Professor

Atletico Bilboa adopted Southampton's colours of red and white stripes with black shorts in 1909 when a Bilboa student picked up 50 shirts for the.club before catching the ferry back home. As a result Bilbao changed from their previous strip. Some surplus shirts out of the 50 were sent to Atletico Madrid, hence two Spanish clubs have this link to Southampton.

Imagine Black expects to be leaving as assistant coaches are well aware that their job is likely to come to an end if their boss gats the sack. Often no reflection on their ability but just that a new manager wants to bring in his own people. In Black's case it was suggested that his ability to speak French was a factor in his appointment given Puel's limited English. Is there any information indicating Black has been a poor coach? Just wondered because saying "haven't got rid of yet" seemed rather hostile.

A lot of us don't need a competition to decide which is the best team in British football, because we already support the best team. Those that get more points than us, or win cups, do it by unfair means using shady money and by cheating.

Just a reminder to those who think 8th was good enough, the points total didnt deserve that position. The gap to 7th said it all. Far more pleased that we are anticipating an appointment rather than looking forward to more of the same with Claude.

Being a premier leaguer football coach must be a precarious job. No where near as well paid as the manager/head coach but judged on the manager's performance rather than their own. Just as Black and Plancque were brought in specifically to support Puel, perhaps because, they both spoke French, so it is that the coaching staff often have to give way because a new manager likes to have his own support team. I've no idea how good a coach Eric Black is or whether he is still in post at the moment, but it's not likely to be his fault if he is released. I suppose the radio interview was a little careless because the club line should have been that VVD was under contract having signed on for 6 years. As an employee, Black should not have been speculating about players moving in or out but perhaps he wasn't given adequate guidance by the hierarchy. As for "has he gone? will he stay? will he go?" who knows? but must be likely the new man will bring his own people.

Right decision in my opinion. His record, in terms or performance and results speaks for itself. It's hasn't been at the level the fans had come to expect and we should be pleased that the board aren't satisfied with mid-table mediocrity either. WE do have some good players, which may be why we ended up the best of the rest, but it must be questioned whether the team delivered all that they are capable of. Black and Plancque didn't strike me as strong appointments, and seemed to me to be here to compensate for the language difficulty more than for their coaching abilities. I'd agree with the assessment of Claude as a 'nice bloke', but that's not necessarily a management qualification in football. This is only half of the decision. Obviously, this change is being made because the board want to move the club forwards, which should be what the fans want, but we will only see the full picture when the new manager is appointed.

I didn't like the shirt of the Keegan/Channon period because I'#ll always prefer the traditional stripes. I'll be disappointed if the stripes are dropped again but as football clubs all treat their fans as a source from which to extract as much money as possible, a new design is almost inevitable. Whether it will be the one suggested by this thread, who knows, but having said I like stripes, I must admit I really didn't like the 2016/2017 shirt which made the players appear to be wearing a white bra over their shirts. So, for once,. I would like a shirt but I'd prefer the best of the past rather than yet another new one.

That Liverpool statemewnt is worth looking at again:- "Liverpool Football Club would like to put on record our regret over recent media speculation regarding Southampton Football Club and player transfers between the two clubs. We apologise to the owner, board of directors and fans of Southampton for any misunderstanding regarding Virgil van Dijk. We respect Southampton‘s position and can confirm we have ended any interest in the player.” That statement makes no admission over what they had done. It doesn't regret Liverpool's actions, only the media speculation. As for the 'apology' that isn't for Liverpool's actions but for a 'misunderstanding'. It's reported that our club is satisfied, although that might be just because the threat of a transfer to Liverpool is removed. If that limp statement by Liverpool gets them off the hook with the Premier League, it won't deter similar illegal approaches in the future by Liverpool or any of the other wealthy clubs but will the League take on one of their favourites. It will be a surprise if they do.

The only substance to betting odds is the value of the bets placed. It does mean that more punters think Tuchel is worth risking a bet but that will be based on what they've seen reported, not because anyone is ITK. Could also be an element of wishful thinking by Saints' fans as most of us would be extremely impressed if Tuchel was appointed. Along with keeping Van Dijk, having an established top manager would indicate a step change. If this does come about, the Les Reed critics should take some overdue time off.

Maybe Eddie Howe has a copy of the Laurie MacMenemy Handbook of Football Management. Buy them old and keep them going.

The whole premise of this thread is flawed since the opening post is inaccurate. There is no news that Van Dijk is leaving. The stories in the press are fake news. If there have been any approaches to him they would be illegal and should result in sanctions against any club breaking the rules. If fake stories have been planted to unsettle players, that is also illegal. It will be interesting to see the Premier League have the balls to act against the club named by Radio Solent.

It's a widely known fact that newspapers print unfounded stories about player movements because doing so sells papers. Commonly theses stories include mention of the various 'big city' clubs because these clubs have more followers across the country and consequently have the greater effect on circulation. The whole point behind the title of this thread is that VVD obviously cannot 'sign for everyone' which highlights immediately that the stories are simply lies. It is surprising that so many Saints' fans have been taken in by the fake news so that it gets discussed as if it were true but the Echo has done us all a service with a simple piece which ought to calm people down. Unfortunately, those who believe in conspiracy theory find the truth hard to accept. The best service people who want to see the club retaining all the players it wants to retain is to stop falling for the false stories in the media and to discuss them only by pointing out another lie.

The report about in Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung, about Tuchel taking six months off doesn't ring true as he'd be limited to January vacancies which would be at under-performing clubs. Close season is surely the time for him if he really does want to come to the Premier League.

Amazing how free Liverpool FC are with confidential information that it gets passed on to anyone who follows the club, even if living as far away as Hampshire. People shouldn't confuse false rumour with truth and should remember that the football media thrive on rumour not on truth. The rumour has no ring of truth about it because there is nothing to be gained by SFC entering into a pre-sale agreement with a particular club when more money could be gained from competitive bids. But neither does it make sense for Liverpool to commit themselves to buying an injured player before his recovery can be confirmed. I would discount absolutely that any such pre-sale contract exists. When VVD is fit, if the club were inclined to sell, it would be if the fee was so high that the squad could be strengthened by more than just compensating for his loss. As transfer fees are escalating, that figure is probably getting greater month by month and is another reason for not committing in advance. My guess is VVD will be here next season because that's what he and the club intended when he signed a 6-year contract.

Although we have a 'top-10 squad', having finished 8th, we all know that the points count tells a different story. Without the distraction of the Europa League and the need to rotate the squad, whoever is manager next season should get off to a better start. If it's Puel, there won't be the distraction of a new manager trying out new playing systems and on top of that, the injured players will be recovered and fit for pre-season. Contracts could mean some changes in the squad but the funds are there to replace like-for-like and possibly to improve as well as some of the Academy players now having had premier experience. Can't see that Puel has done anything to deserve sacking but I'd shed no tears if Black and Plancque were replaced. I do think the club should insist on Puel doing more to improve his English as language, rather than football coaching skills may have been too big a factor in deciding on his coaching team.

The dishonesty of the reports such as that by Sky is in trying to give the impression that signing a player is just like picking an item off a supermarket shelf. If you want it, you take it and don't worry about the price until you are at the check-out. Van Dijk is not being offered for sale and with 5 years on his contract, the club are well-protected. That doesn't mean that a massive offer wouldn't be considered if the money was enough to improve the team even with his loss but suggestions of £50m, are almost certainly based simply on what some other clubs have sold leading international players for. It is very unlikely that any such figure, or any figure at all, has come from the club who's only public comments have been that they do not wish to sell players they want to keep.

Unusual situation having a manager who doesn't appear to be walking out on the club. The 8th place finish feels artificial because the points total doesn't seem to deserve it, while the low goals scored total disappoints. We have a good set of strikers in Gabbi, Austin, Long, Redmond, JRod and Boufal but none have achieved as much as they should be capable of. Just not sure how much of that is the manager's fault or why. For no reason I can identify, I don't feel confident in Black and Plancque. Also the struggle with Claud's communication skills has an effect, however unfairly. Suppose I won't be surprised if he stays but won't be disappointed if he goes. The main thing is that either way a decision should be announced to end the speculation.

You should see the ones that support Liverpool......and Chelsea, and Spurs, and......well I suppose even weirdos are entitled to support a team so every team takes its share. As a weirdo myself, I quite liked the team selection today, although I'd have still liked it if Redmond had played ahead of Boufal as there's hardly a fag paper between them, both excellent players in my weird opinion. On the wider point, I do think Puel has done very well to have managed the team over more games than any other Prem club apart from Man U and to have got us in with a decent chance of a top ten finish, as well as a cup final appearance, despite long-term injuries to key players such as Austin and Van Dijk. A draw at Anfield is an achievement worthy of celebration, especially when our team effectively have nothing to play for, whereas Liverpool are looking to confirm Champions' League qualification. Well done Saints, and Well Done Claude.

Understand where you are coming from as the performance would have still have been a big disappointment but for many fans, winning is what matters. Games frequently turn on a moment of luck, a penalty awarded, scored or missed, a shot on goal just inside the post instead of hitting the goal-frame, the ball deflecting off a defender so that a goal is scored instead of the shot being saved. In the end, few of us look back at how a win is achieved but it is true that we do want to enjoy the pride of seeing our team play good football and it seems to me we have gone backwards as far as that is concerned.

If, IF, it's true that a number of key players don't respect the manager we are in a similar position to Chelsea in 2015/16 when the squad appeared to give up on Mourinho. If the choice is between keeping our best players and having them motivated, or retaining the manager, isn't the board more likely to opt for change of manager?

Of course, the word 'perspective' is a bit complicated for the small minded but most other people will understand.

Another way of looking at the Premier Table as at 2 May puts the team's performance this year in perspective. 81 Chelsea 80 79 78 77 Tottenham 76 75 74 73 72 71 70 69 Liverpool 68 67 66 Man C 65 Man U 64 63 62 61 60 Arsenal 59 58 Everton 57 56 55 54 53 52 51 50 49 48 47 46 45 44 West Brom 43 42 41 SAINTS; Bournemouth 40 Leicester; Stoke; Watford 39 Burnley; West Ham 38 Crystal Palace 37 36 35 34 Hull 33 32 Swansea 31 30 29 28 Middlesbrough 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 Sunderland Would we be even worse off if we'd had a different management team? Can't say Puel and Black come out of this with enhanced reputations, unlike our previous managers. On balance of probability, it looks like a change would be for the better.

Shame when people make statements like this with no evidence. Best leave the fake news to the tabloid hacks. VVD won't play until he has recovered sufficiently to return to full training, just as Targett and Austin have this week. Whether that will be before the end of the season is in the hands of the physios.

After this weekend's games so far, we are still in 9th place but how much pride can we take in that. We are there today only because Watford and Stoke lost to teams that are struggling against relegation. We are only 9 points above the relegation zone ourselves. This year's Premier league has become an Elite League of 7 teams and The Rest. The 9th place is very fragile and doesn't hide the fact that we are one of The Rest and it would have only taken a couple more defeats for us to be hovering above the drop. With Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal to come, even the games in hand could be a mirage. If playing in the Europa League groups and reaching the EFL Cup Final has made anyone think this hasn't been a disappointing season that could be a serious mistake. For this club to be secure in the Premier League something needs to change for next season. One change we know of, is that without European football we won't have to use the rotation policy but will that be enough? In a way, I won't mind if we do drop to something like 13th or 14th over the next few weeks because it might take that to show the Board that action is needed in the close season for the club to raise its game for next year.

Spot on. People need to remember that a few years ago we were playing the likes of Rochdale, Hartlepool and Yeovil which gives some perspective to the level the club are at now. You don't need to be much older to remember the latter years of our previous time in the Premiership when the 1990s saw regular struggles against relegation often saved only by the brilliance of Matt Le God. As someone else said, we are in the Second Division of the Premier League and occasionally we can punch above our weight but we can't expect to do that every season. With FFP benefiting the big clubs because of their massive commercial income our club has to take a long-term view of trying to build an increased commercial base ourselves because that is what it takes to rise to the next level.