Scolari

[Lofty]

According to Sky Sports

Chelsea are interested in appointing Luiz Felipe Scolari as manager

And who, apparently said this to Sky Sports? None other than Luiz Felipe Scolari. Here we go again.

[BLUENUT]

Dream on fat man!

[Sofa Manager]

Lofty, don't mean to be picky, but it was his agent who said that.

He won't leave Portugal though. Not untill after the Euro2008. And his next job will be managing Engerland.

You heard it here first.

[abramovich]

Scolari is a top manager.

I wouldn't mind him coming to Chelsea whever Jose leaves.

[Sofa Manager]

Scolari is a top manager.

I wouldn't mind him coming to Chelsea whever Jose leaves.

He is.

I will mind !!

IMHO he's nothing more then a blunter Mourinho, and is definitly not what we need.

Now Engerland on the other hand....could profit from him.

[Guest Brian M]

I wouldn't mind him coming to Chelsea whever Jose leaves.

Bring back Luca!!!

[Lofty]

Lofty, don't mean to be picky, but it was his agent who said that. :

I stand corrected. I missed this as well:

Fellegger told The Sun

Says it all.

[mad_mac]

SS are now playing down the report with a story being run with Scolari "pouring cold water on Chelsea talks"

Scott

[callista]

Despite the denials of no approach being made, I still think the club were sniffing around Scolari whilst Jose was probably holding the FA Cup aloft!

But Scolari is an odd choice to be going after as someone said he is just a blunt version of Mourinho and I thought he was just as difficult to control media wise so if they are looking for the "anti Mourinho" Scolari is not it!

[TomP]

We would probably play some good football, and score a few goals - but I doubt Scolari would win us the Premership.

This is the tactical genius who switched Portugal to a 4-6-0 formation against England, who were a man down - and Portugal were looking for a goal.

[g3.7]

poor argument tom. (IMO)

he is also the man who won the world cup.

(along with many other club trophies)

you could make the argument against jose by saying he kept putting huth up front when we needed goals and it never once worked.

[TomP]

poor argument tom. (IMO)

Yeah - you are probably right. But that was a classical example of Scolari management - get as many "attacking" players onto the pitch at the same time and hope everything turns out ok.

I think Scolari is a very good motivator, but not a great tactician - and I think this works well in World-Cup-type situations, but not all that well at club level. Winning a world cup is more about getting players to gel quickly and play to some kind of a tactic (any tactic) quickly. I think in club management, you need to be a bit more flexible with tactics - to make your team perform in a different way, and to counter the opposition.

And, he has never (to my knowledge) managed a club side outside of Brazil. Off the top of my head, I can't think of any managers who have successfully managed in South American and Europe (let alone in the Premiership - which is worlds apart from the Brazilian League). I might be wrong, as I don't really know South American football very well - but I can't think of any.

[Sofa Manager]

I think Scolari is a very good motivator, but not a great tactician

Yup, you're right. A great motivator. Not a top tactician however. Exactly the opposite of a certain Eriksson.

As I said, a Mourinho, only blunter and older.

He does enjoy a bit more attacking style, but he has had the players and the occasions to do so.

[g3.7]

how many "great tacticians" have won the premiership? very few (if any).

anyway, to talk about scolari as tactically inflexible isn't really that fair- he won the world cup playing with a back 3 and wingbacks if I remember, and has used a flat back 4 with portugal and achieved decent results.

p.s. also, I disagree about winning a league needs tactical flexibility- jose has done it twice, 90 percent of the time with 433, this season he changed a lot between the diamond, 4312 (i.e the diamond with a winger), and sometimes 433. ferguson and wenger over the years mainly used variants of 442.

[TomP]

how many "great tacticians" have won the premiership? very few (if any).

Well, arguably, every manager who has won the Premiership in the 10 years or so that it has been around has been tactically astute. I don't know whether you could describe any of them as "tactical geniuses" but it all becomes pretty subjective.

The thing with football is that it constatly evolves - and the Premiership has evolved to a level that tactics are becoming all important. I think that this started with the influx of foreign players and managers in the 90's - people like Gullit (not you ) and Wenger - who proved there is more to football than flat 4-4-2's relying on strength and pace. Nowdays, the flat 4-4-2 is dead - killed by Jose himself. Even Ferguson only uses it against really weak teams.

[g3.7]

so, fergie, wenger and jose then? I wouldn't say the first two are tactically superior... it's not a major strength of any of theirs... of course, as they are top managers they are certainly competent enough though.

as for 442 being dead, and football evolving... well... I can't agree at all... jose didn't kill anything- it's cyclical, he won the first two titles with 433 and so lots of sides tried to copy that. now ferguson has won the title more sides will use a 442 than there were 12 months ago. as for a flat 442, that hasn't really been commonly seen for ages- a long time before jose arrived on these shores. but top managers still use it, and it still brings success.

before jose, how many managers from portugal had been successful in the premiership? and portuguese football isn't worlds away from brazilian football...

[TomP]

So, hypothetically, if Jose was to resign today, would you have Scolari on a shortlist of 5 managers for the position?

I don't think he wouldn't make my top 20.

[Guest]

He'd be in my top 5

After Hiddink, Anchelotti and Capello

[callista]

Frankly, I wouldn't want any one right now but Jose running this club - I can't even think who would be a suitable replacement.

Also isn't Scolari's English not that wonderful? You need to be able to communicate properly in the media and with the players. I think Capello has the same problem language wise.

Jose came in and really hit the ground running and he almost made it look so easy.

I think another manager is going to find it far more difficult picking up the pieces when Jose goes.

[g3.7]

So, hypothetically, if Jose was to resign today, would you have Scolari on a shortlist of 5 managers for the position?

I don't think he wouldn't make my top 20.

he's comfortably within the top 20 managers about, quite possibly top 10. but I wouldn't want scolari because I want better football, and scolari is another defensively minded manager. I have no doubt about his ability though.

[g3.7]

now he has a chance. hope he has a word with kaka, ronaldinho etc.

okay, no chance of kaka. but ronaldinho, come on phil! do it!

[TheWestwayWonder]

If it were any other man, I would think Ronaldinho would be an unmitigated disaster at Chelsea.

But if Big Phil really has the kind of family relationship with his players, and knowing Ronaldinho had his coming out party under his stewardship, I too say "lets be avin im"

god I am GIDDY over this appointment

[Sofa Manager]

My view on Scolari:

He's a disciplinator by excelence. Very religious, family man, etc. Nickname "Sargentão" (Big Sargent). He's like a father (or even grandfather) to the players. Those who like to party and get wild on his teams...can count themselves out. Maniche, Costinha, to name a few for Portugal...liked to party a tad much. They're out.

He's not defensive ! He's pragmatic (take that G4), or a realist. That's one of the aspects I have criticised in the Portuguese team. All attack the entire match. Seems he's finnaly making them think when winning. Nothing wrong there.

He's purely intuitive. No football laboratory a la Mourinho. Forget that. He will need someone to do some of that work though. Nowadays, it's imperative.

As I said before...a long time ago I think, he's similar to Mourinho in several ways, just less cynical, and has his heart too close to his brain/mouth/fists.

On tactical aspects, again don't expect miracles on the footie laboratory. One good point though is he can use diferent formations/shapes. Brazil was a 3 5 2 or the likes, something he first tried in Portugal then quiting rapidly, using the 433 until now. So aplying a diferent shape or formation won't be a problem I think.

To sum it up he's more or less a Brazilian version of Fergie.

Let's see how he can adapt to the English footie and to everything surrounding it.

I can see him throwing a punch or two on Bellamy, that's for sure

[abramovich]

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8 ... ck-for-win

GENEVA (AP) - Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari lived up to his "Big Phil" nickname on Wednesday, giving his players a halftime scalding that roused them to victory and a quarterfinal spot at the European Championship.

Upset with his players' performance after they finished the first half against the Czech Republic tied 1-1, Scolari felt he needed to rattle his players. It looked like a good call after two second-half goals earned a 3-1 win in Geneva and certain advancement from Group A.

"I said some things I can't repeat to you," Scolari said. "My (players) were beaten like animals in the first half. I had to tell them that we are not the nice guys in the story. We had to show the opponent we know how to impose ourselves."

Deco said Scolari didn't sound too polite in the dressing room.

"He shouted two or three times there," said Deco, who scored the game's opening goal and set up Cristiano Ronaldo for his team's second. "But that's normal. It's his way of reaching out to the group."

Defender Pepe said the coach told the players that Portugal could play better.

"He said that we had quality, that we had to keep controlling the ball," Pepe said. "And in the second half we did that and it worked."

Scolari, who was subject of an announcement by Chelsea soon after the match that he is set to take charge of the team after the tournament, is known for being a straight-talker throughout his career as a coach.

Last week, he had said the he had to be contained by some of his players at halftime of Brazil's opening victory against Turkey in the 2002 World Cup, which his native country eventually won.

[TheWestwayWonder]

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/8230...n-track-for-win

GENEVA (AP) - Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari lived up to his "Big Phil" nickname on Wednesday, giving his players a halftime scalding that roused them to victory and a quarterfinal spot at the European Championship.

Upset with his players' performance after they finished the first half against the Czech Republic tied 1-1, Scolari felt he needed to rattle his players. It looked like a good call after two second-half goals earned a 3-1 win in Geneva and certain advancement from Group A.

"I said some things I can't repeat to you," Scolari said. "My (players) were beaten like animals in the first half. I had to tell them that we are not the nice guys in the story. We had to show the opponent we know how to impose ourselves."

Deco said Scolari didn't sound too polite in the dressing room.

"He shouted two or three times there," said Deco, who scored the game's opening goal and set up Cristiano Ronaldo for his team's second. "But that's normal. It's his way of reaching out to the group."

Defender Pepe said the coach told the players that Portugal could play better.

"He said that we had quality, that we had to keep controlling the ball," Pepe said. "And in the second half we did that and it worked."

Scolari, who was subject of an announcement by Chelsea soon after the match that he is set to take charge of the team after the tournament, is known for being a straight-talker throughout his career as a coach.

Last week, he had said the he had to be contained by some of his players at halftime of Brazil's opening victory against Turkey in the 2002 World Cup, which his native country eventually won.

The more I hear, the more I like