Match Day Thread Our beloved Saints -v- The Arsenal - Sunday 10th December, 2017 @ 12pm

I feel indifferent to the visit of puel. Not because he didn’t do quite well in his tenure but I don’t feel any affinity for him. There was nothing to really dislike but nothing to really warm to.

 

I thought he did pretty well all things considered.

I also warmed to beating 3 times Champions of Europe Inter Milan and playing in a Wembley cup final

Each to their own.

 

Like I said he did well in his short tenure. Just didn’t warm to him.

 

Apologies I thought you said that you didn't think he did well.

 

The Wembley final, I'll grant. Despite their storied history, the 2016-17 version of Inter Milan (particularly in the first half of the season) was a bit on the shambolic side.

Puel wasn't the problem last year, but he also wasn't the solution. Have nothing against him and hope that he succeeds with Leicester, but I don't think he was going to find success with us.

 

It's more of a prestige thing and with respect it's probably harder for a fan living abroad to understand. I don't think anyone at St Marys that night will ever forget that match and the atmosphere.

As for your last sentence it's subjective and we will never know

 

I don't doubt that it was a memorable match to witness, but every team in our group beat Inter Milan, heh. Hapoel Beer Shiva beat them home and away.

 

And I'm sure those wins will live with those supporters forever

When people tell that story in years to come, it won't be about them being in a bit of turmoil, or the other sides in the group beating them... it will be about one of the greatest nights witnessed at St Marys.

Funnily enough on the subject of Be'er Sheva I noticed the other day that they finished bottom of their group this time round...

 

Anyway this is getting a touch off topic.

Matchday

Relatively confident today, Arsenal always have a dodgy one in them and with Mustafi out I'm hoping Charlie can bully them a bit.

Hopefully we start fast strong and get at them not allowing them to settle into a rhythm early on, and if we can nick a goal in that period then I think they will struggle.

I won't be following it at all as finish work at 7 so going straight to bed. I don't know whether to check the score as soon as I wake up or to just read through here so I can see how it went...

 

But that's kinda the point: from an emotional standpoint, great win. From the perspective of the team's performance, we had -- by virtue of the fact that Inter was a mess at the time -- a really easy group and failed to advance. It's hard to give Puel a lot of credit for beating a team that everyone else beat en route to failing to qualify.

 

Ah I see what you're trying to say, but football is an emotional game and that's what a lot of it boils down to when supporting your team.

The topic was about not warming to him an the simple fact is it was a famous night for us and he was the man in the dugout for it - just thinking of it gives me a fuzzy warm feeling inside, regardless of all the other stuff around it.

It's irrelevant to me.

 

He wasn't going to get a chance, so we'll never know.

But all those who accused him of negativity might want to consider that, in playing Demari Gray along with Mahrez and Vardy, he has selected a more attacking line up than his predecessors at Leicester were willing or able to do.

 

Perhaps you might consider giving him some credit for beating Liverpool home and away, and coming within an ace of winning a cup final at Wembley?

 

To be fair he did acknowledge that in the first post.

Gonna leave these two here:

https://www.foxestalk.co.uk/topic/114238-just-beautiful/

https://www.foxestalk.co.uk/topic/114233-chant-for-puel/

 

Matchday and it's snowing in Swindon

 

Right off to the land of nod.

Come on Saints, let me wake up happy.

 

Set the alarm, and prepare for disappointment. We're the Saints, we don't do happy (though we occasionaly do ****ing ecstatic).

 

We are due a good decent win ........So why not today? We are also due a couple on the trot so why not this week? Nice Chrissy present........Come on you Saints lets be having ya................

 

I did. The sum total of Puel's time is that he had a great result in the COC, did badly in Europey, and posted a mediocre performance in the league. Overall, neither good enough to cast him in bronze, nor bad enough to vilify him. I have nothing against the man, but I'm also not terribly upset that we fired him given that he wasn't well-loved in the dressing room.