You only know that in hindsight, if Oscar left tomorrow, it would be no different.

That doesn't follow at all. If Gus made that call to Tony in March (and I have absolutely no doubt that he did), then the things he came out with in his speech in May, leave a bad taste. That isn't hindsight at all.

 

[Gritt23]

Oh the naivety of football fans. If we were top of the league and a bigger club came in for him, he would be off in a shot.

It's just a generic thing that all players and managers say FFS!

Sadly this is true. He left Maccabi Tel Aviv after one successful season, when a better opportunity came along.

I have nothing against him, or Gus, or anyone who wants to better themselves, after all, I certainly have throughout my career. I do find it slightly peculiar that football fans rarely believe such an inevitability to be true.

 

[ozzygull]

Sadly this is true. He left Maccabi Tel Aviv after one successful season, when a better opportunity came along.

I have nothing against him, or Gus, or anyone who wants to better themselves, after all, I certainly have throughout my career. I do find it slightly peculiar that football fans rarely believe such an inevitability to be true.

I have no doubt that if a bigger club came in for Oscar, he would be off. I think the difference is that Gus came across that he was actively looking to leave. If Gus had kept his mouth shut, would any of us have begrudge him a move to a Premiership team? I don't think fans are naïve. I just think they want a bit of respect.

 

[leigull]

I have no doubt that if a bigger club came in for Oscar, he would be off.

Haven't a La Liga club already been in for him?