baggytrousers

Need a manager who's going to follow the same principals as MP. i.e. the Bielsa way. How about this guy ? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2579229/Labelled-new-Jose-Mourinho-obsessed-Marcelo-Bielsa-sacked-Newport-But-Bahrain-coach-Anthony-Hudson-aiming-top.html

Really ? Liverpool finished 7th last season, miles short of the title, but we all saw how close they got this year. The new signings that made the difference were Sturridge, Coutinho and Mignolet. Other than that it was basically the same squad as the year before. What they did have was a good, progressive manager, good young prospects coming through from their youth team (Sterling, Flanagan) and no European distractions. It can be done.

I think Shaw could well be that player. He's growing in confidence with every game and it's just experience and confidence he lacks to really kick on to the next level. I predict we'll keep him and Lallana along with all our key players. Poch will stay and we'll make a couple of key signings up front (with Osvaldo and Ramirez going) to enable us to push on and challenge for a CL place next year. Stay tuned.

I think it's even more than that. It's setting the scene for Poch to ride in on his white horse and be the genius manager who stayed loyal to Saints despite a tempting offer from a bigger club and held his squad together despite the sharks circling so he could take them to the next level and challenge the big boys. Note how Jose always plays down his hand in public (Chelsea are a little horse apparently with a young, inexperienced squad - as if !!!). I reckon Poch is doing something similar so if next year he falls short he still looks good. He stands to get a far better reputation by sticking with Saints than gambling with Spurs. Expect this situation to drag on for a few weeks before things become clear

I wouldn't put too much store in all the newspaper talk and betting odds. Remember that : 1. Poch is still playing the "No speaker Englaiseee" card with the press via his interpreter in his interviews even though we all know this is bogus. More importantly, so do the players and they seem more than happy to go along with it. This indicates that Poch is more than happy to play the media when it suits him. 2. Poch was quite happy that Saints didn't qualify for the UEFA cup and didn't exactly seem interested in going for the FA Cup last term. 3. In Saints recent transfer activity they seem to always be fishing in the same ponds as a certain Mr. B Rodgers of Liverpool. (Lovren, Gaston, Coutinho, Wanyama) 4. Poch has been vocal about taking Saints as high as could have been expected this season. Makes him look good and sets the scene for next season. Poch holds all the cards at the moment and he knows it so either he's (a) trying to get as good a deal from Tottenham as possible or (b) putting the board under pressure to back him lining up a possible Saints push for the Champions League next season in the same vain as Liverpool's outstanding season this year. If it is (b) then having this sense of a club on the edge about to disintegrate suits him. If the pulls something off he looks great, if it goes a bit wrong next season then he can point to instability in the close season and his stock is still high. It wouldn't surprise me to have another couple of weeks with all sorts of rumours about everyone from Poch and Lallana down to the tea lady leaving with nothing much actually happening (apart from maybe Osvaldo and Gaston going), followed by a surprise signing of a contract extension along with unveiling of a couple of marquee signings. There's games being played behind the scenes at the moment just as there is very Saturday when he fronts up with that translator but, unless the board are being incredibly shortsighted, I can't see how a move to Spurs would benefit Poch in the long run. Taking a young Mainly English squad even further would do however. Going to be a fascinating summer.