saint1977

That’s what perceived untruths about selling to someone who will ‘invest more to keep us as a top 10 PL club’ does to people. I’m past caring, Hughes revived my interest but I will be watching Exeter Chiefs again and for the first time in 35 years not watching SFC live once if one of Reed’s puppets appears again and there isn’t a decent net investment in net players. I agree that there may not be 50m exactly sloshing around with the VVD sake but all of it potentially disappearing? Something that would have happened in the Portsmouth Takeover Thread. The authorities need to keep a close eye on SFC although the PL let the fans and staff down badly by letting KL and Gao push this through in the first place.

Would have been a lot worse if the idiot had been in charge - but we had him instead!

Quite - I think some serious questions would need to be asked of the owner and board if the VVD money couldn’t be accounted for, HMRC asking the questions let alone the fans - not suggesting it has but responding to the earlier post about needing to sell to buy. Hopefully not the case and a BS rumour posted but the club bring it in themselves by being so glacially slow in how they do business. The club still have a lot of deadwood to clear too - probably 15 players including releases - but it shouldn’t be sell to buy.

Turkeys don’t make a habit of advocating Christmas Micky! Although I’m sure he’d recognise the blend of defenders isn’t right especially at CB. Good to hear we will be active in the forward department, especially some pace if possible. Sounds like MH has reintroduced some of the discipline from RK, Poch and Nigel’s time - good. Recall stories about Mane getting dropped for similar lapses in timekeeping. He might not have liked Koeman but he still performed for him. Relegation wage drops also slightly reassuring. Less reassuring is the communication aspect with players, let alone the fans. Explains how MP held on so long, clearly a disaster to us and the players but able to present a corporate face to a bunch of nodding dogs in the boardroom until the Newcastle debacle and MP’s admission he’d lost the dressing room which finally brought a decision several months overdue.

I voted go in the end having toyed with stay but reduced role. Saints Albert gave an excellent summary above thatt summarises my and judging by the reactions, many posters' views on the subject. Nothing wrong with sacking Puel, the football was atrocious but replace with Pellegrino? Then retain him after the Leicester debacle until March?!! The last two January windows in particular have been comedy slapstick - not replacing Fonte and then VVD beggars belief. As someone has posted, Les seemed to allegedly find the time to be part of a speaking series or tour but not to sign a CB. To have signed a £19m pantomime horse striker when we were promised we'd strengthen the squad significantly, that's sackable stuff. If I felt Les could change, then I'd have gone for the remit clip option as Gao worries me majorly. However, if you look at how he seemed to control Puel and MP, that's not someone who can change behaviour or stop being a control freak so you have to part company. I very much doubt in retrospect if the Redmond quote was Claude, he said it but I reckon Les was pushing it. Claude actually seemed to prove less of a yes-man than Les thought but too late, damage was done with the squad and boardroom. Les finally got his totally compliant yes-man in the summer - and look what happened. Mark Hughes has soon seen a toxic influence - let's hope it is dealt with this time after 24 poor months of decision-making, glacial inertia and staggering blunders.

Which is fine as long as he realises that to retain a PL club some of the profits from additional opportunities domestically need to be reinvested in SFC

Antonio had that as a lethal weapon when he joined on loan - and was very raw in other aspects but now an established PL player. I think he is at least worthy of consideration and gives the squad something it doesn't have. If he was a more refined player at this stage of his development, we couldn't afford him.

I think it depends on which interview you look at Always. The DT one definitely places his future in doubt, Echo one is ambiguous and Solent one was slightly more supportive. Blackmore is clearly appalled by Reed popping up when things are going well and being a disappearing coward when they aren’t. By putting a proper manager, not just a coach who Les can dictate to, in there a la Koeman, the club are in effect sending a signal that if Les does stay, his role will be much reduced. Fans and media trust in him, not just local but Sky, broadsheets and Jonathan Pearce have been critical of his role recently, has gone. He has a little bit more credit left with the club but is seemingly on thin ice. I do wonder if Hughes is appointed, whether Les will walk? Let’s face it, he didn’t seem to have a great relationship with Ronald. From EricB’s posts and others, it seems Les has been looking at the exit door for a while.

Good interview by Blackmore and whilst Ralph is Mr PR Spin at least he is there to take the tough but necessary questions. Blackmore’s disgust at Reed’s year and a bit silence is evident although I’m not sure how people are interpreting that Reed is definitely staying. The DT interview is far from clear Les is staying and the Echo one too. At senior level there will be some sense of collective responsibility, Ralph pushing Les under the bus was never going to happen and probably not a good behaviour if it did. However, I think Les will either be moving on or in a much-reduced role where he has some input on signings with Hughes and Wilson but stays out of first team affairs. I’d have less of an issue with this as long as Reed stayed to his brief and didn’t interfere with tactics and set up etc. The fact Les isn’t be mentioned around the managerial appointment is also an indicator to me that Les’s role is changing/reduced/going

Yes, and the Billy Davies argument is invalid as Derby should never have been promoted in the first place, especially if the ref had dealt with them in the first play off leg SF. Terrible negative football, no intensity, training sounded like it was similar, press conferences were terrible although not quite as bad as Puel on that front, bizarre subs. He looked shot away from the whole experience by November and for his own sake should have been relieved of his duties then. Reckless to have retained him during, what on earth were Bunsen and Beaker thinking? I loathed Ian Branfoot's style of football but he did win six on the spin (IIRC) at one point and we had games like Villa at home when Villa were chasing the title, and Norwich 3-0. Didn't think if my lifetime we'd ever see worse than Branfoot so well done Les for making the bleakest and impossible scenario come about, pity for them that pesky Hughes came and spoiled it all.

Well, didn’t see that coming. Still second bottom but a draw with Vince double ton, Amla ton and Rilee hitting some runs at last, a whole lot better than what looked a heavy defeat. Leach’s thumb probably helped us, but not England. They were hopeless on Saturday, couldn’t see anything other than a defeat.

Saw that, Sam Wallace must be the DT’s work experience kiddy because didn’t see any counter mentions of Fraser’s new contract, Carrillo, Boufal etc. Did exactly as Les told him, but then I suppose the DT news editors are also dictated copy by the Brexit MPs and Barclay Brothers. The stubbornness from Bunsen and Beaker around Pellegrino is also astonishing, why don’t just they grow up and be adults to say ‘yeah, we messed up there’. Hopefully Hughes being an experienced guy will be able to set up alternative media loops and narrative to mute the DT puff pieces and crank the pressure on Bunsen and Beaker up to excruciating levels if they don’t start showing some drive and effort. Absolutely no interference in tactics should be tolerated from Les. Also hope the new regime will start to act to rein in their power if they can’t bear binning them altogether. After all, Cortes left because KL wanted more accountability yet Reed is less accountable than Cortese ever was.

Relief, didn’t think the ten goal swing was likely, but just glad to get this season done having endured an even worse manager than Branfoot in Pellegrino. Hughes has saved Kreuger, Reed and Wilson, making our summers rather more pleasurable as a result. Enjoy tonight and then hard work starts tomorrow in terms of buying the 4-5 first players needed and offloading the likes of Boufal and Forster, although latter might be hard to shift with his wages. With the WC, and an earlier close to the window, business needs to be direct and brisk this summer. CB with leadership and presence in the air is first, Rogic as Davis replacement etc the second, pacy forward eg Promes next and then strong striker. Full back replacements if Bertrand or Cedric go on top. Squad is too big so bit of a clear out needed and only sign first team certs only, too many fringe players. Only really Romeu has actually started a majority of games. Hughes seemingly has them training properly now for English football so expect that to change next term with better core fitness. Would also like to see the new regime setting out some vision, Hughes staying, Reed stepping out of first team matters bar transfers which should be a collaborative process. Besides, academy gone stale so Les’s focus needs to be there.

I totally agree with your analysis, and VFFTs. Both posters also have the same impression I have that Puel and Pellegrino were merely vessels for Les Reed’s outmoded ideas. What tactics are deployed should be none of Reed’s business and at the discretion of the manager. Reed’s job is to recruit the players Hughes or the manager asks for, within reason of course, and to ensure our infrastructure, including the academy, is at its very best. About time we as fans turned on Les very significantly if there is any further signs of trying to dictate tactically. Let the manager manage. Reed is an executive level administrator, figures like Hughes or Koeman are football people. They have to be working in collaboration.

That was my favourite too, those Liverpool, Newcastle and Villa victories were great with MLT in amazing post Branfoot form and two legends in charge. Although if we are talking purely about the greatest escape per se I’d have to go for 98/99 - also featuring Mark Hughes. A season on a par with this one for grimness, first win not for 10 games which was Coventry home and didn’t get out of the bottom 3 until Leicester with 3 games to go. Home form kept us alive, first away win was the memorable Dellhurst although did also got to Derby and see us pick up a useful point. At Selhurst, media said we had 10k fans but I was there and it was far more than that, gate was 24k iirc and Wimbledon 8-9k tops. Then Pahars double v Everton - would love to have a player if his pace and directness now, made all the difference late on. Not bad in the air either. Mind you, relegation battles were different in the 90s - stuck in a 15k stadium and we were real underdogs. Not sure what this excuse is for this season!

How come? Eisner hasn’t been throwing money around on players and they are supposedly debt free? Their stadium is like something that would appear in a 1970s public information film where someone has a gruesome accident but they’d need to accumulate funds to sort those over time, or soft loans from Eisner?

That's exactly what I thought! When Bednarak had to come off, if we'd at Everton there's less chance Gabbi would have been replacing him. Hughes is a lot more ambitious than Pellegrino (ok, that's a very low bar!) but even so, that would have been quite cavalier. Just hope the team complete the job on Sunday and we don't even have to take much notice of events at Swansea.

Not sure I like the gloating boys, let's get the weekend out of the way first....

I know what you mean and silly words by Austin. That said, I reckon 1-1 v City on Sunday. We'll have Yoshi back as well which will help and he won't want his farewell to end with the drop. A couple of early fouls, just to let City know we will be getting stuck in, should help. Hughes will be encouraging them to get stuck in.

This will sound weird, as I've been pessimistic about this team all season, but I've been calm all day as I had a feeling they'd win. Knew it would be 1-0 too, should have stuck a few quid on it but happy without. Need to finish off professionally V City now and get at least a point. I just saw something in the Bournemouth and Everton displays I hadn't seen all season, some energy and spirit, which Puel and Pellegrino had sucked out of them. Also, even though Everton were without key players on Saturday, they are on a decent run and with that comes belief. Tonight, Swansea's recent form issues meant some of the confidenc drained out of them after Gabbi scored and they weren't the same threat afterwards, even with six minutes of injury time. Not over yet, and have to finish off properly at the weekend. Delighted though with this win, memories of the 1990s tonight and chuffed for the fans who went. Swansea will look to pick themselves up and hope either City score a hatful or Arsenal want to give Wenger a grand send off at Huddersfield. Got a feeling Stoke will be a bit wounded after Adam and Butland's comments though. They could implode or could want to prove a point as well. It's in Saints's hands now anyway.

If I were Flint I'd stay at City - club with mometum, owner investing sensibly, rebuilt stadium. Graham Carey would be superb in the Championship, seen him a few times at Home Park, and could become a crowd favourite.

Absolutely this, but this is an alarming sign for me that Reed and Wilson aren't going to be chucked because no-one should be going anywhere until a new DoF/manager is in place, or Hughes confirmed if staying. League 1 here we come if those two jokers aren't sacked asap. Carrillo is a big enough offence to sack them for without too many issues, and that's without Pellegrino and Puel disasters. About the last player in the current squad, bar younger players like Targett and McQueen from the area, who actually gives a toss. It's a pay day but surely the Championship would be better?

I don't think the overseas visitors is a problem though, people are still spending money on the club regardless of where they are from. Nobody objected to the Feyenoord or Gronigen fans at SMS when we were doing well under Koeman? In fact we quite enjoyed having them. This is only an issue because the standard of football and level of apathy from the club's leadership, management and players is pathetic, and has spread to the fans which is hardly a surprise. If the new owner is able to invest in Saints, sacks Reed, Wilson and Kreuger before the end of the season, and gives Hughes a DoF who has energy and interest, the mood could soon swing back. Personally doubtful about that, but happy to be proven wrong. Then no-one will care who is watching games and where they are from.

Reed, Ralph and Kat really have done the club in big time. Not got a good feeling about what might follow. Let’s hope our fears about Gao don’t materialise and they can rebuild with some energy in the club coming back on and off the pitch. Not betting on it though

Has it ever been any different though Warsash, even pre PL? Off the top of my head, we had Glenda sparked out in the late 80s at Highbury, not even a free kick given but about 10 minutes injury time in which Arsenal came from 2-0 down and it punctured our great start, plus we lost a key player long term. Jimmy sent off on the halfway line at OT in the Cup when the ref melted like a groupie when Bryan Robson started kicking off. Steve Dunn at OT in 1996 disallowing Shipperley’s goal which shocked even Fergie. Henchoz’s handball volleyball punch at Anfield for the most obvious penalty ever and ignored. I bet plenty of others can remember dozens of other incidents going back to the 60s and 70s and plenty of other clubs too that have been prey to poor decisions by bootlicking referees.