Enzo & cabellero

[Levi Port]

How sensitive are some of you, it’s an ex manager out of work who doesn’t live far, watching the early kick off of a club who he used to work for and did a fantastic job for. Christ 

[Pita]

Maybe Chelsea are going to buy him the club as a going away present 🤣🤣

[Mickyblueeyes]

The man was approached by an utter idiot despite being lined up by some absolute monster clubs. 
 

All this shows is he is a gentleman. Instead of laughing down the phone at the little twerp, he showed up at the game, with his assistants, as a token gesture. 
 

We are dealing with an idiot in Top. Many people know that. 

Edited 28 February by Mickyblueeyes

[worthosoriginals]

55 minutes ago, turkish14 said:

That was my thought too… Enzo on his own is bizarre. But with his two assistants too?

Of all the conspiracy theories about him being here today, let's disregard one, that hes here looking to buy luke thomas for man city for  next season 

[worthosoriginals]

8 minutes ago, Levi Port said:

How sensitive are some of you, it’s an ex manager out of work who doesn’t live far, watching the early kick off of a club who he used to work for and did a fantastic job for. Christ 

Sorry but that's not mental enough for some nutters here

[jimsmallman]

“Sorry Top, I’m really not interested in the job. Don’t cry. Listen… I’ll come along to a game or something, how’s that?”

[inckley fox]

3 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

In the kindest possible sense, that’s a ludicrous post.  Who did he misspend on? Because coady and winks were already in their way here before Enzo got involved. 
 

and with winks, you can’t say he misspent because he utilized him very well and he was a pivotal part of the side. 
 

It’s so easy to say it was an easy job, yet so many  of those players are still here and are shadows of what they were for Enzo.  
 

Yes he struggled towards the end but when he tried to refresh us in January something all teams do, he got nothing.   We signed young starts like mads and fatawu, how is that not planning for the future? 
 

it’s just a case that people will never be happy. No job is easy in football, you can spend 200m and still look awful. He did an excellent job, whether you liked the football or not. We had a chance to push on that summer and had he stayed, we would have been  completely different team and the position we would be in now would be light years ahead of what we’ve got.  
 

 

we’ve had many wobbles over the years and typically we bottle it, Enzo didn’t. That should be commended not used against him 

 

Again, with all due respect, this is utter tripe. The overwhelming weight of evidence doesn't back up any of these points.

 

If we work on the principle that Winks and Coady weren't the work of any manager (because if Maresca didn't sign them, then neither did Smith or Rodgers, did they?), then it begs the question: can we blame any boss, from Rodgers to Cooper, for any of our recruitment in any way at all? If we can't, then surely that makes Cooper a pretty damn good manager, doesn't it? A guy who not only had to overhaul our playing style and deal with a pending points deduction, but also abide the most miserable set of players in our history, and the signings of Ayew, Reid, Skipp and Okoli, regardless of whether he wanted them or not. And still had us in 16th, way after the players had turned on him. Do you really believe that version of events? Or do we accept that managers, several weeks into their reign, do actually have a say in who they want? You can't have your argument both ways.

 

Both Coady and Winks were signed over two weeks after Maresca's arrival. If you look back on this forum, the only links to either of them which preceded Maresca were over a year before the manager arrived. The idea that they were 'already on their way' is an absolute fabrication, and even if it were true, it would mean that the manager had no hand in transfer policy, and therefore not in the acquisitions of Hermansen and Fatawu either.

 

And, by the way, while we made a profit on Mads, and have compiled a nice highlights reel for Abdul, neither were particularly great signings for the club. Big money second tier buys that don't make the step up are, as a rule throughout footballing history, nothing exceptional. If we go down, I doubt anyone will be poring over the Fatawu documentary when, in an ironic after-fart, it appears on Youtube in the wake of our extinction.

 

Maresca spoke, publicly, of how he'd felt we needed a leader like Coady, and a ball player like Winks. What more evidence do you need that the manager gave a green light? And, while we're at it, you most definitely can't defend Winks on the grounds that he was fine for six months (before being a nightmare for much of the rest of his contract, and the very epitome of the cultural malaise at the club). Every sensible pundit has said that our downfall has been a result of a serious cultural problem at the club, and dreadful application from the players. As talented as Winks is (the best player today, by far, I'd add), you can't deny that he's been the epitome of those problems under the last three managers. And our results with him in the side, for nearly two years, have been dramatically worse than when he's out of it. So yes, I'd say that's a pretty crap signing.

 

We were the most expensive ever FLC side when Enzo took over. The clearest cut favourites for promotion ever. As I've always said, he deserves full credit for doing the job that literally everyone in football expected him to. Not everyone delivers the apparently inevitable, so yes, well done. You've conveniently forgotten that his team, in contrast to Rowett's, boasted Hermansen, a younger Ricardo, a younger Vardy, KDH and Ndidi. Even if you consider that immaterial, his aim, as many correctly predicted (and now seems blindingly obvious), was always to use us as a launchpad for his career. And he succeeded in that, just. 

 

But it meant that the backbone of our team, and the fundaments of our style of play, were totally incompatible with PL survival. It didn't matter to Enzo, of course, but we still had Faes and Vestergard at the back. Our midfield hinged on a Winks who only wanted to play for Enzo, and a player who we had to sell (because of what we'd spent on Winks, Coady and Cannon). In attack, we still depended on a 37 year-old. We'd not even been on top six form for the final quarter of the season, and even if we'd spent another season at that level we'd have required a tactical rethink. In the PL, it was always going to need that, and more. Oh, and it may yet turn out that our spending in that FLC season earns us another deduction. Perhaps Enzo is exempt from criticism for that. But it doesn't exempt him from criticism for presiding over a team which retained our worst traits from the preceding relegation, and added nothing sustainable - at PL level at least - to it.

 

Contrast that to the sides that came up in 96 and 2014, when the lower levels were used as a platform to properly rebuild.

 

Anyway, my point stands. You can only judge Maresca to be a successful Leicester manager either from his own perspective, or from a painfully simplistic standpoint. Obviously he deserves ample credit for that promotion, but it didn't help our cause at all in the long run. And was never supposed to.

 

Edit: You're a great poster, I do tend to agree with you, and understand your points here too. Sincere apologies for being brusque - it's been a tough day, and I'm feeling more contentious than normal!

Edited 28 February by inckley fox

[fox in the sox]

Has there been a precedent of a former manager returning for a random match? I can only remember it happening on special occasions.

[Lambert09]

1 hour ago, inckley fox said:

Again, with all due respect, this is utter tripe. The overwhelming weight of evidence doesn't back up any of these points.

 

If we work on the principle that Winks and Coady weren't the work of any manager (because if Maresca didn't sign them, then neither did Smith or Rodgers, did they?), then it begs the question: can we blame any boss, from Rodgers to Cooper, for any of our recruitment in any way at all? If we can't, then surely that makes Cooper a pretty damn good manager, doesn't it? A guy who not only had to overhaul our playing style and deal with a pending points deduction, but also abide the most miserable set of players in our history, and the signings of Ayew, Reid, Skipp and Okoli, regardless of whether he wanted them or not. And still had us in 16th, way after the players had turned on him. Do you really believe that version of events? Or do we accept that managers, several weeks into their reign, do actually have a say in who they want? You can't have your argument both ways.

 

Both Coady and Winks were signed over two weeks after Maresca's arrival. If you look back on this forum, the only links to either of them which preceded Maresca were over a year before the manager arrived. The idea that they were 'already on their way' is an absolute fabrication, and even if it were true, it would mean that the manager had no hand in transfer policy, and therefore not in the acquisitions of Hermansen and Fatawu either.

 

And, by the way, while we made a profit on Mads, and have compiled a nice highlights reel for Abdul, neither were particularly great signings for the club. Big money second tier buys that don't make the step up are, as a rule throughout footballing history, nothing exceptional. If we go down, I doubt anyone will be poring over the Fatawu documentary when, in an ironic after-fart, it appears on Youtube in the wake of our extinction.

 

Maresca spoke, publicly, of how he'd felt we needed a leader like Coady, and a ball player like Winks. What more evidence do you need that the manager gave a green light? And, while we're at it, you most definitely can't defend Winks on the grounds that he was fine for six months (before being a nightmare for much of the rest of his contract, and the very epitome of the cultural malaise at the club). Every sensible pundit has said that our downfall has been a result of a serious cultural problem at the club, and dreadful application from the players. As talented as Winks is (the best player today, by far, I'd add), you can't deny that he's been the epitome of those problems under the last three managers. And our results with him in the side, for nearly two years, have been dramatically worse than when he's out of it. So yes, I'd say that's a pretty crap signing.

 

We were the most expensive ever FLC side when Enzo took over. The clearest cut favourites for promotion ever. As I've always said, he deserves full credit for doing the job that literally everyone in football expected him to. Not everyone delivers the apparently inevitable, so yes, well done. You've conveniently forgotten that his team, in contrast to Rowett's, boasted Hermansen, a younger Ricardo, a younger Vardy, KDH and Ndidi. Even if you consider that immaterial, his aim, as many correctly predicted (and now seems blindingly obvious), was always to use us as a launchpad for his career. And he succeeded in that, just. 

 

But it meant that the backbone of our team, and the fundaments of our style of play, were totally incompatible with PL survival. It didn't matter to Enzo, of course, but we still had Faes and Vestergard at the back. Our midfield hinged on a Winks who only wanted to play for Enzo, and a player who we had to sell (because of what we'd spent on Winks, Coady and Cannon). In attack, we still depended on a 37 year-old. We'd not even been on top six form for the final quarter of the season, and even if we'd spent another season at that level we'd have required a tactical rethink. In the PL, it was always going to need that, and more. Oh, and it may yet turn out that our spending in that FLC season earns us another deduction. Perhaps Enzo is exempt from criticism for that. But it doesn't exempt him from criticism for presiding over a team which retained our worst traits from the preceding relegation, and added nothing sustainable - at PL level at least - to it.

 

Contrast that to the sides that came up in 96 and 2014, when the lower levels were used as a platform to properly rebuild.

 

Anyway, my point stands. You can only judge Maresca to be a successful Leicester manager either from his own perspective, or from a painfully simplistic standpoint. Obviously he deserves ample credit for that promotion, but it didn't help our cause at all in the long run. And was never supposed to.

 

Edit: You're a great poster, I do tend to agree with you, and understand your points here too. Sincere apologies for being brusque - it's been a tough day, and I'm feeling more contentious than normal!

It’s always hard to tell mate but I think with the signings point, I think we do have a blended approach. Some are club signings but I don’t think we’re the type of club that say to a manager you get what you’re given.  
 

With Enzo there’s evidence that Casadei and Doyle were both players he requested. Which i mean, tbf to you were both not that good for us.  With cooper, there’s no way he asked for okoli and I doubt he’s even heard of bilal. But  the media did clearly say that cooper told the club we needed premiership proven players with good experience. So it’s pretty obvious he was driving the club towards players like ayew and bdcr. Even skipp had youth ties to him… so I would bet a lot that cooper said go get him he’s worth it. 
 

Brendan is interesting because there was talk that he got more involved in transfers towards the end of his tenure. But again, some are more obvious, Bertrand for example was with his son’s agency. 
 

with Enzo, he was happy to be given players with a skill set he requested.  I agree he wouldn’t have hand picked either of the 2 I mentioned but the point I was making was more that he wasn’t necessarily selfishly aiming at one season…. The same maybe can’t be said for cooper.  
 

Most managers would tell you, get to the prem however you can and you build when you get there. Forest replaced a full squad. It’s much easier to bring in players and I guess with Enzo we simply don’t know how he would have shaped us. But he’s a smart guy and he knows what he wants and I’m fairly certain we would had very technically gifted players arrive at the club. Probably wouldn’t have worked for us but we would have been well placed for a return to the prem. 
 

always happy to have a debate here and I certainly wasnt someone that loved Enzo. But he did a good job and I appreciate that.

He made the right choice to leave and we have to accept we will be a stepping stone, the problem is when we don’t look like a project that will take someone to that next opportunity… which is where we are rn 

 

Edited 28 February by Lambert09

[hebangsthedrums]

2 hours ago, David Lowe said:

They contacted him about the managerial role, he wasn’t interested but they ended up inviting him to a match.

I said it on the match thread - rudderz fax offering him the managers job only arrived yesterday. 

Can't afford to pay his train fare back so let him use some of the empty seats in hospitality  

[TeamRocket]

Maybe hes buying the club

[Lambert09]

I did not realise the new technical director was with them…. Now that is something. What’s going on here?  

[teblin]

Only just clocked this thread as been out. What a strange situation.

[AjcW]

Did I imagine the commentator saying he or one of the team still live in Nottinghamshire when they panned to them the first time? 
 

I was half watching and they were showing a few people in the box so could have been someone else, but thought it was worth bringing up. 

[kingpowerout]

4 minutes ago, AjcW said:

Did I imagine the commentator saying he or one of the team still live in Nottinghamshire when they panned to them the first time? 
 

I was half watching and they were showing a few people in the box so could have been someone else, but thought it was worth bringing up. 

Yeah the commentator said Enzo lives in South Nottinghamshire.

 

I’m pretty sure him and his team attending yesterday was likely just a gesture of good will after turning down any approach to return. 

[AjcW]

11 minutes ago, kingpowerout said:

Yeah the commentator said Enzo lives in South Nottinghamshire.

 

I’m pretty sure him and his team attending yesterday was likely just a gesture of good will after turning down any approach to return. 

Yes, and for all Anthony’s faults he’s very good at deflective PR, he’d make a killing in politics  

[Lambert09]

6 hours ago, kingpowerout said:

Yeah the commentator said Enzo lives in South Nottinghamshire.

 

I’m pretty sure him and his team attending yesterday was likely just a gesture of good will after turning down any approach to return. 

Have you ever heard of that happening before? If anything that feels disrespectful to the person who got the job. 
 

imagine if Russel Martin showed up to martis first game. Just to show off that we wanted him first 😂 and bringing the back room team and sitting with the new technical director? It’s all very odd 

[HP1]

5 minutes ago, Lambert09 said:

Have you ever heard of that happening before? If anything that feels disrespectful to the person who got the job. 
 

imagine if Russel Martin showed up to martis first game. Just to show off that we wanted him first 😂 and bringing the back room team and sitting with the new technical director? It’s all very odd 

Its nothing like that situation as Maresca used to manage here and won the championship with us and clearly still has a good relationship with Aiyawatt et al. Russell Martin has no association with us.

[lee7]

It's a bit weird that Enzo turns up to watch a our match with his two assistants and the new technical director.

 

I have seen posts on twitter assuming that it was to watch Mukasa but for me that makes no sense at all. 

Why would he sit with our new technical director if that is what he was here for? 

 

 

I may be making this up but I am fairly certain that when Gary Rowett was asked about the Leicester job prior to taking on the role he answered with something about us being really ambitious and at the time we were linked with Southgate..

 

I could be well off the mark but maybe Rowett has been tasked with keeping us up and then in the summer he will leave paving the way for Maresca to return only this time he'll be given full control of everything 

 

[Lambert09]

27 minutes ago, lee7 said:

It's a bit weird that Enzo turns up to watch a our match with his two assistants and the new technical director.

 

I have seen posts on twitter assuming that it was to watch Mukasa but for me that makes no sense at all. 

Why would he sit with our new technical director if that is what he was here for? 

 

 

I may be making this up but I am fairly certain that when Gary Rowett was asked about the Leicester job prior to taking on the role he answered with something about us being really ambitious and at the time we were linked with Southgate..

 

I could be well off the mark but maybe Rowett has been tasked with keeping us up and then in the summer he will leave paving the way for Maresca to return only this time he'll be given full control of everything 

 

That would be superb. Maybe Enzo’s been told with the last year of ffp dropping off that there’s room to build and likes the idea of doing it with someone he knew from man city. We can hope! 

[HP1]

43 minutes ago, lee7 said:

It's a bit weird that Enzo turns up to watch a our match with his two assistants and the new technical director.

 

I have seen posts on twitter assuming that it was to watch Mukasa but for me that makes no sense at all. 

Why would he sit with our new technical director if that is what he was here for? 

 

 

I may be making this up but I am fairly certain that when Gary Rowett was asked about the Leicester job prior to taking on the role he answered with something about us being really ambitious and at the time we were linked with Southgate..

 

I could be well off the mark but maybe Rowett has been tasked with keeping us up and then in the summer he will leave paving the way for Maresca to return only this time he'll be given full control of everything 

 

Again you're living in fantasy land if you believe that last paragraph. Enzo could have most jobs in the Premier league when they become available and some top jobs in the champions league in any of the other biggest leagues in europe.

 

He will have some time off im sure and bide his time until a proper club without all the ridiculous baggage like ours comes calling.

Edited 1 March by HP1

[Silva Fox]

2 hours ago, Lambert09 said:

Have you ever heard of that happening before? If anything that feels disrespectful to the person who got the job. 
 

imagine if Russel Martin showed up to martis first game. Just to show off that we wanted him first 😂 and bringing the back room team and sitting with the new technical director? It’s all very odd 

Quite embarrassing for Aiyawatt too I should imagine as it turned out - Enzo arrived at the Hospitality entrance just as the protest had moved there, loudly calling for King Power to get out of our club! 

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

21 minutes ago, Silva Fox said:

Quite embarrassing for Aiyawatt too I should imagine as it turned out - Enzo arrived at the Hospitality entrance just as the protest had moved there, loudly calling for King Power to get out of our club! 

He also acknowledged the protestors as well. Would have been very easy for him to ignore, and perhaps you think he would. But then again there were media stories saying he got frustrated with Rudkin so maybe he knows…

[Lambert09]

21 minutes ago, Wasyls Pec Deck said:

He also acknowledged the protestors as well. Would have been very easy for him to ignore, and perhaps you think he would. But then again there were media stories saying he got frustrated with Rudkin so maybe he knows…

The one positive if it is Enzo, is that he must know there’s a big reshuffle happening. Which we all half doubted with Rudkin still being here. But it definitely gives us a bit of hope that maybe top is clearing things out and if what he’s putting together attracts Enzo that has to be a good thing 

[Wasyls Pec Deck]

Just now, Lambert09 said:

The one positive if it is Enzo, is that he must know there’s a big reshuffle happening. Which we all half doubted with Rudkin still being here. But it definitely gives us a bit of hope that maybe top is clearing things out and if what he’s putting together attracts Enzo that has to be a good thing 

I hope you’re right, but I highly doubt it