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Post by Macmoish on Jul 7, 2010 7:41:16 GMT
Leicester Official Site - Sousa joins FoxesLeicester City Football Club has today announced the appointment of Paulo Sousa as the new manager. Sousa brings with him a wealth of experience from a playing career that earned the midfielder two UEFA Champions League titles, as well as domestic league and cup successes in Portugal, Italy and Germany. The appointment sees the club welcome a new era at the Walkers Stadium under the stewardship of the former Portugal international. Leicester City Chairman, Milan Mandaric, said: "I am delighted to acquire a manager of such great calibre. Paulo has an excellent reputation as both a player, and now as a manager, and I believe that he is the right man to take our club forward. I admire his style of football and I am sure all supporters will join me in looking ahead to the new season. Sousa himself is eager to start the new campaign: "I am delighted to be here, it is a great club with great supporters and a rich history and I am very excited by the challenge. The Club has a fantastic stadium with great facilities and I am very much looking forward to working with the players." www.lcfc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10274~2085814,00.html (Different suit!)
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Post by Macmoish on Jul 7, 2010 8:57:12 GMT
An analysis This is Leicester How new City manager Paulo Sousa compared with predecessor Nigel Pearson Former City boss Nigel Pearson At first glance, former Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson and his successor Paulo Sousa appear not so much chalk and cheese, as granite and gorgonzola, writes Rob Tanner. City owner Milan Mandaric could not have acquired a more different manager to step into Pearson's shoes than the former Portugal international. They are at opposite ends of the football spectrum – or so it would seem. As players, Pearson was made very much in the traditional English mould. An uncompromising and reliable centre-back, he led Sheffield Wednesday and then Middlesbrough to Wembley. No frills, no spills – Pearson got the job done and led by example. An organiser and a role model, his team-mates looked up to him. Sousa was a true cosmopolitan midfielder and one of Portugal's Golden Generation, which included Louis Figo. He played more than 50 times for his country, but also enjoyed huge success in domestic football in Portugal, Italy, Germany, Greece and Spain, winning back-to-back Champions League titles with Juventus and Borussia Dortmund. As managers, they appear very different too. Pearson is a real tracksuit manager, who is very rarely seen out of his training kit. He was the Gaffer, the Boss. By contrast, Sousa is always immaculately dressed in a smart suit and, like most continental managers, has developed a love of a smartly-folded scarf to keep out the rigours of the English winter. His long, distinguished greying hair is more Vidal Sassoon, while Pearson's military style is more back-street barber. Pearson is quiet and understated, but can communicate with his players with just a cold, hard stare, although he is no shrinking violet when he wants to get his point across, to his team or to the officials. However, he normally appears restrained and in control. Sousa is constantly animated in the technical area and delivers his instructions with the exuberance, expressiveness and flamboyance associated with continental coaches. While you never quite know what Pearson is thinking, you are left in no doubt as to what is on Sousa's mind as he displays his emotion. Pearson has fantastic contacts within the domestic game and has unearthed some young, English gems, while Sousa knows the continental game inside out and has an international contacts book. While Pearson's City side were certainly no long-ball team, they could mix it up between going direct and keeping it neat and tidy, but they weren't averse to getting the ball forward quickly to the danger men. Sousa's City will be considerably more patient and will constantly build from the back. In fact, one criticism leveled at Sousa was that his Swansea side over-played last season and didn't get the ball into the danger areas quickly enough, resulting in the worst goal-scoring record in the division. But they share a belief in defensive strength providing a firm foundation, that you have to still be in it to win it, and keeping clean sheets is the key. Neither enjoy the media side of management either, but while Pearson gives nothing away in press conferences, Sousa's passion cost him his job at Queens Park Rangers. His reign lasted just 26 games until he revealed in a post-match press conference that his main striker, Dexter Blackstock, was being loaned out to Nottingham Forest without his knowledge. He was sacked by the QPR hierarchy "for divulging sensitive information''. Another similarity between the managers is that both are very much their own men. As Sousa proved in that QPR incident, he is no one's puppet and he will not compromise his beliefs on how to develop a successful team. He appears to share Pearson's philosophy that it is his neck on the chopping block if results are not forthcoming, so he may as well do the job his way. There will be no question of who is pulling the strings on the playing side of the club. Despite the apparent differences between the two, the one precious commodity both Pearson and Sousa share is that they are winners. Both proved it as players and, after adding a League One Championship title to his managerial CV, and taking City to the play-offs last season, Pearson's stock is rising as a manager. Thirty-nine-year-old Sousa is still very much in the fledgling years of his managerial career and, while his Swansea side faltered at the end of last season and missed out on the play-offs, it was their highest finish for 27 years. He is highly thought-of too. They may have their different methods, but Sousa and Pearson share a common goal – to build a successful football team. They may not exactly be peas from the same pod, but they are from the same allotment. www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/sport/new-Leicester-City-manager-Paulo-Sousa-compared-predecessor-Nigel-Pearson/article-2387581-detail/article.html |
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Post by blatantfowl on Jul 7, 2010 8:57:25 GMT
He's easier on the eye than Colin
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Post by funky on Jul 7, 2010 9:24:39 GMT
Not very loyal is he?
Glad we binned him when we did he would of probably done the dirty on us.
Hope Leicester fans are looking forward to a roller caoster of 0-0 draws.
Boring Boring Sousa
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Post by haqpr1963 on Jul 7, 2010 9:27:25 GMT
Not very loyal is he? Glad we binned him when we did he would of probably done the dirty on us. Hope Leicester fans are looking forward to a roller caoster of 0-0 draws. Boring Boring Sousa About as loyal as Olly....... (Ask the Plymouth fans). Fans are loyal, everyone else is just in it for what they can get. Get over it mate..... |
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Post by klr on Jul 7, 2010 9:35:23 GMT
Good Luck & All The Best to him.
Very clearly heading towards the very top of Football Management & only the usual braindead swine like morbidly overweight so called "Football Fans" could fail to see that, surely ?
Will be managing in The Champions League before QPR get a sniff of "The Promised Land"
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Post by Macmoish on Jul 7, 2010 9:57:20 GMT
Agree on the "loyalty" issue.
And possibly (didnt see his team) played boring football
BUT, very good chance a Sousa-led QPR would have made the playoffs
And as always, the primary complaint re Sousa's axing - was the way it was done (and who was involved)
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Post by toboboly on Jul 7, 2010 10:08:21 GMT
He is more loyal than many at QPR Funky, Sheila Marson can tell you all about that...
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Post by funky on Jul 7, 2010 10:36:21 GMT
Good Luck & All The Best to him. Very clearly heading towards the very top of Football Management & only the usual braindead swine like morbidly overweight so called "Football Fans" could fail to see that, surely ? Will be managing in The Champions League before QPR get a sniff of "The Promised Land" It's ok for you you didnt have to sit through his dross football. |
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Post by funky on Jul 7, 2010 10:36:51 GMT
He is more loyal than many at QPR Funky, Sheila Marson can tell you all about that... A loyal servant poorly traeted |
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Post by funky on Jul 7, 2010 10:37:46 GMT
Agree HA I made that point yesterday on 1882.
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Post by toboboly on Jul 7, 2010 11:10:04 GMT
I sat through his "dross football". And I can say that I preferred it to watching Dowie's team, Magilton's team as it crumbled against Leicester, Watford, and managed just a point at Plymouth and scraped through against Accrington.
I preferred it immensely to watching the ineptness of Paul Hart and Mick Harford's sides. I agree that there weren't a huge amount of goals scored during Sousa's period but then he had very little to work with. Besides I seem to remember that letting in a shitload of goals was our problem under Magilton, Harford and Hart, something that would never have happened had Sousa been left to build a team.
The best way to build a team is from the back. Make it hard to beat then introduce some flair and skill once the team is well schooled and has belief.
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Post by cpr on Jul 7, 2010 11:13:53 GMT
I sat through his "dross football". And I can say that I preferred it to watching Dowie's team, Magilton's team as it crumbled against Leicester, Watford, and managed just a point at Plymouth and scraped through against Accrington. I preferred it immensely to watching the ineptness of Paul Hart and Ray Harford's sides. I agree that there weren't a huge amount of goals scored during Sousa's period but then he had very little to work with. Besides I seem to remember that letting in a shitload of goals was our problem under Magilton, Harford and Hart, something that would never have happened had Sousa been left to build a team. The best way to build a team is from the back. Make it hard to beat then introduce some flair and skill once the team is well schooled and has belief. Spot on tobo, nail, head, etc. Some still cannot see the wood for the trees. |
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Post by Lonegunmen on Jul 7, 2010 11:29:08 GMT
I bet Scott Donnelly's pissed unless of course he quickly follows him.
Well said Tobo & CPR, so very true.
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Post by blueeyedcptcook on Jul 7, 2010 11:29:21 GMT
If Sousa, misses, the beat, how long before he gets his Marching orders.  Interesting fact, John Philip Sousa, the great American march composer, parents were also Portugese. |
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Post by toboboly on Jul 7, 2010 11:43:26 GMT
We have also scored only 12 goals from our last 13 games and have conceded 13. Including 4 against Leicester which was described as one of the worst ever performances by a QPR team, this was under Warnock Funky, just in case you didn't realise.
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Post by funky on Jul 7, 2010 11:50:37 GMT
We have also scored only 12 goals from our last 13 games and have conceded 13. Including 4 against Leicester which was described as one of the worst ever performances by a QPR team, this was under Warnock Funky, just in case you didn't realise. You should of been and Forest and Peterborough if you thought they were bad at The Walkers.  Sousa divides opinion and although I kind of get what he was trying to do it just wasnt for me. I loved the football we played under LDC and Magilton before he went mad and hope that this season we can get a team together that will help us challenge. I'm looking forward to this season with a couple of decent signings, and a proper manager and stability I hope we can move forward and have a crack at the play offs. |
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Post by toboboly on Jul 7, 2010 11:59:16 GMT
We played AWFUL football under Magilton apart from a magic patch 6 or so games long. I was at the first two home games and we were lucky to go away even with Blackpool and Forest. Then we took on the mighty Accrington and scraped through as well as picking up just a point against Plymouth away and Peterboro at home.
Even during the good patch we were terrible in defence. Derby away springs to mind.
After Leicester beat us at home it just got worse and worse. Poor losses to Doncaster and Watford. A mauling from a poor Middlesboro team. A draw against Coventry City for goodness sake.
Luckily for Magilton most people will remember the few good games where he and the team stumbled upon some wins. However he should actually be remembered for turning one of the best back lines into the worst and for us struggling against almost every team we went up against.
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Post by klr on Jul 7, 2010 12:21:54 GMT
I think most people can understand / acknowledge that had we kept Sousa as manager we would be further along than we are now in this so called quest to get to "The Promised Land"
And the whole sacking thing was one of the most foul episodes in our history & in the Gianni Paladini era that is really saying something.
Anyone who doesnt think that damaged us as a club is ignorant, a buffoon, an idiot, an imbecile. IE the people that were involved in his sacking were not football people & were definately not QPR people.
This guy would have blatantly moved us forward, now he's going to do it somewhere else, top result you scum!
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Post by Macmoish on Jul 7, 2010 21:32:47 GMT
Leicester Official Site
Ambition The Key For Sousa Posted on: Wed 07 Jul 2010 New City boss Paulo Sousa wants to make his own history at the Walkers Stadium where he was officially unveiled as the new manager today. Soon after his first morning's training session, he spoke of his pleasure at being in charge of the Foxes and his ambitions for the club. He said: "This is a great club with a great history but of course I want to make my own history as well for this club. "I am impressed with the passion and emotion here and that is what I like to work with. When there is emotion it is a big pleasure to myself." Having reached the play-offs last season, City now look to a higher point in the Championship and Sousa said: "We want to reach the stars all the time but at this moment it is about concentrating on the squad, on the players, to make them understand what I want from them. Together with the same ambition I have, we can do great things." The initial groundwork has started with the players back for the pre-season build-up which includes a training trip to Slovenia and Sousa said: "First of all the pre-season is vital to our success. It is important from my point of view to be in a new environment, I believe more in quality than quantity and that is how we started today." A new manager inevitably leads to talk of new players but Sousa said: "We are always looking but for now it is important to learn a little bit more about the players here. I need to know them to make better decisions and hopefully with those decisions we can add something and improve our quality and our standards." Sousa is well aware that when it comes to ambition, no-one has more for the club than Leicester City Chairman, Milan Mandaric, who swooped to take him from the Swans and the manager said: "It is nice to see that because it is my ambition too. I have a lot of desire and with the support of the chairman with the same ambition we can achieve what we want." You can see a sneak peak of Paulo Sousa's exclusive interview via the freeview screen on the home page of lcfc.com. www.lcfc.com/page/LatestNews/0,,10274~2086650,00.html  
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Post by Macmoish on Jul 8, 2010 6:24:30 GMT
So Paulo, do you have a message for all the Swans fans out there? Jul 8 2010 by Blair Wood, Western Mail PAULO SOUSA delivered a parting shot to Swansea City yesterday, brushing aside the fans that once cheered for him to declare his delight at joining a club that can match his ambition.As he sat at the Walkers Stadium press conference to announce his arrival at Leicester City on a three-year deal, Sousa made it clear the Swans had been put firmly to the back of his mind. He may have only left South Wales four days ago but it’s amazing how much the Portuguese has already moved on in such a short space of time. The “Swansea family” he continually spoke of appears to have been disowned. The fans he once pledged to make proud, replaced in a stark fashion. Asked if he had a message for Swansea’s supporters, Sousa shrugged his shoulders, smiled and simply responded: “We are talking Leicester. Swansea is already the past. It’s not the present.”It is often said the Portuguese’s words get lost in translation. But it doesn’t take a linguistic genius to spot that the phrase “thank you” was nowhere to be heard in that response. His reluctance to say anything positive, or to pay respects, to his former club shocked some of the press in attendance. Yet it came as little surprise to the Welsh contingent, some of whom received an e-mail on the drive up to the Walkers which stated that under no circumstances was Sousa to be asked about Swansea. Considering the two-times Champions League winner has barely said a word the whole summer, the request was naturally ignored. Sousa didn’t even talk to the club’s official website when he left, so this was the only chance for the Swans fans to get some answers from the man many of them adored. In the end Sky Sports News broke rank first, asking Sousa if he felt Leicester had more to offer him and more ambition than Swansea. “Swansea is in the past already,” he re-iterated. “Now Leicester is my present. “Of course we create links, especially with players, and it’s not always easy to take these decisions. But one of the main reasons I came is that the ambition of (Leicester chairman) Milan Mandaric and this club comes very close to my own ambition. “That means we can work together to achieve important targets. “The Premier League is the target. That’s where I want to be. I think this club, with Milan’s support, can help me and my players achieve that.” He continued: “Of course I am delighted and it is a pleasure for me to join Leicester. It is a big club with great history. “I am pleased to be here with an ambitious chairman because I am an ambitious manager too. We have spoken about how we can support my ambition, because it is the same as Milan’s. “I have confidence that together we will build a winning club that the fans can be proud of. Working together we can achieve what we expect for each other.” When it comes to football, ambition is often mistaken for a willingness to spend money. If Sousa’s outbursts towards the end of last season are anything to go by, when he blamed a poor run of form on the Swans board’s failure to back him in the transfer market, that is what has happened here. As for why he was stressing the importance of “Milan’s support” and the need to work together, perhaps that has something to do with reports claiming his relationship with Swans supremo Huw Jenkins had deteriorated before his departure. Only the former Portugal international knows if that was a parting shot at his old boss but, considering his new one has had seven managers in three years, it will be interesting to see how long the harmony lasts at Leicester. In Sousa’s defence, when asked if he thought he overachieved at Swansea, he quickly responded: “I have a lot of respect for my former players so I don’t agree with that.” But then even the shine from that remark wore off when he was asked if Swansea was just a stepping stone in his career. “When I make steps it is because I feel it is a better step than before,” he said. “For that, I think (Leicester) is the right club to achieve what I expect from myself.” That was pretty much all the Swansea fans were going to get from Sousa. Not exactly a fond farewell, it’s fair to say. Still, it wasn’t all bad. Considering the desire among Foxes officials to strike the Swans completely off yesterday’s agenda, there was at least a nice slice of irony for people in South Wales to enjoy. For all the talk about how this was not a day to discuss Sousa and Swansea, perhaps the Portuguese should have tried a bit harder to avoid the obvious comparisons to his arrival at the Liberty. From his clean-cut appearance, freshly-cropped hair and shiny suit to the footballing mantras he rolled off at every opportunity, it was a bit like groundhog day for the Welsh press. Talk of a need for high intensity and a winning mentality, developing players and a positive approach was all very familiar. The claim that he didn’t need a big squad, opting for quality not quantity, also gave a sense of deja-vu – not to mention a wry smile considering he had well over 30 senior players at Swansea. And then there was the Leicester Family. Asked if he felt like he needed to get through a longer stint at Leicester compared to five months at QPR and a year at Swansea, Sousa got a bit paternal. The supporters were told to play their part (remember that?) and, in return, Sousa pledged to stay as long as possible to build his new home. “I always want to be at a club for longer,” he explained. “I always talk about the importance, both in my personal and professional life, of family. “Family is about the things you need to build day by day. Of course to stay here longer, I need results, but I have the full confidence I will get them and remain here as long as I can to improve things at what is already a big club. “The supporters have a very important task. They need to support us, believe in us and have confidence in us so that we can make them proud.” Make of it what you will. www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/swansea-city-fc/2010/07/08/so-paulo-do-you-have-a-message-for-all-the-swans-fans-out-there-91466-26808087/
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Post by Macmoish on Jul 10, 2010 6:54:55 GMT
Hmmm! Leicester City fans will love Paulo Sousa's style, says Milan Mandaric Saturday, July 10, 2010, 07:00 www.thebluearmy.co.uk/news/Leicester-City-fans-love-Paulo-Sousa-s-style-says-Milan-Mandaric/article-2400155-detail/article.htmlMilan Mandaric believes Paulo Sousa will add a new dimension and take Leicester City in a new direction City owner Mandaric is also convinced the Blue Army will fall in love with the new manager. Sousa was unveiled as Nigel Pearson's successor on Wednesday and Mandaric said the Portuguese coach was always his first choice, although he stressed he did not hold any talks with the 39-year-old before getting permission from his former club, Swansea City. Sousa has promised a new approach, with the emphasis on quality on the ball and possession football, and Mandaric said he was the right man to take the club to the next level. "I think he will transform the team and take it into a different dimension," said Mandaric. "I have tremendous respect for Nigel Pearson. He did a great job for us and we have to give him credit for that. But that is gone now, and I don't think I could find a better manager for this job than Paulo. "You can see in the way he behaves and the way he talks, that he is a proper guy and I am sure our supporters will fall in love with him. "He is a very intelligent guy. He knows the game in and out and knows exactly what he wants and how to get it. "He was my first choice by far. I haven't known him long. I have known of him and I have been a great admirer of him from his playing days and coaching days. I didn't have any previous discussion with him, to get him to come here as a manager or anything like that. It is a new dimension and a new direction. This is just part of the progress of stepping up in football." Mandaric has appealed to City fans to show patience as Sousa moulds his side in his image. "The last time I appointed Nigel, the fans really gave me support and were very patient," he said. "When the fans saw what Nigel was capable of they were all behind him. This time I have brought the fans another really good manager to replace the good manager we have lost. Please give him support and trust him in his decisions." Meanwhile, Mandaric has revealed that talks with a group of potential investors from the far east are continuing and he said they may meet Sousa soon. "I am talking to some people and that is all. We will see how far we go with that, and I will bring people up to date when it happens and if it happens," he said. "I am sure they will meet Paulo at some stage if it progresses in our discussions but there is no time scale." www.thebluearmy.co.uk/news/Leicester-City-fans-love-Paulo-Sousa-s-style-says-Milan-Mandaric/article-2400155-detail/article.html |
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