Holmes_and_Watson

Trade

This week, I have been mostly implementing a dynamic gegenpress. 🙂

Cracker

False alarm.

With City sanctions looming, could we also have P for Pep as a likely target? 🙂

I like the use of ass there, as opposed to arse. Marsch buy in already there. 🙂 At this stage, a kick in any extremity might ruin what shreds of morale they have left. Marsch's firm positivity might be the better option. I'd like to think we've got a group that are hurt badly, and do look at themselves. At the same time I think we've got a group who badly need direction and confidence. RalphBall is not for the independently minded. Add in lots of youth and players new to this league and level, and they need to be shown the way. If the above is wrong, then happy to help clear furniture out of the way of Jesse's butt kicking run up. 🙂

A twig of hope? 🙂

Ralph got a tune out of most of it for a while. And Marsch plays a system with some similar foundations. So that's a branch to cling to in the stormy relegation seas ahead. 🙂

Sorry to everyone waiting for CB Fry's next post. I've not finished programming it in yet. 🙂

It's clear from all the other forums and former players that, despite reflection, he couldn't implement any of the hard lessons learnt after his time at Stoke. He talked about being himself in glowing terms. That turned out to be the case with all the traits he would have wanted to move away from too. As it stands, he can certainly do a job driving a L1 side. Any success they have should be together, rather than him jumping ship. That way, if he gets promoted with them, he won't struggle to impose his ideas on "better" players. Due to the premier League platform, he will find it harder, as future players/ chairpersons will have easy access to his interviews, and less than complimentary articles. Although even a quick look at wiki and win % would not help either. I'd be surprised if anyone wanted it to end the way it did. One of the key questions is more how it was allowed to start, rather than pointing at NJ for taking the offer. While never wishing ill of anyone, I can't say he'll be taking up too many of my thoughts in future, outside of cautionary posts on here. A little thought is that he takes Havant and Waterlooville to glory. But that's not a level he knows about, and he may be looking to come back somewhere higher up. 🙂 Yeah. They were early in my thoughts. After the sheer relief. While NJ gets a big pay off, those guys will get far less. Part of the risk going with a manager. I wonder where they were while their boss was clearly compromising his principles though. I have more sympathy for his Saints supporting relatives. It's harder for them to move on than NJ and his staff.

This is Jesse's first big test. If he were to start tomorrow, would he count the Chelsea game? Would he prefer to start after it? Or would he say how brave he was to take it, but subsequently disown it, when it was added to his stats? The Nathan test. 🙂

Leave Strachan alone! We might find that Marsch deploys a similar tactic to his RB and Leeds days. The squad, not quite up to that level are a little disjointed,continue to miss chances, and get undone with all the 1 against 1 defensive duties. Against opponents who are clued up to play against his system. Since we need wins, we go for it, and we may concede more as a result. Might happen. But we would be going for it, with a clear plan. We'd not be going out with poorly devised, compromised tactics, and going out the division with a whimper. We'll take hits being more attacking, but that''s where support comes in, rather than moaning about set backs. We could then back Jesse with a full preseason and next season to get us back. Staying up is going to be difficult enough. Marsch has done it before, but offers us something longer term to build around too, whatever the outcome. There's no guarantees. Marsch may turn out to be a manager we wanted to see, rather than what we needed short term. But no guarantee those short term appointments would work out any better. We'll find out in due course. Marsch has lots going for him, and you've no idea if your disaster scenario will happen. Better a rational decision, than irrationally throwing toys around while offering no alternatives. Having watched his half time team talk, Marsch definitely knows one of the two words needed to respond to Selles or SR insisting that 5 at the back is statistically better. Another point in his favour. 🙂

I take it we'll have a message board for the phoenix club that replaces Southampton, who just call it quits moments after appointing Marsch?

Also in the Guardian: David Squires NJ cartoon:- https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2023/feb/14/david-squires-on-nathan-jones-southampton-pep-guardiola-manchester-city

I was disappointed when Strachan arrived, having just taken Coventry down. But he did really well for us. Taking a step back showed he'd also had really good spells with Coventry too. It didn't take long to see improvements in fitness and approach with us. There are any number of factors involved when things go poorly, not least of which are personnel changes/ transfer policies, injuries, unrealistic expectations etc. Marsch may have failed in that he got sacked twice. He may not have hit the heights either board was looking for. Posts above outline a lot of reasons for this, alongside decent concerns. But he he's done plenty of good things in his career and hits a lot of the things we're probably looking for in a manager. There's no suggestion he carries the baggage NJ did even when things were going well for him at Luton. Overall, yes there are some risks there, but it's not a deal breaker just on that alone.

Exam

Agreed. Both the BBC and TalkSport have had programmes covering European and World football for years. Gallardo's name and progress have come up regularly, particularly from South American correspondent Tim Vickery.

Lower league management is trickier, which is why NJ could say he was the best in Europe at Luton. 🙂

Amendment

Finally, my voice will be heard...hey, wait a minute...! 🙂

I think Leedshampton lost a cup final to Melchester Rovers in one of the old annuals. 🙂

It's that kind of embracing the inner child, progressive approach that makes Potter such a sought after coach. 🙂

Marsch does have a bit of that Adkins positivity vibe about him. So, we can enjoy that while keeping Nige's legacy with us intact. When there are tough decisions to be made, and doubt creeps in, I know I'm not alone in saying "What would Nige do?" 🙂

In the credit column, Marsch is a successor to Ralph at Leipzig, having worked his way through the various Red Bull clubs. The sort of model / project SR are really keen to emulate. He's worked with top coaches in that environment along the way. He has won trophies and awards as a manager, and international caps as a player. He's assisted at World Cup level. He's very much the man for a project, although projects are short term, results driven and coaches rarely have a tenure lasting to see much of one through. But he fits SR's model very well here, and is group focused. The debits are that his Leipzig tenure wasn't anywhere near as successful as Ralph's. Like all tactics, there's a worry that his was picked open and couldn't adapt just as Ralph found. Sometimes, the overly complex tactics are the hardest to change, both in game and across a season. He was replacing a very successful coach. The narrow style he adopted, and maintained at Leeds, didn't work with what had gone before, particularly RB's wingbacks. We do some of our best stuff with KWP. It would be nice to think Marsch could mix it up a little based on what worked with him at RB with him, before him, and after him. SR were pleased enough to hire NJ on deep deliveries, so they'll be happy enough with what Marsch initially offers. However, it was hardly effective for us, although Marsch was operating it at a much higher level. Marsch's style might be a little past it's best. In the same way that RalphBall was great, right up until it got sussed, and suddenly wasn't. A plus will be that a lot of the squad will see lots of Ralphisms. Slight downside if they hated all of that. Marsch will have a striker, which is more than he really had access to often at Leeds, and more than Ralph got after Ings. Having coached Bradley Wright Phillips, he has a Saints connection too. RB are all over their stats, and Jesse has mentioned aggression quite a lot. He prefers pressing to front footedness, but is adaptable. He's clearly very focused, but it's communicated in a relaxed, intelligent way rather than a defensive, chippy way that could lead to a fight in the club car park. I'd call Leipzig and Leeds mixed rather than fails. So, he may have to dig out some failed school tests to convince Rasmus he has sufficient trauma to overcome. Considering the esteem the RB coaching set up has, we could do far, far worse than Marsch. He will want to work to transform us as Ralph did. SR are willing to give time, and have brought in personnel. If nothing else, a direct, pressing Marsch team will be really entertaining, and sometimes scary, in the Championship.

Electric