Fabrice29

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.

Pretty sure he was injured for a lot of the second half fwiw. Although I agree that he's been very forgettable for a while now.

Love posts like this. Lampard more experience in the Championship and technically more managerial jobs than Viera. Gerrard at Rangers lasted longer than Viera and Viera has yet to do more than 2.5 years anywhere with his only job in English football last under 2 years. Viera's last two jobs have ended with the sack and most fans far from on their feet but instead bored out of their brains. But sure, let's get Viera in for experience, long term and excitement. Let's just avoid clearly limited managers and have some mystery and hope in our next appointment please. All these managers have shown their ceiling.

Go on…

Achievement is definitely impressive and even more so because it’s a very young group but I also think when we are calling for a step up to the first team we should remember they’ve impressed in the PL2 and not the top division. There’s a whole other league worth of talent above them currently and that explains our desire as a club to continue to target talent from these teams. This group are clearly doing all they can, so it’s not their fault at all, and I think they do deserve an opportunity next season when it’s right for them, but it always amuses me that people just casually think the likes of Ballard should take a natural step up to the first team now when the level he’s impressed at is an even bigger step than the one Edozie for example made last summer.

Do you mean your subscription? Or The Athletic from reporting directly on Southampton? Because I can assure you that the dedicated reporting will continue. I think that is a Tanswell issue rather than the Athletic. The Athletic has some wonderful content, and imo is well worth the (cheaper offers) subscription. Saints coverage has always been sub par imo. Never really got the Anka hype and find him largely up his own arse and over complicated with all his content. Shelton was factual and solid in detail but nothing much else. His work now for the Athletuc suits him better because he’s clearly been assigned to work on factual articles rather than anything needing a fan connection. Tanswell slightly the opposite imo. Clearly has affinity for the club and that goes a long way but man he loves to repeat his own stuff and rehash it in another article. The occasional inside knowledge which is good but the most infuriating bit about him is his insistence on trying to repeat the lingo used at the training ground like he’s one of the coaching staff. Continually repeating ‘Pausa’ in articles and in press conferences for a period was a particular cringeworthy moment. Alfie House excellent though. Agreed. Detail, personable and affection for the club. Shame the site he works on his an ad fest and almost unusable.

Scenes when he's not even in the Wrexham 11 by the end of next season.

It'll never not be funny that Matt Crocker gets a free ride on here for being in the same role.

A classic Athletic "we don't know so rather than just say that, we'll cover almost every base we can and just put down words" trope. Anyway, anyone know how Ryan Finnigan is getting on at Crewe?

You mean… ‘player you think is leaving is probably leaving unless of course he doesn’t’ isn’t ground breaking journalism?

Can’t see Viera getting the Chelsea gig. As for the second point, you mean apart from our best player right?

Suspect you can swap these around fwiw.

100% agree with this. I especially can’t believe anyone is endorsing Bednarek/Stephens staying when we’ve been trying to replace them both for years.

Latest Athletic article summed up - ‘that player you think is leaving is probably leaving, the ones you didn’t probably aren’t but everything we say is with a huge caveat that it could change when the club and player decide at the end of the season’

Phillips was already a regular for England before he moved to City. I'd be a little surprised if JWP suddenly gets in the England team. He'd have to improve his all round game and performances, which is possible in a better team but it would also need Bellingham/Rice to suddenly be injured/massive drop off in form and a sudden decline in Henderson too (Who Southgate has already said is the direct competition for JWP). Possible place in the squad up for grabs though, Gallagher probably his competition.