I can see why some people wanted Emery based on a very good European record but I would like to put forward the case for why Koeman was an overwhelming first choice.
What have Everton fans said we wanted in a manager?
1. An individual with a world class reputation that can attract players based on his standing in the game, something recent Everyon managers didn't possess.
Just look at his playing record
- 4 x Spanish League titles, Copa del Rey a European Cup and Super Cup with Barcelona
- 4 x Dutch League titles, multiple domestic cups and a European Cup at PSV and Ajax
- He was a key member of the European Championship winning Holland team, being seen as one of the teams key players alongside Gullit and Van Basten
He truly was a pick in any World XI team of the time. You heard the name Koeman and it meant class, a tough defender with a brilliant goalscoring record.
Add in as Manager
3 x League titles in Holland
1 x Copa del Rey in Spain
A clear winning mentality if ever there was one.
If you contrast this with a Klopp, no playing honours, two league titles as manager and 3 domestic cups.
As a player looking to sign based on the mangers standing in the game it is clear that Koeman can compete with the Media Darling Klopp in his standing in the game.
2. A tough self assured character who very much can be a disciplinarian when he needs to be. He has not accepted poor performances from key players like Tadic and Mane and has made a point of hauling them off and dropping them when their performances didn't meet his expectations. However as Morgan Schneiderlin said, he very much treats players as human beings and can most definitely do the arm around the shoulder when needed. An essential to develop a Barkley like character that clearly lacks self confidence or to deal with the temperamental characters. Could a manager that speaks Spanish do this anywhere near as effectively? If you were recruiting a manager for any company in England would you recruit one that doesn't speak a word of English and therefore can't directly communicate with his employees. Pochettino despite the myth could speak English fairly well with his players, he just chose to avoid using English with the media until he felt confident enough that any errors he made would not be turned against him. Emery by all accounts can't speak English with any degree of fluency.
3. He develops players within the squad. To quote Sean Long this week. “He’s been brilliant for me, you can see how much my game has come on and I hope he does stay,” He is now linked with Liverpool and Spurs, previously he had been seen as a half decent Premier League player plying his trade at lower ranking Premier league sides like Hull and West Brom.
4. He is tactically astute in the Premier league and has a proven track record against top Premiership teams. His sides are known to be defensively sound, possess a high tempo pressing style, can be direct when needed, yet are attractive on the eye. Tactics that work in Europe don't necessarily translate to Premier League success, so evidence of a managers tactical prowess in the Premier League is a huge plus.Just look at the fat Spanish Waiter, good in Europe but not in the Premier League. Add in other once hugely exciting young European managers, like Ramos and Villas-Boas, who failed to succeed in the Premier league then you start to see why an appointment of an Emery is a huge gamble.
5. Flexible enough to work with a Director of Football but can very much act as a traditional English manager. If the right candidate for DoF can't be sourced e.g. Monchi or Overmars then he will happily function with them. Can Emery exist without a high profile DoF?
6. Prioritises fitness - He will place a greater emphasis on fitness, an issue we've seen with the current squad. As Leicester proved fitness is essential to succeed in the Premier league. As we know from Martinez there is often an obsession in Europe with dedicating the vast majority of time to technical aspects of training.
7. Media savvy, a good communicator with an excellent grasp of English language. As far as I'm aware he has never used the word Phenomenal. As much as we all tired of Martinez and his media appearances would we really welcome hearing our manager speak through an interpreter, as would be the case with Emery. His dressing room team talks would face the same issues.
Nice one gaz, you've sold him to me.
Good to see you posting, noticed your posts were still in the moderation queue (first 5 posts need approving) despite registering way back in 2008 - please do continue to post. Excellent contribution, thanks.
