End of Season Review. "Dilly Ding, Dilly Dong!" Claudio Ranieri. There s only two types of manager. Those who ve been sacked and those who will be sacked in the future. Howard Wilkinson. As one season finishes and a new one is still some way in the future. Perhaps, now is the time for a holiday and a period of quiet reflection - to look back on what went right and what went wrong and how the team can make improvements and move forward with renewed vigour and confidence. Like any successful team we need to identify the weaknesses and then look to strengthen in those positions during the summer transfer window. We need to take time to read the scouting reports, analyse the videos, make a shortlist of players we would like at the club and also realise this will inevitably lead to a parting of the ways for some of the old favourites. A Team autophagy! The 2016/7 Premier League season was arguably the year of the Manager and demonstrated how important a strong manager is to the success of any team: Klopp, Mourinho, Guardiola, Mauricio Pochettino, Wenger, and last, but certainly not least, Antonio Conte. Each team moulded/shaped and reflecting the personality of their prospective manager. We had the passion of Klopp, encouraging, egging, urging his players on from the sidelines, the nervous, fidgety, excitability of Pep, that promised so much in the early days, but, ultimately failed to deliver. The pragmatism of Mourinho and the increasing stubbornness of Wenger. The two most successful managers of the season however, were: Pochettino and Conte, Spurs and Chelsea, white and blue, second and first, almost throughout. Looking at their playing style and managerial philosophy, it is easy to see why they were both so successful.
Pochettino, was a hard uncompromising Argentinian international centre back, probably best remembered by England fans for bringing down Michael Owen, in the penalty box, in the 2002 World Cup. He is clearly a manager who commands the utmost respect from his players, someone they would willingly go down the trenches with and battle until their final breathe. His managerial approach reflects the qualities of a Premiership Health manager, recognising the importance of attack, but only when combined with a rock solid defence. You show on the pitch who you are. If you are brave in your life, you cannot behave in a different way on the pitch. I don t understand how to play in a different way. Always, be brave. I like to be brave. Antonio Conte, on the other hand was a more sophisticated defensive midfield player, with more than his fair share of Italian flare. Combined with an astute tactical brain and great distributary skills, he could easily turn defence into attack. As a manager, he has been able to take this direct and fast approach and produce a team full of vitality and verve. You only have to look at his passion from the sidelines to see how his personality is reflected in his players. Underpinning his success is a steely determination to grow and excel. "You have got to be good at everything. You have got to try and excel at everything. To do this you have got to study and since I became a coach, for me, it has been continuous study. Moreover, he has taught his players how to improve by asking questions and understanding their purpose and position in the team. "I always want my players to be fully understanding of the problem. I want them to understand why we are doing certain things and why those things are useful." If both these managers continue with the same philosophies, I can only see further successes. One cautionary note however, to take from the 2016/7 season. Don't upset the Chairman!! In February we said goodbye to the tinker man, turned miracle man of Leicester - Claudio Ranieri. How could the editor of the most incredible story in Premier League history, find himself lost for words less than 10 months later?
The biggest surprise in Football, had become the "biggest surprise" in Ranieri's managerial career. Clearly, Ranieri, hadn't read his own script when in the summer he publicly stated that 40 points was the target and he d be happy with 17th position. Perhaps, he just forgot they had won the league by 10 points and wanted to lower expectations. Perhaps, he wanted to take some pressure off his players, however, they would have felt on top of the world at the time and the thought of another relegation dogfight might have seemed very demoralising. Moreover, such words would also have caught the Chairman's attention and caused them to be even more cautious. Terrified of the drop, their goal is to avoid relegation at all costs. To then hear that the sum of all your ambition is a miserly 40 points is hardly likely to loosen the cheque book from their grasp and allow you to go on a spending spree. We see it time and time again - setting goals, scoring goals, followed by a failure to push on to the next level. Complacency sets in and an "on the beach" mentality pervades the team. So we no longer remain focussed, we take our eye off the ball and foot off the gas. On top of this, the stress levels barely register once the goal is reached and the stimulation for growth is taken away. Producing an inevitable drop off in team play and results. This is exactly what happened to my own team - 40 points was the target - reached in a club record 26 games, only to be followed by the longest ever period in the club's top flight history without scoring a goal - 530 mins and a return of just 5 points from 12 games. "You Didn t Come This Far to Only Come This Far." How many of us have experienced similar plateaus and reversals of form in our own lives. We reach our weight loss target then the chairman comes knocking on the door to tell us we can't keep spending all his money and we are going to have to make some cut backs - of course the players heads drop and they don't play with the same energy. Both the quality and intensity of play goes down and results suffer. This is ultimately what cost Ranieri his job at Leicester, he had lost the confidence of his Chairman, who could see the players performing poorly and the side slipping towards relegation and no longer trusted the manager to pick the best team or use the right tactics. In the Chairman's eyes, the manager was now a liability and had to go.
Ironically, Ranieri's success in 2016 was his undoing in 2017 - he had achieved the impossible by winning the league, what now was going to stop him achieving the improbable and relegation? The pressures for success continue to grow as do the stresses of relegation, no manager is immune from the chop. You can have the full support of your fans and players, but ultimately it's the Chairman who decides your fate. A manager needs to impress the chairman, with new and exciting goals. Let them know they want to make improvements and develop the team, let them realise they want to adopt more attacking tactics and attract more fans to the club and reassure them that they are going to give experience to some of the younger players to ensure a successful future. A clear vision/purpose with a strong and stable manifesto may have been one particular party's sound bite for election success, it's also what you need to maintain your Chairman's vote of confidence. 2017 Team of the Year. 1. Ben Foster. (WBA) 2. James Milner. (Liverpool) 3. Victor Moses. (Chelsea) 4. Billy Dane. (Roy of the Rovers!) 5. Gareth McAuley. (WBA) 6. Eden Hazard. (Chelsea) 7. N'Golo Kante. (Chelsea) 8. Dele. (Spurs) 9. Zlatan Ibrahimovic. (Man Utd) 10.Harry Kane. (Spurs) 11.Jermaine Defoe. (Sunderland) Manager: Antonio Conte. (Chelsea)
1. GK - Ben Foster. Ok, I know it's a biased selection, but I've watched him play every game this season and I can only recall one mistake that cost us any points - when he failed to collect the ball from a free-kick allowing Vokes of Burnley to head an equaliser. That's the kind of Health-Keeper we should all be picking. 2. LB - James Milner. Known as "Milly" to his friends, reached a milestone this season with his 600th appearance. During this time he has played and adapted to many different positions. A very versatile player to have as your Left Back. 3. RB - Victor Moses. It feels like he has been around for ever, but this season saw a dramatic turnaround in his form. A positional switch to right (wing) back seemed to transform his play, utilising both his attacking and defensive qualities. It just goes to show it's never too late to make improvements in this area. 4. CB - Billy Dane. Is always going to be in my Premiership Health team. This comic book hero, with his magical boots of belief, can help to bolster any defence or initiate an attack. This season has finally seen him iron out a few inconsistencies and misplaced passes to become an even stronger defender. 5. CB - Gareth McAuley. He's better than JT! Another self-indulgence, but who can ignore this man's longevity, consistency and goal-scoring ability. Almost ever present with 36 appearances in the Premier League this season, at the tender age of 37. He ranked in the top ten for blocks and clearances and was the top scoring defender in the entire division. 6. MG - Eden Hazard. Another Chelsea player miraculously transformed by a change in manager. Hazard is the closest the Premier League has got to Messi. Compact in stature, he possess lightening pace and great technical ability, "On his day, nobody can stop him. He has such great quality on the ball. He can create something from nothing and this is the sign of a special player." Thierry Henry. 7. MD - N'Golo Kante. Back to back title winning player - mere coincidence - not a chance! He was in fact the only key player to leave Leicester after they won the title and look what happened. The energy this player brings to any team really is a sight to behold. One second breaking down an attack in defence, the next, setting up a goal scoring opportunity. A clean sweep of Player awards for the season is richly deserved. 8. MC - Dele. The shining light in English football - Dele has had a season to remember. He has been able to build many bridges this year after Spurs fans blamed him for losing the title last year, when he was dismissed for punching a West Brom player in the stomach. He took his medicine well and even changed the name on the back of his shirt to "Dele" stating that he had "no connection" to the Alli family name, having been brought up by adoptive parents.
9. AA - Zlatan Ibrahimovic. They say actions speak louder than words, but, in Zlatan's case it's those very words that determine his actions. A legend in his own mind, he stood like a colossus and lifted the whole of Old Trafford upon his shoulders with his 28 goals. All the more remarkable given his advancing years (35). His presence will be sorely be missed next season, not only at United, and no longer will we be able to say: "Do not worry Zlatan is here!" 10. AG - Harry Kane. 29 goals from 29 Premier League appearances, not a bad return when you consider he missed 12 weeks of the season with injuries and he never scores until September! Kane has continued to improve and refine his natural goal scoring abilities, overcoming injuries and returning better than ever, with an obvious love for the game. 11. AP - Jermaine Defoe. How well you play or how successful you are is not the most important factor in life, what really counts is your purpose. Defoe and his Sunderland teammates, may have been relegated, finishing bottom of the league, but, they have earnt our respect and admiration for how they treated a five year boy called Bradley, suffering from terminal cancer. Their purpose has been to make "every second count" in the limited time he has left. Who can fail to have been moved by the pictures of Bradley asleep in Defoe's arms, or the huge smile on his face when he led the England football team out at Wembley. 250,000 cards from well-wishers all around the world, the clapping and chanting of his name after 5 minutes by both sets of supporters, the "We're with you, Bradley" banner unfurled at games, the 200,000 donated by a rival club, Everton, to go towards his cancer treatment, all of this is fitting testimony to the spirit of the game. "Play well - get your teams into shape and take care." Dr Rob.