Knowing the league?

[sirpiechucker]

Between 1993-95 Owen Coyle played for Bolton but for the rest of his playing career and start of his managerial career was in Scotland.

My question therefore is how would he have known about Chris Eagles, Steven Thompson, Rhys Williams, Russell Anderson, Robbie Blake, Stephen Jordan, Graham Alexander, Clarke Carlisle, Martin Paterson, Mark Randall & Stanislav Varga? All English based players, all playing in either the Premiership or Championship when bought. None of these players were playing in Scotland, which would have been competition for his teams but all playing in England.

So when he was appointed manager of Burnley why was he trusted with a budget to buy players? I ask because some of our own fans don't trust Sousa with a budget so was the Burnley Chairmen wrong to do so?

Sousa has played against 22 of the 24 teams in this league and has had months to get himself familar with opposition players but when will be enough time for Sousa to be in charge before he is given "free reign"?

[Kirill]

What if Sousa is given money but sacked a month or two later,
basically what happened this season with Dowie? :(

[sirpiechucker]

What if Sousa is given money but sacked a month or two later,
basically what happened this season with Dowie? :(

Don't give a manager a 3 year contract if you intend to fire them at the first sign of trouble. Or don't sign a manager that you can't trust with a budget.

[qblockpete]

Sousa is not from Scotland

[sirpiechucker]

Sousa is not from Scotland

No neither is Coyle - he's Irish but what's that got to do with anything?

How much do you know about the Scottish leagues?

[winalotto]

Its all about his back room staff as well , Coyle will have contacts in football in England and he'll back there judgements. Sousa on the other hand may know very little about the game over here and probably want know to many scouts so he'll be at a disadvantage buying players for this league. the main thing though is the style we play here Coyle would understand the sort of players needed in the championship.

[haqpr1963]

Sousa is not from Scotland

Neither is Martinez at Swansea, he seems to be doing okay (Well, they are above us anyway.)

Not much Championship experience in the players he has bought in either.

[winalotto]

Martinez played over here for English and Scottish sides and has far more experience of both our leagues than Sousa.

[sirpiechucker]

Martinez played over here for English and Scottish sides and has far more experience of both our leagues than Sousa.

Maybe you are right but at what point do you say that Sousa or any other foreign manager without any initial contacts should be given free reign to sign players? How do we know that he doesn't have any contacts? How long does someone need to be a manager before they have contacts?

Dowie has been a manager for years but many will argue even with all of his contacts he has made some poor signings for his clubs. Has every signing that Coppell, McCarthy, McLeish made been successful?

If Routledge and Lopez were two players that were bought by the club under Sousa's instructions then I don't have a problem allowing him to make all of the decisions.

[haqpr1963]

Martinez played over here for English and Scottish sides and has far more experience of both our leagues than Sousa.

Very true, and exactly how many English based players has he bought in?

[winalotto]

How many managers actually have a free reign, think you'd be surprised not that many.
But i would agree if you sign a manager and you adhere to his philosophy, then he should have some say as to who comes in.

[winalotto]

Very true, and exactly how many English based players has he bought in?

Don't think its about how many home grown players he's bought in, its about knowing the type of player that could fit into our football which is as we all know very different to European football.