by Owzat » Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:16 am
How many managers do get too much credit for "tactics" when throwing on multimillion pound substitutes, having the most expensive squad in the league, having all at their disposal etc? Jose deserves credit for winning the CL with Porto but that's about it, and even then it's not something THAT special since it is only a cup competition albeit with two-legs most of the way. Porto are the best side or one of the best in Portugal, depends on the season, while at Chelsea he had heaps of money and Inter were already a strong side in Italian football when he took over.
fergie gets way too much credit for his achievements with the mancs. Fair enough they were nowhere, and HE almost got them relegated. But when they first won the league they had one of the most expensively assembled squads in the league and no real rivals to speak of - they'd bought Leeds' best player, we were rubbish and Arsenal were going through a dip so it was BLACKBURN ROVERS and NEWCASTLE UNITED that posed his main threat until Wenger came along and upset his applecart since when he's won seven of the last 12 league titles - three since Chelsea imploded. Most of my credit to fergie comes from winning the SPL with Aberdeen in the face of old infirm domination, and a European trophy. As a manager since he's not tested himself, had one of the most expensive squads plus some of the best kids in the land drawn to the club or poached, hardly performing miracles any more than Jose did. His last three titles have been in no small part down to Cristiano Ronaldo, without whom they've continued to win but not convincingly and even lost to lowly Burnley. Maybe they will best their city rivals as a team is more than an assortment of individuals yet to gel properly and with a cr ap manager. But if spacky does win then it will further prove the point about money.
But fair play to fergie in terms of getting started in the Premiership. He did what couldn't be done anymore, bought the best player from two big name rival clubs in Cuntona from Leeds (reigning champs) and thug from Forest (good team then under Clough) That would be like us buying Ronaldo from the mancs last season for say £7m and Fabregas from Arsenal for £13m. £1.5m and £3.75m were sizeable fees in those days, but even so £1.5m for the best player of the Champions is silly and Leeds were stupid to sell. The Keane deal was better for the selling club, but still a relative bargain since fees had already gotten to around the £2m-£3m mark, we sold Rush and bought him back around four seasons earlier for just under £3m. fergie also got in bargains in Irwin for less than a million, and Schmeichel for £500k. Add to that one of the more expensive CBs in Pallister who cost about £2.3m and you have a fairly expensive assembled squad. To put the Pallister fee into perspective, it isn't much less than Sami cost a good five years later. He later filled in the flanks with Beckham and Giggs who cost nothing, Scholes in midfield and nobhead at RB. Those four alone would probably have cost the best part of £30m-£40m if bought around 1996 which was about the cost of a good XI in 97/98. The most expensive XIs in 97/98 were £45m Man Utd, £28m Liverpool, £32m Arsenal and £39m Chelsea. Consider how much the manc XI could have cost had Giggs, Beckham, Scholes and nobhead been given transfer values. Quite probably it could have doubled the cost of their XI and put them way ahead of the rest who had no youth players of that kind of standard.
So in essence, managers who win the league have normally spent enough to make it not such the big achievement they get credit for. I give more credit to Kenny for taking Blackburn up, and winning the league. Fair enough he spent a fair amount on players, but Liverpool and Man Utd spent more and the signing of Shearer (£3.3m) was as clever as signing Cuntona had been for the mancs but with a lot less recognisition. Maybe again a silly sale on the part of Southampton this time, but to take a side from lower league to Premiership and convert them to champions is something that possibly won't be achieved again.
I give Arsene Wenger more credit than Jose certainly, to win the league in the face of clubs with vastly superior funding/resources, and to reach the Champions League final in the same scenario is admirable. He sells key players because he has to, but still they are there or thereabouts (top four certainly).
Wenger > fergie > Jose
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