Claude Puel

I feel like we need to thrash this out.
Did saints make a big mistake ? yes or no?
Not many people complained when he was sacked did they and there were plenty that wanted him out.
Our defence was good under Puel.
You could say that the players were the problem and not the manager.
Its easy with hindsight though isnt it.
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...de-puel-leicester-city-defence-premier-league

 

Big mistake imho, should have stuck with him and supported him in the transfer window.

On another subject, who are you, and what have you done with Jonny?

 

Was talking to a Leicester fan today. When I asked what their fans thought of him, he said "we're 7th in the league, so of course we love him".

To which I replied "we finished 8th and sacked him".

Yes, we ****ed up imo.

 

I think we made a mistake.......but, had he stayed and this season & we were in 8th place right now, not scoring and playing what is perceived as dull football, then people would be probably moaning. So.....
Lets just let it ride........

 

I must admit i was happy enough when he was sacked
I even laughed a bit to myself in a cocky kind a way when Leicester signed him


I'm not laughing now tho!!

 

The way the season ended and with how toxic the fans had become, it was impossible for him to stay. Wasn't a bad choice to move him On, just replaced poorly.

 

This really. The fans (and reportedly players) had turned on him. Personally I would've tried to give him until Xmas and another window to actually sign players that suited his preferred system but when fans and players have turned there is always a fall guy. Wasn't a terrible decision at the time to sack him (remember most people either being happy or not too fussed by it), the terrible decision was not buying any attacking players in the summer to help the new manager, who also might not be any good

 

There was a group led by Helen who were adamant he should stay. I was certainly firmly in that camp, and still feel that no Southampton manager should be sacked after finishing 8th and getting to a Cup Final. I was never quite sure about the players turning against him, unless their refusal to score from the penalty spot when the opportunity arose was a form of protest!

I still think the decision was a knee jerk one and he should have been given time. As for the current situation, it is difficult to assess. A big part of me says the board should back their appointment. But he fails to convince.

 

This mess is all his fault. Our poor football is all his fault. Vote and VVD leaving was his fault. Gabbiadini not scoring any more is his fault. Our weak mentality is all his fault.

 

Bloody hell. Where was he when May called that disastrous election? Was he thinking about moving to England before the Brexit vote. Is he responsible for the rise in crime rates? Was it a family ancestor who fired the arrow that hit old Harold? We need to know. This man needs investigation.

 

Don’t give a ****. What a load of bollocks. Obviously just mo.

 

Puel was not a bad manager but just didn’t feel like best fit. Leicester won the league before and have some real quality. Can’t compare. Maybe if we bought players like Mahrez and vardy and given him time we would have played more entertaining football.

MP2 was a mistake.

 

I think that’s probably where I sit with it.

 

I was bitter about it at the time, and thought it was the worst decision Saints had made since our promotion. Still annoys me.

I thoroughly enjoyed having the game's most boring manager managing us too. I can't stand the 'big personality' theatre behind guys like Mourinho (however dour he is now, it is still an act) and Klopp. I like to watch complete car crashes like Nigel Pearson, Alan Pardew, and Tim Sherwood, but I found I could really get behind the complete personality void that Puel presented. You have to be seriously confident in your vision to be that unselfconscious. I felt like he was driving a Trojan horse into next season. I was well annoyed with Saints fans who couldn't see that he seriously knows what he's doing. I was certain he'd surprise everyone with a full pre-season.

 

Yep on all counts. I don't think that we necessarily ****ed up by sacking Puel; we ****ed up by sacking Puel without a replacement lined up who fit our stylistic preferences.

 

Spilt milk - end of....

 

Can't believe we are dragging up the Puel debate again. Sacking Puel was the correct decision based on the second half of the season the actual sacking wasn't the problem its the sack of potato's they replaced him with. Sacking Nige was more outrageous but that wasn't so much an issue as the guy who replaced him turned out to be quite good. Lets not pretend we would be having this same discussion if we were sat 6th in the league and having a good season.

 

But we're not so we are?


Anyway, the key learning point here is, I would suggest, that listening to the fans is rarely a good idea.

 

I still don't remember the fans being that vocal, yeah a bit of booing and singing but no real protests, i still believe it was much more a dressing room fall out that anything the fans did. Plus if the board are really taking advice from the fans over sacking a manager then maybe the main problem is with the board.

 

I don't think the fans were the reason for the decision. I certainly hope not, anyway.

I did feel real disgust and shame when Puel and the squad got loudly booed during their lap of appreciation after the Stoke game though.

As a consequence, the sour and ****ty atmosphere at St Marys this season just adds to my disgust with our fans, who generally, in my opinion, can be relied upon to know **** all. That's part of the reason why I would love Pellegrino to prove them all wrong.