Ali Mac

[Moussa Dembele the 3rd]

Let's just quickly go through his "decisions" this season:

1. Doesn't back Jol in the summer transfer market (speculation on this board is that he did so to impress the new owner)
2. Waits to long to fire Jol when it is obvious that something is very wrong in the team
3. Replaces Jol with someone Jol himself wanted to come in and help with coaching duties
4. Despite Rene's good start, installs Curbishley over his head and tactics and results immediately change for the worse.
5. Backs Rene in the winter transfer window and allows him to recruit some youngsters from his Man U days.
6. A week later fires Rene after two really good displays and before he can really set up his own team let alone use the record striker that he just signed.
7. Replaces Rene with someone with a successful record, but a very spotty reputation who also happens not to be someone our best player (Holtby) likes playing for.

Quite a year.

[alexbishop]

Doesn't even fire Rene. Recruits this guy behind his back expecting Rene to resign so we don't have to pay compensation...

[Moussa Dembele the 3rd]

Doesn't even fire Rene. Recruits this guy behind his back expecting Rene to resign so we don't have to pay compensation...

Oh yes I forgot that bit. Thanks!

[LillieBoy]

4.  Thought Rene asked for this one.

What about Wilko?

Otherwise pretty spot on.

[Moussa Dembele the 3rd]

4.  Thought Rene asked for this one.

What about Wilko?

The way I read it was that Ali Mac appointed Curbishley because he didn't have confidence in Rene. Rene then requested Wilkins as his assistant. At least that's how the guardian portrayed it.
Otherwise pretty spot on.

[EJL]

René said on 5Live that both Curbishley and Wilkins were his calls. Apart from that, I agree with all of your points.

[GloucesterWhite]

Let's just quickly go through his "decisions" this season:

1. Doesn't back Jol in the summer transfer market (speculation on this board is that he did so to impress the new owner)
2. Waits to long to fire Jol when it is obvious that something is very wrong in the team
3. Replaces Jol with someone Jol himself wanted to come in and help with coaching duties
4. Despite Rene's good start, installs Curbishley over his head and tactics and results immediately change for the worse.
5. Backs Rene in the winter transfer window and allows him to recruit some youngsters from his Man U days.
6. A week later fires Rene after two really good displays and before he can really set up his own team let alone use the record striker that he just signed.
7. Replaces Rene with someone with a successful record, but a very spotty reputation who also happens not to be someone our best player (Holtby) likes playing for.

Quite a year.

With respect you haven't much idea about running a business. If Ali Mack had gone out and spent £10M that summer when Mo had said there's no money available what do think would have happened? Unfortunately life isn't like that.

[GloucesterWhite]

You may remember that Mo borrowed several million against this year's TV money just to keep the club solvent (and to save him having to dip into his own pocket again). So there was no money for transfers that summer. How is that Ali Mack's fault? He is just the hired help, he doesn't have the power you think he does.

[MJG]

You may remember that Mo borrowed several million against this year's TV money just to keep the club solvent (and to save him having to dip into his own pocket again). So there was no money for transfers that summer. How is that Ali Mack's fault? He is just the hired help, he doesn't have the power you think he does.

Just to confirm other clubs also took out loans over the summer to the next payout of TV money. All of which was paid back and confimed at the takeover.

[west kowloon white]

8. Took a long time to fill the Manager vacancy.
RM jumped the gun-back room staff to be sorted today?
Too much conjecture.

[the nutflush]

1.  Fails to give Guus Hiddink a call.

[GloucesterWhite]

You may remember that Mo borrowed several million against this year's TV money just to keep the club solvent (and to save him having to dip into his own pocket again). So there was no money for transfers that summer. How is that Ali Mack's fault? He is just the hired help, he doesn't have the power you think he does.

Just to confirm other clubs also took out loans over the summer to the next payout of TV money. All of which was paid back and confimed at the takeover.

So what. All I'm saying is that there was no money for Ali Mack to spend on transfers, yet so many blame him for not buying. Maybe he's to blame for all the rain as well.

[vagrant]

Let's just quickly go through his "decisions" this season:

1. Doesn't back Jol in the summer transfer market (speculation on this board is that he did so to impress the new owner)
2. Waits to long to fire Jol when it is obvious that something is very wrong in the team
3. Replaces Jol with someone Jol himself wanted to come in and help with coaching duties
4. Despite Rene's good start, installs Curbishley over his head and tactics and results immediately change for the worse.
5. Backs Rene in the winter transfer window and allows him to recruit some youngsters from his Man U days.
6. A week later fires Rene after two really good displays and before he can really set up his own team let alone use the record striker that he just signed.
7. Replaces Rene with someone with a successful record, but a very spotty reputation who also happens not to be someone our best player (Holtby) likes playing for.

Quite a year.

Can pick so many holes in those statements.  Mostly heresay........

[Aaron]

Just playing devils advocate here, but frankly I agree with you.. I believe Ali Mac has had more to do with our decline than some others would have you think.

1. Doesn't back Jol in the summer transfer market (speculation on this board is that he did so to impress the new owner)

I would have thought MAF had a hand in this as Khan didn't take over until the middle of July and presumably liquidising and shifting around large quantities of money takes a while.

2. Waits to long to fire Jol when it is obvious that something is very wrong in the team

Agreed.

3. Replaces Jol with someone Jol himself wanted to come in and help with coaching duties

I think appointing Rene was a good move regardless.  We had a hole in the backroom staff and Rene was brought in to fill this.  If we assume that Jol had already been given an ultimatum by this stage then I would agree, the timing of the move was very foolish.. Who's to say the next man in line was going to want Rene's expertise?

4. Despite Rene's good start, installs Curbishley over his head and tactics and results immediately change for the worse.

It would appear that Rene was the one who called for Curbishley's appointment.  I don't think he had the confidence in himself to do the job without support.

5. Backs Rene in the winter transfer window and allows him to recruit some youngsters from his Man U days.

Mitroglou and Holtby were the other two major signings though and both of them sound like players Magath might have been interested in.  I'm wondering if he'd already been lined up by this stage?  I also don't think it's a total disaster for the two youngsters from United whether Rene remains on board or not.  They're both better options than we had before and Magath doesn't have a transfer window to play with between now and the end of the season.

6. A week later fires Rene after two really good displays and before he can really set up his own team let alone use the record striker that he just signed.

I think the decision was made after Sheffield United and it just took a while to line up an adequate replacement.  Rene was a dead man walking going into these games.

7. Replaces Rene with someone with a successful record, but a very spotty reputation who also happens not to be someone our best player (Holtby) likes playing for.

He's also someone who doesn't take any crap and has the ability to turn teams on their head very quickly.  It doesn't *really* matter whether or not the players like him so long as he keeps us up and isn't being viewed as a long term solution or a manager who is going to rebuild the team for us.

Quite a year.

Indeed!

[Moussa Dembele the 3rd]

"The future for the first-team technical director, Alan Curbishley, is less clear, although the early indications are that he could be retained. He was brought in over Christmas by the chief executive, Alastair Mackintosh, who had long harboured doubts about Meulensteen's ability to lift the club out of relegation danger." The Guardian

Ali Mac brought in Curbishley

[LillieBoy]

"The future for the first-team technical director, Alan Curbishley, is less clear, although the early indications are that he could be retained. He was brought in over Christmas by the chief executive, Alastair Mackintosh, who had long harboured doubts about Meulensteen's ability to lift the club out of relegation danger." The Guardian

Ali Mac brought in Curbishley

But he also brought in Rene!

[Moussa Dembele the 3rd]

"The future for the first-team technical director, Alan Curbishley, is less clear, although the early indications are that he could be retained. He was brought in over Christmas by the chief executive, Alastair Mackintosh, who had long harboured doubts about Meulensteen's ability to lift the club out of relegation danger." The Guardian

Ali Mac brought in Curbishley

But he also brought in Rene!

Because Jol asked him to.

[LillieBoy]

"The future for the first-team technical director, Alan Curbishley, is less clear, although the early indications are that he could be retained. He was brought in over Christmas by the chief executive, Alastair Mackintosh, who had long harboured doubts about Meulensteen's ability to lift the club out of relegation danger." The Guardian

Ali Mac brought in Curbishley

But he also brought in Rene!

Because Jol asked him to.

I don't believe that for one minute.