Not sure Rasmus will have me if I’m working off the eye test rather than blindly following a spreadsheet or an algorithm
I was very much with you after Jones’ dismissal. I never understood the pessimism and negativity when mathematically we were well in it and had the opportunity to get a a manager in and turn the tide. Then… after 1 ****ing game. Our genius board decided that Selles was the go too option and appointed him because of good vibes, therefore dooming us completely if that win (against Chelsea ffs) turned out to be a fluke. And low and behold a fluke it very much seems to be. I will never understand the Selles appointment at the time it was made. Like give him 3 or 4 games to prove himself before giving him arguably the most important games in the last few years. But no. I’m afraid I’m all out of positivity and belief. We’ve walked our way into this and it’s completely our own fault. Absloultely nothing in the last few games has warranted any positivity or belief. If you can’t get your players tactically or emotionally ready and gee’d up for either the Leeds, Spurs or West Ham game, you really aren’t doing your job properly and I have no reason to back you as a coach.
I might be missing out on reality here a bit, but although I definitely wouldn’t expect JWP to stay should we be a bit relegated, there is something counterproductive about telling first team players they are free to leave in event of relegation whilst it is technically still in play. Like ‘hey don’t worry guys there will be no consequences for you if we go down, now do your stuff’.
Talkshite - yawn. I've also seen stories stating we will demand £50mill for him which will instantly put people off.
I hope so, but it's exactly the sort of value that the likes of West Ham or Newcastle will happily spunk up the wall.
I think West Ham will sell Rice for 100mill and get a younger player in rather than a 29 year old JWP. Newcastle I could see though.
Newcastle have Trippier for set pieces though, so they actually need Prowsie less than others. Still think they'll go for him though.
Getting younger players in being the strategy that has worked so well for us that others look to replicate it... He would walk in to both WHU and Newcastle's teams this year. Soucek and Longstaff being the obvious players to replace. Players without injury issues are usually at their peak between 28-33, signing JWP now would give you probably his 3 best years as an athlete. This adoration of signing 18 year old wonderkids is just Football Manager-esque thinking.
Not sure if this is the right place but I am getting tired of Saints players and staff saying the same old platitudes that used to follow yet another loss in 2005. ‘We must try harder, stick together, this hurts, we can overcome this” and other rubbish. Not sure any of them meant it then and definitely not now. Utter contempt for the paying public.
Just another thing to give the club endless **** for, pathetic. I can understand Tellas position, but we hold the cards here and if we have any ambition of an immediate come back we must keep him here.
I've been a bit quiet on here lately, hard to bother posting anything when you just feel it's gonna be a loss before every game has even started. I'm a positive person and kept the faith during the bad times but I must say I had resigned myself to relegation and Championship football next season. If this happens, I am fine with it, more games, different teams, more even playing field etc. Then I decided to look at things closer. Seles with all his faults has still managed to get us 8 points from 9 games, 5 of these points came from games against the traditional top 6. With Arsenal, Newcastle and Liverpool still to play, will we pick up some more unexpected points? When Jones was sacked we were 4 points from safety, effectively 5 points with our goal difference. Now we are still 4 points from safety and still 5 points with our goal difference. Not much has changed in the 9 games since, with the other teams near us being just as crap! There are now less of them but we only need to finish higher than 3 teams. Looking at the goal difference, it was -22 compared to Leeds -10 so a difference of 12 goals. Now it is -29 compared to Everton's -22 so this has been reduced to a difference of 7 goals. While things are clearly ****e at the moment, it is actually marginally better than when Selles took over and we are still in it. I'm sure there will be more twists and turns, but for now at least my positivity has returned and I'm looking forward to match day tonight!
Good post, I've always said I'll accept relegation if and when it becomes a mathematical certainly not before even though it does look more likely as games go by without wins.
