Saint Albert

We’re due to deliver a good smashing. Wouldn’t it be nice to win a PL game comfortably, for once. Hasn’t really happened since the Everton game.

Thank goodness for that. Here’s me thinking Pellegrino is ****. I am thankful that Mr. Carrillo has disabused me of my misconception.

I have similar reservations about his chances for success at a club like Real Madrid.

Poch on trying to sign Astori while at Southampton... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/03/06/mauricio-pochettino-tried-sign-davide-astori-southampton/

This manager is more than capable of keeping Austin on the bench behind Long and Carrillo even when he does regain full fitness.

Good point. This squad should comfortably be in mid table by the end of the season and a competent manager would have us there, rather than one point out of relegation.

Here’s the article, which is also by Alex Crook... https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/southampton-ready-sack-mauricio-pellegrino-12132489

And referring to him as “Argie Pell” adds to the classy nature of the article.

Hmmm. It’s an Alex Crook article.

There was also that time Papa Soure (recently returned after being out for a year following horrific leg injuries sustained in a car crash) handed his shirt to a Palace fan in the stands after a league cup loss, and the fan threw it back at him... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/10/25/pape-souare-has-crystal-palace-shirt-thrown-back-fan-following/

Me too after watching the game on the PVR after work.

Slimani is out until the end of March, according to this... https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/newcastles-three-week-fixture-gap-14360916

I don’t buy the blame VVD excuses, or the “we’re improving’ line, because the former excuse is feeble and results belie the latter. For me it’s a combination of... a) Institutional arrogance, a “we’re too good to change managers mid season” attitude. b) A concern that another failed managerial regime will make the board and Les in particular look bad. c) A misplaced belief that Pellegrino would learn the ropes and improve as a manager, notwithstanding evidence to the contrary. d) A blind belief that results will improve based on good team morale, good training sessions, and decent performances during portions of some games. e) A desire to wait until summer to find a new manager when there are more alternatives, and when Les can employ the same, full, exhaustive recruitment process that worked so well the last time. f) At this point in the season with 9 games left it must feel like they have reached a point of no return. There’s not a lot of alternatives out there. I can’t see Silva wanting to come here. The noises made in the press don’t sound too promising. He’s probably getting paid a termination fee by Watford, and as Allardyce looks increasingly likely to get sacked at the end of the season, Silva is probably awaiting a phone call from the illustrious, dugout pioneering team from the blue half of Merseyside. We would have been more attractive to credible alternatives back in December, with a more games ahead of us, a better league position to work from and a full transfer window to recruit targets endorsed by the new manager. It’s an opportunity missed, leaving us in the present sorry position. We’re stuck with Pellegrino until the end of the season unless things go even more pear-shaped than they already are. The best alternative for the supporters is to get behind the team, which is looking increasingly nervous, and get behind Pellegrino until we reach mathematical safety.

An absence of credible interested alternatives means that Pardew keeps his job at W.Brom... https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/03/04/alan-pardew-granted-another-life-west-brom-no-candidates-interested/

Good read again.

If we ended up losing the WBA away game, I’m sure the club would have come up with a reason not to fire him. They would have pointed to the team playing better, training well, and the players liking Pellegrino. If these excuses seemed unreasonable, they could have blamed it on the negative impact of the VVD situation on squad cohesiveness again. In other words it would have been more of the same. We’re stuck with him. If we scrape a few wins in the run in and somehow survive relegation, I can see the club pointing to those wins as a sign of improvement and sticking with him for next season as well.

W. Ham aren’t looking too clever right now, particularly with Winston Reid picking up what looks like a serious injury yesterday.

Our home form is so bad it makes our away form look good.

I’m not sure about your numbers there. Our last six PL away games have featured a narrow victory over the worst team in the league, draws against Burnley, Watford and Man U, a thrashing against Spurs and a loss against Chelsea. Six points will take us to a total of 34, and probable relegation unless we can get something out of our three home games, where we play City, Chelsea and Bournemouth, and where we have not won in the PL in 2018. Your numbers only make sense if you have included our FA Cup away victories against W.Brom and Fulham. I certainly agree if we get to play a Championship side and W.Brom again in the PL, we might have a shot against beating them using Pellegrino’s risk-adverse, defence-first system. Although given the way Fulham are playing right now, they would probably fancy a rematch against us.

It’s shocking that some of us want Pellegrino to try and win games against beatable opponents rather than set the team up for yet another draw.

Probably sharing some of the leadership and motivational skills he picked up during his illustrious time as Charlton manager.

Shocking. RIP.

I don’t think it will happen for this reason. It’s a shame, we actually looked like an attacking force in the second half after Gabbiadini came on. I am also a little worried that Long will be ahead of Gabbiadini in Pellegrino’s depth chart again, now he’s got some game time under his belt following his injury.

That makes sense.

The sounds coming out of the TV can be a little misleading but still... “Southampton were roundly booed off at half-time and at the final whistle, with the worry that they are sleepwalking towards the Championship.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/mar/03/southampton-stoke-city-premier-league-match-report It’s to going to help with their already-fragile confidence, that’s for sure.