ClaphamFox

Last summer we appointed our new permanent manager on 20 June. The previous summer it was 16 June. Today is the 2nd of June.

That explains the delay. We're waiting until after the Club World Cup. Makes sense now...

Very succinctly put. This is why it always surprises me when people compare Dyche to Pearson. Pearson wasn't the most tactically sophisticated manager, but in every other respect he was very modern and forward-thinking. If he was more tactically savvy in addition to his other qualities, he'd have been highly sought after. Dyche is not only a dinosaur tactically, he's a dinosaur in his approach to management in general.

I suspect the lack of communication with Ruud is because they want to keep him as a back-up option. If they sack him before finding his replacement there is a risk they could end up with somebody worse. And given the threat of a points deduction is hanging over us for the second consecutive summer, finding a quality replacement may not be straightforward.

It's early June. While we would all prefer it to be sorted out sooner rather than later, if there is one period in the entire calendar year when clubs have the luxury of taking their time over a managerial appointment, surely it's in the month after a season ends when the players are all away? I'd much prefer the club took its time to make a decent appointment rather than rush to appoint somebody unsuitable just because they're out of contract and want the job.

The odds tell us precisely zero. The bookies have no more idea than anybody else what will happen.

We weren’t cleared in January. They just didn’t announce a charge because we were still in arbitration with them over 22/23. Most of the media took the lack of charge to mean we had been cleared, but we now know that wasn’t the case. From memory I think the BTG twitter account did jump the gun by claiming we’d already received a points deduction (which could never have been true as no Commission had even been appointed, let alone delivered a verdict). But it’s not true to say we were cleared in January - it was just that the PL delayed announcing our charge because we were already in a legal dispute with us over something else.

Would you prefer that nobody ever shared any tidbits they’d heard that might give us an insight into what’s going on at the club? Such information is always going to be hit and miss, but let’s be honest, most of us love a bit of inside gossip - especially as the club is so secretive and closed off…

That ‘not so much’ still worries me. ‘He’s given up hope’ would suit me better.

This however was posted a few minutes ago…

It probably means nothing at all, but…

Mea culpa 😂 As my dear old great grandfather always used to say, never jump into online discussions when you don’t know the context…

Matt Mills left us seven years before Rodgers joined.

It’s going to do wonders for RVN’s confidence/motivation when spends the next month assuming he’s going to be sacked and has mentally checked out already, then on the day before pre-season training starts he gets a text from Rudkin saying, “in the end we couldn’t find anyone else. See you tomorrow!”

The fact that we have a thread entitled ‘Next manager’ that has been dominated for the past few days by a discussion about past managers tells you everything you need to know about our current situation.

That's not true. When all the media were reporting that KDH was off to Brighton on January 2024, it was Dorsett who poured cold water on the story. My impression has always been that Dorsett errs on the side of caution and only publishes stories when he's very confident in them, which is not what you could say of Football Insider or TalkSport...

Yep. Rob Dorsett understands what the word 'latter' means. He clearly meant to say that Martin is unlikely.

So we haven't even begun proper talks with Martin yet, let alone appointed him...

Unsurprising. My frustration at the total lethargy of our club is mixed with relief that reports of Russell Martin's imminent appointment were exaggerated.

Why do you say that? Most reports suggest otherwise...

Not wishing to diss your source, but that sounds like a very odd arrangement. Why would there be a clause preventing RVN's departure being announced once the decision has been made? There's no obvious benefit to either party. If it was related to his severance package being reduced once we're no longer a PL club, I could understand the logic. But a clause that prevents anybody talking about a sacking after it has been done? That doesn't make much sense to me...

To be fair we weren't exactly quick off the mark in 23/24 either. Dean Smith wasn't told he wouldn't get the permanent gig until a couple of weeks after the season ended and Maresca was appointed on 16 June. Martin joined Southampton a week later but Leeds didn't appoint Farke until July, I think....

It could be speculative, as you say. But it wouldn't surprise me if they've had an off-the-record conversation with RVN or - more likely - his agent. Either way, it looks like those reports last week that RVN was on the verge of being sacked and replaced by Russell Martin were a bit premature. A few days ago there were rumours that we'd have some news today, but I'm not holding my breath personally...

They don't have the guts to initiate the break-up conversation, so are acting all distant and mean in the hope he'll break up with us.

Daily Mirror reporting this morning that Ruud is 'still in the dark' about the club's plans... https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/ruud-van-nistelrooy-leicester-psv-35309751