The Atheltic reckon Ballard could have a loan move this summer, providing there is a long term integration plan laid out for him: https://archive.ph/PYUhb If I'm honest, we should be integrating him next season, not loaning him out and then integrating him when we're at a (hopefully) higher level. Next season is the absolute ideal opportunity to integrate him (and Doyle)
I really hope I am wrong, but I can see Selles putting Ballard and Doyle on the bench, and bringing them on with 2mins to go! Give them both a start, see what they have got.
Got this from the Swansea Board Allegedly RM now odds on favourite for the Soton job - believe it if you will. Probably RM's agent positioning him just before his contract renewal negotiations Russell Martin 1/3 Ruben Selles 10/1 Patrick Vieira 12/1 Wayne Rooney 14/1 Graham Potter 16/1 Amazing position given our run of 3 league wins in 21 matches … I guess the old adage of being only as good as your last game rings true for Managers as well
Firms it up a bit if Blackmore is comfortable in reporting it... Sounds like Martin will get an interview then. I'm not against that.
I'll bite: If the idea has wings, then we'll have to swallow our doubts and make a swift move for him
His win % is 36%. Taken Swansea to a 10th place finish, whilst losing all their cup games. Not really a record to be excited about
Did you say the same about Nigel Adkins finishing 20th in the Championship, letting in the most goals in the league (an eye-watering 84 goals) and losing 22 out of 46 games? He was pretty good for us in that division too. I think we're trying to find someone who has achieved relative success on resources far smaller than ours, and then hoping to amplify their success with the additional resource and infrastructure. It's not a crazy idea.
The problem with Nathan Jones wasn't his CV or the rationale in hiring him. It was the fact he was an absolute ****ing lunatic and narcissist.
Yeah I don’t mind the decision if it is Martin. I do understand the thinking of some fans though that a club like Saints shouldn’t be the proving ground for inexperienced managers, we are big enough to be able to get a manager who already has done something at the top level.
I understand that too. But equally, that's no guarantee (or even close to it) of Championship success. I'm far more comfortable with a Martin hire than bringing in someone like Kjetil Knutsen.
I didn’t. I saw that Adkins had a strong record of getting teams promoted out of league one. So I was excited that he was the right person for the next step. We seem to be appointing below our status as a club currently. Don’t get me wrong; some things about Martin look promising. But once again the new owners don’t seem to value experience whatsoever.
Sure, that's a fair point too that for the immediate task at hand, he made sense. However, as the bigger picture he had proven absolutely nothing with regard to being upwardly mobile in the Championship - and my secondary point was that dropping from Pardew to Adkins was a bit of a come down, as far as status goes. But he was a good fit for us and it worked. No reason for Martin to not be the same for us, provided all parties feel that after they meet (which they presumably will do).
I hope so. As you mentioned though, Adkins built on the fantastic job that Pardew had done. Right now we are starting basically from scratch as everything at the club is a shambles. To me; I would get someone in that has experience at a top level club. Instead we are hoping that this guy can mould a premier league club based on zero evidence. Will it work? Sure he may be the next Potter. But based on our appointments so far it will be another disaster
I know what you mean. But I really do not think PL experience is going to be relevant to what we are doing here at this moment in time. It's the same reason I have little to no interest in Patrick Vieira (who seems very popular on SaintsWeb, at least). Ironically, if he wasn't a total lunatic (maybe the biggest caveat ever) Nathan Jones would be a pretty good hire right about now in terms of coming in and overseeing a clear-our and building a team fit-for-purpose to compete at the top end of the Championship.
