Post by rickyqpr on Aug 27, 2022 9:47:22 GMT
Thought I would start a Beale thread to revisit throughout the season.
Being a Head Coach / Manager of a football club is pretty unusual. It is a high risk, high reward career. You need to be a strategist, a fitness expert, tactician and a proficient public relations officer.
It is fair to say that Beale is learning on the job, and it is still very early days – I really want him to succeed. It is far too early to make a judgement, but some early thoughts.
The widow remains open for far too long, and the top clubs control the timing of transactions forcing a trolley dash down the pyramid in the last week. Shortening the window would not solve the trolley dash, but it would allow everyone to draw a line and run with what they have got. In our case, Beale has changed his mind about many of his early statements. I am ok about him changing his mind, I am more concerned about what is says for the state of our club and the infrastructure he has joined, He seems to be getting quite a free hand. Ok if it works out, I hope it does, but I am glad the window closes soon.
But the remit of working with the youngsters seems to have shifted slightly to working with the under 21s – we know he likes Jude-Boyde, Gubbins, Drewe and Armstrong. His background is working with the youngsters so perhaps he sees the development to be longer term than first thought.
He seems to have concluded that the fringe players are not good enough. The poor finish last season was probably the biggest clue. Yesterday, he was saying how he is going to have to talk to players about them moving on. Not sure how easy that will be. Thomas, Hamalainen, Dozzell, Shodipo, Dukes-McKenna and Bonne presumably vulnerable. He seems to like Masterson, but rarely plays him – he seems to think that he could play defensive midfield. The message about the central midfield could well be pointed at our club captain.
Youngsters need game time and so I think quite a few could join Kelman and Owens playing elsewhere. Our two keepers probably head the exit list – I wonder how much we subsidise these loans. My guess would be quite a bit, in return for guaranteed game time.
By Friday we will know if Beale has been able to sign who he wanted, and I guess it will be clear if his selection and judgement has been backed. I hope in doing so, the club will be able to communicate about the affordability of the decisions taken. All I ask for is consistency in the communication about FFP and our standing.
As I said above, the change of direction I can live with, if having looked at the situation, change may well be necessary. But what does it mean for our recruitment team, our youth set up and the role of the Director of Football. We were reliably informed about how badly it went wrong for Warburtom, with behind-the-scenes disputes. We have invested heavily in Heston and Beale has repeatedly said how delighted he is with the future opportunities and the set-up. I guess that the division between academy and first team, partly due to location, can not be fixed overnight. I guess watch this space.
I have read so much from the Ramsay and Ferdinand haters, I hope that Beale’s interview yesterday represented a joined up view at HQ. We cannot afford another dispute, another manager departure – especially if he feels he has been misled or let down. But Ferdinand and Ramsay need this to work as much as Beale does.
But my advice to Beale as we leave the window would be, keep your views private for far longer. It was good to hear the plans yesterday, but better that the players hear things first, not read it in the press. Saying that he is going to have to talk to some of the players is not a good message. The message about central midfield was fair, but clumsy IMHO. I also feel that it needs to be less about him and more about the club. It is him talking to other clubs, players and agents – again something of a departure. When appointed he was Head Coach, but now he sounds more like a manager than Warburton did – Warbs always referred to the ‘We’ or that the D0fF handled transfers. So perhaps Beale over time will be less open (some would say honest) and a little more guarded. He also seems to give so many interviews, far more than his predecessors.
I really hopes that Beale stays for a long successful shift – my feeling is that his ambition and impatience may make it a relatively short spell with us. He has already said that what he discovered on joining was ‘not what it said on the brochure’.
I like the start Beale has made, even if the results have not followed. I like his honesty (subject to the above caveat above) and I think he knows what he is talking about. At times, he reminds me of an old manager I once knew who had a habit of over complicating the simplest of messages. It seems that some players do not carry out his intentions on the pitch (again central midfield) – perhaps his methods leave some of our less intelligent players behind. He probably knows now that he is not going to be an overnight success. He also knows that we need a goal scorer and is probably prepared to bet the farm to get one – as much for his reputation as the success of the club.
Meanwhile, Alex Neil walks out on Sunderland to join Stoke, reminding us that there is no loyalty in football. Sunderland fans believed he was the best manager outside of the Prem. Presumably, Stoke fans can now run with that mantra. Sunderland fans can start again with a new man after Neil had spent heavily in the window.