03 Jan 2026 10:00:23
ED001.I heard a few times on here that their isn't any managers who is better than Slot ( not sure if they mean now or in the summer ) . but surely there has got to be serious candidates out there .
I don't know them apart from the few like Alonso etc but there must be at least 10 out there who could improve us for next season, as it looks like the higher ups are keeping Slot this season .
{Ed001's Note - there are very few that look ready for a big job though.}
03 Jan 2026 11:22:47
It feels like we're at the end of a cycle or era for the world class managers and players.
With the retirement of Jurgen, and after the wind down of Pep and Ancellotti there won't be many of their ilk left.
Same applies to a lesser degree with players, there's fewer stand out players who excite fans and the truly world class don't seem to be as widely spread.
I think it's all a by product of multi club models, academies and corporate club structures. The move to the coaching model is leaving people without rounded experience in charge of team tactics only, but they're not grounded in all things to do with the running of clubs like previous managers would have been. As a result they can be narrow minded and lack perspective.
The academies are turning out professional footballers but not street style players who can adapt and improvise. Many of them are better at media interviews than playing football. The data driven recruitment is removing gut feel and intuition from talent selection.
The results are duller with fewer personalities and rounded football people left. Because of the money involved and ownership franchises this won't be allowed to change unfortunately.
03 Jan 2026 11:44:55
It's been pointed out Slot is not our manager, he's our head coach.
If that's the case and that's the model we're going to continue with, then there is no point in trying to replace Slot.
It's like hiring a joiner to fit a kitchen and then giving them a lawn mower to work with.
{Ed001's Note - no it's not. He has been given excellent players but has no clue how to use them. That is more like hiring a groundsman to fit your kitchen and giving him the best tools in the world to do it.}
03 Jan 2026 11:58:02
It's a top of the range lawn mower, but it's not the tool he wanted or needs to do his job.
{Ed001's Note - yeah but it is not a lawnmower because it is a tool for the job, just not the one he wanted. He wants a hammer to smash in screws and has no clue how to use the screwdriver he has been given. The issue is two way, Hughes should have worked with him to get the right players to suit his way of working, but let's not pretend Slot has been shafted. He has been given quality players but has not a clue how to use them.}
03 Jan 2026 11:58:04
Alonso will proove himself at an elite level in my opinion. He will also utilise the best youth players, which has an important effect on the club / city / squad.
Slot has tunnel vision - wants to be the second coming of Pep, although the only thing they have in common is whining and a buff dome.
03 Jan 2026 12:13:21
Ron I love the positivity about slot mate but you are blinkered as well.
03 Jan 2026 12:20:49
Best case scenario is Slot turning things around.
Yes results have been better but that's not hard considering we lost 9 of 12 games previous to the last 8.
Fulham next is a big game because after that we travel to Arsenal who according to many aren't that good.
Winning ugly does paper over the cracks but drawing and losing ugly doesn't. We've lost and drawn almost as many as we have in the league.
03 Jan 2026 12:30:13
lol can you name those 10 serious candidates.
03 Jan 2026 12:32:28
Of our current first team I'd say five players are in the very good category but a few of them are on the decline. Ali, VVD, Grav, Szob, Ekitike.
I'd agree we should be playing better faster football than we are, with more wins on the board. Third is probably the highest we'd be with this team.
The rest of our first team wouldn't get into Arsenal or City's teams right now, and I'm not convinced many of our top five would tbh. If Isak was fit he'd be in the mix.
03 Jan 2026 12:33:49
Isak and Wirtz are world class, aren't they?
If not, they are not far off.
Ekitike has loads of potential.
The new signings haven't hit the ground running but it doesn't mean they'll never do it.
Their slow start also coincided with the old guard underperforming (there are a couple of exceptions) so it was always going to be difficult.
A new manager might get them playing together but I'm not sure about that or who it could be.
Imo, we need more creativity and dynamism from deeper.
I said last season that you don't lose a player like TAA and not miss what he offers offensively.
A centre half that can see a pass and a deep lying midfielder that can get us going forward a lot quicker (and put his foot in) would help massively.
Whether Slot thinks the same is another matter but we can't say that he hasn't been backed in the transfer market.
I also think it was extremely unlikely that all our needs would have been met in one window; however big the spend.
03 Jan 2026 12:37:21
Aleksander Isak (Most sought after striker in the world in the summer) Replacing Jota
Hugo Ekitike (One of the Bundesliga's most exiting forwards) Replacing Nunez
Milos Kerkez (One of if not the best attacking LB in the PL last season) Replacing Tsimikas
Jeremie Frimpong (One of the Bundesliga best attacking WB's for the last 3 years) Replacing Trent
Florian Wirtz (One of the best Nr. 10's in the world who Bayern and City were drooling over) Replacing Diaz
Giovanni Leoni (A huge talent that sadly got a season ending injury) Replacing Quansah
He clearly got shafted, poor Slot, he only needed 300 more million £ to spend!
Yeah we needed a CM and a CB but to say he didn't get the tools in the biggest Lie ever and makes me question your sanity! I want Slot to prove most of us wrong but this is beyond blind faith at this point. Seak help ?.
03 Jan 2026 13:07:41
Wirtz hasn't done it yet for me, no doubting he's a very good player in Germany but not for us so far. Isak injured unfortunately. So yes we've bought two very good players there but haven't seen them.
Kerkez looks like a disconnect to me, a good marauding full back, not so useful in our current system.
03 Jan 2026 13:28:49
I would agree Hugo. Apart from Ekitke all the rest haven't impressed me that much, Wirtz better is a few games lately mind. Again is it down to Slot and the way we play? I definitely think it's part of the problem.
03 Jan 2026 13:37:44
Irrespective of the style of play. what manager in the world ASB would NOT want all those players?
Most would only dream of those reinforcements.
03 Jan 2026 13:59:37
The different tool analogies at the start of this was hilarious. Wish I was there at the time to jump in.
{Ed001's Note - it was fun. I do like talking with Ron, whether his viewpoint is different or the same, he is always entertaining and makes for interesting discussions.}
03 Jan 2026 14:26:48
Is there anyone that knows a little about slot or has heard what kind of a fella he is?
I mean is he a stubborn sort or willing to change and adjust?
Without it being a beat the dog reply, the fella appears, to me anyway that he has just ran out of ideas if there were any there to start. even when the subs come on its kind of just whack em on and see if it revs up any bit, without a clear instruction of how to exploit the opponents weakness.
what level of study and analysis of the oppenent is being done, of teaching is being done.
The lack of cohesion between the players, is that something that takes 6 months or more to come together normally or are we an odd case?
The fitness struggles. is everyone having a dose of the blues or.
Questions indeed that the experts need to work out before the last game anyway.
03 Jan 2026 15:20:23
Taken as a huge compliment Ed001, thank you.
It goes without saying I enjoy all the aspects of the site you've built.
Cheers.
{Ed001's Note - it was meant as one. You have been a huge part of the community since back in your Ken Aguero days, at least. Maybe before? Hard to know as I think that before then we had not got accounts for people to use like we do now, so you can tell who is who. You have always been one of the people that makes doing this worth while mate.}
03 Jan 2026 16:11:52
I knew it! I've always known that Ron was Ken from back in the day despite his many denial otherwise. Glad to have confirmation from Ed001 about it.
{Ed001's Note - did he deny it? Oh, I never knew that, sorry Ron! I thought he had confirmed the name was an anagram of Ken Aguero?}
04 Jan 2026 02:05:37
This is a similar revelation as Salah and aoe being one and the same.
I think Ed001 is teasing you ?.