Fight?
Jeez, apart from Romeu, our lot couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag.
But then in fairness, Redmond, Tadic and Long can be relied upon to have a good moan, so maybe we should hope for a good moan from the players as signs of an improvement, and maybe a tactical substitution after say 62 minutes instead of 60 as signs of a change in strategy?
Ah Good moaning Sotonians…it seems not only Redmond, Tadic and Long but quite a few of the regular Sotonians can be relied upon in that department.
I, on the other hand, am going for fighting 2-1 win. 
Id take Marco silva here anyway, he’s a stunner. Will finally lay the pelle ghost to bed.
completely agree 
Not unreasonable. I wonder how things would have played out if Austin and VVD hadn’t got crocked? Still, I don’t think he will be sacked this summer. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Board are checking on a few names in case he leaves, but can’t see that happening either this summer. I’ m not going to lose any sleep if he stays or goes, but he does need to up his game next season. It’s not a bad squad and there have been some good performances this season, but not enough. The finishing has been woeful. Onwards and upwards hopefully next season!
If he does leave, I bet it will be a slow drawn out process and in the end we all stop caring if it happens or not. The board agree to call it a 0-0 draw and pay half of his compensation.
Pretty much bang on for me.
That said, I wouldn’t give him too much credit for improving any of those players though, other than perhaps JWP. All of the others mentioned (Redmond, Romeu, Cedric, Stephens and Yoshida) have improved by virtue of the fact that they have received regular game time.
Redmond has arguably improved due to being a year older and is playing regularly in a team that is better than Norwich (just).
Romeu was bought because the club knew Wanyama was running down his contract, and he was always going to become the successor in that position. Way before Puel arrived. Therefore he has played regularly and improved as a consequence.
The same could be said of Yoshida and Stephens. Both have been thrown in to the team out of necessity rather than Puel having faith in them, giving them a chance and thereby improving them. It is natural to assume that players who ordinarily don’t get a game, but are all of a sudden main stays in the team due to departing players and injuries to preferred options, would improve with a prolonged run in the side. Both are playing in the knowledge that they are under zero pressure to be dropped. The situation with Carceras has been discussed already on here and it is clear to me that he won’t get a game for club policy and financial reasons, rather than footballing.
Cedric is better for it being his second season in the Premier League.
I just find it hard to justify awarding praise to the coaching in these instances when clearly there are other inevitable factors at work. Furthermore, when you consider these player improvements within the context of the season overall, I can’t help wonder what the point is in supposedly improving certain bit part players when the overall performance of the team as a unit is notably worse. I’m sorry but I fail to see the achievement.
The only reason I give credit for JWP upping his game is because he is the only one who has been converted from a bit part player to a more regular first teamer, out of merit rather than necessity.
That’s 5 players that were not considered good enough last year and 1 new signing. Add the other 2 young new players and we have 8. It’s a big ask of any manager to do well with that. Maybe people are being a bit harsh, when you also consider half a season without your best defender and striker. That’s now 10 outfield players. Then add a shit year for Forster. That’s a whole team. Now add all the extra games as well and let’s be honest, the scheduling from the league has hardly been favourable.
We also have the second youngest squad in the league(get rid of Davis and it’s the youngest). It’s also his first season in a new league. Look at it like that and he’s the messiah(admittedly a rather dull messiah).
Has anyone considered he might have looked at the squad and realised trying to play attractive football would have led to relegation. People have been saying for ages that the constant selling will catch up with us. Now’s that time.
Let him build his own team and then judge.
Yes @barry-sanchez i will expect more entertaining football next year if he’s still with us.
Just a point of note.
Puel won’t build his own team next season.
The Black Box does that.
Wanna bet that the black box will probably point to more young players from the French leagues?
Fair point Phil, but the manager does have a say. Remember who Ronald bought, no way Martina or Pelle came from the Black Box and i can guarantee that Osvaldo for Poch didn’t either.
They’ll allow him 1 or 2 and any others will be by mutual agreement.
What’s your view, get rid or give him time?
While the football IS boring it is The Southampton Way. Koeman played the same BUT introduced the long (er) ball into channels to play to Long’s strength.
Has Puel done anything badly wrong a la. Sturrock or Wrigley? Hell no. And for every sack him I would say back Rowett at Birmingham, Monk at Swansea and everyone at Forest & Orient.
I sat through that turgid shit v Hull I had to bend spoons to fit that in to a short trip (only home game this year) and could happily have given the whole dressing room the hairdryer personally including Puel.
Fact is he is a Wenger clone playing Wenger football. Just it is not working for Arsenal AND they have better gifted players than us and still can’t do it. Imho it is too noughties need some directness mixed in.
But to sack him? For Silva the messiah?
Hmmmm that hasn’t worked elsewhere so I’d keep.
(But only with a stern talking to about entertainment)
And only just by the skin of his teeth
The reason I said all of that is because I have heard Claude say that a couple of times in recent interveiws/press conferences and it just sounds like he is clutching at straws. Trying to drum up some support for his tenure so far. Perhaps he shouldn’t need to do that so soon but that is modern football.
I cannot argue that VVD is a huge miss. Austin was a blow for a couple of months before Gabbiadini arrived and you can hardly say we missed him in his first few games. I suspect Gabby will be first choice going forwards.
But that is not the point I’m arguing. What I am saying is that I don’t believe he should be getting too much credit for improving said players because he HAD to play the players that he did. Credit would be due if he bravely chose to put these players in to the team when he had other options available. The truth is the club fucked him over and failed to get that centre back that they wanted (Schar? or something) in January, meaning that he had little choice but to play them. The alternative was Gardos who I doubt will ever kick another ball for our first team.
I DO accept that he has been dealt a bad hand in that regard but again that isn’t the point I’m trying to make. Feel sympathy for him, sure. But don’t award undue credit for improving squad players. Anybody handing them a sustained run in the team could improve them in that sense.
Has he genuinely converted Yoshida and Stephens in to first team contention for next season? I would be aghast if we don’t sign another first choice CB in the summer, even if VVD stays. They have become more able deputies but are still not of the VVD & Fonte standard in my opinion.
I was away this week and missed my first home game since we made it back to the Prem.
I chose holiday over football.
I was right.
#smug
Senile first timer on here. Born in the General Hospital, started regularly at the Dell with Ron and Micky, Terry Paine and John Sydenham, Big John McG etc - and Ted over it all - but left the area in 69 and the whole country in 1990, so mostly see the Saints on the box. Small world, Saints-supporting son has just moved three miles from where I was brought up, so we can get back and visit more often.
Not used to internet fora, no time previously, lurked around the other place a bit before realising that the level of discussion there makes the average infants’ school playground look like the Oxford Union, at least the stuff on here seems reasonably good-natured. Just don’t start me on Brexit.
I’m a happy clapper, it ain’t never been as good for a smallish club like Saints and we are “different” even if you are cynical about the marketing of that, we are stable and well-run. People are spoiled, absolutely not enough patience. On the other hand the current football is crap so, frankly, something’s up. Puel’s been pretty successful elsewhere, so what do you think - is it (a) Premier League players are spoilt prima donnas with more money than sense? (b) Black is crap at communicating to the players what Claude says in French (but Boufal is as French as Puel is)? © he just needs more time? (d) something else?
Have to go for © and also quote an article in the French paper Nice Matin last August (posted it on the dark side but was ignored). This was an interesting extended interview with Julien Rodriguez, retired defender ex-Monaco, Rangers and Marseilles. To a random question of which trainer had the most influence on Rodriguez, he responded unprompted that this was Claude, “without hesitation”. He was a complete package, trained with the players, was almost more motivated than them, had a real philosophy of the game. The interviewer commented that the Monaco style of play at the time Claude was there was pretty hard, and they didn’t exactly deal in subtleties - Rodriguez said that Puel at Nice last year could rely on good ball players, but when he doesn’t have such, he’ll play differently in order to find the result he wants. There you have it, why not at Saints?
PS How the hell do you upload an avatar image?
PPS I see it worked
Welcome Hoops (hope your user name isn’t a typo ) … more input to the footie side of Sotonians is most welcome.
Anyway I’ll go for © … and (b) if I’m allowed to pick two
Hi Mott welcome etc! What is a Hoopoe? I’m kind of hoping for a username typo! My username was sposed to be Beardy but i signed up drunk 