If the L1/2 clubs really did vote for it (I mean their boards) then I think they may well be pressurised by their own fans to get rid of it for next season. The "keyboard warriors" stayed at their keyboards last night. From memory (when Lincoln used to be in it) the first round of this tournament had attendances of about 3/4 the league attendance but last night: Shrewsbury's last 3 Home League games 5459, 4936, 4611. Last night 1187. The attendance at Bolton was the second lowest in their history, just 33 higher than the record. The attendance at AFC Wimbledon was the lowest in their history, by a big margin, and that includes games in the Combined Counties League Challenge Cup. The attendance at Bradford was just 195 higher than their record lowest. Port Vale's lowest attendance for 30 years. Fleetwood's lowest attendance since entering senior football.
Yes, but we finished 6th. I don't buy this whole stunting the youngsters progression. We achieved our highest ever Prem league placing. I think some fans priorities are bit muddled tbh. Would you rather we played some of the youngsters and finished, say, 12th?
Yet our mighty youngsters now under the loving guidance of Puel.... couldn't beat Charlton reserves. CLEAR EVIDENCE THAT PUEL IS RUINING THESE KIDS WITH HIS CONSTANT ATTENTION, COACHING AND TAMPERING. Oi, Puel, stop tampering with our kids! They were better under Ron's tough love.
And of course let's conveniently forget that Koeman handed Mason Holgate, 19 years old, his debut, in Koeman's very first competitive game in charge at Everton, and that he also brought on Tom Davies, 18, against Stoke on Saturday.
He did it for us in his first season (McCarthy, Hesketh, Seager, Targett, Gape all made debuts). Then his priorities changed and he turned his attention away from them around the time of Hekseth's injury.
Yes, but, look where we finished. While I do think that there may be an element of truth in these accusations, you can't fault what he achieved for us, using his methods. I think basically we have all just fallen into the trap of trying to pick faults with him, just because he is this season's Darth Vader.
Koeman has banned everyone apart from the first team from the dining room at Everton....presumably only at certain times or they'd all starve. Discourages mixing, but I can't work out the advantage to that.
Well, yes, but it was a minor issue given the success of the team. Are you really, truthfully glad that Koeman left us? Just because he didn't play Harry Reed a few more times?
I didn't want to lose Koeman ... but I wanted him to improve his attitude and ethos to the younger players.
It's no myth - from the restaurant, to the training they were segregated. Players can only get better training and playing with better players. He destroyed confidence and had as little to do with them as possible.
That's no measure of their individual capability. They held their own one on one and outplayed Charlton for large parts of the game. Look back at the U21 results when Shaw, Chambers and Ward-Prowse played. They weren't beating everybody but individuals shone. Those 3 were encouraged one to one by Adkins and Pochettino and given opportunities as were Gallagher, Reed, Rowe, Sinclair, McQueen and Isgrove. Koeman used young players when he had to and then sent them back to the development squad. Switching them from one regime to another was detrimental to their fitness. He should have let them train with the first team consistently so their personal development wasn't interrupted. In the end he had to relent because of the advice of the fitness guys and some were left in the U21s only. He could have allowed them consistency in the first team but he wouldn't. His treatment of Targett during the Everton game was bordering on bullying. To my mind that is not a manager who is interested in development of young individual footballers and I for one am glad he's gone and not damaging the Saints young players prospects.
Is Koeman perhaps lazy? Not prepared for extra effort or to get himself involved with too many players. He certainly liked his little holidays.
You mean you don't remember that shocking incident when Koeman called Targett over to the technical area, pulled out his cock and repeatedly beat the young left back across the face with it whilst pointing to the lad's mother in the stand and screaming in his ear, "I've had her, again and again and again".
Been there, done that. Although we shouldn't bring any form of levity into a discussion about mental health issues.
