trousers

Koeman: "I wasn't expecting this question after this morning . I am manager of Southampton. Everyone knows I have one year left on my contract. We will sit together and analyse the season and talk about the future"

I wonder what questions will crop up in today's press conference.... hmmm (*scratches chin*)

2PM

#meltdown

As an aside....Contract renewal for two players about to be announced (club just posted teaser video on Twitter) Edit: its Forster and JWP...

Now Flores is to leave Watford at the end of the season. Bonkers given that he kept Watford up comfortably, despite their end of season blip. #managementmerrygoround

Wouldn't the level of disappointment also be dependent on who the replacement was rather than just on which team RK might leave for? In other words, if we were to sign the world's greatest manager, why would it matter that RK left for "a side below us for the last two seasons"?

Yep, Guan's statement did seem to be glossed over somewhat on here. It wouldn't surprise me if Les & Co (not to be confused with Legs & Co) are *not* unhappy with Koeman being linked to other clubs as it would make it easier for them to deal with the 'Koeman doesn't want to commit to the club beyond next season" scenario. It's better than the board having to "sack" Ron out of the blue this summer if he refuses to commit to a contract extension. IMO of course.

Sometimes denying something that might not be true can add fuel to the flames as there will inevitably be people that then disbelieve the denial and conclude that it actually adds weight to the story. A damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario. #humannature

Talking of unlikely outcomes... http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36283099

Fret ye not squire... I've only let the serious one out of the box for a couple of hours. Normal service to be resumed shortly p.s. it does genuinely annoy me ever so slightly though when players trot out the "we're really fired up for this one" line.

They should be equally "fired up" for all 38 games. Maybe that's why Leicester got c.20 points more than us? They played every game like it was an end of season decider? (Ooh-er... Trousers actually expressing an opinion rather than waffling on about nothing in particular )

Cause and effect. I would venture that most 'speculative' stories are by their nature, going to be 'negative' in some shape or form. Cage rattling stories sell; lovey dovey 'everything is tickety-boo' stories don't. Take yesterday for example. Two stories about Koeman... One from the Liverpool Echo linking Koeman with the Everton job (according to a mystery 'source') and another article penned by Simon Peach where VvD says he's convinced Koeman with stay at Saints. I wonder which one of those stories made the back pages this morning...? Its human nature to disbelieve negative stories that appear to hold no tangible substance. A bit like when the media publish a negative story about Jeremy Corbyn, for example, some people's natural reaction is to automatically disbelieve it....

I refuse to disbelieve this story until Crook publishes his 'exclusive' on it later today.

http://talksport.com/football/liverpool-fc-news-reds-shouldnt-want-finish-higher-eighth-and-here-we-explain-exactly-why

Meltdown #7

Hashtag Portsmyths

252,639

Shame