Three points, best in the league and League Cup on Wednesday

I’ve written many times over the years that the most important person at a football club is the manager. I’ve probably written the next part too, but it’s also the people around that support him.

And those people are above him and below him, but there are no equals. The support from above is a crucial component, it’s the mandate they give him and if he’s the right man, he forms that into a philosophy that creates a culture. Giving the mandate isn’t always easy either and it doesn’t always happen.

Picking the right man is the hard part and so many get it wrong and when you’ve got the wrong man with a mandate, it can often cause damage that will take years to come back from.

But appointing a manager is always a gamble. You get the right man, but don’t give him the mandate, he’ll walk. Wrong man and mandate, it all goes wrong.

You might get early success if you spend enough money with the wrong man. It’s a little like new manager bounce. He comes in, there is a new voice and the players are refreshed, they give a little more.

If you give Jose Mourinho enough money there is a good chance he’ll challenge. But he’s not going to get involved in building something, he’s only interested in buying it. And there is nothing wrong with that, but he will need a lot of money and these days, it’s very hard to give.

Best in the league

So I’m trying to remember the names of managers in the Premier League that had it all and the ones that come to mind are Sir Alex, Wenger and Klopp but judging by a lot of the media the past few days, many are starting to see Unai Emery in the same light.

I don’t think I give enough credit to the owners but they deserve it. And we are so lucky to have them and Unai Emery.

And yes, this is still very early into the season and yes, it’s easy to get carried away, but it’s not me, it’s the media. Someone wrote that he’s the best manager in the Premier League right now.

I don’t think they’re wrong but it’s stories and posts like that that are fuelling the optimism. It’s maybe not a bad thing.

Beating Manchester City however is a good thing, even though it didn’t feel right that they are still allowed to play. It also fuels the optimism for what’s coming up this week.

Bournemouth in the League Cup

And I know I write this a lot these days but there are no easy games and Bournemouth have been playing well of late, beating Manchester United yesterday and AC Milan last week.

But we’re also doing well, we’re beating sides and putting points on the board. And the League Cup is silverware that we should see as attainable. And you know what, with the levels of optimism floating around my head at the moment, why not?

But Bournemouth will feel this way too and we are going to see changes and I think it’s safe to say that of the four competitions we have on the go, this is the one the manager thinks least of.

But he will put out a team he believes are capable of winning and we all buy into that.