Official..Southampton appoint Mark Hughes.

Good luck Mark, think you're gonna need it!

Am I the only one that really couldn't care about the FA Cup this season? - it's a distraction from the single-minded focus of staying in the Premier League.

 

It's good that Hughes gets a 'free game' against Wigan to see what he's got...I honestly couldn't care if we win or lose that as long as we don't get any injuries and we get the points required to keep us up in the games that follow.

Don’t know why I’m even bothering to reply to this but we’ve got 4500 fans setting off in the dark at 5.30 am on a 460 mile round trip on a Sunday morning to Wigan, I guess if you don’t get it then you never will.

As for this appointment got to get 100% behind him, just need a small new manager bounce and it might give us enough to stay up. If we see more half hearted performances like Newcastle I think the fans anger will start to turn on the players.

Video of his interview here...

 

https://southamptonfc.com/news/2018-03-14/video-mark-hughes-new-southampton-manager-first-interview

Surprisingly impressive first interview. If the improvement in the quality of the manager’s interview is matched by the players’ performance on the field we should survive

Don’t know why I’m even bothering to reply to this but we’ve got 4500 fans setting off in the dark at 5.30 am on a 460 mile round trip on a Sunday morning to Wigan, I guess if you don’t get it then you never will.

 

As for this appointment got to get 100% behind him, just need a small new manager bounce and it might give us enough to stay up. If we see more half hearted performances like Newcastle I think the fans anger will start to turn on the players.

Totally agree about the FA Cup plus getting behind the new manager, not my obvious choice but in the circumstances we find ourselves in I feel Hughes could be just what we need. His interview sounded very positive too. As for Wigan, yeah it matters, I’ll be leaving the house at 0515 for my coach followed by tube, then train to Wigan and then my return flight to Soton doesn’t get in until 2200. I hope it’s worth it!

Mark Hughe’s Red n White Army!

An underwhelming appointment and I personally don't think he'll save us.

We've sacked a manager with 1 win in his last 17 and replaced him with a manager with 2 wins in his last 17!!

Better than Mope maybe, good enough to keep us up - unlikely.

Go prove me wrong Sparky

:badger::badger:

Glad it’s only until the end of the season, don’t really want to be stuck with him, but anything is an improvement on pellegrino and he’s in a win win situation.

I just hope the new manager effect gets us a few points.

Good luck

Lets see how good these players really are. If Saturday's performance is anything to go by then we will need a messiah not just a returning Saint to save us.

I wish Hughes well. He has a great first game in charge with a huge following ready and willing to roar the side on. It could be a genuine turning point for the season. Get a good win and their could be tremendous positivity in the air.

Future pub quiz question: which manager sent two clubs down in the same season?

I recall Billy McNeill having this honour in the 1980's with Villa and Man City.

Not the Premier League though if you wish to split hairs.

An underwhelming appointment and I personally don't think he'll save us.

 

We've sacked a manager with 1 win in his last 17 and replaced him with a manager with 2 wins in his last 17!!

 

Better than Mope maybe, good enough to keep us up - unlikely.

 

Go prove me wrong Sparky

 

:badger::badger:

Largely as I see it.

Interesting statistic that many wouldn't be aware of, although it counts for nothing as the clock is reset. (Unless things are dire under MH in which case it'll be trotted our regularly I'm sure).

Glad it’s only until the end of the season, don’t really want to be stuck with him, but anything is an improvement on pellegrino and he’s in a win win situation.

I just hope the new manager effect gets us a few points.

Good luck

Come the summer we can have another spin of the Les Reed roulette wheel, where we start out believing we can improve on Hughes only to appoint someone worse after six weeks.

Wouldn't be my first choice, but 100% back him, welcome mark & good luck, if you keep us up it will be nothing short of a miracle & you will reach godlike status with all fans!

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk

I am hopeful that he can find a way to maximise the potential of the squad, drill the players in how to be creative in attack and get us scoring again. That is as much as we can expect at this stage of the season. Of course he’ll get my support...why wouldn’t he?!

However, I am not confident he will have enough time to change our fortunes for the better, especially given some of the teams we have to play. Slightly more positive, but the proof of the pudding will be seeing what style of football we play on Sunday. Good luck Mr Hughes, but let’s hope luck doesn’t need to play a part.

Lets see how good these players really are. If Saturday's performance is anything to go by then we will need a messiah not just a returning Saint to save us.

 

I wish Hughes well. He has a great first game in charge with a huge following ready and willing to roar the side on. It could be a genuine turning point for the season. Get a good win and their could be tremendous positivity in the air.

Yes that's what I finally want to see too. If Hughes sets us up for attacking football we can finally see how good the players are.

I've not criticised them atall this season because the manager has been so appalling but now it really is time to step up to the plate.

I'm in the 'the players are good enough' camp but I guess we'll see over the next 9 games.

All the best to sparky, if he can get our mojo back, avoid relegation and get at least to the cup semis then he will have done a fantastic job in my books.

Whilst I'm not enamored by the appointment I think he is our best option available to us on short notice. If he can get the fitness levels up and instill some passion and drive whilst retaining the players respect I think he'll do well. If he does keep us up, no reason why he shouldn't be given the job longer term either.

I see parallels with the Strachan appointment many years ago; a manager sacked from another team with a reputation of doing well for a few seasons before falling away a little, coming in to a struggling team and getting us back to basics, look how well that turned out last time so I'm optimistic that we may see some improvements over the coming games.

Things usually go pear shaped for managers if they hang around long enough (look at Conte). When was the last time WE had a manager in post for over 4 years to compare?

I'm sure Hughes will do well. Whether he can keep us up is another matter entirely. At least we have a chance now. Come on Sparky!

Nelly Gao didn’t have to say a lot to me to say exactly what was going to happen.when and who. her silence said loads at times.

I will leave that there.

 

 

Why ‘leave it there’? Something to say, say it, otherwise don’t bother.

 

1.5/10

I also think there is a hidden second contract under the table dependent on what transpires. 48 hours to negotiate a contract for just 8 games doesn’t add up.

Wouldn't have been my choice and I don't buy the whole 'he was all we could get' line people are already putting out.

I don't think his style of football will be any different to what we have had over the last two seasons.

However that said he has my full support and hope he can get the players motivated. Its going to be a tough job whoever took over due to leaving it so late.

One thing I was surprised about is that there were no pics of him and Les, no Les comments, just two empty chairs beside him. Maybe, just maybe Les has realised he needs to back off and be as far away from the team as possible in this run in?

If he can get the players to perform to somewhere near their level we will have a chance

Good Luck Mark, let`s attack from the start and try to win games

Wouldn't have been my choice and I don't buy the whole 'he was all we could get' line people are already putting out.

I don't think his style of football will be any different to what we have had over the last two seasons.

 

However that said he has my full support and hope he can get the players motivated. Its going to be a tough job whoever took over due to leaving it so late.

 

One thing I was surprised about is that there were no pics of him and Les, no Les comments, just two empty chairs beside him. Maybe, just maybe Les has realised he needs to back off and be as far away from the team as possible in this run in?

Les hasn't finished his speech yet

Mark has been on our radar for two years and we are now pleased he is aboard the Southampton way. etc etc.

If he manages to keep us up he will have done an excellent job and will deserve a longer contract.

Solid appointment at a stage where few would be interested.

 

Note that Reed nor Krueger have made a single comment on either Pellegrino nor Hughes via the website. Pretty spineless leadership.

They are disgraceful brown nose careerists that need to be kicked the hell out of SMS.

Not someone i wanted anywhere near Saints as manager.

Glad at least it's only a contract to the end of the season.

Let's just hope he can do enough to keep us out of the relegation zone.

After reading the thread showing his actual achievements as a manager, I'm actually really pleased about this. For some reason I had underestimated his record. It seems he was probably a better candidate than Silva.

Hughes does not inspire me at all, but we ALL need to back him. If he is a failure then the gloves are off in the summer, but the fans and players need to unite to get out of this mess that has beencreated by Les & co

Really hope he does well, keeps us up and enhances his reputation.

Not at all a fan of the short term deal. We have a huge summer coming up, whether we stay up or go down, and now we have added managerial uncertainty into the mix, when we also need to overhaul the squad, especially in defence and attack, ideally a boardroom re-shuffle and all this whilst there is world cup going on. We now have an extra, once again self inflicted, problem to deal with.

In terms of Premier league experience, nobody can complain about this appointment. He know's this league and what it takes to get results as good as anybody, and although it might not be pretty at times I think we as fans will more than settle for Prem survival and a shot at the cup if we were offered it right now, and he is the guy at this time who could do this.

Good luck chap - We are right behind you.

Only 60 days to go. At least he won't be here any longer than that.

Really, as long as that. Bloody hell I'm depressed already.

Am I the only one that really couldn't care about the FA Cup this season? - it's a distraction from the single-minded focus of staying in the Premier League.

 

It's good that Hughes gets a 'free game' against Wigan to see what he's got...I honestly couldn't care if we win or lose that as long as we don't get any injuries and we get the points required to keep us up in the games that follow.

Yes, you probably are the only one who cares more about premier league status than the FA cup.

I bet most people would rather win the FA cup than stay in this dreadful over-hyped league full of all the 'characters' like Pep, Klopp, Jose blah blah blah blah.

I wish MH the best of luck. He has the experience in the Pl and knows the players so is as good as anyone to have a go at keeping us up. If the club had announced this after sacking Puel, I would have been underwhelmed but obviously done for a purpose., Should he keep us up, no doubt he will be rewarded with a longer contract. The Black Box is dead.

I hope he does well, and well enough to get a contract straight away at the end of the season. I don’t think the club can take anymore if Les’ weeks and weeks of dithering to get a new manager in the summer! This move is at least decisive and doesn’t have Les’ fingerprints on it.

Good interview. He is a solid, safe pair of hands for what is likely to be a fruitless task anyway, especially if we lose vs West Ham which is an absolutely huge game.

If they win, they are safe pretty much and the number of teams we can catch would start being drastically reduced.

For balance, interesting comments from Mark Schwarzer:

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11700/11290386/mark-hughes-out-of-his-comfort-zone-inspiring-southampton-says-mark-schwarzer

Yes, you probably are the only one who cares more about premier league status than the FA cup.

 

I bet most people would rather win the FA cup than stay in this dreadful over-hyped league full of all the 'characters' like Pep, Klopp, Jose blah blah blah blah.

Maybe time for a poll here? I am certainly in the win the FA Cup camp with our recent league cup final appearance still fresh in the memory as a fab day out, despite the result.

Feeling good too about this appointment, good luck Sparky!

I also think there is a hidden second contract under the table dependent on what transpires. 48 hours to negotiate a contract for just 8 games doesn’t add up.

That was my thought too. Assuming he's living in the Stoke area, he would need to sort out accommodation etc. Review in the summer when he knows how long he is staying.

Good interview. He is a solid, safe pair of hands for what is likely to be a fruitless task anyway, especially if we lose vs West Ham which is an absolutely huge game.

 

If they win, they are safe pretty much and the number of teams we can catch would start being drastically reduced.

 

For balance, interesting comments from Mark Schwarzer:

 

http://www.skysports.com/football/news/11700/11290386/mark-hughes-out-of-his-comfort-zone-inspiring-southampton-says-mark-schwarzer

Worrying that from Schwarzer, we don't need another quiet emotionless manager, we need a manager that gets our players to care as they don't seem to much at the moment.

We have got rid of a fearful, negative timid manager who didn't have a clue because his book said 'possession' is the be all and end all. It's not about one or two strikers, it is about playing on the front foot, aggressively with pace. The backwards and sideways passers need ditching. It is about runners and support. Sims not JWP, Tadic on his correct side, Boufal maybe. Carillo, Gabbiadini, and Austin. Long as an aggressive front man. Hojbjerg, Romeu and Lamina playing aggressively.

NO MORE ****ING BACKWARDS POSSESSION. If Hughes gets at the players, sets the standards and lays down the law by lifting the players out of their stupor and going for it. We might even get a double, adding a cup.

So long as he doesn't give FF a starting berth, i'm happy.

"This is a nice little earner "

"You're not wrong there Mark "

Yoshida back in training?

So long as he doesn't give FF a starting berth, i'm happy.

Fabrice Fernandes?

Fabrice Fernandes?

Flavor Flav?

Good luck to him. I sincerely hope he earns his bonus for keeping us up.

We have got rid of a fearful, negative timid manager who didn't have a clue because his book said 'possession' is the be all and end all. It's not about one or two strikers, it is about playing on the front foot, aggressively with pace. The backwards and sideways passers need ditching. It is about runners and support. Sims not JWP, Tadic on his correct side, Boufal maybe. Carillo, Gabbiadini, and Austin. Long as an aggressive front man. Hojbjerg, Romeu and Lamina playing aggressively.

 

NO MORE ****ING BACKWARDS POSSESSION. If Hughes gets at the players, sets the standards and lays down the law by lifting the players out of their stupor and going for it. We might even get a double, adding a cup.

I don't think that possession in itself is the problem. You see plenty of teams passing around the back four and midfield waiting for openings and all the while you have the ball they cant score. It is what you do when you attack that counts and our finishing has been rubbish for ages. We are something like 7th in the league for most shots on target and if a better % of those shots had ended up in the net we wouldnt be where we are now. Apparently it is the poor quality of chances that we make that mean that we dont score enough. If Hughes can sort that out we should be ok.

After the last couple of days thinking about this I’d gotten quite keen on the idea of Mark Hughes taking over. Now it’s official I’m actually pretty happy about it. Whatever people think he’s a huge upgrade and I think he’ll save us and go on to manage us next year too. Good luck to him and let’s hope we can look back on these two years as a minor blip.

Fabrice Fernandes?

He'd probably save more than Forster!

Even if we do go down, I'd trust Mark Hughes to take us back up again.

I rarely seem him smile so that's all good. He'll have the hunger to succeed and to prove Stoke wrong I think. Exciting times!

He may just be smiling about his bonus however.

Even if we do go down, I'd trust Mark Hughes to take us back up again.

Agree - would be the perfect manager for us in the championship, IMO.

Hey Kelv, I'm going to run these lazy whiny little *****es until they puke....and after that I'm gonna run them some more!

I rarely seem him smile so that's all good. He'll have the hunger to succeed and to prove Stoke wrong I think. Exciting times!

 

He may just be smiling about his bonus however.

well he'll have to work hard with the average and low on confidence squad we have!