Puel dead man walking

Southampton Football Club
102

Yeah yeah yeah. I was simply pointing out the apparent paradigm shift. They used to bleat on about five year plans but have now seemingly seen that they are perhaps unrealistic given the annual upheaval of players and managers. We exist in an almost perpetual state of rebuilding.

Lesley has indirectly mentioned the ‘marginal gains’ being the aim going forwards. Fair enough, at least that is honest.

The reality is we will still attract decent young and hungry players but they will be joining on the basis that we can improve them and give them a platform to showcase before moving on. We used to hear that they bought in to our ‘plan’ or ‘being part of the club’s’ journey. I suspect that they have in reality been one and the same thing all along, just dressed up differently.

As I said before, it is what it is.

2 Likes
103

Originally posted by @newyorksaint

Les has just confirmed then that the dream of top 4 has passed and our target is to maintain what we achieved last season, or is my glass half empty

Originally posted by @newyorksaint

supporting saints is all about dreaming.

I want to dream we can reach the chapions Legue

I want to dream we can win the Europa

i want to dream we can beat West Brom

I want to dream that Portsmouth is a non league club

If you read the first part of the interview on the previous page I think Reed says exactly what you’re saying.

To me, he is saying that he wants us to be the best of the rest and go further than that if the situation arises.

This is a quote from that interview:

From The Echo’s article with Les Reed

Of course, we are very demanding because we want to do that and be the ‘best of the rest’ as people keep calling it.

We still want to be the top of the league we are in if you take out the mega clubs.

Les Reed on whether Saints have hit a glass ceiling in terms of their league progress…

That’s what we have to achieve. We might aspire to be above that, but what we have to achieve is to be at the top of that group on a consistent basis.

That why when a season like last season comes along, we might be able to take advantage of it.

I don’t like naming other clubs but Leicester won the league and are now in a relegation battle. We don’t want to do that. We want to be consistent in everything we do, and build a club long term that can always be ready to go through the door if it opens, but on a regular basis and not just a one off basis if everything falls into place for us.

That’s what we want to have, is that consistency in those sort of positions in the league, at the same time to continue to aspire to do better than that if the opportunity arises based on our resources and circumstances.

4 Likes
104

Thanks saintbletch. That gives me hope. We all use this forum for something. I use it in the hope someone will drag me out of my Southampton FC black dog moments.

Lets now get on and score 3 and stick it to the Canarys, beat the Scoucers at home, park the bus at Anfield and get to Wembly

4 Likes
105

I can see your point about the 5-year plan Simon says, but to my mind, last season was the culmination of that plan. I didn’t expect us to achieve what we did last year when we were in League One. When did we put the plan in place?

EDIT: I’ve Google’d and, whilst it might be wrong, it looks like the five-year plan was instigate in 2009. This from an article in the Daily Mail in 2014.

He (Les Reed) adds: ‘We know what we’re doing here. There was a five-year plan in 2009 when this club was in League One. We got out of there ahead of target. Then we got out of the Championship ahead of target. We’re at the start of our next five-year plan now. There’s no panic. We march on.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2888728/The-five-year-plan-helped-Southampton-target-four-spot.html#ixzz4V55NNHOY

i.e. the 5-year plan was about turning the club around and has now finished and we are operating on a different, albeit similar, basis.

106

Amen.

107

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/14389289.amp?client=safari

I’m not sure if that link will work properly because I’m about to throw my fucking iPhone out of the window.

Anyway, there was talk of a new 5 year plan in March of this year in a bid to keep Koeman. It doesn’t say what was in that plan but if it were simply ‘try and improve a little and hope that another team has a wobble’ then I would argue that surely all clubs have a similar plan.

Maybe that was the plan and that’s why Koeman bounced and is now buying players (Morgan) that we couldn’t keep hold of? £6m annual salary aside of course…

I guess I’m wondering if there is a five year plan with Claude or have we changed that mindset now that we are more or less established in the top half ‘mini league’?

1 Like
108

Yeah, fair points Simon says.

But in reality what does a club that is the best of the rest (not saying we are yet) do to push on?

A massive takeover by a cash-rich, egotistical narcissist is the only thing that springs to mind - but they have all probably decided to run for the presidencies of their home countries.

And if I heard that there was a five-year plan to push on to be a regular Champions League protagonist without a massive investment of cash, I wouldn’t believe it.

Look at Leicester.

I think we are where we are and are looking to consolidate our position and look to take advantage of any slipups by the clubs above us. Which is pretty much what I think Reed is saying.

Still doesn’t stop it being as frustrating as fuck though. I’m with you on that.

1 Like
109

We all know we cant and never will ba able to compete with the top 6/7 so why don’t we say that? Why doesn’t Les clear up the West Brom rumour? The Fonte one? The Forster one? The VVD? Bertand? Why did we rotate when it didn’t work? Old Prowesy had better whip in some more quality balls hey Les, fuck me address the issue of selling and not replacing with the same and say we’re speculating, bellend.

110

Originally posted by @Barry-Sanchez

We all know we cant and never will ba able to compete with the top 6/7 so why don’t we say that?

Having read the interview, I’d say that’s pretty much exactly what Reed did say.

Why doesn’t Les clear up the West Brom rumour? The Fonte one? The Forster one? The VVD? Bertand? Why did we rotate when it didn’t work?

First, perhaps he chooses not to address unsubstantiated rumours, as doing so may persuade fools to give them more and not less credibiity. Second, if he had addressed them you’d simply say it’s bullshit corporate propaganda and dismiss what he said anyway.

Old Prowesy had better whip in some more quality balls hey Les, fuck me address the issue of selling and not replacing with the same and say we’re speculating, bellend.

This bit is simply drivel.

1 Like
111

It was obviously TLDR for you me old mucker, apart from that why comment on rumours?

112

Originally posted by @saintbletch

Originally posted by @newyorksaint

Les has just confirmed then that the dream of top 4 has passed and our target is to maintain what we achieved last season, or is my glass half empty

Originally posted by @newyorksaint

supporting saints is all about dreaming.

I want to dream we can reach the chapions Legue

I want to dream we can win the Europa

i want to dream we can beat West Brom

I want to dream that Portsmouth is a non league club

If you read the first part of the interview on the previous page I think Reed says exactly what you’re saying.

To me, he is saying that he wants us to be the best of the rest and go further than that if the situation arises.

This is a quote from that interview:

From The Echo’s article with Les Reed

Of course, we are very demanding because we want to do that and be the ‘best of the rest’ as people keep calling it.

We still want to be the top of the league we are in if you take out the mega clubs.

Les Reed on whether Saints have hit a glass ceiling in terms of their league progress…

That’s what we have to achieve. We might aspire to be above that, but what we have to achieve is to be at the top of that group on a consistent basis.

That why when a season like last season comes along, we might be able to take advantage of it.

I don’t like naming other clubs but Leicester won the league and are now in a relegation battle. We don’t want to do that. We want to be consistent in everything we do, and build a club long term that can always be ready to go through the door if it opens, but on a regular basis and not just a one off basis if everything falls into place for us.

That’s what we want to have, is that consistency in those sort of positions in the league, at the same time to continue to aspire to do better than that if the opportunity arises based on our resources and circumstances.

No one can say I haven’t said this season and last this is as good as it gets and this is the glass ceiling, why don’t the club say that and say what they plan ie advance by paying mega wages, status quo or managed decline by selling assets and specualtion buying on a whole new level?

113

Originally posted by @Barry-Sanchez

Originally posted by @saintbletch

Originally posted by @newyorksaint

Les has just confirmed then that the dream of top 4 has passed and our target is to maintain what we achieved last season, or is my glass half empty

Originally posted by @newyorksaint

supporting saints is all about dreaming.

I want to dream we can reach the chapions Legue

I want to dream we can win the Europa

i want to dream we can beat West Brom

I want to dream that Portsmouth is a non league club

If you read the first part of the interview on the previous page I think Reed says exactly what you’re saying.

To me, he is saying that he wants us to be the best of the rest and go further than that if the situation arises.

This is a quote from that interview:

From The Echo’s article with Les Reed

Of course, we are very demanding because we want to do that and be the ‘best of the rest’ as people keep calling it.

We still want to be the top of the league we are in if you take out the mega clubs.

Les Reed on whether Saints have hit a glass ceiling in terms of their league progress…

That’s what we have to achieve. We might aspire to be above that, but what we have to achieve is to be at the top of that group on a consistent basis.

That why when a season like last season comes along, we might be able to take advantage of it.

I don’t like naming other clubs but Leicester won the league and are now in a relegation battle. We don’t want to do that. We want to be consistent in everything we do, and build a club long term that can always be ready to go through the door if it opens, but on a regular basis and not just a one off basis if everything falls into place for us.

That’s what we want to have, is that consistency in those sort of positions in the league, at the same time to continue to aspire to do better than that if the opportunity arises based on our resources and circumstances.

No one can say I haven’t said this season and last this is as good as it gets and this is the glass ceiling, why don’t the club say that and say what they plan ie advance by paying mega wages, status quo or managed decline by selling assets and specualtion buying on a whole new level?

What exactly is your problem here (apart from an itchy posting finger)? Reed is asked about the apparent ‘glass ceiling’ and gives a full answer. Have you simply not read it, or could you not understand it?

3 Likes
114

I though Les Reed made things pretty clear in yesterdays interview … I found it very reassuring and his timing was spot on.

He hasn’t lost faith in Puel and that’s good enough for me. I do hope it’s a case of him keeping his cards close to chest re his comments on incomings this window.

2 Likes
115

I see us more on a 15-20 year plan, broken up into 4 parts of roughly 5 years a piece.

Stage 1. Safe premier league football and sort out the finances.

Stage 2. Complete spending on Staplewood, improve commercial revenue and respectable mid table with the possibility to fight for European places.

Stage 3. Improved income(better contracts), attracting better quality young players(hopefully keep for longer) and fighting more regularly for European places.

Step 4. Be known as the club that produces the finest quality players(maybe even holding on to a few), financially secure enough that we can spend big once in a while and occasional fight for Champions league places and domestic cups.

I say we are well ahead of schedule(mid stage 3)and this is as much as we can hope for. The quality of the young players we are now buying is like night and day in my opinion.

In reality, we’ve been spoilt over the last couple of years. How many people still look at the table and worry about getting 40 points?

Support the club when it needs it. They have done rather well.

3 Likes
116

I read it of course I did, he is towing the company line, no mention of the real issues just posturing, players leaving and coming in are taken with an abasolute pinch of salt but we all know if the price is right we’ll sell, what about the Liebherrs and their intentions? No one can deny we’ve got worse and no one can deny we play a brand of football worse than last season, the posturing concernng our lack of goals is very apparent, on the cheap, what are the ambitons and how will they be realised?

He didn’t say, deflection and saying everything and nothing but deniable elastic bollocks, I see it all the time.

1 Like
117

Makes no difference what he said, Barry. Your response would have been much the same.

1 Like
118

I’m pretty sure you’re right Bletch. My issue is probably that I wish you weren’t!

2 Likes
119

Thats not fair and a presumption, if he say the glass ceiling was reached last season and he expects players to leave as they did so well but he’ll do everything in his power for them to stay so we can progress then I’d be happy and give him the benefit of the doubt but he didn’t, he came out with we’ll try, the team will try shite thats been peddled for years and year, I don’t believe it, Branfoot peddled that as did Gray as did Lowe.

Smoke and mirrors.

120

Barry, you are making yourself look either a bit silly or a bit of a troll.

Read the interview with Reed. The answers are all there.

You might not like the answers, and I might not either, but you can’t simply group letters into words, words into sentences and sentences into a post that contains nonsense without being called on it.

I’ll assume you’re looking just a bit silly and not trolling and do you the service of giving answers to the points you’ve raised. But in return, I’ll expect you to discuss this post, and this post alone with me.

Let’s do this.

No one can say I haven’t said this season and last

Agreed.

this is as good as it gets and this is the glass ceiling

OK, that’s certainly a valid view.

, why don’t the club say that

The club (Les Reed) has said pretty much this.

Reed said that there is a group of mega clubs that we’ll struggle to regularly compete with. This, I took to mean was a glass ceiling that will largely keep us where we are.

[why doesn’t the club…] say what they plan ie advance by paying mega wages, status quo or managed decline by selling assets and specualtion buying on a whole new level?

Yeah, in the same interview Reed says that we will look to consolidate what we’re already doing.

So from your list of alternatives, that would be status quo.

We’re apparently looking to ensure we finish best of the rest and then look to push on when the mega clubs leave the door open for us.

So in response to Les Reed’s interview, you raised 4 main points in your post of which 2 were questions.

Both of these questions were answered in Les Reed’s interview.

Do you agree that both your questions were answered, Barry?

Note, I’m not asking if you liked the answers, I’m asking you to show me if you feel your specific questions were not answered.

3 Likes
121

Originally posted by @Saint-or-sinner

I see us more on a 15-20 year plan, broken up into 4 parts of roughly 5 years a piece.

15 - 20 year plan ?

Bollocks, was kinda hoping to be around when the ‘plan’ comes to fruition :lou_sad:

… better give up smoking I suppose