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alpine_saint

alpine_saint

Posted
Posted
Says the man who has spent the past 2 or so years slating him, his team selection and his ability to attract players....

 

Yet nevertheless conceded that he was turning things around and thinks that this decision (or at least its timing) is a colossal mistake.

 

But if the nasty personal stuff makes u feel better today, fill yer boots.

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UpweySaint

UpweySaint

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Without NC - there was no club , how would we all feel if he said right , I have had enough put the club up for sale - some mong comes in like "down the road" because as we all know Fans are always right , we know everything , who to play who to bring in , 442 , 451, you name it - Its football people come and go, all I can say is this new guy will know one thing and one thing only - if you are not meeting the HIGH expectations of this club - your a gonner . Wait and see what happens and never boo the new guy

 

Without the fans there is NO club. The new guy might not get boo'd and the players certainly wont but the decision and NC will. Simply saying "that's football" is a total kop out.

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Dig Dig

Dig Dig

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Then I guess I'll log off and wait till everyone has got this out of their system.

 

Just strange how your first priority is putting a shiny gloss on this new guy when we have just lost our best manager in a long long time.

 

Especially coming from you who have always backed Adkins from what I can recall.

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Katalinic

Katalinic

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Yet nevertheless conceded that he was turning things around and thinks that this decision (or at least its timing) is a colossal mistake.

 

But if the nasty personal stuff makes u feel better today, fill yer boots.

 

Its not personal Alpine its fact. If you don't want public statements to come back and bite you in the arse then don't make them in the first place.

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Saint_clark

Saint_clark

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Just strange how your first priority is putting a shiny gloss on this new guy when we have just lost our best manager in a long long time.

 

Especially coming from you who have always backed Adkins from what I can recall.

 

I was just correcting someone that's all. Strange how their first priority was slating the new guy with misinformation.

I am devastated for Adkins, really I am...but I still believe we can stay up, and I remember these exact reactions (although I'll accept on a lower scale) when Adkins replaced Pardew.

As I said before - if this "disgusting, ridiculous" managerial change works out half as well as the last one, we'll be flying.

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sotonist

sotonist

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So what? No one cares at the moment, what he did in Spain doesn't really mean anything.

 

Especially as his achievements were at a club which he played at for 10 years and helpfully could speak with his players in the same ****ing language.

Has anyone checked what he's like on Football Manager?

 

(or said this already?)

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Katalinic

Katalinic

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Football isn't about pragmatism.

 

Sorry if my first reaction is that of anger at the treatment of a man who has delivered everything he was expected to and more.

 

Nope, rightly or wrongly football is now more about business and I believe that NC has made a business decision. It's a brave decision and remains to be seen if it is good decision. As with any CEO he will be judged on this.

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Dig Dig

Dig Dig

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I was just correcting someone that's all. Strange how their first priority was slating the new guy with misinformation.

I am devastated for Adkins, really I am...but I still believe we can stay up, and I remember these exact reactions (although I'll accept on a lower scale) when Adkins replaced Pardew.

As I said before - if this "disgusting, ridiculous" managerial change works out half as well as the last one, we'll be flying.

 

Yea look, I'm not disrespecting the the new guy and haven't said anything derogatory about him.

 

I think at this moment in time, people are just gutted for Adkins

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JustMike

JustMike

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wrong timing, pressure will be too much on the new guy now which in itself is a mistake. I wish him well obviously. As for NA, I hope to see him back in football very soon and he will always be welcome back here, top bloke that deserved this job until the end of the season at least.

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alpine_saint

alpine_saint

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wrong timing, pressure will be too much on the new guy now which in itself is a mistake. I wish him well obviously. As for NA, I hope to see him back in football very soon and he will always be welcome back here, top bloke that deserved this job until the end of the season at least.

 

He will be back in football (as long as he doesnt want a break) by Easter, I reckon. The offers from L1 and NPC clubs will be stacked high.

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Fan In The Stand

Fan In The Stand

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Okay, I think everyone just stop, breath and think about they are saying.

 

Cortese & Markus saved our Club - we should never forget that.

Decisions the Board have made bringing in Pardew & then Adkins have all been for the good - so why not this?

NA knows how much the fans supported him and he'll go away more than satisfied with his achievements (plus a VERY large pay cheque that we could only dream of having!)

Deriding the new guy helps no-one - we didn't always agree with NA's tactics so he's not exactly the footballing messiah some are making him out to be.

This is all part of the journey that I personally have enjoyed from the minute Markus bought the Club and long may it continue.

Let's be positive and united and who knows what rewards that will bring us - all this negativity will only take us one way.

 

COYRs!

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Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd

Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd

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Yet nevertheless conceded that he was turning things around and thinks that this decision (or at least its timing) is a colossal mistake.

 

But if the nasty personal stuff makes u feel better today, fill yer boots.

 

I'm with Alpine on this. I wasn't a huge Adkins fan but he was starting to prove the doubters wrong. The result at Chelsea is a prime example and I was more than happy to eat a huge slice of humble pie after that. He deserved to be given the season at least.

This is the final straw for me. I'm sick of all the crap that surrounds football these days. Particularly Premiership football. I've spent most of the season following my local non-league team, Chester FC. A club that went bump and is now owned by the fans. It's such a refreshing change to the Premier****e. Sensible ticket prices. No egotistical Chairman etc.

 

Thanks for all the banter over the years folks. I'm voting with my feet on this one. A decision that many of you will slate me for but I'm beyond caring.

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alpine_saint

alpine_saint

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You have spent years slagging him off and are now crying crocodile tears. That makes you a hypocrite.

 

Take a break from being a pillock.

 

Its the wrong time. I suspected it might happen during the summer, but thought he would get the time to prove himself.

 

Its the wrong replacement. The bloke has sod-all experience of English football, hardly speaks the lingo, and doesnt have the right set of players to do his thing with, imo.

 

I recognise what NA has achieved; I think he looked over his head with team selection, tactics and substitutions this season, but maybe there were a few small signs he was catching on.

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edprice1984

edprice1984

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Posted

Understandably a lot of people are upset and angry about NA getting the boot. I am one of them, however people suggesting that we as supporters should boycott, boo or undermine the manager are wrong. If people want to show their support for NA, may I suggest sending a letter. Cortese will no doubt have understood that this decision will be unpopular with a lot of fans and I am sure some will make their feelings known on Monday night. However I just hope that after maybe 5 minutes we get behind the team and let them get on with keeping the club in the Premier league.

 

Also Hypo, if you actually want the club to be relegated then I suggest you go and support the jokers down the road! A ridiculous statement which is obviously posted in the heat of the moment. I am not defending Cortese, if we do get relegated then the blame will clearly lie at the feet of the Don. But even then, I will continue to support the club and the players.

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The Flying Finn

The Flying Finn

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That's actually quite interesting, and clearly shows why Cortese (and Reed, and...?) think he's a good fit for us long term. In isolation, I like the article and the sound of the new man. It's just a shame that Adkins has been shat on after doing such a good job.

 

I agree. Adkins deserved to remain in charge until at least the end of the season to ensure our survival. Any plans to take us to the "next level" should have been carried out then, rather then a time when we are showing some form and resiliency.

 

Does also make me think that Lambert's days might be nearing an end too, given his treatment of Tamudo.

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Minty

Minty

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Thanks for all the banter over the years folks. I'm voting with my feet on this one. A decision that many of you will slate me for but I'm beyond caring.

Not me, you have my full respect.

 

I'm a hypocrite y'see. And most of us are. We've all said at some point or another 'Right, that's it, i've had enough', but most of us come back at some point, if indeed we walk away at all. I've bemoaned the money in football for many years, wanted to see loyalty rewarded, the club run sustainably and not on someone else millions, and all sorts of other things over the years which have all fallen by the wayside as Football PLC sucked my club up into its inevitable wake. Time fades the memories of the stuff we didn't like. And it's Saints... most of us grew up with them, and are inextricably linked. So when something like this happens, that we feel we NEED to do something about, most of us can never actually do it.

 

Like it or not, we all have a decision to make. Southampton FC is not the club it once was. Football is not the game it once was. Money rules. If we buy tickets, merchandise, Sky Sports, ESPN, we are indirectly accepting that fact, and even endorsing it. If we want better players to improve our team, then other players are cast aside. Loyalty is rare (although not gone completely). If we want Liebherr family to finance our rise back up the leagues, we have to accept that there may be decisions made that we don't like. So what do we want to do about it?

 

The way I see it, it's a case of three choices: 1 - Accept it for what it is, 2 - Walk away, 3 - Try to change it somehow.

 

None of those choices are easy, and each of us will find one easier than the other. Few have the stomach for number 3.

 

If I didn't love Southampton FC so much, I'd find it all quite fascinating, but I do, and it annoys the hell out of me. I've wanted to walk away, on principle many times, but as I said, I'm a hypocrite, and I admit it.

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OldNick

OldNick

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I agree. Adkins deserved to remain in charge until at least the end of the season to ensure our survival. Any plans to take us to the "next level" should have been carried out then, rather then a time when we are showing some form and resiliency.

 

Does also make me think that Lambert's days might be nearing an end too, given his treatment of Tamudo.

I don't think RL would be too chuffed with NA this season

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qwertySFC

qwertySFC

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And here is a possible thought to why - from Spanish take on our new man;

 

The coach Mauricio Pochettino keeps reminding his players that back in 2007-08 under Ernesto Valverde, 18 games into the season they were third having gone 14 matches unbeaten only to endure the worst second half in La Liga history, winning just three in 20. But one thing's for sure: they're safe. Seventeen consecutive seasons in the first division are about to become 18. Not that they'd be satisfied with that. The days of visiting the black virgin of Montserrat to plead for her intervention to survive are over. With Atlético Madrid, Sevilla and even Athletic Bilbao underachieving, with Valencia always simmering with latent self-destructive intent, a European slot and maybe even a top-four finish really isn't out of the question.

 

It is a huge success story – and this is the point in the story at which Sergio García proves everyone wrong, at which it is pointed out that he did play for Spain at Euro2008 and, according to his Wikipedia page, he did score 6969696969696969 goals as a kid at Barcelona. This is the point of the story at which Espanyol's sporting directorate puffs out its collective chest and goes: "See? See?!" Except that people do see.

 

And they have seen it all before too. No, sorry: this success, just like last year's success, has little to do with their summer signing.

 

Eighteen months ago, Espanyol signed Shunsuke Nakamura, publicly describing him as "finger licking good" and privately hailing him as the solution to all their problems, as 8,000 gathered for his presentation, Japanese TV signed an Espanyol-only deal and he released a light blue parakeet into the air like some kind of paladin of peace before going on to reveal the slight flaw in the plan: he is not very good. What followed was no goals, no assists, and an early departure. So far, Sergio García has scored just once – and that was an 87th-minute strike against Zaragoza, the fourth in a 4-0 win; so far, Sergio García's greatest contribution might just have been getting injured.

 

Now that may sound flippant, but it is true. Few clubs have made a virtue out of necessity quite like Espanyol. Fewer still have done it with the bravery and balls of Pochettino. When you look at Espanyol's success this season, it is hard to avoid the conclusion that much of it is the fruit of fortune. Or it would be if Espanyol had a fortune, if Pochettino was not such an impressive and resourceful manager, if those that came before him – those that built and developed the club's youth system – had not laid such solid foundations. Sergio García got injured, Ernesto Galán got injured, Felipe Mattioni got injured, Jesús Dátolo got injured. All of them are new signings. This weekend, Espanyol defeated Sevilla 2-1 at the Sánchez Pizjuán: Jedward impersonator José Callejón got both goals. He would have departed in the summer, but a deal fell apart. Not one of the starting XI was a summer signing.

 

Six of them are Espanyol youth team products. It is a running theme. When Espanyol's kids first emerged from the club's residency on Gran de Gràcia a decade or so ago – players like Joan Capdevila, Sergio González, Raúl Tamudo, Alberto Lopo and David García – one of their team-mates was the Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino. The commitment to, and importance of, the youth set-up was, says one insider, an idea he "suckled on from [then coach] Paco Flores." And although the economic reality of the club that is an estimated €115m in debt and occasionally pays its players late has seen that commitment undermined – Espanyol now only take kids from a 50km radius of the city, salaries have plummeted in the B team, and those who ask to come for a trial have to pay €100 for the privilege – the effects of that drop in funding have not yet filtered through.

 

Meanwhile, Pochettino's commitment remains steadfast and, notwithstanding signings like Sergio García who will be paid for over six years, the same economic reality that has seen diminishing investment in youth and forced the departure of seven players in the summer has also seen increasing need for youth.

 

When Pochettino took over as coach in 2008, his role was simply to save Espanyol, who lay in the relegation zone. With a little divine inspiration, he did. But the man who, adding together his playing and managing career, has now experienced more first division games for the club than anyone else in their history, also had an eye on building, on stability. He imposed a tactical style on the youth teams for the first time – Espanyol and the B team play 4-2-3-1, but everyone else has to play 4-4-2, which Pochettino believes is the best system for general development. He attends training sessions, speaks to players and coaches right the way through the system and demands constant updates. He also insisted on making each team play in an age group above, to increase their competitiveness and accelerate their development. As one member of the technical staff puts it: "We're not interested in our youth teams winning games; we're interested in them developing players for the first team."

 

It has worked. Not least because, as the sporting director Ramón Planes puts it: "You have to be very brave to give debuts to kids and stick with them." And Pochettino is brave: signings have played important roles, with winter arrivals Osvaldo and Iván Alonso especially significant over the last two and a half years, but he has handed debuts to 10 players from Espanyol's youth team. Only three clubs in the top flight have more youth team products in their first team squad: Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad and Barcelona. No squad has a younger average age. It has been worth it, too: Víctor Ruiz and Javi Márquez in particular have been hugely impressive – genuinely good players attracting interest from all over Europe.

 

Without Pochettino's trust, they might not have taken the step up. That trust goes beyond just throwing them in, too: the coach is extremely defensive of his players, very close to them. "When I saw him as a player, he was frightening," admits Ruíz, "but in person he is the exact opposite."

 

His sessions are, says one player, "fun". Yet the sessions are hard, too. "He makes you work like a dog," says Osvaldo. And if hanging around, sniffing each other's arses and licking your own balls doesn't sound particularly hard, think again. At first he introduced double sessions, fitness work in the morning, ball work in the afternoon, but now his sessions are short and intense. "Sometimes," Osvaldo adds, "you feel like killing him but it works."

 

If training is hard, so is the coach. For all the support, as the Spanish phrase has it, Pochettino doesn't get married to anyone; players are forced to remain on their toes, assured of nothing. As a player he was good friends with Raúl Tamudo and even shared investments with him but had no qualms about taking the captaincy off him and easing him to the door.

 

Moisés Hurtado and Rufete were both ushered towards the door too – both were dressing-room heavyweights. Pochettino's first physical coach lasted barely weeks – despite the fact that Pochettino is his son's godfather.

 

Pochettino insists on his team playing aggressively (only three sides have committed more fouls), pushing high up the pitch, and chasing down opponents. They are strikingly well organised. He has a recording system linked up to his iPhone where, with a single touch, he can automatically order up replays of the previous move, ready to use at half-time. His side does not have a huge amount of firepower but they are incredibly effective: last season they scored fewer than Leo Messi but every goal earned 1.51 points. This season that figure is at 1.36: they are fifth despite scoring just 25 goals and having a goal difference of nought. But if that makes them sound like they are long-ball merchants, the impression is false: Pochettino insists on playing the ball out under control wherever possible and not sitting back and parking the bus. Take this quote, for example: "There are teams that wait for you and teams that look for you: Espanyol look for you. I feel very close to their style of football."

 

The man who said it? Pep Guardiola.

 

Although Espanyol are not always great to watch away from home, they've been impressive at Cornellà, where they have won eight out of nine – only losing to Barcelona. Like last season, when they picked up 33 of their 44 points at home and should have beaten Barcelona, 24 of their 34 so far this season have come at Cornellà. The intensity and aggression is helped by a new stadium where there is a real communion between stands and pitch – a communion enhanced by the presence of so many youth team products and also by the continued 'presence' of late captain Dani Jarque, who died of a heart attack during pre-season training before last season. "It sounds like a cliche," reveals one insider, "but once the shock of his death was overcome, that really has helped to create a bond and a sense of purpose".

 

After narrowly escaping relegation in 2009 and signing the player incapable of escaping it in 2010, what no one expected at the start of 2011 was for that purpose to be a place on Europe's biggest stage. Few expected the kids to be Espanyol's salvation but when it comes to Cornellà the kids are all right.

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buctootim

buctootim

Posted
Posted
That's actually quite interesting, and clearly shows why Cortese (and Reed, and...?) think he's a good fit for us long term. In isolation, I like the article and the sound of the new man. It's just a shame that Adkins has been shat on after doing such a good job.

 

That article was from January 2011. It worked for a couple of months and then it didnt. He did such a good job with the Espanyol kids he got sacked in November. Total football anyone?

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Minty

Minty

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He did such a good job with the kids he got sacked in November. Total football anyone.

 

A very narrow view IMO. I didn't say he would definitely do well, frankly no one can predict what will happen, but I can see why he has been chosen.

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