The rather difficult business of changing managers each season

By Tony Attwood
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There are many in this world who would like Arsenal to have a new manager.  I am not sure that many of those people visit Arsenal for each home game, but still they have their view, and they express it.
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However management change can be a problem – as Tottenham Hotspur show in their annual change around of the man at the top.
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As things stand Tottenham are denying that they have approached Ajax’ manager Frank de Boer as replacement for Tim Sherwood, who himself was a replacement for they guy they had before, Andre V-B, who was a replacement for Arry who was a replacement for Clive Allen who was… oh well there is a list of them all in the article here, which takes us up to AVB, and you can fill that last bit in.
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Anyway, the Tinies have denied making an approach to Ajax for Frank de Boer while Tiny Tim has said that everyone is being very disrespectful in touting his job around.
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Disrespectful Tiny Tim?  You should ask Mr Wenger what disrespectful is!  Compared to his arrival at Arsenal Tiny Tim has had the easiest possible time in the world.

But Tiny Tim will go, and will get his compensation for the 18 month deal signed six months ago.  Like the other 14 before him, who have been there in a full time or temp capacity since Mr Wenger took control and started to give St Totteridge Day a new meaning.

(Actually this year is the first year I have had readers and friends sending me Happy St Tot messages.  Next year there will be cards on sale, you mark my words).

De Boer has been doing better than ok at Ajax, but it is his only managerial club, and you might think that the Tinies would be looking for someone with a proven track record for number 16.  Mr De Boer himself has said he is very willing to speak with Tottenham in the coming weeks about taking over as manager.   He probably knows he won’t get more than six months in the job, and there is no transfer budget, what with the £100m already spent post-Bale, but still there will be the compensation when he goes.

Tottenham’s statement said “Reports that we have made approaches to other clubs regarding coaching staff are wholly inaccurate. We have not contacted any club regarding coaching appointments.

“We regret that a statement such as this is necessary, however, we feel it is important to clarify matters.”

Frank de Boer also played at Barcelona, Galatasaray, Rangers and then in the slave state of Qatar, and has been manager at Ajax since 2010.   He has delivered four successive Eredivisie titles – but not, as Walter reported recently, the Cup this season.

In a recent statement FdB compared his position as a person wanting to make a mark to that of B Rodgers at Liverpool.

But despite all this chat, and the denial, the bookies are still making FdB favourite to become Tottenham’s next manager.  Second fav. is Mauricio Pochettino of Southampton.

The one thing that might knock him out a bit is that Frank has been on Dutch TV talking about Tottenham having spoken to Ajax technical director Marc Overmars (of whom you will have fond memories).  Now that might not be so clever, because Mr Levy likes to be the boss in all this.
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However De Boer’s view was backed up by a BBC Sport report on Wednesday in which a spokesman for Ajax told them that the Tinies had “approached Overmars by telephone” (phoned to you and me) within the past month.
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“Reports that we have made approaches to other clubs regarding coaching staff are wholly inaccurate,” said www.tottenhamhotspur.com.
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So who do you believe.  Mr Levy or the BBC?  Hmmmm.
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Above everything else though, it will be fascinating to see what sort of transfer budget Tottenham’s manager will have, when they are going to get going on their new stadium, where they are going to play their home games while the final bit of the stadium is built, and whether they have anything to say about their attempts to stop Ozil coming to Arsenal when they sold Bale to Real Mad.
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My guess is, some but not much, Wembley and Milton Keynes, no.

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The books

23 Replies to “The rather difficult business of changing managers each season”

  1. St Totts cards…..a good idea…..wonder what they would look like….a picture of a dejected Arry/ Sherwood/jol/ Ramos/Avb et al? A picture of a scoreboard depicting the wonderful score of Newcastle 1 Arsenal 1?
    A feast for a holiday is also important, St Totteringhams day lends itself to lasagne.

  2. One reads with amazement at the managerial shenanigans going on at Spurs, the disgusting player power behaviour at Old Trafford…..and no doubt there will be more to come from elsewhere at the end of the season.
    It is therefore with a sense of comfort that at Arsenal we steadily enjoy continuity and confidence with our Manager.
    I know full well the lack of satisfaction by some, as well as the downright criticism of Arsene’s tactics, absence of rotation and lack of top class signings at times during the current season.
    At the end of the day, though, it is abundantly clear that the vast majority of supporters from Board level to those on the terraces are firmly behind Arsene and what he represents. Long may this continue.

  3. when arsenal get a new manager MARK MY WORDS it will be a FREE AGENT!….

  4. @shane
    “mark my words” suggests insightful wisdom emerging from knowledge and experience; your words shame(fully) appears to emerge from the wrong part of the anatomy. If reading this site over time has failed to enlighten you I’m afraid you may very well be a lost cause. Please. go away.

  5. In despite of the big mess in other clubs around EPL, Arsenal FC will always have the most headlines compared to all the clubs in the world. Now I can safely say Arsenal is the most popular club in the world at the moment. Arsene has done his job and true to his word again.

  6. How about a gallery of the last 8-ish managers, with Daniel Levy in the center and an empty spot above, reserved for the next victim?

  7. You won’t be taking the piss when FdeB rolls up at WHL with Bergkamp in tow.And before you scoff that DB wouldn’t go to Tottenham,its not like he has ever been offered a coaching job at Arsenal is it?

  8. Anything’s possible Linz, and in your universe, the more pain it gives the Arsenal the better. That said, DB has publicly stated many times that he’d like to eventually coach or manage at AFC, but maybe the little boy in him will end his career at Ajax. The little boy that you are will continue to suffer penis envy whenever real Gooners take the piss!

  9. Do I see the first signs of….’next year will be our year’ once again 😉 🙂

  10. Walter,
    Please tell us a simple way of producing these smileys of yours.

  11. Nicky,

    the 😉 is by typing a ; and a ) character with no space in between.

    The other one 🙂 is by doing the same with a : and a ) with no space in between

  12. Tony

    In the final answers you provide, you leave out answering the question of when they are going to get their stadium build going… Now that is an important question isn’t it? They say 2017. DO you think this is likely? Is it even possible?

  13. Linz

    Agent Tim Sherwood is a gooner and didn’t seem to bother you none. I can see a trend developing here. Can’t be Arsenal so keep wanting Gooners to join your club as validation you made the right choice. You didn’t. 🙂

    Anything’s possible but I am quite confident that Bergkamp will not join Tottenham even if De Boer does. He’s just had a statue installed in front of the stadium. Why would he want to risk harming that legacy? He could stay at Ajax, or move anywhere else.

    I’m sure there’s a role waiting for him at Arsenal eventually. It’s just that Arsenal coaches are expected to be at a higher standard than Tottenham coaches, so he might still have some training to do. You can hope he does that training at Spurs, but either way, he’ll never be a Lillywhite and will always hold the Arsenal close to his heart.

  14. Walter,
    I followed your instruction and this was the result
    😉 and 🙂

  15. Seems like they like having Gooners at the Spuds in recent years….GG for starters, and allegedly Arry Redknapp as well as Sherwood. Wonder if Bale will return the the club he supported as a boy should he take a coaching career?
    Db, legend that he is, and FDB completely unproven in this league, which is very very different from the Dutch league

  16. Completely unproven at coaching and managing in this league that is…..great players do not always make good coaches, if they did the world would be after Roy keane, and glen Hoddle would be in a job

  17. nicky.

    I asked the same question on here about how to produce ’emoticons’ and was lead to:

    Wikepidia.org/wiki/list_of_emoticos

    For a full list.

    Hope that helps.

    PS They don’t all work (for me anyway) but quite a few do 🙂

  18. Er you muppets I am an Arsenal fan,have been one since 75 and just because Bergkamp has got a statue that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t coach at Tottenham. He was never an Arsenal fan anyway. Oh and Shard,”Arsenal Coaches are supposed to be of a higher standard” ha ha,shame Arsenal didn’t apply the same standards to the Academy over recent years, Ivan would have been saved the job of begging the FA not to take away our first class status.Even with Jonker coming in we have kept the utterly incompetent Gatting and Larraman who will be in charge of the u21’s. Good job we have been relegated with the no hopers ,and Spurs,otherwise it could be embarrassing. The likes of Eisfeld has not improved and Zelalem is going backwards rapidly. Pray they don’t ruin Dan Crowley. Couldn’t Bergkamp do this or is he too much of a threat to Wenger,he has made a point of not employing Arsenal legends onto his coaching staff.Bould was forced on him due to PR’s retirement.I mean Gerry Peyton with his double hip replacement or Jens Lehman? You decide.

  19. Linz wrote:

    “Er you muppets I am an Arsenal fan,have been one since 75……”

    And all we “muppets” say: Congratulations on that very unique achievement!

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