CamSaint

Yes.

This will be an interesting test for Eckert if Leo cannot play tomorrow. You'd expect that at some stage of the season we will be without one or more of Leo, Azaz and Fellows due to injury (or illness), especially when you see the sort of treatment Leo, in particular, is getting from opposition defenders. All managers have to deal with injury problems - Alex Neill at Millwall being a prime example. It will be fascinating to see how (or if) Tonda adapts the style of play if he is forced into replacing Leo as well as Downes tomorrow. We do have a big squad so he does have options open to him - let's see how he deals with it!

You're welcome😊

You've misinterpreted the post again, as I didn't use the phrase 'more leeway'. I said: 'Of course I accept that that's not equivalent to any of our very recent managerial merry-go-rounds, as Koeman had secured a 7th place finish the previous season and obviously was a massive name in football so had a lot of credit in the bank, but it does serve to highlight that even the best managers can have some very sticky patches. I hope that whoever gets appointed, whether it is Eckert or someone else, is given a little bit of leeway if things go badly for a while before the 'manager out' clamour starts again.' Nowhere do I suggest that Still or any of recent managerial appointments deserved 'more' leeway.

Your interpretation, not mine.

But everything on here (and probably other clubs' forums as well) is built on a short term view. Suppose a Saints manager had a 10 match spell winning only one league match and drawing another as well as being eliminated from both cups? I suspect that most on here would be baying for blood and demanding that the manager be sacked. And yet.......that was exactly what happened in the 2015-16 season between November and January under Koeman, who many regard as our best manager in recent memory. During that spell we slumped from 7th to 13th in the PL. However, of course, we stuck by him and got through that patch to have a storming last part of the season, finishing 6th in the PL. Of course I accept that that's not equivalent to any of our very recent managerial merry-go-rounds, as Koeman had secured a 7th place finish the previous season and obviously was a massive name in football so had a lot of credit in the bank, but it does serve to highlight that even the best managers can have some very sticky patches. I hope that whoever gets appointed, whether it is Eckert or someone else, is given a little bit of leeway if things go badly for a while before the 'manager out' clamour starts again.

How impressed are people with Middlesborough's impending appointment of Kim Hellborg as Head Coach (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/ce3kd3xdgego)? It would appear that he was also interviewed by Swansea.

If a new manager was appointed who had previously worked with Tonda in some capacity, do we think Tonda would then stay in the first team set-up or return to the U-21s? I assume he would go back to the U-21s in any other scenario (other than getting the job himself, of course!).

Interesting comment from the BBC website: Didi Hamann Former Germany midfielder on RTE Sport When Finn Azaz was moved to the middle, it changed the game.

How many interviews would Spors require for the 'preferred candidate(s)'? Martin said that he had numerous interviews before being appointed at Rangers, and Ekhart said that he had 4 (I think) interviews at Saints before getting the U-21 job. I know both of those situations were in the close season, but I'd imagine that Spors & the Board would want to interview those short listed more than once........

Barnaby Williams, U-21 midfielder. He is in the squad because Cameron Bragg has a hamstring issue, as per yesterday's presser. By my calculation, the following are still injured: Charles, Jelert, Fraser, Stewart, Archer & Edozie. Welington is serving the last match of his suspension. So even using the rest of the outfield squad, there is a spare place on the bench. On Wednesday it was Bragg. today it is Williams. I am surprised that Sesay wasn't used as he did well in preseason and has been playing well for the U-21s, but he was kept with the U-21's for last night's draw with Arsenal.

Bristol City's current manager got FC Koln promoted from Bundesliga 2 last season and was then promptly sacked! So other clubs have shopped in that market recently (although he had also had Championship experience, having managed Barnsley for a year in 2019-20).

Irrespective of who the next manager is, or what system he employs, what would posters on here be expecting in terms of results in the first, say, 5-10 games? Wilder went back to Sheffield United with much fanfare but has W3 and L5 of his first 8 games. Many on here would have been delighted if we had got Rohl, but he has W2 and L3 in his first 5 matches at Rangers. Now you could argue that both those men face big jobs to recover from the messes that they inherited, but wouldn't that also be the case for whoever comes here? So what would we consider to be success in the short term before we start calling for another replacement?

I'm not sure we could afford to take on his wages again at this level, especially if the objective is to also strengthen elsewhere (striker?🤞).

I see that after all the fanfare surrounding Wilder's return, he has lost 5 of his 8 games back in charge (including losing to Saints). His 9 points from 8 games is very similar to Still's efforts, so I'm not sure he'll be feeling too comfortable there yet.