"You have to be patient with new players. You have to give a manager time to work with fresh signings, let them learn his methods. Rome wasn't built in a day Brian Clough quipped he wasn't on that particular job, but it took until the third season at Derby and Nottingham Forest to win promotion. It makes sense; you have to wait. Football takes time."
"Iraola lost three of his back four in the summer and his goalkeeper. (No detail perhaps so encapsulates the financial landscape of modern European football better than the highest fees paid in the latest transfer window by a Spanish club and a French one were for Bournemouth centre-backs.) His third-highest non-penalty goalscorer from last season left as well. The expectation might have been of a season, at least a few weeks, of transition."
"At Liverpool on the opening day they had come from two behind to level before conceding with two minutes remaining so it could easily have been even better. Little wonder Manchester United are said to be keen on him. It is remarkable how quickly Iraola has got his message across. It was a similar story when he first arrived, replacing Gary O'Neil in June 2023. Although initial results were poor, with no wins in his first nine games, performances were promising."
Patience is often required with new managers, a principle illustrated by Brian Clough's quip about slow progress. Andoni Iraola lost three defenders, his goalkeeper and a key non-penalty goalscorer over the summer, a sign of modern transfer-market pressures. Expectations of a transition season were reasonable, yet Bournemouth won three of their first four top-flight games and nearly drew at Liverpool after coming from two down. Manchester United interest has emerged. Iraola initially endured no wins in his first nine matches in 2023 but then guided Bournemouth to a strong November run and improved league finishes of 12th and ninth.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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