OFFICIAL: Claude Puel named as the new Southampton manager

Thanks for popping that up Fran. I listen to R5 Live Sport a fair bit and I completely missed that.

And you undersold him. Authentically GREAT coach.

Actually, there was quite a bit more comment on Saints and Puel as you'd expect: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07h9z6r

Start at 37 minutes in

 

Folks, I suggest reading this.

http://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com/2016/7/3/12089958/manager-lowdown-claude-puel

 

They even spelled 'Meltdown' wrong in the headline.

 

http://sportwitness.co.uk/southamptons-new-boss-reveals-approached-replace-roy-hodgson/

Puel talks to L'Equipe about his move. Seems WBA wanted him after Hodgson left, but he felt the move to England was wrong at the time, but now feels right. He likes the breakfasts at Staplewood.

 

Good stuff, interesting that he felt our game centerd around an over reliance on mane.
I was at Norwich away which was the one he got dropped for and we looked so clueless that afternoon

As a layman football fan, you just think that mane is playing well or hungry for possession rather than the tactics being centric to him

 

I think he has a good point. I was always slightly less confident when Mane wasn't playing, and invariably, if he was a substitute and came on, he changed the game. We could now do with another game changer.

 

We'll miss Mane, there's no denying that. Whether he'll thrive at Liverpool is another question. It seems a bit churlish to wish him ill, so I hope he thrives on the big European stage...oh hang on...

 

I don't think this was intended as a criticism of Sadio, just that we were becoming overly-reliant on his game-changing ability.
A agree with TSS, except, we need two game-changers to avoid this happening again.
Big ask ???

 

Don't watch this unless you want to wince with awkwardness.

 

It looks like Les may have convinced Puel to sign by showing him e highlights of our last 2 games st Old Trafford, and Claude thought we were at home in those ones....

 

I would have thought a tour of the ground would have been done as part of the 2nd interview stage.....surley?

 

Claude: I thought you already showed me ze training ground?

 

He's borrowed Koeman's armadillo jacket.

 

In that jacket he looks like a skinny Bibendum.

 

He doesn't look very "smiley".
Does he have a teacher's "never smile before Christmas" type attitude, to keep everyone on the hop?

 

All I know about him and Saints so far is that he's got the squad back on double training sessions.

Mornings, lunch breaks, late afternoons.

 

Ultra fit then!

 

He needs to smile now and again. He doesn't look like he wants to be here. It must be just his way because what manager would not want to be at Saints? We're brilliant!

 

He is smiling. He's just French. It's a French smile.

 

Hopefully we can teach him an English smile then.