Fabrice29

I’m sorry for thinking experience meant an objective thing that someone had done. I didn’t realise it just meant someone with good human and leadership qualities.

Fair enough. So what does success look like? Does that criteria rule Potter for example in or out?

In that case the shortlist is both long and worse than I imagined.

This one? Where he's asked about the womens team on the 34th minute and doesn't mention it being a priority? Just seems to be proud of the work they've done and assures them the club will be fully committed to the womens team. If he said anything else he'd be rightly considered out of touch. Or is it this one? Where's asked about it in the 41st minute and again just talks about the womens team being important, but no mention of priority. I said on here a while ago Semmes was leaving. It's been in the works a while. Probably for the best. Think he did well under the circumstances with Gao and context not being taken into account on various things will never do him any favours. Clearly made some mistakes, clearly said some daft stuff that is highlighted with bad results but also clearly done some good stuff. Ultimately him leaving is probably for the best for all concerned and is part of a freshening up that is massively needed but will be spun by his media mates like Adam Blackmore as a dark day when it's really not.

Just the comments about the league position not being important will be fine cheers.

Where and when were these comments please? Cheers

Go on...enlighten me...what does he mean? Experience of what? Getting someone promoted? Getting someone promoted from the Championship? Getting someone promoted from the Championship at the first go? Top flight experience? How much top flight experience? 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, more? How many of those need to be successful? I'm genuinely intrigued what experience he and others want?

I'll bite again because "experience" is an absolute nothing word. Experience of what? What's your criteria? What experience must they have had? And then once you've answered that you can name some actual options.

In fairness to him I think he's fed up with the whole thing, which I get from his point of view because he's one of the few that has performed this season, he's lost close friends and allies he could rely on in the dressing room and like the rest of us he's probably resigned to relegation. However, when you remember he's the captain, I just find his comments lame and a very good summary as to why we are so soft. Just smacks of a man who either A) hasn't called out his thoughts to others in the dressing room personally or B) has done that but hasn't been able to get through to people because he's not a leader of that nature. There was a moment in the game today he got smacked in the face with an elbow, and he sprinted over to the guy who did it and looked like he was going to take him out but he controlled himself at the last moment and just trotted back into shape. I know it's too late James, and I also know it's hardly the greatest quality in the world but that's the first time I've seen him riled up for quite a while. I'd love to have seen him smash into someone a few weeks or months ago and turn to the crowd and rile people up. Feels like those days of him winding up Zaha are way behind him, which is concerning when he's the captain and he's the one who clearly thinks we haven't shown enough of those exact qualities.

Not sure Tanswell is backstabbing anyone with that article tbh. People inside the club definetely are though and need to be removed. As above, you are going to be incredibly disappointed if you think the Athletic won't be fully invested in Saints next year.

You will be sorely dissappointed. Anyway, his comments after the game today are laughable from a captain. "The way we’ve done it this year, that’s the disappointing thing. We didn’t really go down with a fight and given everything we can. That’s the disappointing thing.” Media trained cliché comments are not ideal from a captain and this doesn't smack of someone who was ever going to sort out the issues inside the dressing room.

I can see the logic behind it, that's the nature of the multi club system and some clubs get success and some don't, that's just natural in any system. Found that whole section odd to be honest, like it's some sort of negative that the scouts were asked to provide data to the people making the ultimate transfer decision? I'm not sure scouts need to be loyal/emotional tbh, their work is quite the opposite. Of course you want people to buy into ideas and that's what I mean about SR needing to employ people who are fully behind their ideas. People challenging things is obviously needed as well but the if SR want it to work that way then it requires people to be behind that idea and I'd rather the people that aren't left, than just staying, bitching about it to the Athletic and undermining it on a daily basis.

The more I read that Athletic article the more I just think SR really need to implement their own people and ways fully. It's clear the club is divided with the people who were settled in their ways at the club and the new guys with fresh ideas and it leads to bitchy articles like that. If I'm SR I'm doubling down this summer and going all in. Whether people like it or not SR are here for the long term so I have absolutely no issue with any staff that don't like it being made uncomfortable and leaving and quite happy to be rid of a squad that seemingly have a weak mentality and unable to manage itself. Full revamp needed and that includes the people bitching in the background to journalists. There will be sensationalist snippets taken from it and continued to be thrown about but it just smacks of a club and environment that was slowly declining for years and didn't like having that being pointed out and being changed.

On the back of todays performance I can't handle the thought of having to watch anymore clueless in possession play at home. If Russel Martin is the most extreme possession based manager we can find and promises to really focus on hammering it into a group of players then I would very much welcome that.

Just love the idea that we are so attractive and have all the money to attract Potter but without Potter or some other big name that no good player will be wanting to play for us.

Haha okay, it’s just I’m having a look at the teams promoted quickly from the PL and not seeing any ‘paid out for’ superstar manager on the list. But you keep saying cliche stuff Also keep getting angry at a shortlist A) you only know half of B) you don’t actually know exists.

This is utter bollocks. Firstly the idea that we need pull in the Championship when we’re one of the 3 teams to come down from the Prem is ridiculousl. The idea that we pull should be a priority when we’ve lacked any decent progressive coaching for 2 years minimum is also ridiculous. And ‘no other option than to pay for experience’ is just madness. What you’ll find with experience is a very clear ceiling. There’s very few experienced managers we could attract that have potential to grow into a PL manager and haven’t already failed somewhere. To rule out talented managers because they are relatively new to the role is genuinely the most depressing idea of all. Would much rather we went into next season with a manger who we think might be great rather than one we know is not.

Or maybe the Turkish league is a bit shit with very relaxed tax rules and a nice place for players looking for a payday and to add some numbers to their career?

Isn't Crocker trying to get him to take the US job?

Not totally convinced by that, you've always got to be dubious of players who get to 28 and haven't had a big move. Couple of long range goals on highlights is great, especially against English opposition but he wasn't some international superstar (he was a sub for Croatia who scored in a rotated team in the 3rd place play off. A squad DCC couldn't get into). I think we took a fairly cheap gamble in desperate times and it hasn't worked out. He's been given opportunities and has looked well out of his depth. It happens, we move on.

Didn't he and Blackburn go months without winning? Carrick, Mowbray and Carlos Corberán all seem fairly interesting options to me. Corberán only recently signed a long term contract mind and the others will need to wait for the result of the play-offs.

There's lots of players refusing to sign new contracts and still playing and other players who have moves lined up (one of which has taken Salisu's place in the squad) so I imagine that the contract thing is the very start of the issue and the injury thing sounds plausible.

Not convinced offering the contract was a Semmens thing tbh. Pretty sure Ralph had a choice to make about which one he wanted and chose McCarthy. Pretty sure either way that we would still be having this conversation anyway just the other way around, both would have attracted criticism and made the other look more appealing. Like the whole Bednarek/Stephens who should we keep/loan out argument, it's just a reflection of where we are that the best option really would have been to cut ties with them all and we'll probably get that this summer.

The problem with Forster and McCarthy is that they are absolutely prime candidates for a back up / home grown / good professional slot in any PL team. They are sought after by clubs who can offer more money to do less. Game time is the only downside for keepers like these two when big clubs come calling but why not take the risk and hope there's an injury that means you find yourself in the team? Forster has done it and I'm pretty sure McCarthy will be given the option to do it in the summer by someone. Every top club who doesn't have a British number one will be looking to have a homegrown number 2 or 3. There's only so much the club can do to keep Forster and there's even less we can do now to keep McCarthy. Pretty sure the club will be in Caballero's ear to stay on and work with Bazunu and Lis with a coaching role too.

Yes and he's also confirmed he'll be covering Saints next year.