Coxford_lou

Shaun of the dead.

Oh wow. That is hilarious!

So who's going tomorrow? How competitive do you think the game will be? I'm semi tempted to make the trip down from London (because unlike you losers, I'm actually quote excited about this new team but not worth it if it's going to be a bit flat.........

Aren't short men supposed to be better in bed? (Happy birthday Don!)

A few wins and the fans will be happy with the board again...

Yup, I'm out tonight, can't access. If anyone doesn't mind, summary would be great!

Bigger, but not better.

I thought interesting in the Ward-Prowse interview how he said "under the new regime our training is more short sharp work and we feel more fresh going into games which is positive for us" Not sure the potential implications of that yet, but I'm wondering if Koeman's style is going to be less squad intensive than Pochettino's.

Not sure if my memory is playing with me or not. But I remember last preseason under Pochettino, us looking decidedly cr*p in a lot of our games. And it really only coming together first game of the season. This preseason it's been pleasant surprise watching them playing some very connected football. Maybe that's because of Koeman's different training style: more ball work, less running?

Cool as a cucumber.

Gotta say, the opening post on this very long thread was spot on....

Well, I'm not sure we know it was Markus' strategy either, and considering she was the owner for the main part of our rise, there's no need to belittle her role. She's doing exactly as here father did - going to games and smiling.

I think success or failure of the team will be more dependent on Koeman (and his tactics) being able to adapt to Premier league. Pochettino worked great (I think partly because he had such an extreme style), but there's no guarantee Koeman will have such an easy transition. I've got lots of faith, but until we see his first game, it's hard to know what will happen... As happened last season, I think the kids will very quickly adapt after doing pre season with the more experiences players, and we'll very quickly have forgotten Shaw, Lallana and be talking about our new stars. As last season, the foreign players will adapt to Premier League at different speeds (some making it, others not). But it all comes down to Koeman in my mind. Can't wait to see how he gets on! Every time I hear about another player leaving, I have three days of being mighty ****ed off, then I calm down, and realise what a massive transition period we're in, that highly likely won't happen again. At the moment it feels like we're sucking the poison out left by Cortese. And maybe that's OK, and the right thing to do. Next year it won't be such an issue, and we'll be able to grow rather than detox. But, if any club can cope with what we're going through right now, it's Saints FC and we should be proud of that.

@SouthamptonFC: Koeman: “We are working very hard to bring some players in, and we are very close to doing that. We need to be patient.” #saintsfc

If you think that, then it's also worth considering whether the vitriol aimed at Lallana is fair or not. A lot of it came off the back of Guan's insider updates...

This new breed of thoughtful, educated players might bode well for future generations of English managers too.

Did a double take with what's in his hand in that image...!

Haha. Genius.

Guys...off topic....??!

Of course they don't care - they'll be jealous they've not had same opportunity!

Haven't seen much in depth conversation on the new style Koeman will bring to Saints (apologies if there's a thread and I missed it). Does anyone have any good insights, or found any websites with good analysis? I think I saw referenced that he will bring 4-3-3 to the club, and his influence on the current Dutch team, but not much more than that...

I'd say more Pe-le (as in the French Le)...

I agree. I also can't help but hope he does well at Liverpool. Just not as well as Tadic, particularly in the first game if the season.

I agree, and it such a shame some people reply to the Saintsfc Facebook post, belittling Katarina. So ungrateful, and so shortsighted.

I've been where I work for 10 years now. Partly because I love the place (I feel a strong loyalty), and partly because I've not had the offer for the amazing next step in my career yet. When that offer comes, I won't hesitate to leave! Can't understand how supporters can't put themselves in the shoes of young football players, especially when they have such short careers. I think it's really harsh to criticise. There's no reason to suggest Lallana's badge thumping isn't genuine, no more than my love for my current organisation isn't genuine. Get real people! That's not to say I'm not totally gutted they've left, but I'll get over it as soon as Koeman brings the wins in! (And I'll always be on the look out for Lallana, Shaw and Lambert to do well, because we made them)...