A serious look at Mauricio Pochettino

Drawfull said:
I don't think it much of a stretch to say that some form of this exists, especially since little is done to stop tapping up of managers. Often we hear of clubs paying compensation to the incumbent's employer which would be a way to sweep the clause aside.

From the legal point of view, I don't think it would be difficult to put forward an argument that club A taking club B's manager would, if successful, have a potentially damaging influence on club B's bottom line.
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It most likely exists and it would be perfectly legal as long as its a reasonable clause and compliant to labour legislation.
Spurs being able to keep Pochettino from working another job during five years would almost guaranteed not be. Even if they paid him during that time. And I feel comfortabale saying that not having any real insight in UK labour law.
In Sweden for example: we have a maximum amount of liability of three months pay if the employee just leaves his employment without notice. Still requires the employer to prove damages incurred though. There are similar legislations in place in most of the EU.
I would be surprised if there was a much different legislation in place for football managers compared to blue-collar or white-collar employees within the UK. But I dont know, maybe there is...
 
The resident Spurs fans @GlastonSpur @InLevyITrust @balaks and whoever else I forgot won’t like this but...

Man Utd, Real Madrid, Bayern, Barca are behemoths, they are giants of the game. When they come calling it’s very difficult to turn them down.

It doesn’t matter how we’re doing in the league, if Spurs have a fancy cheese counter, it doesn’t matter that Phil Jones is still at the club...

When Man Utd call you, tell you you’ve got a huge transfer kitty and that they want you to make Utd great again, it’s going to be very, very difficult to turn down.

The only issue Man Utd will face is Real Madrid, not Spurs.

Tottenham aren’t in the same universe as United when it comes to prestige and history. Pochettino will be ours IF we want him.

Again, sorry Spurs fans - you will disagree and get your finances and new stadia arguments out but I deal in facts only.
 
InLevyITrust said:
Again if United are talking to Poch surely Levy would have to be informed and therefore we as fans would know?
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Of course. But it's still very early and we will find out what our options are in week or two time is my guess.
 
Random Task said:
In the future, sure, but I think Howe would be too much of a risk right now given the sheer state of the club. He isn't glamorous enough for Woodward either, he will want a big name to match the brand; Poch, Zidane, Conte, Allegri etc.

I think Poch has always been first choice, whether we can lure him away from Spurs is another matter entirely.
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I think you'd make a mistake by hiring Zidane or Conte, - I think you'll need someone who would relish the job as a long term project, and I also think Pochettino is your first choice. I hope to keep him, and I'm still confident that he'll manage us next season though.

As a side note, iff you don't get him I wonder how many would actually say that he wasn't approached and if he was he no doubt would have left.
 
It's a difficult one as to whether Poch would come if United moved for him. This is presuming he's the club's number 1 choice and they're willing to pay the compensation...

Staying with Spurs as they move into their new stadium would be hugely exciting for him, he's done some tremendous work for them over the past few years and guiding them through the transition whilst possibly winning silverware along the way would really cement his legacy at Spurs. I suppose the key question is whether he has taken this Spurs side as far as they can go, I don't mean the potential to win an FA Cup or something I think the next level for them is to win the league. Can Poch with his current squad in a new stadium do that against the likes of Pep's City and Klopp's Liverpool? I'm not so sure, I imagine the purse strings will inevitably be a little more loose than last summer but I can't see Spurs being able to push hard in the market to recruit the calibre of player that Spurs would need to win the title.

At United on the other hand he'd be taking some steps back in the process of winning major honours as he'd be coming into a side which is both individually and collectively inferior, I also doubt we'll qualify for the CL which further adds to the struggles for next season and for the transfer market in the summer. What he would have at United however is a very real possibility of serious financial backing to build a squad and team to go toe to toe with your City's and Liverpool's. That would take time though which I don't think is an issue with United, if progress was visibly being made we know he'd have the full support of the fans. We do already have some very talented players but we're certainly a much more risky project than that of continuing his work at Spurs.

I do hope we go for him and he joins, but we need to sort our house out first before making our next move.
 
Vadim said:
The resident Spurs fans @GlastonSpur @InLevyITrust @balaks and whoever else I forgot won’t like this but...

Man Utd, Real Madrid, Bayern, Barca are behemoths, they are giants of the game. When they come calling it’s very difficult to turn them down.

It doesn’t matter how we’re doing in the league, if Spurs have a fancy cheese counter, it doesn’t matter that Phil Jones is still at the club...

When Man Utd call you, tell you you’ve got a huge transfer kitty and that they want you to make Utd great again, it’s going to be very, very difficult to turn down.

The only issue Man Utd will face is Real Madrid, not Spurs.

Tottenham aren’t in the same universe as United when it comes to prestige and history. Pochettino will be ours IF we want him.

Again, sorry Spurs fans - you will disagree and get your finances and new stadia arguments out but I deal in facts only.
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Hmmmm so why didn’t you get Pep or Klopp?
 
InLevyITrust said:
While I agree with the sentiment, I don’t think that will put the argument to bed.
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Obviously not, people are going to be measuring dick sizes for a long time to come. We'll have Spurs fans in here talking up our cheese making capabilities, and United fans talking up how big a cheque Woodward can write. Happy days.

I just don't really care, we're having a good season thus far (a better one than I expected) and I'm happy. Whether he looks elsewhere in the summer is a question for tomorrow, though I can understand United fans wanting to discuss it now I personally just don't think our fans should engage in it. Constantly having to talk up how great we are just makes us look insecure, if we were really certain he wouldn't look twice at United we wouldn't be bothered about the speculation.
 
InLevyITrust said:
Hmmmm so why didn’t you get Pep or Klopp?
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Because we got Mourinho who was double the wage than Pep? Klopp had a poor last season before moving.

Don't really see the relevance here. It's not like we appointed Moyes with Pep/Klopp as alternatives.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Obviously not, people are going to be measuring dick sizes for a long time to come. We'll have Spurs fans in here talking up our cheese making capabilities, and United fans talking up how big a cheque Woodward can write. Happy days.

I just don't really care, we're having a good season thus far (a better one than I expected) and I'm happy. Whether he looks elsewhere in the summer is a question for tomorrow, though I can understand United fans wanting to discuss it now I personally just don't think our fans should engage in it. Constantly having to talk up how great we are just makes us look insecure, if we were really certain he wouldn't look twice at United we wouldn't be bothered about the speculation.
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I agree, I haven’t really mentioned ya as a club just judging Poch on who I think he is.
 
harrington said:
Left fingers in a few pies with that statement. It strikes me he might be indulging in mind games, a bit. Some of his responses to being linked to Real Madrid were tepid and ambiguous as well, weren't they. (bridges closed-off rather than burned down, and all that). I don't think he sees it as his job to reassure or butter-up anyone. I think he takes a dim view of the media circus, and part of him fancies stringing people along.
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He's leaving his options open to better and bigger jobs.
 
I think he'd join the likes of Bayern, PSG and Real if offered a good project.

I don't see him joining a club in the premier league straight from spurs, barring a meltdown in relations with Levy (another round of lies about transfer budgets might do it).
 
Riz said:
Staying with Spurs as they move into their new stadium would be hugely exciting for him
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Who really cares about this nowadays apart from the occasional Spurs fan? Arsenal moved to a new and better stadium and haven't really been in contention for the title in years, how did the stadium change their fortunes?

I'm not sure why the bigger stadium would matter that much for Poch other than being more of a drawback (less money available for transfers, playing at Wembley). Sunderland have one of the biggest stadiums in the country and usually big fan base, where are they now?
 
Vadim said:
The resident Spurs fans @GlastonSpur @InLevyITrust @balaks and whoever else I forgot won’t like this but...

Man Utd, Real Madrid, Bayern, Barca are behemoths, they are giants of the game. When they come calling it’s very difficult to turn them down.

It doesn’t matter how we’re doing in the league, if Spurs have a fancy cheese counter, it doesn’t matter that Phil Jones is still at the club...

When Man Utd call you, tell you you’ve got a huge transfer kitty and that they want you to make Utd great again, it’s going to be very, very difficult to turn down.

The only issue Man Utd will face is Real Madrid, not Spurs.

Tottenham aren’t in the same universe as United when it comes to prestige and history. Pochettino will be ours IF we want him.

Again, sorry Spurs fans - you will disagree and get your finances and new stadia arguments out but I deal in facts only.
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You can't say you deal in facts only, and then peddle fiction by sating Poch is yours if you want him. That isn't a fact at all. It's your hope and belief, but it isn't true. I will come back to you when Poch turns you down, don't worry. :)
 
InLevyITrust said:
Who has won feck all? I’m asking why United don’t go for the best manager in the world?
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They did with Mourinho, or at least thought he was one at the time.

I'm not fan of Poch and don't really like the rumors of him succeeding Jose. I'm not sure it's Woodward's plan A either considering how he entertains the market every year and he'd go for a bigger name.

Poch might be in contention if we hire a DoF, can't see Woodward going for him, so it really depends when and if we employ one(DoF).
 
Enigma_87 said:
They did with Mourinho, or at least thought he was one at the time.

I'm not fan of Poch and don't really like the rumors of him succeeding Jose. I'm not sure it's Woodward's plan A either considering how he entertains the market every year and he'd go for a bigger name.

Poch might be in contention if we hire a DoF, can't see Woodward going for him, so it really depends when and if we employ one(DoF).
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Poch is wasn’t really keen on working with a DOF either tbh. Interesting times.
 
Primativ said:
You can't say you deal in facts only, and then peddle fiction by sating Poch is yours if you want him. That isn't a fact at all. It's your hope and belief, but it isn't true. I will come back to you when Poch turns you down, don't worry. :)
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If you were Liverpool or City or even Arsenal, we wouldn’t be able to land Poch.

But you’re Spurs.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
Obviously not, people are going to be measuring dick sizes for a long time to come. We'll have Spurs fans in here talking up our cheese making capabilities, and United fans talking up how big a cheque Woodward can write. Happy days.

I just don't really care, we're having a good season thus far (a better one than I expected) and I'm happy. Whether he looks elsewhere in the summer is a question for tomorrow, though I can understand United fans wanting to discuss it now I personally just don't think our fans should engage in it. Constantly having to talk up how great we are just makes us look insecure, if we were really certain he wouldn't look twice at United we wouldn't be bothered about the speculation.
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What is this rational, level headed nonsense you're spouting?

We want Glaston,
we want Glaston,
we want Glaston!
 
Enigma_87 said:
The main reason why he is unlikely to join is due to the resources in place. If United were to employ the next full term manager you need serious investment as soon as the winter transfer window and that comes with a premium. The other is the financial part of it as Poch will come cheaper come the Summer if we're to entertain the idea.

I don't see the issue with changing clubs and getting promoted though. What guarantee Poch has that he'll be the top spot at United's managerial list come the Summer? Opportunities like this come and go. If you are offered a much lucrative contract and better career opportunity tomorrow will you turn it down, due to being loyal to your company?
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I've made a very similar argument regarding Poch and his ambitions in this very thread. But I can't see him leaving Spurs in the lurch mid-season, no matter how much Woody throws at him. We'll see what happens I guess.
 
InLevyITrust said:
Poch is wasn’t really keen on working with a DOF either tbh. Interesting times.
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It's not like he's calling the shots on the transfer targets at Spurs either.

I'd rather he stayed at Spurs. He's a good manager but lacks the edge to win the title for me. Perfect for CL qualification but not for United, Real, from what I've seen till now.
 
I guess the question for United fans would be if you did get Pochettino, how patient would you be prepared to be with him?

His first season with us was not a resounding success. We had a lot of the rot removed from the club, figures like Paulinho and Adebayor were frozen out in favour of players with lesser reputations but ones who were prepared to work and were humble enough to learn from him. The likes of Ryan Mason being the best example of that, technically not of the standard required but he adored playing at the club and when he played there was no question over his commitment or willingness to work. In the first Pochettino season we were a very disjointed side, we wanted to press but didn't really do it cohesively, and our defence was often left totally exposed as a result of a totally ineffective midfield.

I see a lot of players at United who simply will not fit in with how Pochettino wants to play, or even if they do it will take a season or so to adapt their game. There will be a lot of upheaval in the first season and I could see you being a very inconsistent side, and there are plenty of fans around who get very frustrated very quickly. Especially fans of a club like United who demand trophies at all costs, which I do not view as Pochettino's philosophy. He wants to build strong foundations, he is not interested in short term success at the expense of long term prosperity.

I'd be interested to see how he did with you, honestly. Obviously I'd much prefer he remain with us (and genuinely do believe he will be our manager next season) but purely from a curiosity standpoint I'd like to see how he would work with a club like United, and whether he would adapt his approach.
 
Riz said:
It's a difficult one as to whether Poch would come if United moved for him. This is presuming he's the club's number 1 choice and they're willing to pay the compensation...

Staying with Spurs as they move into their new stadium would be hugely exciting for him, he's done some tremendous work for them over the past few years and guiding them through the transition whilst possibly winning silverware along the way would really cement his legacy at Spurs. I suppose the key question is whether he has taken this Spurs side as far as they can go, I don't mean the potential to win an FA Cup or something I think the next level for them is to win the league. Can Poch with his current squad in a new stadium do that against the likes of Pep's City and Klopp's Liverpool? I'm not so sure, I imagine the purse strings will inevitably be a little more loose than last summer but I can't see Spurs being able to push hard in the market to recruit the calibre of player that Spurs would need to win the title.

At United on the other hand he'd be taking some steps back in the process of winning major honours as he'd be coming into a side which is both individually and collectively inferior, I also doubt we'll qualify for the CL which further adds to the struggles for next season and for the transfer market in the summer. What he would have at United however is a very real possibility of serious financial backing to build a squad and team to go toe to toe with your City's and Liverpool's. That would take time though which I don't think is an issue with United, if progress was visibly being made we know he'd have the full support of the fans. We do already have some very talented players but we're certainly a much more risky project than that of continuing his work at Spurs.

I do hope we go for him and he joins, but we need to sort our house out first before making our next move.
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The only issue is the job offer from real madrid is a lot more attractive than Man Utd, and Spurs fans will still love him if he goes abroad. The same can't be said if he moves to MU. Also given his background, weather in Spain is also more attractive.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
I guess the question for United fans would be if you did get Pochettino, how patient would you be prepared to be with him?
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I reckon we'd be pretty patient if it was similar to Klopp at Pool. If he didn't improve results initially but did show signs of playing the sort of football we want (and standards in that regard have been very, very low lately so he wouldn't have a high bar to set) and showed gradual improvement in the squad then I'm sure we'd be willing to give it a few years before expecting a trophy. We brought Mourinho in to insta-win us a PL and it failed miserably so making that mistake again would be silly.

But yeah, he would obviously need to improve us, and our football, at a minimum. The good thing is that right now neither of those things are particularly difficult to do which is why any manager coming here is in a pretty good position. It's not like things can get much worse right now. Utd fans have been starved of good football for the last five years and I reckon if a manager got us playing good football (or showed progress towards it) they'd be given quite a bit of leeway in the trophy department for a while.
 
Vadim said:
If you were Liverpool or City or even Arsenal, we wouldn’t be able to land Poch.

But you’re Spurs.
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A reinvigorated club on the up again, rather than one of the same-olds. Poch might be tempted by United because he's ambitious, but then he might stay at Spurs because his ambition is quite pure, Wenger-pure, and he's able to tell the difference between that sort of ambition and avarice. There's surely a greater challenge in trying to break up old orders than in being required to maintain and extend them, and greater personal satisfaction if you succeed, or come close.
 
harrington said:
A reinvigorated club on the up again, rather than one of the same-olds. Poch might be tempted by United because he's ambitious, but then he might stay at Spurs because his ambition is quite pure, Wenger-pure, and he's able to tell the difference between that sort of ambition and avarice. There's surely a greater challenge in trying to break up old orders than in being required to maintain and extend them, and greater personal satisfaction if you succeed, or come close.
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If Man Utd offer to double Poch’s wages and offer him a huge transfer kitty that only Man City could equal, he’s gone. The size of Man Utd and the rewards on offer would be too much to turn down.

He knows he won’t win anything with Spurs because Levy is a tight git.

Believe it or not, managers are selfish like players are. They want to win the big trophies.

You support Villa, right? Why didn’t Dean Smith stay at Brentford? He was doing a great job, the fans adored him, the club loved him, he got 10/10 from his players every game - Villa were in a rut, going nowhere, why would he go there? You know what happened next.
 
Vadim said:
If you were Liverpool or City or even Arsenal, we wouldn’t be able to land Poch.

But you’re Spurs.
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That’s right. We are Spurs and we are in a much better position than you are.
 
Primativ said:
That’s right. We are Spurs and we are in a much better position than you are.
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You mean, you’re higher in the league?

So what? That won’t mean anything if Man Utd want your manager. We’re a huge club, you’re a big one.

We’re the biggest club in England, you’re not even the biggest club in North London.
 
SquishyMcSquish said:
I guess the question for United fans would be if you did get Pochettino, how patient would you be prepared to be with him?

His first season with us was not a resounding success. We had a lot of the rot removed from the club, figures like Paulinho and Adebayor were frozen out in favour of players with lesser reputations but ones who were prepared to work and were humble enough to learn from him. The likes of Ryan Mason being the best example of that, technically not of the standard required but he adored playing at the club and when he played there was no question over his commitment or willingness to work. In the first Pochettino season we were a very disjointed side, we wanted to press but didn't really do it cohesively, and our defence was often left totally exposed as a result of a totally ineffective midfield.

I see a lot of players at United who simply will not fit in with how Pochettino wants to play, or even if they do it will take a season or so to adapt their game. There will be a lot of upheaval in the first season and I could see you being a very inconsistent side, and there are plenty of fans around who get very frustrated very quickly. Especially fans of a club like United who demand trophies at all costs, which I do not view as Pochettino's philosophy. He wants to build strong foundations, he is not interested in short term success at the expense of long term prosperity.

I'd be interested to see how he did with you, honestly. Obviously I'd much prefer he remain with us (and genuinely do believe he will be our manager next season) but purely from a curiosity standpoint I'd like to see how he would work with a club like United, and whether he would adapt his approach.
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I believe United supporters should be at the point that as long as our style of football show big improvements, we will be ready to wait another 4/5 years without premier league success.

The problem at United is that we have lost our identity. Our club is a circus and there is no stability. We need a management team who can stabilize this team and give it an identity that would make it enjoyable to watch United again.

Pochettino is the perfect man for this job as he values work ethic, attacking intelligent football and youth. Thinking about what Pochettino can do with the likes of Rashford, Chong, Gomes, Greenwood, McTominay, and few others of our academy product will bring back memories of old United under Sir Alex Ferguson. In addition, seeing him get the best out of average players that a lot of United fans like to criticize would also showcase the way Ferguson would win titles with a midfield of Cleverly, Fletcher, and past expiring date players like Giggs, Carrick and scholes.
 
Interesting that Poch pointed out that he was very close friends with Jose at the very start of the presser, I wonder what sort of reference he will give Poch about the board at United.
 
Pack your bags Poch.
It should have been your job the first time, apologies for keeping you waiting
 
People should not take his evasiveness as a clue. He has always been like that.
 
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