Match Day Thread WBA v Saints. Saturday 3rd Feb 3pm.

Even with the diamond, I saw signs of it working and slowly coming together.

We actually have some players that would suit the diamond.

 

Romeu​

Hojbjerg - Lemina

Boufal​

Gabbi - Carrillo/Austin

Something like that, you mean?

 

Carrillo on the wing with Long up front, Davis the holding midfielder.

(Pellegrino tactics)

 

Yes, something like that. I also think JWP can play in a diamond too, as long as he is not the fulcrum.

I’d play some defenders though

 

Hang on a minute we spent half of last season moaning about the diamond and now we want it back, may as well reemploy the big Claude to. (thinking about actually not a bad idea. viva la france)

 

On MP2, I think he is a very dignified man and I like how he conducts himself. I think he has had a **** hand dealt to him by the club and VDs behaviour. I agree that the players haven’t been helping him either and I do think we have three CBs who are lower PL level (unsurprising that is where we are). This situation is not all his fault and I think his abilities have been greatly underscored by most of our fans.

Having said all that, I don’t think he is the man for us and may ultimately lead us to relegation. I believe he is out of his depth. I hope I am wrong, but my feeling is that I’m not.

Most people on here know I defend the club and managers to the end. I think we should have made the change.

I still get pissed off though with those fans that come on here and slag him off in an abusive manner; there is no need and those fans need to get a grip of themselves.

 

Not all of us were moaning about the diamond.

I’ll leave the Claude comment there - people know my view on that.

 

Yeah probably a bit harsh leaving him out, I'm pleased he's finding himself properly at this level. He could play in the hole in the tougher games as he'd be good at hassling the opposition playmaker. I remember him doing an excellent job on Carrick a few years back.

I mean we could play defenders, I just don't feel comfortable with any of the centre backs so I left them out.

 

I agree about people being over the top. The wrong man in the wrong job at a pivotal time for the club....he is not the devil incarnate and will no doubt have a good career elsewhere. He often says he is not worried about losing his job...which some take as he doesn't think he will be sacked or he is over confident....whereas what he is actually saying (if you listen to him rather than just headlines) is that losing his job is not the most important thing to him in the grand scheme of things...he worries more about other things. Sounds a well balanced man....not as unhinged as some of us are (when I say us, I mean you of course).

 

My issue with the diamond wasn't the idea of playing a diamond, but rather the implementation. Because Claude expected the strikers to defend deep on the wing when out of possession, we were extremely slow in transitioning defense to offense; now, in theory we would offset it by holding possession consistently and reshaping into our attacking formation, but it wasted a lot of opportunities to attack quickly, and ensured that we were attacking set defenses. It also meant that our strikers were expending an awful lot of energy switching between those roles.

But at least Puel had definite ideas; the diamond's strengths and weaknesses could be debated because the implementation and roles were clear. I still haven't the slightest idea what Pellegrino's tactical approach is, and some of the comments from players suggest that they don't, either...from what he has said (and what Romeu stated) he wants them to move the ball forward quickly but to control possession above all, and attack aggressively while also staying back to guard against the counter.

 

Or did he just mean attack, but not forget you must be ready to defend. Sounds sensible to me. Though he is expecting footballers to hold 2 ideas in their heads at the same time.

 

Corr that headline's made me feel more nervous. Such a massive game. I'm there tomorrow and will be singing from start to finish. UTS.

 

Woops, did I say singing? I meant booing.

 

Doesn't this formation mean you have to have a good No. 10. Which we dont. I may be wrong.

 

I agree 100%, but my biggest issue is with the owners and the board. They should have sacked Pellegrino before Christmas and backed the new manager in the transfer window. Failing that, they should have backed Pellegrino in the window. They did neither, so we are stuck with a decent bloke trying to do a job which is just too much for his capabilities, with a squad lacking a top CB, an creative playmaker who scores goals, and a decent backup keeper. If we had started the season with a bonus 10 points or so, he would probably be OK, and next season he would probably be better, as he feels his way into the Premier League. From where we are now though, facing the clear and present danger of relegation, which until a few short weeks ago I admit I didn’t believe was a remote possibility, I cannot see him getting us out of it.

So, what do the board do? Do they throw money away on paying Mauricio off and installing another bloke with the handicap of the flawed squad we now have, or do they let things slide and see our place in the Premier League vanish?

I said before the window opened that I would reserve judgement on our new owner until the window shut. It now seems likely to me that Mr Gao is here for the short term on an asset-stripping mission, and that the board have been told that relegation isn’t actually a problem, as the personnel assets can be liquified in June, giving Gao a tidy profit. The bricks and mortar assets won’t lose much value following relegation so can be sold for not much less than the £210 million he paid. He wins, those fat idiots Krueger and Reed win, as they will receive hefty bonuses, Katharina wins, as her 20% is also sold, and the only losers are us poor sods who will love Southampton Football Club to our dying day.

There is so much wrong with the club at the moment I despair. From the bullying and corruption in the Academy to the incompetence at senior management and boardroom level. Things weren’t this bad in the worse days of Rupert Lowe, and poor Markus must be spinning in his grave.

 

Nah, dont go Archers. I'm not giving up on the manager which has surprised me and we need you around as an alternative view.

Im not saying the manager is great, but Im still hopeful we will stay up by our foreskins, and that we will be better next year.

Far too many games to still play - who would have thought Swansea would bury Arsenal and Liverpool in succession...

 

If we just stay up, say in 15th-17th and by a couple of points, do you think Pellegrino will be in charge next year? I personally think he's gone regardless of staying up, bar us going on some Koeman like run in the last 13 games.

 

It is so close in the relegation zone that it is hard to decide whether to stick or twist. Stick with Mauricio and see if the team can pull us out of the mire....would only take a few wins...and that is not impossible. Go with a new manager this close to the end of the season and hope he is the right man and can turn our season round....or will we stay in the relegation zone because it takes him time to settle in and understand the team. The board will probably favour sticking...unless all is virtually lost and they have one last desperate throw of the dice. So I suspect MP2 is here for the duration (and I wouldn't even be surprised if he is kept on for next season) unless relegation is accepted and they replace him late on with plans for the Championship.

Am as worried (suicidal) as the rest of you, but I can still see us sneaking to safety (60-40 odds in my happy-clappy head; my guts are more pessimistic ).

 

Markus would be sad - I agree with that but I dont think we should write-off the Chinese owners just yet.
I think beddytare was saying in a recent post that there is a comunication issue between China and Kruger and Fat Les. I think thats likely