Puel's rallying call

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/southamptons-virgil-van-dijk-could-9146399?ICID=FB_mirror_MF

Seems like he got the players on board after a rousing speech before Swansea – without a translator.

I think we'll lose to Chelsea but he's won be over. I'm not afraid to admit I was completely anti his appointment but our performances under him recently have been better than any time with Koeman.

I'm not afraid to admit I was completely anti his appointment

I'm not afraid to admit that I was completely prepared to avoid jumping to conclusions before I'd seen how things panned out....

From what I have seen so far, the bloke is class. Come across so calm and football intelligent.

I didn't expect us to be playing as well as we are, but anyone that wrote him off after/before a couple of games is an idiot. But that comes as no surprise on here.

Also, credit to Les Reed. He gets a lot of stick every summer, but pulls it out of the bag time and time again. Personally, I can't believe that he's not working for the FA.

Have a butchers at the Pelle goal a bit further down that article. Pure class.

Also, credit to Les Reed. He gets a lot of stick every summer, but pulls it out of the bag time and time again. Personally, I can't believe that he's not working for the FA.

He's worked for the FA before, hasn't he? Probably knows how much of a pointless exercise it would be.

He's worked for the FA before, hasn't he? Probably knows how much of a pointless exercise it would be.

Not only that but he wrote the coaching manual for England!

Les is a true master of his craft. I fully expect him to be the new face of Nike replacing Michael Jordan.

"I never made a professional appearance as a footballer, I hold the record for the worst manager in the premier league where I lost 5 out of 7 games, I was sacked by the FA, never cut it at Bishops Stortford, Steven Gerrard absolutely lamblasted me in his autobiography. I've failed time and time again in my career and that why I succeed"

He's worked for the FA before, hasn't he? Probably knows how much of a pointless exercise it would be.

I believe so, as part of the coaching set up. I was aiming more at a place on the board.

Not only that but he wrote the coaching manual for England!

 

Les is a true master of his craft. I fully expect him to be the new face of Nike replacing Michael Jordan.

 

"I never made a professional appearance as a footballer, I hold the record for the worst manager in the premier league where I lost 5 out of 7 games, I was sacked by the FA, never cut it at Bishops Stortford, Steven Gerrard absolutely lamblasted me in his autobiography. I've failed time and time again in my career and that why I succeed"

Don't think much of him then

He's worked for the FA before, hasn't he? Probably knows how much of a pointless exercise it would be.

The reason he took this job was a 2 fingers up to the FA after they cut him - it was a disagreement around 4-3-3 vs 4-4-2. He was arguing that all the European sides develop better players because the junior sides play 4-3-3 and it gives them better experiences & moments (Claude speak fully ingrained now) and they said we are English we play 4-4-2.

He will be gone before Christmas

I'm not surprised at the amount of people who doubted Puel. To fans in England, he's pretty much unknown but in footballing circles, they are well aware of his pedigree. In general everyone is scared of the unknown but come the summer (and surely most are used to this by now) everyone needs to realise that at Southampton, nothing is really unknown. The amount of research that goes into finding managerial replacements is someones full time job.

 

Hopefully we have a manager who is here to stay.

Totally agree with all that.

I was surprised that so many fans turned their noses up at Puel, just because he has no Premier League experience. He is a football scholar, like Wenger, who looks at each players attributes and has the ability to create a team from the parts. Whilst clubs spend vast amounts on ready made egos who seem incapable of playing together, he seems to be able to improve players and form a balanced hard working team.

For a guy with less than perfect English I'm impressed he can drop an idiom like "last of the mohicans" into a quote.

Anyone who thinks he's boring needs to read this, by the way. Becomes clear that he's intentionally dull in post-match interviews (like most managers and almost every player) but that doesn't reflect his true character.

For a guy with less than perfect English I'm impressed he can drop an idiom like "last of the mohicans" into a quote.

 

Anyone who thinks he's boring needs to read this, by the way. Becomes clear that he's intentionally dull in post-match interviews (like most managers and almost every player) but that doesn't reflect his true character.

Yeah I chuckled at that bit but I am devasted to have an article without my favourite word "interesting", hopefully its not gone for good as I have started using it a lot as well.

The article is translated from an interview he did in French.

He will be gone before Christmas

2/10

The article is translated from an interview he did in French.

more quotes from that interview here

http://www.espnfc.com/southampton/story/2983155/claude-puel-it-will-be-hard-for-southampton-to-repeat-success

most interesting bit for me here

"The team had played well under Koeman by defending deep and playing on the counter-attack. As we were going to play every three days and wouldn't be able to go up and down the pitch all game every game, I wanted to base our play on possession and control," Puel said.

"It was a cultural change. In training, it worked, but in matches, with the tension, the players quickly resorted to what they knew how to do. We have a lot of technical players whose game is suited to that style, others were sceptical. I wanted to persist with it, they wanted results, so that took some handling."

think Puel is going to be a very good manger for us.

Les Reed FA article - http://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com/2016/9/4/12792102/les-than-zero

Les Reed FA article - http://stmarysmusings.sbnation.com/2016/9/4/12792102/les-than-zero

A fascinating read - thanks for linking.

Reed has done and is doing a great job for us...he has developed further and enhanced things that were started by his predecessors and acknowledges this.

The SAD (Sneerers And Detractors) on this forum will always work to their own agenda...

A fascinating read - thanks for linking.

 

Reed has done and is doing a great job for us...he has developed further and enhanced things that were started by his predecessors and acknowledges this.

 

The SAD (Sneerers And Detractors) on this forum will always work to their own agenda...

We're a third of the way through another season that assorted forum dinlows will soon write off as being down to luck/we've got away with it/we can't keep doing this/it's a fluke/etc.

They're just itching for the club to fail so they can claim they were right all along. Even though they weren't.

2/10

If he's gone by Christmas, will it be Arsenal, or one of the top European teams?

Think we should start a sweepstake as to when the press start linking him with bigger clubs, Arsenal in particular.

If we knock them out of the EFL Cup then I suspect the rumbles may start in early December.

Would prefer him not be shouting the merits of Van Dijk though, I mean everyone knows he's class but let's keep it on the down low as much as possible to keep him here as long as possible.

To be honest I was pretty skeptical about Puel but he has impressed me so far and hope he continues to do so. I also been very impressed with the progress the team has been making and I'm quietly excited that something special is building this season, I look at this group of players, see them progressing and just think either a top 4 or a cup is there for them. Only concern is in the striker department, I think Boufal will add what we've been missing for the last few years that Payet/Coutinho type play who's bit of magic will make the difference in those stodgy games or when the team isn't quite at it's best, but just concerned over our striking options and the lack of that really clinical finisher, even Austin hasn't been that clinical for us though he is the best we have.

If the black box could dig us out a goalscorer for Jan, I think we'd have the makings of an excellent team that can match the big boys, I already think we have a back 5 that probably matches anyone in the league, we have an extremely hard working midfield all of whom are also excellent technically, and we've now got pace and trickery in forward areas with Boufal, Redmond and Tadic.

We're a third of the way through another season that assorted forum dinlows will soon write off as being down to luck/we've got away with it/we can't keep doing this/it's a fluke/etc.

 

They're just itching for the club to fail so they can claim they were right all along. Even though they weren't.

You're forgetting that Everything we do well is inspite of Les Reed, everything that goes wrong is because of him.

One of the funniest accusations made against him was on TUI where it was claimed that Reed kept on screwing up transfers so Koeman had to step in and take control of them.

7 years of progression all luck following a plan which will catch up with us sooner rather than later

This is what it's like at Southampton

This is what it's like with Puel

We'll rip your team to shreds

With skillful attacking football