Alan Sheehan-Manager for Next Season

[bytholwyn]

Makes no difference whatsoever, what league they are in.

If sideways and backwards is his style of play, that's his style of play.

If you read the article you will understand that he's not a sideways and backwards coach. He is very much a possession with purpose coach. And intense pressing out of possession.

 

[Smurph]

If you read the article you will understand that he's not a sideways and backwards coach. He is very much a possession with purpose coach. And intense pressing out of possession.

The pass map suggests otherwise.

 

[cmajack]

If you read the article you will understand that he's not a sideways and backwards coach. He is very much a possession with purpose coach. And intense pressing out of possession.

Luke Williams giving his advice on tonight's live game between Bradford and Notts County . Brilliant.

 

[Longlostjack]

CHAT GPT

“Hammarby appointed Hellberg as part of a strategic shift towards a data-driven approach to football, emphasizing metrics like expected threat (xT) and counter-pressing efficiency. This initiative is guided by mathematician David Sumpter, who collaborates with the club to integrate advanced analytics into their playing style and recruitment processes”

Call me old fashioned but I’d prefer a motivator who the team gets behind, who’s able to set up a team to counter the opposition and will only get better with experience.

We’ve already got one.

 

[Ringwood]

Keeping Sheehan could well have an affect on Darling and LOB potentially negotiating a deal to stay.

 

[Swans Jack]

Just seen that article.

The names were mentioned by their Swansea pundit.

I'm leaning towards better the devil you know.

It's first time in a very, very long time that we as fans are in dilemma. Usually we are just clutching in relation to managers who come to us. Seems things are looking more positive and less lower league managers. God, do we go with the devil you know as you said or take a punt. Ask me a few weeks ago and I would say take punt. I get current form and loyalty doesn't guarantee us get us up the table with Sheehan and does not guarantee success, but from what is coming out and what is being shown, why would the club rip up this new wave of success that we have not had in a very long time. It seems everyone is on same page. Oddly I think fans will turn on the higher ups if Sheehan doesn't get it.

 

[Swans Jack]

Tell you what I’ve noticed on Twitter, it’s those Swans fans who still hanker after Russ are those that appear most against Sheezy boy.

Almost seems a distant memory Russ play now. Not just the winning ways at present, but the club as a whole seems more united and people doing what their hired for. We have experience now across the club, something lacking in years. People need to move on from Ken Doll Martin and his shiny white teeth and flowing hair

 

[Swans Jack]

if he'd won 9 out of 9 you'd still be wanting a proven manager in

The question has to be. Is Sheehan riding the wave of players, turning up for him. And is short lived. Or is Sheehan and his coaching team showing what they can do and much more. It's hell of a dylema. Do we hire a proven manager but may take us to even higher heights or might take us to nowhere. Or can Sheehan do that.???

 

[FearOfAJackPlanet]

If this Hellberg chap has impressed our top brass and they think he'd do great here, then we're in an enviable position of choosing from a position of strength and not just desperately looking around for a somebody/anybody like appeared to be the case after Duff was sacked and we ended with with Williams mid-season.

We have an incumbent caretaker knocking it out of the park right now who already has his coaching team in place ready to go. On the other hand we have a highly-rated young manager on our radar who we've seemingly already spoken to - I don't really buy the 'he hasn't had these reported meetings' talk as I think that's just public relations given he's in a job and there's not been any approach by us yet, so it all has to be a bit cloak and dagger.

If Hellberg just signed a new contract last year, then we'd have to stump up some compo to get him unless he has some clauses in his contract. so that's a negative compared to Sheehan, but as it's the Swedish leagues it's probably not an insurmountable amount.

Still think that if Sheehan continues to impress until the season's end, it would take some balls to tear that up and start again with a new manager.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

This is a massive red flag for me. The majority of his teams passes were in between the 18 years box an the centre circle.

View attachment 5504

Yup, fuck that.

If this is where Montague is going, I don't like it.

Part of the reason Sheehan has done well is that he's stopped this nonsense. No one in their right mind wants calamity Cabango on the ball all the time. Let him do his CB work, get him up for set pieces as well if you want, he is good at that, but once you start asking him to step out and play (like Martin and Williams) then you're in a world of trouble.

Huge red flag this.

 

[Smurph]

Yup, fuck that.

If this is where Montague is going, I don't like it.

Part of the reason Sheehan has done well is that he's stopped this nonsense. No one in their right mind wants calamity Cabango on the ball all the time. Let him do his CB work, get him up for set pieces as well if you want, he is good at that, but once you start asking him to step out and play (like Martin and Williams) then you're in a world of trouble.

Huge red flag this.

The game is moving on from this possession based style.

Just look at the decline of Man City and the success of the likes of Brighton and Bournemouth.

I sincerely hope we've moved on from it as well.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Well as I understood it, your post said that our players are not very good, Sheehan understands this and that's why he set them up to play "ugly" football against Derby.

The Plymouth game showed that Sheehan is perfectly capable of setting his players up to play 'champagne football'. First manager we have had since Laudrup who both attempts to moderate his tactics according to the opposition and does it well (as I posted recently, Carvalhal tried but obviously did not succeed). Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on Potter. But Martin and Williams really only had one game plan, Cooper had several but kept sticking to each one for multiple games in a row even when they were no longer delivering, and I am not sure what Duff thought he was doing.

Anyway, the squad isn't perfect but I think you do them a disservice. There's talent there to build on.

Ok, I understand you now.

It's all a matter of how you perceive the squad isn't it.

There are some - and I guess you're one then - who thinks it's capable of far more and cites the rare occasions (usually against much poorer sides than ourselves, like QPR and Plymouth) where we play like Brazil, as evidence they are capable of more.

Then there are some - and I'm firmly in this camp - who would rather look at the longer term evidence base of circa 200 matches under Martin and Williams, which pretty clearly displays the folly of trying to get extremely limited players to play like Barcelona.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

The game is moving on from this possession based style.

Just look at the decline of Man City and the success of the likes of Brighton and Bournemouth.

I sincerely hope we've moved on from it as well.

Completely agree - we need to start getting ahead of the curve, instead of stubbornly trying to pretend it's 2008 again. And again. And again.

Football has evolved in the last 5 years - time we did too.

 

[Dr. Winston]

Ok, I understand you now.

It's all a matter of you perceive the squad isn't it.

There are some - and I guess you're one then - who thinks it's capable of far more and cites the rare occasions (usually against much poorer sides than ourselves, like QPR and Plymouth) where we play like Brazil, as evidence they are capable of more.

Then there are some - and I'm firmly in this camp - who would rather look at the longer term evidence base of circa 200 matches under Martin and Williams, which pretty clearly displays the folly of trying to get extremely limited players to play like Barcelona.

Depends on what the interpretation of "capable of far more" means. It's not just a matter of playing style.

I do, and always have, believe that the squads we've had have been capable of more in terms of results and performances than we've seen since Martin got the job. Certainly the players he had available to him were much better than finishes of 15th and 10th. The results Sheehan has wrangled out of the same players Williams shit the bed with to me suggests a similar story.

That doesn't necessarily mean that I think they're capable of tiki-takaing our way out of the division like we did in 2011, but that a well organised, well drilled side with players who know their jobs and are used in roles that suit them is more than capable of finishing highly in a division this mediocre.

 

[Andrew - North Hill]

Depends on what the interpretation of "capable of far more" means. It's not just a matter of playing style.

I do, and always have, believe that the squads we've had have been capable of more in terms of results and performances than we've seen since Martin got the job. Certainly the players he had available to him were much better than finishes of 15th and 10th. The results Sheehan has wrangled out of the same players Williams shit the bed with to me suggests a similar story.

That doesn't necessarily mean that I think they're capable of tiki-takaing our way out of the division like we did in 2011, but that a well organised, well drilled side with players who know their jobs and are used in roles that suit them is more than capable of finishing highly in a division this mediocre.

Personally I think the ceiling for this group is not much higher than it is now. Maybe 9th or 10th, with a very fair wind and a bit of confidence. But this is not a play off threatening squad, in my view. For a start, we haven't had a 20-goal striker since Piroe.

On the whole though I take your point. The problem I have - and clearly you aren't in this camp - is that there are still some in our fanbase who indulge in the cakeism of expecting the club to uphold the purity of 'Swanselona' against a backdrop of losing £20m a year. It ain't gonna happen.

The sooner some accept that Sheehan-type coaches (pragmatists) is where we are at right now and what we need, the better.