Match Day Thread Stoke City v Southampton, Wed 14 December, KO 8:00pm

The Sky TV era has seen a change to the demographic of season ticket holders. It isn't just the price but a lot of the kinds of people that had season tickets back in the days of a Saturday 3pm every week don't have season tickets anymore. While work has become much more flexible in terms of hours and the 24/7 business model planning becomes much more important.

I don;t think that many people will drop their season ticket but you can bet some will.

 

I don;t think anyone is saying "the results" must improve. People are saying the performances must improve. It is the style of play that is in question and was even under Koeman. People love winning but they also want to be entertained. If it were just about the result then we could just watch the vidiprinter and then the goals on video.

 

This time last season, out of Europe, out of the league cup and 12th.

 

I agree with you. But the problem is the strikers, not the manager.

 

The manager has to solve the striker problems, thus becoming the problem. Can/will he solve the problems.
I think/hope yes.

 

.

Nor was mine. Just a general comment that is nothing about agreement.

 

People might say it's the performances they are annoyed with, but if the results improve they'll soon stop complaining

The style of football under RK was agricultural at times, often very frustrating. But you didn't hear a word about that once we started winning - which happened, as I recall, some time in the new year following a midwinter drop off in form.

 

I think the difference is Koeman was positive, acknowledged to the media and fans that we were playing badly. Puel's answers just wind me up. "We created many interesting possibilities, and we were very unlucky"

No, like all season we can't cross, can't shoot, can't play through defences, aren't quick enough on the break, and not enough players get forward. I'm really not enjoying watching us this season, and I've been as positive as they come. Though we'd miss mané and Pelle badly - we are.

 

At 19.45 last night I was on my 9th pint. But you all had to watch that match, so really, who made the worse decision?










(Me. It was me.)

 

Anybody else feel that if JWP could get two goals in consecutive games, he'd get the confidence to score a hatfull?

 

Koeman always came across as someone who simply answered the question that was posed and gave an honest answer. Until, of course he was asked about our Academy after the Everton game and he became just like the rest.

Who knows what Puel says behind closed doors, I doubt very much its the same as he says in front of the camera. I'm happy that he doesn't 'slag off' his players publicly.

 

Puel is just a different type of character and doesn't have Koeman's grasp of the language. I never watch Puel's interviews because they are virtually identical and you gain nothing from them....but I wouldn't sack him for that. He is not the man to gee you up, but we have to accept that. He's the French version of Jay.

 

One goal in one game would be enough right now. But, yes.

 

Jayrod looked a world beater when we used to call him 1 goal, oh to be back in the good old days

 

I want to introduce a rule that says any Saints' player passing the ball backwards or sideways more than twice in a game loses a weeks wages.

 

And we used to call him one goal because he didn't score for an age, before finding his confidence and going on a run....

 

And what he's like in front of the cameras will be very different from what he's like with the players.

I'd far rather a manager who showed passion and commitment during the game (rather than sitting sulking in his seat) than one that come across all nicely to the cameras.

 

Why are we comparing to last season? It's gone. Finished. Also we had a much better attack so it was easier to pick up form. At the end of the day we finished 6th because we had a spectacular run from February. I can quite confidently predict that isn't going to happen this time.

 

The manager picks the strikers, tells them what he wants, sends them out to do a job. If they don't do it, play someone else.

Oh, we don't have anyone else. Not sure whose fault it is that the club couldn't see that we had two injury prone strikers and one who only seems to perform at this best when he's trying to win a contract or a transfer? Probably the fans fault. Yes, the fans fault, because many of us were pointing this out in the summer.

Clearly we were wrong in the fact that we were right.

 

JWP says he is fun, so as you said probably different with the players than in interviews.