• 6 Dec 2023, 9:58 p.m.

    Fair enough, but that’s kind of what I meant, but also he wants the accolades that success brings.

    Sentimentality won’t come into it.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10 p.m.

    Literally no-one is saying they want another 25 years down there.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:02 p.m.

    This is the key question. MGW, Elanga, Yates and Toffolo clearly still are. I think Mangala and Aina are too. There are too many others who just can't be bothered.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:04 p.m.

    So I’d rather try and stay up. I’m not buying the “odds” argument against someone else. Cooper has lost the ship (whatever the mitigation, which is significant), there’s no real sign of life to believe we’ll turn this around. I don’t even think it’s that tough a call. Sorry.

    Maybe they will give him the Wolves game but I doubt it.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:06 p.m.

    Why would they? They only just got here. If it gets tough and you give up, you still keep getting paid.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:07 p.m.

    Plenty of people are saying they rather get relegated under Cooper rather than replace him. If that happens do you think that (a) SSC stays and (b) we bounce back up after a season?

    I’ll go with (d) it’s a total crapshoot and we could end up back down there for years

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:09 p.m.

    Still, our victory against Villa is starting to look all the more extraordinary...

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:14 p.m.

    It was a bad day.....but overall we were much worse last season. Give a manager a bunch of players, that have never played together, and not at this level, and you will get failure from more coveted managers than Cooper is. Even if you spend a billion quid on them.

    Top managers are totally unaccustomed to dealing with the problems that Cooper is, and it's worse if it's mid-season. Almost nobody has had success this way before. On the back of consecutive miracles, and with a track record of having successfully navigated a more severe problem as recently as last season, my money would be more on Cooper to do it again, than anyone I can think of.

    If you can point me at a manager who has experience with this type of squad, at this level of competition, been successful, and can be appointed, I'm all ears.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:22 p.m.

    I’d argue Lopetegui did just that last season with Wolves. (Success being defined as taking a squad that were hurtling downwards and keeping them up with several games to spare).

    In terms of top managers being accustomed, Pocch is doing exactly that at Chelsea and Ten Haag to a lesser degree at Manu: difference being they have more buffer vs relegation but Champs League is the expectation given the budgets. I’m not saying they are successful but they are accustomed to the concept you describe.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:26 p.m.

    Nope. Wolves were a way better more experienced squad than ours. No comparison...and he chucked the towel in because he couldn't significantly improve the quality more. Chelsea are 6 points ahead of us, and have spent 800 million more. Ten Haag has access to way better players - many who have been established at the level for years, and has spent on marquee top bunce players.

    Absolutely no comparison.

    The three who I can think of are Dyche - the squad isn't right for the way he sets up, and he has a better job, Eddie Howe, who I've long been a fan of, but who isn't leaving Newcastle, and Potter - who wont come because the owners model doesn't fit with his. So you can forget them as well.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:33 p.m.

    Anyway. We beat Villa, who have beaten ManShitty tonight. So we are kings of Europe again.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:37 p.m.

    We will have to disagree on Lopetegui and Wolves.

    You go on believing that Cooper will turn this around and continue to argue that he would have done even after he’s sacked. I am firmly of the opinion that he will be gone in the next five days. I’m not happy about it but it’s difficult to defend his position. It’s not just Maranakis, I can’t think of many premier league owners who would keep him.

  • 6 Dec 2023, 10:38 p.m.

    Presumably because Rhodri was missing again. As soon as he isn't in their team they look a totally different team.