Fabrice29

Not sure Tanswell is backstabbing anyone with that article tbh. People inside the club definetely are though and need to be removed. As above, you are going to be incredibly disappointed if you think the Athletic won't be fully invested in Saints next year.

You will be sorely dissappointed. Anyway, his comments after the game today are laughable from a captain. "The way we’ve done it this year, that’s the disappointing thing. We didn’t really go down with a fight and given everything we can. That’s the disappointing thing.” Media trained cliché comments are not ideal from a captain and this doesn't smack of someone who was ever going to sort out the issues inside the dressing room.

I can see the logic behind it, that's the nature of the multi club system and some clubs get success and some don't, that's just natural in any system. Found that whole section odd to be honest, like it's some sort of negative that the scouts were asked to provide data to the people making the ultimate transfer decision? I'm not sure scouts need to be loyal/emotional tbh, their work is quite the opposite. Of course you want people to buy into ideas and that's what I mean about SR needing to employ people who are fully behind their ideas. People challenging things is obviously needed as well but the if SR want it to work that way then it requires people to be behind that idea and I'd rather the people that aren't left, than just staying, bitching about it to the Athletic and undermining it on a daily basis.

The more I read that Athletic article the more I just think SR really need to implement their own people and ways fully. It's clear the club is divided with the people who were settled in their ways at the club and the new guys with fresh ideas and it leads to bitchy articles like that. If I'm SR I'm doubling down this summer and going all in. Whether people like it or not SR are here for the long term so I have absolutely no issue with any staff that don't like it being made uncomfortable and leaving and quite happy to be rid of a squad that seemingly have a weak mentality and unable to manage itself. Full revamp needed and that includes the people bitching in the background to journalists. There will be sensationalist snippets taken from it and continued to be thrown about but it just smacks of a club and environment that was slowly declining for years and didn't like having that being pointed out and being changed.

On the back of todays performance I can't handle the thought of having to watch anymore clueless in possession play at home. If Russel Martin is the most extreme possession based manager we can find and promises to really focus on hammering it into a group of players then I would very much welcome that.

Just love the idea that we are so attractive and have all the money to attract Potter but without Potter or some other big name that no good player will be wanting to play for us.

Haha okay, it’s just I’m having a look at the teams promoted quickly from the PL and not seeing any ‘paid out for’ superstar manager on the list. But you keep saying cliche stuff Also keep getting angry at a shortlist A) you only know half of B) you don’t actually know exists.

This is utter bollocks. Firstly the idea that we need pull in the Championship when we’re one of the 3 teams to come down from the Prem is ridiculousl. The idea that we pull should be a priority when we’ve lacked any decent progressive coaching for 2 years minimum is also ridiculous. And ‘no other option than to pay for experience’ is just madness. What you’ll find with experience is a very clear ceiling. There’s very few experienced managers we could attract that have potential to grow into a PL manager and haven’t already failed somewhere. To rule out talented managers because they are relatively new to the role is genuinely the most depressing idea of all. Would much rather we went into next season with a manger who we think might be great rather than one we know is not.

Or maybe the Turkish league is a bit shit with very relaxed tax rules and a nice place for players looking for a payday and to add some numbers to their career?

Isn't Crocker trying to get him to take the US job?

Not totally convinced by that, you've always got to be dubious of players who get to 28 and haven't had a big move. Couple of long range goals on highlights is great, especially against English opposition but he wasn't some international superstar (he was a sub for Croatia who scored in a rotated team in the 3rd place play off. A squad DCC couldn't get into). I think we took a fairly cheap gamble in desperate times and it hasn't worked out. He's been given opportunities and has looked well out of his depth. It happens, we move on.

Didn't he and Blackburn go months without winning? Carrick, Mowbray and Carlos Corberán all seem fairly interesting options to me. Corberán only recently signed a long term contract mind and the others will need to wait for the result of the play-offs.

There's lots of players refusing to sign new contracts and still playing and other players who have moves lined up (one of which has taken Salisu's place in the squad) so I imagine that the contract thing is the very start of the issue and the injury thing sounds plausible.

Not convinced offering the contract was a Semmens thing tbh. Pretty sure Ralph had a choice to make about which one he wanted and chose McCarthy. Pretty sure either way that we would still be having this conversation anyway just the other way around, both would have attracted criticism and made the other look more appealing. Like the whole Bednarek/Stephens who should we keep/loan out argument, it's just a reflection of where we are that the best option really would have been to cut ties with them all and we'll probably get that this summer.

The problem with Forster and McCarthy is that they are absolutely prime candidates for a back up / home grown / good professional slot in any PL team. They are sought after by clubs who can offer more money to do less. Game time is the only downside for keepers like these two when big clubs come calling but why not take the risk and hope there's an injury that means you find yourself in the team? Forster has done it and I'm pretty sure McCarthy will be given the option to do it in the summer by someone. Every top club who doesn't have a British number one will be looking to have a homegrown number 2 or 3. There's only so much the club can do to keep Forster and there's even less we can do now to keep McCarthy. Pretty sure the club will be in Caballero's ear to stay on and work with Bazunu and Lis with a coaching role too.

Yes and he's also confirmed he'll be covering Saints next year.

Pretty sure he was injured for a lot of the second half fwiw. Although I agree that he's been very forgettable for a while now.

Love posts like this. Lampard more experience in the Championship and technically more managerial jobs than Viera. Gerrard at Rangers lasted longer than Viera and Viera has yet to do more than 2.5 years anywhere with his only job in English football last under 2 years. Viera's last two jobs have ended with the sack and most fans far from on their feet but instead bored out of their brains. But sure, let's get Viera in for experience, long term and excitement. Let's just avoid clearly limited managers and have some mystery and hope in our next appointment please. All these managers have shown their ceiling.

Go on…

Achievement is definitely impressive and even more so because it’s a very young group but I also think when we are calling for a step up to the first team we should remember they’ve impressed in the PL2 and not the top division. There’s a whole other league worth of talent above them currently and that explains our desire as a club to continue to target talent from these teams. This group are clearly doing all they can, so it’s not their fault at all, and I think they do deserve an opportunity next season when it’s right for them, but it always amuses me that people just casually think the likes of Ballard should take a natural step up to the first team now when the level he’s impressed at is an even bigger step than the one Edozie for example made last summer.

Do you mean your subscription? Or The Athletic from reporting directly on Southampton? Because I can assure you that the dedicated reporting will continue. I think that is a Tanswell issue rather than the Athletic. The Athletic has some wonderful content, and imo is well worth the (cheaper offers) subscription. Saints coverage has always been sub par imo. Never really got the Anka hype and find him largely up his own arse and over complicated with all his content. Shelton was factual and solid in detail but nothing much else. His work now for the Athletuc suits him better because he’s clearly been assigned to work on factual articles rather than anything needing a fan connection. Tanswell slightly the opposite imo. Clearly has affinity for the club and that goes a long way but man he loves to repeat his own stuff and rehash it in another article. The occasional inside knowledge which is good but the most infuriating bit about him is his insistence on trying to repeat the lingo used at the training ground like he’s one of the coaching staff. Continually repeating ‘Pausa’ in articles and in press conferences for a period was a particular cringeworthy moment. Alfie House excellent though. Agreed. Detail, personable and affection for the club. Shame the site he works on his an ad fest and almost unusable.

Scenes when he's not even in the Wrexham 11 by the end of next season.

It'll never not be funny that Matt Crocker gets a free ride on here for being in the same role.

A classic Athletic "we don't know so rather than just say that, we'll cover almost every base we can and just put down words" trope. Anyway, anyone know how Ryan Finnigan is getting on at Crewe?

You mean… ‘player you think is leaving is probably leaving unless of course he doesn’t’ isn’t ground breaking journalism?