Tom & Gerry

We don't want a yes man, we don't want someone with a bad attitude, we don't want someone who doesn't play attacking football with at least 2 up front but beggars can't be choosers just get anyone that can win 3 matches and a couple of draws.

Managers that have done badly elsewhere have done well here in the past - Ball, Hoddle, Strachen and at least he has plenty of Premier league experience. The negatives have been well articulated above. If all appointments are gambles then this would be a big one but that's the territory we are in.

Coming out of Wembley in 76 was more subdued and less exhuberant than you might think as there were gangs of angry United fans looking for an excuse to wade in. It was ok once you got past Basingstoke though. Football hooligism began in the 60's. The first year we played Pompey, we had come up from the 3rd they had come down from from the 1st it was a lovely atmosphere but things began to change in subsequent years. There were far fewer restrictions on fans in those days and it was the custom of supporters at big games to parade round the ground with banners before the start. I carried one round Fratton Park. There was a lot of red shale on the path round the pitch in those days and we didn't get more than half way before the banner was destroyed and you could see the hatred in the eyes of those throwing the shale. I quickly learnt that the rivalry was not just banter. On another occasion Saints won 3-0 at Fratton Park and after every goal kids would run on to the pitch from the Fratton End to the half way line to celebrate. By the 3rd goal some of the Pompey kids had had enough and there were fights on the pitch as the fans returned from the half way line with players having to try and break it up. Trouble with other clubs was as a direct result of the success of the Spion Kop at Liverpool. Other clubs copied with a fervent groups of supporters gathering together to form a signing group behind one of the goals. Before this fans just paid at the turnstile and stood/ sat where they wanted and there wasn't much signing. The problems came when both sets of supporters wanted to stand at the same end and it became more confrontational. At first it just pushing and shoving to get the best spot behind the goal but it soon escalated in to something more sinister. The first fans moving in to our area on the Milton Road were Man City in the 65/66 promotion year. There were a few skirmishes after that and I remember having tomato ketchup thrown at me by Bristol City fans that year (Channons first Game) very messy. The next season in the Ist Division it really took off and there were frequently loadspeaker announcements that the Milton Road end would be cleared if the fighting didn't stop. It didn't much but the threat was never carried out. Sometimes fans gathered at opposite ends but that didn't mean you were safe because at some grounds you were free to walk right round the ground if you wanted. I well remember the 6-2 and 3-2 wins at Stamford Bridge where you could see a trickle of fans leaving the the Shed end to come and confront us at the other end. At the Dell it was more difficult and you had to wait until 10 minutes from the end when stewards would open the gates before hostilities could begin. Gradually things got worse leading to all ticket matches, segregation, fences and the all seater stadiums we have today.

Hello what just happened?

Park the bus and play for penalties.

When was this wonderful mythical time when people enjoyed football? Don't you know that football is to be suffered not enjoyed? and it is only after you go through the most intense pain and humilation that you gain just a brief glimpse of satisfaction during the good days before it is on to the anxiety of the next game or season. Who is injured? who is off form? who isn't being picked that should be picked? oh no our best player is suspended.Who are we selling/ buying? What if we don't beat the opposition who are not fit to lick our boots or how can we hope to compete against this side of multi talanted super stars, but we never quite give up hope. And then during the game unless you are more than 3 goals up at half time there is always the expectation that the opposition have to improve in the second half and most games are stomach churningly close until the final whistle. You can't stop going because you don't enjoy it any more, you never did and you shouldn't have started in the first place so why stop now?

My bottom 3 are Palace, Stoke and WBA. Ironically 3 teams that have changed their Manager.

On a positive note players from outside the Premier league have often needed time to fit in and we don't have time. If we stay up and he signs in the summer its a win win.

I believe he will go if we do not win tomorrow but it is not the straightforward decision so many think. There are arguments for him staying and I respect those who think he should. There is the stability argument. It is almost inevitable that teams that frequently change their manager will fail eventually. That makes the decision high risk either way. There are impact managers who can do a good job in the short term to keep us up but are not so good long term. It would not be easy to change again in the summer if they kept us up. Secondly they see him every day not just on match days and they think he is a good coach. Thirdly we are not cut adrift at the bottom and a few good results would see us in the top half. Against this they have been extremely patient (for modern times) hoping or expecting that the tide would turn and despite a few signs that it might on occasion it hasn't. Football is full of good coaches that haven't been able to get results. Dressing rooms are all different and what motivates one may not motivate another. Remember Clough at Leeds. Also to do nothing looks like neglect. Therefore whilst I was in the camp of giving him more time I now believe reluctantly that time has come.

Nigel Pearson, he has previous.

If you are bored with slow passing football then Pulis style football seems to be exactly what you are asking for.

If he had lost the players as well as the fans he would like Puel have been gone. His main problem has been not improving the goals scored column which leads people on here who couldn't manage a premier league team in a million years but have wonderful hindsight to criticise his game management and call him silly names. If you only score 1 goal you are always hanging on at the end. Otherwise the football has been fairly decent.

A lot of very clever people were certain we would get hammered on Sunday. It seems a tad pessimistic to me to think we can't win 3 home games and 3 away seeing we've played all the top teams away apart from Arsenal but perhaps it was just a blip on Sunday.

What if Silva is a Manager that starts brightly and then crashes whilst Pellegrino is the opposite?

Fair point. I was just thinking of Saints present predicament where they need midfield players to support the main striker.

I think your campaign lacked a certain simplicity that say the "Wenger Out" uprising had not that is going terribly well. Our previous attempts were also much more punchy. "Bates must got was a good one but that didn't work either thank god, nor did "Lawrie your a let down" "We want Branfoot Out" worked better but he was here much longer than our present Manager and the football was much,much worse. You see it is usually events that decide the future of Managers not protests.

Just wish he was a bit better in the air. He could become quite an attacking threat then.

I believe nearly everyone on here is a fanatical Saints fan, otherwise they wouldn't be on here but people react to adversity in different ways. Some try to adapt to the new reality, make the best of it and offer support whilst others see themselves as victims of a disaster and want to blame and fight everyone. I'm not saying either is right or wrong, one position is probably too passive and the other too aggressive. In this rapidly changing world we all have to adapt to some extent to changing situations or we are toast. It is hard to fight because you are going against the tide and as far as football is concerned many people have more important things in there lives to fight. The best you can hope for is the tide to turn. Sometimes it does as in politics and sometimes it doesn't (technology). In football it often does, eventually.

What ever you think of our Manager he is an honourable and decent individual so calling him calling him insulting names would only I imagine make the board dig their heels in further. Personally I think the team need a psychiatrist not a new Manager to sort out their mental approach.

It seems that only players win games and only Managers loose them. So the first half was down to the players but the second was all down to the Manager.

What hope does any Manager have if the opposition are allowed to throw the ball in the net. Clowns and idiots don't get points in Manchester.

Nice guy, means well and his use of language probably goes down well in the US of A but sounds very annoying to us. It's good to know someone is there but as always actions speak louder than words.

Short memory?

There's no hope then. I take it you're off to support Liverpool.

Is there anyone at Southampton football club we shouldn't get rid of? Anyone at all doing a half decent job?