Southampton (A) - 18th March

[Style And Glory]

I think the players are a problem because a majority of them are not to the standard of where want to be. Some of these players are mid table best.

Equally, that leads as usual into what I agree with you about, the investment on insuring we have players with the right quality is not existent from the top. We have the stadium and the managers, but they are working with a set of average tools with the 1 or 2 high quality items. If you had a season when every team was at their best, we would be really fighting for europa.

It's true.
I find it shocking that given the season we are having we are still top 4.
If not for clubs like Chelsea & 'Pool sputtering far worse that us, & Newcastle still prepping their financial steroids, in time we'll be lucky to be fighting for 7th & 8th.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

I admire him for calling out the board, basically saying ‘sack me, and nothing will change”. Not sure this will be welcomed by Levy, but nothing Conte has said is a lie.

If Conte survives this, then the only reason Levy did not sack him is financial.

I can’t imagine it would cost that much to sack him. He’s not contracted for next season so any payout would be small.

 

[ClemFandango]

It's interesting that a lof of people are still insisting that Levy backed Conte more than any other manager. While it's true that we spent a lot of money, look at who we signed and how Conte has treated them.

I'd wager that, aside from Porro and Perisic, all of our transfers since he's been here have been club signings and his input has either ranged from non-existent (Spence and Danjuma) to a cursory involvment at best (Bissouma, Sarr, Richarlison, Lenglet & Forster) as he's played those seemingly reluctantly when his preferred players have been injured.

So I don't think you can really argue he's been properly backed because the club has done what the club always does - buying and selling assets to trade on later for a higher price and the manager of the moment has to make the best of it and trying to increase their value for the club rather than actually building towards a team capable of challenging for something.

 

[The Cryptkeeper]

It's interesting that a lof of people are still insisting that Levy backed Conte more than any other manager. While it's true that we spent a lot of money, look at who we signed and how Conte has treated them.

I'd wager that, aside from Porro and Perisic, all of our transfers since he's been here have been club signings and his input has either ranged from non-existent (Spence and Danjuma) to a cursory involvment at best (Bissouma, Sarr, Richarlison, Lenglet & Forster) as he's played those seemingly reluctantly when his preferred players have been injured.

So I don't think you can really argue he's been properly backed because the club has done what the club always does - buying and selling assets to trade on later for a higher price and the manager of the moment has to make the best of it and trying to increase their value for the club rather than actually building towards a team capable of challenging for something.

Kulusevski and Bentancur were Conte signings. I am fairly sure he was happy to get Richarlison too.

 

[BrooklynYid]

Well that was something. I think he's toast, but he isn't wrong. You should not call out the players, but they needed to hear it. They are soft. They fold. They are shit under pressure. It probably is a club mentality. How do horrible sides keep doing this to us? It isn't luck, it's us! It is the club mentality that allows it. Levy is weasely and stressed and the club takes that on. Boehly has no idea what he's doing but he'll eventually win, because he expects and believes that he will, and he isn't scared to take a risk. This club always feels like we are hanging on for dear life and the players play like it. If Conte does get sacked, I hope he smacks Levys bald head.

 

[ClemFandango]

Kulusevski and Bentancur were Conte signings. I am fairly sure he was happy to get Richarlison too.

Of course you're right. I suppose those two had fitted in so well to the side that my brain told me they'd been here a lot longer.

 

[ClemFandango]

Well worth reading the whole tweet ..

 

[J.spurs]

I have no idea who's responsible for what signing, and definitely Levy is a bald idiot.

But there are lots of people out there acting as if Conte has spent a season and a half dipping between the sofa cushions for spare change. That's nonsense. He's got a strong (not great) side that, although they may finish fourth, is terrible to watch. He's a highly paid, supposedly world-class manager that has basically been able to deliver exactly what the club's financial position would predict.

He can make all the excuses he likes, and some of them are probably valid, especially those related to Levy being a bald prick. Still, like most of you, I've watched just about every game during his tenure, and I can't think of a single player who's improved much. I don't despise him like I did the CC Mourinho, and I enjoy the thought of Levy squirming as he saw the press conference. But Conte has really added nothing.