Whether Slavisa's words came out as he meant them, or he was simply venting some guarded frustration, the fact remains that the man responsible for getting results on the pitch, must have some say in what tools he uses to achieve the best result. Imagine a carpenter being told which saws to use, and then be told to build the best cabinet ever, even thought he knows the saws aren't the best ones for the job. Slavisa is rightly frustrated that he is "being ignored" when it comes to transfer policy. The man knows how he wants his team to play, and, at this level, fine details are of utmost importance. Every little tactical tweak, can mean the difference between winning and losing, and to make those tweaks, the manager has to have the players he knows are up to the task. Football coaches have ideas swirling around in their head, they have their own unique visions as to how to play every match, and, importantly, they have their own ideas as to which players can compliment their ideas and vision. To put it simply, you cannot give a person a jigsaw with odd pieces and expect them to put it together perfectly. The Fulham overseers think that they can just use stats and then hope that the players who best fit those stats will match Slavisa's vision.
I am certain, that Slavisa tells the board etc. how he wants to play, and what type of players he wants, but are the people he is telling knowledgeable enough about football to understand what he wants? Kline (who deserves no other title than Kline) was employed, basically, because he went to Uni with Tony Khan, the owner's son. I very much doubt he has even kicked a football, let alone be experienced enough to know how good a football player is. And this is the man who decides which players Slavisa can have. Shahid Khan's claim to sporting fame is that of owning the worst franchise in American football history. I won't knock the owner too much, because he has to run the club like a business and that means being prudent. What I will slate him for is his obvious nepotism in allowing his son and his son's best mate (Kline) too much say over transfer policy.
Football is not like American sports, which are more robotic, and stats can be used more effectively. Football is fluid, meaning all the integral parts have to work together at all times. Attack helps defence, and defence helps attack, all intertwined with a midfield that links the two together. It may seem like the simplest sport in the world, but it is probably the most complex, given the need for all the parts to work in harmony. "Poor man's rugby", or American football, does not work in the same way, as when the attack breaks down, they simply change the athletes for a bunch of "meatheads" to stop the other team from scoring. It is much easier to use stats to pick the fast and trickiest athletes for attacking purposes, when you know those players don't have to combine to defend as well. Similarly this works for the defence.
Then we come to the "moneyballs" policy. Apparently, this works by not buying anybody over 28, because they will not have a resale value. Granted, nobody wants a team of over 30's who are not going to be playing for many future seasons, but a football club is not a car boot sale, where everything must have a sell on value. If Leo Messi is 31, and wants to play for FFC, I would take him over any good youngster. If we sign three 30 year-olds who will get us up, and make us better then surely that is for the good of the club, and the extra revenue generated by playing at a higher level.
Despite Slavisa's comments, yesterday, I think he loves the club and the supporters enough, that he will not walk away. He said he would love to stay here and build a ten year project, and I, for one, believe him. But, to build that project, he needs the tools that he decides are best to complete that project, not tools that are decided by stats and their resale value. What the chairman and the board need to realise is that we, the supporters, are 200% behind Slavisa, and if he walks, then it is quite feasible, that many of us will become disillusioned also. We have the best manager/coach in the Championship, and it is difficult to imagine whom we could entice to replace him. There is only one man to take this club back to where it belongs, and that man is not Khan, Kline or any of us, that man is SLAVISA JOKANOVIC. It is time the chairman and the board started listening to us and Slavisa.
IN SLAVISA WE TRUST
COYWs
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© Nic Smith
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