Hammo

A talented, albeit one-footed midfielder who repeatedly proved his worth at second-tier level with Luton and us but, let’s be honest, impressed only in fits and starts in the PL and - lest it be forgotten - was a prominent member of a relegated team. If he turns out to be a success at Chelsea, I will be very surprised. The same goes for Maresca.

The club statement will undoubtedly lie that he was the first choice all along. Cooper himself is not the problem. He will start here with a clean slate. It’s the increasingly unedifying, fan-unfriendly incompetence of those in charge that has me worried.

If the players are as underwhelmed by this appointment as the fans - and why wouldn’t they be? - we are going one place and one place only.

On the evidence so far that’s a mighty big ‘if’.

I don’t blame him for leaving. It’s a big opportunity and an offer he couldn’t really refuse. And we get a decent payoff. But am I deflated by his departure? Not a bit. It wasn’t the style of his football that frustrated me so much as his inflexibility and chronic inability to think outside the box when his “idea” was malfunctioning against mediocre opponents. And do I wish him well? No, why should I? His team are in the same division as ours. They are rivals - and there is nothing that would please me more than beating Chelsea next season. No one knows how he will get on at Stamford Bridge but this time next year Chelsea will be one of 32 teams playing in the new expanded FIFA World Club Cup in the USA. If he is still in charge for that, he’ll have done well. But this is Chelsea we’re talking about, and for that reason it’s just as likely as not that he won’t be.

You don’t know that at all.

Excellent piece. Well written. Soundly backed up with facts. And very observant. Top notch.

I was more deflated when we spoilt the title winning celebrations by losing at home to Blackburn

Any manager who is not eternally wedded to a single trendy ‘philosophy’ or ‘idea’ but is sufficiently clever, free-thinking and versatile to get the best out of the players at his disposal, adapt to circumstances (opposition, injuries etc) accordingly, and - obviously - keep us in the Premier League would get my vote. Not sure who that might be though. 🤔

Let’s face it. It’s been a patchy relationship all along between Maresca and the LCFC fan base, never one of mutual love and respect. He got us promoted at the first time of asking - which is obviously to his credit - but losing seven of our last 14 games, including those three hideous 1-0 away defeats in a row, has inevitably cost him a lot of that credit (as the fan poll at the time clearly demonstrated). The fact that he is flirting with a bigger club is understandable but also certain to cost him even more of that credit if Chelsea decide not to appoint him. The relationship is fractured. Probably best to break it up now rather than let it drag on. As far as the players are concerned, most of them will adapt easily to a new man in charge. It’s the nature of the game. Managers come and go. Players too. All that really matters right now is that we are back in the Premier League.

Replacing a proven Premier League manager with a novice is quite the gamble, but if Chelsea offer Maresca the job, of course he’ll take it. He’d be mad not to. If they don’t, though, we’d better not offer him a ridiculous, potentially ruinous contract just because they came sniffing. And if he isn’t happy with his lot after the interest from elsewhere, the last thing we need is a Rodgers-type situation where a miffed manager is no longer psychologically invested in or fully committed to the team or the club.

Yes, the mismanagement (to the point of complete exclusion) of Vestergaard, and Soyuncu - two players notable for playing out from the back - is high on the lengthy Rodgers charge sheet. Especially when he invariably selected a player who struggled to make a simple pass from A to B (Amartey) ahead of them. Was it sabotage rather than stupidity? You do wonder. Anyway, we move on…

In his defence I do remember Vestergaard being our best player in a home game against Man City shortly after he joined. I think he deserves a new deal after his stellar season in the Championship. But obviously Maresca has to offset his lack of pace somehow - either tactically (unlikely) or with new pacier personnel.

‘Narcissistic’ is spot on but there is another word beginning with a ‘C’ that was invented for Rodgers. However he strives to package or project himself (and of course he does this a lot), most people will always think of him first and foremost as a ‘C’.

My innate sense of old fashioned justice means that I usually feel that whichever team finishes third deserves to go up. This year? Not so much.

His legacy? We wouldn’t have won the FA Cup for the only time in our history without him. But yeah, overall he hasn’t done his talent full justice here. Which is a shame.

You make some very sound points in his defence… but your first and last paragraphs are risible. Wherever Maresca plies his trade, he is going to be subject to criticism from some of the fan base because of his tactical inflexibility and often tedious possession-based strategy. It ain’t for everyone and he should know this. That has nothing to do with fans being ‘entitled’ (yawn). And if he is so touchy that he can’t handle any criticism, even constructive criticism, and uses that as a pretext for wanting to leave, then I would see that as a major character flaw on his part that will hinder him in his future career. You need thick skin to be a successful manager.

Greater Escape.

Which is exactly what you would write if you are trying to defend your mate the manager and avoid apportioning any blame in his direction.

I rarely read Balague stuff these days because I know he always has his own personal narrative to pursue. And we all know he is a big mate of Enzo. Did he by any chance mention in the article that Maresca oversaw seven defeats in our last 14 games? You know, just as a counterbalance to all the arse licking? No? Thought not.

He got us promoted and we won the league as well, so that’s obviously job done and he deserves considerable praise for that. But would I be upset if he decided to take his ‘idea’ elsewhere in the summer rather than test it out with us in the Premier League? Can’t say I would. Sure, there is no guarantee that a replacement would be any better. I don’t have a problem with the way Maresca wants the team to play. But I do have a problem with how tactically rigid, inflexible and naive he is, which to an extent we were reminded of today.

A great defensive midfielder in his day, his tackling out of this world. But not technical or creative enough to be a ‘No8’ in the Premier League. Thanks for the memories, Wilf.

Those three goals in six minutes at home to Southampton. Abdul and Vardy in excelsis. Counterattacking masterclass. Fast. Accurate. Glorious! KDH’s performance at St Andrews. He was on fire that night. Never seen him play better. 2-1 win v Cov. Ignited the season on day one.

In a nutshell

Aficionados of the same Ministry of Truth as Dele Alli, Eric Dier etc.