In fairness to Wrighty, an lot of people, including on here, we’re of the same opinion. Nobody was leaping with unrepressed joy (other than the fact we’d finally got rid of MP2). He shut a lot of people up with this. Fair play.
Oh, so our team is bad because we waited too long to appoint managers? Come on, man. We appointed Koeman in late June during the infamous season of meltdown. No one complained about that. And we still managed to bring in Tadic, Pelle, Alderweireld, Bertrand, Mane and Forster, plus Long. The team is bad primarily because all of our best players leave which no one can do much about. And then because the board makes bad decisions and/or simply refuses to spend money. We spent all of last transfer season dorking around with the whole VVD situation and not spending money on an attacker which we all knew we needed. We did not have to sack Puel. We didn’t spend months without a manager. We just wanted Pellegrino, and made the switch as soon as he became available.
Jeez. Are we seriously discussing whether Hughes should stay??! Sorry, but decades of supporting Saints makes me want to say "Sign him, and sign him now". I think every sane fan and observer saw us going down. We weren't bad by the end of MP2's tenure we were diabolically awful. Yes Hughes got a break, namely Swansea being even worse than us, but he still had to keep the players playing after those heart-breaking defeats against Arsenal and Chelsea, and somehow he did. How can this achievement be considered a piece of piss?
Well yes, I agree with all of this. As a club we've made a lot of bad decisions, some of which were forcd on us, while others were entirely self inflicted. What can't be denied is that for the last two summers we have been rudderless until quite late, and paid a price for that. It would be nice to have a manager in place at the start of the summer this time. And Hughes, having done all that was asked of him, deserves his chance. There's no excuse, really, for dragging this one out.
Gave up newspapers this season....that meant I didn't buy coffee and cake in cafes to read them. Result I am happier, richer and lighter.
I do like a football pullout on a Monday, but not with the results we've been having this season. Might glue a league table to the wall tonight as a treat.
Strewth guys am really having difficulty understanding where some of you are coming from...........8 league games ago we were in the ****.............Playing really crap style football. Yet you expected a new manager to come in and immediately get us playing a top brand of football?????? Can I remind you most of the games were against fellow strugglers.......So they too were doing their level best to survive.........Stands to reason most of those games were never going to be of the best standard. Sparky got the guys to believe in themselves and because of that we survived. It doesn't matter how, we just did. He got us to do whatever was necessary. He did what was asked of him and deserves a crack at improving us...........If he doesn't...that is the time to complain, not before he has been given the chance........
Did I read somewhere that the transfer window “slams shut” three weeks earlier than usual, next season? Hughes already has an idea where we need strengthening whereas a.n.other will waste weeks getting to know the squad when they aren’t fully fit and returning at different times due to potentially being involved in the World Cup. There is no time to waste.
Ooops. Mis read this, and thought you were referring to the infamous Rodney Marsh/Alf Ramsey conversation. OK, pullout. Got it.
The last thing we need after the season we've just had is the unsettlement that finding a new manager would bring. The players have started to respond to MH and they should now be able to focus on relaxing and pre-season. Hopefully, the players can go off on their hols knowing that MH will be in charge upon their return...
Yeah, sign Hughes up. The club is finally pulling in the right direction. I do love his no-nonsense interviews as well. Get him on the bus Les.
I give Mark Hughes 10 out of 10. Stunning transformation. We were bloody awful in freefal and certian to go down before he joined. MH turned things around completey and made saints a competitive football team and did the job.
I have a gut feeling that they won't sign him . Not sure why , but again the board have said F all ! I would like to think they would at least thank him and his staff ?
The new transfer window does really change the timetable, so I think we do need to get things straightened out earlier. But what I’m pointing out is that we were rudderless because the board made bad decisions. They decided we did not need an attacker last season, and that Pellegrino was better than Puel. It’s not that they waited and ran out of time. They simply elected not to do certain things. Or to do stupid things.
