Frank de Boer — A view from the Continent

My concern is, with the club in disarray, do we go for an exciting newcomer with potential, like de Boer or Howe, or someone to steady the ship, who knows how to get results in the premier league, like Benitez?

I think another Martinez would finish us off, so the board have to get it right.

Scan it again for WHY and HOW the wally WTB won the Dutch title.

Add that to his fledgling managerial career and you have a motivated young hungry guy, with the tools to be able to do the job. Also his playing career will immediately get him respect from the players. All the boxes are ticked, if he comes he'll hopefully be like Koeman.

Will also be great for the profile of the club given he's known everywhere in the footballing world. Would easily be the most highprofile manager we've had for a generation.

Please sign him up and bring in some of the Ajax players.

Our youngsters are of better quality than Ajax & we don't need to sell stars unless we get a like for like replacement.

De Boer would certainly be an upgrade on the clown but the facts of his record in Europe and not winning the Dutch Cup do not make for good reading so maybe it's not worth the club taking the gamble.

However, anyone named so far would be too - so if it does go ahead - then I'm up for the roller coaster ride. It can't be any worse than the ride we've been on with Martinez

I personally rank Cocu slightly in front of De Boer, but the two of them are ahead of my interest for Koeman, Mourinho and Pellegrini. Well, Emery is ahead of all of the above, but unless Moshiri has the guts to try, he will be one of our long shots.

Your article does make me feel much better about FDB, but if he can't bring the Ajax backroom with him, it might pose a problem while we go a backroom cleanup. Still, better than things were yesterday.

So in your opinion Rafa is a better manager than De Boer? (In mine as well.) So why would you have an inferior manager?

Benitez wouldn't be initially at least a hit with lots of Blues fans, but if we all want what is best and we need to change the way that Everton are perceived by opponents and media, then surely we need the best.

Out of the realistic targets I still think he's a viable option. I'd still go for Koeman if we could persuade him to leave Saints. I'd be really interested on your opinion of Koeman from a Dutch league perspective, Erik?

The next manager is going to take over the biggest fixer upper in the PL. Thats why I want an experienced hand as the foreman of the rebuild needed.

Everton are a club were all the bits sing from different hymn sheets, even amongst the first eam squad this is the case.

There is corner shop mentality at Goodison and its been there for a long time now and that must stem from the board, as it is the board that sets the tone and the agenda. The Leicester board set the tone and agenda by sacking Pearson and getting Ranieri in - the rest is history making. Remember Pearson kept them up but that wasn't good enough for an ambitious board.

The decision that the board takes when naming the new manager, must set a tone of - EFC ARE AMBITIOUS and the agenda must include bringing all parts of the club together. EFC in the Community is a wonderful example of true excellence, now the rest of the Club needs to follow suit and work together, to deliver what the fans demand and in my humble opinion deserve.

I was looking forward to hearing your opinion on FDB.

I had read that he was a bit "Martinezesque" but felt that with Staap and Bergkamp we would have all the tools to sort our lads out.

However if they are not coming with him do you think he would be a big risk.

Let me ask you of all the European managers you have knowledge of which would you shortlist and why?

I'm excited by the big name of a great player, though you present some valid concerns of what seems to be an upmarket Martinez style.

Whilst Koeman may be a better choice de Boer is available on the market- I'm not necessarily convinced Koeman would swap Southampton for us though.

I think there's a lack of good options out there. Benitez makes a lot of sense but I just don't want him; just a personal choice, I can't really argue with his record. Pellegrini is a no for me. After that, I'm not sure who's a realistic target.

This manager game is a lottery. We could pick a winner or another dud, there's just no way of knowing if they'll succeed or not.

What we do have is the luxury of choosing a top manager because we can pay top dollar. I just hope we get it right this time.

I certainly don't think he'll leave it to Kenwright; he'll want who he believes is the best available manager he can recruit.

Whoever he gets, has a massive job on. There's a number of older players on the books who should go. There are one or two who might want to go and there are some who definitely need replacing. Having to do all that and ensure we don't get dragged early on into the few at the back, is going to take some doing.

But, at least we can look forward to a new season with a new manager and hopefully some really good players recruited and take it from there.

What is your view on Ronald Koeman then. A quick glance at his managerial honours shows that he has won the Eredivisie 3 times (including a double), plus the Copa Del Rey with Valencia and the Portuguese cup with Benfica.

How is he viewed in Holland in comparison to De Boer?

The real positive for me, you say he's hard to beat, I'll take that right now. I can't see Bergkamp or Stam coming with him so to read he'll bring his brother is a huge positive.

If he were to come here, it's a huge job for him. He'd be up against some top teams and some top managers, plus our league is awash with money, he's got to hit the ground running.

He hit the pass for the Bergkamp goal so I'm in although Koeman would be my first choice.

Many thanks for this insight.

In our position I don't think any manager who would realistically come will not have a certain amount of negatives attached. A pivotal decision is pending for the club that will shape the next decade.

I am pretty happy being linked with de Boer especially if his brother comes as well.

Not a long term solution but Royle & Unsworth is a great way to finish an awful season.

Good in the transfer market, nice playing style, defensively sound - it's a no brainer!

I quite fancied Frank De Boer taking the manager's position but although you finish by saying you like to see him here, I am now not so sure having read your article.

I don't like the idea of him arriving without Stam and Bergkamp - although his brother sounds a likely prospect.

However, this article has now confirmed my preference for Koeman - if he is a likely suspect.

Thank you for that article - such a well considered piece. I really enjoyed reading it after the last few months of "jam tomorrow". I think the do Boer brothers would be a good choice and regardless, I for one look forward to getting behind our next manager.

Still, here's to our shirts being sponsored by Hofmeister soon so we can all "follow De Boer".

I am genuinely interested to know what it is about Dutch football that causes all these splits and divisions.

When I have met Dutchmen both here in the UK and in Holland they are always very laid-back,amiable and fun.However, when it comes to football they seem to constantly be at war with each other- a bit like the nice old fella over the road who gets involved in road rage.

Plus Points
He wants to be here,
He's won the league 4 times in succession after selling some of his best players,
He used to bringing players forward from the youth team,
He used to looking for high quality cheap players - not paying excessive amounts,
he tends to have very good defences,
he has lots of CL experience all be it in early rounds,
He used to winning.

Negative Points
Not very successful in CL,
He may not bring the whole team,

Interesting Points
Looking at the goals from his team (on youtube ) he seems to like them to shoot rather than excessively pass,
based on the above he will be getting them to practise shooting more accurately from the edge of the box,
Also there is a lot of movement in most of the goals and players changing direction of the ball very difficult to determine who will end up with the ball. This could be perfect for Rom and Barkley.

He knows which club Barkley, Rooney, Rodwell, Pennington, Dowell and others came from.

No matter who we get its a gamble unless it's my main man Jose Mourinho ( roared in boxing style ) ....you know what even he would be a gamble with Everton.

Very informative Erik, thank you for taking the time in putting it together.

I'm starting to get a hint that it's not the fault of various managers not being able to impart the required inner mental toughness.

Rather it's that the whole self discipline thing is just too far away from the ingrained mindset of the over paid, self entitled, me, me, me 20somethings of this modern world.

The - 'I get paid shit loads of cash, so I know I'm good, and because I'm good I don't have to try, because I get paid shit loads of cash, because I'm good anyway'...that could just be me in 'grumpy old man mode'...but some how I doubt it.

But either way, we need someone to knock them off their derby ascendancy perch. Oh, and to win some silverware as well.

Given that Cocu has beaten FDB to the title the last 2 seasons and arguably has a better record in Europe, I would have thought he would be a better choice. Any thoughts Erik ?

Football has changed, clubs no longer build long-term legacies, they hire and fire when necessary and they have the money to do it.

Liverpool hired Hodgson, realised it was a mistake, and sacked him. Man Utd tried to replicate the Ferguson era with Moyes, then realised keeping up with their rivals was more important than patiently waiting for their young manager to build a new era.

Chelsea have enjoyed the most successful period in their history while hiring and firing managers left, right and centre. Arsenal fans have generally had more than enough of the Wenger autocracy.

My point is that hiring a new manager doesn't necessarily have to be a lifelong commitment.

I see two or three questions being asked, basically what I think of Cocu and Koeman, and I think someone asked if De Boer is my top choice/if I'd rather have Koeman. I don't have the time today to do a piece on Cocu and Koeman like I did on De Boer, but I can suffice with saying that personally, I'd rather have Koeman than De Boer. But the main reason is that Koeman has been tried and tested in the Premiership, there is little downward risk. Both Cocu and De Boer have this downward risk, but both also have an upward potential that is bigger than Koeman. And that is for a reason that I didn't even touch upon in my article: both like to innovate and personalize both in training and in everything else from nutrition to the psychological factor. They are younger and more modern than Koeman.

As a person I rate Cocu more highly - he is a more likable character - and his teams seem to be better at winning things than De Boer. But it has to be said that PSV invests in experienced players in pivotal positions where Ajax plays youngsters all around and I think that is the main difference, and not so much the management skills of either one.

In essence, he is a bit of a 'Martinez plus' - same footballing philosophy without the dereliction of duty regarding defence.

Would he be an improvement? Yes definitely - but I hope we do one even better because I am not a fan at all of the style of football we've witnessed. Some call it 'the most attractive football we've seen in years' (I'll charitably call them people who have not seen very much football at all) but I think it is tedious, laboured fare and possession means nothing if not capitalised on.

So I guess De Boer will be good but someone like Koeman would be better. Now we wait.

This statement by our Dutch scout Eric Dols is where I am resting my hope. I see De Boer won the league everytime during the 3 seasons he and Koeman managed in Eredivise together. De Boer's Ajax beating Koeman's Feyenoord in head-to-heads as well.

PSV seemed the money side in the league and De Boer beat them each time until Cocu took over/lost momentum with Ajax.

Has Koeman actually looked like winning anything with Southampton? Are we all just wishing steady top 7 finishes again? Sorry, but Leicester just won the league by taking a managerial risk and De Boer is a risk worth taking for us. He is a winner, and we want to be winners too. It could be a great success, or it could be a bit mehhh. But it can't be worse than the last two seasons, can it?

I wonder who the players prefer? They seem to choose who they play for these days.

If the next guy is a huge success, chances are bigger fish will come sniffing. This is probably even more likely if that person had the same standing as a player that Frank De Boer did.

If it goes wrong then we have another Martinez on our hands and we have a problem.

If it's somewhere between the two we just may end up with Moyes MK II.

It's always a gamble. Man Utd brought in one of the most renowned coaches in the world, gave him £250 million to spend and they are a shambles.

Koeman on the other hand has the signs of a mercenary. He has a history of leaving clubs when a richer club passes by. If he leaves Southampton for us, this might fall right in the same category.

Both have played years for FC Barcelona. If one of them comes and has a good season, expect there to be a lot of talk about him becoming the next Barça manager. Now this is going to happen anyway, I can see all the ToffeeWeb frustration about Dutch press and interviews in Dutch already. By the signs of it, Ronald Koeman would jump ship for Barcelona at the first opportunity and Frank de Boer probably will only do this after at least three years at our club. Frank de Boer won't be here for the short term.

All this for what it's worth of course. The same happened with Martinez and look were it brought both him and us...

I'd be happy with either for reasons covered by most on here.

For me De Boer seems the better fit. Notwithstanding his availability, I sense he would (all things going well) be a more longer term option; 6 years at Ajax. I could be being unfair but I sense Koeman gets itchy feet every couple of years and seeks the next best option.

De Boer was a winner as a player - yes I appreciate that doesn't always translate to management, but he has a winning mentality. Acknowledging the European setbacks, regardless of the league, 4 titles (agonisingly almost 5) in 6 seasons is an impressive feat, especially in the context of the backdrop you explain.

Furthermore, managing a big city European footballing institution with high expectation from a fanatical fanbase coupled with his playing career portfolio means he will possess big club mentality.

A gamble yes but as some mention above anyone represents a gamble in the roller coaster that is football and Everton in particular.

There are clearly other candidates but De Boer ticks a lot of boxes for me.

Of course, we might have the good fortune to find a Ranieri, who works immediate miracles. But, we've probably been dragged in to too much negativity to duplicate the Leicester success in yr 1.

Who fits the bill for us. For me, a manager that has sufficient room in his ego to select very capable advisers. IMO we probably need both defence minded and attack minded coaches and we need to understand the required speed of transition and how to achieve this not only through the long punt upfield.

We have to approach him, state the challenge and the benefits and let him make his mind up.

It'll all hinge on the Man Utd job though. If it becomes available he'll go there, as it's a job he's coveted since Ferguson announced his retirement.

If he's not willing I'd feel comfortable with De Boer...he's a winner and the fact he operates a tight defense would fit with the premier league. Tight defense and fast attacking is what is required, both in the league and with the current set of players we have...

We've been there once and he was worse than poor when he played for us. So unless he has taken a major course in Zen Buddhism and is now calling himself Grasshopper as he looks for enlightenment then a big fat no from me.

FDB ticks alot of boxes for me, but the benefit of the staff he might bring could be the incentive for Rom, fat boy and Stoner to stay and develop.

Hopefully some due diligence on behalf of our esteemed board should swing the right solution - hahahahahhaha.

Looking forward to Rhino in the dug out on Sunday...what a manager (and what a player by the way)

COYB.

Ex FC Porto Manager.
Name in home country: Julen Lopetegui Argote
Date of birth: Sep 28, 1966
Place of birth: Asteasu Spain
Age: 49
Nationality: Spain Spain
ø term as coach: 1,64 Years
Points per match as manager: 2,37
Success rate as coach: 74,0 % Wins
15,4 % Draw
10,6 % Losses
Trainer licence : UEFA Pro licence
Preferred formation: 4-3-3 off.

De Boer's "lack of killer instinct" that you seem to describe worries me. Is it intuition or is there a clear pattern?

Regarding the potential lack of loyalty of Koeman, Mourinho is in the same category. He is not likely to stick around at a club for more than 3 years (based on his past record). If either manager were to join and win us a bag full before departing, it would be the job of the Board to plan a succession and ensure continuity.

That our board may not be capable of doing this is another matter, but this issue would not worry me at all if we did have the opportunity to hire Mourinho or Koeman.

I have absolutely had my fill of this football - every Premier League team knows how to force errors from us and we will just see more of the same if that is the De Boer philosophy. Not to mention it is bloody dull.

Erik mentions Cocu buying more experienced players over promoting youth. It would be great to think Cocu is also being considered for the job, seems to be the most promising of these two young managers.

I've watched Dutch football for many years, since I lived there for a while. Ajax produce some very talented and technically gifted players. Right through the teams the players are not embarrassed to have the ball at their feet.

I think a lot of our fans are thinking "how will our current players react to this managers style of play?" instead we perhaps should be thinking "how will our new players gel with the rest of the squad".

Both are relevant. But lets not forget we have an abundance of players leaving this summer. Howard, Hibbett, Osman, Pienaar, Gibson, McGeady probably followed by Lukaku, Stones, Niasse and Mirallas.

That's a major squad overhaul that the incoming manager has to deal with. Therefore the manager has to the right appointment. I like de Boer. I think he would do well. At the very least he knows how to set up a team to keep it tight at the back. 21 goals Ajax conceded this season vs 81 scored!! Not bad. This is not the hallmark of a manager that will struggle in our league.

If he can bring silverware remains to be seen....