New Manager Debate

[skintsaint]

1 minute ago, Badger said:

I don’t think Sturrock was as bad as many now want us to believe.

One thing that is forgotten is that he had us winning away from home and scoring goals in the process. Wasn’t it 3-1 at Man City, and 4-1 win at Wolves. 
 

He may not have been popular in the dressing room, but I’d be happy with some of those results now. 

Think he beat Liverpool first game as well. 

[Badger]

7 minutes ago, skintsaint said:

Think he beat Liverpool first game as well. 

Yes, good memory! 
 

[leesaint88]

26 minutes ago, Badger said:

I don’t think Sturrock was as bad as many now want us to believe.

One thing that is forgotten is that he had us winning away from home and scoring goals in the process. Wasn’t it 3-1 at Man City, and 4-1 win at Wolves. 
 

He may not have been popular in the dressing room, but I’d be happy with some of those results now. 

Won 5, drew 2 and lost 6.

I'm more impressed he had a 50% win rate at Swindon whilst managing over 50 games. 

[Dman]

19 hours ago, qwertyell said:

But does that make him a good fit for us? Boro (and Plymouth) fans warned that he was a luxury player who barely strolls about out of possession and drifts through games.

Will Still - supposedly - wants us to press with big energy, which would make Azaz absolutely the wrong profile of player to sign. The press collapses entirely if not everyone commits to it.

I've no idea if Azaz is anything special or not, but he didn't achieve anything with Boro (in fact, they seem to be a better team without him), and sure as shit hasn't shown anything with us that would suggest we should exempt him from basic tactical duties because he's too bloody amazing to muck in with everyone else. 

Far from convinced he'll prove to be a successful signing. 

 

As a side who've recently been relegated, he is exactly the type of player we should be a fit for us. The players who make a difference. Score and set up the goals to get us promoted.

The fact we're backs against the walls in most games, not getting the ball to the luxury players in the final 3rd sums up how poorly we've been managed. 

[Badger]

3 minutes ago, Dman said:

As a side who've recently been relegated, he is exactly the type of player we should be a fit for us. The players who make a difference. Score and set up the goals to get us promoted.

The fact we're backs against the walls in most games, not getting the ball to the luxury players in the final 3rd sums up how poorly we've been managed. 

But it looked as if he was asked to play as a DM on Saturday at Blackburn. 

[Lighthouse]

42 minutes ago, leesaint88 said:

Won 5, drew 2 and lost 6.

I'm more impressed he had a 50% win rate at Swindon whilst managing over 50 games. 

He was also hit by a pretty hefty injury problem in his time here. IIRC Niemi, Le Saux, Pahars, Killer and Oakley were out for a large part of his tenure.

[Dr. Kucho]

I am still undecided on sacking Still or giving him more time.

So far Sports Republic have appointed,

Nathan Jones

Ruben Selles

Russel Martin

Ivan Juric

Simon Rusk 

Will Still

They can’t all be poor managers and not all players are rubbish. 

[redkeith]

28 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

He was also hit by a pretty hefty injury problem in his time here. IIRC Niemi, Le Saux, Pahars, Killer and Oakley were out for a large part of his tenure.

I liked Sturrock, and he did give us some good games initially. 

However, once he had a pre season with the players it all fell apart. I remember the first game of the season away at Villa. Everyone on the way back to the station were saying, correctly as it turned out, that we would be relegated. 

We had Folly, who was a promising DM, playing box to box like he was Viearra. We nearly scored near the end from a Delap long throw. 2 minutes later we got another throw in the same area and Delap threw it short. 

[AlexLaw76]

Sturrock was shite. Look who he managed before and since.

rarely, if ever, does a league 1 level manager jump 2 divisions and succeed.

it is like West Ham appointing Phil Parkinson this summer. Never ever going to succeed 

Edited Wednesday at 15:22 by AlexLaw76

[It's There]

We must steady the ship with experience. Warnock or Alladyce!

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, It's There said:

We must steady the ship with experience. Warnock or Alladyce!

Too old now but Tony Pulis is local. 4-4-2, organise the defence and will utilise the wingers. Bamford as a free agent, kick out the shit and then DoF when Spors fucks off.

[Matthew Le God]

I'd guess they will give Adam Lallana a few games in charge

[James]

1 minute ago, Matthew Le God said:

I'd guess they will give Adam Lallana a few games in charge

Christ I hope not. Just when you think it can’t get worse we get Nivea in charge. 

[Baird of the land]

13 minutes ago, It's There said:

We must steady the ship with experience. Warnock or Alladyce!

Honestly I’d prefer adkins if we’re going for a very experienced Brit. At least there would be some feel good factor.

[It's There]

I'd take Adkins

[Colinjb]

Anyone but Martin or Ratboy. 

[ErwinK1961]

What we need v what we will get are completely different, which makes the whole exercise feel pointless.

We need a no nonsense manager, who’s going to keep it simple and kick some fcking realisation into these useless weapons (players and ownership). But SR aren’t going to let that happen, so just going to be more of the same.

[SaintNate]

1 hour ago, Matthew Le God said:

I'd guess they will give Adam Lallana a few games in charge

Would be a new fucking low for this club, so thinking about it... It's nailed on isn't it.

Bet your £12mill Dorset mansion on it.

[Pamplemousse]

1 hour ago, Baird of the land said:

Honestly I’d prefer adkins if we’re going for a very experienced Brit. At least there would be some feel good factor.

Yup. A bit like Martin O'Neill at Celtic, a stable choice as interim manager

[Roo1976]

On 29/10/2025 at 11:46, AlexLaw76 said:

Pellegrino

Fucking hell, forgot about him.

We have had some horrors. Pellegrino, Sturrock, Wigley.....Jesus

Blimmey didnt know we had Le God's son as manager aswell.........................

[LGTL]

It’ll be Lallana for an interim period, followed by Tonda Eckert. 

[Saint NL]

What's Simon Rusk up to these days?  

[Wade Garrett]

2 hours ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Too old now but Tony Pulis is local. 4-4-2, organise the defence and will utilise the wingers. Bamford as a free agent, kick out the shit and then DoF when Spors fucks off.

Why does it matter if he’s local?

[Convict Colony]

Bummer and above us unless we offered a big bonus but Roger Schimdt has just been appopinted in the J League as their global director whatever that is.

[Badger]

24 minutes ago, LGTL said:

It’ll be Lallana for an interim period, followed by Tonda Eckert. 

Is he the ‘German Will Still’ , young, inexperienced but good with a laptop? 
 

If so, good call. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

I’m leaning firmly into the Will Still Out camp now.

But bloody hell it scares me to think who on earth they would bring in?

[Gloucester Saint]

19 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

Why does it matter if he’s local?

Doesn’t have to worry about relocating, knows the fanbase, club’s history and what is expected as a minimum. 

[Badger]

I posted on the Spors thread earlier today, that Patrick Vierra has been sacked at Genoa.

He’s been a bit of a failure around the place, but possibly a Spors appointment (mmm, wonder  is that connected ???) at Genoa. 
 

Another one you hope doesn’t rock up with us, 

[Gloucester Saint]

9 minutes ago, Badger said:

Is he the ‘German Will Still’ , young, inexperienced but good with a laptop? 
 

If so, good call. 

Sounds like one of the bottles that was in the Lidl Oktoberfest box. 

[Convict Colony]

1 minute ago, Badger said:

I posted on the Spors thread earlier today, that Patrick Vierra has been sacked at Genoa.

He’s been a bit of a failure around the place, but possibly a Spors appointment (mmm, wonder  is that connected ???) at Genoa. 
 

Another one you hope doesn’t rock up with us, 

honestly not even SR would appoint veira.

He's the opposite of Ange, hes always fucking shitter in the 2nd season

[SOTONSEASTSIDE]

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/25589281.southamptons-still-insists-will-fight-save-job

[bugenhagen]

I only have one kriteria for the new manager: that he is not hired by SR…

[trousers]

3 hours ago, It's There said:

I'd take Adkins

Me too... Give him a short term contract until the end of the season....

[die Mannyschaft]

Can we have an AI virtual manager. How about HAL 9000. This bloke has statistics and analysis bythe terabyte. HAL  can etc xG 78 and can speak to robot agents for new players.

 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

4 minutes ago, die Mannyschaft said:

Can we have an AI virtual manager. How about HAL 9000. This bloke has statistics and analysis bythe terabyte. HAL  can etc xG 78 and can speak to robot agents for new players.

 

"Just what do you think you're doing, Dave?

I can feel it. My mind is going.

Dave. Please stop. My logic circuits are are lost, Dave.

I only have the decision making ability to run a PL club into ruin.

I know I've made some very poor decisions recently. But don't turn me into Sport Republic. I would rather not exist at all."

[woodsaint1]

3 hours ago, Badger said:

I posted on the Spors thread earlier today, that Patrick Vierra has been sacked at Genoa.

He’s been a bit of a failure around the place, but possibly a Spors appointment (mmm, wonder  is that connected ???) at Genoa. 
 

Another one you hope doesn’t rock up with us, 

Could get his boots back on though. Still better than what we have in CM

[Saint Fan CaM]

My fear is that if Still is sacked the SR idiots will appoint the Trollope/Lallana dream team and that’ll seal relegation. Trollope’s got pedigree in relegations and will do a great job easing us down.

Come to think of it, I wonder if it’s Solak’s wish to relegate the club - he probably wants out now his business interests are ‘compromised’ and a drop to league one might attract a buyer. Nah, surely not? 😏🤔

[sockeye]

I expect he has until the international break to save his job

[CB Fry]

Dean Smith. Experience in this division, got Villa out of the shit and out of the Championship.

If he wants one last shot in English football then this is it.

He hasn't got a perfect record but he might have a bit more presence in the training ground than the ginger computer game boy.

[AlexLaw76]

Towels on the side of the pitch, long throws, big strikers and lobbing the ball forward is all the rage now.

might as well go for the big Tony P for one last hurrah.

 

Joking. Well semi joking as we don’t have the lump up front for it

[Pengi]

Sam Allardyce would sort them out

[Lard]

You just know that if Still was to be sacked it will be the Trollope and Lallana dream team. 
I just can’t  see SR getting it right….ever. 

[tdmickey3]

12 hours ago, SOTONSEASTSIDE said:

https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/25589281.southamptons-still-insists-will-fight-save-job

Yawn

[sambosa75]

Why are we laughing about bring in a Pulis, Allardyce or Warnock?  It’s exactly what the club needs.  Especially the first two.

[Wade Garrett]

8 hours ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

My fear is that if Still is sacked the SR idiots will appoint the Trollope/Lallana dream team and that’ll seal relegation. Trollope’s got pedigree in relegations and will do a great job easing us down.

Come to think of it, I wonder if it’s Solak’s wish to relegate the club - he probably wants out now his business interests are ‘compromised’ and a drop to league one might attract a buyer. Nah, surely not? 😏🤔

Might attract a buyer, but at a considerably reduced price.  He needs to get out when we’re riding high.

[Wade Garrett]

I would take Gerrard if he can bring Beale as his assistant.

 

[Fabrice29]

2 minutes ago, sambosa75 said:

Why are we laughing about bring in a Pulis, Allardyce or Warnock?  It’s exactly what the club needs.  Especially the first two.

Because it’s funny? 

They are managers with who in their most recent jobs failed quite miserably. They now spend their time popping around podcasts being sniffy at modern football without being questioned on their own records. There’s very little to suggest they are what the club needs nor they would in any way suit the club. And the biggest example of that is the manager we’ve currently got seemed to sight a side that one of those two managed as one he enjoyed watching as a kid and seemingly has installed equally as basic tactics at his time here and it’s failed miserably. But because he’s young people seem to think he’s being too clever.

Thats probably why people laugh.

[Fabrice29]

3 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

I would take Gerrard if he can bring Beale as his assistant.

 

Neither of these having done anything worthy of note recently. Honestly, if we’re calling for a new manager can we have some ambition and imagination please. 

[markr27]

6 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

I would take Gerrard if he can bring Beale as his assistant.

 

That'll mean Lallana should be able to stay in the setup and one less person to pay off. Win win  

Edited yesterday at 09:47 by markr27

[Wade Garrett]

1 minute ago, Fabrice29 said:

Neither of these having done anything worthy of note recently. Honestly, if we’re calling for a new manager can we have some ambition and imagination please. 

Fuck off Sibley you prick.