Jump to content

Ralph Kreuger Interview


vivasadio

Recommended Posts

Guan’s words should be taken to heart by all Saints fans especially those who still have an element of faith that the club is well run. I hate to say it but the writing has been on the wall since Ms Liebherr decided to sell up.

 

I couldn’t give two s**ts if Krueger is jetting off around the world to present at meaningless conferences. He’s the chairman - it’s a ceremonial role reserved for old f**ts. Rarely are chairmen expected to get their hands dirty and engage in the minutiae of running the club - so no I don’t buy it as a reason for our decline. He was doing exactly the same thing in 2014, 2015 and the first half of 2016 with no impact whatsoever on our performance.

Edited by shurlock
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Firstly, thanks Guan. I, like others, appreciate your insight and by that I mean the intelligent thought behind things rather than the fact that you do actually have an idea of what's happening. Again, like many others, for the most part my interest here is to actually learn about what is happening at and around the club and the few nuggets of information we get are much appreciated.

 

As has been pointed out: the club are 'apparently' very wired up to being a 'modern' club i.e. a great deal of spin and marketing and waffle that only fools those who wish to be fooled and then it only works when things go well and when they don't and critical thought sets in then the charade disintegrates which does suggest that they would be very unhappy to receive negative publicity that they cannot spin e.g. someone burning the new shirts and just leaving the video on youtube. That would certainly **** off the kit provider now and while I don't think it would be enough to make them cancel their sponsorship it might have someone in the press ask Under Armour what they think and the secret discussions would let everyone at SFC know exactly what they think. That at least might mean we spend loads on good enough players to haul us out of our current mess.

 

While some might laugh, more open letters - even if as stupid as that sent earlier in the season - would help as it's all negative although a good one couldn't then be thrown back in the writer's face so I think that Guan's message of hit them where they're vunlnerable is a good one. The most damning one could be a boycott of the Fulham game; many might at least save money on travel, food, etc and the tickets were cheaper and in the short term it ramps up the pressure.

 

One thing I do want to address is what S Clarke said above about KL being a businesswoman. Is she? Yes, she inherited businesses but did she, like her dad and his brothers go out and start and run businesses from scratch? Cause if she didn't she's just someone who inherited a fortune, isn't she? I do recollect that even ML was said to have made bad decisions e.g. the printing business he bought that didn't do too well so simply as a matter of interest how does inheriting a business necessarily make you suited to run one (or more)?

 

What has occurred to me is this.

 

We had Cortese. He and ML put in clear lines and structures to assist the team. The end goal and results and outcomes were expected and the whole of the club was designed to achieve these aims.

 

He went and we had LR put in place. Now what do we know about LR? He sucked as a manager; that I think the record does show as being a valid conclusion. He worked at the FA, which people assume means he's good; rather, perhaps, he is just good at interviews. He wrote a book. I've asked if anyone who can comment knowledgeably on coaching can say if it's any good, has any value and so on. Because otherwise, so what? His manual didn't produce much, if any, of a change or upturn in football standards/the success of the national team, did it? So it's a red herring. What we do know is that previous structures and people have moved on and if they're replaced by less capable people the structures become weaker and degrade so it is entirely possible within the timeframe with which we are concerned that ML/Cortese's structure has now been dismantled and LR has simply been carrying on as he thinks is right, but really he doesn't have a clue. After all, there is another assumption that LR actually does have a clue about any/everything and what real evidence is there that this is the case?

 

The same goes for RK. Just because he's got a top job and talks incessant nothingness, does that make him of any real, pertinent, worthwhile use? As far as I can tell the rather (and possibly incorrectly) badly-thought of, by me at least, Gareth Rogers might actually have been the one who did all the work but took none of the plaudits. Certainly LR does as he goes round the world to conferences with people from Barcelona and tells them what a great academy we had (living off past limited success) or so it seems.

 

As for the Gaos, they won't have a clue about anything like the man who bought Villa and he'll follow the experts and do business how they do in the West (lots of marketing spin making money for graduates from Solent Uni and the like) because that's what people who don't know anything do: they follow and believe the 'experts' and in this case the experts aren't people who either really get business or someone (like Cortese) who, or so I believe, while he didn't know anything did actually get in there and learn. Whether Mr Gao and family are concerned with 'losing face' is another matter and may again be something that could be of use if it means he'll react decisively and knowledgeably or it could mean he'll just try to follow the bloke at Aston Villa and get his daughter to tweet loads while getting in Di Matteo as manager. One interesting thing that may help is that if he (Gao) does have plans to make money through construction activities then he'll find it harder to do in a small, slightly depressed city with a second-tier status which is compounded by the football club being a second tier (and thus largely anonymous given how much the PL is pushed as being the entirety of English football) and which, in a society which is concerned so much with image, then automatically becomes looked at as dowdier than it already is. And compared to the 'big' cities, Southampton isn't actually a contender in terms of attractiveness especially when you consider its selling points are often proximity to the New Forest (when did the world become full of nature lovers?), proximity to London (i.e. the selling point is 'don't stay there') and it's the place where the Titanic sailed from before it became possibly the most famous expensive flop in British history.

 

TL;DR - sack the board and the manager, throw money at the team and hope to **** to survive. Boycott Fulham and send lots of negative tweets with hashtags at the beginning of each game so the pundits talk about it while waiting for Kammy to tell us about a goal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s too late. Whatever we do will be too late.

 

Yep.

 

I have the same bad feeling today as I had after the defeat to Aston Villa in 2005.

 

It really is too late to turn this around. No sign of a manager change, no sign of transfers in, not one piece of evidence of change of direction taking place, most of our easier games frittered away.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep.

 

I have the same bad feeling today as I had after the defeat to Aston Villa in 2005.

 

It really is too late to turn this around. No sign of a manager change, no sign of transfers in, not one piece of evidence of change of direction taking place, most of our easier games frittered away.

I think it's worse because we had a poor squad who at least tried to keep us up. This time we have a better quality group of players with more than half of them not trying.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It’s too late. Whatever we do will be too late.

 

If MP is sacked today and we have a replacement by the time we play Watford (who themselves are in terrible form) in 11 days we will give ourselves a chance.

 

Unfortunately everything points to the fact that we will stick with MP, let him / Les waste £75m and then pull the trigger when it will be too late.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yep.

 

I have the same bad feeling today as I had after the defeat to Aston Villa in 2005.

 

It really is too late to turn this around. No sign of a manager change, no sign of transfers in, not one piece of evidence of change of direction taking place, most of our easier games frittered away.

 

It has all the makings of 2005 ..delusional chairman, a poor motivator as a manager and loss of home form. Get in Gordon Strachan this week and motivate the players.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guan’s words should be taken to heart by all Saints fans especially those who still have an element of faith that the club is well run. I hate to say it but the writing has been on the wall since Ms Liebherr decided to sell up.

 

The writing was on the wall the second Cortese, Poch, and ambition left the club. Most saints fan's were happy to lap up the PR crap spewed by Les and Co (those who weren't were ignored / ridiculed) by the rest. The simple fact is, we were an investment she wanted sold, and in the meantime we were to get her as much money as possible.

 

The fans should be chanting for Les Reed, RK out from now until it happens. They should have done this when Lambert, Lallana, Lovren, Chambers, Shaw etc were all sold after the lies that summer. Guan is right, our fans are not vocal enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have read Ralph's comments again and can confirm that it is the biggest load of unadulterated claptrap I have ever heard. Blaming the Vvd situation for our demise, omg!!!. Ralph, perhaps you would like to explain who's decision it was to force that rotten apple to stay when the option was to sell and get 2 or 3 good players with the handsome fee you would have got for a player who didn't want to play for Sfc anymore and made it pretty clear.

 

Canadians/Americans might be fooled by this sort of deflective hogwash but it does not fool me or thousands of other saints fans.

 

Oh, and thanks for the repeated "Small club" remarks, that has really gone down well with the fanbase, thanks for clearly laying it on the line how you regard the club you are chairman of, seems to smack in the face with your earlier statements about the club when you first took your handsomely paid job.

 

Ffs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The writing was on the wall the second Cortese, Poch, and ambition left the club. Most saints fan's were happy to lap up the PR crap spewed by Les and Co (those who weren't were ignored / ridiculed) by the rest. The simple fact is, we were an investment she wanted sold, and in the meantime we were to get her as much money as possible.

 

The fans should be chanting for Les Reed, RK out from now until it happens. They should have done this when Lambert, Lallana, Lovren, Chambers, Shaw etc were all sold after the lies that summer. Guan is right, our fans are not vocal enough.

 

You’re all over the place. So who is it?

 

While Les comically bought into his own hype and has made mistakes (more or less on a par with all clubs record in the transfer market), what is he supposed to have done? The fact that Kat was not willing to invest beyond what we received in transfer fees was her decision and prerogative as owner, not his. I’m sure Les would love to have had more latitude to strengthen the squad.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So that's all right Ralph, we have an incompetent, clueless manager who fits in well and has a nice personality. I think you need to think the implications of that through, because it doesn't mean the same to us as it obviously does to you.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have listened to and read the script of the interview .....for the life of me from a corporate viewpoint I am confused .

 

WHO WAS THAT INTERVIEW DIRECTED AT ??????? AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE ( MAYBE GUAN CAN SHED SOME LIGHT )

 

IT WASNT FOR THE FANS FOR SURE .

 

He is a theory .........if you listen again , it sounds like he is intentionally down valuing the club , and the verbage is directed for the benifit of the current owner .

 

Could it be that Ralph has a friend wishing to buy the club from the chinese and wants to pull down the price expection ??????? sounds like it to me and it the only reason i can think off for the small club verbage and the interview being a directed message to the owner .

 

My opinion fwiw

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have listened to and read the script of the interview .....for the life of me from a corporate viewpoint I am confused .

 

WHO WAS THAT INTERVIEW DIRECTED AT ??????? AND FOR WHAT PURPOSE ( MAYBE GUAN CAN SHED SOME LIGHT )

 

IT WASNT FOR THE FANS FOR SURE .

 

He is a theory .........if you listen again , it sounds like he is intentionally down valuing the club , and the verbage is directed for the benifit of the current owner .

 

Could it be that Ralph has a friend wishing to buy the club from the chinese and wants to pull down the price expection ??????? sounds like it to me and it the only reason i can think off for the small club verbage and the interview being a directed message to the owner .

 

My opinion fwiw

 

Nah, what he's trying to do is downplay the size and ambition of the club so that he doesn't lose his job, as the club is effectively 'where it should be'.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’m sorry Ralph, as a supporter I permitted you, Les and co to raise my expectations of what to expect from Southampton FC. I believed your words about progression, competing for Europe annually and hoping to break into a Champions League spot.

I believed your line about striving for excellence and always getting better.

 

How was I to know that one wet and miserable day in early January 2018 you would pull the rug from under me and tell me we are a small club who can’t compete and are just looking to stay in the Premier League.

 

You have dumped me back into the time I was a kid, growing up and watching Saints struggle and perform some great last day escapes. You told me that was a thing of the past and now you say, well actually, yeah, that’s your lot.

 

You lied to me Ralph........you bastard.

 

:(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So the club makes cabinet decisions. Consensus of like minded paople where people collude not to challenge each other in case it rebounds back. Also difficult to identify where the buck stops which is what he was implying when he says we all share the responsibility..... the role of chairman is far from being a ceremonial role and has corporate responsibility and accountability. if I was mr GAO I would be asking what he is doing with my investment in his role. I bet he doesn’t see it as a joke role.

 

The only person I see that can break this cycle is Mr GAO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Missing Rogers and having to play Brett Hundley is crippling TBF.

 

That is probably the biggest downside to the NFL for me, the QB is such an important position. It's possible to win with an average one if the rest of your team is exceptional (eg Ravens), but extremely difficult. I know that there are certain positions which have a bigger bearing than others in football (GK, CF?) but not to the same extent. And it's also a factor which lasts a decade, not a couple of seasons.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is probably the biggest downside to the NFL for me, the QB is such an important position. It's possible to win with an average one if the rest of your team is exceptional (eg Ravens), but extremely difficult. I know that there are certain positions which have a bigger bearing than others in football (GK, CF?) but not to the same extent. And it's also a factor which lasts a decade, not a couple of seasons.

 

Jeff Hostetler has two Super Bowl rings. Bonkers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That is probably the biggest downside to the NFL for me, the QB is such an important position. It's possible to win with an average one if the rest of your team is exceptional (eg Ravens), but extremely difficult. I know that there are certain positions which have a bigger bearing than others in football (GK, CF?) but not to the same extent. And it's also a factor which lasts a decade, not a couple of seasons.

 

True, though the packers have completely neglected their defense. And Hundley is really, really raw and their WRs outside Adams have already seen their best days. Had the QB been marginally better -journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick and Josh McCown level, they might have made the playoffs. The Vikings have shown this season you can be competitive without a star QB as long as the rest of the roster is well-rounded. But I agee I don't think a good CF or any position for that matter is as important as a good QB.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I couldn’t give two s**ts if Krueger is jetting off around the world to present at meaningless conferences. He’s the chairman - it’s a ceremonial role reserved for old f**ts. Rarely are chairmen expected to get their hands dirty and engage in the minutiae of running the club - so no I don’t buy it as a reason for our decline. He was doing exactly the same thing in 2014, 2015 and the first half of 2016 with no impact whatsoever on our performance.

 

The trouble is at the club, people have roles and titles, and then actual functions. Too many people filling in, ad hoc powers, and excuses for poor institutional structure and communication. It's why they fear the brand being attacked, it's an empty shell now, with only the slogans projecting any sense of coherent planning. A long distance from when we were being mentioned as pioneers of structure (in the football world at least).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The trouble is at the club, people have roles and titles, and then actual functions. Too many people filling in, ad hoc powers, and excuses for poor institutional structure and communication. It's why they fear the brand being attacked, it's an empty shell now, with only the slogans projecting any sense of coherent planning. A long distance from when we were being mentioned as pioneers of structure (in the football world at least).

 

Some interesting insight. Do you think we are missing the CEO post?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The trouble is at the club, people have roles and titles, and then actual functions. Too many people filling in, ad hoc powers, and excuses for poor institutional structure and communication. It's why they fear the brand being attacked, it's an empty shell now, with only the slogans projecting any sense of coherent planning. A long distance from when we were being mentioned as pioneers of structure (in the football world at least).

 

The same personnel have been in place for three top ten finishes and europe qualification.

 

Manager appointments are the core problem on where its gone wrong.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So the board are patting themselves on the back for getting £70m + off the scousers with no guarantees of spending any of it but what of the PL TV money and other income, surely it can't all be spent running a "small" club. His patronising statement has got relegation preparation written all over it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The writing was on the wall the second Cortese, Poch, and ambition left the club. Most saints fan's were happy to lap up the PR crap spewed by Les and Co (those who weren't were ignored / ridiculed) by the rest. The simple fact is, we were an investment she wanted sold, and in the meantime we were to get her as much money as possible.

 

The fans should be chanting for Les Reed, RK out from now until it happens. They should have done this when Lambert, Lallana, Lovren, Chambers, Shaw etc were all sold after the lies that summer. Guan is right, our fans are not vocal enough.

 

I was one of the few to see through the propaganda fog. My warnings were loud and clear, but ignored

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you see a club going from an organisation with clear responsibilities, to one with blurred lines of communication and passing the buck, from one where excellence is sought to one where inadequate replacements are installed, and any criticism is muted, because it might damage the public image of the clubs 'Philosophy'. One where the execs travel abroad during the season to promote 'Excellence' at management conferences, while the running of Southampton FC is treated as an optional dilettantery pursuit one need not attend but but twice a year, you may also grow a little weary.

 

And i have seen the knowledge that the fans will 'take it' grow and grow. I said before the Everton match (in the twitter post you mention) that a win would paper over the cracks, and that by the new year we would be in relegation form, in or just above the relegation zone. And here we are, 2nd January 2018, bottom of the form table and only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. It's not rocket science.

 

This managed decline of saints fc is taking place and in Kreuger and a few others eyes, as long as the saints fans turn up, sing to cheer on the team and only tweet bad things after a loss, we are still very much on brand with our message.

 

Now i'm not saying saints fans should run onto the pitch and attack the players, as happened tonight, that's as pointless as it is wrong. But instead of trying to cheer the team onto a win/draw that will only buy Kreuger and Pellegrino more time to wreck the club with equally vapid sheep, turn your voice on the management on and off the field. call for their jobs in the first half, tweet everyday (and yes, the words associated with our hashtags do mean that much to them). Kreuger felt comfortable making that cowardly statement after jetting in, because he knew there would be no audible or visible backlash.

 

If i sound bitter, it's because i'm a Fan of a club which is being run by people who view it as a secondary distraction, on which they can experiment which various blue sky situational concepts.

 

But if you want to turn up to Fulham with a song on your lips as Saints struggle to a 2-1 win that will secure MP's job until after the January window (inevitable OS article - Pellegrino: We've turned a corner), feel free. After all, #WeMarchOn (down the table).

 

Thank you Guan, I appreciate the honest response and the time you have taken to write it. As others have said, it is valued and I don’t question your logic although I wonder if there really is any answer. I’d love to find and be part of a solution ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So the club makes cabinet decisions. Consensus of like minded paople where people collude not to challenge each other in case it rebounds back. Also difficult to identify where the buck stops which is what he was implying when he says we all share the responsibility..... the role of chairman is far from being a ceremonial role and has corporate responsibility and accountability. if I was mr GAO I would be asking what he is doing with my investment in his role. I bet he doesn’t see it as a joke role.

 

The only person I see that can break this cycle is Mr GAO.

I agree, it is Gao who is the one that needs to start kicking butts and put some proper accountability back in place. He is probably our only hope in getting shot of MP as Ralph has shown he is firmly head in sand.

 

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You’re all over the place. So who is it?

 

While Les comically bought into his own hype and has made mistakes (more or less on a par with all clubs record in the transfer market), what is he supposed to have done? The fact that Kat was not willing to invest beyond what we received in transfer fees was her decision and prerogative as owner, not his. I’m sure Les would love to have had more latitude to strengthen the squad.

 

What with? More midfielder and defenders?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part 2 of Kruegar interview with Echo.

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/15804864.BIG_INTERVIEW__Krueger_outlines_Gao_s_ambitions/

 

Full of **** as per usual. What is clear though there will be no on field investment from owners. It's all about expanding the brand into China and developing land around stadium is my take on it.

 

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part 2 of Kruegar interview with Echo.

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/15804864.BIG_INTERVIEW__Krueger_outlines_Gao_s_ambitions/

 

Full of **** as per usual. What is clear though there will be no on field investment from owners. It's all about expanding the brand into China and developing land around stadium is my take on it.

 

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

 

I can't see the Chinese giving a **** about a Championship club. We've lost our way in terms of priorities.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Part 2 of Kruegar interview with Echo.

 

http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/saints/news/15804864.BIG_INTERVIEW__Krueger_outlines_Gao_s_ambitions/

 

Full of **** as per usual. What is clear though there will be no on field investment from owners. It's all about expanding the brand into China and developing land around stadium is my take on it.

 

Sent from my SM-A300FU using Tapatalk

 

sounds like a lot of nonsense to me, doesn't give a straight answer to anything. The below quote about the Gao's stood out particularly as b0ll0cks

 

"This is a family that really loves the region and the football and the opportunity that comes with it and is not a short-term purchase."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally I think it is not a bad thing that the Chinese haven't made huge drastic changes - we don't want to be unveiling Gianfranco Zola anytime soon - and I am pleased they haven't come out with outlandish promises that ultimately wouldn't be fulfilled.

 

My expectation was that Goa would be equal or worse than the Leibherrs in terms of investment/dedication so on that score I can't say I am disappointed because I've never for a minute thought they were going to "take us to the next level" (ie come in and pi ss a load of money away on fees and wages and make "statement" signing all over the shop).

 

Goa hasn't done anything to disappoint me yet. The issues are all more immediate and operational - we have a dreadful manager and we are listing into the Championship. The current leadership team, not just the new owners, should be acting and being seen to act. Which in the first instance is sack that useless pri ck Pellegrino immediately.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Personally I think it is not a bad thing that the Chinese haven't made huge drastic changes - we don't want to be unveiling Gianfranco Zola anytime soon - and I am pleased they haven't come out with outlandish promises that ultimately wouldn't be fulfilled.

 

My expectation was that Goa would be equal or worse than the Leibherrs in terms of investment/dedication so on that score I can't say I am disappointed because I've never for a minute thought they were going to "take us to the next level" (ie come in and pi ss a load of money away on fees and wages and make "statement" signing all over the shop).

 

Goa hasn't done anything to disappoint me yet. The issues are all more immediate and operational - we have a dreadful manager and we are listing into the Championship. The current leadership team, not just the new owners, should be acting and being seen to act. Which in the first instance is sack that useless pri ck Pellegrino immediately.

 

Agree its not a bad thing that the Goas haven't jumped in head first and gone all vince tan. They may just be following the old chinese strategy of hiding their strength and biding their time (韬光养晦). Which is perfectly sensible.

 

On the other hand, at what stage does humility become paralysing, at what point do they feel confident enough to take bolder action and will it then be too late (assuming things don't turn around drastically)? Hopefully as they watch and learn, they are soaking up info from football people not only inside the club but also outside it.

Edited by shurlock
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To be fair at least the second part had some actual answers that related to the question asked. I really hope they don't come out with some meaningless management speak pledges in February now though just while we are embroiled in a relegation battle. That would be beyond foolish and would highlight their tone deafness still further.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

View Terms of service (Terms of Use) and Privacy Policy (Privacy Policy) and Forum Guidelines ({Guidelines})