Harrysaurus Rex: "How much coaching does Vincent Kompany need?"

[Geng]

Thought this was a revealing quote from his new book, extracts in the Mail:

On money in the game today...
‘Yes the game has changed. There is more money, more of everything and manager’s salaries have improved, but I’m not sure how many of the current lot could hold a light to Clough, Shankly, Don Revie, Ron Greenwood. Jose Mourinho? Probably, yeah. Pellegrini won the title, but he won the title because he has got good players and spends good money. How much coaching does Vincent Kompany need?'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...s-shelves.html

How much? Lots, I'd say. Kompany wasn't born a great centre back. He was signed as a central midfielder for £6m aged 22, a similar price, position and age as Mutch, Fer, Granero or (position aside) Caulker.

He was still thought of as a midfielder a year into his City career. See e.g.: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...year-deal.html

Then someone decided he'd be better off at centre-back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position. Reckon that was by magic, Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they're doing.

What chance Mutch or Fer making a similar improvement or positional change? Close to zero, I'd say. When did a player last improve under us...? It's genuinely tricky to think of a recent QPR player who was clearly better when they left the club than when they joined. Wayne Routledge?

Harry's obviously a dinosaur and it's only a short quote so this is rather fish-in-barrel but the broader point stands. I don't think Tim Sherwood seems like a guy interested in improving players either, is Ferdinand? Don't think he was particularly rated as a coach at Spurs. Fernandes doesn't care about improving players either - just wants "a few more in" every transfer window, Harry-style. It's why Dave McIntyre says he's a perfect match for us.

[march56]

its the other way round here,players come here half decent and end up 10 times worse!!

[QPRDave]

Let's all find a stick to beat arry with........he don't walk his dogs enough does he?.....b**tard
He seems to be staying for the minute, so while that's the case we have to back him and the team.

[Bluehoop]

Then someone decided he'd be better off at centre-back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position. Reckon that was by magic, Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they're doing.

Alternatively

Then someone decided he'd be better off as a winger rather than a left back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position, commanding a world record transfer fee and fitting snugly into the little know Real Madrid with all the pressure that goes with it. Reckon that was by magic Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they are doing.

[stainrodisalegend]

Agree with all that bar the last two sentences. Older fans will remember how Terry Venables crafted a brilliant looking team out of - in some cases - some fairly workmanlike players. Harry just collects names and expects them to do the rest - or so it seems.

Where i disagree is to lay it at the door of Fernandez. Yes he has - like most fans - been naive twice. But ultimately he has given budgets to three managers that have been in vast excess of anything given to managers of similar sized clubs to us. He has also let both employ massive coaching staffs. In retrospect he should have been far stricter about transfers but effectively that is saying our managers have been so bad that the chairman is probably a better judge of player than the manager has been. He should have been able to expect Harry to fashion a decent team out of the players Harry chose to buy. As late as the back end of the transfer window prob the majority view of fans was that the board should leave transfers to "football people". At least the spending splurge of Warnock, Hughes and his dodgy agent friend, and now to some extent Redknapp has shown the folly of that.

That said, the catastrophic failure to replace Remy aside, fans were almost universally delighted with our transfer dealings this window. The big failure has not been buying the wrong players but the failure to put out a well trained, fit, organised team that looks up for the fight.

[QPRDave]

Agree with all that bar the last two sentences. Older fans will remember how Terry Venables crafted a brilliant looking team out of - in some cases - some fairly workmanlike players. Harry just collects names and expects them to do the rest - or so it seems.

Where i disagree is to lay it at the door of Fernandez. Yes he has - like most fans - been naive twice. But ultimately he has given budgets to three managers that have been in vast excess of anything given to managers of similar sized clubs to us. He has also let both employ massive coaching staffs. In retrospect he should have been far stricter about transfers but effectively that is saying our managers have been so bad that the chairman is probably a better judge of player than the manager has been. He should have been able to expect Harry to fashion a decent team out of the players Harry chose to buy. As late as the back end of the transfer window prob the majority view of fans was that the board should leave transfers to "football people". At least the spending splurge of Warnock, Hughes and his dodgy agent friend, and now to some extent Redknapp has shown the folly of that.

That said, the catastrophic failure to replace Remy aside, fans were almost universally delighted with our transfer dealings this window. The big failure has not been buying the wrong players but the failure to put out a well trained, fit, organised team that looks up for the fight.

Good post stainrod

[Felt]

Pellegrini might have fantastic players, but so do the other title contenders. Winning the Premier League is no mean feat regardless of who you have in your squad.

Maybe Harry and Rio should concern themselves less with slagging others off, and more with delivering results for the club that pays their wages.

[stainrodisalegend]

Good post stainrod

Thanks Dave. If you look at a player like Gary Micklewhite he had been given a free transfer by Man U. Even John Gregory I believe cost something like 300,000 quid and look what a player Venables made of him. I do appreciate football has got a lot more competitive since then but Venables was brilliant at systems and got every player to do his bit in his system that all the players bought into. Sometimes this season its been hard to know if we even have a system....

[QPRDave]

Thanks Dave. If you look at a player like Gary Micklewhite he had been given a free transfer by Man U. Even John Gregory I believe cost something like 300,000 quid and look what a player Venables made of him. I do appreciate football has got a lot more competitive since then but Venables was brilliant at systems and got every player to do his bit in his system that all the players bought into. Sometimes this season its been hard to know if we even have a system....

This is what has infuriated me. The players look disinterested/confused.
For all the Redknapp buys old players or his pals, we have bought young players and internationals.....as under Hughes this board was delighted with the window, barring the lack of a striker.
We did imo buy better, because we bought England based players and from clubs of similar ilk to us, Norwich, Cardiff, Reading.
Agree the players have got to be comfortable with any system and this should not be an issue in October.

[Shepherds Mush]

Then someone decided he'd be better off at centre-back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position. Reckon that was by magic, Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they're doing.

Alternatively

Then someone decided he'd be better off as a winger rather than a left back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position, commanding a world record transfer fee and fitting snugly into the little know Real Madrid with all the pressure that goes with it. Reckon that was by magic Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they are doing.

Fantastic post.

[QPR Rickson]

Almost every player turns to sh.it once they sign for QPR. Somethings seriously wrong.

[Ginger Ninja]

Then someone decided he'd be better off at centre-back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position. Reckon that was by magic, Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they're doing.

Alternatively

Then someone decided he'd be better off as a winger rather than a left back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position, commanding a world record transfer fee and fitting snugly into the little know Real Madrid with all the pressure that goes with it. Reckon that was by magic Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they are doing.

Top post.

[QPRDave]

Then someone decided he'd be better off at centre-back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position. Reckon that was by magic, Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they're doing.

Alternatively

Then someone decided he'd be better off as a winger rather than a left back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position, commanding a world record transfer fee and fitting snugly into the little know Real Madrid with all the pressure that goes with it. Reckon that was by magic Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they are doing.

..

[West London is Rss]

I did notice that comment from HR as well..

the line that stood out for me was 'Spends good money'.. its all about spending with HR isn't it. He always wants that extra player, nothing ever seems good enough.
Its an odd appointment for us really when TF has always spoke about the academy etc etc. Harry's never been at a club where he has brought young players through.
Its always about buying players, he loves it.. its partly another reason why he is no good for us anymore. How many times last season were we crying out for Petrasso and Donaldson to be given a chance and it just didn't happen.

[californiahoop]

Thought this was a revealing quote from his new book, extracts in the Mail:



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...s-shelves.html

How much? Lots, I'd say. Kompany wasn't born a great centre back. He was signed as a central midfielder for £6m aged 22, a similar price, position and age as Mutch, Fer, Granero or (position aside) Caulker.

He was still thought of as a midfielder a year into his City career. See e.g.: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/foo...year-deal.html

Then someone decided he'd be better off at centre-back, and he turned into one of the best in the world in that position. Reckon that was by magic, Harry? Or down to a lot of work with a big team of professional coaches who know what they're doing.

What chance Mutch or Fer making a similar improvement or positional change? Close to zero, I'd say. When did a player last improve under us...? It's genuinely tricky to think of a recent QPR player who was clearly better when they left the club than when they joined. Wayne Routledge?

Harry's obviously a dinosaur and it's only a short quote so this is rather fish-in-barrel but the broader point stands. I don't think Tim Sherwood seems like a guy interested in improving players either, is Ferdinand? Don't think he was particularly rated as a coach at Spurs. Fernandes doesn't care about improving players either - just wants "a few more in" every transfer window, Harry-style. It's why Dave McIntyre says he's a perfect match for us.

10 out of 10 for the tittle