I'd Be Happy With Sparky, Svennis Or Curbs

[White Noise]

So you are the Fulham board. The Chairman has said he is willing to provide a decent transfer kitty (say £15 million) this summer for the new manager and consistent funding beyond that.

What are your objectives for the season and what are the criteria you draw up to measure the managerial candidates against?

Objectives for next season

1) To finish somewhere between 8th and 12th in The Prem.

2) A domestic cup semi-final

3) Retention of the key members of the playing staff.

4) The addition of 3 or 4 first team players with the potential to play 20 plus games each in their first season.

5) The introduction of more young players into the first team set-up.

6) The continuation of the youth development strategy and the acquisition of high quality young players.


New Manager Criteria

1)   An experienced manager who has succeeded in different club roles
2)   A manager with Premiership management experience
3)   Someone who will command the respect of the players
4)   Someone who will be able to retain and attract players at the current level of the playing staff – if not better.
5)   Someone with a good coaching approach and a successful playing philosophy
6)   Someone with intelligence, gravitas and humility
7)   Someone who will stay for at least two seasons
8)   Someone who can identify with the profile of the club, its unique character and the expectations of the fans
9)   Someone with some level of international experience to provide access to a broad pool of potential signings and a flexible, modern approach to football.

My personal order of choice from the three most frequently mentioned candidates would be Sparky, Sven and Curbs. Sparky ticks all of the boxes for me as is a manager of real talent and potential. Sven is still a good coach and man manager for my money and would do a good job provided his wage and transfer budget demands were realistic. Yes, he doesn't stay around long – but then who does these days. What is the average tenure of a manager now – 14 months? Sven did a good job at Citeh and I thought was quite badly treated. That leaves Curbs. I always liked him when he was at Charlton and quite liked their style of football (no, really!). He had the stringiest of shoestrings to work on but kept turning up good little players from home and abroad and walked away when he felt he had taken the club as far as he could. He was subsequently proved right in this. His time at West Ham saw them escape almost certain relegation and then achieve a top 10 finish the next season – sound familiar? Yes he made some duff buys but I think subsequent events have illustrated that he was being encouraged to sign players at any money to satisfy the demands of his crazy Icelandic bosses. No-one was calling for his head but he walked after getting 6 points from the first 3 games of the next season because players were being sold without his permission. He subsequently won his constructive dismissal case against the Spammers. He is cautious and intelligent and has a reasonable rapport with most of his players – though clearly Konch and others may see it differently.

If you see last season as the high watermark, where we were managed by the manager of the season, then it will be difficult for anyone to replicate RH's achievements much less stabilise the playing staff and league position following his departure. If the club want steady, no drama, experienced management that will fit the budget and keep us in mid-table, nicely competitive and playing reasonable football then Curbs would be a decent option.     

[White Noise]

Interesting to compare 'Managerial Stats' for the gentlemen mentioned above. Roy's win percentage at Fulham is 39.37%, Curbs at Charlton was 38.06 and West Ham was 40.85, Sparky at Blackburn - 43.62% and at Citeh - 46.75 while Sven at Citeh was 42.22. I know it is just stats but they suprised me anyway!!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Hodgson

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Curbishley

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Hughes

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sven-Göran_Eriksson

Also, who do you think Roy would recommend as his successor to the Fulham board if he was asked. I would bet it would be Sven every day of the week.

[jarv]

Agree with the 3 choices. Bobby Robson said " the team with the best players usually wins the most". Most important is signing another striker, box to box midfielder and defender.

On the bright side. For all you travelling supporters, maybe a few more in the W column.