Koeman had an arrogance about him I found difficult to take to. He was cold and aloof, and his managerial appointments appear to be based more on what he did as a player than any managerial merit.
He did an OK job at Southampton, but I wasn't overly keen on his appointment, having been aware of his troubles at Valencia. He was managing there when we tried to sign Manuel Fernandes and there were regular reports of him falling out with players, including Fernandes himself who sought refuge by coming back here on loan only 5 months later.
But on the other hand, he did have experience, both in the Premier League and at several big European clubs, so I gave him the benefit of the doubt, especially as he had the aforementioned big name and maybe that may bring us some sort of credibility.
But once he arrived, I didn't like or appreciate his approach in the slightest.
First of all, there was the insistence on keeping us waiting, by going on holiday, not once, but twice. Instantly starting off on the wrong foot, it felt very much like he was taking the role under duress rather than any genuine desire to be here. I'm sure the money offered and the massaging of his giant ego didn't hurt.
And then there was his actual approach. For all of Martinez flaws, he was a likeable character and he at least tried to do things the right way. He failed because he was stubborn. But Koemans idea was not to take stock and work out what we needed, but to implement a complete 180 on anything associated with Martinez. Rather than acknowledge what we had and build on it, he gutted the whole thing. It needed tweaking, but instead he arrogantly did everything he could to undermine his predecessor and as the saying goes, threw the baby out with the bath water.
He quickly got rid of any player associated with Martinez, and set about cobbling together an average bunch of older, overpriced players with zero sell on value in an attempt at the quick fix solution. He had no strategy other than proving that his ideas were the opposite of what had failed previously and he wasn't shy in telling people. His treatment of Niasse, whether you liked him as a player or not, was horrendous for anyone, let alone a so called professional.
His transfer strategy, if you can call it that, was to spend £85m in 1 summer on 5 players who essentially played the same position, a position for which we already had Barkley and an up and coming Keiron Dowell, then proceeded to throw them all under the bus by playing several of them out of position and dropping some of the others completely. And if reports are to be believed, he vetoed a number of suggestions given to him by Steve Walsh in favour of people he already had in mind. Given half the players we signed had either played for him previously or he had already wanted for Southampton, I tend to believe it was probably true.
All in all, he refused to embrace the club, as evidenced by his refusal to move to the city. Unlike his brother, who at least came across like he wanted to be here. It was clear he saw us as nothing but a lucrative stopping point on his way to something he actually wanted to do. His failure was inevitable.
On to Bemitez, I get the impression that he genuinely wants this job. Maybe it is because he already has a home here, maybe because we pay good money and are an established Premier League club that looks good on the CV, I don't know. But what I do know is, in spite of all that, he has more than enough reasons not to take it, not least of all threatening messages outside his family home. If nothing else, you have to admire the sheer bloody mindedness in taking a job that he knows, is not going to be widely accepted.
He said some things a long time ago. It was silly and impudent, and said in the heat of the moment, while managing a rival. But for all the lack of respect that he may have showed, he still didn't say anything as disrespectful as things some of our previous managers have said during and after their time here (ahem, Moyes).
I get the impression that he is desperate to be successful here because his character appears to be someone who is hell bent on proving people wrong.
It's too early to say at the moment, but he is at least saying the right things, and appears to be treating us with more respect than some of the people who came before. And I think its only fair that we do the same until proved otherwise.
