Defensive coach

[Flavs]

I'd like to know how often United's defence shifts in personnel, because it appears that Rio and Vidic have been in and out of the side a lot due to injury. They don't have a recognised first choice right back either, Smalling is now playing there, with Fabio & Rafael stepping in many times as well.

I can understand the potential benefit of having a settled defence but ultimatley I believe our problems stem from poor coaching, rather than individuals not being present. Vermaelen is out - so what? Do we really believe the absence of one guy is enough to turn our defence into an absolute shambles? When it's hap hazard at the best of times anyway. They're not kids and they've all been around long enough to know the job in hand.

As I alluded to with United, it shouldn't matter really who is out, at the end of the day you expect your defence to do the job required and that doesn't happen for us, regardless of who is playing. Phil Jones looks quality but would he have hit the ground running with us? Doubt it.

Nothing to do with personnel and everything to do with style, tactics and priorities

[Fist of Lehmann]

Perhaps true, though the right comparison isn't Man Utd vs us, but settled Utd vs unsettled Utd.

It's significance is hard to quantify without a wider analysis on how many goals are conceded by a settled back 4 vs a changed one.

And frankly who can be bothered to do that?

Without that, we're ill-equipped to make conclusions either way. I suspect it's just one more thing on top of the more critical organisational, tactical and confidence factors currently hampering our play.

[Cripps_orig]

Contrary to some reports, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger will rely on his present coaching staff to erase his team's defensive frailties - refusing to opt for a specialist to improve the Premier League's leakiest defence.
Full story: Guardian

[fakeyank]

yeah i always think its a good ideal to jump backwards 4 or 5 years when the club clearly need to move forward. Just out of interest what exactly do you think Dein did at the club? Was he a defensive coach? assistant manager? Club psychologist?

No he was a board member FFS, another one. Why don't we bring back Lady yo-yo knickers and resurrect Fiszman as well. That would be rosy

I just think Dein gave AW some sort of footballing brain and perspective into what was happening in the real world. As for moving forward, I'd rather we jump backward to something that was working than what we are witnessing now!

[Niall_Quinn]

Saw that. Obviously we aren't in the business of getting results so cheap, cheerful and useless is probably the sensible way to go.

[Flavs]

I just think Dein gave AW some sort of footballing brain and perspective into what was happening in the real world. As for moving forward, I'd rather we jump backward to something that was working than what we are witnessing now!

But we have no way of knowing that something worked 5 years ago would work now. Dein had his time, took his money (and his ball) and went home, fuck him. Thanks for the memories now do-one.

I love that people hold him in some romantic notion like he is santa or something.

[McNamara That Ghost...]

But we have no way of knowing that something worked 5 years ago would work now. Dein had his time, took his money (and his ball) and went home, fuck him. Thanks for the memories now do-one.

I love that people hold him in some romantic notion like he is santa or something.

It's very odd. When you consider who we brought in, the last two seasons Dein was here: Hleb, Diaby, Adebayor, Theo, Baptista, Gallas and Rosicky. You've got to wonder if it would really be that much different now. I'm not saying all of those players were crap because they aren't and I had spent enough time defending them on GW 1.0 but it is fair to say for whatever reason, the majority of them did not succeed.

[Marc Overmars]

I think people hold Dein in high regard just because he was and still is best friends with Wenger. So maybe there is a conclusion to be drawn there for creating a healthy working environment, dunno. Wenger was even prepared to resign when he left, but Dein told him not to.

The rot started well before he left though, with limited transfer activity taking place after 2004, so the club was still heading in the same direction.

[Flavs]

It's very odd. When you consider who we brought in, the last two seasons Dein was here: Hleb, Diaby, Adebayor, Theo, Baptista, Gallas and Rosicky. You've got to wonder if it would really be that much different now. I'm not saying all of those players were crap because they aren't and I had spent enough time defending them on GW 1.0 but it is fair to say for whatever reason, the majority of them did not succeed.

and also how much impact on the pitch did he bring? Yes he had input into the clubs transfers and overall direction but he was hardly on the touchline shouting advice out was he. Also i will never forgive him for the Wembley thing or for bringing Usmanov in.

He has become this cult hero for fans who see him as a Del Boy who made good for himself and helped the club he loved and the man he had a fantastic relationship with in Wenger achieve his dreams.

Its truly bizarre

[IBK]

and also how much impact on the pitch did he bring? Yes he had input into the clubs transfers and overall direction but he was hardly on the touchline shouting advice out was he. Also i will never forgive him for the Wembley thing or for bringing Usmanov in.

He has become this cult hero for fans who see him as a Del Boy who made good for himself and helped the club he loved and the man he had a fantastic relationship with in Wenger achieve his dreams.

Its truly bizarre

Its funny, but I've come full circle a bit with DD. I tended to think just like you, but lately I can't help thinking that maybe Dein was a bit more prescient about the way football is going than the rest of our board. I don't like it, but the truth is that our self-sustaining model isn't going to win us anything, while oil and gas money is flooding the game. Kroenke was a conservative appointment - and one which, like Lerner at Villa, may well result in our club ultimately being little more than an example of a financially sustainable US style sporting franchise - where winning trophies is not the priority.

In hindsight, you could argue that the main effect of the new stadium was to make the club more attractive to the likes of Kroenke rather than enabling us to compete at the highest level, or to remain 'independent'. You might well in one sense ask was it worth it? Because we are now beholden to a billionaire owner anyway - whose worst potential excesses are held in check only by, guess who? - The billionaire DD introduced.

Usmanov has a questionable history - as has Abramovich. But at least he has made noises about wanting to invest in the club - rather than being silent, and seemingly without ambition for silverware. I mean its enough to make you laugh, isn't it? Only Arsenal could have 2 billionaire owners, but secure no additional investment whatsoever as a result!

So while at the time, it seemed that DD was selling the club out - maybe he saw this route as the only way for AFC to remain a successful club. Because the way things are going, the option that the club took did not embrace the future of football, but sealed our descent into sustainable mediocrity.