Marti Cifuentes appointed new manager

[Lambert09]

I think Danny Rohl ends up at sunderland. I really don’t rate their manager and I think they’ve been stumbling through pre-season and feels like with the mega money going in, their owners may not be patient. 
 

Rohl would be the easy choice for a club who want to be ambitious and sunderland are certainly not playing it safe 

[Ric Flair]

2 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

I think Danny Rohl ends up at sunderland. I really don’t rate their manager and I think they’ve been stumbling through pre-season and feels like with the mega money going in, their owners may not be patient. 
 

Rohl would be the easy choice for a club who want to be ambitious and sunderland are certainly not playing it safe 

Think thats a massive disservice to Le Bris, he's got a decent track record. Rohl at this stage looks a promising manager with only minor experience (albeit done very well under a bat shut crazy owner)

[ronnup]

Rohl will probably get a job with the first decent championship club pull the trigger

[lfu]

42 minutes ago, ronnup said:

Rohl will probably get a job with the first decent championship club pull the trigger

There were rumours he (or his wife?) wanted to return to Germany, right? I reckon he'll go to a 2. Bundesliga team

[Sol thewall Bamba]

On 26/07/2025 at 11:41, Sol thewall Bamba said:

He needs the fans on side quickly and the best way to do that is to freeze out the players that don't want to be here. He can say the right things and coach the team well but he's always going to struggle if he's picking Faes, Soumare etc and making Coady the captain.

TICK. NEXT! 

[Spudulike]

Could be wrong but at this moment it feels like we have a proper manager now.

[Lambert09]

1 minute ago, Spudulike said:

Could be wrong but at this moment it feels like we have a proper manager now.

Squad looked like it knew what it was doing. I think we have bilal buy in and I’m starting to think he might stay 

[Dan]

There's a lot to fix but good signs from him. High press will always win fans over.

[Rigga]

Even before today I still saw no reason why we couldn’t get top 6 easily..

the pts deduction (if and when it happens ??) may impact that..

 

 just don’t think the championship is that  strong… our squad is poor for PL level but even some of the deadwood is decent championship level.. 

[Andrew]

8 minutes ago, Lambert09 said:

Squad looked like it knew what it was doing. I think we have bilal buy in and I’m starting to think he might stay 

Think it's vital that he does

[Paninistickers]

10 minutes ago, Dan said:

There's a lot to fix but good signs from him. High press will always win fans over.

Some odd personnel decisions. We have better than that starting xi today 

[BeaumontFox]

2 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

Some odd personnel decisions. We have better than that starting xi today 

I wasn’t sold on the starting XI, but they got the job done against an alright Serie A squad. I’m a fan of him at the moment.

Edited 3 August 2025 by BeaumontFox

[dmayne7]

5 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

Some odd personnel decisions. We have better than that starting xi today 

Were they odd choices or just choices that lots of us didn't like!

[Dan]

6 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

Some odd personnel decisions. We have better than that starting xi today 

Agree - will give him some benefit of the doubt as he (ridiculously) has only been here about three weeks. Really is stupid when you consider we got relegated in April.

 

There are massive flaws in our side. Unfortunately every manager is handicapped by the idiots above him.

[BeaumontFox]

I was sat directly behind the bench today. Obviously only a friendly, but he appeared calm, in control and intelligent. Great communication with players and his team. 

[honeybradger]

I am worried that Nelson isn't starting, Monga isn't starting, Alves isn't coming off the bench and Evans isn't even involved.

 

Feels like the youngsters are going to held at arms length for yet another season which would be the wrong decision.

[Fox85]

12 minutes ago, Paninistickers said:

Some odd personnel decisions. We have better than that starting xi today 

Well that odd starting XI just beat a team comfortably that finished 6th in seria A.

 

Yes a friendly but it shouldn't of been a walk in the park like that 

[BeaumontFox]

2 minutes ago, honeybradger said:

I am worried that Nelson isn't starting, Monga isn't starting, Alves isn't coming off the bench and Evans isn't even involved.

 

Feels like the youngsters are going to held at arms length for yet another season which would be the wrong decision.

It was a friendly. Let’s see what he does over the coming weeks. I love Monga, but Mav and Fatawu were the right call today. Kasey tackled his own man FFS.

[kingfox]

I got round to watching Marti’s coaching voice video the other night, pretty much all the principles he mentioned, we are seeing them come to fruition already. 
 

Building with 2 or 3 from the back, inverting the full-backs and pushing them high, using wide triangle rotations, using the “third man”, all those principles have been on show in pre season. 
 

What has impressed me the most though, especially today is our pressing. That aggressive counter-pressing style is my favourite style of football to watch, if we press that aggressively moving forwards, then Marti could make us a seriously fun team to watch. 

[Sol thewall Bamba]

👍🏼

[Old Fox]

18 minutes ago, Fox85 said:

Well that odd starting XI just beat a team comfortably that finished 6th in seria A.

 

Yes a friendly but it shouldn't of been a walk in the park like that 

We need to be slightly careful as there first half team was an experimental 11 with only 3 or 4 starters - although I was impressed with Okolio and Thomas who both looked good whilst what can you say about Abdul !!!

[Pliskin]

3 minutes ago, Old Fox said:

We need to be slightly careful as there first half team was an experimental 11 with only 3 or 4 starters - although I was impressed with Okolio and Thomas who both looked good whilst what can you say about Abdul !!!

We do, but equally flip the scenario and we wouldn’t be happy to lose that easily. Thought they looked really poor, unimaginative and lacking any real threat. Italian football is doggo though, gone are the days of the 90’s. 

[Chelmofox]

29 minutes ago, honeybradger said:

I am worried that Nelson isn't starting, Monga isn't starting, Alves isn't coming off the bench and Evans isn't even involved.

 

Feels like the youngsters are going to held at arms length for yet another season which would be the wrong decision.

I sat in H1 and got to see Monga up close in the 2nd half. Mavididi has to start over him, but surely he will be used a lot in the season.

[Swarles Barkley]

37 minutes ago, honeybradger said:

I am worried that Nelson isn't starting, Monga isn't starting, Alves isn't coming off the bench and Evans isn't even involved.

 

Feels like the youngsters are going to held at arms length for yet another season which would be the wrong decision.

Monga won’t start next week. He’s only 16 and will get a fair bit of game time this year but needs to be eased in. 
 

Nelson has been injured and Marti is doing the right thing by easing him back in as well. 
 

Alves probably should have got some minutes but Evans looks too raw from the other friendlies

Edited 3 August 2025 by Swarles Barkley

[honeybradger]

4 minutes ago, Swarles Barkley said:

Monga won’t start next week. He’s only 16 and will get a fair bit of game time this year but needs to be eased in. 
 

Nelson has been injured and Marti is doing the right thing by easing him back in as well. 
 

Alves probably should have got some minutes but Evans looks too raw from the other friendlies

Evans is too raw but Daka and Mcateer arent?

 

Would be a major loss if we lose him to another club. If we didn't have Monga he would be our biggest talent in our academy.