S-Clarke Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 the reason fans have not taken to him is that he doesn't juggle and crack jokes during interviews. If he told the fans how great they are that would help him as well. His English was poor but is improving, Ian surprised the club didn't use Black to do the interviews a bit more Come on, that's not it. It doesn't make it easier to relate to him, for sure....but there's a lot more to it than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doddisalegend Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Good post, agree with your views. If you take the table in isolation and we finish 8th, good stuff.....but there's a lot more that has to be considered. I don't think he's done an horrendous job by any means, I just don't really know for sure what his long-term plan is. I don't think anyone does. I've never known a manager to have such a non-reaction from a fan base after a season, everyone I've spoken to is just a bit meh about him. Given that so many fans feel that way, I don't believe it's beyond the realms of possibility for several players to feel the same way. I was confused at the start of the season as to his intentions and plans. We had this diamond formation - which was slightly over played on here, as it wasn't as rigid as a 'diamond', but we did become - seemingly overnight - a very crab like team, not very progressive. What made us so enjoyable to watch over the last couple of seasons was our progressive style and the way we got into teams faces, both under Koeman and Poch. The first thing Claude seems to want to achieve is nullify the oppo, contain them and then look to open the game. I will be blunt here and say that I don't think that style will get us much luck in the premier league, we also don't have the players for it. Our players are geared up for fast paced, in your face, progressive pressing. This stand off and wait approach probably annoys them as much as it does us. So whilst the season to an outsider would look good, the crux of it is that as fans, it doesn't feel like we're going anywhere. We're being sucked into this void of nothingness, and the worry I have - and most others I've spoken to - is if we tread along this path, then we could quite easily start to slide down and completely lose our presence as one of the better teams in this league. Going by the comments from Kruger (although I try not to take too much of what he says as gospel) the club kind of feel the same, maybe they don't see where we can go long-term with this way of playing either. I think part of the non reaction could well be down to saints fans realising that their is little point in getting attached to our players or mangers these days every time we grow attached to anyone the bugger off. One of the best things about coming back up the lower leagues was building a team there was a sense of players, managers and 20k hardcore fans in it together. That's pretty much gone now players and mangers just seems to be passing through to somewhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScepticalStan Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 I refuse to believe we were EVER odds on favourites to win the Europa League, especially not after only one game. We were 10/11 to *win* the group (admittedly after the Sparta Prague 3-0 which is to Puel's credit) but still. It was a massive screw-up that cost the fans a trip abroad, a knock-out tie and a chance to repeat/improve upon the trip to Milan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Clarke Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 First manager gone.....Walter Mazzarri at Watford. (well, he leaves after the final game) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Appy Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 First manager gone.....Walter Mazzarri at Watford. (well, he leaves after the final game) Can see Ranieri ending up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Give it to Ron Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Watford sack Materazzi - no surprise really Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorpie the sinner Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 First manager gone.....Walter Mazzarri at Watford. (well, he leaves after the final game) He won't be the last either Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doddisalegend Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Watford sack Materazzi - no surprise really Annual event at Watford these days. Do they give their managers 1 year contracts if not must be costing them a fair bit paying off their managers every summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Give it to Ron Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Annual event at Watford these days. Do they give their managers 1 year contracts if not must be costing them a fair bit paying off their managers every summer. Made me smile this.. Alan Nixon @reluctantnicko 15m15 minutes ago Foreign owner sacks foreign coach who took foreign players into mid table. Premier League 2017. Frankly. Who cares? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Maybe Les & the board are just concerned that nobody wants to poach our manager, so we're getting panicky and want to find somebody who leaves after a year. Poach, boil, roast, simmering are all too good for him Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Duckhunter Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 and pick more sides like last Sat I'd cut him some slack. Rubbish, had we drawn or God forbid lost on sat,you'd have been moaning like **** about the side he'd picked Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowgli Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Puel is Branfoot without the aerial dimension. Not quite sure where to start with this. Obviously time has softened the memory. Although it is said that the brain has a wonderful ability to simply blank out the blackest moments of our past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Not quite sure where to start with this. Obviously time has softened the memory. Although it is said that the brain has a wonderful ability to simply blank out the blackest moments of our past. It was somewhat tongue in cheek, but I would put Wotte and Poortvliet below both of them. Branfoot was a reason why I got our season tickets. So many had given up theirs that there was a wide choice of where to sit. Our home game against Hull was as bad as anything I have ever had to endure. There was one midweek game at the Dell against West Ham that ended 0-0 that comes close but at least in that the players actualy showed some effort. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALWAYS_SFC Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Branfoot!! FFS All you have to consider is he dropped Matt Le Tissier for Paul Moody!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowgli Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 It was somewhat tongue in cheek, but I would put Wotte and Poortvliet below both of them. Branfoot was a reason why I got our season tickets. So many had given up theirs that there was a wide choice of where to sit. Our home game against Hull was as bad as anything I have ever had to endure. There was one midweek game at the Dell against West Ham that ended 0-0 that comes close but at least in that the players actualy showed some effort. Phew! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derry Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Rubbish, had we drawn or God forbid lost on sat,you'd have been moaning like **** about the side he'd picked Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Who the **** are you to say what I would say. I don't like the four non scoring lightweights and have been advocating for weeks for more strikers and Davis, JWP, Tadic and Boufal to be left out. The only shame on Saturday is that Gabbiadini didn't start in place of the woeful Boufal. I would bet on at least three of the ball recycling non scorers being brought back in tonight and revert to one striker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Branfoot!! FFS All you have to consider is he dropped Matt Le Tissier for Paul Moody!!!!!!! In the famous game against Newcastle when MLT score that great double Branfoot was about to take Matty off and had the cards ready for the substitution just before Matt scored the first of his two goals. On the TV recording you can see Branfoot turn round and say "Moods. Sit down". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Marco Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 The last 2 games will determine my opinion on if he should go or stay. Right now we are 8th. If you said to me at the start of the season we would finish 8th and get to a cup final I would be delighted. That would be a decent season for us. However if you said at the start of the season we would finish 8th, get to a cup final but fail miserably in Europe where we failed to even score an away goal, get dicked 0-5 at home in the cup against an Arsenal reserve team, fail to beat any of the top 6, score only 17 goals at home winning only 6 of them which were mostly against relegation teams, lose 15 games and have 5 games (if that is correct) where we failed to even have a shot at goal? I would say how the fook have we finished 8th? Win against a utd reserves tonight and on the final day of the season and I will give him the benefit of the doubt. I think if he does that he will deserve to go into the off season and try and get the players he wants. But start that season with the same boring football we have now where we play to not to lose rather than try to win and I would want him out. There are plenty of English managers who do that already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
View From The Top Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Who the **** are you to say what I would say. I don't like the four non scoring lightweights and have been advocating for weeks for more strikers and Davis, JWP, Tadic and Boufal to be left out. The only shame on Saturday is that Gabbiadini didn't start in place of the woeful Boufal. I would bet on at least three of the ball recycling non scorers being brought back in tonight and revert to one striker. He's right though, you whinge, whinge, whinge like an old woman. Dinosaurs, like the hoof it forward football you like as you confuse it with attacking football, is dead. Thank fu_ck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GGalpin Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Who the **** are you to say what I would say. I don't like the four non scoring lightweights and have been advocating for weeks for more strikers and Davis, JWP, Tadic and Boufal to be left out. The only shame on Saturday is that Gabbiadini didn't start in place of the woeful Boufal. I would bet on at least three of the ball recycling non scorers being brought back in tonight and revert to one striker. How many teams across Europe at the moment, and for the last ten years, play with two strikers and direct football hoofing it into the channels, and are successful with it? I can think of one (Leicester). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 He's right though, you whinge, whinge, whinge like an old woman. Dinosaurs, like the hoof it forward football you like as you confuse it with attacking football, is dead. Thank fu_ck. If you actually went to a home game then you might understand. We don't play attacking football at home. Now do you get it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BARCELONASAINT Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 I have waited until almost the end of the season to make my mind up over Puel. I really hate changing managers without giving them a really good run at doing the job and for what it is worth these are my thoughts. Like many others, at the start of the season i would have happily have taken 8th place, a decent run in Europe and a Cup final....in fact i would have said the equals a great season. I will take our European campaign first....for a manager that was supposedly experienced in Europe he made a right cock up with the campaign and i felt so let down by some of his team selections In the league we have had a peculiar season, some of the games were great to watch with fantastic attacking football....we just lacked a goalscorer. Then for some reason we reverted to pedestrian sit back sideways football, which quite frankly has bored me to death. Yes one could argue we were very unlucky with the Austin injury and likewise VVD.....But from what i can see the players look very frustrated with Puels tactics, especially at home. We had a great run in the League cup with some gutsy performances and we were excellent in the final....i was so proud of our performance. For me the performances in general have been drab and more importantly i dont think the players are happy. I will back Puel if he is here next season....but i personally do not think he can energise the players and convince our better players he is the man for the job. For these reasons i would say...thank you and goodbye Claude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bit of a plonker Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Personally, I think we should make a change this summer. We would be the most attractive available job in British football this summer, so would hopefully be able to attract a higher Cali reputation of candidate. I don't know who as I don't really follow much football in Europe, but there must be better managers available who would love a chance with an established team in the premier league, and who would have a chance of showing improvement on this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKD Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 I have waited until almost the end of the season to make my mind up over Puel. I really hate changing managers without giving them a really good run at doing the job and for what it is worth these are my thoughts. Like many others, at the start of the season i would have happily have taken 8th place, a decent run in Europe and a Cup final....in fact i would have said the equals a great season. I will take our European campaign first....for a manager that was supposedly experienced in Europe he made a right cock up with the campaign and i felt so let down by some of his team selections In the league we have had a peculiar season, some of the games were great to watch with fantastic attacking football....we just lacked a goalscorer. Then for some reason we reverted to pedestrian sit back sideways football, which quite frankly has bored me to death. Yes one could argue we were very unlucky with the Austin injury and likewise VVD.....But from what i can see the players look very frustrated with Puels tactics, especially at home. We had a great run in the League cup with some gutsy performances and we were excellent in the final....i was so proud of our performance. For me the performances in general have been drab and more importantly i dont think the players are happy. I will back Puel if he is here next season....but i personally do not think he can energise the players and convince our better players he is the man for the job. For these reasons i would say...thank you and goodbye Claude. A very good post. Sums up my feelings on the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
themasoon Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Wonder if we would go for Eduardo Berizzo of Celta Vigo to replace Puel. Plays high intensity, pressing football and his contract is up in the summer. Also has done a good job with Celta Vigo and outplayed united the other week and beat Real Madrid in the cup. http://outsideoftheboot.com/2017/05/02/tactical-philosophy-eduardo-berizzo/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKD Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Very much in the Puel out camp. I generally like the bloke, and I'm starting to feel sorry for him, he looks drained and I think he knows the end is coming. No doubt a good manager, and I'm sure he'll excel back in France with a club our size, however for me he's just not suited to English football. That said, I thought we were much better today, whilst it wasn't Uniteds strongest team, it wasn't ours either. We seemed to move the ball quicker and looked dangerous in the final 3rd, just lacked that cutting edge (not for the first time this season). We attacked and actually looked like we wanted to win (obviously we always do, however we showed it today). If we'd played like we did today for 80/90% of the season I think everyone would be happy with where we are. If, looking unlikely, Puel stays, the board need to back him, black needs to go and he needs to assess what's gone wrong this season. Basically not be stubborn and change his philosophy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heisenberg Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Very much in the Puel out camp. I generally like the bloke, and I'm starting to feel sorry for him, he looks drained and I think he knows the end is coming. No doubt a good manager, and I'm sure he'll excel back in France with a club our size, however for me he's just not suited to English football. That said, I thought we were much better today, whilst it wasn't Uniteds strongest team, it wasn't ours either. We seemed to move the ball quicker and looked dangerous in the final 3rd, just lacked that cutting edge (not for the first time this season). We attacked and actually looked like we wanted to win (obviously we always do, however we showed it today). If we'd played like we did today for 80/90% of the season I think everyone would be happy with where we are. If, looking unlikely, Puel stays, the board need to back him, black needs to go and he needs to assess what's gone wrong this season. Basically not be stubborn and change his philosophy. Agree tonight was better, but united treating it like training game helped alot. I too am feeling sorry for Puel, has a dead mans walking feel about it all and for all his faults he does seem a nice guy. Does black ever move from his seat? Just seems to be poor Puel motivating from the technical area and seen him take a whack earlier (ball right on the side of his face) Either way, stay or go we need to act fast after Sunday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Another good tactical and organisational display let down by poor execution in the final third. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Duckhunter Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 I thought some of the posters on here were clueless ****wits when it comes to football, but I had the misfortune to drive tonight & listened to Solent on the way home. **** me, the people texting can't have watched the same game as me. It was not boring, we were not too slow moving the ball and we did not play negative. If one more plum texted in agreeing with dinosaur Dave and his 4-4- ****ing 2 , I was going to crash the car. Dave even suggested a front three of Austin,Gabbi & JRod. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 I thought some of the posters on here were clueless ****wits when it comes to football, but I had the misfortune to drive tonight & listened to Solent on the way home. **** me, the people texting can't have watched the same game as me. It was not boring, we were not too slow moving the ball and we did not play negative. If one more plum texted in agreeing with dinosaur Dave and his 4-4- ****ing 2 , I was going to crash the car. Dave even suggested a front three of Austin,Gabbi & JRod. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk You raise a decent point in that actually Puel is fighting against "recycled criticism". The slow play thing has become the buzz word of the Puel detractors but agreed can't really be used to describe tonight. Bottom line is 17 goals at home isn't good enough and the majority of the people who phone into Solent only go to home games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfahaji Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 (edited) I have been in the Puel in camp for most of the season. For a while I was only just in, then I had a fair amount of conviction, and now I'm out. I'm happy with a top 10 finish, I'm not bothered that we're not in Europe next year, I'm grateful for an amazing day at Wembley, and I didn't care one jot that we sacrified the FA Cup as it made perfect sense at the time. It is true that with the exception of the top 7, every club in the division seems to be worse this year, and it's a much of muchness from us down to the dropzone. That's not great, but there have been plenty of mitigating circumstances, not least our fixture congestion. Our play in Feb/Mar really made me think we were starting to click and great times were ahead. Even the 'ridiculous' notion that we would trouble the teams at the top next year didn't seem that far fetched to me. But we seem to have stalled since Gabbiadini got injured and have never quite recovered. Every game is a cautious affair with players that look like they're afraid to play it forwards when they can play it sideways, but there are still glimpses of a decent footballing side there - the second half tonight vs United should have seen a lot more energy and decisiveness in the final third, plus United didn't even want to be out there, but there were some good performances and some nice passages of play. All these conflicting pieces would have me on the fence, but I'm out because of his squad management. I fully understand the rotation idea, but cannot for the life of me understand the exact decisions around team selection. There have been hints that some of our better/senior players aren't best happy and I have learnt of rather an alarming fact which either raises question marks over the management team or an individual player. For all the "lots of players have improved" argument, I do wonder why we haven't seen more of McQueen and Sims, or given Clasie (who I've never been massively impressed by, but recently he's done well when given a rare chance) and Hojbjerg chance to prove themselves. Edited 17 May, 2017 by mrfahaji Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilchards Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Honestly Puel has done okay this season for sure. However the biggest issue I have is he will not push us onto another level next season. With the players we have I honestly think they can get into the top 6 with a decent manager. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted 17 May, 2017 Share Posted 17 May, 2017 Puel in for me. Lost the best defender, traded teh second best defender away, and lost the top scorer, yet we will finish in 8th and almost win a Cup. Not sure how anyone could ask more of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilchards Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 Good shout. Really impressed with this guy, hopefully he can bring his Jonny with him. Sounds like an ideal defender for us too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsbridge Saint Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 No goal in over 6 hours of football at SMS. Hardly a surprise when you keep picking crab like ball recyclers and reverting to a lone striker in home games. Gabbiadini must be doing his nut. Sincerely hope Clueless Claude gets the boot next week along with the relegation specialist Black. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Convict Colony Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 Wonder if we would go for Eduardo Berizzo of Celta Vigo to replace Puel. Plays high intensity, pressing football and his contract is up in the summer. Also has done a good job with Celta Vigo and outplayed united the other week and beat Real Madrid in the cup. http://outsideoftheboot.com/2017/05/02/tactical-philosophy-eduardo-berizzo/ Think Sevilla want him if the GOAT Sampoli decides to join Argentina but I am confident we can outbid them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bstokesaint Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 I'm not one of the big les haters or 'Liebherr out random Chinese criminal in' people but the board needs to take responsibility for this season but they are very happy for Puel to take all the flack. Yes most of the football is boring but we spent the first half of the season without a striker and the second half with our reserve centre back partnering an unproven player from the youth team. Without Gabbiadinis early goals we would have been in massive trouble these past weeks. Because of our recent history how are fans saying we are such a attractive side for potential managers out there? "Come to saints where we will sell VVD and anyone else who gets a half decent bid, replace with some cheap 'ok' players and then expect you to trouble the top 7 whilst playing fast attacking football" The potential isn't there at the moment for a great manager to come in and use us as a stepping stone to a big club so I think we'll have to put up with yes men who keep us up and don't complain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verbal Kint Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 Yes most of the football is boring but we spent the first half of the season without a striker and the second half with our reserve centre back partnering an unproven player from the youth team. Without Gabbiadinis early goals we would have been in massive trouble these past weeks. Because of our recent history how are fans saying we are such a attractive side for potential managers out there? "Come to saints where we will sell VVD and anyone else who gets a half decent bid, replace with some cheap 'ok' players and then expect you to trouble the top 7 whilst playing fast attacking football" We did have strikers, it's just that the manager chose to play them in a rather odd way. We started the season with Austin playing out wide. That is mental in anybody's book surely? Nobody forced PUel to change formation the diamond, he chose to do that himself. Shane Long was very effective under Koeman who was prepared to play on the counter attack in games to get the best out of him. Puel refused to do so. Rodriguez has never been given a real run in the side at any point to get some rhythm back after a long lay off. He has totally mismanaged our forward players all season The only reason we have VVD to sell is because we didn't sign TA. And the only reason we ever had him is because we sold Lovren. The only reason we had Mane is because we old Lallana etc etc. Were TA, VVD and Mane "cheap 'ok' players" when we bought them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALWAYS_SFC Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 In the famous game against Newcastle when MLT score that great double Branfoot was about to take Matty off and had the cards ready for the substitution just before Matt scored the first of his two goals. On the TV recording you can see Branfoot turn round and say "Moods. Sit down". Remember it well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miltonaggro Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 Wonder if we would go for Eduardo Berizzo of Celta Vigo to replace Puel. Plays high intensity, pressing football and his contract is up in the summer. Also has done a good job with Celta Vigo and outplayed united the other week and beat Real Madrid in the cup. http://outsideoftheboot.com/2017/05/02/tactical-philosophy-eduardo-berizzo/ Very, very good shout, and a Biesla disciple like Pochettino. Here's hoping... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spyinthesky Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 If you look at Puel's tenure here from outside the club most people will think it odd that questions are being asked about his future here. Away performances have been generally OK (apart from the Europa league - although the performance in Milan was good and we should have won) Home performances have been disappointing and Puel has been unable to change the team's style of play to improve matters. Puel's poor grasp of English makes you wonder how he gets his message across but that didn't seem to hamper Pochettino. Whilst we question Puel I wonder how the Man Utd Board/Fans view their high profile Manager? Ok Utd have won a trophy and are in another Final but lots of money spent and generally average performances in the League The side he put out last night would have cost more than others and with much higher wages but they were second best and another blank sheet. I imagine, in those circumstances, a lot of our fans would be calling for the Managers head!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derry Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 It's not the one striker that is getting up my nose it's the three players behind that don't make runs up in support and play the square and backward passes allowing opponents to mass their defence and block our final attempts as MU did last night. The better teams with one striker often get multiple players up past the striker and play decisive quick balls up to them quickly overloading defences that weren't given the time to get numbers back. Chelsea are brilliant at breaking quickly and getting players up past Costa. We can only use what we've got and Davis, JWP and Tadic don't provide the support a single striker needs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajjuk Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 Last season we finished 6th and that was said to be partly due to the poor form of some other clubs at the top end of the table. We are likely to finish between 8th and 11th and some are arguing that our points tally suggests we are in a false position and due to teams below us having poor form. Both are correct so we are where we are on merit.. See I don;t really buy this, I actually feel last year we finished 6th because we deserved to, we actually beat plenty of the big teams to get there. I mean yes there have been big money and big managers come into the big teams but are they actually any better? Chelsea and Leicester have basically swapped places, with Leicester taking Chelsea's 'fallen champions' spot from last year. Man City under Guardiola seem no better IMO than Pellegrini's Man City. Arguably Arsenal are worse this year than last, Spurs are about the same having not fallen away as much as they did last year. Man Utd despite Mourinho, Pogba, and Imbra are on about the same amount of points they were last year. Liverpool are better almost purely because of Mane, who we sold them, without him they are no better than the 7th/8th place team they were last year. Swansea and West Ham, two teams who over the last couple of years been round our sort of level have dropped dramatically, with Everton improving essentially swapping with West Ham. IMO the league conditions have been no worse, probably the teams near the bottom are even worse, yet we dropped plenty of points against them and we haven't got a single win against any of the top 6, despite Man Utd, Arsenal and Man City all being pretty inconsistent and Liverpool being not great without Mane. We showed what could be done in the League Cup against these teams but didn't reach the same performance levels in the league against them. Yes we've had injuries, yes we lost Mane and Pelle, later Fonte and we had the Europa, but we spend quite a lot, several youngsters stepped up our of pretty much nowhere and several players have improved their performance. So overall I can only get a sense of underachievement for the season. I kind of feel 8th flatters us and is more because a lot of teams below us were a lot worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_Tony Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 The whole makeup of the league has been different this season; essentially back to normal on terms of the 'top 6' actually making up the top six. Then you have Everton and then the best of the rest. Under Roko and MoPo we were able to mix it with the top sides and beat all of them along the way. In addition, it was clear we were better than the likes of WBA, Stoke etc. This season there is little between 8th and 17th so our position is a little flattering. However, Ralph's comments suggest to me Puel may be on his way. It's not been disastrous, and not been all his fault, but ultimately underwhelming and largely forgettable. #cheerstoanothernilnilClaude Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the saint in winchester Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 If you look at Puel's tenure here from outside the club most people will think it odd that questions are being asked about his future here. Away performances have been generally OK (apart from the Europa league - although the performance in Milan was good and we should have won) Home performances have been disappointing and Puel has been unable to change the team's style of play to improve matters. Puel's poor grasp of English makes you wonder how he gets his message across but that didn't seem to hamper Pochettino. Whilst we question Puel I wonder how the Man Utd Board/Fans view their high profile Manager? Ok Utd have won a trophy and are in another Final but lots of money spent and generally average performances in the League The side he put out last night would have cost more than others and with much higher wages but they were second best and another blank sheet. I imagine, in those circumstances, a lot of our fans would be calling for the Managers head!! Regarding Jose, I think he is completely out of sorts, Is it still the case he living in a Manchester hotel while his family are back in London? That's not sustainable. He's no longer any 'Special One', more 'The Miserable One'. Souness and Redknapp on SS last night tore into him and his attitude. I can honestly see his time at Man U coming to an end maybe end of next season. Regarding Puel, ok we will get 8th or 9th, we got to Wembley, we have been without key players for long periods (Van Dijk, Austin et al) but he hasn't made the best of resources available and has turned an exciting club into a snore-fest. Obviously, it depends on who the replacement turns out to be (yes, be careful what we wish for) but I, for one, would take finishing 10th-14th if it meant the return of exciting football. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Duckhunter Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 You can't judge one season against another one, claim that winning the league is easier one year than it is another is clearly nonsense. We finished above Man Utd & got relegated, West Ham got relegated with 42 points. It doesn't mean relegation is somehow different than Sunderland going down this season. Leicester's win is no more undeserved than Utd or Arsenal's great sides, or Liverpool in the 80's They were the best team in England in a given season. Under Poch we were the 8th best team that season, in Koemans first season we we're the 7th best team in England, let's see where we are in Claude's first season. Trying to gerrymander the league to suit agenda's is pathetic. It's not ice dancing where judges sit around and award points for artistic merit. We keep score, produce a table and if you finish 10th one year & 10th the next, they're the same. You're the 10th best team in the country. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Duckhunter Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 Obviously, it depends on who the replacement turns out to be (yes, be careful what we wish for) but I, for one, would take finishing 10th-14th if it meant the return of exciting football. Wow, weird. So you would want to see the team you support lose more matches? I presume you'd rather have lost 5-4 last night & 3-2 at Anfield. So you'll be happy losing more games next season, provided you're entertained every game ?That's not a supporter, that's a neutral . Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forester Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 The whole makeup of the league has been different this season; essentially back to normal on terms of the 'top 6' actually making up the top six. Then you have Everton and then the best of the rest. Under Roko and MoPo we were able to mix it with the top sides and beat all of them along the way. In addition, it was clear we were better than the likes of WBA, Stoke etc. This season there is little between 8th and 17th so our position is a little flattering. However, Ralph's comments suggest to me Puel may be on his way. It's not been disastrous, and not been all his fault, but ultimately underwhelming and largely forgettable. #cheerstoanothernilnilClaude Sent from my SM-G920F using Tapatalk I believe a major factor in the return to "business as usual" for the top 7 has been the absence of European football for three of the seven which is very unlikely to happen again for some time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericb Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 I believe a major factor in the return to "business as usual" for the top 7 has been the absence of European football for three of the seven which is very unlikely to happen again for some time I think barring a disaster for the next few seasons you're going to see us and Everton interchanging on who gets the European spot based on who is playing in Europe that season (assuming the cups are won by teams in Europe already anyway). Us and them are in very similar positions right now and arguably both "the best of the rest" and the best set up to do it consistently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pamplemousse Posted 18 May, 2017 Share Posted 18 May, 2017 Regarding Jose, I think he is completely out of sorts, Is it still the case he living in a Manchester hotel while his family are back in London? That's not sustainable. He's no longer any 'Special One', more 'The Miserable One'. Souness and Redknapp on SS last night tore into him and his attitude. I can honestly see his time at Man U coming to an end maybe end of next season. Regarding Puel, ok we will get 8th or 9th, we got to Wembley, we have been without key players for long periods (Van Dijk, Austin et al) but he hasn't made the best of resources available and has turned an exciting club into a snore-fest. Obviously, it depends on who the replacement turns out to be (yes, be careful what we wish for) but I, for one, would take finishing 10th-14th if it meant the return of exciting football. Utter rubbish. If we finish in the bottom half next season, that would equate regression, and whoever the manager was, I'd be calling for his head. Finishing 8th, with Europa League, masses of injuries etc. is not regression. Puel has done a lot of good work this season, whoever is the manager next season (hopefully Puel) will benefit from that good work done behind the scenes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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