Well, we still have ambition, and now it's been publickly stated, I hope it can convince some of the players to stay on and challenge. Really good interview though
"Q: Do you need to sell anybody? A: We do not need to. The fact of the matter is that there are many different factors that make people’s decisions, for instance with Pochettino." Suggests to me that he wanted assurances that Shaw/Lallana etc wouldn't be sold and they couldn't give them to him.
You can't expect him to say more than that. Encouraging that the emphasis is still to get into Europe. The next two weeks are going to be interesting!
He's hammering this public shortlist thing though. Is he speaking out of turn or are they really going to do something so unorthodox? Is this common in Ice Hockey?
Yes, a good interview. I do like his overall enthusiasm and he is now beginning to settle into the role. Ralph actually said a few things amongst his many words. SFC wants European football. That's very good indeed. That might be a re-affirmation of the vision that has been there for some years or it might stop short at the Europa League. I hope his aim was Champions League, because that is what all the momentum of the last 5 years has been heading towards. He wants what's best for the Saints [we'll have to get him to drop the the, just like he managed to drop the Southampton]. I'd like a little clearer explanation of his description that the club was off-track and off-canter. I know what those terms mean but I'd like to know if they mean the same to him and where the club was off. Why do we invest the money to have 20 recruiters and scouting staff? Why do we invest in a structure that costs more than £30m for first team training facility and the academy? It’s because we want to grow, we want to develop and we want to get better and grow and compete with the top clubs in England. The club that was off-track and off-canter invested in those worthy assets. Let's not totally erase the memory of previous good work. Credit where it is due.
It is not common in ice hockey either. I have never heard of such a thing in North American sports if any type.
I think we'll be alright with this guy. The occasional lapse into management psycho-babble is a bit annoying, but he seems to be reining that in. Fact is he's adjusting to two new cultures - one sporting, one national - and he seems to be doing it fairly adroitly. People have been criticising him for "saying all the right things" but would you rather he said all the wrong things? The guy's a winner by the way; he's had success in one sport, and Mick Channon is living proof that you can build on that when you go to work in another (I won't mention the egg chaser bloke).
This is really interesting. My initial thought was that naming a shortlist of managerial candidates and another for transfer targets would only serve to satisfy fans. Unsuccessful managerial candidates certainly wouldn't want their names released would they? And tipping our hat to the clubs that we want to buy players from would only serve to inflate their fees wouldn't it? The more I think about it though, the more sense it seems to make. It's no secret that scores of managers apply for these big jobs (and let's not kid ourselves that it is anything but that) so getting onto a shortlist could only be seen as a good thing even if you are ultimately unsuccessful. As for the player list, well the clubs already know we are interested if we've made contact so maybe if we are after a winger and our shortlist contains three, this would actually put the selling club under a bit of pressure as they know for sure that we have alternative targets. It could ultimately be a very smart move.
To be fair he would've looked rather foolish had he chosen a line that didn't support his view. Krueger certainly is a man for nice words, he has the touch of talking lots and saying little and i believe his interviews and statements are well intentioned but the big question remains as to whether or not they (Krueger, Reed etc) can withstand the seemingly endless assault of speculation and apparent offers flowing their way and ability to regain control should a couple of others leave. I don't blame them for Pochettinos leaving as i think he had his mind made up some time ago but now is the time to show for the board to show vision and ambition in the managerial appointment and not go for some tired 'safe' old hand who might be able to avoid relegation but wouldn't grow the club at all
I hope this shortlist thing goes away. Can't see that being a good idea at all. Some things are best kept in house.
I think the implication is that the view itself is not well supported and he should consider revising it! He only mentioned it being made public in one interview and I think he did it in error. I would be very surprised if that was actually their plan.
Obviously. Why would I pick out a line that didn't support it? It's what I've been thinking was the major reason behind Poch leaving and as soon as I read it that's what it sounded like to me. He also suggests 'transactions' this summer which hints at players leaving. We've got rid of most the dead-wood so it's hardly inspiring to hear him saying that.
What? Poch wanted to leave. He is saying that if people want to leave then their hand may be forced as with Pochettino.
I know mate, merely some lightheartedness that clearly didn't transfer onto text. As some people have pointed out it seems very restrictive as managers currently under contract elsewhere aren't going to be happy being shown publicly to have interest in taking over here at Saints while potentially not getting the job after. So either the list will only include managers who are out of work, or it will be incomplete and the board might look to hire someone who wasent on it...thereby making it pointless.
He did let one thing slip. I did notice it at the time but forgot to mention it. Every time Ralph has referred to MP in the past, it has been Mauricio. Now he's Pochettino. I'm fairly sure our Canadian/German Positive Speaking Chairman is pissed off enough with MP.
I imagine he means, by the shortlist thing, that he wants to be able to announce we have a shortlist, not necessarily the names on it. Also, most clubs seem to be linked specifically to two or three names by the end of the process, so it isn't uncommon for the last few possibilities to be leaked to the media. These lot aren't into leaks. They're God fearing folk.
Exactly this. He said he wants a shortlist "out there" which must mean he wants us to know the board are mulling over the final choice, not that he wants us to know who they are.
