[Albion] Savvy Potter has mastered precise time to move up

[Swansman]

Wonder if it’s the same journalist who wrote about “ Graham Potter & his all-passing, no-scoring performance art project” not very long ago.

That was a "Niall McVeigh" apparently.

A brilliant sentence tbh.

 

[Springal]

Sterling? Can’t think of many players at that kind of level, with less ego, tbh. Potter will love him. Probably play him all over the place!



)

Indeed the classic black player ‘ego’ - not sure why / what Sterling has done to get that tag ?

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Yep - way too much being made into all this. Chelsea sacked their manager, wanted potter, offered him loadsamoney plus a chance to truly challenge for trophies including the champions league, he said yes as long as I can bring my coaching staff with me, or something like that.

Is he a wanker for it? No, why would he be - it's not like he was born here or has spent his entire life at our club. Even then he'd still be building his career. Most of us would have done the same and we're about to do it to another club and their fans

He's not a w@nker in reality, of course not. But it's what is not said in this letter that stands out. He left with BHA in such a promising position but with nothing delivered. He left with no notice. He took the entire coaching team leaving us with the (inexperienced) U21 coach in charge. He will have unsettled key players at a critical stage of negotiation. He has destabilized the club. He's shown us what we might have (and might yet, of course) and has snatched it away.

The letter didn't acknowledge that and so for a lot of fans, it rings hollow.

 

[Springal]

He's not a w@nker in reality, of course not. But it's what is not said in this letter that stands out. He left with BHA in such a promising position but with nothing delivered. He left with no notice. He took the entire coaching team leaving us with the (inexperienced) U21 coach in charge. He will have unsettled key players at a critical stage of negotiation. He has destabilized the club. He's shown us what we might have (and might yet, of course) and has snatched it away.

The letter didn't acknowledge that and so for a lot of fans, it rings hollow.

You leave a job when an opportunity comes up. You don’t quit your job and sit around until the one you want comes along so there is never a good time in this situation.

If he didn’t take a job with one of the biggest clubs in the world now - then when ?

 

[Hugo Rune]

Yup. There is long and too long I believe. Sure, too long is nice when it is all going fine but it also comes with a cost that is double those years. Alex Fergusons United peaked probably around 2007/8 when they won the second CL title... if he had left then, they would have missed a few titles but they might also have recuperated quicker. At least it would have left his successor with a better squad to work with rather than the aging, wonky bunch Moyes had to deal with.

Indeed. I’d have liked at least 5 more years from Potter, however, once a manager hits double figure years of service, I think it’s probably time to move on because the successor(s) jobs’ become so incredibly difficult.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

[MENTION=3462]Springal[/MENTION]. I'm not saying he shouldn't have taken the job or that he should have finished the season here. In merely saying that his open letter fails to really own the consequences. So for many Albion fans, at this moment, his letter doesn't provide much catharsis.

 

[West Upper Seagull]

I’d had hoped that we were going to get another season, or the best part of that with him, but we all knew this was always going to happen. Whilst I’m still extremely disappointed I don’t think you can begrudge him leaving so don’t get the vitriol. This was an offer he couldn’t turn down. Roberts and Bruno, hitherto thought of as “Albion men,” is harder to accept but sadly the money and let us not forget, the opportunity to be part of a big club with Champions League football, is a very attractive combination which sadly Albion can’t compete with.
I also think it’s a mistake to think he won’t succeed at Stamford Bridge. They’ve given him a long term contract, and already public declarations that he doesn’t have to get them into the top 4 so may well get more time than previous incumbents. Of course that will be driven by results but make no mistake, Graham Potter is the real deal, a world class coach. That’s what’s so gutting. He is that good and he was ours. I expect he’ll be a big success at Chelsea for many years.
It’s been a terrible week but we have Tony Bloom, a very clever and fiercely determined owner, who has an excellent record in appointing coaches. Let’s see who he comes up with.

I think you have got this spot on. We all knew that GP was always going to leave us at some point for a bigger opportunity with the success he was achieving and plaudits he was getting, it was just going to be a matter of when. And whenever that was it was always going to hurt.

I feel like I’ve gone through a divorce this week, but taking the emotion out of the situation this was always an opportunity too good to turn down and GP had no control over the timing of it. I don’t for one minute believe that money was the motivation, while Chelsea were always going to pay him a lot more than he was currently earning. What makes this so attractive for GP is that the new regime at Chelsea appear to want to change the culture and set-up at their club, and as someone has already said, they want to copy what TB has achieved at our club, which is a massive compliment and acknowledgement to us (although doesn’t make it feel any better). So being involved at the start of their ‘project’ was a strong selling point. Throw into the mix that they have the squad and finances to be competing in the Champions League and for the PL title (not likely to be this season though) and the fact GP doesn’t really need to up-root his family then this really was too good an opportunity to turn down.

He was always going to take Billy & Bjorn with him, but what none of us saw coming was him taking Bruno and Ben too and completely stripping our management team - that’s the only element that leaves a sour taste. The rest is a result of being a victim of our success.

If TB makes the right appointment that gets us fans smiling and excited again then that’s when we can all properly move on. Until then the emotion and anxiety will continue for most of us ! UTA !

 

[hans kraay fan club]

He's not a w@nker in reality, of course not. But it's what is not said in this letter that stands out. He left with BHA in such a promising position but with nothing delivered. He left with no notice. He took the entire coaching team leaving us with the (inexperienced) U21 coach in charge. He will have unsettled key players at a critical stage of negotiation. He has destabilized the club. He's shown us what we might have (and might yet, of course) and has snatched it away.

The letter didn't acknowledge that and so for a lot of fans, it rings hollow.

It’s an open letter on the Brighton and Hove Albion club website! Even if he had an ill-judged fancy to list all the negative consequences of his decision, the club would have edited it all out anyway.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

Indeed. I'm just trying to explain why for some it's not enough and rings hollow (I also realize I posted my reply on the wrong thread)

 

[BN41Albion]

He's not a w@nker in reality, of course not. But it's what is not said in this letter that stands out. He left with BHA in such a promising position but with nothing delivered. He left with no notice. He took the entire coaching team leaving us with the (inexperienced) U21 coach in charge. He will have unsettled key players at a critical stage of negotiation. He has destabilized the club. He's shown us what we might have (and might yet, of course) and has snatched it away.

The letter didn't acknowledge that and so for a lot of fans, it rings hollow.

That's ridiculous logic; the timing of his move had nothing to do with him. What was he supposed to do when presented with an opportunity for all he knew he might not get again? Say to Chelsea 'yes I'd love to manage a champions league club and challenge for trophies but can I stay with brighton till the end of the season first?'

As I said, we're likely about to do the same to another club and their fans, at the same point in the season. Will you think the same of our new manager and his coaching staff that he'll no doubt bring with him?

 

[Swansman]

That's ridiculous logic; the timing of his move had nothing to do with him. What was he supposed to do when presented with an opportunity for all he knew he might not get again? Say to Chelsea 'yes I'd love to manage a champions league club and challenge for trophies but can I stay with brighton till the end of the season first?'

The "how dare he leave the club in such a promising position" thing does my head in as well. Sure, if Brighton were on 0 points it would be easier for people to handle and I'm sure as **** no-one would utter a word about loyalty if the whole staff was sacked, but then there also wouldn't be any Chelsea. And if the club was at 7 points or something... would that really make the situation better? Or the final solution, for GP to tell Boehly to hold on a minute so he could play Solly March as a goalie against Bournemouth so that he wouldn't have to leave when things were looking great... would it make anyone happier?

 

[TugWilson]

I don`t think i would call what Potter did "Savvy" more like out and out destructive and malicious , whether that was accident or intention i don`t know . But i do think he made absolutely no real effort to leave our Great club in a solid and effective state when he left with all the family silver . Which by the way he has already hinted at coming back for the rest in January , not so Mr Nice more Mr Cold and calculating .

In effect he has left us in our loftiest position ever , and don`t you believe he will remind everyone of that fact at every opportunity , but he knows he has left us weaker in personnel morale and time . Time to undo the carnage he has left , and time that will quite possibly cost us far more than just two beloved stalwart members of the Albion family .

Sorry , but for me that is not "Savvy" but low , lower than a snakes belly imo , and he can reflect on his achievements at his leisure when becomes very rich very successful and very disliked and untrusted in future . In time most fans will see through what he has done to us .

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

[MENTION=3462]Springal[/MENTION]. I'm not saying he shouldn't have taken the job or that he should have finished the season here. In merely saying that his open letter fails to really own the consequences. So for many Albion fans, at this moment, his letter doesn't provide much catharsis.

I’m not sure he’s going to mention POTENTIALLY leaving us in the shit, when it’s something he can’t justify or explain how everything will be ok.

It’s collateral damage for him, and to be fair if it was a strong thought he maybe wouldn’t have left.

 

[Blues Guitarist]

Which by the way he has already hinted at coming back for the rest in January

At which point we either charge him way over the odds or tell him to do one. That's the way the world (and football) works.

 

[Couldn't Be Hyypia]

I’m not sure he’s going to mention POTENTIALLY leaving us in the shit, when it’s something he can’t justify or explain how everything will be ok.

It’s collateral damage for him, and to be fair if it was a strong thought he maybe wouldn’t have left.

He's not going to say that. And that's why this open letter is so inadequate for many. It doesn't address the issue many feel, and obviously never could.

 

[TugWilson]

At which point we either charge him way over the odds or tell him to do one. That's the way the world (and football) works.

True , but he has already done the damage by planting the seed in the player/s head/s . It is also a way of him saying i still have a certain hold on BHAFC .

 

[Mo Gosfield]

Of course Shankly, Clough and to some extent Ferguson, had something, now unfashionable, that may have kept them in one community: A belief in socialism.

It was the loyalty of their owners that allowed them to build their clubs and their own reputations. The same loyalty that was being afforded to Graham Potter.

 

[Mo Gosfield]

So says James Gheerbrant in Times; I was looking forward to his objective and considered view especially after his interview with GP published a month ago in Times.

To avoid paywall issues, here is precis and quotes from his Times article:

"Perhaps naively, I wondered whether Potter might wrestle with and perhaps even rebuff Chelsea’s approach. But I was probably underestimating his savviness....."

..."one of the defining themes of Potter’s career so far, as well as his obviously transformative coaching ability and emotional intelligence, has been his sense of mobility and timing. He knew when he had taken Ostersunds as far as he could and he may now have made the same calculation about Brighton & Hove Albion. So far, he has adroitly navigated a career in which his stock has only risen and he has made each move at the perfect moment."

JG compares GP's timing favourably with that of Ten Hag and Nagelsmann, likewise constrained by the seeming impossibility of competing with the Super League clubs. He notes that the dynasties created by 'imperial figures' of football - Shankly, Clough, Ferguson, Wenger - are no longer. He concludes: "The modern manager must, first and foremost, be the pilot of their own career." Those who stay too long - he cites Rodgers and Pochettino as examples - are doomed to have their CV darkened as a result.

"Knowing when to walk away is one of the most important skills in modern football management, but also one of the most difficult. The decision can be clouded by a sense of loyalty, an emotional bond with players and fans, a desire to avenge a near miss or see a project through, even the seductive thought of forging a dynasty."

The only long serving manager (>10 years) in Europe's top 5 leagues (other than Freiburg's manager) is Simeone. But, argues Gheerbrant: "Five years ago, he was one of the hottest properties in coaching, on everyone’s dream shortlist. But if he were to leave Atletico at the end of this season, and another of the big club jobs were to be open, would he be an obvious candidate? I’m not sure that he would: at this stage, he is so immersed in Atletico that it has become almost impossible to imagine him outside it."

Conclusion:

"In the present landscape, not even a club with the intelligence of Brighton, the history and romance of Ajax, or the commercial cutting edge of Hoffenheim or Leipzig, can expect to tie down the next great manager for long. I don’t fault Potter in the slightest for taking his chance. "

1) Potter is not savvy.
2) Did he take Swansea as far as he could? ( 10th place in the Championship in one season )
3) He is not the next great manager.
4) £50m is the chance worth taking.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I don`t think i would call what Potter did "Savvy" more like out and out destructive and malicious , whether that was accident or intention i don`t know . But i do think he made absolutely no real effort to leave our Great club in a solid and effective state when he left with all the family silver . Which by the way he has already hinted at coming back for the rest in January , not so Mr Nice more Mr Cold and calculating .

In effect he has left us in our loftiest position ever , and don`t you believe he will remind everyone of that fact at every opportunity , but he knows he has left us weaker in personnel morale and time . Time to undo the carnage he has left , and time that will quite possibly cost us far more than just two beloved stalwart members of the Albion family .

Sorry , but for me that is not "Savvy" but low , lower than a snakes belly imo , and he can reflect on his achievements at his leisure when becomes very rich very successful and very disliked and untrusted in future . In time most fans will see through what he has done to us .

What bollocks. If he’s successful fans will love him and want him to stay. If not fans will boo and want him sacked. No one cried when we sacked the likeable, loyal Hughton and his team. Apparently loyalty only counts if you’re good.

 

[Swansman]

1) Potter is not savvy.
2) Did he take Swansea as far as he could? ( 10th place in the Championship in one season )
3) He is not the next great manager.
4) £50m is the chance worth taking.

2) Absolutely. Steve Cooper was able to take them further through his connections, being able to bring in high-quality loans that I'm not sure GP had the connections to do. In 2018/19, GP had to replace 16 first team players with a less than £10m budget. The next summer Cooper had to replace another 10 or so on a similar budget. It worked because he had connections (from his time as England U17 manager) to make high-quality loan deals (as well as Swansea failing to sell Andre Ayew who was the best player in Coopers side), something GP probably would have been unable to. I think his chances of repeating or improving that 10th place would have been very limited.