We have been short of star quality in the last couple of years and thus made it harder for Puel and MP2 than it was for Adkins, Poch or Koeman. However, we were still good enough to do better under a good manager. Puel did ok, though fell away noticeably towards the end of the season....though I still think we'd have done better under him than under MP2. That, however, could be in hindsight and was not necessarily predictable. Sometimes things just happen. Just a perfect storm when a drop off in talent met an unsuitable manager when all attention was on a takeover. I intend to just suck it up....but expect better decisions next season.
This season it is 90% the Board's poor decision making that has put us in the position we are in. Why did they sack Puel? Why did they appoint an inexperienced Manager? Why did they not sack him, when it was obvious even to the tealady that things were bad and getting worse before January? Why did they fail to spend any money on the quality players that might've saved us in a whole month when they would've already had several targets researched (as they keep telling us) with windfall money that hadn't been budgeted? Had they not sacked Puel, we wouldn't be where we are and it wouldn't have started the chain of events since. The atmosphere has been less "toxic" and more lacklustre this season IMO. What percentage would you put on the decision making of the Board and its' effects on this season?
I think we would have been better under Puel, but then we would have been better with a balloon with a face painted on it. That doesn’t mean I think Puel was the right man, or that sacking him was the wrong decision. The wrong decision was appointing Pellegrino, and then the potentially catastrophic arrogance that went hand in hand for keeping him on so long. I don’t agree at all that there weren’t other options post-Puel that weren’t better/wouldn’t come. There were plenty. For me it’s at least 75% board incompetence.
We didn't need to replace Puel though, and he deserved another season considering what he achieved despite long term injuries to key players and a really tough fixture schedule to negotioate. He integrated his share of Academy players too. Any other club in the league apart from the top 6 and possibly Everton would've been satisfied with what the club achieved last season, we're still Southampton FC.
Yes, he deserved another shot. I don't necessarily buy into the revisionist thought that he was particularly good though. But yes, deserved better, and he was better than MP2. Sacking Puel isn't the reason we are where we are though. That was appointing, and clinging on to Pellegrino.
He's a steady Eddie safe pair of hands but won't ever threaten the CL positions, that may not be enough for some Saints fans but I think that he more than matches the revised ambition of our "small club" in the words of our esteemed Chairman.
He’s playing well now, and that’s why we’re in relegation danger? Eh? He wasn’t completely committed to us whilst here this season, sure. He was still our best defender though, and he wasn’t making the rest of the team play badly!
Agree with that. He was so disinterested, I wasn't that worried about him departing. Wes looked pretty classy, Yosh was doing a good job. Jack had made leaps & bounds. But, as soon as he left, so many bloody mistakes crept in. Must be a mental thing, because I didn't think we looked too light, and even Beds looks competent. God, what a complete **** up this season has been.
What are we looking at this weekend then? Possible mathematical relegation for WBA and/or Stoke. Possible mathematical safety for Newcastle, Bmouth, Watford and/or Brighton. Possible realistic relegation for Stoke and/or us (which is where WBA are already sitting). Possible realistic safety for Brighton, Palace, West Ham, Huddersfield and/or Swansea (which is where Newcastle, Bmouth and Watford are already sitting).
I’ve never really seen Wes looking pretty classy. A few fans got excited after he pinged two 40 yard cross field passes in his first game. Since then he has never quite settled into any real form, in my view.
So with just West Ham left to play (against City!)... Stoke joined WBA in being realistically relegated. Newcastle achieved mathematical survival. Brighton and Palace joined Watford and Bmouth in being realistically safe. We've given ourselves a chance. Whilst Huddersfield totally and utterly blew their golden chance.
The set of results that WBA require really is quite something: Stoke to draw or lose to Palace Us to lose to Everton Swansea to lose to Bmouth WBA to beat Spurs Us to draw Swansea WBA to beat Palace Stoke to beat Swansea Us to lose to City If all of that exactly happens (well, Stoke drawing or losing to Palace means it isn't totally an exact set of results), then WBA survive on GD ahead of Swansea, by one point ahead of us, and either by one point or on GD ahead of Stoke. All the best, WBA. (Or we could draw Everton, and lose heavily to City, such that WBA's GD improves ahead of ours)
Yes it's very important that players rule the roost. Fonte? VvD ? Certainly show their strength by standing up to the incumbent saints management.
Not hard to imagine Huddersfield failing to score another goal this season. In which case 4 points would probably be enough for us.
