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Saints appoint Johannes Spors as Group Technical Director

Discussion in 'Southampton' started by tomw24, Feb 7, 2025.

  1. Shepherd's Clearing

    Shepherd's Clearing Well-Known Member

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    I believe he said he 'didn't see any difference between youth and experienced players' implying he didn't make any difference if we had a team full of young lads or older pros. You would have thought years of watching football shows that experienced, hard-as-nails, no-nonsense pros are what every team needs. I mean I know we haven't got any but that doesn't mean they aren't out there and are good for teams. Look at Dibling he is a brilliant young player but he clearly could do with some guidance on and off the pitch that's for sure.

    Hopefully, I'm talking out of my posterior (I often do in my defence) but the recent track record of this club does not fill me with any confidence for next season's Championship stint.
     
    #161
  2. - Doing The Lambert Walk

    - Doing The Lambert Walk Well-Known Member

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    First major decision made: Darren Mowbray sacked
     
    #162
  3. SteveO 74

    SteveO 74 Well-Known Member

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    Good News. Mowbray was a big part of this seasons dreadful transfer activities.
    Club needs a big sweep from top to bottom, and I am pleased to see this is starting.
    Hopefully Juric will be next, followed by a high number of the current first team squad.
     
    #163
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  4. Ian Thumwood

    Ian Thumwood Well-Known Member

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    To be honest , i think that a root and branch re-appraisal last summer would have stood us in good stead this campaign. I think promotion papered over the cracks.
     
    #164
  5. - Doing The Lambert Walk

    - Doing The Lambert Walk Well-Known Member

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  6. Saints Fan4Life

    Saints Fan4Life Well-Known Member

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    "More the high intensity, full of energy, kind of football."

    :)
     
    #166
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  7. thereisonlyoneno7

    thereisonlyoneno7 Well-Known Member

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    What! We're ditching the Heavy Metal Football already!
     
    #167
  8. San Tejón

    San Tejón Well-Known Member

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    I actually punched the air at that line.
     
    #168
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  9. tomw24

    tomw24 Well-Known Member
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    I'm very positive about what Spors will bring to the club. He also says he's very confident about appointing the right manager at the right time. Maybe I'm reading too much into it but sounds to me like the search is into the final stages. Maybe just waiting for the target to return from holiday and for us to be officially a Championship team....
     
    #169
  10. - Doing The Lambert Walk

    - Doing The Lambert Walk Well-Known Member

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    I felt like I might be reading into it too much by inferring he might mean Rohl hence the 'right time' comment
     
    #170
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  11. NNSaint

    NNSaint Well-Known Member

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    I thought exactly the same given what Rohl said about his players not being able to play his style of football (or words to that effect) as well as Spors commitment to fast high pressing football.
     
    #171
  12. LincolnSaint

    LincolnSaint Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I'm ignoring absolutely everything anyone from the club has to say about our style of play after apparently being treated to "heavy metal football" and mad Nates "tremendous track record of building winning teams and developing players"

    Call me boring, but the league table will help me form the opinion of what sort of football we're playing
     
    #172
  13. SteveO 74

    SteveO 74 Well-Known Member

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    #173
  14. Ronnie Hotdog (MLsfc)

    Ronnie Hotdog (MLsfc) Well-Known Member

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    Seems a strange one to hire an U23 scout to be chief scout at a club like saints. Spors must rate him highly.
     
    #174
  15. Saintmagic

    Saintmagic Well-Known Member

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    Could be that we are focusing on players from that age group and feel he has a good knowledge of them? Similarly to giving Wilcox and Shields DoF role from academy recruitment or whatever their roles were at City

    But yeah does feel like a big promotion for him, imagine the next step in his career usually would be just a first team scout rather than Chief
     
    #175
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  16. - Doing The Lambert Walk

    - Doing The Lambert Walk Well-Known Member

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    German football culture puts a lot of emphasis on creating opportunities for promoting people from these U23 roles and B team roles into first team set ups, so I imagine that culturally to Spors it is a lot less of a talking point than it perhaps is in England. Will have to see how it goes
     
    #176
  17. Le Tissier's Laces

    Le Tissier's Laces Well-Known Member

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    Can’t really be too much worse than the Ankersen-Mowbray axis of evil.
     
    #177
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  18. Piri Weepu

    Piri Weepu Well-Known Member

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    Interestingly, Hoffenheim's catchment/urban area is pretty tiny, and they compete with Stuttgart and Freiburg for local talent. He must have a pretty good ID for young talent if they're youth teams are so competitive
     
    #178
  19. garysfc

    garysfc Well-Known Member

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    ****ing right. Well said. All this crap is driving me nuts. All SR & their management team need to do is deliver.
     
    #179
  20. garysfc

    garysfc Well-Known Member

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    Definitely nothing wrong with that. We just need to get the appointments & culture right. Said some many times before; so much on Spors. Not so much a poison chalice, more a briliant opportunity but so much to put in place & get right (first time). I used to say, in SFC we trust (with their management decisions) but these lot have soured that. Still, just off to purchase another ST (must be on about 40ish now). Yikes.
     
    #180

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