Nordic Saint

Cedric is a very skilful player and in ‘the old days’ would have been a great right winger but his small physical stature sometimes causes problems for him in the modern defensive duties of a wing-back, as it did with that high crossfield pass which led to the Poland goal. Fonte looks, as always, like what he is: one of the finest central defenders in Europe. His leadership of the line, positioning and reading of the game are absolute perfection. Watching him play is a masterclass for any aspiring young centre back. Wouldn’t it be great to see Fonte v Pelle in the final?

He started his coaching career as a physical fitness coach and he does look very fit for his age: definitely in better shape than Koeman. I must admit I'd never heard of him until he was linked with us so I'll keep an open mind and hope for the best. If he can stop the club selling any more players and start our season with a win against Watford, he'll have got off to a flyer. It would be great if we could maintain the last few seasons' progress and finish 5th.

"Samuel was voted Sports Writer of the Year at the British Press Awards in 2007 and 2013, Sports Journalist of the Year at the SJA Sports Journalism Awards in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2013, Sports Journalist of the Year at the 'What The Papers Say' awards in 2002, 2005 and 2006 and Sports Commentator of the Year at the Editorial Intelligence Comment Awards in 2014. In 2012, Samuel was named top in a UK Press Gazette poll of Britain's best sports journalists. In January 2015, he was named in Debrett's List of the 500 Most Influential People in Britain." Samuel is usually very pro-Saints, but he is a very good judge of managers and doesn't think Puel is good enough for us.

So, effectively, he destroyed Lyon's dominance of the French league and his career has never really recovered from that disaster. Even ex-Pompey manager, Alain Perrin was more successful there.

One very good bit of news: Koeman is trying to take Steckelenburg with him to Everton. Good f---ing riddance. You are welcome to him. Wrap this deal up quickly, Les, before Ron changes his mind.

Please, Les, don't sell Pelle. We fans need our heroes more than Kat needs our money.

The best of him is yet to come. Like Bale, he'll be worth double that when Real Madrid come calling.

This applies even more to our star player, Mane, who still has 2 years left on his contract and is still improving, especially after the club's PR leaked that he wanted to stay now that Koeman has left. They can't have it both ways.

Puell had one good season as a manager, with Monaco in 1999/2000, but hasn't won anything for 16 years. His win percentage in the last 4 years at Nice is just 39%. He looks very much like an average manager in decline. Nobody else wants him so he'll be cheap and prepared to take orders from Reed. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013%E2%80%9314_Ligue_1

Saints' fastest player: http://talksport.com/football/fastest-footballers-premier-league-according-201516-season-data-160626200973?p=0

Fonte and Cedric were excellent. With a defence that good, Portugal could go all the way.

"The FA and England In 1998 Reed rejoined the FA as part of the England national coaching setup under Kevin Keegan. During Euro 2000, Keegan allowed Reed to respond to virtually all the tactical questions posed by the English press after England's defeat by Portugal. Many journalists wondered in their columns how a manager and his coaching team had allowed a minor member of their entourage such an important role. In his autobiography, Gerrard: My Autobiography, Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard said that he had "no respect" for Les Reed after the way he treated him during England's Euro 2000 campaign. Gerard wrote, "To this day, I have no respect for Reed" In 2002 Reed replaced Howard Wilkinson as the FA's Technical Director. During his second spell at the FA he authored the FA's official coaching manual, The Official FA Guide to Basic Team Coaching ,but he was sacked by the FA in 2004. Charlton Athletic Reed worked for a time as a consultant. He returned to Charlton to become Iain Dowie's assistant manager in summer 2006. Dowie was sacked on 14 November 2006 and Reed was promoted to replace him. During his six-week spell as manager Reed managed just one victory, and Charlton were knocked out of the League Cup by Football League Two side Wycombe Wanderers. Reed's spell at Charlton became infamous, as the media attacked him frequently, nicknaming him "Les Misérables" and "Santa Clueless",[8] and he was later voted in an unofficial online poll "the worst manager of all time". He was replaced as manager by Alan Pardew on 24 December, leaving Charlton Athletic by mutual consent. Reed is a cuckoo in the nest. He was brought in by Cortese and he was the first one he stabbed in the back. One way or another, since then he has got rid of nearly all the people who were responsible for the club's success over the last few years: the players, the managers, the coaches and the staff. Now, he is getting credit for their work, especially that of the managers, the head of recruitment, Paul Mitchell and the Academy coaches, Dodd and Williams. Gradually he seems to have assumed more and more power in the club until it has now reached the stage where he decides which players we buy and sell and tries to get involved in team selection. Pride comes before a fall.

Rudi Garcia et Claude Puel ont rencontré les dirigeants de #Southampton. L'ancien coach romain a décliné l'offre. (L'Equipe) #PL 7:26 AM - 19 Jun 2016 · Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, France Selon @lequipe, les dirigeants de Southampton ont rencontré Claude Puel et Rudi Garcia, qui lui a décliné l'offre. http://m.goal.com/s/fr/news/33/transferts/2016/06/19/24787922/rudi-garcia-refuse http://www.wynfoot.fr/actualites/categorie/roma/70837590?t=rudi_garcia_refuse_so

It seems likely that the first 2 choices, Garcia, and Pellegrini, were interviewed, offered the job and both turned it down, and several reports have indicated that factors such as lack of control over all aspects of team management and transfers were the reasons why. It's even possible that more than 2 candidates have already rejected it. Obviously, the club's PR will want to put its own spin on those events. I'm still hoping that we'll get Frank de Boer but I'd be very surprised if he or any other strong, experienced manager will be prepared to work under the conditions Reed will want to impose on him.

A lot of people were saying that the only reason Leicester didn't sell their best players last summer was because nobody wanted them. But, this summer they do. Arsenal have bid for Vardy but Leicester are not selling. They have a rich owner so they don't need to. I wonder if Markus Liebherr had still been alive if he'd have been the same? Sadly, we'll never know. But, I get the impression that our current owner sees the club as a business rather than a football team (in fact, it's the only one of her father's businesses left that she hasn't sold yet) and is keen to sell our best players and that Les Reed has made himself indispensable to her by carrying out her instructions. We sell the players we can get the most money for every summer. It's almost inevitable that next summer Van Dijk and Forster will be the next in line for sale. Of, course, our league places in the last few years have been exceptional. Leicester, on the other hand, might regret keeping last year's team together. Only time will tell. http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/2/10322534/jamie-vardy-agrees-new-four-year-contract-extension-with-leicester

Let's hope it's not one of these: http://www.givemesport.com/369796-the-five-worst-premier-league-managers-of-alltime

Sounds like he's about to be sacked: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2647732-jurgen-klinsmann-fails-usmnt-in-biggest-match-since-world-cup

The tournament is hotting up now. Croatia beating Spain has really thrown the cat among the pigeons. Any team could win this now, even England. One quirky fact, there was a huge popular demand to include 35-year-old Athletic Bilbao striker, Aritz Aduriz, in the Spanish squad, and Del Bosque admitted he had included him because of public pressure. He came on as a sub tonight and was fairly anonymous. We'll see him at St Mary's on August 7 unless he has retired by then.

That was one of the most incredible games in the history of cricket. To come back from 82/6 to reach 286/8 and tie the game with a six off the final ball shows true grit of epic proportions.

"Leicester are closing in on an £11.5million deal to sign Nampalys Mendy from Nice, which could allow N'Golo Kante to leave" Puel is credited with bringing through Mendy at Nice and he'd be an ideal replacement for Wanyama so Puel's appointment could kill 2 birds with one stone.

Sorry, I don't really understand that. Could you explain it a bit more, Avenue_Saint? Where/Who did Kat take money from and what money was it?

1) What are those? Anyone who'll do as he's told by Reed? Maybe Zenga is desperate enough for a job to accept that; Garcia clearly wasn't.

Sure, Donatello. Alderweireld, Wanyama, Trippier and Dele Alli, all of whom he had lined up for Saints. Paul Mitchell is a date analyst and head of recruitment. The so-called ‘Black Box’ is primarily a software package the type of which anyone can rent online for a few pounds each month. The key person is the analyst who interprets the data, and that’s Mitchell. Mitchell identified potential players and managers. Pochettino and Koeman would almost certainly have been his suggestions as well as most of the player we recruited in his time here. The last one who was his was Van Dijk. He’d picked out both Alderweirled and Van Dijk the year before as replacements for Lovren, but we went for Alderweierld as did Spurs. That’s how Saints were still able to get Van Dijk after Mitchell left. Some other signings were the Koemans’: Pelle, Clasie and Martina, and several signings we made last summer, after he left, like Caulker and Steckelenburg did not have the hallmarks of Mitchell signings, being old and/or injury-prone. Mane was typical of the type of player Mitchell picked. They are under 26 and fit. His brief at Southampton appears to have been to find relatively cheap players, 2 or 3 years short of their peak, who would give us good service and could then be sold for a big profit at the end of that period. Typically, therefore, they tended to be in their early 20s. Who is Paul Mitchell and why have Tottenham Hotspur prised Southampton's head of recruitment away? Talent-spotter and analyst whose department transformed Saints this summer while banking £30 million ….. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/tottenham-hotspur/11236180/Who-is-Paul-Mitchell-and-why-have-Tottenham-Hotspur-prised-Southamptons-head-of-recruitment-away.html

You make a valid point about the pressure of the media, Batman. I was just hoping we'd pick up at the start of next season where we left off the last one. Anyway, let's hope things turn out for the best. They did before. I was gutted when Adkins and Pochettino went too.

The usual arrogant drivel from you. Like most Saints fans, I never really expected Koeman to stay for more than 3 years and could live with that. I have never agitated for anyone to get a contract extension. I was just happy that we had a great manager for another year: a year in which I think he would have gone all out to achieve great things and then probably moved on to Arsenal or Barcelona. We might possibly have got the greatest season in our history out of that. We'll never know. I hope that the new manager does as well. It's obvious I'm not a fan of Les Reed whereas you and many other fans are. I think Reed has taken the credit for the work of Paul Mitchell, who is now continuing his exceptional recruitment of players at Tottenham, and 2 fine managers who I suspect Mitchell had also picked out. I hope I'm wrong and that Reed really is the brains behind our sucess that you think he is, because I really want us to continue this spell at the top. The last 2 seasons in particular have been fantastic.