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Gus Poyet turned down Kilmarnock approach for a job offer that then fell through

The former Chelsea midfielder said it was “embarrassing” that the job offer he told Killie about did not pan out.

By Press AssociationPublished: 20 August 2020 - 7.38am
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UK

 Football 

Scotland

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Gus Poyet has revealed he turned down an approach from Kilmarnock last summer to focus on a concrete job offer which fell through.

Now the former Brighton and Sunderland boss is eager to return to management in England ahead of the new season after two years out of the game.

The former Chelsea midfielder was sounded out by Killie after Steve Clarke left to become Scotland manager in May 2019 before the Ayrshire club turned to Angelo Alessio, another former Stamford Bridge employee.

Poyet told the DW Podcast: “I had a very, very small and honest approach from Kilmarnock last year when Clarke went to the national team. It was not the right time.

“They were very honest, very polite. Because of connections through a player, they just asked me if I would be interested.

“But at that time I was negotiating with a team. You know when you think, I am the next manager of this team, we are getting to the details and then one day they disappear, and you think: ‘What happened?’

“At that time when I talked to Kilmarnock, I said, from the bottom of my heart thank you very much, I would love to have an experience in Scotland but right now I am in the middle of something that is going to happen.

“And then it didn’t happen and it was embarrassing. Because they were probably saying, ‘hello, what was that big, important thing?’

“I cannot tell you but it was tough. Something happened in the middle, I don’t know what, and boom.”

 

Gus Poyet won the League One title with Brighton in 2011

Gus Poyet won the League One title with Brighton in 2011 (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Poyet has his heart set on a return to English football, where his coaching career began with roles at Swindon, Leeds and Tottenham before leading Brighton into the Championship in his first managerial position.

The Uruguayan then took Sunderland to the League Cup final and kept them in the Premier League against the odds before being sacked the following season in March 2015 with the club one point outside the relegation zone.

Poyet has since managed AEK Athens, Real Betis, Shanghai Shenhua and Bordeaux, where he exited in August 2018 after criticising the club’s decision to sell a player.

Although he is keen to work again in France one day, he is pinning his hopes on rekindling his career in England.

 

Gus Poyet led Sunderland to Wembley in 2014

Gus Poyet led Sunderland to Wembley in 2014 (Nick Potts/PA)

“I wanted to get out to see something different and come back,” the 52-year-old said.

“My idea was to go to Greece and back to England. Because we did very well in Greece, they took me to Spain. China was connections and then I lost the momentum in England and the call from Bordeaux was special, it’s a massive team in France.

“I came back to England and would like to get back in but it’s been difficult. You get out the circle and getting back has been a little bit more difficult than I expected.

“I can wait, luckily, but my staff need to work. There are a few things but nothing for sure. And it’s been delayed because of obvious reasons with coronavirus, but I hope we are going to start the season with a team.

“There are no direct negotiations but some approaches, depending on some managers moving. Unfortunately in football you need a manager to leave for you to get in. I am waiting on these moments.”

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7 minutes ago, stewarty66 said:

No reason it cant be again.

Let's stop accepting mediocrity.

I find it hard to accept mediocrity. I’ve been quite vocal on this point. I would love to go back to where we were. Do you think it’s likely to happen with the folks in place and on the evidence of the players that have left the first team and those that have replaced them. It’s not shouting ambition for me.

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2 hours ago, Thebigguy68 said:

I find it hard to accept mediocrity. I’ve been quite vocal on this point. I would love to go back to where we were. Do you think it’s likely to happen with the folks in place and on the evidence of the players that have left the first team and those that have replaced them. It’s not shouting ambition for me.

Cant disagree. 

We seem to have lowered our ambitions. 

Possibly this is down to the Alessio appointment. 

Poyet would be a no brainer if he was still interested, but he would need to be made aware of our budget. 

He has always worked at bigger clubs than Killie. 

It would be a step into the unknown for him.

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19 hours ago, Gaz of the 20/20 said:

This is an example of why we should have carried out a full recruitment process instead of the board giving it to their pal who has done nothing to merit it. 

I'm confused. Surely this is an example that the board were contacting managers of worth and people that they though would do a good job rather than just sit back and look at CV's?

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19 hours ago, skygod said:

We would be better looking for a young and ambitious manager than an established one.

More likely to accept the constraints of the job and keen to make a name for himself. Might even make some money for us.

Same applies to signing Mulumbu. 

 

Isn’t that what we did when we appointed Johnston, Locke, McCulloch ?  If Alex Dyer's term doesn't work out then we need an experienced manager. 

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1 hour ago, Wrangodog said:

Isn’t that what we did when we appointed Johnston, Locke, McCulloch ?  If Alex Dyer's term doesn't work out then we need an experienced manager. 

McCulloch had been an assistant, had no other management experience and was very reluctant to take the job. Has resumed working as an assistant.

Locke had managed Hearts, but with a poor record - 1.12 ppm - which should have been enough to have excluded him. Followed up with similarly poor spells at Raith Rovers and Cowdenbeath and is now an ambassador at his beloved Jam Tarts.

Johnston had one successful season at QoS and I thought he was good choice at the time. So what went wrong? Remember he was working against a turbulent background of NAPM demonstrations against MJ and over the sacking of KS. But he hasn't gone on to distinguish himself elsewhere and is back at QoS. Killie was too big a job for him, then and now.

Three ex-players with either no management experience, or very little. Two of them promoted as a cheap and easy appointment after the incumbent had left. Only AJ came from outside.

I've got nothing against recruiting an established manager but it has to be realistic. Alessio wasn't realistic, nor is Poyet. Their previous jobs were at big clubs. There's nothing wrong with being ambitious but it needs to be realistic.

You can see what Poyet says about "his staff" needing to work. These guys work with assistants, coaches, scouts, physios, analysts on a scale we could never employ. Alessio agreeing to work with AD must have got "lost in translation" or should have been a warning sign that all wasn't what it seemed!

I'd like to see us being aware of the up-and-coming management talent. Guys who are in their first job now at an unglamorous club which they have performing above their level. Someone for whom Killie is going to be a step up and a possible stepping stone to bigger things. Someone who is hungry and ambitious, probably with an undistinguished playing career who sees coaching and management as their real forte.

SC was a one-off, a local lad made good with a strong CV, who saw the club as an opportunity to get his name back in the limelight and perhaps just a little sentimental attachment to his brother's old club. And he was prepared to work within the budgetary constraints.

We're not a club which can attract guys like SC without this sort of special circumstance.  

 

 

Edited by skygod
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Finding a young, ambitious, manager who has the potential to succeed is as difficult as finding an experienced one. Ian Murray started his managerial career successfully at Dumbarton, but it didn't work out at St. Mirren for him and he is now at Airdrie. Paul Hartley also started well at Alloa but flopped at Dundee and Falkirk and is now at Cove. By experienced I didn't mean the level of Steve Clarke, the circumstances of his appointment are unlikely to be repeated. I also didn't mean Gus Poyet, who seemed as unlikely as SSC but  without the local/family connection. There are managers with experience who are discarded by clubs every month and some of them would be within our budget. Ideally Alex Dyer will start to get results and we won't need to look for a manager for a while yet. 

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2 hours ago, skygod said:

McCulloch had been an assistant, had no other management experience and was very reluctant to take the job. Has resumed working as an assistant.

Locke had managed Hearts, but with a poor record - 1.12 ppm - which should have been enough to have excluded him. Followed up with similarly poor spells at Raith Rovers and Cowdenbeath and is now an ambassador at his beloved Jam Tarts.

Johnston had one successful season at QoS and I thought he was good choice at the time. So what went wrong? Remember he was working against a turbulent background of NAPM demonstrations against MJ and over the sacking of KS. But he hasn't gone on to distinguish himself elsewhere and is back at QoS. Killie was too big a job for him, then and now.

Three ex-players with either no management experience, or very little. Two of them promoted as a cheap and easy appointment after the incumbent had left. Only AJ came from outside.

I've got nothing against recruiting an established manager but it has to be realistic. Alessio wasn't realistic, nor is Poyet. Their previous jobs were at big clubs. There's nothing wrong with being ambitious but it needs to be realistic.

You can see what Poyet says about "his staff" needing to work. These guys work with assistants, coaches, scouts, physios, analysts on a scale we could never employ. Alessio agreeing to work with AD must have got "lost in translation" or should have been a warning sign that all wasn't what it seemed!

I'd like to see us being aware of the up-and-coming management talent. Guys who are in their first job now at an unglamorous club which they have performing above their level. Someone for whom Killie is going to be a step up and a possible stepping stone to bigger things. Someone who is hungry and ambitious, probably with an undistinguished playing career who sees coaching and management as their real forte.

SC was a one-off, a local lad made good with a strong CV, who saw the club as an opportunity to get his name back in the limelight and perhaps just a little sentimental attachment to his brother's old club. And he was prepared to work within the budgetary constraints.

We're not a club which can attract guys like SC without this sort of special circumstance.  

 

 

Not so sure. I take the point about attracting a profile of manager that will likely have better options. Impossible. But the standard supply and demand Rules surely apply. The huge turn over of managers has created a large pool of people with management experience. This rapid turn over In comparison to previous decades has led to a surplus of often high profile managers. The number of top clubs has not increased - indeed it’s more likely to shrink than increase. So the balance of supply and demand has moved in favour the clubs. There are many guys with great cvs that have practically dropped of the radar. Now some may be financially stable and “in no rush to get back into the game”. Others will be more keen. With the salary caps situation in England  (if this can actually be legally implemented and sustained - I doubt it) It may move things further in favour for clubs in Scotland’s top flight. I’d hazard a guess when you consider profile, chance of Europe, tv appearances, Winning something material, killie will be in the top 50 In the uk. 
 

There are many high profile names out of work now with limited chance of jobs with the biggest 30 clubs likely. Do they stay out of work or get with the new reality?

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8 hours ago, Thebigguy68 said:

 There are many guys with great cvs that have practically dropped of the radar. Now some may be financially stable and “in no rush to get back into the game”. Others will be more keen.

There will be many.

Some will have been tainted by failure to the extent that clubs will be unwilling to take a chance in them, if only because of fan backlash.

Some will have been out of work so long that their motivation is questionable and their contacts out of date.  

But I think we need to avoid the “fantasy football” type of appointment - Haessler, Alessio, Poyet & co - however appealing the prospect might seem.

An Alex Totten type would be ideal. He wasn’t that popular a choice after TB but he produced some very entertaining football. 

But I still think we should be on the  watch for up-and-coming managers who are hungry. 

All management appointments are risky. It’s seldom that there is a perfect match of man and club.

But I don't think promoting from within reduces that risk much, if at all. 

 

Edited by skygod
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