[Albion] Potter's Phenomenal Courage

[dazzer6666]

Sanchez - out of the blue, 18 games and into the Spain national team.
Alzate - From Orient to 31 appearances and 4 for Colombia
White - ever present, hot property
Mac Allister - Eased into the Premier League and now one of our top players, 22 years old.
Moder & Zeqiri - watch this space

Not including Lamptey because he was quality before he got here.

Connolly probably is, and will never be, good enough...

Potter's done a phenomenal job in bringing those four players through - they're probably worth more than £100m all together.

He's also done a great job with Biss, who has come leaps and bounds under Potter, especially this season.

He's OK with some pf the older ones too - Veltman was supposedly a laughing stock in the Dutch league and amongst Ajax fans.

 

[Hotchilidog]

I still not sure it's tactical - the opposition of course react to going behind and naturally any caution they're taking is suddenly gone. There is a big difference between making a clear decision, and that dictated by the quality of the opposition. I mentioned Burnley not that we made a tactical decision to sit, that the opposition didn't allow us to attack - a big difference. Same at West Ham to be fair, I thought they were cautious against us, but once behind they started to play. You seem to be concluding we control all aspects of these matches, when of course the opposition can blow your best laid plans out of the water.

I think this is an oft forgotten aspect to the game. There are two teams on the pitch and neither one has a divine to run the game in their image.

 

[Richy_Seagull]

absurd take on a tough period. Hughton's team competed well and were relatively comfortable mid-season that year.

Ermmm, second half of that season was some of the most turgid football from an Albion side in recent years.

Relatively comfortable midtable? We were bang in a relegation battle and got very lucky Cardiff were done over with some rough refereeing decisions at end of season.

 

[vagabond]

Jesus wept, the stench of self-congratulation on this thread is so overwhelming that I am going to have to lie down for a couple of hours.

I'm just checking that we are still 16th in the league and not on the brink of claiming a place in Europe.

I wish the bloke all the best and want his team to do brilliantly, but for ****'s sake, rein it in. Let's get a few more points on the boards shall we?

Yes come on guys, reign it in, no positive threads about the manager please.

What a crime.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

This is specifically about the bravery of a manager with many question marks over them, at his first job in the top tier, without a squad of instantly recognisable names and performers, playing the game in an innovative, creative, progressive style.

You take a step back from the instant criticism of 'we are in the same place in the table' (if you can...), and whether you agree or not, it takes a HUGE dose of courage in a must win game against a team 1 point below you to try something like playing your strikers out wide, bring wing backs through the centre etc. That's some balls that is. Goes wrong and you are taking hell of a lot of flak.

I think it is fairly easy to take the Allardyce, Hodgson, Dyche, Bruce even Smith and Moyes approach of practicalities and probabilities over creativity and intent. Clearly for Hodgson and Dyche it has paid off season after season. You know what you're going to get. Burnley are a success story, this isn't a thread to undermine their approach, because it's their way, and proved to work. However it is a repeatable model, one that Bruce simply tried to emulate at the weekend. Sit deep in numbers, hope to nick a goal, just contain the opposition. I felt that had Moyes had a bit more courage in him, they would have beaten Arsenal, instead panic set in and that core instinct of holding on to what they had.

To go into games against Man City, Spurs, Liverpool, Leicester - the front runners this season, and others like Chelsea and Man Utd earlier, and take the game to them, regardless of results, has been - courageous. It's simply not often done by a team in our position.

That courage is what I think will imprint on the players in the long run. The manager's faith in them to play with freedom, expression, to take the game to any opposition will reap eventual rewards. Not a fly by season of finishing 9th then getting relegated the year after, but a transformation of belief throughout the club.

I don't hold that Potter is immune from criticism, or doesn't make mistakes, when you innovate, try new things, then you are always at risk of it going wrong. No successful innovation started without risk, success makes it seem obvious, but it starts with a moment of courage that you are doing something right.

That's why much of the criticism Potter faces is understandable. We haven't been infallible this season. Unusual choices of substitution appeared to make us worse not better, certain tactics led to what felt like preventable goals against us. However, for much of the time, it's been exciting to watch. You can tell when you listen to pundits, commentators, neutrals, we're a good game of football to tune into, there is plenty to talk about, you don't know what shape we're playing even 5 or 10mins into the game. It's fascinating, exciting - terrifying when you need the points.

It's all about courage though, and the foundations are definitely being laid on a club that 'believes' it belongs at this level. It's easy to say it, it's a huge challenge to believe it.

I think what you say is undeniable and if that courage can be turned into more consistent positive results there would be no more in/out polls. We are chasing the holy grail of style and results and I wish GP every success in achieving this aim. Like most I am more confident of picking up a handful of points in upcoming games against the top sides than I have been in those against fellow strugglers. That is a good example of our courageous approach.

 

[KeegansHairPiece]

Jesus wept, the stench of self-congratulation on this thread is so overwhelming that I am going to have to lie down for a couple of hours.

I'm just checking that we are still 16th in the league and not on the brink of claiming a place in Europe.

I wish the bloke all the best and want his team to do brilliantly, but for ****'s sake, rein it in. Let's get a few more points on the boards shall we?

If, as suggested right in the opening lines of the OP, you take a step back, you'll realise it included criticism, that things have failed, and isn't self congratulatory. Saying there is courage doesn't = there has been success, it's an observation about how we've gone about our football.

Some people are choking that they staked their claim too early that it was going to end in failure, and even though we may well be pulling out of that, it's a struggle to shake that steadfast belief they held.

'His' team – I thought it was our team.

Why do we have to wait until more points before being happy about recent results? What, we're all on hold until you stop shitting yourself?

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

He has the courage of his convictions and that what he is doing is the right thing to do on the whole.

he also has a suppportive Chairman and Board, who brought him in because they wanted a change around the club and skilfully identified Potter aand his team as the right person/people to do the job.

It just goes to show that all the "we're ll in this together" stuff is not the load of old cobblers that some people would dismiss it as. I am currently helping to do things about "Vision" and "Mission" in something I am involved with. I am totally convinced that, if done well, it can and will make a difference. It's not just stuff that comes out of the rear end of a bull. If everybody has contributed to it and buys in to it, it is far more likely to work. I am not saying that has been done at the club, but intelligent management makes a difference!

 

[Dorset Seagull]

I think the courage comes from Tony Bloom. He decided to change the style of play and expects GP to maintain that come what may with GP safe in the knowledge his job is not on the line. Pep is a fan because GP plays a system based on Positional Play which is the system Pep uses. You may recall Pep had his own defensive problems not so long ago but has overcome them and hopefully GP has as well.

The big difference is that Pep can open the chequebook and bring in players to suit the system whereas GP doesn't have that luxury. GP is faced with bringing in the unfinished articles that he believes have the intelligence to learn to play the style and teaching them how to do it. This is one of his key skills that should ensure he can play a system like Pep but using a different way of going about it.

 

[Russconha]

He's so brave

 

[oldboyroy]

Top post and correct

 

[father_and_son]

absurd take on a tough period. Hughton's team competed well and were relatively comfortable mid-season that year.

Whatever the outcome (and I don't remember us ever being 'comfortable'), we really, really stank out the league. He's not saying it wasn't effective, he's saying it was horrible, negative football that was miserable to watch.

Not sure about the intent of the original post in respect of opinion on CH, but the critique of the football is spot on.

 

[portlock seagull]

Courage my arse. He’s a football manager with a 6 year contract safety net, not facing down the taliban.

Besides, he’d also be the first to say this thread’s embarrassing.

 

[figgis]

Lucky no fans in the stadium. 7 homes wins out of 34 this and last season. Courage would be if he had to face the fans. Wet lettuce get rid.

 

[vagabond]

Lucky no fans in the stadium. 7 homes wins out of 34 this and last season. Courage would be if he had to face the fans. Wet lettuce get rid.

Just one question. Where should we be in the league figgis?

 

[figgis]

Just one question. Where should we be in the league figgis?

We are where we are. Let me ask you a question.are you really happy with 7 home wins in 34.

 

[Jeremiah]

Courageous or stupid ? - 2 wins in 15 home games seems to indicate he ain't all you think he is.

Until Newcastle game last three home wins were in 3 different years. Plus we have picked up 4 draws and a lose in 5 games against the bottom three this season.

If he keeps us up he can stay , if relegated I would look elsewhere- courage or not.

 

[Justice]

LOL.... Burn picking up an injury has saved his bacon.

 

[vagabond]

We are where we are. Let me ask you a question.are you really happy with 7 home wins in 34.

I’m pretty happy with the job our manager is doing, all the ongoing long term improvements he’s making to our club, and not too concerned about short term results.

So where do you think we should be in the league?

 

[Iford Albion]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Values_in_Action_Inventory_of_Strengths

I think the OP is right. Potter will be aware of this inventory of strengths through his studies. The VIA is a pretty good taxonomy of positive attributes and Seligman's definition of courage seems to fit how potter is as a football manager. It is all about how you are in your life and work. I reckon if he had become a soldier or a nurse he would bring courage to both roles. All the 'he is not as brave as my grandad who died at the Somme' comments are hilarious though so do carry on.

 

[Stat Brother]

Jesus wept, the stench of self-congratulation on this thread is so overwhelming that I am going to have to lie down for a couple of hours.

I'm just checking that we are still 16th in the league and not on the brink of claiming a place in Europe.

I wish the bloke all the best and want his team to do brilliantly, but for ****'s sake, rein it in. Let's get a few more points on the boards shall we?

Makes a nice change to the stench of self-flagellation that tends to pervade these boards when we haven't won two in a row, however much we check that we're still 16th or 17th in the league and not on the brink of relegation.

Oddly I think both of you are 100% correct.

It feels like the polar opposite camps of GPotts rein have considerably more in common than either faction would be comfortable in admitting.


It's not hard to imagine what NSC would be like if the Albion had actually lost to a Southampton side completely devoid of confidence and 11 men in black and white who'd seemingly rather saw off their own scrotum than win, last Saturday.

All you have to do is swap the word courage for w**ker.