Issue 41 - Gone Before November

Loads of managers in, one manager out. One manager I said would go. Just quicker than I thought. All this plus a massive weekend of Premier League action to dissect. We’ve reached 70 subscribers, so lets celebrate by diving into Issue 41. Go.

The Crystal Ball

Remember when I said in Issue 36 that Ange Postecoglou would be gone by January? Well, I will give myself a pat on the back for such predictive powers but I must admit, even I was shocked at the pace of such a rapid downfall.

39 days at the City Ground. 39. Abysmal from Ange. Doomed from the start.

A man whose stock was already low after his exit from Tottenham, damaged goods even with a Europa League winners medal in his pocket. A man who was the polar opposite in terms of playing styles when compared to predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo.

A man who was in the firing line before Saturday’s visit of Chelsea. A man who was executed in football terms just minutes after the Blues managed to pick up a 3-0 win by the banks of the River Trent.

Forest sinking down the Premier League, Ange’s already bruised managerial reputation undergoing further damage. The club having now dropped into the bottom three - just a disaster all round really.

One on hand, the mood never felt right once Ange walked into the City Ground.

On the other hand, it does feel slightly harsh that the Australian got the boot so quickly.

A team set up to play under Nuno, not able to play in the style of Ange.

Would it have worked with a bit more time? That we will never know.

Will the players work better under new manager Sean Dyche? On the face of it, you would have to say yes. A closer to style to what they already know, I think the best thing that any Forest supporter can do, is simply forget the last six weeks ever happened.

Ange Postecoglou certainly will. A nice payoff to add to the one from Daniel Levy just a few months ago. He probably does not need to work ever again. Whether he wants to or whether he is ever given a major opportunity we will have to wait and see.

Ten Takeaways

A look at the main stories from last weekend’s Premier League action. Get yourself some Tuesday night takeaway.

Nottingham Forest vs Chelsea

Pretty much all you can say about Nottingham Forest’s past seven days can be referenced above. However, I would also add this. Even with the announcement of Dyche as manager, they cannot avoid being given possession of the ‘Crisis Baton’. The club in the Premier League in the biggest mess right now, they will hope for some new manager bounce as soon as possible.

As for Chelsea, a win that looked slightly unlikely in the first half, but once the Blues found themselves ahead on Saturday lunchtime it was one-way traffic from there. By the time, Reece James had made it 3-0 , Forest fans en masse were aiming to beat the traffic. Two league wins a row keeps Enzo Maresca’s men in the chasing pack for now.

Sunderland vs Wolves

A pack that also includes Sunderland after their home win against Wolves on Saturday. A rather routine success for the Black Cats, as their return to the Premier League continues to shine brighter than expected. Credit to Regis Le Bris, he is creating a team that you don’t want to go up against - especially at home.

As for Wolves, you would be happy to face them home or away at the moment. Still looking for their first league win of the season, now already sitting five points off the pace when it comes to safety. This does not equal a great deal of job safety for Vitor Pereira at the same time.

Brighton vs Newcastle

Brighton continued their unbeaten league streak to four games after getting the better of Newcastle on Saturday. The Seagulls had their Uncle Danny Welbeck to thank after his double against the Magpies. Getting the better of father time and having a good time on the pitch right now, he scored 10 league goals last season. He is already on four this time.

As for Newcastle, their equaliser was another glimpse of what Nick Woltemade is capable of when leading the line. A well-taken finish from nothing but all for nothing come full time. The club are averaging 0.88 goals for and against per game in the league this season, those numbers suggest severe room for improvement up top.

Burnley vs Leeds

Not quite a six-pointer but it could be a largely season defining encounter after Burnley’s 2-0 win over Leeds. These are precisely the league games that both clubs should be winning. Of course, only one club was going to be afforded maximum points at best. Scott Parker’s men now the best of Leeds and Sunderland. These performances keep them out of the bottom three.

Crystal Palace vs Bournemouth

Not quite a six-pointer above, but definitely six goals at Selhurst Park on Saturday. A game that was just as enthralling as it was ludicrous at times. Jean-Philippe Mateta missing when you would have put your house on him snatching a winner in the dying seconds. Never mind, the French squad member did at least bag a treble beforehand.

At one time on Saturday, Bournemouth were top of the Premier League. You did not need to adjust your sets. Were it not for penalty controversy in the dying seconds of the game, they would be at the summit for at least two hours. Still, at least the unbeaten run is extended to seven - small compensation for an angry Andoni Iraola at full time.

Manchester City vs Everton

Erling Haaland does not do much on the field of play. Erling Haaland does not need to do much on the field of play. Not his busiest showing on Saturday but certainly his most effective. A double making sure that Manchester City earned maximum points as they now move to second in the table.

No Jack Grealish for Everton on Saturday as per the terms of his loan move. Not that it would have made too much difference in all honesty. The Toffees far from embarrased themselves - if anything Jordan Pickford stopped the scoreline from embarrasment. A simple case of being outclassed from a far from simple team.

Fulham vs Arsenal

Fulham’s third successive league defeat will have just made things a little nervy down by Craven Cottage. Not to suggest the Cottagers are going to find themselves sleepwalking into the bottom three but it does not feel as if much progress has been made over the summer. Staying still is almost just as bad as going backwards in this division.

As for Arsenal, it is Leandro Trossard who not only keeps them top but increases the margin of error. No errors as far as Gunners’ goalkeeper or defence was concerned. What was it, they used to sing “1-0 to the Arsenal” when under George Graham. He won two league championships, the same song may just lead Mikel Arteta to his first.

Tottenham vs Aston Villa

Tottenham missed out on the opportunity to climb to second in the table and it is fair to say that the defeat to Aston Villa on Sunday would have stung - especially after taking such an early lead through Rodrigo Bentancur. Spurs started brightly but then fizzled out, I think we’ve been here before.

Credit must go to Aston Villa as their momentum up the Premier League continues. Five unbeaten in the league, three successive wins to go with it. All their league goals have come from just their last four games. During that spell, the Villa Park outfit are averaging two goals per game. Extra credit for the build up for Villa’s winner. Delicious.

Liverpool vs Manchester United

Well, well, well. Three defeats in all competitions. Make that four after Sunday’s reverse to Manchester United. Florian Wirtz on the bench. Alexander Isak ineffectual, Mo Salah in pipe and slippers mode, Cody Gakpo missing an absolute sitter to make it 2-2. Arne Slot is arguably the Premier League manager that is currently under the most pressure.

While the same cannot be said about counterpart Ruben Amorim after he delivered Manchester United their first league away win of the season. On that performance, they certainly did not deserve to be beaten. Harry Maguire’s excellent header with just minutes to go made sure they would not. Two wins out of five in a row if your tracking the haircut challenge. The next three do actually look winable - is it happening?

West Ham vs Brentford

It is certainly not happening for West Ham under Nuno Espirito Santo. The Hammers have not won any of their last five league matches (admittedly not all under the tenure of the Portuguese), defeat to Brentford on Monday now puts them into what their new coach calls a genuine relegation battle. On this form, I do not think he is wrong either.

Not the party line that is being said within Brentford circles as they keep doing just enough to put a buffer between themselves and any real jeopardy at present. Interested that an internet fault earlier in the day meant there were no semi-automated offside calls on Monday night. Thankfully, it did not cause any scandal when Igor Junior’s strike was wiped out just before the break.

The Filter Five

Five is still the magic number

Potter The Saviour?

Managerial news all over Europe this issue as Graham Potter has made a stunning quickfire return to management. International management that is and after previously coaching in Sweden over a decade, he has returned to help out his adopted homeland.

Sweden’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup look slightly slim but they are still alive and Potter’s remit is rather simple. Get the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Alexsander Isak on the plane to the United States.

Fair play to him for taking the opportunity. Whether he is successful or not, I am not too sure.

Rohl, Muscat, Rohl

More managerial news as Rangers finally get their man or maybe that should be any man. It was going to be Danny Rohl, then it was going to be Kevin Muscat and after the former Australian defender could not work out a deal, they had no other choice but to go back to option two in their job search.

Lauded for his coaching work under Ralph Hasenhuttl at Southampton and praised for the difficult job he did as manager of Sheffield Wednesday, it will be interesting to see what Rohl can salvage from this season and especially with Celtic seemingly out of sorts.

No Better Chance

There is perhaps no better chance for Hearts to win this season’s edition of the Scottish Premiership. The Tony Bloom influence there for all to see. The Jam Tarts now five points clear at the top of the table. You can get odds of 5/2 for Derek McInnes’s men to get the job done. Give it another month or so before you start opting for a long-term bet.

View From La Liga

I went to Barcelona at the weekend to watch Barcelona versus Girona at the Montjuic Stadium. It sent down rain of biblical proportions at half time, meaning thousands of fans had to peer through a concourse for the whole of the second half.

An injury hit Barcelona needed an injury time winner to get over the line, they still need plenty more time to construct the Camp Nou. They can legally operate with a capacity of 27,500 at present but with it looking like a building site at present, they would be better waiting until at least 55,000 fans can get through the door.

Can’t blame them for the rain though I guess. Plus I did also get a nice scarf. So not all bad.

An Editorial Update

I mentioned in the last issue that in this article, I would be highlighting the forwards who are underperforming the most when it comes to Goals vs xG. That has been bumped to the following issue because of everything that is unfolding at Nottingham Forest.

Admin

Right, that’s the end of issue 41 as word continues to spread around the football world.

If you liked issue 41, tell a friend and forward it on. If you didn’t like issue 41 please tell me why.

We are now targeting 80 subs as we tick off another ten. New squad members are always welcome on board. As always, thanks to those who are part of the squad.

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Issue 42 will be out on Friday October 24th

Thanks for reading

Dan