Simon3737

Are we assuming JWP right, Tadic left, Boufal in the centre?

Les Reed deserves massive credit for his contribution to Saints over the last 7 years, but maybe it’s now time for someone else to take over with some fresh ideas and a new strategy. I don’t believe the players aren’t good enough, although Mane was a huge loss obviously. Our players are better than performances suggest and our recruitment (Redmond excepted) is pretty good (Lemina, Hoedt etc). I think buying black-box bargains rather than proven ‘names’ is the only sustainable strategy for a club our size and we’ve had more hits than misses (and Les deserves great credit for establishing our recruitment infrastructure). However, I think we have to accept (unfortunately) that most modern Premier League players are pampered millionaire prima donnas used to getting what they want and many of them have been very unhappy since the summer of 2016 and this has impacted on the pitch. I think the reason they’re unhappy is because Les radically changed our strategy for player contracts in early 2016. I think we have to conclude that this strategy has failed. We have gone backwards ever since. His strategy was to get the players and manager to commit to long-term contracts. At the time, I thought this was a very sensible idea to stop the constant loss of our players. It seems pretty clear that Koeman wanted to see out the third year of his contract, then leave us for a bigger club, and Fonte wanted to move to Manchester United after winning the Euros. Letting these things happen was against Les’s new strategy so he insisted Koeman extend his contract or leave immediately (and earn us a transfer fee/compensation) and Fonte was denied his one last chance to move to a top club. This destabilised many of the players. In a normal business, the strategy was very sound. We didn’t want to risk players and managers running down their contracts and leaving for low transfer fees or for nothing. Unfortunately, this is not a normal business, the players are pampered millionaire prima donnas! Koeman and Fonte clearly refused to act ‘professionally’ and caused trouble when they couldn’t get what they wanted. Despite this, many of the other players then signed-up for long contract extensions in exchange for big pay rises without appearing to have realised that committing to longer contracts meant they were delaying their chances of getting the dream move to a big club that they feel entitled to. In a functioning market, the players agents would have explained to their clients that the ‘price they were agreeing to pay’ for their big pay rises was to delay their next career move. Unfortunately, the agents get bonuses every time a new contract gets signed, so they have an incentive not to explain these pitfalls to the players. Keeping van Dyke this summer has clearly woken up the players on extended contracts to what they signed up for and many of them seem (unjustifiably) furious about it. I think this damaged morale is what has primarily gone wrong for us this season (that and persisting with Nathan Redmond and Fraser Forster!). It’s extremely unprofessional of players to behave this way and the idea of reducing player power by getting them to commit to long contracts was a nice idea, but it has caused our team to go backwards fast since Koeman left and Les Reed has caused this. He tried to defeat player power, but is losing the battle. Finally, I think it’s interesting that (apparently) the ‘non-millionaire’ staff disliked Cortese, but the millionaire players and Pochettino thought he was fantastic. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Cortese’s background was as a Swiss banker specialising in High Net Worth Individuals (like Marcus). I’m guessing he was very good at massaging the egos of pampered millionaire prima donnas. My conclusion is that our team won’t improve until the (poor unloved) players are happy. Either this means changing half the players or changing the strategy. What these players want (and feel entitled to) is for Saints to embrace being a stepping-stone club and shop window for Champions League Clubs. This strategy was working pretty well until 2016 (on reflection) and the key is the club getting a good return on investment in the form of high transfer fees and using those funds to develop and recruit suitable replacements. I don’t see Les agreeing to change strategy, so I think it’s now time for a new Director of Football. I’m sure the Black Box has identified dozens of potential replacements because Les has told us the Southampton Way is bigger than any one individual! Now that’s off my chest!

Worth watching just for the phrase “murky washing machine”

Fair points, but I think the truth is Everton are a more attractive proposition than us for most managers and always have been (even in that year when they were a disallowed Bolton goal from being relegated). When Liebherr and Cortese first took over, we paid much better than all the other League One teams (apparently) and Pardew was then seen as a Championship level manager taking a step-down, but Cortese made clear he was disappointed bigger names than Pardew weren’t interested. Money can’t buy everyone!

I thought the rumour on here was that Tuchel was Les’s first choice, but he turned us down. Not sure how Les can be blamed for that! Or do some on here think Les should have refused his rejection and forced him to join us?

Saucy! Didn’t notice that myself.

I thought he said that, but assumed I’d misheard. Never admit a mistake and you might just get away with it! Lol

IMHO: -----------------------------McCarthy--------------------------- Cedric-----------Van Dijk------------Yoshida----------Bertrand ------------------------------Romeu------------------------------ ------------------Lemina---------------Davis--------------------- ------------------------------Boufal ------------------------------ ---------Gabbiadini----------------------------Long-------------- I wasn’t convinced by Boufal before today, but he’s proven his worth and must now have the chance to start the next few games behind the striker(s). I’m delighted Redmond was finally dropped (for the first time ever at Saints when he’s been fit??) and his cameo today was nothing spectacular (unless you just enjoy watching players run fast). Tadic clearly has ability so I was willing to be patient for a while, but he’s had plenty of chances this season and needs to be dropped now. He’s improved slightly over the last few games, but he slows us down too much and seems to hate shooting. I’d stick with Gabbi and Long together, but encourage them to get wide more often (generally Gabbi right and Long left), leaving Boufal in the ‘False-9’ role sometimes. I don’t mean they should play as rigid wingers sticking to one side, just that they should get wide more often to compensate for the narrow midfield diamond. I have no idea if McCarthy is good enough to play regularly in the Premier League, but I think he deserves a chance now. Picking Forster every week is starting to get cruel. There must be something physically and/or psychologically wrong. My theory is he’s overdone the weight/strength training and needs to lose some muscle-mass to become more agile (he’ll never be that agile at his size, but he didn’t used to be this stiff).

I think he’d be ideal for us. He appears intelligent enough to realise moving to West Ham for a bit more money would be a bad move. I emphasise the word ‘appears’ though!

We all care! That’s why we’re reading a forum!

Firstly, if you watch the interview, he didn't actually rule out ever playing 2 strikers. He just explained that it's not as simple as thinking 2 strikers will inevitably score more than 1. Secondly, if you look at the history of football formations, I think the general trend has been to continually increase the number of midfielders. The following articles on the evolution of formations is very interesting IMHO. 1-2-7 anyone?... https://www.football-bible.com/soccer-info/old-football-formations.html https://www.football-bible.com/soccer-info/football-formations.html

For reasons of money and geography, I've never had a season ticket, but I understand you can choose your seat location when you buy it. Surely, it's not beyond the wit of man (person) for the season ticket holders on this forum who like to make some noise/sing/chant etc to agree on a section of the stadium for a 'kop' atmosphere starting next season and agree to all pick seats around there when you renew your season tickets next summer. ...or is it more complicated than I'm assuming?

The players look thrilled! I've heard Matt Targett has been a Brickhill Capital fan since he was 8.

Is this being filmed on an iPhone?

IMHO: ------------------------------Forster----------------------------- Cedric-----------Van Dijk-------------Hoedt----------Bertrand ------------------Romeu--------------Lemina------------------- ------------------------------Davis------------------------------- ----------Long/Gabbi---------------------------Tadic------------ ---------------------------Gabbi/Long---------------------------- Forster will have a massive test against Man United. I don’t expect a clean sheet, but if he lets in soft goals again, I think McCarthy deserves his chance at Stoke. I think Tadic deserves a chance playing left-side, but if he’s anonymous there, I’d give Sam McQueen a go at Stoke in that position.

Redmond reminds me of an over-excited todler who runs into a room, stops suddenly, forgets what he was doing and then just sits on the floor.

Agreed! I'm hoping the booers will have got it out of their systems now. I predict the next step will be a VVD interview on the website with the tenacious Paxman-esque Jordan Sibley where he'll come as close to apologising as a pampered millionaire prima-donna type can.

I'm not convinced Bertrand and Cedric would be that much more attacking as wing-backs than as full backs. I think 3 at the back behind Romeu, Lemina and Davis will just add one more defensive player which I don't think we need. McQueen would be a good left wing back, but no point dropping Bertrand.

Good performance, despite Redmond's 'usual contribution'. Gabbi very unlucky to get dropped. I think him and Long could play together as part of a front three. Could we get Redmond to just run fast up and down the touchline for 90 minutes? It would be no less effective and would let another player on the pitch? I'm hoping everyone who insisted on boing VVD has got it out of their system now! Clever management to re-introduce him in a low-key manner - for the last 5 (actually 10) minutes while winning in front of just 3,000 Saints fans.

IMHO... -----------------------------McCarthy--------------------------- Cedric-------------Stephens---------Hoedt-----------Bertrand -----------------Romeu-----------------Lemina----------------- -------------------------------Davis------------------------------ --------------Long------------------------Tadic/McQueen------- -----------------------------Gabbiadini---------------------------

Most of the following iconic logos have barely changed for many decades: http://www.complex.com/style/2013/03/the-50-most-iconic-brand-logos-of-all-time/hp The defence rests! (like most defences we're playing against at the moment ).

Love our badge. Never change it.

Iceland scored 2 goals against England. Are we that good?

If that's true, it explains a lot! Are there stats on when each of our U-23 and U-18 players joined us? I thought many of them were poached from other Academies, rather than joining aged 10 etc.

My hope is based on one of Pellegrino's interviews where he said he wanted to change things gradually. Maybe we're in transition from Puel's style to his. FWIW, I think he's being too slow to change things, but going 'full De Boer' clearly doesn't work! (not in 4 games anyway). I'm hoping this transitional mess is just a phase. Having said that, if he picks the same 11 again at Palace, the same tactics and we don't score again, my patience might run out!