New Manager Debate

[coalman]

8 hours ago, warsash saint said:

So who is this ambitious appointment everyone is craving?????

 

Hope i can't think of anyone & maybe there lies the problem! 

To be fair Tonda is a very ambitious appointment. It's just that, as with all things Sport Republic, ambition isn't matched by capability. "Bravery" isn't just for the football pitch.

[Dman]

7 hours ago, woodsaint1 said:

It seems too obvious that we're holding out for somebody currently in a job. Corberan being the most likely given our previous links

I think you're confusing this mob with someone who has any kind of strategy. 

[EBS1980]

SR are clearly putting all their eggs in TE basket. GON aside there has been no leaks in the press of people interviewed or even linked with the role.

what happens if we lose to Charlton? The home game in midweek could really see the crowd turn on SR imo.

[Willo of Whiteley]

IT’S TONDA TIME!!!!

[DT]

8 hours ago, woodsaint1 said:

It seems too obvious that we're holding out for somebody currently in a job. Corberan being the most likely given our previous links

Or maybe Farke. Dearie me.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

2 hours ago, DT said:

Or maybe Farke. Dearie me.

Nothing wrong with Farke. 

[badgerx16]

         TONDA

      The power of dreams

[Miltonaggro]

4 hours ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

True, but where does he turn? He is so invested in SR / Ankerson to provide the footballing direction that I’m doubtful there’s a way of him divesting himself and the club from their control, short of selling the club of course.

He could easily jettison Ankersen through legal action with RA as a (very) minor shareholder, or simply create a hostile environment for him within the business - both happen frequently in complex organisations.  In fact, he should have done just that in 2023, replacing the charlatan with a proven director of football operations with experience of the top English leagues.

[Miltonaggro]

14 hours ago, Turkish said:

What’s Big Ron up too? He’s a character and would sort out the dressing room. 

The man to get Damione Downs firing...

[Mattio]

 

[OldNick]

17 hours ago, Wade Garrett said:

In what world would Gerrard come here as a number 2?

It said 'with a football brain number 2' so with somebody with nous.Clough and Taylor type situation

[OldNick]

15 hours ago, HarvSFC said:

Very naïve move from SR. Two poor results against Charlton and Leicester, which is very possible given this season and they will lose a lot more of the fan base than they have done already. The Preston game was a taster for the anti-SR chants, but if they've wasted three weeks, two of those being an international break and three games then St. Mary's will be toxic.

This was a chance for SR to bring the fans back on their side. Make an ambitious appointment, one that gets us believing again, one who we thought was impossible to get. But, no, we're going with the U21s boss for the foreseeable, and he's only been with the U21s for a couple of months, achieved nothing with them, hasn't earned the promotion. As I've said before, we are a reputable club, a historical top flight club, a big club in a good location with a big budget. I don't believe for a second there wasn't a good manager out there interested in improving things here. But, here we are.

For a long time we've been a club that's been sleepwalking to where we currently are. Off the pitch we've appeared to lack plans and drive. That's on Dragan as he should be setting the expectations, but each decision made seems to come with more disappointment these days.

of all the names quoted who would have been an ambitious appointment? I cant see any of those bringing the fans onside as most would have hardly got the fans buzzing

[sadoldgit]

1 hour ago, OldNick said:

of all the names quoted who would have been an ambitious appointment? I cant see any of those bringing the fans onside as most would have hardly got the fans buzzing

Spot on. The only “ambitious” name that has been mentioned, as far as I can see, has been Rodgers, and why would a manager of his calibre look outside of the Prem?

[Dusic]

Lot of cash coming in for McClaren - definitely the main rival to Tonda now from what I am hearing from @Jeff Le Taxi

[BarryVenisonsHair]

How about Potter? Took charge of Sweden on a short term deal and would now be free? 

[saintant]

7 minutes ago, Dusic said:

Lot of cash coming in for McClaren - definitely the main rival to Tonda now from what I am hearing from @Jeff Le Taxi

Please no, a thousand times no.

[Verbal]

5 hours ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

IT’S TONDA TIME!!!!

Or in its fuller version: "For relaxing times, it's Tonda time." But don't forget that Bill Murray ended up walking away with nothing. 

[Chez]

8 minutes ago, BarryVenisonsHair said:

How about Potter? Took charge of Sweden on a short term deal and would now be free? 

As "manager" Potter he secured 10th place with Swansea in the championship, then as head coach, 15th, 16th (both 41 points) and then 9th (51 points) with Brighton in the PL. His stock was certainly very high at that point. Having failed at Chelsea and West Ham, is another PL side really going to offer him a job? Possibly, but we might present the next best thing. I don't know if he is the answer, but it does feel like a good fit. Obviously he is comfortable managing abroad, so that widens his options, assuming the Sweden job doesn't continue, but maybe he is someone we are interested in, but couldn't do quickly?

[Saint Scott]

On 17/11/2025 at 08:57, Saint NL said:

 

All aboard.

We all reluctantly moved onto stage 7, Acceptance.

The boredom of the international break allowed us to speed through stages 4, 5 and 6.

Can't wait for Saturday and seeing how Tondas Saints get on.

This feels somewhat more appropriate... 3 years of pure dogshit supporting saints, other than a small part of Martin's tenure

[Fabrice29]

32 minutes ago, BarryVenisonsHair said:

How about Potter? Took charge of Sweden on a short term deal and would now be free? 

Won’t be available until after March at the very earliest. Still have a chance of the World Cup

[sadoldgit]

29 minutes ago, saintant said:

Please no, a thousand times no.

On the plus side he is multi-lingual (well, he has perfect Dutch anyway).

[Chez]

6 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

Won’t be available until after March at the very earliest. Still have a chance of the World Cup

I didn't realise they had made it into the play offs or they were so far away. That's him out then.

[Chez]

3 minutes ago, sadoldgit said:

On the plus side he is multi-lingual (well, he has perfect Dutch anyway).

Ya. Das is a good point.

[Fabrice29]

9 minutes ago, Chez said:

I didn't realise they had made it into the play offs or they were so far away. That's him out then.

Via the Nations League I believe, rather than the actual qualifiers.

[Saint NL]

16 minutes ago, Chez said:

Ya. Das is a good point.

Das is quite clearly German.

You are looking for the Dutch word 'dat'.

 

Edit: oh shit, wrong login

[Miltonaggro]

2 hours ago, Mattio said:

 

Looking at his gnashers, he would be all over this...

[Miltonaggro]

1 hour ago, BarryVenisonsHair said:

How about Potter? Took charge of Sweden on a short term deal and would now be free? 

Harry or Beatrix? She at least favours a traditional attacking 4-4-2 with Tiggywinkle in the hole...

[Willo of Whiteley]

The other way of looking at it is if Tonda wins five or six on the bounce, why would you replace him?

[Verbal]

1 hour ago, sadoldgit said:

On the plus side he is multi-lingual (well, he has perfect Dutch anyway).

But does he understand both forms of Dutch?

[gecko]

33 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

The other way of looking at it is if Tonda wins five or six on the bounce, why would you replace him?

I think it's fair to say that if he does win 5 or 6 on the bounce, fans will be less concerned about potentially announcing him full time.

I think the overwhelming belief here is that 2 awful wins against seriously crap teams is not enough to go suggest he'll win the next 3/4. Furthermore, he seems to play a very similar style to what we have been playing under Still (which hasn't worked yet). There's obvious skepticism that playing the same way under a different manager will make a lot of difference.

Experience says that 5 or 6 wins is pretty unlikely to happen though, and fans are understandably expecting the worst from a completely unproven manager.

[VectisSaint]

2 hours ago, Dusic said:

Lot of cash coming in for McClaren - definitely the main rival to Tonda now from what I am hearing from @Jeff Le Taxi

He has a race in Las Vegas this weekend so we might have to wait.

[OldNick]

5 minutes ago, gecko said:

he seems to play a very similar style to what we have been playing under Still (which hasn't worked yet).

What doesnt seem to have been picked up by fans is that all the teams below the 1st team play that way from the back. So I suspect any manager who comes in will be expected to play that way. 

[VectisSaint]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

Ya. Das is a good point.

Ja. Dat would be an even better point 😉

[Doctoroncall]

47 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

The other way of looking at it is if Tonda wins five or six on the bounce, why would you replace him?

Because there are gaps in his coaching skills. As other interim/inexperienced coaches have proven, it doesn’t always make sense to continue because it’s not best to address some of these gaps and inadequacies while being first team coach. 
 

Besides, it’s not just getting the results but a clear indication he can get his message across to the players and the impact he is having is a positive one. 

[sadoldgit]

37 minutes ago, Verbal said:

But does he understand both forms of Dutch?

I think his is somewhere in the middle to cover all bases.

[saintant]

24 minutes ago, OldNick said:

What doesnt seem to have been picked up by fans is that all the teams below the 1st team play that way from the back. So I suspect any manager who comes in will be expected to play that way. 

Which leads me to believe the team in first place have it right and the rest have it wrong. Simples.

[Toadhall Saint]

1 hour ago, Doctoroncall said:

Because there are gaps in his coaching skills. As other interim/inexperienced coaches have proven, it doesn’t always make sense to continue because it’s not best to address some of these gaps and inadequacies while being first team coach. 
 

Besides, it’s not just getting the results but a clear indication he can get his message across to the players and the impact he is having is a positive one. 

If he wins five or six on the bounce I would have thought he was getting his message across? Think that would be a positive impact too.

[benjii]

En mein opinion.

[Danbert]

2 hours ago, Verbal said:

But does he understand both forms of Dutch?

Double-Dutch?

[Weston Super Saint]

8 hours ago, badgerx16 said:

         TONDA

      The ego of dreamers 

FIFY

[Miltonaggro]

6 hours ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

The other way of looking at it is if Tonda wins five or six on the bounce, why would you replace him?

Spite...

[egg]

5 hours ago, Doctoroncall said:

Because there are gaps in his coaching skills. As other interim/inexperienced coaches have proven, it doesn’t always make sense to continue because it’s not best to address some of these gaps and inadequacies while being first team coach. 
 

Besides, it’s not just getting the results but a clear indication he can get his message across to the players and the impact he is having is a positive one. 

We don't know that. Sure, he's young, but he may have the necessary tools in his locker. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

I think it’s pretty clear that Sport Republic want a “head coach” rather than a manager.

They want all the recruitment, starting, data, nerdy stuff done by an internal SR team. 
But this is where SR are a great example of executing this structure terribly.

[aintforever]

3 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

I think it’s pretty clear that Sport Republic want a “head coach” rather than a manager.

They want all the recruitment, starting, data, nerdy stuff done by an internal SR team. 
But this is where SR are a great example of executing this structure terribly.

That’s why we will never attract a decent manager while they are running the show. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

18 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

I think it’s pretty clear that Sport Republic want a “head coach” rather than a manager.

They want all the recruitment, starting, data, nerdy stuff done by an internal SR team. 
 

You mean like pretty much every single team in the top 2 divisions. 

[Junkyard Dog]

8 hours ago, BarryVenisonsHair said:

How about Potter? Took charge of Sweden on a short term deal and would now be free? 

No thanks 

[E_H_Saints]

If miraculously the team looks good and we get wins than I'll be surprised and back him.  Saints have played the roulette table so many times, surely we have to hit at some point. 

However, I feel bad for him if losses come our way and I hope in his early years he understands what will come will actually have nothing to do with him but something much bigger than him.  And he will need to relay that message to the team because believe it or not, there are good future players in that squad who just don't have someone to lead.  

Look how leaders made Fonte look.  Soon as he left for West Ham he got found out.  

Fingers crossed 

[StrangelyBrown]

16 minutes ago, Junkyard Dog said:

No thanks 

Tonda or Potter?

[HKsaint]

2 hours ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

I think it’s pretty clear that Sport Republic want a “head coach” rather than a manager.

They want all the recruitment, starting, data, nerdy stuff done by an internal SR team. 
But this is where SR are a great example of executing this structure terribly.

Sport Republic only insisted on playing Bazunu and Stephen. A head coach can make other decisions. 

[sadoldgit]

This idea that SR influence who plays is a bit odd. Still dropped Stephens and Baz but Eckert brought them back. It seems to me that the coaches are making these decisions which is not unreasonable given their job depends on getting these things right.