Convict Colony

Southampton's pattern of signing off-the-radar, potentially underrated managers from outside England has continued. After getting good returns from the hires of Mauricio Pochettino and Ronald Koeman -- both on the pitch and in their buyouts when they moved on -- the Saints have brought in another similar manager in Claude Puel. Puel is an experienced manager, having been in charge at Monaco, Lille, Lyon and Nice over the past 17 years. He has a good track record with bringing young players into the first team, something Southampton said was a major factor in his hiring. Puel got Nice to overperform in Ligue 1 last year and is also partially responsible for the career resurrection of Hatem Ben Arfa. Nice finished fourth in France last season, and with an impressive plus-17 goal differential, too. While their rivals are chasing big name managers, Southampton might have fleeced everyone again by grabbing the best person for their job on the market. http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2016/6/30/12067588/southampton-might-have-found-another-hidden-gem-in-claude-puel

Our black box is like a bouncer, if your names not down your not coming in

Guys he is french and therefore more fashion savy than most of the shell suit wearing fans on here.

Thanks especially to Les as I have just won 150 quid from Paddy Power

Pascal was being linked to the PSG training director role last month so he must be well thought of to work with younger players. http://www.lensois.com/2016/05/pascal-plancque-la-tete-de-la-formation-au-psg/

I like Claude already. He looks scruffily slick in his dress sense, a man after my own heart.

I've just noticed that Dr Barry Gale is listed on our offical website as Player Integration Officer - http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/team/staff-profiles/

According the LOSC forum they say we are interested for sure in Boufal and think we would be the perfect club for him but also Chelsea and Sevilla are interested and if they firm up their interest with an offer he will go to Chelsea.

Too many meltdowns at once I can't compute.

Players sign for money and ben arfa looked reborn

1/9 on paddy power now just to continue the betting theme, glad i got him at 4/1 last week.

Weren't we linked last summer as well

http://www.espnfc.co.uk/story/1311285/claude-puel-proving-nice-guys-dont-finish-last-in-ligue-1 Just a re-read from when I posted it earlier if someone hasn't read about his last few seasons in Nice, after this article he got them to 4th !!! Sent from my a ****ty delayed BA flight with vitriol

Ok my Puel bet is still looking good

Thats it I've asked Paddy Power for a price so I can waste more money after my Puel and Pereria hedge bets from last week.

This dude is ticking some serious boxes. Olympiakos’s Marco Silva is legitimately being touted as Portugal's new kid on the block. He spent most of his playing career at Portuguese club Estoril, where he retired in June 2011 at the age of 34. The directors were quick to promote Silva, whose remit was to lift the club into the Primeira Liga after hovering for six consecutive seasons in the second tier of Portuguese football. Silva’s debut season as manager was a stunning success. Against all expectations he guided his team to the second-tier title with style, panache and, most notably according to local football pundits, tactical nous. Promoted to the top flight along with Moreirense, both clubs were favourites for relegation. Moreirense went down, but Silva produced an even greater triumph as Estoril finished fifth; qualifying for the Europa League was also their first entry into European competition in the club’s 74-year history. image: http://imgur.com/9tSOpzS.gif But when Lica and Steven Vitoria – their two key players – were sold to Porto and Benfica respectively in the summer of 2013, Estoril were once again favourites for the drop. Silva again deceived disbelievers by guiding Estoril to a historic fourth-placed finish. Sporting recruited him on a four-year deal. He led the club to their first major trophy since 2008 by winning the 2015 Portuguese Cup, and finished third in the league behind Benfica and Porto. Despite his success, rumours of a rift with the club’s president proved accurate as Silva was given his dismissal just four days after winning the Taca de Portugal. One of Silva’s most impressive attributes has been his ability to nurture young talent. As such, Olympiakos signed a handful of highly talented youngsters last summer and hired Silva in the hope he would bring the best out of a squad with potential. What followed has been nothing short of spectacular. A 3-2 victory at Arsenal in the Champions League and 100% domestic record of 12 consecutive wins in the Greek Superleague have prompted inevitable comparisons with Jose Mourinho. His next challenge is to stop a highly charged Arsenal, with Silva’s side needing a draw to guarantee a last 16 spot.

I'd go for one of the below: Omega Speedmaster Dark Side of the Moon - 7.6k (at duty free) Rolex Pro-Hunter Daytona - About 16k Patek Phillipe Complications Skeleton - Very Expensive

Yeah i thought hakim when i saw twente and Valverde for manager when i saw Athletic at St Marys

Vitor Pereira denying speaking to us and being completely concentrated on Fenerbache in the Turkish press today, must of got the bad news today so we could be close to some sort of announcement. https://www.sporx.com/vitor-pereiranin-akli-fenerbahcede-SXHBQ550785SXQ

Just seen Tonny Vilhena has after a month of pimping himself out across europe has re-signed for Feyanoord for another 2 yrs.

Looks like I will be going to Zwolle then.

Olympic Marseille fans want the same coaches as us.

Joachim Low the ball and bum sniffer par excellence [video=youtube;vYso-ZUwEZ0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYso-ZUwEZ0

The black box identifies candidates not negotiates with them.

I will always like Vic, good luck to him served us well for 3 yrs and joining with a manager who he already knows in the champs league. Think he has been bought as more of a squad player though with Dier and Dembele in front of him at the moment.