Official: Mark Hughes is named Saints boss until the end of the season

This is odd Vin - you’ve been positive all season, I’ve been a grumpy sod. Now we’ve switched places. Not sure I like it!

 

To be fair it is the fans failure to be realistic that has led to this (destroyed is a little too dramatic for me).

We laughed at the clubs ambition to get from Div 1 to Premier League in 5 years claiming there would ups and downs before we got there.

We laughed at European ambitions being mooted at the time we lost some really good players arguing the new ones would take time to settle in.

The cynics argued for 4 years in a row that selling would lead to a relegation scrap and eventually they were right ( even a blind squirrel finds a nut occasionally).

So the blip everyone was expecting one way or another is here. Given we’re not even IN the relegation zone and still have a decent shot at silverware, it’s hardly a destruction of the club. COYR. - we can do this!

 

A question (following a lot of IFs).
If we are relegated (OMG, No!!!!!! Right, remain calm).
If we are relegated. (whimper)
If (despite being relegated) we show real signs of improvement. (small yeah)
If Mark Hughes is interested in the job.
Do you think he is the type of manager to do well for us in the Championship?

 

No, come on, as we all know I was not selling our prize asset that got us into this mess. You can't hang onto them apparently because it makes all your team selections happen at random, defensive tactics are forced upon you and your attacking play becomes utterly ineffective. If we hadn't sold the lot the club would have dissolved into a puddle.

 

Destroyed wasn't my phrase. I was replying.

 

In fact, it was my phrase. Oops. Bad reply to sowing seeds of destruction.. the sentiment is correct though.

 

Mark "Sparkless" Hughes ... oh dear. Good luck.

 

https://www.express.co.uk/sport/foo...ton-Mark-Hughes-Nathan-Redmond-Premier-League

For those wondering which players MH wanted to sign when at Stoke, this article names them including Redmond, Lemina and Boufal.

 

As I say, hope I'm wrong but after today's apparent struggle for 45 minutes (didn't see the match, driving south from the frozen north all day) against a League one side I'm still not happy. I don't care how fantastic a league one side they were, that's all they were.

I've given my reasons for not being optimistic so I won't drag them up again. As you know, I'm normally stupidly optimistic so I don't really know how to cope with this feeling of oncoming doom.

Vin

 

The part I don’t get is we never looked like we were going to win again under MP2. Whereas now we might. So if anything, you really should be happier!

 

We did manage somehow to scrape wins against Watford and West Brom earlier in the FA Cup so I can't agree with the idea that "we never looked like we were going to win again under MP2". We could, and did, beat other teams. I'd rather they had been in the league but it doesn't mean they should be ignored.

That's my final word on this as I don't want to bring anyone down any more than I have. I've been going to games all season expecting us (as always) to win them while all around were expecting disaster. Do the same, ignore my despondency and stay optimistic.

Vin

 

Ah I get it. Reverse psychology

 

Dunno if I'm particularly optimistic; our season still comes down a couple potentially high-variance outcomes, beginning with an away match against a side that can score but lacks the ability to keep the ball out of their own net. Even if we flip a switch and begin playing well, we're now in a position where a bad break can put us in a horrifically bad spot.

We have a chance, though. And that's more than I think that we had previous.

 

You got to laugh at that - the guy is negative because we've struggled a bit in a match we won, but was beamoaning negativity of others while we were consistently bad months on end under Pellegrino

 

I've just looked at our fixture list and man it's frightening. We need a win against WHU or a point at the very least, or we're at a serious rist of being completely cut adrift until our match against Bournemouth (Chelsea at home and Arsenal/Leicester away in the meantime.)

 

It's not as frightening as it looks IMO. We're playing Arsenal in between their games against CSKA and Chelsea aren't in great form right now.

 

Mods, I am. A little concerned. Somebody has hacked into Vin’s account

FWIW, I actually think we will go down. I’m about 60:40 that we will whereas a week ago, I was 75:25 that we will. The hope I retain is that our next match is West Ham. A true “Must Win” and if we do, I’ll be nudignnto 50:50 or 40:60 in favour of survival.

I’m a happy clapper, most know and this is my very realistic head. For further positivities, I think the new manager effect he started to drop at Swansea; we have them to play too. I feel better about West Ham, Swansea and Bournemouth games, however that all starts with West Ham. I saw a team that reacted after half time on Sunday; a big positive.

It is going to be squeaky bum time, but I am now more confident than I was driving home from Newcastle. We have a manager who has shown he can get a reaction from the players.

 

Gonna be a ride, regardless!. Not sure if WHU is a "must win". Probably is but I've got my pessimistic SFC hat on & am hoping we at least don't lose & anything else will be a bonus. What worries me, WHU during the 1st 45mins vs Burnley were pretty good. We'll need to be tight & hold our nerve. The game is massive, for both clubs & if we can nullify them, I'm sure their fans will become our 12th man late on. Agree with you regarding the drop off in "new manager effect" at Swans - night match now though & that's going to be tough. I'm hoping AFCB will still be squeaky bum time for us & we're not adrift by then. Certainly exciting end to the season - not like last year ......

 

One thing I am clinging on to is that I know a few Sheff Weds fans from my time living up north and they are all convinced that Carvahal is a complete fraud and useless so hoping that shows through and Swansea start losing again as for me on paper them and Udders are the worst side down there.

I am more optimistic (for me anyway) about our chances now than I was with MP, the West Ham game is the big one, lose that and we are down I think. Hoping someone has the sense to tell our players not to just stand off Arnautovic and let him do whatever the **** he wants like we did for Shaqiri and Shelvey in recent games.