So would Conte have kept Boro up?

[Diamond Dog]

From this article today http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/39873030

This:

"Since the Premier League began in 1992-93, nine managers have won the title - Scots Alex Ferguson (13) and Kenny Dalglish (1), Frenchman Arsene Wenger (3), Portuguese Jose Mourinho (3), Chilean Manuel Pellegrini (1) and Italians Carlo Ancelotti (1), Roberto Mancini (1) and Claudio Ranieri (1).

Antonio Conte will become the fourth Italian to win the championship if Chelsea beat West Bromwich Albion at The Hawthorns on Friday.

"Conte, Mourinho, Wenger are winners, they collect trophies and they're always going to do that," (Steve) McClaren told BBC Radio 5 live.

"[But] I don't think Conte could have kept Sunderland up.

"I don't think he could have coached them the way he did and he would have [had] to adapt. "

What do you think?

[borofan]

He would have had more to work with than Moyes had at Sunderland, that's for sure. The major problem we had was that the team was set up to contain, and we did not have the flexibility or attacking resources to change tack when required. Negredo did a decent job with minimal service, and I'm sure Conte would have been able to get him more support. The key would have been getting consistent performances from Ramirez, who is easily the most creative forward player on the books. Unfortunately, his attitude was appalling, especially after he was tapped up by Leicester in January.

Conte certainly wouldn't have had such a dismal January window. The 3 major faces we chased were realistically never going to arrive - no way were Hull ever going to sell Snodgrass to us, or Stoke allow Bojan to come. We ended up spending £15 million on 3 players who made 3 league starts between them including another defensive midfielder (a position in which we were more than well stocked with Clayton, Leadbitter and de Roon), and let our most instinctive finisher (Rhodes) leave without ever giving him a proper run in the side. I suspect he wasn't quite good enough for the PL, but we never found out.

I think that a coach of the quality of Conte would have found a way that was clearly beyond Karanka, who was ludicrously inflexible.

[Penk!]

Regarding Moyes, he's made a really bad career choice going to Sunderland. He obviously hoped he could revive his reputation by doing a good job there, but they've been a shambles for years and it's a miracle they didn't go down sooner. And yet Moyes still looks like a pillock for taking them down.

The worst thing for him must be that Van Gaal and Mourinho have both been as dull and unimpressive at Man Utd as he was.

If he can turn Sunderland around and bring them back up, that would be an achievement for him.

[Jimbly]

As if Steve "Raindrops" McLaren knows anything about football.

[Jimbly]

As if Steve "Raindrops" McLaren knows anything about football.

What are you talking about?

I stand corrected

[Diamond Dog]

And he can do shekshie too....