2024/25 Kevin Thelwell

[hetion]

Mental to do this 3 months before the biggest squad rebuild the club has ever (?) seen imo. Generally like to be an optimist but baffled by this!

 

[windymiller]

Can anyone tell me what David Weir has done at Brighton that stands out? Spent 200m net in the summer and I wouldn’t say they’ve improved.

Used to play for Everton, lar.

No one pines for ex-players like the fans of this club.

 

[Raino85]

At least we wont spend another summer trying to buy Gnonto now...

At the titanic now?

 

[allen]

At the titanic now?

Nothing like keeping a low profile.

 

[ValBlue]

It’s not even necessarily that I want Thelwell long term, it’s just a critical time for us. So many contracts running down, paper thin squad…Thelwell had done enough for me to at least stick it out with Moyes. And when they’d laid some better foundations, a more ‘ambitious’ regime could come in and have a real crack at it.

 

[BullensRoad]

….i know Mick a little, he’s a proper football lad and knows a player. Fine footballer himself. Thats the important thing.

Haha what?

 

[Terrarian]

people are judging him on transfers but he's done a lot of good work behind the scenes with the youth etc and let's face it he's had a tremendously hard job under some very harsh conditions.

I think he's done well overall but I'm not a fan of DOF's so we move on.

 

[Evertonthat]

It’s not even necessarily that I want Thelwell long term, it’s just a critical time for us. So many contracts running down, paper thin squad…Thelwell had done enough for me to at least stick it out with Moyes. And when they’d laid some better foundations, a more ‘ambitious’ regime could come in and have a real crack at it.

The guy will be dancing in the streets waving at the bus parade in his red shirt this summer...

We can spend our critical time with someone who wants to come in and make a good impression with his new employers instead. TFG are smart enough to make a good decision on who that might be.

 

[BullensRoad]

I thought his over eagerness sitting next to the 777 lot constantly trying to look busy to impress them by writing on his note pad all game when they where there.

Proper office jobs worth.

 

[BullensRoad]

Just a guess but I think Moyes is hands on with recruitment, so probably didn't want him there.

 

[Dwight K Schrute]

They won a European trophy under him...It can't have been that bad.

This "old boys club" shout carries absolutely not weight.

We think in these terms because Kenwright surrounded himself with cronies.

Weir and Doherty are hardly slumming it in the Scottish league 1 are they.

Think that was more and example of Moyes maximising output of his players - which is to his credit as a manager. But, if you were to look objectively at players signed and amounts paid - I don't think West Ham's recruitment was great. They weren't exactly overflowing with players that people would be jealous of.

 

[Ruairi77]

…ffs, Groundhog Day. Just be thankful he’s going.

Eggs, there are a lot of people in this thread who havent read it for ages (me included) who'd like to know your reasoning.
You're usually on the ball.
This seems like a big mistake from TFG for me.
In Thelwells time we've had terrible managers and awful finances and he's still managed to cobble together a mid table PL side.
I think what he's accomplished it pretty impressive.

 

[toffeeblue9]

The irony of this, given your stance on Dyche being criticised.

It's a hill I'll die on, but Thelwell did AT LEAST as much as Dyche did to keep us up in that 18 month period.

No issue with TFG going in a different direction (as long as it doesn't affect our summer plans as they should already be well underway), but Thelwell is the only DOF we've had who I've got much to say about in a positive way.

If you consider the backdrop of the stuff he's had to contend with:

• An interfering owner and chairman
• Little say in the managers he's working with
• A youth system which has been scaled back and underfunded
• A scouting system which has been cut to the bone
• PSR points deductions
• Having to generate a negative net spend each year to keep the lights on
• Operating on a budget of next-to-nothing (having to look for deals with zero up front fees etc)
• Having to sell anyone who'll generate an accounting profit to keep the PSR wolves from the door

etc etc

Then you look at the players he's brought in amongst that backdrop and the value we've got from them:

• Tarkowski
• Gueye
• Garner
• Maupay*
• McNeil
• Onana
• Young
• Chermiti
• Beto**
• Iroegbunum
• O'Brien
• N'Diaye
• Alcaraz**

*Generally accepted now that Thelwell was against the Maupay signing but was overruled by Kenwright and Lampard
**Would have been a black mark if it wasn't for the recent turnaround in form, but could we have found anyone better for £0.00 in up front fees?
***Obligation to make this permanent if he starts 6 of our final 12 games

Genuinely I think the fella has performed tremendously, but as I said yesterday that doesn't mean his job should be safe - if TFG have identified someone objectively better or better suited to a different structure then we shake hands and say thank you. Shouldn't be any room for sentimentality here.

 

[Bedfordblue]

Wonder if there’s a feeling the back room is a bit too bloated under Thelwell and the operating costs too high. We all joked about there being head or this and manager of that appointments for everything from loans manager to Director of nip down the Asda.
Even Moyes commented on how big the back room team was in his last presser.

 

[Gerbs]

Mental to do this 3 months before the biggest squad rebuild the club has ever (?) seen imo. Generally like to be an optimist but baffled by this!

Better 3 months before than 3 weeks before. If they have decided thelwell isn’t the guy moving forward it would be baffling to let him lead the biggest squad rebuild ever