Agreed. In a nut shell it's the desire of the club financiers to become debt free rather than pressure from the owner
Ron's honesty sometimes comes back to bite him...especially when combined with his less than perfect English. Towards the end he tried to clear things up when he realised that the press were going to run with it....give the media a stitch and they will knit a garment. However, like TSS, I get the impression that Koeman is disappointed with every game.
I get the impression he is narked because clubs we were better than, last season, have spent more than they brought in, and have closed the gap, on us. No points are easy, in this league, but those that were easier, last season, now appear to be less easy. The inconsistency, he talks about, is evident, but it's difficult to pin that down to any specific reason, other than (IMO) the loss of Schneiderlin. Last season the midfield picked itself - Vic, Morgan & Davis. This season the midfield seems to change more than any other part of the team, and as all the players are so different from each other, no two performances are the same. Which impacts on how we defend and attack.
If I was the owner I'd be telling him to focus on putting his best side out first before worrying about spending money. For example, not playing the 3rd choice centre back out of position at right back over Portugal's first choice right back. Another thing to focus on is starting Tadic every game on the left side. We should have more points than we do. Hopefully he has got over his unhealthy obsession with Yoshida playing right back once and for all now. It has cost us several points. Another thing I'd be telling him is to give Ramirez more chances. I look at our squad and all we need is one player right now. A pacey player that can play on the wing and upfront and score goals because if Mane and/or Pelle get injured long term we are in big trouble. I think when Pelle is out we should be playing Mane central, Long up top. But they interchange depending on the match situation as Mane is capable of leading the line. One in front of the other. Davis right, Tadic left. If Mane gets injured long term I would suggest starting Ramirez every game.
If I was the owner I keep well away from the football side of things and leave it to someone who has more football savvy in his toenail remnants than I'd have in my whole body.
That's what you would do and what you think about your own knowledge. An owner has every right to tell the manager what he or she thinks considering the amount of money involved. Koeman's wrong about Yoshida at right back and he's wrong whenever he doesn't play Tadic on the left. Cedric at right back and Tadic on the left should be nailed on. Koeman's lost the plot at times this season with his baffling team selection. I know a lot of you throw your toys out the pram when Koeman gets criticised. I support the club. I'm a fan of Southampton FC, not Ronald Koeman. He happens to be the manager at the moment. Would I like him to do well? Yes, as that means the club is doing well. But I don't feel the need to back Koeman when he makes incredibly basic mistakes with his team selection.
But does Koeman deserve that luxury? He's played Yoshida over Cedric a few times already and said it was for tactical reasons. He also bought Martina as a utility player to cover left and right back. And let's face it, Martina is no where near good enough for the PL based on his performances so far. Yoshida is capable of covering left and right back...in emergencies. Koeman doesn't seem to agree with that though. Koeman preferring him to Cedric and calling it a tactical decision is become a joke now. In Koeman's mind he's already got three right backs. He doesn't seem know who his number one is out of Yoshida and Cedric (even though it's glaringly obvious) and has already got Martina as cover. Basically he needs to sign what he would consider to be a 4th right back capable of playing at this level. In reality only Cedric is capable of playing right back at this level to the standard desired. If we ignore Koeman's mistakes with the team/squad and the signing of Martina then we definitely need a back-up for right back and also a left back imo (I don't think Targett is good enough). Ideally it would be the same player covering both positions.
And you've every right to question him. I'm as guilty as any in subscribing to the "he knows more than we ever will" argument, and he undoubtedly does about playing/winning at such a high level, but it doesn't excuse him from being human, and sometimes being wrong. As much as I defend his selections by trying at a basic level to understand the logic behind them (and there usually is some, be it right or wrong), I do agree that with the current squad Cedric is the number one RB and Susan should always play left (with the proviso that we don't get the day to day input that RK will have).
Gillet would be a good option to cover or rotate at right back. An experienced player that will probably be happy being back up, or a rotation option, late in his career. Even better that he's out of contract at the end of the season.
Put it this way, the CEO of a major organisation will know more about running a major organisation than any of us, but that doesn't mean he won't make errors when it comes to dealing with human beings, and have curious preferences on occasion. Pie knows more about flying planes than the rest of us, but likely has a strange preference for one model over a more advanced one. TSS probably knows more about rambling, but might prefer a pair of trusty, shoddy boots over a better proven modern pair with all the bells and whistles. Why? Because we're human, with all the oddities and quirks present in that condition. So is Ronald.
Playing devils advocate, is Koeman dropping Cedric, from the occasional game, because he is a Black Box player, who was foisted on him, as a result of frugality, (loosely basing this on his comment that Southampton don't spend much money) when maybe he fancied another player who may have cost more? Against Sunderland, I could understand Yoshida being picked, based on BFS's liking of the long ball game and the worry of Cedric being isolated at the back post against big strikers. Against Villa, in the last round of the cup, I couldn't understand why Yoshida was picked, although it proved (on both occasions) to be the correct decision, result wise. Another factor, to consider, is the impact the EPL had on Tadic and Pelle, last season. Is he protecting Cedric, as he is Clasie, to prevent burn out?
I don't think so with regard to the first point. The second point may make some sense (and would fall into the day-to-day observations we're not privvy to point above).
It's not that in the slightest. You're making criticisms of Koeman without the remotest, foggiest idea under which circumstances he has made that decision. You are not privy to any player data at all, yet you say, play this bloke or play that bloke, in this position, or that. It's all very well to give an opinion, but just remember that it is your opinion, but in the great scheme of football things it counts for bugger all because you're not doing the job. There are several things I might say of Koeman but there's little point in getting all worked up about it. So the guy makes a decision which bewilders me, so what. He must have his reasons. And on the point of an owner demanding that this player or that player ought to be played, I'd be walking out the door before he/she got to the end of the sentence, if it was aimed in my direction. It's no way to back a manager by second guessing them. You employ them to do a job - let them do it without looking over their shoulder.
We need to bear in mind beating teams with Yoshida at right back doesn't mean it was the right decision. Cedric is the better right back. If he'd played then those games would have been more comfortable. We can get away with Yoshida at right back against the likes of Sunderland and Villa. But Koeman's picked Yoshida against Depay and Sterling. That's absolute suicide. Yoshida can do an ok job if the other team don't have much pace or much of the ball. But starting him against Manchester United and Manchester City was idiotic from Koeman. There is no tactical reason to pick Yoshida over Cedric in those games. Imo Koeman threw away three points against Manchester United by not playing Cedric and arguably one against Manchester City (and who knows, we might have beaten Manchester City if Tadic and. He was so stubborn about having Yoshida at right back against Man U that he brought Martina on mid-game for Targett at left back. Instead of bringing Cedric on and putting Yoshida left back. And so stubborn against City that he announced it was tactical, yet didn't have Cedric in the squad at all to redeem his selection mistake at half time. Clasie has had injury issues. He's announced Cedric has missed out due to tactical reasons, so I don't think he's protecting him.
He's stated himself he's been picking Yoshida over Cedric for 'tactical reasons'. Cedric is the best right back, simple as that. It's a fact as far as I'm concerned. First choice for Portugal and has played well for us. Yoshida is a centre back, the third choice one. On the ball he's our 4th best centre back, at best.
