stknowle

Sturridge playing too deep. Our best natural finisher needs to be right up there in the box.

It isn't just you. It is dull. Teams are being very cautious. There aren't many flair players.

Or Ryan Giggs

In the case of Sterling I certainly hope so. Kane is a great striker but just looks jaded.

What we need to stand any chance of success is a manager with tactical nous who can suss out the opposition, read a game, and change things appropriately when things aren't going our way. We have Roy Hodgson who picks 5 strikers, and one badly out of form winger and then proceeds to play a formation with 1 striker that requires 2 wingers. Just ridiculous ineptitude really.

20 odd games before being sacked from his first and so far only management position represents more than a bit of a risk really.

Out of all the the personnel that have left us on bad terms he is the one I cannot stand. Insisted on going after 1 season, he is the type that would have gone on strike if we had tried to hold him to his contract.

I'd love to believe it's true and maybe it is, but it would be possible for anyone to put that together by combining rumours/allegations/suspicions already in the public domain (and talked about on here at length) with a bit of sensible conjecture.

Years of failure render me completely immune to being bothered or upset by things like that. I expect and accept them.

Agreed. If Pelle goes we need another first team contender in. With Austin the likely best outcome is a disjointed stop-start season and, as much as I hope to be proved wrong, I don't think JRod will ever be a serious option again.

Alpine Toffee!!!

I'm tempted to go there right now and give them a list of things that we have done before ANY other club!!! (ps - are there any?)

Yes! My younger brother!!

I have followed Emery's career closely, and am happy to provide a few snippets: Born in Hondarribia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Emery was a youth graduate of Real Sociedad, but never really broke into the first team (aged 24 he appeared in five La Liga games, scoring against Albacete Balompié in an 8–1 home win[1]). After that, he resumed his career mostly in Segunda División. Emery retired with Lorca Deportiva CF at the age of 32, after one season in Segunda División B. Managerial career[edit] Lorca and Almería[edit] As he was seriously injured in the knee while at Lorca in the 2004–05 season, Emery was offered the vacant manager position by the club president, and immediately helped it achieve promotion to the second division for the first time in its history,[2] while beating top level side Málaga CF in the Copa del Rey. In his second season, the Murcian club's first ever in the second level, the team finished fifth with 69 points, only five points off promotion to the top flight.[3] It suffered relegation the following campaign, after the manager's departure. Emery then moved to UD Almería in division two,[4] and again helped his squads overachieve: after guiding to a first ever promotion in 2007,[5] the Andalusian side finished eighth in the following campaign.[6] This prompted a move to Valencia CF, as he succeeded Ronald Koeman.[7] Valencia[edit] In his first season with the Che, Emery led them to a sixth place-finish, with the subsequent qualification to the UEFA Europa League, in spite of the club's serious financial problems. He led his team to the round-of-32 in the UEFA Cup, a 3–3 aggregate loss against FC Dynamo Kyiv, and the quarter-finals of the domestic cup, exiting against Sevilla FC. In 2009–10 Emery led Valencia to the third place, with the club returning to the UEFA Champions League after two years. In the season's Europa League the team lost in the quarter-finals to eventual winners Atlético Madrid, on the away goals rule, and exited in the round-of-16 in the Spanish cup against Deportivo de La Coruña, losing 3–4 on aggregate; in May 2010, he renewed his contract for another year.[8] The 2010–11 season started without David Villa and David Silva, sold to FC Barcelona and Manchester City respectively. Still, Emery managed to win five out of the first six league games (one draw), starting the Champions League campaign with a 4–0 win in Turkey against Bursaspor, a competition in which Valencia was eliminated in the round-of-16 by FC Schalke 04, being ousted in the same stage in the Spanish Cup by Villarreal CF. In the domestic league the team finished third, thus again qualifying to the Champions League. Emery left the club in June 2012, after repeating the league position.[9] Spartak Moscow[edit] On 13 May 2012, Leonid Fedun, owner of Russian team FC Spartak Moscow, announced Emery as club coach for the following two seasons.[10] On 25 November he was sacked after a run of poor results, the last a 1–5 derby home loss against FC Dynamo Moscow.[11] Sevilla[edit] Emery with Sevilla in 2015 Emery returned to his country on 14 January 2013, replacing sacked Míchel at the helm of Sevilla.[12] He led the club to the fifth position in his first full season and, on 14 May 2014, also won the Europa League after defeating S.L. Benfica on penalties.[13] After finishing the 2014–15 campaign in fifth place, one point behind former club Valencia, Emery again won the Europa League after defeating FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk,[14] thus qualifying for the following Champions League.[15] The victory meant that Sevilla became the most successful club in the history of the UEFA Cup/Europa League, with four trophies,[16] and he signed a one-year contract extension on 5 June 2015 which kept him at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán Stadium until 2017, after reported interest from West Ham United and S.S.C. Napoli.[17] In 2015–16, Emery led Sevilla to the seventh position, having played the last games in the domestic league with several reserves and youth team players after the team confirmed their presence in the Europa League final.[18][19] On 18 May 2016, after trailing 0–1 at half-time, one goal from Kévin Gameiro and a brace from Coke resulted in a 3–1 triumph against Liverpool at St. Jakob-Park.[20] Personal life[edit] Emery's father and grandfather, respectively named Juan and Antonio, were also footballers, both in the goalkeeper position. The former appeared for several clubs in the second tier, whilst the latter competed with Real Unión in the top level;[2][21][22] his uncle, Román, played as a midfielder.[23][24]

Agree, and so we would if we had kept Koeman. I like(d) but he had his limitations, and therefore I remain not particularly bothered that he is leaving. For the money they are shelling out, Everton are welcome to him.

Agree, this keeps things fresh if nothing else. I'm simply not that bothered about him going, just feel we can do better.

On the plus side this place is actually quite entertaining again for the first time in months. Cheers Ron.

To be fair mate I'm sure Everton (or any other club) are capable of turning the heads of other team's managers without having the official permission of their current employers to speak to them direct

I'm already more interested in who we get in than worried about the loss of Koeman. He's done very well, I like him, but if he wants out bye bye.

No mate, when Roy has ****ed up and off they'll just look for another uninspiring yes man who'll tow the line.

Not controversial at all mate. He's been utterly ordinary.

To make some people think something's happening when really nothing is happening? To make others think nothing is happening because he said something is happening when really something is happening? To make others think nothing is happening by saying something is happening when really nothing is happening? To make others think something is happening by saying something is happening when something really is happening?

Agreed, probably the most clumsily misspelt thread title ever committed to the net let alone Saintsweb. As for the list of alleged leavers only Tadic remotely falls into the category of being in any way a surprise.

Oh right. Thanks for clarifying Einstein. Anyway onward to another summer of fretting over losing all our best players!!!!!!!!

It is going to be humiliating f'sure. I'd rather we just gave up football altogether than play in Europe knowing it's only thanks to that smug Dutch ****er!!!!