There goes Julen!

[Del Woppio]

Athletic article doesn't say a lot. Predictable character bashing, no acknowledgement that Shi/wolves have managed the situation terribly. Only positive is that he talks about the need for profit this window because of Fosun rather than FFP.

It's fucking gutting. I didn't particularly like the bloke, and I didn't love a lot of his football. But he's been absolutely shafted and we've chosen to replace him with Gary O'Neil, rather than spend £40-50m on players.

I wonder how many times I'll read "and to think he was the outstanding candidate" on here over the four months it takes him to get sacked. Shambles.

 

[prawnking]

Losing Lop isn't the big problem anyway, none of us on here particularly revere him (I think), and I imagine even Nuno had his prickly moments and rubbed the odd person up the wrong way at the club.

For most of last season, and during this pre-season, you can't say it looked like Lopetegui lost the players or fans, which is the important thing

The big problem is the 180 switch back to 'out-of-his-depth yes man' manager that we're about to disastrously embark on

 

[Wolf Hunting]

The quicker he fails the quicker we get somebody competent in that is available.

What an appalling standpoint!
So that if the players are shite, the club are bottom again at Christmas, we should let these incompetent amateurs loose to search the market for someone THEY think is competent?
Just like they did 2 weeks ago?
They had that chance after Celtic and look who they found!
I'd rather they looked at that list of 10 available and reached for another good one.
"The quicker he fails the quicker we get somebody competent in that is available."
We'll end up with Allardyce!

 

[ROVERT47]

I can’t make up my mind whether Shi/Fosun are either incredibly naive to think O’Neil will have any sort of hope of keeping us in the Premier League or just don’t give a fuck anymore.
I think we’ll probably finish in the bottom three but unlike last season when the shit has hit the fan around the end of November they’ll just shrug their shoulders and let O’Neil take us into the Championship and look to sell damaged goods.

 

[b3h]

Let’s be honest: these pieces are going to come out, there has been unrest for 3 months and plenty of bizarre events during Lop’s tenure (Jimenez outburst, Moutinho disappearing from the face of the earth) so none of the claims he’s a bit odd and prickly are surprising to me.

And yet things looked quite good on the pitch pre season. Players playing well for him. Minus the 2 or 3 cheaper signings they wouldn't give him, things were looking good

 

[malta mick]

i think both parties have acted irresponsibly, but Lop spent a fair wedge of cash and kept us up. the team looked decent enough in pre season to suggest a mid table finish, and yet he throws the towel in before a match is played. i would have respected him more had he given it 8-10 games and then decided to quit after poor results.
fosun and shi on the other hand are just wankers, given the stories they spun him to get him here.

 

[oldgold coast]

Let’s be honest: these pieces are going to come out, there has been unrest for 3 months and plenty of bizarre events during Lop’s tenure (Jimenez outburst, Moutinho disappearing from the face of the earth) so none of the claims he’s a bit odd and prickly are surprising to me.

it shouldnt have been news to shi and fosun either. they had the best part of six years to understand and check out Lops personality and quirks. he needed proper handling which shi was incapable of providing ( see all other exits of capable personnel). he was never the guy who was going to sit tight after being bullshitted to more than once.

 

[Haggstone]

Just to point out that if they spun him stories to get him here, doing so more than likely stopped us from getting relegated. Just saying.

 

[Johnny75]

What an appalling standpoint!
So that if the players are shite, the club are bottom again at Christmas, we should let these incompetent amateurs loose to search the market for someone THEY think is competent?
Just like they did 2 weeks ago?
They had that chance after Celtic and look who they found!
I'd rather they looked at that list of 10 available and reached for another good one.
"The quicker he fails the quicker we get somebody competent in that is available."
We'll end up with Allardyce!

I'm not sure what you're getting at?

You think a shit manager should be backed but will still be appallingly shit and the next bloke will be worse?

 

[Del Woppio]

Just to point out that if they spun him stories to get him here, doing so more than likely stopped us from getting relegated. Just saying.

Absolutely, and tbh in Shi's position I'd have done the same. But then having got him here and then retained PL status, and recouped more money than expected in the Summer, to not chuck him the £50m it would take to keep him is braindead. Especially when the alternative is Gary O Fucking Neil

 

[Loki]

This seems a bit more extreme than being a bit weird. It doesn't sound healthy at all.

Before matches he was said to become incredibly wound up, described by one source as a “nervous wreck”, becoming so stressed and frenzied that people thought it was bad for his health.

Lopetegui and his lieutenants would often shut themselves away from everyone else, especially after defeats when Lopetegui was known to stay in his office all week.

Blimey, makes Bill McGarry sound like a pussycat. (One for the old codgers).

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Absolutely, and tbh in Shi's position I'd have done the same. But then having got him here and then retained PL status, and recouped more money than expected in the Summer, to not chuck him the £50m it would take to keep him is braindead. Especially when the alternative is Gary O Fucking Neil

And how much we have had to pay to get him out of the door.

If his team were on 15million a year (genuine guess) then the payoff would have been significant?

 

[Wolf Hunting]

I'm not sure what you're getting at?

You think a shit manager should be backed but will still be appallingly shit and the next bloke will be worse?

No.
It's the adoption of a position than a Wolves fan wants the team to lose as many games as possible as fast as they can... (so that a hopefully more competent option can be sought) that I find so abhorrent.
And given the absolute maelstrom of disdain about Fosun and Shi, you then presuppose we'll break the mould and be different in our search for a successor.
I think I'll have some of what you're having.

 

[Langers]

Bigger picture stuff.

Hoping GoN does well is admirable of you but it's the equivalent of buying a robin reliant and hoping you win the F1 championship in it.

'Admirable' of me?!

Come on mate, you don't need to be that condescending - I'm as underwhelmed by this appointment as anyone but actively hoping he fucks up is really silly.

Best case scenario? He keeps us up, we are able to spend a bit in the next transfer window. The first part is maybe 50/50, the second part just wishful thinking.

Worst case scenario? He manages a similar PPG as Lage did last season, and we're looking for a replacement. Before Christmas. Who will probably be told there's no money to spend. Yeah, good luck attracting a high calibre pool of candidates for that, then. With the track record Fosun have of appointments, it really doesn't bode well.

So yes - if it's okay with you, I'm hoping GoN proves me, you and 99% of this forum wrong and somehow manages to keep us in this league. The more likely alternative is disastrous for this club and if that happens, it'll be self inflicted.

 

[Tony Towner]

I can’t make up my mind whether Shi/Fosun are either incredibly naive to think O’Neil will have any sort of hope of keeping us in the Premier League or just don’t give a fuck anymore.
I think we’ll probably finish in the bottom three but unlike last season when the shit has hit the fan around the end of November they’ll just shrug their shoulders and let O’Neil take us into the Championship and look to sell damaged goods.

It's Hobbs I'm disappointed in, my view of Shi couldn't really sink much lower anyway. He was put in charge of the recruitment, granted probably with a very narrow brief, Shi isn't even in the country and that's the best he came up with. As someone that's supposed to have a football knowledge he should be able to see deeper than just the Bournemouth headline. Be interesting to see if he sticks around, if he doesn't then I'll retract the criticism

 

[Elephant Pyjamas]

Edit: posted in wrong thread.

 

[Wolf Hunting]

If it's not Hobbs, and if it's not Shi who's pulling the strings, does anyone know who is the Grand Puppet master?

 

[Langers]

If it's not Hobbs, and if it's not Shi who's pulling the strings, does anyone know who is the Grand Puppet master?

Matthew Corbett?

 

[Tony Towner]

If it's not Hobbs, and if it's not Shi who's pulling the strings, does anyone know who is the Grand Puppet master?

Fosun Exec Board. They'll set the corporate strategy across all of their investments, Shi has to enact that. The issue is the football club don't seem to be exempt from that overarching decision making, eg cutting expenditure back completely. You can't run a football club like a plc without acknowledgement of the unique operating model, therein lies the issue

 

[EnglishBob]

A few 5-0 reverses and things are going to get pretty toxic.

Got to give the new guy a chance but as people say, any manager with personal ambition doesn't go near us right now. Leaves us in the market for yes men and retreads. Hope I'm wrong and the GON era is a golden one. Fear it's more of a golden shower though.