So, crying after 2 mins of a game is being in the real world. Sure. It didn’t work out, that happens, but I’d rather be trying to support the team than bashing the **** out of them just cos we went a goal down.
No, no, no, I keep reading digs that the fans have no influence.... @st_brendy @SouthamptonFCroatia My turn
So if MP2 cocedes that the players are not playing for him now, how is he going to change that over the next 8 games. How has he got any hope of getting the 3 wins or so we need, when we only have one in 17 games. He should have gone 4 months ago, but getting rid now is our only hope.
It’s just the utter utter frustration of going through the same groundhog ritual every single game - hearing the nonsense from the camp in midweek about how it’s going to be different and how he may play 2 strikers; then seeing the same old negative teamsheet;then watching the same turgid start. Yes - it really is enough to turn us to tears....
I saw something very sad and very funny yesterday. As Newcastle celebrated their third goal, some people in front of me started to leave. A chap a couple of rows back started to have a go at them and I believe said something abusive towards the bloke who was leaving’s son. The chests were puffed out. The death stares were in place. The arms were out on a “come on” gesture. Then as the chap leaving left, the bloke behind shouted, “Stay and support your team” Sad. Within a minute of the chap leaving, the chap who stayed joined in the abusive chanting of the manager and team, whilst booing as loud as he could. Yeah. Stay and support your team. Funny
Glad you got back ok, Fats! Small world, eh? My season ticket was next to Jeff & Sue and I’ve known Jeff nearly 50 years! Maybe next season, if we’re in the championship, I might renew ......
Yes Dave, what a small world. I was very well behaved, until late on when Sims was brought down in front of the lino and nothing was given. An expletive slipped out but I did apologise to Sue. She then pointed out that his language had been bad all day Nearly Golf weather!!
Everything that’s wrong with some of these prats who call themselves “fans”. Support the team, yes, hurl abuse, absolutely not. I’ll admit being desperately disappointed (it was a bad day yesterday what with the rugby result and all), but, at the end of the day, it’s just a game. There are people fighting for their lives in Salisbury and the A&E (and, I hear, the ICU) is cordoned off and can’t be used for any other cases, and people are getting totally wound up because we lost? Get over it. I’d still support Saints whatever league they were in and I’d never abuse the players or manager, whatever my personal opinion.
She’s used to it. She’s been going to watch Saints longer than me and I reckon she’s heard it all (and is a veritable fount of knowledge of all things Saints), so I’m sure she forgave you!
I hereby put myself forward as a possible manager for the rest of the season as this morning I have been in the garden and cut myself a bloody big stick and when I have finished beating pride, guts, desire and passion into our players they'll be too **** scared to return to the dressing room if we lose. Having improved the team's performance I will start on our management with Les first in the queue if only I can find him.
Surely the manager doesn’t have complete autonomy over the team. Surely there must some input from both Reed and the other coaches, particularly Reed. It seems obvious what is wrong with the way that we play, the slow predictable build up. How defensive we are, and how unclinical our strike force is, yet we play the same way, week in week out. I don’t get it. On another point look at the goals scored by our strike force Long - 1 Carrillo - 0 Redmond - 0 Austin - 6 Gabbi - 4 Austin has only played 5 games as well and still remains our highest scorer Those goals are just shockingly poor. Combine all 5 and we just dribble into double figures. Take out Austin's as he has only played a handful of games it looks even worse.
I often think that a team plays in the image of its' manager, we are rigid, unimaginitive, cautious and a little bit scared... I will add that I quite like him personally, just that he is in this job a few years too soon.
I think it’s all a cunning plan -Firstly make all the players look crap so nobody wants to buy them - secondly you punish the fans who had the audacity to want Puel to be sacked. In one season he has managed to punish us all for complaining that we are a selling club and about selecting Puel as manage. Cunning chap.
Agree with all apart highlighted. What have you really seen that gives any confidence that he could / would be better in future? Never gonna happen anyway. However, knowing our board, he might still be here in a few years time!
He is simply being asked to do a job that he isn't capable of doing. While players/fans liked him in his short time with Valencia and blamed the board, they were 12th when he was sacked, and finished within a point of Champions League qualification. His Argentinian sides were characterized by low scores and a lot of draws. His Alaves side was low-scoring, and picked up a lot of draws. He is and always has been a defensive coach who aims first to avoid losses, and bringing him here to try to play attacking football never made the remotest bit of sense. It's not in his DNA.
Someone mentioned earlier, motd analysis of SFC was pretty much spot on. Abysmal, shocking, borderline disgrace. Read those words Saints. And if nothing changes, we will go down just as we are playing now.
Whatever happened to the "exciting attacking football"? Vice Chairman (Football) Les Reed said: “I am delighted that after a diligent selection process we have recruited Mauricio Pellegrino as our new First Team Manager. “We had an impressive list of candidates and went through a comprehensive interview process. Mauricio impressed us throughout with his depth of knowledge, motivation and ability, communicating this in a professional and passionate way. “He has an excellent understanding of the Southampton Way, and his style of play and aspiration matches the philosophy, culture and ambition of the club. “We firmly believe Mauricio is the right person to help us take the next steps. He knows our players and believes we have a great squad that with some fine-tuning will be able to deliver continued success. “Mauricio believes with the quality we have we can play exciting, attacking football, taking the game to our opponents by playing a high-intensity game. He will continue to develop and introduce young players whilst building on the core of experience that we have in the squad. “During the recruitment process Mauricio quickly became our first choice and, while he had other options, we are delighted he feels that St Mary’s is the right place for him and we believe he is the right fit for us. We are looking forward to working with Mauricio to take the club forward and achieve more success with this team.” Mauricio Pellegrino said: “I am really happy to become the new coach of Southampton Football Club. The club has a great reputation for having a strong and stable structure, competing in the Premier League and playing attractive football. “I think my philosophy and the culture of the club will work well together. We have to be a team on and off the pitch; I want to make the supporters proud of the players and to feel part of the game every week. I want to win matches, be successful and develop a team spirit where everyone gives 100 per cent and supports each other. “I am excited and passionate about what the future holds for us and look forward to meeting the players and beginning our preparation for the new season.”
He just has to go. I hadn't really said it before yesterday (though I wouldn't have been sorry to see him go) but it just has to be said now. The players looked as though they'd given up - we're still doing the same ineffective things on the pitch so I can hardly blame them. I think there are some obvious areas where a different manager could certainly improve us. I think our defence could be much better organised, and could probably do with spending several days on the training pitch being drilled on how to defend high balls into the box. It's remarkable that our defence has regressed so badly under a manager who was a pretty successful central defender. Like Schad I think a change of formation and/or tactics could led to more goals. Our current approach hasn't worked all season and I can only assume our team meetings are like that scene in Blackadder Goes Forth where Melchett says "Doing precisely what we've done 18 times before is precisely the last thing they'll expect!" I also feel Pellegrino that has instilled a negative, fearful, risk-averse mindset into the squad. There was an interview Romeu did earlier in the season where he talked about how Pellegrino is always saying our players need to be aware of the opposition threat of a counter attack when attacking. Read that, read the article from last summer about his philosophy and look at our performances. "Who would replace him?" isn't a valid counter-argument. At this point I might even take a Keegan style cheerleader who just came in and tried to fill the players with confidence.
