There is no choice now but to be optimistic. May as well be positive now it’s a done deal and back the lads.
Remember that you have wanted Ralph out and been calling for this for at least a fullseason I honestly don't remember calling for a manager who failed at Stoke and is the Luton Town manager. No one needs to assume this is going to turn out bad - why can't it go well, for example? Because this guy won't cut it in the PL. He's too inexperienced and has achieved nothing outside of his tiny bubble. Now if we had a half decent team it might, just might work, but we don't. So SR are playing a ridiculous gamble. As a fan of the club who has been here long before them and will be long after, I've every right to be pissed off about this. Everyone talks as if getting behind him will make a difference and all of a sudden he'll turn into a tactical genius and we'll win every game.
I think it is more that a toxic atmosphere makes his job even harder - so why would any fan want that? I get not wanting him. I get it if you think he will fail. But surely you have to get behind him and give him your full support until he proves himself one way or another.
The “getting behind him” stuff is just an attitude / life approach thing. Control what you can and hope for the best. In this case, we have no idea about what will happen or if he’s the right appointment. And all we can do, as fans, is show our support and rally behind the new man.
Have you questioned why he failed at Stoke? Sometimes clubs just aren't a good match for a manager. He just couldn't get his style of play to work there, which shouldn't be a problem here. And how exactly do you know he won't cut it in the PL? Inexperience is not a valid reason. Poch didn't have much experience when he joined us. Potter had no PL experience when he joined Brighton. Arteta had no management experience at all when he joined Arsenal. And Emery, who has tons, failed in the same job he has now. Edit: I do understand why you have concerns for sure. But there's a difference between being worried and writing someone off completely.
Jones failed at Stoke. Elon Musks first business was called Zip2 and was an abject failure. Just saying
Well it's done now anyway. I don't believe SR really care what the fans think (or wouldn't have employed him in the first place!) So my opinion matters very little. As it goes, I've just seen his interview. I feel somewhat reassured that his in laws are Saints fans, so they'll certainly not be cutting him any slack He's got a massive massive job cut out for him. It seems like he's going to at least give it his all. I'll get behind the team as always. Let's see what happens. COYR
I think that's the point - you don't get to choose who the next manager is. Hence why you need to be careful what you wish for. You may just realise how good Ralph is/was. Or maybe NJ will make Ralph a distant memory. That's the rollercoaster ride.
My experience of competitive football is playing walking football twice a week with 20 or so other boring old farts. We are all ‘experts’, who can’t even agree the rules of walking football. Football fans are a lot of know alls who know nothing. I think Jones is an odd choice after Stoke, but then I thought Eddie Howe was an odd choice for Newcastle after Burnley and Bournemouth. I think he is brave to come to a basket case club like Saints. I knew nothing about Ralph and Poch before they came, but I was underwhelmed before a ball was kicked. I’ll give Nathan a chance. If he can make Saints even vaguely competitive with the present squad, it will be an improvement.
Worst part is, I would back Ralph to go somewhere else and be a massive success somewhere else with a bit of money
Agreed. As I said in the Sportato post, if you look at the fact his CBs for three of the four years were Stephens, Vestegaard and Bednarek (with a dash of Salisu at the end), keeping us in this division was some feat. He just ran out of ideas/energy by the end. I do think he needs a long break to recover first.
