New Manager Thread

He'll be going from Nice to somewhere much nicer!...

 

Ronald Koeman!

 

Telegraph update: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football...-appoint-frenchman-claude-puel-as-new-manage/

- Saints plan to appoint Puel in the coming days
- Held talks with Puel, Pellegrini, Garcia and Pereira
- Positive talks with Puel for the past week or so
- Puel has outlined a desire to stay for the long-term, but will be given an initial three-year deal
- Puel wants to play attacking, pressing football and give opportunities to academy players
- Saints seriously looked into appointing Pellegrini, but felt he wasn't enough of a 'coach' and as such didn't fit the structure

 

Hopefully that's always been high on our shopping list.

 

I'm warming to Puel after reading Fran's link. After all, we've got a good track record of making the right decision on managers of late. Just have to trust.

 

Maybe it was Simeone, not someone?

 

I can understand the problem with Pellegrini not being so much a coach. Our structure has the manager almost exclusively involved with the first team and expected to have an interest in the Academy. Les Reed is responsible for other areas previously under a manager's purview.

Some fans (especially on Saintsweb) seemed to want Pellegrini purely to give us status. Whilst I understand that, I think Southampton already has status.

 

One thing I read, from a Nice fan on Twitter, was that Puel would watch the youngsters - right down to U12s etc - religiously and invite the U18s/21s to train with the seniors if they were impressing and working hard. Apparently he's very much a manager who takes an interest in every team the club fields, not just the seniors.

 

Glad to hear that...Nigel and Mauricio used to be there watching the Academy lads on bitter winter evenings, but Koeman had to be forced to. I know he didn't rate the youngsters, but neither did he try and advise or help (I believe).

 

This sounds like something the board will be v keen on this time around

 

Another fact that I wasn't aware of before is that Puel was very much a protégé of Arsene Wenger's at Monaco. If he shares his ability of sniffing out talented youngsters and play in his style i'll be very happy.

 

Garcia and Pellegrini excited me because I knew about them.
Puel didn't, because I didn't know about him.
Now I know a little more, he seems a good fit.

It's OK to be sceptical, but the board deserve to be trusted, and I will trust them.

Welcome Claude

 

It's been a crucial part of the club's business model since Staplewood was built.

 

Except he won't need to hide in the bushes like Wenger, as he'll be the coach

 

Djibril Sidibé maybe?

 

We are going to poach our own players?

 

This has Aston Villa type manger appointment from last year. Want to be positive like a lot of you with with regard Puel but I can't seem find the excitement moving forward. Hope I am wrong.

 

But we aren't a basket case like Villa, we are the epitome of a well run Premier League club.

 

And Claude will be here from day one of pre-season, isn't walking into a fractious boardroom and will be given time.

 

People will be making that comparison, that's for sure.