Thrilled that Patrice is now our manager.
Ian Wright would have been at Arsenal at the same time as our new boss.
Would be interested to know his views on the man.

One of the reasons that black players don't apply to become managers is that they don't want to and I can't blame them. This also applies to white players but it's not noticed as much.

I think being a PL manager is a terrible job because of the 24 x 7 grief due to media attention. If you are a multi millionaire why bother with all that?

I also wonder how many foreign born black players retire go back home and start coaching there they of course don't get included in the figures.

Anyway these days it's a particular subset of players that still have the mindset to want to be a high profile football manager with as much grief as you can handle.

Then of course there are the qualifications, UEFA B license and the experience at a lower league club
that is normally required.

I seem to recall one PL chairman saying that he got an ear bashing from a retired world class black player about lack of opportunity due to racism etc. He offered the player the chance to come to the club learn the trade get coaching badges and see how it goes. The player wasn't interested unless the chairman guaranteed him the managers job. In other words give me the job then I will get the qualifications.

In fairness to PV he has done all this and deserves his shot but many players (all colours) will moan but they are not prepared to put the effort in to learn the trade.

Just because you are a qualified to teach it doesn't mean you should be given the job of headmaster at Eton first of all you need to become a head elsewhere.

Anyway I don't want PV to be judged as the black manager just as a manager, our manager for better or worse.

Edited by Badger11 (05 Jul 2021 8.09am)

One more point

I believe he interviewed well back in April but not well enough to be first choice. In other words, I don't think it was ever the case that he wasn't the right person but that he wasn't top of the list after his interview.

Furthermore, unlike at least one other contender PV didn't throw his toys out of the pram when he learned he wasn't first choice. I think that says a lot about a man who whilst having been a world-class player (and he undoubtedly was) recognizes that that doesn't give him a divine right to be first pick as a manager.

I think we all need to be measured in our reactions. We now have a manager. All we can do is get behind him, whether personally you're excited or not.

The fact is, we need to be ready for a rocky start. Vieira has come in late, has a fairly sizeable squad rebuild on his hands, and furthermore is almost certain to be implementing a new style of play. It'll likely be Christmas before this is really his team, bedded-in and playing his way. There's no point hiring Vieira if a couple of early losses result in panic. Of course, it may all gel from the very start but it's unlikely if we're being realistic.

What I want to see is a sense of direction, progress, and excitement over the next month or two. More than anything else, I want to enjoy and be excited about going to Selhurst which hasn't been easy in light of the fare we've served up in the past couple of seasons. I want to see a team that tries to win games rather than just avoid losing them. I want to see a team that wants the ball, rather than letting the other team dominate possession and getting organised behind then.

In the end, Vieira was a world-class player who led by example and won everything in the game (at least everything that matters). He's had a solid if not superlative start to his managerial career. We could have done better; could have done a lot worse. He's a decent hire. A slight risk, yes, but risks have upsides.

Sydenham by birth. Selhurst by the Grace of God.

Good post Syd. Also, we have to accept that we have a very difficult start to the campaign with games against Chelsea, Spurs and Liverpool in the first five. Something of a baptism of fire for PV. WE will need to be patient and hope that the club's board will be as well.

Edited by doombear (05 Jul 2021 8.36am)

This is what I want to see. It remains to be seen whether the players are actually good enough to implement it.