James

I presume you realise that a manager usually only becomes a "name" once they've enjoyed a degree of success? Unknown managers tend to be unknown because they have either a) not achieved any success or b) have not achieved it on a grand stage. My personal concern with appointing Puel is that, bar a fourth place finish with Nice (which I agree is impressive), his record isn't great and he's been sacked by both Lyon and Monaco. I'm willing to put the sackings aside as we don't know the circumstances but there is a track record for managers who have only managed on the continent not doing well in the Premier League (see Pepe Mel, Jacques Santini, Jean Tigana etc.) I'll obviously support Puel when appointed but I can't pretend I think that it's the best appointment we could have made.

Well of course we weren't. I'm only going on newspaper reports same as you are. Personally I'd rather have taken MP than some guy who hasn't managed anywhere but France. Seems to me as though we are trying to find the next Pochettino rather than appointing the best manager available. Just my view and my view is that it's a massive gamble given current levels of expectation both amongst fans and players. Hope Reed hasn't let the plaudits go to his head.

I see it more as: "Southampton ambitious enough to appoint ex Real Madrid manager, maybe I'll give it another year and see how we go" Now I see it as "Who have Southampton appointed? What's Klopp's number?" It's about ambition and presentation, we had the chance to make a mega appointment and by all accounts MP actually wanted the job. As it is we've ended up with Puel who is, for the most part, a complete unknown. He may turn out to be decent and I hope he is but it smacks of the cheap option when we had a chance to really kick on and raise our profile.

Stupid of Saints to leak news of big names like Pellegrini and Garcia and then appoint an unknown French manager with a patchy CV. I was hoping we'd use our current standing to make a blue chip appointment but we haven't. Can't see that Puel will be a big enough name to keep hold of Mane etc. Can see a summer of upheaval which will set us back. Big gamble.

Can you name one other club that would turn down Manuel Pellegrini in favour of Claude Puel? It is just absolute madness. The board better know what they are doing here as the fans expected someone high profile, the players will want someone high profile and instead we've ended up with some bloke with a mediocre record in a not particularly competitive French league. I'm not impressed at all and can't help but feel we've thrown away our chance to bring in a real first class manager. Hope I'm wrong.

How much do you want to bet on that?

So England now playing Portugal as it stands. Hodgson being made to look like even more of a ****.

Someone was also told Martin O'Neil owned a house in Winchester. It turned out to be bull**** then and I think this is pretty unlikely as well. Excuse everyone for taking it with a very large pinch of salt.

remember the Sun strongly linked us to Felix Magath and a week later we appointed Koeman. It's a rag.

Absolutely - makes me even more angry when it says 'but he could be joining him'. There are absolutely no quotes to support that just some vague reference to Long being on Koeman's wish list with no consideration of the fact we a) wouldn't want to see or b) Long might not want to go.

He doesn't really say anything. All sensationalised from the title of the article. He doesn't suggest he's going to follow him to Everton just that he is disappointed to see him go. Nothing to see here I don't think.

You have become a parody of yourself.

I'm glad that the French prosecutors have now confirmed what many eye witnesses alluded to. I am slightly concerned that a flare up in Lens/Lille is inevitable though. Given what's happened over the last few days I just can't see a situation where Russian and English fans are staying in the same city passing without incident. Fingers crossed I'm wrong or that UEFA don't make good on their threat.

Have a mate out there who says the same. England fans good humoured in general but the Russians are just causing carnage. The stadium violence just proves it, they are thugs.

So glad you came on a Southampton FC forum to post that. You really must have no life.

Can the mods please ban these WUM Everton fans? It's getting a bit boring now.

As much as I like Koeman, he's not in the same league as Poch was/is. Poch never had us playing as badly as we did this season when we didn't win in something like 12 games.

If we can't get Emery then I'd like AVB and then Howe. I wouldn't actually mind Moyes but I can't see our board going for him as he just doesn't fit the philosophy at all.

Oh well. A pretty unsavoury end to the Koeman era but it is what it is. This departure reminds me of the Delph situation last year. Ron comes out with quotes saying he's not interested in Everton and he's committed to Saints and then two weeks later he's jumped ship for the dollar signs. I hope we give him the treatment he deserves when he returns next season. Even Potch was more honourable in leaving us - he never actually said he was committed and not interested in the Spurs job he just didn't say anything at all. I'm gutted that we are back in this situation when we should be feeling more optimistic than ever but I have faith that the board will make the right choice for the replacement. I just hope that the uncertainty doesn't cause our players heads to be turned. We can't afford a major rebuild this summer with the added pressures of playing in Europe. As good a manager as Ron has been for us, let's not forget how we completely blew a chance of fourth place and how turgid our football was when we went through that bad run last year. Sunderland away and Leicester away in Ron's first season were as bad as I've seen a Saints team since we returned to the Prem. Let's hope the next manager is slightly more pleasing on the eye!

Of course he isn't you drama queen.

Who else does he represent?

I'd say Lukaku and Stones would be a bigger loss to Everton's first XI than Wanyama and Mane would be to ours so I think the last part of A and C cancel each other out at the very least. IMO, it would take a promise of an enormous budget from the new shareholder for Koeman to leave us for Everton. As others have said, I'm not sure he'll stay long term but would imagine he'd have his eyes on a Champions League regular.

Not if Palace win the cup...

All we need is a weakened Liverpool to fail to win one of their games right (assuming we beat Palace)? With that and United needing to win to grab top 4 I'm pretty positive about our chances of 6th. As if anyone expected Liverpool not to win against a garbage Watford at home?

Again, ridiculous commentary. Two feet from Vardy and it's a "good strong challenge". Was a foul at the very least.