Wasn't Dennis Wise a director of football a while back? and signed Xisco who barely made an appearance, must have been around the season they went down.
For me it just shows what an owner is like, just as Ashley was building a bit of a relationship with the fans he hires someone who clearly isn't going to be well recieved. I think Ashley only hired Pardew because he was a friend of his before hand and he's probably only hired Kinnear because he kept in touch with him after he was manager their for a bit, he's making it a bit of a mates club, his toy though I suppose.
I know what you're saying, I think Eastern European players/countries play a more functional style of football so Leagues dont have such a tempo and players are not the quickest. Also their is the idea that their is less quality so they can probably stand out more in those Leagues, where as they get a culture shock when they play in the Premier League. I think with Liverpool it could be different because BR is trying to find players suited to how he wants his teams to play with forward thinking players who want to get on the ball and are technically sound so it may suit Mkhitaryan's (will take some practising without a google search) game. I think alot depends on how a team plays and how they utilise the player, Coutinho for example has been quick to adapt and there have been quite a few South American players who have struggled. But I think because Coutinho is given a free role and they play good football it plays to his strengths and he can play in between the lines and so avoids alot of the meaty challenges.
I know it's early to make a prediction but I can see us to slogging it out 1-0 Mullet. Mainly because Graham Westley gets his sides to take stoppages at every opportunity and are normally very direct and physical so it will probably be a bitty game and we will have to battle it out.
