Saint Gifford

Macron do actually make some decent kits. Grass Roots and Non League use Macron and Hummel a lot. Of course Nike, Adidas even Puma have the global pull. But the quality of a Macron and Hummel kit at the more expensive end, in my experience has all ways been better than most things offered by Nike or Adidas. Coming back to the Saints, I guess next season will all be about the quality in the shirts that is probably more important at the moment…………..

Fair play to SR. They seem to have stepped back and re evaluated. Time of course will tell, but after being gutted about relegation I’m really beginning to get excited about the coming season. Looking forward to a couple of games like West Brom( how dare they stay up all those years ago). Bristol Shity, because both my boys are complete Gasheads. Plymouth will be a great day out, S Wed and interesting to see what Leeds and Leicester do. Looking forward to being top of the table rather than at the bottom for a change. Bring it on, can’t wait now.

Unfortunately that is academy football all the way down the leagues. One of the reasons I can’t get to St Mary’s as much as I would like is because I watch my lad at Toolstation Prem on a Saturday. Mens football at a really good standard to be fair especially when you have just reached your 17th birthday. There are so many unbelievably good players, playing at that level at a young age. A really good standard of non league football to watch, Step 4 and 5.

I’m just checking Jamie Oliver’s version of boiling a frog. I’m sure that will turn out much better.

This, knowing us could go completely left field, if negotiations have gone south. Southgate, Edwards, Moore. Jeeezzzz this could go anywhere.

Yes it appears we have a bit of a war chest to get us back. With our track record to date I just hope we spend wisely. I hope we don’t become a Championship equivalent of Chelsea 🥴🥴🥴

Both teams were on the 🏖️

Everton going down would some what make this season at least a little bit more acceptable.

It’s a really big decision this one. Martin appears on paper to be the boards chosen one. If he gets us promoted, great. Will he get the chance to manage us in the Prem if we get there, probably doubtful. Long gone unfortunately are the days of a Fergie 20 plus years in charge. Managers are like players, very dispensable from both club and the person. Harsh, but football is now all about short term goals. Yes we are a Prem team and need to get back. But I can’t help feeling we are falling in the trap of the likes of Watford, Leeds, Everton and even Chelsea ect ect

Perhaps needs a move if he has any hope of an England call up. Close a few times, but as posters say Tripper probably aces him for set pieces. A move will either make or break his career I guess.

Sounds a bit like Chelsea. Can we have another go for Potts….🤣🤣🤣

At the risk of being shot down on here. We have been poor at executing a plan since sacking Ralph. We just don’t seem to have understood what the players needed. Im not saying sacking Ralph was right or wrong, but our friend Ankers has just looked at as we all know stats, and hired two managers that have zero ability of man management IMO. I am not a football manager, but do have a somewhat limited understanding of emotional intelligence and coaching for performance (albeit in the business environment and not in the sporting world). I don’t want to completely dismiss our squad, as you do not become a bad player overnight. It takes years since they were probably 7 or 8 playing and training to make it as a pro player. They all have abilities, it’s up to the coaches and manager to draw that out of a player and create the right environment. That is where we have spectacularly failed. Along with decision makers, looking at an individual and not looking at a piece of the jigsaw that fits in harmony and can quickly work out the dynamics and psychological development of a group of people. Both our last two managers appear to be and I might be wrong, hopelessly conditioned to training football skills on a training ground with no ability to look at the crossover of coaching / leadership,or models of transpersonal coaching ect ect. Southampton has led the way in these fields for years. Ive watched Saints academy games with the youngsters and it was abundantly clear that all this stuff was really high on the agenda. It is massively worrying if the long term vision is hiring and firing the latest so called next big manager, without considering the fit and all the Psychology that goes with a winning mentality. Maybe it’s just an oversight, or I have missed the point. But it doesn’t inspire me with the greatest of confidence for next season.

Clearly has spent too much time around a certain NJ. I am looking forward to forgetting this season, and being able to enjoy posting some positive stuff about players, manager, SR and the actual game play. Just about everything for next season, can’t be any worse than the crap that has been dished up this campaign.

Me too. I have become a Leeds supporter for a couple of hours.

It will end up being either inspired, or another Ali Dia moment. What ever the outcome, managers seem to only last a season or two at any club, so we will have to wait and see I guess.

Stroke of genius, I wonder what Gordon is doing at the moment. Palace can do it……..

I am going to talk a load of boll?@ks now I know. (Friday evening with a bottle of the West Countries finest apples). But the Manager has to be right but must fit into what ever business plan is currently in place through the club. (I am guessing none of us know what that is ultimately). Rob Edwards, case in point with what he did at FGR, fantastic fit. Then did the dirty on them to go to Watford now Luton. Ben Garner, Bristol Rovers crap, Swindon Great, Charlton no more than a few months. Now Colchester. I could go on and on and on. (Locally I agree). Just look up our former great player Tommy Wrids and what he has achieved. Potter at Chelsea, Conte at Spurs amongst others. Countless managers Man U ect ect ect. Like a lot of us on here, I couldn’t give a crap who we end up with as long as it is Prem football that fits with the club’s identity. But surely up and coming experimental managers, L1, Championship Manager, gone past it Prem managers we need to pass on. Potts was perfect under the Cortesse regime. Adkins did a great job before Potts came on board. Bottom line is, the club has to have everything in place from the tea lady to the owner, exactly like the current play offs have demonstrated. We could have Pep or Klopp and still be no where near winning anything without the identity. As a long standing ( I was going to say suffering but I won’t) fan. I hope next season is nothing other than promotion, what ever the position we finish. Just hope over the Summer the decision makers take a step back and work out the right plan.

Carlo and Michael free for next season………

I’ll go again, Joey Barton 😂😂😂

All pretty decent grounds to be fair. With one exception, Trashton gate. Crap support, crap club. But looking forward to going to hopefully batter them with a cricket score.

No nonsense, Joey Barton.

The only thing I’m clinging on to is the fact that Dra- goon will look at this and think what have I spent £200 million on. Clearly he must have some business savvy and will I’m sure view this as either cut my losses and run. Or make some real positive changes at board level and below. He hasn’t made a great deal of money, without learning from his mistakes. It will take plenty of money in transfers, but this will in the next few months show what sort of owner he is. If it was my £200 million, right now I would not be the happiest of people to be around, and would be looking to kick someone’s ass………

F?&k me, reading that reminds me of a passage in Tiss’s book about Rupert going down the route of youth. Look were that got us last time, exactly where we are going now. Im not a football mastermind, but have seen enough at Grass roots, Academy non league mens, league mens too understand if we are indeed going down this route Yeo- vile here we come.

He is in my opinion, a great player in our team. Could he play for either Manchester clubs, in the London so called three, or at the top table in Spain or Italy. I very much doubt it. We are Southampton and as much as I love the club, we would not and would never attract a world class player in their prime. Would I like us to sell our soul to Middle East or American Sports washing, I don’t know. That’s a completely different debate. Im sure we will miss him, but we are about his level. That’s the bottom line.