Recent improvement in attitude

Didn't know where to put this, thought it might deserve its own thread. Heard a couple of hours ago. I treated it as worthy of repeating but I'm not going even obliquely to discuss the source so it's up to you how much you trust it.

Our recent pick up in form and attitude might be down to a meeting held a couple of weeks ago. Pretty much everyone of importance in the club along with all the players were brought together for a meeting by one Mr L Reed of Southampton.

He apparently worked his way through everyone in the management team and soundly roasted them for taking their eyes off the ball. When it came to the players he pointed out (quite forcefully, apparently) that they are professionals and should be acting as such. A receipt for a bottle of wine bought at the club hotel at 1am the night before a match was rolled out and dire threats were made as to the career of anyone repeating the stunt. From the account I heard, he pulled no punches.

Not sure of the exact date but sometime between the Liverpool and Everton matches, I believe.

Vin

[EDIT: Can someone amend the title, please?]

 

If true, nice one Les!

 

Jeez, in a World Cup year, pro footballers on £50K+ a week get told off, then start to perform.

Yeah, seems likely!

 

Not before time methinks.

 

Ffs - I thought it was Lou Read, that's why they thought we had all the time in the world to get better.

 

I've heard similar things about a huge meeting but not in as much detail.

Very interesting.

 

Totally unsurprising but good to hear. When 80% of fans want the manager gone and think we are **** it's not because the fans are rubbish. Something had to be done it was crisi point.

did les also tell mp2 to drop players and the silly defend when you attack nonsense so we could actually get players into the opponents box?

We are a totally different side, it was more than a bollocking imo.

 

Id argue 80% of the fans have jerk knee syndrome. That’s not a Jamaican spice rub either.

So in some senses, yes the fans are pretty ****.

 

Austin has had an epithany....he mentioned himself that after a discussion about his form he had put more effort into training. He looks like a man who ordered a bottle of wine at 1 am....though my money is on Prowsie

 

So with that thinking the same thing should be said about les reed and nothing should have been done about the way we were playing? fans a re not going to sit with fixed grins clapping politely, while we play negative boring football with unhappy players and out of form attackers.

Now, maybe someone somewhere else was insisting we start with Shane long over and over and mp2 wanted to start Austin, Jwp and peh or maybe it was the other way round but significant changes have been made and everything looks better. Players look happy, we attack with pace, we are scoring goals. I'm a lot happier that things are on the up and we still have a manager. I didn't want him gone for the sake of it, it's a **** record to have but he was going to have to go if the changes didn't happen.

 

My money is gabbiadini. I have him making for the exit door before Long at the moment.

 

Not at all, just 80% wanting to change manager is pretty nuts.

Now it may still not work out for MP2, but 10 games or so is pretty dann dumb.

 

To clarify, I did say that he "worked his way through everyone in the management team and soundly roasted them" as well as the players. I may appear to have overemphasised the player part but that was only really because the detail of the wine sticks in the mind. Everyone at the club got it in the neck, it seems.

Vin

 

I do agree, I guess if the poll had said 'do you want les reed to call everyone in, tear them a new one and force some changes in attitude, squad selection and tactical approach to games' the result would have been 100% yes. Or no one would have believed it could be done more likely.

It's knee jerk to want the manager gone because we assume it's him in charge but the understanding is that that's the way football operates. I'm pleased that once again saints operate on a higher level.

 

Heard this from a few other places as well. Seems to be truth in it.

 

Understood. It was obvious everyone needed it.

If it's true then les has done an outstanding leadership job. Everything about our play is transformed, I wouldn't have thought it possible. My guess is that there were a few dark clouds that needed clearing.

 

The best way I can describe the past few games is that it's been like watching Saints play again.

I'm reminded of something Clive Woodward said about taking over as England rugby manager. He said he had a hard talk with the negative a***holes in the team. He said Austin Healey was horrified to find out that he was negative - he'd just sort of slipped into it and snapped out of it immediately. It can and does happen, even to professionals, often without anyone noticing.

Vin

 

I don’t think it’s as cut and dry as 80% saying they wanted him out, as the posts at the time say. The poll was done as a moment in time snap shot, but it seems to have been taken as gospel now. One reason why I don’t usually vote on them as I did then.

 

It has the ring of authenticity. Can't remember his exact words, but Ralph said that if you want soft words and flannel, you don't go to Les (translated and shortened from the original Canadian).

 

Yes and it was 80% of a relatively tiny percentage of our support.