[Albion] The new manager/head coach - acceptable 'performance' ?

[Kosh]

As it's now looking likely any new HC/manager is likely to be someone who has no playing and/or managerial experience of English football, the winter weather, the lads banter, even English itself and so on...

Well, I was wondering where we (or you) would deem acceptable in terms of our league finish this season? and even next.

I'm stepping WAY back from 4th and would settle for survival - although granted, this would be disappointing... Lest we forget it took a certain 'legendary' head coach two full seasons to realise his top ten credentials.

I hope others can see the logic here, it's going to take time... time... After all the criticism (quite rightly) aimed at Chelsea are we going to be prepared to give it ? ?

Yes, the squad is better than two seasons ago... just ?!? But we must all acknowledge that changing the whole coaching team (thanks Graham) is really going to have an impact.

Patience is indeed going to be a virtue.

 

[dazzer6666]

Jees.....not another thread. Can we appoint the poor ****er first then have that debate ?

 

[scooter1]

Anywhere between 10th and 14th will do me this season

 

[Wellesley]

Finish above Chelsea or f*** off.

 

[Kosh]

Jees.....not another thread. Can we appoint the poor ****er first then have that debate ?

The appointment is largely irrelevant, as I suspect we're talking about managers cut from similar cloth and of a similar standing... expectation will be about the same regardless, I'm just interested in reading if people expect top 10 (or beyond) or have a more realistic mindset - fully prepared to accept a period of adjustment and acclimatisation ?

 

[Swansman]

As long as the club operates with the budget it has, staying up will always be acceptable. Not good or great maybe, but acceptable.

 

[Bold Seagull]

I'm more interested that the performances stay on the front foot, attacking and creating chances. Potter had trouble converting great performances into wins, and I suspect a new manager will too. Obviously 17th or above, but the real criteria is do we retain our identity and intent in our performances rather than points / league position.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Jees.....not another thread. Can we appoint the poor ****er first then have that debate ?

Legitimate thread start to me.

Much better than another one swiping at Potter or speculating on another name.

I'd look at it not in league position, we won't get europe, we won't go down, but more, Can they help steady the club after the recent turbulence? Can they demonstrate their playing philosophy? Can they help stem the flow of personnel out of the club? Can they attract suitable playing staff? Can they keep the best of what was going on but add their own touch? Can they form a bond with the fans and local area.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Staying up will do me now.

I expect the new chap will do something like stay up this season, 15th on about 41 points next season, 10th on over 50 season after that and then off to Man Utd for a van load of cash, taking everyone except Tony Bloom with him.

 

[dazzer6666]

Legitimate thread start to me.

Much better than another one swiping at Potter or speculating on another name.

I'd look at it not in league position, we won't get europe, we won't go down, but more, Can they help steady the club after the recent turbulence? Can they demonstrate their playing philosophy? Can they help stem the flow of personnel out of the club? Can they attract suitable playing staff? Can they keep the best of what was going on but add their own touch? Can they form a bond with the fans and local area.

Lot easier to consider all that when we know who it is I'm out until that point

 

[RandyWanger]

Mid table mediocracy, under the radar, never in the conversation for relegation but beat Palace home and away and don't drop points to Soccer Club of Chelsea.

 

[bluenitsuj]

Top 6

 

[Kosh]

Lot easier to consider all that when we know who it is I'm out until that point

I'd say we all (truthfully, and possibly quite reasonably) won't know a great deal (if anything?) about any of the favourites right now... so any expectations will be based on wishful thinking and/or grim reality... as others are saying, it'll be a tricky period of transition and one following a very turbulent few weeks... I'd settle for staying up and progressing from there... any other outcome would surely be dreamlike, and would come with the MASSIVE drawback that our new coach would be poached... again.

 

[BBassic]

This season it's just about getting over the line, right? It has to be. Any "unrealistic" expectations of Europe or whatever need to be shunted down the road for a season or two.

 

[Badger Boy]

10th to 13th would be a good season and a nice cup run would be lovely. Scoring a few more goals wouldn't go amiss under the new man.

 

[Kosh]

Legitimate thread start to me.

Much better than another one swiping at Potter or speculating on another name.

I'd look at it not in league position, we won't get europe, we won't go down, but more, Can they help steady the club after the recent turbulence? Can they demonstrate their playing philosophy? Can they help stem the flow of personnel out of the club? Can they attract suitable playing staff? Can they keep the best of what was going on but add their own touch? Can they form a bond with the fans and local area.

Cheers and top post.

Like I said, all of the candidates emerging as favourites are interchangeable for me... with some strengths and weaknesses... Your post sums up how I feel and it's encouraging to read how so many of us realise (small club mentality or nay) that GP did indeed do a superb/outstanding job... hence we need to revisit realism land and prepare to give the new guy the same time to deliver their style, dynamics and (yes) personnel.

I'm excited, but fully prepared to see a bit of a hangover... a slowish burner will do for me... paradoxically rocking up at Liverpool (if the newbie is here by then) and winning might prove to be a false dawn we could all do without.

I hope we show our true colours and get behind whoever we appoint, even if we see an inevitable downturn of sorts.

 

[Not Andy Naylor]

The appointment is largely irrelevant, as I suspect we're talking about managers cut from similar cloth and of a similar standing... expectation will be about the same regardless, I'm just interested in reading if people expect top 10 (or beyond) or have a more realistic mindset - fully prepared to accept a period of adjustment and acclimatisation ?

If people are now *expecting* a top-ten finish then our fanbase is more deluded than I thought. Even with Potter in charge we scraped in last season after scoring three times in the final 45 minutes against a West Ham team dead on their feet, our first goal a gift from Lukasz Fabianski.

To get anywhere near that with a new coaching set-up (including a coach whose level of English may make him a slightly less effective communicator than someone with an MA in Emotional Intelligence) with no previous experience of the English game, and the disruption caused by a World Cup and a fixture pile-up, would be little short of miraculous. 14th or above would be highly satisfactory in the circumstances.

 

[macbeth]

think realistically this season is about staying up, which is a shame as we obviously had something really good going until recent events. that to me would be acceptable and would at least mean it wouldn't have been a complete disaster and we can go again next season. there's so much unknown, however. because we were paying really, really, really well up until now, but there's no way of knowing if potter leaving means that we won't be seeing the players reach those levels again this season. if the new guy comes in and has a system that suits our current personnel (a criteria that i'm sure is one of the tickboxes TB and PB will be looking for during the interview stage) and the players can slot straight into it, then there's no reason we couldn't see the club continue to have a really good season. TLDR; staying up would be acceptable but there's too much uncertainty at the moment to know whether or not that will be a big challenge

 

[Kosh]

If people are now *expecting* a top-ten finish then our fanbase is more deluded than I thought. Even with Potter in charge we scraped in last season after scoring three times in the final 45 minutes against a West Ham team dead on their feet, our first goal a gift from Lukasz Fabianski.

To get anywhere near that with a new coaching set-up (including a coach whose level of English may make him a slightly less effective communicator than someone with an MA in Emotional Intelligence) with no previous experience of the English game, and the disruption caused by a World Cup and a fixture pile-up, would be little short of miraculous. 14th or above would be highly satisfactory in the circumstances.

Naturally, I fully agree.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

Beating Palace will be a start