Graham Potter Thread

[OneMoSalah 8,883]

3 hours ago, Hashishi said:

Look on the bright sides.

1. Potter is being exposed. This helps us because the owners won't back him for 3 years if he is obviously out of his depth. Once the squad can gel under someone else we will look much better.

2. The rebuild. We look so much better. Even though I think we have a couple of donkey buys that we will be stuck with for 8 years, we actually addressed some issues similar to that year with mourinho when we bought fabregas and Costa in the same window. We got Enzo and Badashile who had an instant impact on our team.

3. Everyone else is having problems. City might get relegated. Arsenal might choke the league. Liverpool are a joke. Klopp and pep might leave. Next season looks good for us. We can only get better than this. We just need a competent manager and a few key signings over the next couple of windows. 

Do we look better? 

We were a much better team last season and people still complained we were poor. We don’t look better in any facet bar the fact we’ve lowered the average age of the squad by recruiting younger players on long term contracts. Performances aren’t there. Results aren’t there. When this seasons done we are all gonna sit down and say we’ve spent £600m and look worse for it. Because 1) the manager isn’t at the level 2) we have a huge fuck off sized squad that will have some very unhappy personnel by the end of the season which wont help things and 3) its going to take time for these signings to come in and deliver consistently.

The footballs shite. The managers shite and way way way way out of his depth. Even if Liverpool and City change managers its not exactly a good thing is it? Because they will undoubtedly get competent replacements and undoubtedly their players wont play as badly/inconsistently as this season either.

”City might get relegated” crack the next joke. Do you really think the PL is going to relegate a team that has a £1 billion squad and has won 11 trophies in the past 7 years? That has the best manager of the best managers out there in club football at the helm? And has some of the richest club owners in the footballing world? 🤣

[Hashishi 148]

43 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Do we look better? We were a much better team last season and people still complained we were poor.

Not atm obviously but we will once Potter is sacked. My point was we don't look good and that is good because it will get Potter sacked. We only got CL spots last year because everyone around us choked, we weren't flying high and we definitely weren't league winners. 

46 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Performances aren’t there. Results aren’t there. When this seasons done we are all gonna sit down and say we’ve spent £600m and look worse for it. Because 1) the manager isn’t at the level 2) we have a huge fuck off sized squad that will have some very unhappy personnel by the end of the season which wont help things and 3) its going to take time for these signings to come in and deliver consistently.

1. Spending 600m and not improving will point all fingers at Potter and he gets sacked. That is a win for all of us.

2. Half the squad will leave in summer and the competition is good for the old and the new players. Everyone should get a chance to get in the team based on merit. Everyone that isn't useful in someway to the squad by the end of the season will go.

3.Yes so by next season they should be firing. Those that have had their chances and haven't delivered (like Pulisic and Ziyech) will be sold. If the new signings don't deliver, they will be sold.

54 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

Even if Liverpool and City change managers its not exactly a good thing is it? Because they will undoubtedly get competent replacements and undoubtedly their players wont play as badly/inconsistently as this season either.

I don't want to be the manager following Pep or Klopp. That is asking for it like Moyes after Ferguson. Any issues that hit other clubs should be cause to get happy. I bet other fans rejoice when we get fined or transfer banned.

57 minutes ago, OneMoSalah said:

”City might get relegated” crack the next joke. Do you really think the PL is going to relegate a team that has a £1 billion squad and has won 11 trophies in the past 7 years? That has the best manager of the best managers out there in club football at the helm? And has some of the richest club owners in the footballing world? 

🤣

It happened with Juve after the match fixing scandal. Money isn't everything when the Saudis also have a club and the Kuwaitis are looking to buy. The PL will want to make an example out of City, so noone thinks this is OK. It is obviously more likely that they get a points deduction or a transfer ban, but I wouldn't rule out relegation or even stripping them of their titles. City were kicked out of CL by UEFA till they appealed. They can't appeal this time...

[ZAPHOD2319 4,801]

With all this talk about Potter out, didn't they give him a rather long contract? There could be FFP complications to buying him out and bringing in a high profile manager that demands high wages.

[Hashishi 148]

5 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

With all this talk about Potter out, didn't they give him a rather long contract? There could be FFP complications to buying him out and bringing in a high profile manager that demands high wages.

I think it's 20m over 5 years. It just means 1 less signing in the summer.

[robsblubot 3,595]

28 minutes ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

With all this talk about Potter out, didn't they give him a rather long contract? There could be FFP complications to buying him out and bringing in a high profile manager that demands high wages.

Not only that, but also the signings the club has been making. They all aim next season + and do not necessarily address the issues the team has today.

I suspect the club will be working hard to determine which players will remain and which players will be let go/involved in deals in the future.

I'm not a fan of his work (previous as well), but I don't see Potter going anywhere this season.

Edited February 6, 2023 by robsblubot

[Gundalf 805]

Guy definitely deserves a full preseason with a balanced, injury free squad. 

[Vegetable 830]

2 hours ago, robsblubot said:

Not only that, but also the signings the club has been making. They all aim next season + and do not necessarily address the issues the team has today.

I'd say yes and no. If they are not solving our problems now, they won't solve them in 6 months time as well. There is a lot of talk about "future" and "next season", but there is no sign of anything actually starting to develop towards the "future". We have to start to produce something now.

I don't know what people are thinking. Potter really had it more comfortable, than anyone in PL so far. What's gonna happen "next season"? He is going to finally read "managing top club for dummies"? Develop some mentality in himself? We will throw another 600 million into new players? Or this whole fuss was only to prove we are solely hanging on James individual effort?

The "injuries" talk is also half-bs. Except James, the injuries are Kante, who may not be here next season, Zakaria, who may not be here next season and Mendy, Fofana, Pulisic and Broja, who are not making the starting 11 anyway as things stand now. So the "injuries" excuse for Potter pretty much comes to James being out.

[Vesper 30,085]

10 minutes ago, Vegetable said:

So the "injuries" excuse for Potter pretty much comes to James being out.

could not disagree more

number one you left out a huge player, Chilly

and

Kante, Kovacic, Chilwell, Reece, Wes Fofana, Broja, Sterling, Mendy, Zakaria, RLC,  and Pulisic all have been injured, some for ages, and many of these are key players

this instantly discredits your thesis

Edited February 6, 2023 by Vesper

[Vegetable 830]

7 minutes ago, Vesper said:

could not disagree more

number one you left out a huge player, Chilly

and

Kante, Chilwell, Reece, Wes Fofana, Broja, Mendy, Zakaria, RLC,  and Pulisic all have been injured, some for ages, and many of these are key players

this instantly discredits your thesis

I Respect the opinion. Missed Chilwell indeed. As for others, people should decide if they want those players out or we cannot function without them as one contradicts other a bit.

Kante is a key player imo, but people were bashing him endlessly and wanted out before he got injured. Fofana is rotation for now, Zakaria did good for whole two games he had chance to play, Mendy was benched anyway, Broja hardly a starter, rest is on transfer list. I wouldn't say lack of RLC, Broja or Puli is something that instantly puts us in 10th place really.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Vegetable

[Vesper 30,085]

Just now, Vegetable said:

I Respect the opinion. Missed Chilwell indeed. As for others, people should decide if they want those players out or we cannot function without them as one contradicts other a bit.

Kante is a key player imo, but people were bashing him endlessly and wanted out before he got injured. Fofana is rotation for now, Zakaria did good for whole two games he had chance to play, Mendy was benched anyway, rest is on transfer list. I wouldn't say lack of RLC, Broja or Puli is something that instantly puts us in 10th place really.

Kova too

injuries have played a MASSIVE role in why we are fucked atm

I never bashed Kante's play

I said long ago we should sell him for huge cash whilst we still can because he is going to start to fall apart physically

and I was correct

[Superblue 6,372]

3 hours ago, ZAPHOD2319 said:

With all this talk about Potter out, didn't they give him a rather long contract? There could be FFP complications to buying him out and bringing in a high profile manager that demands high wages.

It's been reported that the new players bought in over the last two windows and the players signing new contracts have much more heavily incentivised contracts now, and also wage drops if they fail to reach the Champions League.

I'd be surprised if Potter doesn't also fall into this bracket with regards to remuneration. I also wouldn't be shocked if the club have included some form of break clauses or lower compensation to move him on in the event of failure for Champions League qualification, etc.

[YorkshireBlue 3,264]

One thing I find funny is, people bang on about how we was a top 4 team that got to the champions League semis last year, but quickly forget how many of them players have been injured all this year! Funny how things are twisted to fit people's narrative.

Edited February 6, 2023 by YorkshireBlue

[lucio 5,418]

3 hours ago, Gundalf said:

Guy definitely deserves a full preseason with a balanced, injury free squad. 

Based on what? His current results or his unbelievable time at Brighton? Curious to why he deserves us to potentially derail next season just to give him more time.

[Gundalf 805]

12 hours ago, lucio said:

Based on what? His current results or his unbelievable time at Brighton? Curious to why he deserves us to potentially derail next season just to give him more time.

Because no one can assess his work. Guy jumped in in September, had no squad for weeks during and after the world cup and had only half of the squad available since then. Did Potter even have a single full training week with the whole squad yet?

To say Potter has failed already and shouting for a sack based on the given circumstances is just dubious and populist. 

[TheHulk 2,402]

26 minutes ago, Gundalf said:

Because no one can assess his work. Guy jumped in in September, had no squad for weeks during and after the world cup and had only half of the squad available since then. Did Potter even have a single full training week with the whole squad yet?

To say Potter has failed already and shouting for a sack based on the given circumstances is just dubious and populist. 

As if you need a full squad to avoid domination by Nottingham and Fullham, the excuses some find for this guy is amazing. Diche in his first match, with a shit squad and no transfers already did more than Potter did in 6 months.

Edited February 7, 2023 by TheHulk