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If it's not a name the majority can feel excited about, there's an inevitable extra weakness. The excitement factor is relative given a] we're losing Klopp and b] none of the candidates available at the moment is of proven world-class pedigree. So given that starting point, if the person appointed is totally left field (let's say, Eddie Howe for the sake of argument) then there will be an inevitable, at the very least sub-conscious, effect on the players and their buy-in. & secondly, of course, the support will be less patient. You'd hope Edwards and co are intelligent enough to realise this and take other factors into account rather than just data, but Ornstein's tweets, which have the feel of a briefing, are a touch unnerving.
Not sure if this is the right spot for it but I thought Miguel Delaney made a very interesting point on the Second Captains podcast. Basically, although he vehemently disagreed with Forest's statement, he believes it taps into a sense that PL now has a 'legitimacy crisis.' He notes he's spoken with many people within the game who feel it's getting very like Serie A with clubs criticizing refs and points deductions affecting clubs. That on the one hand you have this world-renowned product superior in wealth to other leagues and on the other hand there are questions arising that echo what happened to Serie A in the 90s and 2000s when issues were swept under the carpet only for the league's reputation to be brought down by a legitimacy crisis via Calciopoli. In the instance of the PL, he posits that it is the product of three decades of laissez-faire thinking towards regulation in which nobody involved in the PL didn't want to go too far on anything over fears it would harm the brand and the flow of TV money. He argues, the PSR cases and the Man City investigation, along with the spotlight on officiating all feeds into this legitimacy crisis.
Brave and unpopular - Mourinho
Brave and unpopular - O'Neill
Actually, who wouldn't be considered a brave and unpopular appointment
Brave and unpopular - Mourinho
Brave and unpopular - O'Neill
Actually, who wouldn't be considered a brave and unpopular appointment
You can't have a game with no referees that is a ridiculous post.