Toon Saint

There has been a lot of sh1te written about our club these last few months but that article takes the biscuit. Absolutely ludicrous sentence that is supposed to somehow convey that Brucey is prepared to leave Hull for us? Deary me

Hmm he also mentioned applicants who had won European leagues and competitions, and vast experience playing in the Champions League. Think if Reed is serious about a manager that can convince the likes of Luke and Adam to stay then the new manager will need to have some sort of profile in the game already.

Probably one of the 'crank' applicants that Reed had a laugh about.

A good interview. A bit too much talk about recruitment procedure as though that is evidence in itself of the clubs ambition (surely the same happens at most PL clubs), but Reed is so much more comfortable talking about footballing issues than Ralph. Most positive things for me were that the preferred candidate has already been identified and that paperwork is being completed (strongly suggesting Koeman,) but also that they are hoping that the new manager might be able to prevent the likes of Adam and Luke from leaving. Indicates that those sales are not the foregone conclusion that many (including myself) have thought. The images of the Staplewood development also look great.

You'd like to think that when we are interviewing 4-5 candidates that we are in control of the situation, and not being pressurized by an agent who has let it be known publicly that his client is very interested in the job. As I said before, I really can't see that as a strong negotiating tactic. If it is meant as one then it is pretty feeble 'pressure play'. There has been no comment from either side yet so it's all conjecture...things could well be progressing nicely behind the scenes for all we know. Most journo's have said they expect an appointment Thurs/Fri so no reason to be overly worried about any wrangling over contract terms yet.

Don't really get your logic here. Do you think RK's agent is more interested in the perception of the club as having 'blown it' than whether his client gets the job or not? Making him seem like he is 'begging' for the job is hardly going to improve his hand in contract negotiations, and surely if it all goes tits up, it will be him looking like he has lost out and not necessarily the club.

It may well be a great moment for those kids, but it's not for Lallana to say that it will be 'life-changing' for them. I'm sure he didn't quite mean it like that but it does come across as self-important and a rather cringey thing to say. Think that would be the case in any context and not evidence of a bandwagon of slamming him. Not sure why you feel the club may have 'leaked' this story either when it was conducted on England duty. Can't recall a negative word from Adam Blackmore about Lallana so unsure what this PR spinning you reference is about.

Cringe alert: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/06/10/adam-lallana-favela-england-visit_n_5477417.html?1402387986&ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

Calum Chambers - Man Utd Matt Targett - Southampton

Not sure the tinker-man will have much left to tinker with...

They probably don't know who the Stones are. Morrissey was staying in the same hotel as the England team in Miami and only Leighton Baines recognised him and had a chat. The rest were oblivious as to who he was. True story.

Strange. Can you negotiate a sell-on sell-on fee?

Didn't you get banned as Dibden Purlieu Saint for excessive bedwetting? The re-invention continues apace...

Fantastic article, beautifully written.

Oh what a stoic manly man you are.

As national coach with a considerable degree of influence, I'd prefer he keep out of discussions about our England internationals being sold to be honest. If he has to talk about it then not sure why he is quite so pessimistic about our prospects of keeping onto them. Don't think it is doing us any good. If that is desperation, fair enough.

You voted for Koeman in the poll, so where is your loyalty to British managers?

I'm not suggesting that and I didn't say that. Don't let that spoil your faux outrage though. In the context of being asked about selling players to Liverpool/Man Utd, it would be nice if he didn't talk about it like it was a formality and spoke of us in more positive terms. That is all.

Appreciate that he was asked the question (and by a Saints fan), but the patronising tone is just giving more ammunition for the papers to portray us as beleaguered and in meltdown - as the Guardian have done. Would be nice to hear him draw attention to our strengths (I.e. youth development) and not perpetuate the image of a club punching above its weight, being bullied by the financial might of the top 6 clubs.

Bruce is a good dealer in the transfer market (especially from relatively untapped countries like Honduras) but he doesn't half whinge a lot and pander to the 'big boys'. He's not the worst that has been linked, and may well be the best English candidate, but Koeman is obviously the man for the job. Think the Guardian made more of the Bruce link only as it hasn't been covered in any of the other papers and might whip up a bit of a stir among the Hull fans. As a side note, I wish Roy Hodgson would stop talking about us like some wounded dog that needs to be put out of its misery.

@Markla94: @thomas_j_morris Hi, he will definitely bring in Jan Kluitenberg is physical coach. Worked with him at Feyenoord, PSV and Benfica. @Markla94: @thomas_j_morris His coaching staff at Feyenoord will stay there, they signed new contracts (Gio, Van Gastel).

Can't believe he has got into the actual WC squad after seemingly having no chance about 4 weeks ago. Made up for him!

Gary Neville is an excellent pundit, but why does that make him a brilliant option as a manager?

Good post. Fergie was much the same in terms of softening his approach towards modern players, as well as understanding how sheltered and easily influenced they are by the entourage that now surround them. The problem is that Magath hasn't adjusted his approach to man-management and his career has diminished in ever-decreasing circles as a result. He lost the plot at Schalke and his second spell at Wolfsburg was a disaster after spunking an awful lot of money. Think we could do so much better than him.

Could get right behind Koeman or Rangnick as manager, but Magath would be an absolute disaster IMO. His draconian man-management skills are not what our young, vibrant team need. Can't help but feel he'd only hasten the departures of a few key players who are perhaps unsettled, but more importantly, used to progressing under a manager who actually respected them as human beings. Would kill off any residual faith I might have left in this board.