Next manager

[tlg1903]

12 hours ago, OrlandoDon said:

It varies. When I moved to the states I started coaching here, I was god because I had an accent and talked a good game. I had a coaching license, very rare here. I coached how I wanted, where I wanted, any formation, signed any players, created game schedules etc. I did team budget, I did everything. 
when I ‘retired’ from coaching 2 years ago my last gig was an academy. The club signed the players and I was given players, the club dictated my squad size and make up, I was told formations to play, style to play, my league and tournament was scheduled for me. I had very little say. My top players were quite often taken from my team to play with older/better teams, and I didn’t have a say. It was positional too, when the ball goes to x position he should be doing this etc. I was just the coach implementing their plan.

The only job I’ve ever been fired from was a coaching gig, my team were state champions, u16 boys, and the club hired a Director of Coaching, fired me because he didn’t like how I coached (despite behind heavily licensed an more qualified than him), I didn’t follow his Brazilian methods and coach his way. I had Brazilians, English kids, a Scottish kid, a German, and some Central Americans, as well as eastern European Americans. I argued we were a mix of cultures so my style would reflect that. Not what he wanted, an not what many pro teams want. They want you to implement their system.

I understand where the game is going, but it certainly takes away creativity and individuality to an extent. Is it easy to play against, maybe, scout maybe, but if you are a well oiled machine you’ll be hard to beat. Arsenal have/had such a passing reputation, that was/is taught at all levels.

Most top clubs dictate from the top down, teams at all play the same or similar style, same or similar formations, same positional coaching so that players can move seamlessly from team and age group. Very much how many pro clubs operate. Lobban should join the first team and things shouldn’t be much different and he adapts easily to fit the system.

think lutz will go this way, the manager has to fit the club philosophy and identity. I don’t think the club hired well in Thelin or recruitment folks given the lack of Scots and what lutz said, I do believe lutz and cormack want that aggressive passion and Scottish blood in the team and have seem what the lack of that can do. 
im rambling but think i understand what we are doing. We’re def hiring a coach to implement a system, not giving a manager a lot of power.

System football has been on the rise for a while now and you're spot on that it takes away creativity and individuality, the latter by it's very nature and the former as consequence of that.  It doesn't help that kids don't play football independently like they once used to.  I wasn't a great player by any stretch growing up but I played virtually every day for years up to my mid teens and none of it was coached.  That was the culture, you played football at lunchtime and then at the park once school was over.  It's in circumstances like that that the players we have all admired over the years for being able to take the piss out of the opposition have honed those skills, not at a training facility where coaches are constantly drilling into you to move the ball on quickly cos system.

Unfortunately kids mostly play football as a focused hobby now in coached environments which obviously isn't all bad but most of the really skillful players we have loved over the years learned those skills in the first place to take the piss out of their mates down the park.  Who doesn't love shouting 'Meg' as you go past your opponent after all.   It does make me wonder  how players from previous era's would get on in the modern game.  E.g would Ronaldinho if he was starting out now still get to a club like Barca or would he have to adapt his game, play to the system and learn to track back?  Would a player like Matt Le Tissier even be able to work his way into the Southampton first team?  I suspect he would be deemed too slow and lazy.  

 

[tlg1903]

18 hours ago, RicoS321 said:

I wouldn't have given McInnes the same budget (not directly to him I mean), but I said at the time that he should have been given the full setup of sporting director, proper recruitment team etc (that he now has at Hearts). He was clearly a decent coach, with weaknesses in recruitment and youth development. The separation of those areas would have given him a huge boost in my opinion. I just don't believe that a manager can make good judgement calls on players when they're spending most of their days coaching. It's easyish for the first couple of seasons when you can call on talent that you have seen previously or contacts that you have, but the longer you are at a club then these avenues become a little less useful. A contact might change club or role. A player who was good two years ago might not be quite the same. McInnes obviously had the one off bonanza of being able to pick the best of the rest too, with the other challengers liquidated, administered or Butchered.

Completely agree re setup etc.  That said even with McInnes in charge of player recruitment I suspect he would have done better with the extra funds available than we have seen since he left.  You could argue that some of the dross DM took in was because his hands were tied financially and say what you like about him but Derek was very good at moving players he's taken a chance on quickly when it clearly wasn't working.  

[RicoS321]

2 hours ago, tlg1903 said:

Completely agree re setup etc.  That said even with McInnes in charge of player recruitment I suspect he would have done better with the extra funds available than we have seen since he left.  You could argue that some of the dross DM took in was because his hands were tied financially and say what you like about him but Derek was very good at moving players he's taken a chance on quickly when it clearly wasn't working.  

I think he would have done better too (not because we made the wrong call, but because we did it so badly), but it'd have been a complete rebuild when he left, rather than a seamless transition. As it turns out, because we half arsed everything since he left, each manager has had to rip things up and start again anyway. We made a cunt of it. 

[tlg1903]

1 hour ago, RicoS321 said:

I think he would have done better too (not because we made the wrong call, but because we did it so badly), but it'd have been a complete rebuild when he left, rather than a seamless transition. As it turns out, because we half arsed everything since he left, each manager has had to rip things up and start again anyway. We made a cunt of it. 

We did, there has been some successes in terms of player sales etc so at least some of our recruitment hasn't been awful.  Some of Dereks recruitment could still net us tidy fee's too 2bf, Bristol have just triggered Mcrories year extension apparantly in the anticipation of bids for him and Ferguson could be off from Bologna this window as well with Inter being linked in December if memory serves.  At best I would say we have made a cunt of it far more than we haven't.  

[swaddon]

Csaba Lazlo is interested according to the P and J.

[BigAl]

26 minutes ago, swaddon said:

Csaba Lazlo is interested according to the P and J.

Two words

No Thanks

Hasn't managed in his own right for close to five years. Would doubt he would even merit making the "long list" never mind the "short list"

[Jute]

37 minutes ago, BigAl said:

Two words

No Thanks

Hasn't managed in his own right for close to five years. Would doubt he would even merit making the "long list" never mind the "short list"

My two words would be less polite and involve the letter F. 

[BigAl]

I never pay to much credence to these but latest odds this morning see Askou move into be the new favourite @ 2/1 whilst Robinson drifts out to 4/1.

Some absolute cray names on this list 

https://www.bettingodds.com/thesackrace/teams/aberdeen

[tlg1903]

3 hours ago, BigAl said:

I never pay to much credence to these but latest odds this morning see Askou move into be the new favourite @ 2/1 whilst Robinson drifts out to 4/1.

Some absolute cray names on this list 

https://www.bettingodds.com/thesackrace/teams/aberdeen

Can you imagine the hun meltdown if we took Muscat and he knocked it out of the park?  

Some awful names there but a few I would be happy with.  

[tlg1903]

Not exactly a come and get me from JBA but it's not a comprehensive I'm going no-where either.  

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/articles/c4gr07q0w48o

[swaddon]

Martin O'Neill is on the odds list.

Aye, we're looking for a 73 year old who has been at Celtic for three days.

I would probably have better odds of getting the job than he does.

[OrlandoDon]

1 hour ago, tlg1903 said:

Can you imagine the hun meltdown if we took Muscat and he knocked it out of the park?  

Some awful names there but a few I would be happy with.  

That would be funny! Never considered him but hmm??

[tom_widdows]

Using the same filing software as the original Ipods

 

[The.Moog]

6 hours ago, BigAl said:

I never pay to much credence to these but latest odds this morning see Askou move into be the new favourite @ 2/1 whilst Robinson drifts out to 4/1.

Some absolute cray names on this list 

https://www.bettingodds.com/thesackrace/teams/aberdeen

Askou is a no brainer for me. Ticks all the boxes & if he could bring 2 or 3 of that Well team with him, all the better.

As for the quotes in the article, that’s just exactly what every manager says in these situations, it’s exactly what you would expect to see…

Edited 21 hours ago by The.Moog

[Slim]

Uwe Rosler being linked in the Record. Was previously appointed by Lutz as a manager in Germany and has links to those fussbol McKinsey lot we had in. Describes his tactics as “heavy metal attacking football” according to Wikipedia. 

[tlg1903]

51 minutes ago, Slim said:

Uwe Rosler being linked in the Record. Was previously appointed by Lutz as a manager in Germany and has links to those fussbol McKinsey lot we had in. Describes his tactics as “heavy metal attacking football” according to Wikipedia. 

Very interesting CV 2bf but I can't help but feel he's not going to want to walk out on a club he seems to be doing weel with after only 3 months in charge.

[Panda]

Markus Gisdol is interesting. Has spent the majority of his career taking over clubs battling relegation and turning them around, but hasn't had any long term success at a club.

His most recent job in Turkey, he only took charge for eight games and failed to win a match, but I was reading the reaction of fans and they mostly said he never stood a chance with their squad.

Has experience of some huge clubs (Hamburg, Kaiserslautern, Koln, Lokomotiv Moscow), is a free agent and has worked with Lutz before.

I'd like to think we're grooming Leven to be the manager eventually one day, but maybe be needs a term as assistant manager first. Bring in Gisdol for 18 months before it inevitably goes tits up, then Leven can finally get the top job.

[OrlandoDon]

I find it interesting reading names of foreign coaches who may know lutz but may never ever have been to Scotland. Knowledge and most likely experience of the Scottish game sounded like a prerequisite, no??

[tlg1903]

42 minutes ago, OrlandoDon said:

I find it interesting reading names of foreign coaches who may know lutz but may never ever have been to Scotland. Knowledge and most likely experience of the Scottish game sounded like a prerequisite, no??

Yeah I thought he gave that impression in his post Thelin interview.  

[tlg1903]

1 hour ago, Panda said:

Markus Gisdol is interesting. Has spent the majority of his career taking over clubs battling relegation and turning them around, but hasn't had any long term success at a club.

His most recent job in Turkey, he only took charge for eight games and failed to win a match, but I was reading the reaction of fans and they mostly said he never stood a chance with their squad.

Has experience of some huge clubs (Hamburg, Kaiserslautern, Koln, Lokomotiv Moscow), is a free agent and has worked with Lutz before.

I'd like to think we're grooming Leven to be the manager eventually one day, but maybe be needs a term as assistant manager first. Bring in Gisdol for 18 months before it inevitably goes tits up, then Leven can finally get the top job.

I would want to see Leven go be a manager elsewhere before getting the Aberdeen 2bh.   Agree Gisdol is interesting and the quite in depth article on the P&J does have a bit of a source material fed by the club feel to it.  

[Panda]

2 hours ago, OrlandoDon said:

I find it interesting reading names of foreign coaches who may know lutz but may never ever have been to Scotland. Knowledge and most likely experience of the Scottish game sounded like a prerequisite, no??

I wonder if that was a comment Lutz might regret saying, because it would limit his options if he stuck to that. And it also means it would likely be someone Lutz hasn't worked with before.

I think a happier medium might be a Scottish assistant with someone Lutz knows.

Although, Stephen Robinson is very much on the radar, as is Askou, so maybe at the time he said it he was confident he could get one of them.

1 hour ago, tlg1903 said:

I would want to see Leven go be a manager elsewhere before getting the Aberdeen 2bh. 

Begs the question, what would be the better education? Manage, say, a Morton or Airdrie, or be assistant to an experienced manager, working with a spitting director, and handling bigger names and expectations?

It is kinda what's happening at Celtic with Maloney and O'Neill. Maloney I'm sure could get a smaller job as his own man.

Gisdol himself gave up an early managerial role to be assistant to Ralf Rangnick at Schalke. 

[Blow.Up.Sheep]

On 07/01/2026 at 03:39, OrlandoDon said:

It varies. When I moved to the states I started coaching here, I was god because I had an accent and talked a good game. I had a coaching license, very rare here. I coached how I wanted, where I wanted, any formation, signed any players, created game schedules etc. I did team budget, I did everything. 
when I ‘retired’ from coaching 2 years ago my last gig was an academy. The club signed the players and I was given players, the club dictated my squad size and make up, I was told formations to play, style to play, my league and tournament was scheduled for me. I had very little say. My top players were quite often taken from my team to play with older/better teams, and I didn’t have a say. It was positional too, when the ball goes to x position he should be doing this etc. I was just the coach implementing their plan.

The only job I’ve ever been fired from was a coaching gig, my team were state champions, u16 boys, and the club hired a Director of Coaching, fired me because he didn’t like how I coached (despite behind heavily licensed an more qualified than him), I didn’t follow his Brazilian methods and coach his way. I had Brazilians, English kids, a Scottish kid, a German, and some Central Americans, as well as eastern European Americans. I argued we were a mix of cultures so my style would reflect that. Not what he wanted, an not what many pro teams want. They want you to implement their system.

I understand where the game is going, but it certainly takes away creativity and individuality to an extent. Is it easy to play against, maybe, scout maybe, but if you are a well oiled machine you’ll be hard to beat. Arsenal have/had such a passing reputation, that was/is taught at all levels.

Most top clubs dictate from the top down, teams at all play the same or similar style, same or similar formations, same positional coaching so that players can move seamlessly from team and age group. Very much how many pro clubs operate. Lobban should join the first team and things shouldn’t be much different and he adapts easily to fit the system.

think lutz will go this way, the manager has to fit the club philosophy and identity. I don’t think the club hired well in Thelin or recruitment folks given the lack of Scots and what lutz said, I do believe lutz and cormack want that aggressive passion and Scottish blood in the team and have seem what the lack of that can do. 
im rambling but think i understand what we are doing. We’re def hiring a coach to implement a system, not giving a manager a lot of power.

Have you updated your CV and sent it to Lutz 

[Blow.Up.Sheep]

On 06/01/2026 at 18:39, wokinginashearerwonderland said:

Loots talks a great game but the whole director of football new age crap worries me and the bloke might as well just manage the team himself.  

My take on Lutz interview is a bit different from others.

He is saying all the right things but at the same time he is actually saying sweet fuk all.

The guy should be a fkn politician ffs 

[TheDonbytheDee]

2 hours ago, Blow.Up.Sheep said:

My take on Lutz interview is a bit different from others.

He is saying all the right things but at the same time he is actually saying sweet fuk all.

The guy should be a fkn politician ffs 

I'm in agreement with you on this BUS.

Incase anyone is upset by saying that. I have nothing against the bloke, but would like to see where we are further down the road, before blowing smoke up his arse.

It's a huge appointment we are making this time and one the club can't really get wrong.

 

[Don Julio]

Is there a reason no-one is mentioning Steve Clarke? No doubt he’ll leave Scotland after the World Cup. Knows Scottish football…