Nah, not having that, in his first season with us Romeu was absolute quality. He showed some sublime touches and passing. Don’t forget he came through Barca’s academy. I’m not sure what has happened since, but he is miles better than JWP in a holding role. (And Im a jwp fan). I still don’t know why we haven’t seen Romeu sitting behind PEH and Lemina given more of a go - especially against the big 6.
JWP could be the next James Milner. And I mean that in a good way as Milner is reborn as a CM under Kloppo.
I dont what it is but there's something about this new manager that I really like. Perhaps its in the name
Saints are always sloooooow. By the time they get round to telling us about signings we all treat it as old news. Think they like to dot the i's and cross the t's first....then look at all the other letters sloooooowly.
On Sky, just analysed what the new manager needs to do at Southampton. Picking 2 of their points: reconnect with fans and play a formation that suits the players we have....hallelujah to that.
Cant see the latter happening. I get the feeling he has a system he truly believes in and if the players cant adapt, they will be left out and sold. It'll be similar to how Pep & Klopp went about their work at City and Liverpool. Most likely itll take a couple of transfer windows until we see a proper return
However, it is obvious we don't have the money for a splurge...he has to get the best out of the players we have for the rest of this season at least. And many have moaned about our players being in the wrong position. Defend front to back to balance out our deficiency in defence...it's everyone's responsibility...and get that ball forward as quickly as possible...even if you have to use a long ball (delivered, not punted). Long could benefit from this....obvious target man to get ball across for Ings/another striker.
Summary of Jose Fonte's interview on Jim White show 1. Difficult to see Saints struggling as club close to my heart 2. Club wanted to go in a different direction so not surprised that this has happened 3. Cortese had the club going in the right direction, lots of changes and the club has fallen off since he left 4. Too many changes in management and players and Cortese left a big void that hasn't been filled. No direction 5. Spoken to people who know the new manager and he has very good references. He needs to give the players some direction again Needless to say after a minute of talking about us, Jim White managed to change the conversation to his fetish with Jose Mourinho and Manchester United
Can't really start judging the new man properly until next season after a couple of transfer windows and a pre-season working with any new additions and the remaining squad. This is one season where i'm pretty chilled about the FA Cup, if we go out at Derby then so be it, the overriding focus must be on maintaining our PL status, which I think that we will do.
As per title, now on official website. Mods - feel free to merge in due course, just thought this would make life easier for those looking in for an update initially. DTLW
And here's the official statement from the club... Southampton Football Club can today confirm it has appointed Ralph Hasenhüttl as its new First Team Manager. Hasenhüttl has agreed a two-and-a-half year deal with the club and will take over on Thursday. The 51-year-old will be supported by existing First Team Assistant Coach Kelvin Davis, Head of Goalkeeping Dave Watson and Head of Sports Science Alek Gross. Hasenhüttl has gained an exciting reputation in Germany for playing high-energy, attacking football whilst developing the young players within his squads. Most recently, he led RB Leipzig to the Europa League quarter-finals, having finished runners-up in the Bundesliga in his first season in charge. Chairman Ralph Krueger said: “The urgency to find a path back to our potential and to the results that we expect cannot be underestimated. For that reason, we are extremely pleased that Ralph Hasenhüttl has agreed to become our new manager and do all he can to help guide us back on that path. “This manager change offers us a fresh start and, very quickly, Ralph emerged as our ideal candidate. As a coach, he embodies the passion, structure, communication skill set, work ethic and appetite for growth that we strive for in our Southampton Way. The quick, smooth and seamless negotiation process underlines the character of the person that he is. “We have been aware of Ralph since his days at FC Ingolstadt, where he showed the qualities that we believe we need at the club. He has since gone on to develop those attributes with a track-record of success in the Bundesliga and with a progressive and ambitious club in RB Leipzig. “As soon as we met, Ralph’s enthusiasm for football was contagious and his hunger to take on a new and challenging job in the Premier League was evident. In our discussions, he very quickly aligned himself with the values and the vision of the club. “Southampton Football Club’s past success was built on a clear identity. The foundation of this identity was a focus on developing players, whether from within our academy or after joining from other clubs. Ralph’s ability to teach the game and to develop talent is evident in his past and is a centrepiece of why he is the perfect choice to be the new Saints manager.”
