We are in a time of change after our sale to Gao...we have to think long term rather than short term. Hughes has brought something to the table....he has brought the team together. He isn't going to be here for ever of course, but have no problem in giving him a chance. Some people think that if Hughes leaves we will definitely get a better manager....always a chance you won't. A period of stabilisation is desirable while the new owner finds his feet and decides what he wants to do.
Southampton plan to open negotiations next week with manager Mark Hughes over a permanent contract of up to three years, with the Saints on the verge of Premier League survival. (Telegraph)
I would add that he did an outstanding job at Blackburn without a trace of boring football and you could easily argue that he was very unlucky indeed to get canned from City. As they say up here, "Ye can only piss wae the cock ye've got." It all depends on what type of penis we equip him with.
If it is a choice of keep Reed or Sparky I’d say keep Sparky. If we don’t keep either I think it leaves us with an opportunity to completely make a mess of things with a new guy looking for a new manager. Replacing one at a time seems better to me with Reed leaving first.
I remember his first or second season at Stoke when they demolished City at the Etihad playing free flowing football and Mame Djiouf scoring with a sensational solo dribble from his own penalty area.
Unless we somehow managed to attract one of the stellar managerial appointments here (which let's face it, we won't) we'll never make everyone happy but to put Hughes in the same bracket as those in the relegation avoidance merry-go-round seats is just plain wrong. Maybe his methods do have a three year shelf life but I'd take the first two of those years now after the borefest and ineptfest we've had the last two seasons.
I think our ability to recruit a top up and coming manager this year is low. Higher up the table maybe but not where we are now.
Let's face it. If we did attract a top up and coming manager, he would only be with us for a season or two with this board! There needs to be a major change at board level. Lets not sell 4-5 players a season, just to lime the pockets!!
If Les and Ralph don't offer him a contract and then replace him with a virtual unknown from the depths of some foreign league, then I will know that they have completely lost their marbles...
It's the "problem" with making short term appointments (whether interim, caretaker, whatever). When they work, the board who made the appoint find themselves in a corner. If they decide to go for someone else, then they're putting a gun to their own heads - because, quite simply, it will have to be a success. To turn your back on someone who made a success of the short term appointment cannot be defended otherwise. WBA are in the same position. West Ham, maybe less so. (It's a good problem of sorts, hence the quotation marks, because at least the short term appointment will presumably have achieved its goal)
I wasn' really pro Sparky when we appointed him, but we had little option at the time. He has impressed me greatly, although I do feel that anyone with a modicum of PL experience could get our squad performing functionally. I can't see us attracting anybody much better in the Summer without an element of risk in the appointment, I think that we have to see how it goes with the current set up for the next couple of seasons.
I truly cannot understand why so many are running sparky down. I ask you.........how many other managers would have taken Saints on in the position they were with eight games left and got them over the line or practically? Also are you saying he hasn’t instilled some of the teams passion they had previously shown under other managers? In the last two years the players have been made to play a brand of football most were not used to. Even though the brand they were being forced to endure was not working they had to continue. Sparky came in and has started to get some of them to believe once again. Surely that is obvious to all? Saints are at best a mid table team and what we need at the moment is a steading ship. Sparky has done it in the short term so surely he should be allowed to continue at least in the near future. We can rebuild from here.
Really? I thought that Redmond was one of our best players Tuesday night. Shows how people view things differently...
I never even put MP2's name in my signature...should I have confidence to put Hughes name in there even if he signs a contract.
http://www.skysports.com/watch/vide...gue/11368007/hughes-saints-appointment-needed Hughes talking about his future. Says he understands that Saints were not in a position to discuss the manager's job or indeed the players until the future was known. When asked if he wanted it, he, of course, prevaricated but said it was a good club. Sounds like he wasn't given long term promises, but he would be interested in the job and it will be discussed after the end of the season. If he hopes for a quick answer....he obviously doesn't know Saints as well as he thinks.
