[Albion] Steve Cooper.

[Kalimantan Gull]

I wish Swanny wasnt the messenger here because even though he talks so much sense about RDZ its wrapped up in a delivery that everyone automatically takes against. And i don't blame them.

My twopenneth is that i find it surprising that everyone talks about RDZ as this inspiring coach because i don't think we've seen such a miserable manager for a long long time. Did he ever smile? Intense, committeed, dedicated, sure, but he was darned miserable.

 

[Cheeky Monkey]

^ I haven't been paying attention, so Swanny is captain of the Millennium Falcon and one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance!? Aka username Han Solo ..?

 

[Insel affe]

You haven't been here very long if you think @Guinness Boy is a RDZ cultist.

Would you mind winding your neck in a bit?

Thanks.

Oh he has….

it’s that’s prat I hate.

 

[Insel affe]

^ I haven't been paying attention, so Swanny is captain of the Millennium Falcon and one of the leaders of the Rebel Alliance!? Aka username Han Solo ..?

Your quick.

 

[Triggaaar]

I think this is the one thing that would depress me going back to Potter. All those games we dominated but failed to win.

The two games against Palace in the 2020/2021 season exemplified Potter-ball:

But when analysing football you have to take luck into account. Palace were lucky as hell that year.

 

[NorthstandRacoon]

Any actual updates on Cooper? Fed up of this Potter loving from some of our delusional fans. Can’t believe some would want him back after what he did. Shows how some if our fans are clearly lacking ambition. That would make us look so weak. It would be sending a message out that managers/ players are free to treat us like dirt. f*** right off. For the record, RDZ by far the better manager, how anyone else says otherwise is mental .

 

[Seagull58]

Not continually concede the same goals, see West Ham (h) with a full squad, Villa (a), Luton (a), Roma (a), Bournemouth (a) etc….. He did not learn….

The same goal across the entire season.
Full back pushed up too far out of possession, hole exploited…..
Really not rocket science….

Shit…. Now I’ve gone O/T again

I don't think any of JPVH, Dunk, Igor and Veltman are quick enough to close off the gaps out wide when the fullbacks are caught upfield. That's why the DM(s) is so important. We need a fast, strong, hard running CB and/or DM. Baleba has the physical characteristics but he's playing more like a Bix to box midfielder recently. I can see the new coach playing 3 at the back if the fullbacks are going to play high up alongside the wingers. In fact, I would have liked RDZ to play that with only one of Gross, Gilmour and Baleba sitting in front.

 

[Zeberdi]

Yeah I hear about this all the time.

Context is very important when it comes to De Zerbi: all the injuries we had, all the super stars we didn't buy.

At the same time you and the other Zerbi Cultists happily leave out any context when it comes to GP.

Like... every bit of context. Do you honestly expect someone who managed our 2018-19 squad to have the same our better win ratio as someone who managed our 2022-23 squad? Do you think they are comparable in quality?

Not sure why this Potter obsession is at all relevant on Steve Cooper thread but - Yep ‘context’ essential in comparative analysis.

How about comparing our 2022/23 squad with our actual available squad through 2023/4 for a better contextual evaluation of RDZ’s capabilities as a manager and start from there if you really want to do a fair squad assessment? It took Potter 3 years to get us to 9th place by building on the work Hughton did - it took RDZ 7 months to get us to the knockout stage of the Europa Cup by building on Potter’s system. ( As far as injuries/recruitment issues aside in 2023/24, it isn’t unusual either, after a particularly good season for a Club to slump, nor in a season where they are competing in UEFA competition for the first time.)

The ‘context’ is progression - which is why Potter as a manager will be a regression for us imo - not because he is a worse manager (he is actually a very good manager) but because he is a manager with a different system of play - it would be a regression from the style of football that got us to 6th place in the EPL and won us a top group position in the Europa.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I wish Swanny wasnt the messenger here because even though he talks so much sense about RDZ its wrapped up in a delivery that everyone automatically takes against. And i don't blame them.

My twopenneth is that i find it surprising that everyone talks about RDZ as this inspiring coach because i don't think we've seen such a miserable manager for a long long time. Did he ever smile? Intense, committeed, dedicated, sure, but he was darned miserable.

It’s been hiding in plain sight.

 

[Super Steve Earle]

I wish Swanny wasnt the messenger here because even though he talks so much sense about RDZ its wrapped up in a delivery that everyone automatically takes against. And i don't blame them.

My twopenneth is that i find it surprising that everyone talks about RDZ as this inspiring coach because i don't think we've seen such a miserable manager for a long long time. Did he ever smile? Intense, committeed, dedicated, sure, but he was darned miserable.

RDZ is an inspiring coach. Sets himself high standards and clearly has personality and magnetism in bucketloads. Treated his players as family by all accounts and you could see the affection both ways between him and the players on the pitch at the final match. Guessing your twopenneth is just a bit of sh1t stirring, in which case you got me.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Any actual updates on Cooper? Fed up of this Potter loving from some of our delusional fans. Can’t believe some would want him back after what he did. Shows how some if our fans are clearly lacking ambition. That would make us look so weak. It would be sending a message out that managers/ players are free to treat us like dirt. f*** right off. For the record, RDZ by far the better manager, how anyone else says otherwise is mental .

What RDZ has done is worse reputational damage to BHA than Potter did. Potter went for money and a side in the CL - everyone in football understands that apart from a few fans.

RDZ however has bascially said to the footballing world that BHA cannot meet his ambition, and he’d rather be unemployed than continue to manage them. That’s hurt us more than Potter leaving has done.

I wouldn’t want Potter back for the record, however I’m quite happy to stand by the job he did and how he set up the perfect scenario for RDZ to step into.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

RDZ is an inspiring coach. Sets himself high standards and clearly has personality and magnetism in bucketloads. Treated his players as family by all accounts and you could see the affection both ways between him and the players on the pitch at the final match. Guessing your twopenneth is just a bit of sh1t stirring, in which case you got me.

To be honest, having my manager treat me as a member of their family sounds f***ing horrifying.

More seriously, I'd find it easier to buy into the whole "he's so inspirational" line if he hadn't had a face like a smacked arse for six months or so as soon as things got difficult.

Actually tying this into the notional thread topic, there's no way in hell that De Zerbi would have got Forest promoted from the position they were in when Cooper took over there.

 

[Justice]

View attachment 183325
It’s been hiding in plain sight.

Rodney Potter beats Man City and ends up apologising to peanut head for celebrating:

 

[Beanstalk]

With context you can take say Potter’s final 20 games (seeing as he was in charge for a great start 22/23) and RDZ’s first 20 and results, goals scored, conceded are pretty much aligned.

The side had great confidence from the previous season and continued that on.

The very reason so many people were upset Potter had left was because he finally got us winning and scoring.

Very few managers have taken over a side flying high like we were.

But the question was, was Potter better than RDZ for xG - the answer is no.

Potter was good for sure, he did a very good job with us. He left in a rubbish way. Those things coexist. Could he have done what RDZ did? I don’t think so. We were statistically the second best attacking side in 22/23 and that only happens because of RDZ and his style.

 

[Flounce]

You haven't been here very long if you think @Guinness Boy is a RDZ cultist.

Would you mind winding your neck in a bit?

Thanks.

Have to disagree he is very anti Potter and very pro RDZ, just like Swanny is very pro Potter and anti RDZ

Both as bad as each other on this imo, both overly aggressive in their dislike of the respective managers.

They were both very good managers with plus and minus points and GB and Swanny are looking mugs running down either of them. I loved watching us under both of them and they were both very good for us.

I do like the request for a Swan to wind it’s neck in though

 

[Hiheidi]

Over 700 votes... Potter on 76%

 

[Flounce]

Over 500 votes... Potter on 76%

Not an NSC poll so must be rubbish and any poll showing those sort of results would have been merged with some other Potter thread to hide a result like that

 

[Hugo Rune]

Over 500 votes... Potter on 76%

This is brilliant!

It gives me faith that the very loud Potter Out Campaign who are preaching ‘Anyone But Potter’ are in a small minority.

Whilst I would be underwhelmed with either of these managers, the vast majority of Albion fans obviously see that Cooper’s tactics and style are not compatible with our football club, no matter how good of a manager he is. They are not letting emotion cloud their judgement (which is obviously quite easy seeing as either of these appointments are not going to happen).

 

[Flounce]

I wish Swanny wasnt the messenger here because even though he talks so much sense about RDZ its wrapped up in a delivery that everyone automatically takes against. And i don't blame them.

My twopenneth is that i find it surprising that everyone talks about RDZ as this inspiring coach because i don't think we've seen such a miserable manager for a long long time. Did he ever smile? Intense, committeed, dedicated, sure, but he was darned miserable.

When things were going well he was very happy and smiley, when they were going badly he was much too childish and fractious

 

[Flounce]

RDZ is an inspiring coach. Sets himself high standards and clearly has personality and magnetism in bucketloads. Treated his players as family by all accounts and you could see the affection both ways between him and the players on the pitch at the final match. Guessing your twopenneth is just a bit of sh1t stirring, in which case you got me.

Kalimantan has a record of being very sensible and balanced with strong loyalty to every manager we’ve had from what I’ve seen of his posts. Not a shit stirrer in any way