My mistake, the second one was a typo! I meant to say I'm one of the people who thinks he deserves to stay.
People can want a manager to leave, it's their right as supporters as they pay the money, but there is a way to go about it. Try understanding where the manager is coming from in his decision making. Try looking at things objectively rather than in the heat of a moment after a disappointing result. Try thinking how the players could help themselves or the board's mentality and decision making rather than blaming the manager for everything that goes on. The man is not perfect, but he is doing his best, and through all the ridiculous abuse he is getting from some people (Wednesday night brought out some abusive foulmouths with nothing between their ears), he has kept his dignity, and genuinely cares about the team and the club. He wants to win, he wants to play good football - does he really go out and tell them to do the polar opposite, pretend they're shooting at Twickenham rather than St Mary's, and miss 3 penalties (leading to 4 extra points) in 5 games. No. Get some perspective. And we're 8th for Christ sake.
As someone who is ambivalent about wether CP stays or goes, I am finding the "debate" interesting as both sides of the argument have equally good points. My ambivalence is probably down to the lack of relationship I have with CP compared with NA, MP and RK all of whom I felt fully engaged. Assuming a win and 8th place tomorrow, a brilliant Semi Final and EFL Final and a couple of really good games in the EL, on paper, I would say we have done about as well as we could have done having once again lost the manager and the heart of the successful squad from last season. However, the rotation of the squad and various formation changes have led to some extremely dull home games and I can fully understand the frustration of the fans especially as we seem unable to score any goals. Having been to a good number of away games now, I must say our "style" has worked very well and we have come up with some decent results but that is in front of 2-3000 hardy souls and not 30,000 expecting us to compete with the top teams and dispatch the lesser ones. Interesting arguments but lets keep them calm and reasoned as at the end of the day we all love our club COYRs
For the record, I do think a lot of fans don't really understand some of the tactics of football. I continually hear "Get it in there," at almost every game. Just one very regular example. My view is that a lot of fans do not understand football tactically as well as they could. You can be offended by that or stop and think if there is any truth in that statement. Read as aimed not at you personally. My point on the 'entertainment' is that I believe (and there will be exceptions) that most football fans go to a game regularly because they support a team (most). They want the team to win and i am finding more and more that if that win doesn't happen they lash out at anything, demanding the entertainment is just one example. I'd rather see Saints win 1-0 than draw 4-4 or lose 4-5 thanks. I'd rather we drew 0-0 than lost 2-3. What really gets me is that fans just complain and slag off at the drop of a hat. They expect and demand when it is a game between two sides that try to cancel each other out and in any given moment, things can not work out. That's what happens.
Good points. Unfortunately for Puel though, it's the form in front of the 30,000 that is the issue. Away from home, there is very little to criticise (particularly if you just want to take the black-and-white approach of looking at results). Wins vs WBA, Bmouth, Watford, Sunderland, Boro, West Ham. The only away disappointments I can think of are Hull and (ten man) Stoke. We caught Swansea at the wrong time (for us), and Burnley are solid at home. Yes the collapses against Everton and Palace were awful, but zero points is zero points whether 0-1 or 0-3. But at home, you've got dropped points to Watford, Sunderland, Hull, West Ham, WBA, Bmouth. Potentially, but hopefully not, Stoke. Even Swansea and Boro were only 1-0 wins. And that is before looking at the less black-and-white aspect of results only. He's become the managerial version of Rasiak. I personally could never understand why so many Saints fans I knew didn't like Rasiak, because from what I could see he would bang the goals in. But back then, I couldn't afford to go to many games, so I wasn't someone who would turn up to home games ever other week to never see him score. I didn't really see any differential between his low home goal and his high away goal tally. I just saw a goalscorer. But I quite probably would have felt different if I had been able to see him in all those home games.
Also worth noting that results have, relatively speaking, been better away from home than at St Mary's. We're currently 7th in the Away-Only table and 16th in the Home-Only table.
On the goals front DL, what do you think is different from February time when we were scoring for fun and the last 5/6 games? To others: does anyone think Puel has done anything different or told the team to be less attacking from that period? I think it's just football.
Aha, you see I was brought up on a diet of Saints trying to out score the opposition,much more fun than just going to see a 1-0 score line. Don't mind us losing as long as they try to win personally,quite enjoyed the 0-0 at home to Liverpool obviously for different reasons. I think your complaints (and others on here) about "our fans" could be levelled at all clubs,but not all our fans. Maybe you concentrate on complaints from others around you because the football is so dull? Still don't really understand your comment ref entitlement to entertainment tho.
I don't think we have an entitlement to entertainment. It's good when it comes (I was brought up on it too) however it's a little naive to go "expecting" it. All teams go through more and less entertaining phases. I taken my view on complaints from those around me at the ground, those not around me (you can hear the booing or groaning, or the anxious rise in volume because we have passed it near our box rather than booting it away) and from what I listen to and read. I think we try to win every game, just in a different way sometimes.
As I have posted elsewhere: So you are the manager and you are forced to play your 3rd and 4th choice centre backs, one of whom is very inexperienced at this level, in a tight and highly competitive league and at the same time as your strikers are struggling to score. You would be a fool to put on more strikers, weaken your midfield and expose your vulnerable defence. Puel has followed the sensible path and had he listened to the advice of some on here we would not have so many scoreless draws we would have been hammered out of sight most games.
Nope that didn't explain your original point,I think it's "the written word" so I'll drop it,I'm sure you didn't mean to piss off an old fella. In answer to a question you've asked,it does appear sometimes that we defend in numbers but attack as individuals more so recently. Possibly more like an away tactic,so yes Claude may have altered that?
Interesting question...firstly Gabby's injury, secondly an off the pass Tadic being moved from wide to No10, the defence/midfield dropping even deeper leaving a fit Gabby completely isolated. How about those FLT
Certainly the last three home games, I personally think Puel has got it wrong offensively. Just switch Tadic and Redmond around. Put Tadic on the left, and Redmond in the middle. Tadic works way, way better with Bertrand in my view (I would not be at all surprised if one of Bertrand's gripes at the moment is having to play with Redmond ahead of him, who doesn't fly down the wing allowing Bertrand to spring a pass to him, and when the boot is on the other foot will so often ignore Bertrand's runs and cut inside instead. I know people have responded to me on here before about it just being banter/play-acting etc between the two of them, but I'm sorry, way too often do Bertrand and Redmond disagree with each other on the pitch) And Redmond is a much greater threat on goal than Dusan is right now, in my view. Tadic ran the show from that position not long ago (Palace, was it?), but just recently has been awful. And whilst Tadic has to take responsibility for such poor performances, so in my view does Puel for not really changing it. Until your form recovers Dusan, you either sit on the bench or take a back seat role by sitting out on the left flank, linking up with Bertrand (or Targett), and allowing Redmond the freedom to express himself.
I didn't mean to piss off an old fella; anything posted as a generalisation is aimed at a group, not an individual.... I've never been shy in quoting or pissing off an individual
That's not really true, is it? Most neutrals would understand that, like Stoke before them, WBA finally got fed up with Tony Pulis' limited but effective style. Not really comparable in any way to Saints sacking a manager who finished 8th in his first season in English football, after the club once again sold it's best players in the summer.
I'd have to look back at the games to see about Dusan at 10. I think the reason Gabby has been isolated is that in some recent games (Hull for one), the opposition started with far more possession than expected and so the midfield had to drop back. What is interesting is that on the occasions a team does that and the striker is isolated, I sit scratching my head as to why the crowd start screaming to get the ball forward quickly... when we've just won possession and everyone but one player is deep. No point booting it or passing it up to the man with no support. Hence my comments previously about fans lacking understanding. It's not an insult, it's an observation. Take Wednesday. We are outplaying but drawing 0-0 with Manchester United. We are not breaking them down though. THIRTEEN minutes to go and Puel takes off JWP and puts on Boufal at no.10 (leaving the aforementioned Tadic wide). Immediately my Dad moaned and several thousand fans booed. We had played welll but not broken Utd down. I love Prowsey and he was playing well, but beating two players isn't his game. Puel tried something different (it was different as Boufal played central) for the last few minutes. First three things he did was run directly at defenders and cause problems. It nearly worked. The crowd moaned and I just don't get that. Would the crowd have been happier if he stuck with the 0-0 or gambled on the win? The bloke couldn't win.
I agree with most of this. Puel isnt the first manager to have us scratching our heads as to why Tadic doesn't hug the left touch line. Koeman used to do the same.
WBA finished 14th last season (13th the year before that, 17th the year before that). An 8th place finish for them would be an improvement of SIX places. Only Chelsea - and Bmouth if they get a top 9 finish - would achieve a greater improvement than six places.
