"I have major concerns about Still though which we’ll see in due course if my feeling is right" I've been meaning to ask you why you think this? Your opinions on Saints are pretty forthright but usually backed up with reasoning. Is this just a personal feeling or something more specific? I was quite looking forward to see how he does but with a typical Saints fan's fragile confidence, you've now got me worried.
Still could be the next Poch who few of us new about before, or he could be the next Puell or Pelagrino both rated European managers but didn't really click at Saints even though they didn't get us relegated we even finished a miserable 8th in the league under Puel. We won't no until the season starts.
No real tangible logic behind it, just a gut feeling. The way he talks doesn’t fill me with confidence as I think he can barely string a sentence together but maybe that’s just a media thing and he’s better behind the scenes. Possibly to do with SRs manager hires, last seasons ****ness and my usual positive outlook. Think it is a very risky hire with huge potential upside if it works out so can see why they’ve done it, just a feeling it won’t work
Listening to his interview and him mentioning about not being used to speaking only in English, it made me wonder if he comes across as dour because English has maybe become a second language for him.
I thought that too. I was also a little concerned about the comment about not being ready for the first part of the season (or words to that effect). I know that the first month is a bit unpredictable with regard to ins and outs but barring injuries I would hope he would know his best team (or very close at the very least) and that the team we see against Brighton is close to the starting 11 v Wrexham. He did make the point that everyone was “aligned” so I hope the time for experimentation is over.
Im sort of with you. I feel he should be good, but his media communication is IMO like a child talking sometimes. It could just be that he isn’t good with the media, but it doesn’t instil me with confidence. I hope he is better one on one with the team.
Yeah I’m hopeful of that too. I’m also possibly influenced by when he was on MNF and a group chat im in were all laughing their heads off at him and saying some club is going to hire this idiot. Along come Saints so that was great fun for me. As I say I’m not judging him yet, and it’s just a gut feeling. People who seem to know a lot more than me about him think it’s a very good hire and surprised he’s gone to a Championship team. If that is the common view across the world of football then Spors would’ve been stupid not to get him in, even if it turns out it doesn’t work out. Virtually everything SR have done in their tenure is with the future in mind just as much (if not more so) than the present so it’s a perfect hire for them and their model. They’ve concentrated too much on the future rather than the here and now for most people’s liking (and in a lot of ways doing that has ****ed up their plans for the future I’m sure). I’ve said it before but when the window is all said and done, due to the financial gulf we will have over the majority of the rest of the league we should quite comfortably have a top 6 squad on paper. Do you give that squad to a safe pair of hands to maximise the chances of not ****ing it up and getting you back up, but with a high chance of them being a failure in the PL? Or do you give it to someone who has a much higher chance of failure short term, but if it works out had a higher chance of success longer term? I think with Stills reputation and age they were willing to take the gamble this year, if we don’t go up I think he’ll be sacked (maybe if we lose in the playoffs he might stay on, especially if it’s the final) and we’ll go the safer route next season to give us the best chance to go up.
Well i expect that he won't be here in two seasons time. He'll either crash and burn and be sacked or he'll be great and nabbed by a bigger team
I would agree with that. If we don’t go up he’ll be sacked, if we do go up and struggle he’ll likely be sacked, if we go up and survive he’ll likely he poached.
I think if he needs to solve our creativity problem and hopefully we put the chances away. Scoring goals will take pressure off the back line, although I think we should be more than capable of keeping out most championship teams with the players currently available. They have said that they want a creative midfielder, so they now need to come up with someone to do the job, although Fernandes could play that role as could Dibling.
Agree he doesn’t sound particularly inspiring, but it’s taken all sorts to be successful managers. My main concern is he has built a reputation on managing as an underdog and getting applause for grinding out 0-0 draws against PSG, but can he get a comfortable 2-0 win away at stoke on a Sunday afternoon?
It was obviously a relatively big gamble and I wasn't convinced when announced (and still not really) but am looking forward to not playing an obsessive possession style. Time will tell ultimately and SR/Spors will live or die by their decision but hopefully he's up to it as it'll be an enjoyable season if so. Think my biggest concern is he won't have faced the pressure he'll face here before and it'll be almost immediate. With a banana skin first up and then arguably our hardest fixture second there's not going to be a huge amount of room for error, and if we don't start well then a bad result against the skates will lose him a huge chunk of the fanbase sadly. I know it's a small sample but from speaking to people at the Eastleigh game I fear there isn't much patience in the fan base after last season.
Surely it's last chance saloon for SR if he's a failure? I think the initial buzz around a new season in the Championship is on its way out due to looking like we're laboured with the ****e players from last year with very little in the way of signings. I almost feel a bit sorry for him given the goodwill tank is all but empty with the majority of fans.
I have alot of sympathy with this argument. If Still loses the Wrexham match, I do not think he will be given much time to win around the fans. It will put immense pressure on Sports Republic. My opinion is that we will draw against Wrexham but that we will improve by November. Still has a really difficult challenge. I cannot see him getting the sack but I can see him getting us promoted ....but in 26/27.
If we lose against Wrexham, and the fans put pressure on him because of that, then the fans are ****ing idiots.
I agree but think SR's reputation is not good and just feel Still will not get a fair crack of the whip if things go wrong. Lose to Wrexham and Pompey and he will become the next Nathan Jones. Both results are not unfeasible. Still is a risky appointment but he has a massive mess to sort out. Just feel that one season is insufficient to rectify the damage by Russell Martin. Fans need to understand how much of a rebuild is required. Cannot expect any noticeable improvement before November and talk of immediate promotion is premature. As I said before, my expectations this season are not high. Just be satisfied to finish above Portsmouth which itself is not a given.
I think what will help WS is most of the vitriol will be aimed at SR rather than him, or I'd hope so at least.
