Saint-Armstrong

...and maybe not a fan of Pellegrino or Puel either...

He's very direct.

Live press conference:

Yep, agree. It ultimately comes back to DuncanRG's point at the top of the thread, too. Thanks for the above posting too. Genuinely didn't (and realistically still don't) know too much about the trans community and issues relating to trans violence, so it was actually quite interesting to hear from someone in your own position. I'm sorry to hear that your sister has been made to feel unwelcome by some too, but sadly not too surprising at all, especially in the current climate.

Yep, I work with a QPR fan currently and pretty much this, this and this.

Think, as others have touched on, we'd have to break away from Hughes' current 4-4-2 system for that to happen though. I'd be all for going to a 4-2-3-1 and using him in the 10. As you say, definitely a player in there.

Yes, on reflection it is a misleading title. I amended with a question mark once that was realised, so the stick for that is fair enough. Although, I'm not sure why anyone would give time out of their day to get too het up about that on a football forum! Also struggling to understand why Supersonic is going on about it being done to get people to read the article. I didn't write it and I have no vested interest in getting clicks for The Telegraph. It would be particularly bad clickbait seeing as I put the entire essence of the piece into the top line of the OP too! Anyway, on the topic of the thread: do agree that it seems like a puff piece. I wonder who is actually briefing Wilson, too? I had assumed previously that it was direct from Les Reed, but perhaps it comes from within the club's communications department itself. Would make some more sense as I can't imagine Ralph being particularly connected with members of the English football press. But as others have said, this very much feels as if they are laying the foundations for 'we have chosen this person from a strong field of candidates' with a point towards the likes of Paul Mitchell and Stuart Webber. For both of those individuals, I don't really understand why they'd trade in their current status and employment to come and work under this board. Sad and disillusioning times. Can understand from an organisational perspective why you'd keep Ross Wilson around right now, but the idea of him being given a heightened role in the new structure? He was already Head of Football Operations... and that has hardly been a roaring success. Couple that with Webber's comments about the state of Huddersfield after he inherited his role from Wilson and... well, it's not great. We can but hope...

Hello MLG.

According to Jeremy Wilson, who reports that the club are looking into approaching Mitchell about returning to fill the void (at least partially) left by Les Reed's departure. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/11/19/southmaptons-off-field-overhaul-could-include-division-les-reeds/

Question from the floor: Good evening, Mr Reed and Mr Krueger... Mr Reed is the head of all things football here and Mr Krueger, you stated that the buck stops with you. In two years we’ve gone from European contenders to relegation battlers. In that time you’ve sacked two managers. So why have you not done the honourable thing and stepped down from your positions? Ouch.

Full notes from Hughes' pre-game press conference: - No proper discussions about his future beyond the end of the season - Obviously if things go well for both parties then there will likely be a conversation about that - Good group here, talented players - Lack of direction, the players need more direction and drive - Some people commented on the intensity of training - He was surprised that the intensity of his work has surprised the players, but it's how it's going to be now - We need to be more intense in matches too - His only focus is on making sure we stay in the Premier League - He is going to take the FA Cup match seriously - We just need to bring out the best elements of our players - We need to make our attacking play more effective - We need better movement and creativity in the final third - The team need to understand where to put the ball, where to attack, how many more people need to attack - That is my focus for this weekend, I want to see us creating chances to win the game - In the league, draws and losses are not good enough - We must win the league games, not focus on trying to take a point - There's an argument for saying that players now have a fresh start - Any grievances people had with the past manager should now be forgotten - Let's start afresh and see if people take their opportunities - As an opposition manager I know a lot about the place I've come to - The key for us now is that if you perform well, you will be keeping the shirt - The standard needs to be higher if you want to keep the shirt though, it's not been good enough - The fans are going to be massive for us now - Over 4,000 at Wigan is massive support, we need to show the fans and give them something to grasp onto for the rest of the season - We want to change how they feel - I've been speaking to Charlie Austin, he's not going to be involved this weekend - We think we can get him involved for short periods next week - He could get some game time if things go well - He is encouraged and we will look at speeding up his progress - But I do not want to put too much pressure on Charlie, but if we can get him ready for West Ham that's great - There is no right or wrong way now - The only way for us is to win these football matches - I can only judge the guys on what I see in training - I am pleased with them - You always feel apprehensive in scenarios like these when you come in - But I haven't seen fragmented groups, lack of confidence or lack of belief in ability - Now we can focus on work - I don't have the luxury of a bit more time to build relationships and slowly grow things - We're in a situation where I have to and will step on people's toes - We don't have time to waste - If I upset people along the way, then they will have to accept it - All I care about is that when we look back on this period, we view it as a success and the club is safe - I do like the energy here, everybody is pushing in the right direction, but it must continue until the season ends - The cup can be a real positive influence and give us confidence and momentum - I do not see a game against Wigan as a hindrance, this is a positive for us

Here's the rest of the press conf, courtesy of Facebook LIVE: - There's an argument for saying that players now have a fresh start - Any grievances people had with the past manager should now be forgotten - Let's start afresh and see if people take their opportunities - As an opposition manager I know a lot about the place I've come to - The key for us now is that if you perform well, you will be keeping the shirt - The standard needs to be higher if you want to keep the shirt though, it's not been good enough - The fans are going to be massive for us now - Over 4,000 at Wigan is massive support, we need to show the fans and give them something to grasp onto for the rest of the season - We want to change how they feel - I've been speaking to Charlie Austin, he's not going to be involved this weekend - We think we can get him involved for short periods next week - He could get some game time if things go well - He is encouraged and we will look at speeding up his progress - But I do not want to put too much pressure on Charlie, but if we can get him ready for West Ham that's great - There is no right or wrong way now - The only way for us is to win these football matches - I can only judge the guys on what I see in training - I am pleased with them - You always feel apprehensive in scenarios like these when you come in - But I haven't seen fragmented groups, lack of confidence or lack of belief in ability - Now we can focus on work - I don't have the luxury of a bit more time to build relationships and slowly grow things - We're in a situation where I have to and will step on people's toes - We don't have time to waste - If I upset people along the way, then they will have to accept it - All I care about is that when we look back on this period, we view it as a success and the club is safe - I do like the energy here, everybody is pushing in the right direction, but it must continue until the season ends - The cup can be a real positive influence and give us confidence and momentum - I do not see a game against Wigan as a hindrance, this is a positive for us

Hughes' first presser - key notes from Sky*: (* Sky did cut away while he was mid-flow) - No proper discussions about his future beyond the end of the season - Obviously if things go well for both parties then there will likely be a conversation about that - Good group here, talented players - Lack of direction, the players need more direction and drive - Some people commented on the intensity of training - He was surprised that the intensity of his work has surprised the players, but it's how it's going to be now - We need to be more intense in matches too - His only focus is on making sure we stay in the Premier League - He is going to take the FA Cup match seriously - We just need to bring out the best elements of our players - We need to make our attacking play more effective - We need better movement and creativity in the final third - The team need to understand where to put the ball, where to attack, how many more people need to attack - That is my focus for this weekend, I want to see us creating chances to win the game - In the league, draws and losses are not good enough - We must win the league games, not focus on trying to take a point

My post is just statistics. Not 'trying to justify' anything. Sorry if you can't see that. If other people want to feel encouraged, that's up to them. There are legitimate reasons to feel encouraged.

Produced a fairly comprehensive (yet easily readable in quick time) review of his career so far. Just facts and figures. No opinion. If you're interested: https://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?59559-Mark-Hughes-Season-by-season-breakdown&p=2608189#post2608189 Didn't want to clog this thread with a long post.

So because I got bored and wanted to know for myself, I looked into the facts behind Hughes' time as a club manager in terms of performance. Hopefully you find it interesting and it might dispel some myths floating about... (like he always gets sacked for being in a relegation battle?!) MARK HUGHES: SEASON-BY-SEASON BLACKBURN ROVERS 2004/05 Premier League: - 42 points and finished 15th (remit was to stay up) - Nine points above the drop zone, 13 points off of Europe Cups: - Reached the FA Cup semi-final before losing to eventual winners Arsenal - Eliminated in League Cup second round by Bournemouth, on penalties 2005/06 Premier League: - 63 points and finished 6th (same points total as when Koeman got us to 6th) - Secured UEFA Cup qualification Cups: - Knocked out at the fourth round of the FA Cup by West Ham - Reached the League Cup semi-final before losing to eventual winners Manchester United 2006/07 Premier League: - 52 points and finished 10th - Four points off of a second consecutive season of Europe and 14 points clear of relegation Cups: - Progressed through qualifying by beating Salzburg, making it to the group stage of the UEFA Cup - Won their group ahead of Basel, Feyenoord, Nancy and Wisla Krakow - Went unbeaten in the group stage - Eliminated by Bayer Levekusen after losing 3-2 on aggregate (3-2 away, 0-0 home) - Lost in FA Cup semi-final to eventual winners Chelsea - Lost in League Cup third round to eventual winners Chelsea 2007/08 Premier League: - 58 points and finished 7th - Just two points behind sixth-placed Aston Villa - Missed out on UEFA Cup due to Portsmouth’s FA Cup win Cups: - Returned to UEFA Cup, courtesy of coming through the Intertoto Cup - Progressed through UEFA Cup qualifying - Lost to Larissa in knockout round one (3-2 on aggregate) - Lost in FA Cup third round to Coventry - Lost in League Cup quarter-final to Arsenal (3-2 AET) --- NEW CLUB: POACHED BY MANCHESTER CITY --- 2008/09 Premier League: - 50 points and finished 10th - Three points away from European qualification - Best goal difference outside the top five Cups: - Topped his UEFA Cup group again (PSG, Schalke, Twente, Santander) - Progressed to quarter-final stage before losing 4-3 on aggregate (won 2-1 at home, but lost 3-1 away in the first leg) - Lost in FA Cup third round to Nottingham Forest - Lost in League Cup second round to Brighton (penalties) 2009/10 Premier League: - Sacked in December 2009 with the team in 6th place Cups: - Had qualified the team for the League Cup semi-finals before leaving, beating Arsenal in the quarters - Did not last long enough to oversee the FA Cup run that season --- NEW CLUB: RETURNS TO MANAGEMENT WITH FULHAM --- 2010/11 Premier League: - 49 points and finishes 8th - Qualifies for the Europa League Cups: - Eliminated in fifth round of FA Cup by Bolton Wanderers - Eliminated in third round of League Cup by Stoke City --- RESIGNS FROM FULHAM AFTER FALLING OUT WITH MOHAMED AL-FAYED --- NEW CLUB: JOINS QPR IN JANUARY 2012 --- 2011/12 Premier League: - Takes over with QPR in 17th and finishes 17th with 37 points - Only one point clear of relegation Cups: - Won in FA Cup third round, lost in FA Cup fourth round to eventual winners Chelsea - Club eliminated from League Cup prior to his arrival 2012/13 Premier League: - Sacked in November 2012 with team bottom of the table - Harry Redknapp comes in, team still finishes in 20th Cups: - Was dismissed before FA Cup draw was made - Won in League Cup second round before losing to Reading in round three (3-2) --- NEW CLUB: RETURNS TO MANAGEMENT WITH STOKE CITY --- 2013/14 Premier League: - 50 points and finished ninth - Six points behind Mauricio Pochettino and Saints - 17 points clear of the drop Cups: - Eliminated in FA Cup fourth round by Chelsea (1-0 loss) - Eliminated in quarter-finals by Manchester United 2014/15 Premier League: - 54 points and finished ninth - Four point improvement on previous season - Six points behind Ronald Koeman in his first season - 19 points clear of the drop Cups: - Eliminated in FA Cup fifth round by Blackburn Rovers - Eliminated in League Cup fourth round by Southampton (3-2 home loss) 2015/16 Premier League: - 51 points and finished ninth for third straight season - Slump of three points compared to the previous season - 11 points off Europe - 14 points above the drop Cups: - Eliminated in FA Cup fourth round by Crystal Palace (1-0) - Made it to League Cup semi-final before losing to Liverpool (penalties) 2016/17 Premier League: - 44 points and 13th place - three points would’ve seen him finish above Puel’s Saints and come 8th - 17 points away from Europe - 10 points clear of the drop Cups: - Eliminated in FA Cup third round by Wolves - Won in second round, but eliminated in League Cup third round by Hull City Tl;dr... Blackburn: 15th, 6th, 10th, 7th Man City: 10th, 6th (didn't finish season) Fulham: 8th QPR: 17th, 20th (didn’t finish season - club went down despite binning him in November) Stoke: 9th, 9th, 9th, 13th (three points off 8th) + Some good cup runs.

Seems like the sort of striker we need in terms of his physical characteristics. Not got the greatest goal record but if he brings others into play and generates higher quality chances at the same time (and we sign someone else) then why not?

As Bearsy makes a good point above (did I just type that...?) there's certainly a stance where you could say it's a smart move getting top young assets signed up with a group or individual you trust implicitly. I'm sure previous owners/executives must have had preferred parties to deal with or use on deals too? I'd be shocked if that wasn't the case at every club in the country. It's natural that people in business find people they like and dislike dealing with. Didn't people say the same about Cortese? I think those above suggesting Les is taking a cut of deals (especially the Liverpool comment) is leaping to far greater conclusions than any evidence seems to suggest and need to reign it in a bit and be careful. All we can see on the face of it is that he has a family tie to an agency who are being given work by Saints and/or Saints players/coaches. That agency represents a lot of people though and quite clearly isn't just a small thing that's only Saints-centric.

People ought to look into who certain players (especially at academy level) are signing up as their agency and look through the surnames of some of the agents associated to the company. Then you've found the tip of an iceberg.

Opta: Charlie Austin is the first Southampton player to score a brace in the UEFA Cup/Europa League since Steve Moran in September 1981.

Here we go, just one injury away from a start for Stuart Taylor now...

Alex McCarthy called up to replace Fraser Forster, strangely enough. If anything happens to this one then we're down to Stuart Taylor.

In Stuart Taylor We Trust.

Waiting for six word post