Never appoint a Spanish manager in the Championship

[Bellypork]

Owners watch matches played by Man City, and think that they'll have some of that. What they don't seem to realize is that to play that way requires players of a standard not found at this level. The Spanish game is pass and move; you stand off your opponent so he can't cramp your style, you play football in your defensive third, you tip and tap. It's a game played as much in the head as at the feet, and requires players of tremendous skill.

We've seen this happen at a club not far away from here. At first the manager tries to implement his style, but after several games realizes that the players can't play it. The snag is, it's the only style he understands. Players give away silly goals, the defenders and goalkeeper lose confidence. Players are standing around not knowing who to pass to. The ball struggles to be passed from back to front, leading to few chances...

So the manager then tries experimenting with different formations, hoping that something will drop for him. Defeat follows bitter defeat, until the players cease playing for him. You choose your manager to suit the players you have (and can afford), and these owners as yet don't appear to understand that.

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

If you must, then you sign 3 or 4 Spanish players as well

 

[riselikeasalmon]

The trouble is we have got rid of a club manager and appointed a team coach, so there’s a massive void between the board and the team.

If they want to change the way the club is structured they need to get a director of football in 1st to make the Coach appointment but they’ve run out of time to do that

Without the infrastructure, they need another club manager, not another team Coach, which isn’t what they want for the long-term of the club

The owners have messed up massively

 

[Lightsoot]

Owners watch matches played by Man City, and think that they'll have some of that. What they don't seem to realize is that to play that way requires players of a standard not found at this level. The Spanish game is pass and move; you stand off your opponent so he can't cramp your style, you play football in your defensive third, you tip and tap. It's a game played as much in the head as at the feet, and requires players of tremendous skill.

We've seen this happen at a club not far away from here. At first the manager tries to implement his style, but after several games realizes that the players can't play it. The snag is, it's the only style he understands. Players give away silly goals, the defenders and goalkeeper lose confidence. Players are standing around not knowing who to pass to. The ball struggles to be passed from back to front, leading to few chances...

So the manager then tries experimenting with different formations, hoping that something will drop for him. Defeat follows bitter defeat, until the players cease playing for him. You choose your manager to suit the players you have (and can afford), and these owners as yet to

 

[jiminiesmeow]

I think that's maybe a bit of a generalisation in terms of Spanish managers, who we've seen before can be successful at this level - Cifuentes did well at QPR in the circumstances and has started strongly at Leicester, Corberán was very good for Huddersfield and WBA, Karanka got Boro up a few years ago... even Xisco (who turned out to be shite admittedly) turned Watford's form around and got them promoted in 20/21

I think the disaster of Sellés is, unfortunately, down to him personally and his tactical ineptitude at insisting on playing his way, whereas other, better Spanish managers have been able to adapt

 

[Bellypork]

I think that's maybe a bit of a generalisation in terms of Spanish managers, who we've seen before can be successful at this level - Cifuentes did well at QPR in the circumstances and has started strongly at Leicester, Corberán was very good for Huddersfield and WBA, Karanka got Boro up a few years ago... even Xisco (who turned out to be shite admittedly) turned Watford's form around and got them promoted in 20/21

I think the disaster of Sellés is, unfortunately, down to him personally and his tactical ineptitude at insisting on playing his way, whereas other, better Spanish managers have been able to adapt

Fair point, but Wilder's style is completely different to that of a Spanish manager (bar Karanka). Karanka played in a similar way to Wilder, but with inferior players IMO. I said last season that under Wilder United were playing like a non-parachute club which was going for promotion, and argued that the team was good enough to do better than that. I understand Wilder's emphasis on defence, after what had happened the previous season, and maybe had he stayed then United would have been more expansive this season.

 

[Blade82]

Maybe Rafa Benitez would like another crack at this league ?

 

[Thrice]

If you must, then you sign 3 or 4 Spanish players as well

That's actually what I was secretly hoping for. That he would attract players from Spain. Hasn't happened though.

 

[Blade In Flame]

That's actually what I was secretly hoping for. That he would attract players from Spain. Hasn't happened though.

He couldn't even attract players from Hull.

 

[Ndiayewillalwaysloveyou]

Where's the Bristol City manager from?

Funny how they get a new forgein coach and they're smashing teams for fun but us...

 

[Champagneblade]

The trouble is we have got rid of a club manager and appointed a team coach, so there’s a massive void between the board and the team.

If they want to change the way the club is structured they need to get a director of football in 1st to make the Coach appointment but they’ve run out of time to do that

Without the infrastructure, they need another club manager, not another team Coach, which isn’t what they want for the long-term of the club

The owners have messed up massively

If you replace someone, it has to be with someone better or of the same overall quality but with different attributes.

Unless the barometer was the ability to speak Spanish then I don’t know what criteria was applied to replace Wilder with Selles.

If they’d replaced Wilder with Cooper, Dyche or even Rohl, you might have some sort of debate, and I think the latter has to achieve far more to be in that conversation. But just keeping Hull up, and almost making a mess of that, doesn’t even get an interview for a team in third.

Also, it’s a very fair minded post from Bellypork. Sellés is in the process of making Xisco look not the worst managerial appointment by a Sheffield club, and that seemed nigh on impossible.