Heh. We are a strange, strange football club at the moment. Rumoured to be about to sack the manager or extend him for several years, and both seem believable.
I'll try and find out. Simon Mullock, the writer of that article, is the Chief Football Writer of the Sunday Mirror, though.
But it does actually make sense. We either need to back RK or go in a different direction. No point in having a lame duck manager for a year just to come in 15th.
If this is true, and if Koeman signs, then I think it will be brilliant news. It could just be the catalyst to bring the fans, players and staff right back together again, especially if a couple of new signings are thrown in too. A real statement made by the board, and Ron. Many of these defeats have only been by one goal (Stoke, West Ham, Norwich, Palace) so it's not exactly a wholesale revolution that we need to make things good again.
I would be happier if he just signed now. It helps with the contract talks with other players, and new signings, if they can see the manager has signed up for 5 years. Whisper it quietly, but I remember Poch using the "my contract still has xx months to run" as a reason not to extend his contract.
Only if that backing means that i) we buy in to Koeman's handling of things, or ii) Koeman buys in to the board's wishes for the academy. I like him as a manager, but the stuff Guan posted rings true...an uneasy truce isn't going to cut it, there needs to be real top-to-bottom agreement.
To be fair, I wouldn't be surprised if contract talks were behind some of the disquiet behind the scenes. If Ronko is on a three year contract, very few players with ambition are going to come to us permanently in the second half of his second year. Everyone knows the way football works and a manager that hasn't achieved some degree of success/growth/improvement in his first 2 years, may well not be around for the third year. If want away players like VW and SM have agents who know this, they will agitate for a move behind the scenes regardless of what is said publicly by their clients. Saints seems a principled club with players like Fontè, SKD, SD et al. If this was the case, I suspect there would be a natural wedge driven between the 2 sets of players. Ronko is the biggest single signing we can make. Sadly, we have got to just go with humans keep the faith that we have progressed enough behind the scenes to show the ambition he needs to stay
Maybe it is Koeman who has to show he is worthy of the club's ambitions. I don't have a problem with RK, but at the same time I don't think he has earned the right to call the shots and be backed unconditionally. Hopefully an agreement can be reached that both sides are happy with. If not, see you later Ron. We had some good times.
Even though hindsight shows that was not a mistake? Bet those fickle Newcastle fans would have him back. He had poor runs of form, but ultimately he showed he was getting the best out of the squad at his disposal compared to his successors
?? It was a mistake. The fact they didn't sack him because of the payout meant they had a manager that didn't want to be there, a manager the fans didn't want and the team instead of being able to start again got worse and worse to the point they are now. Pardew had 1 good season and then it started to go downhill. Do you think Palace will do as well next season? or is Pardew's 2nd full season problem going to happen again?
If true, the board are seeking stability and suggests they are not panicking. We all know that several games recently could have gone our way with better finishing....though that may have been painting over cracks. On the other hand, Les Reed is pretty astute and may not see this as a massive problem but as a blip. He may consider that things are not all RK's fault. I have no idea really...generally I go for stability unless (as I said before) a better manager is panting to join us. Or....this is old news that has only just reached the Mirror and has been overtaken by events? The stuff about Chelsea is just nonsense.
Focusing on ten games when discussing a FIVE YEAR deal is lunacy. But anyway, relax dude. No extension has been signed. Nothing wrong with talking about an extension. Why not hear what Koeman has to say? You don't have to buy what he's selling.
