On numerous news sites they're publishing that Pep has stated that he would prefer the Arsenal job if he comes to the EPL, over the likes of Chelsea/United/City.

 

Will be interesting to see what Roman thinks about this and whether he's still his preferred choice at the end of the season. Of course it all also depends on how Arsenal do this season, but right now a top 4 spot is no certainty and that will be the make or break aspect of their season.

 

Personally I see this as a possible blessing in disguise, if Pep does go to Arsenal then it greatly increases the chances of Jose coming back. On the downside, it could also increase the chances of the FSW staying on if he knows he can't replace him with Pep, and we end up having a strong finish to the season.

 

Do you think Arsenal would dump Arsene for Pep at the end of the season?

Would he be a success there?

Would it be good or bad (for us) if Pep were to go there?

It's a curious thing with pep, he inherited the best squad in the world was given time and stability. Arguably Villanova has done as good a job if not better than pep. The most important thing pep has to consider is his reputation, currently he could manage any club of his choosing but one wrong choice of job now could see everything change. I cannot see him taking the arsenal job personally, there is too much that needs to be done at the club regarding ins and outs. Again, the same with Utd, I think fergie will see that team out until he is ready to retire but it needs a lot of work to it. So on that basis I can only see him in the city job where he will be given time and money and it is no coincidence they recently appointed barcelonas old chairman, the man responsible for hiring pep at barca.

Jose back at the club is nothing more than a pipe dream. He will leave real at the end of the season, that I do not doubt, but roman will never admit to his mistake, 2 seasons and 4 managers on we are still suffering from his last mistake. The next manager will be an up and coming manager with a big ego, no-one else will want to touch the job

It's a curious thing with pep, he inherited the best squad in the world was given time and stability. Arguably Villanova has done as good a job if not better than pep. The most important thing pep has to consider is his reputation, currently he could manage any club of his choosing but one wrong choice of job now could see everything change. I cannot see him taking the arsenal job personally, there is too much that needs to be done at the club regarding ins and outs. Again, the same with Utd, I think fergie will see that team out until he is ready to retire but it needs a lot of work to it. So on that basis I can only see him in the city job where he will be given time and money and it is no coincidence they recently appointed barcelonas old chairman, the man responsible for hiring pep at barca.

Jose back at the club is nothing more than a pipe dream. He will leave real at the end of the season, that I do not doubt, but roman will never admit to his mistake, 2 seasons and 4 managers on we are still suffering from his last mistake. The next manager will be an up and coming manager with a big ego, no-one else will want to touch the job

 

If you're right, then I just hope that up and coming manager is Klopp, lets hope Dortmund perform in the CL this season.

Well it is all circumstantial, as long as fsw is not around next season I will be happy

Guardiola is a fantastic coach. I have no time for anyone who brushes off his success as purely down to the squad he inherited- the same arguments were levelled at Mourinho, it was a bullsh*t argument back then and a bullsh*t argument now.

 

Guardiola, like Mourinho has actually changed something fundamental about football. The system he instilled in Barcelona was a real back-to-basics method; pass, move and chase the ball when you lose it. Vilanova is getting great results, but they are still playing the same way Guardiola developed, much as Chelsea did under Avram Grant. 

 

As for his interest in Arsenal, I don't believe it. He knows he is so sought after by the owners at Chelsea and Manchester City that he would be afforded a certain amount of latitude at those clubs. At Manchester United or Arsenal, he simply wouldn't be given any sort of latitude because of the enormous reputations of the managers that precede him there, and the board would expect instant results to appease the fans.

 

The other thing to consider is his involvement with youth and his preference for playing young players from within the club; United, Chelsea and Manchester City have well-established and well-funded youth systems while Arsenal sacrificed their academy system for the policy of buying the latest and greatest young talents and trying to slot them in the first team as soon as possible.

story originally on goal.com so pinch of salt springs to mind...no-one really knows what pep is going to do, doubt he knows it himself yet...consistently said he won't even think about it until the new year...however, given the way we treat managers, I can't see him coming here

Superficially, Arsenal seems to be the best fit for Pep. Of all the English teams, their style of play is the closest to Barca's. I remember when they played Barca in the Champions League a few years ago (the match where RVP got sent off) and they out-Barca'd Barca before they went down to 10 men. They've also made a habit of relying on youth under Wenger, which meshes well with Pep's philosophy. The issues appear when you dig a little deeper. First, there's no Messi. In fact, there's nobody who's even a tenth of the player that Messi is. Second, the youth set-up in England is quite a bit different in structure and Pep wouldn't have a B team competing against men. That's such a huge asset to his system and allows him to pull and plug in a multitude of young players whenever he needs to. He wouldn't be able to do that in England. Third, Pep's had a number of big money gaffes (buying Ibra and then deciding he didn't like his attitude within the span of a year, for example) and I can't imagine him having the money to be able to do that at Arsenal. He's probably not thinking too hard about his next job, after all he's still on hiatus. Most likely, he's had a brief glance at possible job openings and Arsenal appeals to him the most. When he explores the situation more closely, I think he'll have a change of heart. Not that I think he'll necessarily want to come here, but I'm skeptical that he'd go to Arsenal. 

No, he doesn't want it.

No, he doesn't want it.

 

thanks for confirming

Good on him if true because it would make a change for a top manager to go and build success in a club, instead of just carrying on a winning formula somewhere.

 

....and I want Mourinho back.

Anything that makes Jose's homecoming more realistic is welcomed.

For god sake, do people really believe these rumours. One week Pep is going to Chelsea, and then Man Utd and then Bayern Munich and then AC Milan and now he wants to go to Arsenal. I can guarantee you that Pep hasn't made up his mind yet. He's still on leave and taking a break from football. He won't be fully considering his options until about February next year. No point dwelling on all these rumours. The journos need to write a story or rumour that will sell papers. 

Well it is all circumstantial, as long as fsw is not around next season I will be happy

 

Careful what you wish for, for all we know we might end up with Roy Keane.

Guardiola shouldn't come to the Premier League, he'll need another sabbatical after a year in the same league as Sam Allardyce.

Guardiola is a fantastic coach. I have no time for anyone who brushes off his success as purely down to the squad he inherited- the same arguments were levelled at Mourinho, it was a bullsh*t argument back then and a bullsh*t argument now.

 

Guardiola, like Mourinho has actually changed something fundamental about football. The system he instilled in Barcelona was a real back-to-basics method; pass, move and chase the ball when you lose it. Vilanova is getting great results, but they are still playing the same way Guardiola developed, much as Chelsea did under Avram Grant.

 

Well you won't like what i have to say then because i think it WAS down to the players he had. Ok he may be an ok coach, but all that Barcelona team needed was an ok coach. You say Vilanova is doing well playing Guardiola's style, but what about Guardiola ? he only made slight tweaks to the Barcelona team Rijkaard had, i remember Rijkaard also doing the pass and move style football, the difference now is that they do it more then they did then.

 

It's because Barcelona are so well placed that Guardiola became such a success, not because he is a world class manager. I refuse to except that a manager is world class when he leaves his defense so open. I don't care if Barcelona are fantastic at keeping the ball there is no excuse for playing your defense this way. The perfect example was against us in the Semi-final of the champions league, not 1 player was there to stop Torres scoring that goal, i know they were chasing the game but all they needed was one man on the half way line.

 

To be honest i am not interested in seeing his style at Chelsea, it bores me to death.

I don't want Guardiola at Chelsea, I'd far prefer someone with experience of managing in Britain. I'm not even sure I'd want Mourinho back, much as I love the guy - he was a legend at the club and I'd hate those memories to be tarnished if it all went tits-up during a second term at the Bridge.

 

I've given it a lot of thought, but found it so difficult to decide who would be the best man for the job. Eventually I realised that there was only one man, Robbie Di Matteo, but unfortunately that's never gonna happen.

 

So, I'm currently working on a time machine with the intention of going back to the mid-60's and bringing back Tommy Docherty, Chelsea's best ever manager in my opinion. He was a huge character who excelled at bringing youngsters through - and the players we have at the club would suit Doc's style of play down to the ground. Only problem I can foresee would be Doc and Roman killing each other within the first week

Funny you should say that, I'm on the lookout for a new job:

 

Mr. R. Abramovich

C/O Stamford Bridge

London SW6 1HS

 

Dear Mr Abramovich

 

Being the astute business man you are, I'm sure you realise by now that you made an absolutely massive rickett in appointing the interim manager. Guardiola is a one trick pony, Jose Mourinho may be available at the end of the season - and if you would follow my advice, you would swallow your pride, kiss and make up, and get his arse back to the Bridge at the earliest possibly opportunity.

 

In the meantime I would like to volunteer my services for the position of New And Bluebeard Approved Interim Manager.

 

Yours sincerely.

T. Docherty Esquire

I've tried to have a word in Roman's shell-like but without success, so I've forwarded a reference for you Tommy. Unfortunately your comment on previous Chelsea chairman Charles Pratt, "Pratt by name, Pratt by nature" may go against you

That's very kind of you Mr. B.

Charles Pratt: the spitting image of Arhur Lowe following a successful charisma bypass operation

As the saying goes: Some are born Pratts, some become Pratts, and others have prize-Pratt status thrust upon them.

In the case of Charlie boy it was all three!

Do you think Arsenal would dump Arsene for Pep at the end of the season?

Would he be a success there?

Would it be good or bad (for us) if Pep were to go there?

Do you think Arsenal would dump Arsene for Pep at the end of the season?

I think that Arsene is going to bow out at the end of the season leaving Pep Guardiola to fill the void. Wenger won't be sacked; Arsenal's board have more sense than that.

 

Would he be a success there?

Yes, yes he would. Arsenal is by far the best fit in the EPL for him. City, United, and ourselves would expect earth-shattering success straight away whilst Arsenal have kept the same manager for 16 years with mixed results. Guardiola would get the time he needs to get the wheels turning at Arsenal more than he would anywhere else.

 

Would it be good or bad (for us) if Pep were to go there?

Very bad but there's going to be no escaping it. Every cloud has a silver lining however, Guardiola going to Arsenal would not only piss off Roman Abramovich but it would also pave the way for Jose to return to us. Pep vs Jose lock horns again, this time in the EPL.

London derbies will never be the same again