Forester

Good points here and I agree that,as a Puel supporter, we don't really know what goes on behind closed doors. I just hope we all realise that we face the choice in future of sacking someone we don't think is great or moaning that someone we think is will want to walk out on his contract. I would rather give the loyal manager time to build but this seems a thing of the past

This is very worrying, regardless of your view on Puel in or out. For my part I wouldn't have considered replacing Puel and would have instead backed him in the summer both in transfer window to plug the gaping holes behind Mane, Pelle and Wayama and also back him to learn and improve from first year. However the relentless speculation and deafening silence just leaves him draining of authority. It's a case of dead man walking. How do people expect him to continue if the club have a good look around and say "you carry on as we couldn't find anyone better"? How does that help retain the current squad, or attract players? I appreciate those who only see home games want more entertainment, as do I, although I enjoyed watching the vast majority of our away games. However most people on this forum went mad when Poch and Koeman walked out of their contracts early. When we hired Puel with a track record of staying at clubs several years we announced that we wanted a long term developmental model. It seems that we don't really, so no more criticism I guess on here when people (players and managers) walk early from their contracts so long as they gave entertainment while they were here. Loyalty cuts both ways.....

We have three season tickets and saw all but two away matches last season, including Europe. Like you no doubt, was frustrated with Prague, but not Milan where we payed them off the park. But thoroughly enjoyed watching our cup wins at Liverpool, Arsenal and the final itself. Enjoyed too our performances in the league at Arsenal (robbed!), Man City, Liverpool, Leicester, West Brom, Watford, Sunderland, Boro and West Ham. The difference is that you don't seem to want to engage with the following words in your summary....Mane, Pelle, Wanyama, VVD and Austin. Without them in any assessment it is, in my opinion, devalued

I for one would be delighted if he is staying. Ridiculous that it is even being questioned given 8th position and cup final. Yes we need to score more goals at home (but not necessarily away) and give those who only see home games more entertainment. But he needs backing in the transfer window too. And I am sure he would be a wiser manager for having had a season of learning in England. This concept of learn and improve is alien to the many on here for whom it's either hero or zero. I do however worry that we have heard nothing. I would have expected an end of season interview with Claude, and/or Les, and the absence of this makes me think Claude is not out trouble yet.

That would be a refreshingly sensible and balanced statement to make

Fancy a club sacking a manager after just one season. Thank heavens our fans don't think this way......

I think this is a good post, although I don't each the same conclusion. I think you being fair other than point 3 which ignores the recruitment model we have. Redmond was signed, for example, with no first team coach in place. I am glad he did sign by the any, but it proves the point. When I differ is the action. A part of the debate many seem to have missed is that it is perfectly possible to call out areas where more is needed, e.g. Style of play at home, but the route to securing that without losing the good things that you rightly identify may be discussing it in an end of season debrief, planning what needs to improve in the summer (recruitment and training) and back the manager to learn from that in season two. We seem to live in an age now where people love an immediate knee jerk reaction. A bit like Brexit and Trump, but don't get me started on that...!

This ain't rocket science chaps. You sell Pelle, Mane and Wanyama. Austin gets injured, then so does your best and tallest player. What do we expect? Any assessment of this season that excludes Pelle, Wanyama, Mane, VVD and Austin is, well, weird

So looks like we exceeded almost everyone's predictions finishing 8th. And a cup final reached without conceding a goal against all Premier League opponents. Looking forward to seeing everyone's predictions for next season now....

Update please Batman?

I have consistently backed Puel and have enjoyed many good away days this season while sharing the home form frustration of many on here. If people are honest, rather than reinforcing their own bias, all would agree that we would have been delighted with 8th and a cup final. And then, throw in missing our best player for half the season and our top goal scorer for even more and things could have been expected to be much, much worse. Additionally three of the seven clubs above us had no European football which is very unlikely to be repeated any time soon. My view right from the start of the season is that we would struggle to score without Pelle and Mane. Any assessment that ignores this, plus VVD and Austin absence is grossly unfair. As one of the loyal fans who stayed back after the game I was fuming at the shambles of the lap of honour. People dribbled out of the tunnel, initially a ludicrous choice of asking a security guard to walk round with Puel and the sight of Forster who clearly resented being made to go out there. The "group" ended up being multiple groups of staff and their players and it looked the opposite of "the Southampton Way". This makes me think, more than the results and the home performances, that he may be gone next week. It was the worst possible advert of team spirit. I worry greatly about the future. To think some idiots were proclaiming Silva to be the answer a couple of weeks ago. His last three games have been a home defeat to a relegated side, a 4 goal defeat in a relegation six pointer with no shots on target and then a 7-1 home defeat. Perhaps that is what the "don't care about results and League table, just want entertainment" brigade want to see. What ever happened to letting a manger learn and reflect on their mistakes, celebrate their achievements, then back them in the summer? As many older fans know, things get a lot worse than 4 top eight finishes. I hope some of the most vocal on here will still be around to see how changes work out if that is what to happen.

The voice of reason

I believe a major factor in the return to "business as usual" for the top 7 has been the absence of European football for three of the seven which is very unlikely to happen again for some time

A good summary I think

Have a look at the predictions thread as someone has kindly bumped the ore-season forecasts. Most fans predicted we would finish between 10th and 14th withthe odd optimist daring to think about 9th or 8th........

Thanks for finding this. So it looks as if most thought we would finish between 10th and 14th before the season started, with some optimists saying 10th or 9th. Very few mentioned 8th....

How is it looking for your 15th prediction?

This completely summarises my view. For those fans who travel it's been fantastic and I understand the frustration re a number of home performances which drives the sentiment. Puel will want to work on that in the summer. But he should be very proud of how we have done on the road

What a curious reaction! I have searched my post and can't find the words "I have been to more away games than you" anywhere. Hope for your sake you made it to Watford, Sunderland, Bournemouth, Wet Spam, West Brom, Boro. Or perhaps Liverpool, Man City or Leicester for good draws. If not perhaps you watched us win with clean sheets at Arsenal and Liverpool en route to a great family day out at Wembley. Yes? Or were you just typing away on here getting angry?

Just out of interest, is the 17th home place reflective or not or the fact that we still have two games left whereas many have now finished? Either way I take your broader point as I have enjoyed watching us away this season, and in addition to the 7th best league record away we also won in the cup at Anfield and Emirates. I mentioned on the match thread that we benefit from having more space away and so in the summer Claude can focus on different routes to increasing goals at home, including our strikers doing the job they are paid for! As has been mentioned, the loyal visiting fans seem to live in a different planet to some of the less bright posters on here, many of whom seem to have gone missing tonight! At the game today about eight lads not old enough to remember two relegations a decade ago tried to get a "we want Claud Puel out" and they were looked on with a mixture of despair and pity. It's been an enjoyable away season and like Shroppie says there is an absence of realism from some. 8th place and a cup final remains very much on if we can finish the week as we have started it. I will be saying well done Claude

Just on the coach contemplating another five hours or so of travel but great to get back to winning games. It's a shame that those fans who can't get to away games (I fully appreciate that not everyone can) have been starved of goals this year. But for those who have travelled we have seen four at Watford and Sunderland, three at Bournemouth and Wet Spam, wins at Boro, West Brom along with league cup wins over Arsenal and Liverpool. Added to decent draws at City, Stoke, Leicester and Liverpool in the league I would say it's been a good away season. The extra space suits us. Enjoyable

A very intelligent and balanced post.

I agree. I have written before about the difference between being a supporter and a customer. We have too many with the mindset of the latter on here. Don't get me wrong, I want to win big time and it's why we travel all over the country to support the team. But backing people to learn from mistakes and improve seems to be a thing of the last for some. Key words in any fair summary are: VVD, Austin, Pelle, Mane and Wanyama

Anyone trying to compare that performance with the Hull one is being hugely unfair. We were the better team in the first half than and Arsenal team with much to play for, and should have been ahead bar a good bit of goalkeeping from Cech. Second half we had lots of good attacking moves, with two outstanding crosses from Bertrand in particular, but the confidence in front of goal is very low. Sanchez really was the difference with two great bits of quality, the first his goal and the second his wonderful cross for the first header. That is why he could move for £70 million. For the rest of the twenty one players there wasn't much in it. I thought Bertrand was outstanding and Gabby worked his socks off. As others have commented we need a player who has much greater off the ball movement to get in and around Gabby as Mane did with whoever he played with last year. I left the ground feeling it was a cruel result. A very long journey Saturday and hoping to be rewarded with goals which hopefully is the start of a good week to close the season out. Three poor results though and things will be very negative heading into the summer.

Good shout on N'Dong. A bit like Guye who was relegated at Villa in a poor team but has been excellent at Everton. I think with us now playing 4231 again we need another real holder alongside Oriel and let Davis play further up