Saint Albert

Here's the full excerpt from Ralph's interview the other day on the Sam Allardyce business: "Oh my God. I have to tell you, really, absolutely shocked and shuddered. Our whole board is shocked and upset by it. Multiple messages through the day yesterday and this morning. We've been a club that's been driving, wanting to get control of the evolving agent world around us, and we believe we're going to have ears now. Southampton is built on a completely honest and open culture and on values. The reason I took the job was the unbelievable value structure and foundation of our owner, Katharina Liebherr. ... That's why I embraced this, was to be able to lead and be the de facto owner of an organization where it was driven by culture. So we're extremely upset by this. We see it as a shocking evolution that -- I wouldn't say we're so naïve to believe that this didn't exist, but we did think it wasn't part of our English football culture. We're going to use this, for sure, as a club, to fight for change and to fight for more regulation. We are all for regulation, and we are one of the most disciplined clubs in English football in terms of the way we deal with agents and youth academy players. Staying within the rules is something we really -- everything we do is based on that. We will react, for sure. It's going to become a major thing for me when I get back. Absolutely top of the agenda."

Ralph talks quite a bit about Saints and the Allardyce farce in this ESPN interview: ESPN interview w/ Ralph Hockey content warning: he also goes on quite a bit about Canada's gold medal in Sochi.

Ralph's side lost 3-1 to a drowsy-looking Canadian team tonight. Game 2 goes on Thursday night. At one point the hockey commentators on the CBC (probably bored because it was a lousy game) talked about "soccer" and the "Southampton Saints." They showed shots of Saints' team-building exercise from a few years ago in Switzerland. I was not expecting to see JWP on my TV tonight. Apparently it was part of a good-luck message that the team did for Ralph.

As the hype machine attempts to build up the upcoming World Cup final between Canada and eight European countries that have literally never played together until this month, here are a few articles from the N. American press about Team Europe's Canadian coach, Ralph Krueger (he's from Manitoba, by the way)... Ralph talks about his Saints future: NBC sports Ralph is team Europe's "secret weapon" I've had one of those days so hopefully I didn't screw up the hyperlinks....

Damn. I'm not sure that he can survive that.

I don't get worked up about Saints players getting called up for the national team anymore. I would get excited up to the point when players like Lambert, JRod and Lallana got called up, but to then see other clubs use it as an opportunity to do another form of tapping up was more than a little irritating. Soured me a little on the England team as well. I almost hope he doesn't get called up and enjoys a rest instead (although I often wonder if all the noise about his knee and general fitness is merely some form of urban legend), but getting back into the England picture was one of Austin's stated goals when he came over from QPR so good luck Charlie, I suppose...

They've been described as a team with no past and no future, and to his credit Ralph has coached them into the World Cup final. Team Europe surprised Sweden 3-2 in OT today. Their reward is a three game final against Canada, who have not lost in a best on best tournament since the group portion of the 2010 Winter Olympics. I'd wish Ralph good luck, but I'm Canadian. Still, for those of us who like to make fun of him for his lack of background in football, Ralph knows what he's doing when it comes to international hockey. He has his work cut out for him next, but stranger things have happened in sport...

If you look at Spurs at the end of last season, I think that part of the reason for their collapse was the players were just plain knackered, and this carried on into the Euros for players like Kane. He was absolutely done by the time it came to putting on the England shirt, as he was when he played for the U21s in the Euros the year before.

According to this: http://www.transfermarkt.com/jake-hesketh/profil/spieler/315185 His contract expires June 30, 2017. There were a few media reports that Man U were sniffing around him in last January's transfer window.

Unsolicited Ralph update #2: Ralph's frankenteam lost 4-1 to Canada this evening. They will play Sweden in the semis this weekend. I 've got a feeling they might just win, as well.

Extended highlights are on YouTube here: I know that it's only highlights but Hesketh really looked good. His no-look pass to let in Austin caused me to swear loudly in front of my children.

For those of us following Ralph's progress at the World Cup, Team Europe beat the Czech Republic 3-2 in overtime this afternoon thanks to a goal by Germany's Leon Draisaitl. That pretty much puts Ralph's team into the semis. They were full value for the win, as well but by way of comparison Canada victimized the Czechs 6-0 on the weekend.

What a relief. Saints should have won by 3, but we won. We were relentless at times, and Swansea were poor. I appreciate that we need to rotate players with Euro football but Austin needs to start every game, like Virgil. Austin looks like our best finisher.

In case one or two Saints fans are following Ralph's progress in the World Cup of hockey, his cobbled-together team Europe surprised the US 3-0 this afternoon.

The World Cup of Hockey is a big, huge gimmicky, steaming pile of nonsense pre-season tournament, presumably intended by the NHL to replace participation by NHL players in the Olympics. Since Nagano, the Olympics has been hockey's only best-on-best international tournament. Canada won three of them. I only make that point because having moved to Canada from England, it is nice to live in a country that is actually good at its national sport. Ralph did well coaching an under-talented Swiss team that beat Canada in Torino. He has some good players so his team may do OK. I lost interest when I learned that Team Canada had to donate all its good U23 players to team North America, including MacDavid (known as MacJesus here in Edmonton). Bah.

I'd love to know which channel you're talking about...I haven't seen MOTD SINCE 1989!

We did alright. I'm not sure where all the fuss about our lack of defensive back-up is coming from. Our back four is identical to last season's back four, and they did well. Plus a fit Gardos instead of Caulker seems like a slight upgrade, at least to me, but I suppose that you could argue that a gently used pylon is an upgrade over Caulker. I'm really excited to see what Boufal can do for us. Romeu's performance against Watford alarmed me enough that I would have liked to seen a more muscular replacement for Wanyama. I see Hojberg more as a Morgan replacement than a Victor Wanyama replacement. This business with Sissoko illustrates to me the hazards of leaving things until the last day of the window. Imagine if we paid $30 mil on deadline day for an at-best mercurial championship player who had recently professed his admiration for Pompey.

This made my day. But paying $30 for Sissoko is funny as well, so I choose to laugh at both Everton and Levy.

Chelsea attempting to hijack Spurs' Sissiko transfer, according to several reports...

It looks like the club are trying to rehabilitate Fonte's reputation in the eyes of the supporters following the speculation about his attitude post-Euros, and his "I'd be flattered" comments in the press in reaction to the attempts by Man U to be unsettle him. There are positive comments about his attitude in the Echo, the Telegraph and from the manager. This is going to sound hopelessly optimistic, but I'm starting to think that the club may actually be planning on telling United to stick it with their offer (if United make one).

Zara's name has come up again, with Sun reporting that we're looking to hijack West Ham's move for him..

That does seem to be the nature of things these days - big old Man U will sort things out between Fonte and Mendes and then approach little old Saints with a fait d'acomplis to rubber stamp the transfer, with the window waning towards its conclusion and little time left to find a suitable replacement for our captain. It's not as if we are dealing with a squad player here. Worth telling them to get stuffed for that reason.

Sun reporting that Man U won't bid on Fonte until they have cleared out some of their surplus players, such as Rojo. Ties in with AR-10's comment that no offer has been made.

I think that he's quoting Les...

I feel sorry for anyone who gets his jollies out of killing animals. In this case, a-hole with the spear baited the bear and lay in wait before spearing it, which just does not seem like cricket to me even by hunters' low standards. I daresay that the spear hunter's guides were nearby with guns at the ready, in case it got dangerous for their clients. FWIW this incident occurred in Alberta, not the USA. The Government of Alberta has announced that it will be banning spear hunting.