What we have learned if anything over the past 5 years is if the black box says someone more suited than Puel is available then loyalty doesn't come into the equation. Silva was on the radar before we got Puel and I assume there were more doubts with Silva over whether he was suited to the PL. With that well and truly ticked off it may have elevated him above Puel in the black box rankings and therefore the black box may have decided. Get bored of all this loyalty rubbish. The club has shown no loyalty to people whether managers or players. Extended contracts aren't showing loyalty when you are only extending contracts of valuable players. I'm sure Dean Hammond, Nigel Adkins and others cynically laugh when the club talk about loyalty. So with that in mind. Lets have Silva please.
I am loyal to anyone at Saints....that's just who I am. I believe the best of people and hope they succeed....because then Saints succeed as well. Never understand people who want someone to fail just so they'll leave or they'll be proved right....and some make that decision before the ink is dry on the contract. If Puel leaves and someone else is appointed, my loyalty will shift.
I'm with you Fran. It feels dirty just reading about possible replacements. Until announced otherwise Claude Puel is our manager and gets my support.
And rumours get a life of their own....repeating a rumour can make it seem real. I don't think Puel will be sacked based on performance....because it simply isn't as bad as people make out. The only reason would be something behind the scenes....and we have no idea about that really....or Puel may want to leave for his own reasons. Personally unless the manager to end all managers appears, I would rather have a solid preseason (with a couple of giants of football signing for Saints).
Our worst enemy is the lack of communication from the Club. When there is no guidance from above, the mischief comes from below.
I fully understand that there is no official word from the club....probably because there is nothing to report. Nothing they say will be believed by one side of the argument or other, so what's the point. Rumblings from the fans affect no one. Most fans will be supportive of Puel or largely neutral....but the 'antis' will make the most noise. We'll be told when there is something to tell.
I mean, he's hardly going to come out and confirm it, but: Adam Blackmore @AdamBlackmore Always good speaking to @ryanbertrand3 - he just dismissed reports of bust-ups at #saintsfc between Puel & players, and of him being unhappy
Very pleased to hear it....and I do believe it. Any group of people will have ups and downs.....read this forum sometimes However, having diferences of opinions and discussions about it doesn't mean they are all flouncing out the door. Tadic is the moody one in the group, but he gets over it if you play him (a bit like exercising a recalcitrant pooch). I'm not taking it to mean that Ryan will be here forever...we've been caught out by that one before....but am happy to believe there is nothing sinister going on.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record - I don't want Puel to go, I think he deserves another season. But if we were to replace him with Marco Silva, I'd be very happy.
By that, I mean for example, had Shane scored 15 goals this season, but we had the chance to sign Gabbi over the summer, I wouldn't be upset if Shane were bumped down. Loyalty is one thing, but upgrades are a necessity if realistic. I think Siva is that.
I was very happy with Puel when he signed because he won me £180 However I also put a bet on Marco Silva and Pellegrini just in case. Marco Silva would have won me more but then I guess that the board were looking at Puel as a sort of Wenger for Saints where he would bring in his expertise and take the Saints setup to the next level. I know it is a results business and as stated the results aren't that bad. However the football is dire to watch most of the time and more side to side than a noughties Liverpool side. If it were just about results we could have an Allardyce or Pulis character as manager but quite obviously the style is one of the important factors at Saints and is part of the fabled "Southampton Way." I don;t see much style. 1 in every 10 games we will be a delight to watch. In most others we will dominate games in midfield yet fail to create GOOD chances, fail to score or win 1-0. We are always susceptible to smash and grabs and nearly half of our games are just dire. Being rolled over by the top teams this season just shows we have stepped backward. We haven't just been beaten, we have been outclassed and rolled aside in many of them. Since Silva took over Hull they have improved no end despite not really having that great a squad. Imagine what he could do with Saints without even factoring in any new players he might bring in. Maybe he could even get Boufal to play well instead of a few good moments and perform the miracle of turning Hjobjerg into a 90 minute player because Hjobjerg looks knackered after half time, red in the face and out of puff which is when he suddenly turns into Mr aggression fouling everyone and getting angry with the opposition. And maybe he would be another that plays Davis every week because Davis is still the player that makes us tick when he is on form.
I think the style needs to change or the manager does. We pride ourselves on producing talent from the academy and playing nice, attractive football. Currently we are not playing 'The Southampton Way.' The home games have been so poor and this has made the atmosphere at St. Mary's the worst I've heard it since League One administration days.
You remind me of the West Ham fans when they wanted rid of Allardyce. You sound exactly like them and we are nowhere near as bad as West Ham under Allardyce.
The board have always said they want us to maintain our culture/Southampton Way. Which we aren't, really. The atmosphere you can't deny is awful, which likely translates back to the football being poor. Our fans aren't out of this world, but we used to sing throughout the game and now you're lucky if you get Oh When The Saints at the beginning. Watford, Burnley, Hull, Boro and Sunderland are the only teams to score less. If it wasn't for our defence/goals conceded, we would be in a much more perilous position. I am prepared to give him another season, but to say I am like a West Ham fan is a pointless response because we've undeniably regressed.
Last season, in France, Puel's team was considered one of the most entertaining teams in the League, so he knows how to send teams out to play good football. We have seen, albeit inconsistently, that we can play a very nice and intricate style, so it is there to be brought out. In previous threads, I have suggested that we don't, maybe, have the right players to produce the attacking style of football Puel was associated with at Nice, so perhaps he just needs a transfer window, and support from the board, to bring in the players that will make the team tick.
Support from the board? Pffffffft However, if he's lucky we'll sell loads pf great players so he can spend the summer replacing them!
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz At least have the grace to wait till the official meltdown period before wheeling out the tired tropes. Vin
For the most part, the standard of France league football is well below that in England. I agree that Silva has done wonders at Hull in his short tenure but , based on the evidence of last Saturday, the dogged performances they have put in a salvage the team's fortunes were not that much more entertaining that what we have had to offer. I thought Hull were pretty dire last week too and didn't create that many chances either. What Silva could achieve with better quality players would be interesting and open to conjecture. Attractive football is not what Hull need at the moment to survive. It would be an interesting appointment but no real guarantee of an improvement. Puel was an "interesting appointment" at the time and should have been the perfect fit. I was expecting something better from an appointment which did seem tailor made. Picking up on Imp's comment, I was disappointed that we did not go for Pelligrini at the time as he was the manager that seemed by far the most capable of those mooted at the time. The disadvantage was that he was not considered a long term option but I think managerial appointments are now pretty short term - fans and owners expecting a quick fix and instant gratification. He would still be my preference.
Why take the time to reply to me if you find what I say boring? This is the internet. There are literally billions of things to read and reply to. My pessimism at our summer transfer dealings is clearly widely shared - and just because you like to think a negative comment is a "meltdown" it doesn't make it true. Please at least try to use that brain before typing, thanks. Or better yet put me on ignore if contrary views upset you so much.
