UpweySaint

God it’s depressing that near on every year fans with a laptop and a spare half hour are able to mock up kits that look much more appealing than what we end up with. I’m sure there is a reason to do with big suppliers, standard templates, prominence of logo etc but we don’t half get served some dross. That being said good on the pitch memories always elevate the affection towards kits. Give me the Mr Blobby inspired kit if the trade off is romping to the championship title playing like peak Brazil!

Fair. It’s all a bit chicken and egg. A good manager/coach should be able to improve individuals and make them better than the sum of their parts through tactical instruction. However, starting from an unbalanced squad that lacks quality would handicap even the best manager. While a squad full of individual quality and leadership negates the necessity for a better manager. It sounds like the new manager and recruitment will ultimately come under Spors remit so he has a lot on his plate and is arguably now the most important member of staff at the club.

In fairness this thread is literally about who we want as a new manager. I think we can all agree the squad is in a poor state and needs work ahead of next season - I expect there is some variance on how much change is needed but I anticipate it would be hard going to find a Saints fan who is content with the squad.

I would be happy with Rohl who has done a good job at Wednesday and is well thought of in the game. Wednesdays fans suggest he has them really well organised (true from the little I have seen of them this year) and punching above their weight. The past links to the club are a bonus as is a working relationship with Spors. Pissing off that prat Chansiri would be a nice fringe benefit! Cooper has a good record and his work with England youth sides hopefully suggests an ability to nurture young talent. We have several England youth internationals which would suggest a promising crop of young talent. I’m a sucker for it but love seeing us bring our academy lads in to the fold. He has a very impressive promotion on his CV with Forest and is a tactical pragmatist. Probably something of a unity candidate. Lampard I don’t mind. The Guardian football weekly podcast speculated he does his best when surrounded by good coaches and I have no issue with that. Koeman was a bit more hands off on the training pitches yet we were good under him - notwithstanding the quality we had at the time. Though I think he would do well to see things through at Coventry - if he can get them up in a year or two he will have rebuilt a reputation that was tarnished by Everton. Rosenior I rate. Hull were mad to sack him. Hull took us apart a bit when we played we played them and he is doing a great job with Strasbourg. Given some of Spors’ comments I expect we will have a young side again which Rosenior has shown he can do well with. I think his possession based style may not fit with Spors vision though. Personally I’m less bothered about which style we play as long as we have results. I know Martin was divisive but some of our football last season was good to watch. I loved us under Poch though so if this is what Spors has in mind I am all on board. I don’t want to see Robins, O’Neill or Gerrard who also seem to be reasonably high up with some of the bookies. Robins did well with Coventry but I think he is limited. The Wolves squad meltdown under O’Neill worried me - the pompey links are also not helpful. Gerrard - he’s shit. If the Rusk/Lallana dream team pull off miracles I’m not opposed to them being given the gig but would prefer we go for established managers unless they inspire a turnaround of epic proportions… I try to keep an open mind to foreign coaches I am less familiar after the Poch experience. Seeing Bournemouth under Iraola also demonstrates that the right coach can be truly transformative. Though of course for every Poch or Iraola there is a Pelligrino or a De Boer! There has been a lot of speculation around the likes of Knutsen and Hjulmand in the past - I haven’t seen enough of either to give an informed opinion.

The palace goal was a good finish and his height causes problems but he remains a technically limited footballer. If we set up to play to his strengths he could be important next season. My gut feeling is this won’t happen - I can’t say I’m too fussed though. Either we plan with him or plan without him, so long as there is a workable plan. Either way I’m pleased to see him get a few goals this season. He seems to have a good attitude and he was becoming a bit of a punch line despite impressive numbers in admittedly lesser leagues.

Tyler has been inconsistent but has looked head and shoulders above most of the senior pros around him in our squad despite this being his first season in men’s football, playing in a terrible team shorn of leadership, he’s been shifted away from arguably his best position given his current physicality and played under three (okay a stretch to include Rusk) managers in the season. What do people expect from him? He’s a quality player and is great to watch. If he goes and we see a good fee that’s often just the way of things but I would love to see him in a settled side with a sensible coach next season tearing up championship defences and find it bizarre so many want to wave him off.

Players downed tools at the end of Martin’s reign but for a while before that we were often competitive but being undone by stupid mistakes. I think Martin had to go but Juric has added the square root of fuck all and we would have been better off giving Rusk the gig. Juric makes such bizarre decisions and doesn’t seem to learn.

Bizarre. Ramsdale has put in plenty of MOTM performances - it’s not his fault they’ve made f*ck all difference.

But his profile tag line says ITK! Why would he put that in there if he wasn’t a legitimate source of news? May be pure bullshit or may be repeated from elsewhere- who knows. Either way a sensible signing if this is legit.

Really happy with this one if we can get it over the line. He has a bit about him and could do a job now and next season.

Goal?!?

Well this is hyperbole of the highest order. On what basis was he the worst by some distance? He had his flaws for sure but come on. We wanted a ball playing goal keeper which clearly he can do. His decision making and shot stopping need work but he is very young in goalkeeper terms. There is no question we are a better side with Ramsdale but if we end with Bazunu as our No1 in the championship we’re not exactly in the shit.

He’s here for the season and I agree Martin’s position was basically untenable but I think it highlights that recruitment has been a bigger issue than coaches for too many years. it’s easy to be revisionist but Ralph wasn’t crap and would have kept us up with a half decent striker. Jones is Jones but Selles is showing he’s a decent coach. Juric deserves more than three games before being judged though a 5-0 pasting at home hurts. We’re down and I think the players know it - doesn’t help with their heads dropping - but it would be good to finish the season with a little credibility and a semblance of a plan for next year.

Based on what exactly?

It’s not a stick I would beat Martin with. ABK thought he was bigger than the club when we went down despite being part of the team that got relegated. He still thinks it now. Hardly screams of team mate you would want alongside you in adversity.