This is not scientific in any way, and I'm getting older so my memory is suffering, but historically our pre-season results have always been poor, one year where they were good however, I actually turned to my cousin and said I have a sense of foreboding about this. That season we were relegated to the Championship. So if we loose to Sevilla I know we will be ok
we lose a friendly and now the team has the clap as well Austin def does not go to the horse racing again
Hey fats, got a few questions. Not because I want to argue, but because I think we're all entitled to our opinion, and I want to understand yours better. We may not agree, but I'm intrigued by some of the stuff you've said..... Out of interest, is that your cut-off for this season specifically, or every season? If this season, why? What factors have you considered? If we finished akin to Wigan from 2009/10 (16th with 36pts, and -42GD) would that be sufficient to continue backing both board and manager? Are you basically just saying your demand for the product is inelastic? Because you're a saints supporter through and through. It's dyed in the blood. You'll come back next week however much you need to pay to see a saints goal, and it doesn't matter what quality of product is served up, or intent shown to attempt to provide a quality product?
Hey Latvian - no problems. I like questions!! My answer is kind of similar to both parts of your post, with a little bit of the dyed in the blood Saints fan thrown in. There is no black and white to my response and that also Is probably why I feel the way I do - I don't see football as a definitive event, so you may find this doesn't answer your points fully, but it is not me avoiding a question. First point. This season and last season we had a new manager; a new manager to this league and this country (although that doesn't necessarily mean a manager not new to this league wouldn't be given similar grace). I believe that this becomes a risk, or an unknown factor. Nobody truly has any idea what or how this person is likely to do and therefore I have no expectations of where we should finish or what we should do. There are a multitude of factors that can effect the outcomes. He is new to the players and will need to find his way through all of this. I simply think he should be given the time to find his way, which includes making mistakes and maybe not playing football in a way I would like (like, not expect or demand). The club try to recruit someone who has the right abilities to get this all right, but it's is a new start. Patience must be shown in my opinion. Nothing is given and nothing is guaranteed. On your second point, which kind of ties in with the above, yes I am dyes in the blood Saints, however I wouldn't.... "come back next week however much you need to pay to see a saints goal, and it doesn't matter what quality of product is served up, or intent shown to attempt to provide a quality product?"... it is just that I take a longer term view. I understand that people must be given a chance and time. One season of football that doesn't quite go as we'd hoped, doesn't mean we can't or won't put things right (or the manager of the time). All the time we are trying to do things right on and off the pitch, so are 19 other teams from our league. We can throw in takeovers and all sorts of other happenings that can have an affect. I'd like Saints to win the league. I'd like us to average 2.5 goals a game. I'd like some new signings. I'd like to win a cup. I just know that every team's fans want that too and we can't all have it. On the Wigan analogy (good example as half our house is Wigan), it would depend on what I'd seen and how it had gone. Let's be honest, sometimes you can see things are hopeless and there is no chance of it coming right, but even then you just don't know. Last season I honestly was shocked by some of our fans reactions to Puel and if it doesn't start well this season, those same fans will be calling for MP2s head and maybe they should be careful what they wish for. It wasn't hugely exciting but it was a long was from a disaster. Look at Leicester the season before they won the league.... shocking, just stayed up and then the perfect storm. Then back down again. I started a new job 5 months ago and I manage a sales team. Do I sack the ones who are behind budget or do I assess the efforts and how they are doing things? If I see things that could be done differently, I'll suggest that to them and see what they do to try and change results, but also consider other factors that effect their results. Two of those sales people are new to the business as well..... similar to Saints managers. Hope I've given you some insight LatvianSaint, but if not push more questions.
Doesn't mean everyone is the same though. You can't always expect a manager from a different league to hit the ground running. It just doesn't work like that. I'd add that both the above had a better team to work with too than Claude and now MP.
Of course and that was a bonus. Did you expect that? I didn't but gladly accepted it. Big shout out to the club on those two - great appointments that worked immediately. If they hadn't I'd have given them time. Please also note that in November of 2015, Saints fans were calling for Koeman to be sacked. No better example of why fans should be more patient.
Just to throw in two counter names: Lawrie McMenemy Alex Ferguson History would have been so different if they had been in modern day football.
He's been at Liverpool (admittedly as a player), unlike any of the others this isn't actually his first experience of the Premier league.
The first team coach according to that reliable source, Wikipedia but it amounts to the same thing & it'd slipped my mind, thanks
Didn't MP2 have a reasonable time at Liverpool, so it isn't true to say thats he's completely new to what to expect in England. Hopefully he should find it easier. Just seen that other posters replied with the same point. Apologies
This is a valid point, however does it make anyone expect him to come in and hit the heights straight away with us? I hope he does, but I think it unfair to expect that. If others think that his time as coach at Liverpool, his 12 games as a player and his undoing by David Prutton at St Mary's , mean their expectation is for a "slot straight in" situation, then I really am of a completely different mind set.
Game of fine margins.we had a couple of good chances to put the ball in the back of the net against ausberg, but didint.had they gone in it would have been a different game. Am i the only one that thinks we played some good football in the early stages of that game ?
Both teams had phases in the first half. Based on that (I only saw the first half), I never expected a 4-0 score line.
