Puel In / Out 2017 Edition

[St Chalet]

Updated thread too add a new poll

[Heisenberg]

Voted out:

 

Yes we have a worse squad than last year - thanks Kat n Reed

 

But he still has a squad that cost £160m (Burnley £50m, Bournemouth £75m) and includes 15+ internationals

 

Yes weve played more games than last season (3 at this stage)

 

But no excuse for the uterlly painful football Puel is serving up each week.

 

His "football" style is all wrong and his rotation policy is excessive and simply not working. He could change and probably needs to ASAP if he wants to save his job.

[St.Patrik]

I Voted out - football for me is passion, exitment and joy - nothing this team and mr.Puels tactics give me at the moment : (

[trousers]

I'm struggling to understand the rationale behind a new poll a mere 3 days after the last one. Why would anyone change their opinion on the back of 2 results? (Yes, you're right... that was a rhetorical doffing hat to the fickle world of football fandom question)

 

A poll in, say, mid-Feb would be more apt IMO. By then we'll have a better idea of whether or not Puel is capable of turning things around.

Edited 3 January, 2017 by trousers

[Unbelievable Jeff]

I'm voting 'In' because I believe he should have a chance to bring in his own players and turn it around, and that includes the type of football we are playing which has become insipid at times. I always thought this season would be a mid table season with the failure to bring in a decent striker, so I am not seeing anything that I'm not expecting.

 

I don't believe we should be in any threat of relegation, so all we have to play for this season is the League Cup Semi's and the FA Cup. Happy to review at the end of the season and go from there.

[Unbelievable Jeff]

I'm struggling to understand the rationale behind a new poll a mere 3 days after the last one. Why would anyone change their opinion on the back of 2 results? (Yes, you're right... that was a rhetorical doffing hat to the fickle world of football fandom question)

 

A poll in, say, mid-Feb would be more apt IMO. By then we'll have a better idea of whether or not Puel is capable of turning things around.

 

He might have gone by then TBF...

[angelman]

My 10 year old asked me whether we were going to sack CP. I asked why and he replied because we have lost 3 games in a row. That seems to be the attitude of many on here (and which is about right for a 10 year old).

[Chewy]

I think we should do a poll after every single game, just to feed the knee jerk mentality on here that little bit more ...

 

Voted in, have many doubts and frustrations, especially the lack of options going forward. The quality of the bodies available is not puel's fault, but the lack of numbers of bodies getting forward is. Hopefully we address the first of those issues this month, and then we'll have to wait and see.

 

Plus I can't see any sensible alternative option available. As we' re unlikely to go down we may as well see out the season to give us better options in the summer. Happy to see black get sacked though!

[Colinjb]

I'm voting 'In' because I believe he should have a chance to bring in his own players and turn it around, and that includes the type of football we are playing which has become insipid at times. I always thought this season would be a mid table season with the failure to bring in a decent striker, so I am not seeing anything that I'm not expecting.

 

I don't believe we should be in any threat of relegation, so all we have to play for this season is the League Cup Semi's and the FA Cup. Happy to review at the end of the season and go from there.

 

Pretty much my own thoughts echoed there.

[Batman]

one thing is for sure, just going off social media outlets (albeit, that is a small percentage)...Puel is NOT liked at all by those fans and there appears to be a fair number of them

[SuperSAINT]

one thing is for sure, just going off social media outlets (albeit, that is a small percentage)...Puel is NOT liked at all by those fans and there appears to be a fair number of them

 

You'll find that that is a common pattern these days after 3 games.

[Wade Garrett]

A formation that doesn't get the best out of the players he's got.

Boring, turgid football that is painful to watch.

Second half performances often worse than first - what does he say to them at half-time?

Baffling substitutions (too many to list, but why drop Long deep against West Brom when we're chasing the game?).

He doesn't seem capable of 'rallying the troops'.

Looks obvious to me, that a number of first-teamers don't like the way we're playing.

Reckon he's lost the dressing room.

His over-rotation.

 

Personally, I don't want him to buy players that fit that system. It's boring. I would probably go to games less and less.

 

Unsurprisingly, it's an out from me.

[beatlesaint]

I think I'm correct in saying that Kelvin Davis's job is to act as a link between players and management.

Given that I would love to be a fly on the wall to see if any/many players have been having a whinge about the manager !

If they have presumably Kelvin has to feed that back to Les and co ?

[warsash saint]

Top 10 & semi final of cup!

 

I agree that the football is not great at the moment but some supporters are drunk on our recent over achievements & need to get some realistic ambitions!

[Whitey Grandad]

A formation that doesn't get the best out of the players he's got.

Boring, turgid football that is painful to watch.

Second half performances often worse than first - what does he say to them at half-time?

Baffling substitutions (too many to list, but why drop Long deep against West Brom when we're chasing the game?).

He doesn't seem capable of 'rallying the troops'.

Looks obvious to me, that a number of first-teamers don't like the way we're playing.

Reckon he's lost the dressing room.

His over-rotation.

 

Personally, I don't want him to buy players that fit that system. It's boring. I would probably go to games less and less.

 

Unsurprisingly, it's an out from me.

 

Yes, all of this. No amount of new players would change anything if we keep playing the same way.

[stevy777_x]

Top 10 & semi final of cup!

 

I agree that the football is not great at the moment but some supporters are drunk on our recent over achievements & need to get some realistic ambitions!

 

We are also dangerously close to 15th. Lose the next one and we might be well down there.

[derry]

A formation that doesn't get the best out of the players he's got.

Boring, turgid football that is painful to watch.

Second half performances often worse than first - what does he say to them at half-time?

Baffling substitutions (too many to list, but why drop Long deep against West Brom when we're chasing the game?).

He doesn't seem capable of 'rallying the troops'.

Looks obvious to me, that a number of first-teamers don't like the way we're playing.

Reckon he's lost the dressing room.

His over-rotation.

 

Personally, I don't want him to buy players that fit that system. It's boring. I would probably go to games less and less.

 

Unsurprisingly, it's an out from me.

 

If we bring in players to suit this system it will empty the stadium PDQ.

[baggytrousers]

Two resident ITKs (AR-10 and LeG) have indicated that Eric Black is the real problem, not Puel.

 

Our season has been up and down so far and certainly not the complete disaster the Puexit crowd are painting it to be. Granted the mood's not great after the 0 points from our 3 games over the xmas period but we went into those games sitting in a reasonably healthy seventh place and once again being the envy of many similar-sized clubs.

 

In my view he needs to be given time (and the transfer window) to sort out the problems we do have which are certainly not insurmountable.

[Forester]

Having done ten hour round trip to Everton am as frustrated by inability to score as anyone else, but I don't blame Puel for us entering the season one striker short on best case scenario, and arguably two strikers short. We haven't replaced 30 goals a season from Pelle and Mane, we don't have a target man who can hold the ball up and provide a different approach (A la Lambert and Pelle) and it's unrealistic to expect us to be scoring many more goals than we are.

 

Our leading scorer is out until April and it's clear we need to invest. Also worth noting that Pied and Boufal are his only signings, one lasted five mins and the other looks a class acquisition.

 

Don't think this is a popular view to hold, but I don't want us to become another knee jerk club

[SKD]

Two resident ITKs (AR-10 and LeG) have indicated that Eric Black is the real problem, not Puel.

 

Our season has been up and down so far and certainly not the complete disaster the Puexit crowd are painting it to be. Granted the mood's not great after the 0 points from our 3 games over the xmas period but we went into those games sitting in a reasonably healthy seventh place and once again being the envy of many similar-sized clubs.

 

In my view he needs to be given time (and the transfer window) to sort out the problems we do have which are certainly not insurmountable.

 

Puel chose Black so in my eyes should face some responsibility for that.

 

Villa fans told us he was just as much the reason they performed as they did last season. Why couldn't we have just sacked him when all the telegraph stuff came out! And to think we got rid of Sammy lee for him as well

[Secret Site Agent]

The thing is we are no worse off this year than last and Koeman had a year extra on Puel so it's difficult to say we have gone backwards and get rid of the man when he hasn't had enough time to change the team around hasn't brought in his players isn't doing worse than Koeman and is playing the kids as well.

I'm normally happy clappy with rose tinted specs and half full attitude but I'm getting passed if with our turgid play. I think if Charlie wasn't injured we might be better off so would like a replacement striker as even though I like what J ROD and Long bring they just aren't scoring at the mo.

But Puel needs more time I'm afraid.

[Turkish]

I've voted out against my better judgement. I think he deserves to be judged at the end of the season and there have been some promising signs. However what concerns me is the lack of belief and fight in the players along with what appears to be a lack of leadership on and off the pitch. I'm hearing whispers he has lost senior members of the dressing room and once that happens then it's a case of when and not if.

 

The excuse it's not his team doesn't wash, it's still a squad packed full of internationals who have all performed better than they are at the moment. Reed was telling everyone who would listen only a few weeks back that our strategy doesn't rely on managers bringing in their own people. He seems to have scrapped his plans at the start of the season to play a diamond and now going 4-3-3 which is actually more like a defensive 4-1-4-1. he doesn't know what his best team is or his best formation and our previously solid defence looks a shambles. When you cant score and concede soft goals it's the perfect storm.

[SKD]

Top 10 & semi final of cup!

 

I agree that the football is not great at the moment but some supporters are drunk on our recent over achievements & need to get some realistic ambitions!

 

We've played 3 reserve teams to get to the semi final, we're closer to the bottom 3 than top 6.

 

I wish people would stop using this as an excuse. We've had a poor season and are lucky to be in the top 10 still (I'll stick my kneck on the line and say we won't be in both come the end of January).

[Donatello]

Two resident ITKs (AR-10 and LeG) have indicated that Eric Black is the real problem, not Puel.

 

Our season has been up and down so far and certainly not the complete disaster the Puexit crowd are painting it to be. Granted the mood's not great after the 0 points from our 3 games over the xmas period but we went into those games sitting in a reasonably healthy seventh place and once again being the envy of many similar-sized clubs.

 

In my view he needs to be given time (and the transfer window) to sort out the problems we do have which are certainly not insurmountable.

 

Why would Eric Black be the problem? :S (more so than Puel, I mean) What did the "ITKs" say? Thanks in advance.

[derry]

It's Puel who picks the team and the way we play. Coming in without any Premier experience and fundamentally changing the way the successful 2015/16 team played especially after the second half winning run was just stupid. He should have been building on that not fundamentally changing.

 

It could have been justified if we were playing well and scoring regularly but 11 goals from play with only one forward including Stone's back pass is disgraceful. Puel has had 29 competitive games and the better players are now showing the disillusionment they are feeling, playing weakened teams week in week out is wearing.

 

Either Puel plays the way that suits the players including more than one striker at a time or he goes. If he continues as he is and the results fail to improve much, the confidence will collapse with both the team and supporters. It's a vicious circle then he will have to be sacked.

Edited 3 January, 2017 by derry

[a1ex2001]

The football we are producing is dire, square pegs in round holes possession for the sake of it and seemingly no passion. We are doing relatively well but we should be expecting more, I wouldn't mind if we were playing well and being unlucky or at least heading in the right direction we seem to be getting worse no better and I don't think CP is the man o lead us out of this slump.

 

The complaints about the squad are valid but the current one is more than good enough to play decent football and give a team like West Brom a decent challenge!

[Jarakka]

If our form gets worse and there's no improvement in play, we should start probing for a new manager. Also no matter who is the manager, we will not be relegated this season.

 

Problem is though, I really can't think of a manager in Europe who would be better than Puel (who we could realistically get. Also Pardew would certainly takes us back as a club, wouldn't touch him with a ten-feet pole). Favre, Emery and Montella are all too big for us now.

 

Marcelino maybe? Or someone under the radar who plays the type of football we're more used to?

[rickylambert]

Our next 5 fixtures are:

 

Burnley

Leicester

Swansea

West Ham

Sunderland

 

If he doesn't get at least 9 points, he has to go.

[rickylambert]

If our form gets worse and there's no improvement in play, we should start probing for a new manager. Also no matter who is the manager, we will not be relegated this season.

 

Problem is though, I really can't think of a manager in Europe who would be better than Puel (who we could realistically get. Also Pardew would certainly takes us back as a club, wouldn't touch him with a ten-feet pole). Favre, Emery and Montella are all too big for us now.

 

Marcelino maybe? Or someone under the radar who plays the type of football we're more used to?

 

Mancini? Gary Rowett? Breitenreiter? Even Frank De Boer for god sake.

[Patrick Bateman]

I voted in, but actually I want to vote 'undecided'. I'm genuinely unsure. We have played some lovely football, but that's been outweighed by the boring and very bad football. We're 10th and in the semi final of the league cup, but we're out of the Europa when we should have got through that group. We're playing more younger players, but the older pros don't seem to be pulling their weight or gelling at the moment. We got a very well respected manager, when we could have had de Boer who was a disaster at Inter.

 

So I'm undecided, but I think things will pick up. We're Saints, when haven't we been sh*t at Christmas?

[Harry_SFC]

I've voted out against my better judgement. I think he deserves to be judged at the end of the season and there have been some promising signs. However what concerns me is the lack of belief and fight in the players along with what appears to be a lack of leadership on and off the pitch. I'm hearing whispers he has lost senior members of the dressing room and once that happens then it's a case of when and not if.

 

The excuse it's not his team doesn't wash, it's still a squad packed full of internationals who have all performed better than they are at the moment. Reed was telling everyone who would listen only a few weeks back that our strategy doesn't rely on managers bringing in their own people. He seems to have scrapped his plans at the start of the season to play a diamond and now going 4-3-3 which is actually more like a defensive 4-1-4-1. he doesn't know what his best team is or his best formation and our previously solid defence looks a shambles. When you cant score and concede soft goals it's the perfect storm.

 

This pretty much sums it up for me

[trousers]

I voted in, but actually I want to vote 'undecided'. I'm genuinely unsure. We have played some lovely football, but that's been outweighed by the boring and very bad football. We're 10th and in the semi final of the league cup, but we're out of the Europa when we should have got through that group. We're playing more younger players, but the older pros don't seem to be pulling their weight or gelling at the moment. We got a very well respected manager, when we could have had de Boer who was a disaster at Inter.

 

So I'm undecided, but I think things will pick up. We're Saints, when haven't we been sh*t at Christmas?

 

Yep, I would have voted 'undecided' too if the option existed. It's still too early to know how the season will pan out. We'll have a better idea at the end of the month.

[ErwinK1961]

I've voted out against my better judgement. I think he deserves to be judged at the end of the season and there have been some promising signs. However what concerns me is the lack of belief and fight in the players along with what appears to be a lack of leadership on and off the pitch. I'm hearing whispers he has lost senior members of the dressing room and once that happens then it's a case of when and not if.

 

The excuse it's not his team doesn't wash, it's still a squad packed full of internationals who have all performed better than they are at the moment. Reed was telling everyone who would listen only a few weeks back that our strategy doesn't rely on managers bringing in their own people. He seems to have scrapped his plans at the start of the season to play a diamond and now going 4-3-3 which is actually more like a defensive 4-1-4-1. he doesn't know what his best team is or his best formation and our previously solid defence looks a shambles. When you cant score and concede soft goals it's the perfect storm.

 

This for me.

 

As sad as it is, if he has lost the dressing room there's only one way that can go. Players hold all the power.

[Dusic]

Reed has never sacked a Manager in his time at Saints. I highly doubt he will now.

 

He will (rightly or wrongly) back his own decision.

[thorpie the sinner]

Voted in, but give him money to spend in Jan! He must targets in mind that aren't blind panic buys

[JonnyLove]

Reed has never sacked a Manager in his time at Saints. I highly doubt he will now.

 

He will (rightly or wrongly) back his own decision.

 

Reed was in charge when they sacked Adkins and appointed Poch

[JonnyLove]

I've voted out. When we started the season it was some of the most fluid football I've seen us play, we totally controlled games but didn't convert the 100's of chances we had (everyone complained it was the formation), maybe so, but how he has us set up now (changed formation again) we just don't create, we look asleep and by looking at how the players are walking around they just don't seem to have confidence in the manager at present. I'd like to see him succeed but I don't think he is the right fit for the club (and this is not just because of the last 3 games this has been something i've seen for a while now).

[Mallagroth]

I've voted out against my better judgement. I think he deserves to be judged at the end of the season and there have been some promising signs. However what concerns me is the lack of belief and fight in the players along with what appears to be a lack of leadership on and off the pitch. I'm hearing whispers he has lost senior members of the dressing room and once that happens then it's a case of when and not if.

 

The excuse it's not his team doesn't wash, it's still a squad packed full of internationals who have all performed better than they are at the moment. Reed was telling everyone who would listen only a few weeks back that our strategy doesn't rely on managers bringing in their own people. He seems to have scrapped his plans at the start of the season to play a diamond and now going 4-3-3 which is actually more like a defensive 4-1-4-1. he doesn't know what his best team is or his best formation and our previously solid defence looks a shambles. When you cant score and concede soft goals it's the perfect storm.

 

All this. Hate it as I really wanted him to

Succeed. With a few exceptions even our wins have been dull affairs and yes I am probably mad but I'd rather get relegated to the champ playing high tempo attacking football than scrape survival or mid table watching what I know is decent footballers struggle to express themselves in a very confining system. Early signs are we could go the way of Swansea and it would be a shame to not

Recognize that and deal with it quickly.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

I've voted out against my better judgement. I think he deserves to be judged at the end of the season and there have been some promising signs. However what concerns me is the lack of belief and fight in the players along with what appears to be a lack of leadership on and off the pitch. I'm hearing whispers he has lost senior members of the dressing room and once that happens then it's a case of when and not if.

 

The excuse it's not his team doesn't wash, it's still a squad packed full of internationals who have all performed better than they are at the moment. Reed was telling everyone who would listen only a few weeks back that our strategy doesn't rely on managers bringing in their own people. He seems to have scrapped his plans at the start of the season to play a diamond and now going 4-3-3 which is actually more like a defensive 4-1-4-1. he doesn't know what his best team is or his best formation and our previously solid defence looks a shambles. When you cant score and concede soft goals it's the perfect storm.

 

I am with you here (that must worry you) and have heard similar whispers. I have said he must be kept on but I can't get myself to actually vote that way. I think I will wait a few days but I know that quite a few people I would regard as moderate have had enough, which is indicative.

[LuckyNumber7]

I've voted in (again), but I'm teetering on the brink. I hate knee-jerking and managers being sacked without being given a fair crack of the whip.

 

However whilst on the face of it we are having an ok season, we are only a few points off being dragged into the relegation scrap. And the biggie for me, as has been mentioned a lot, is the style of play. I can take losing matches fine as it's part of football, but I don't want to be bored to death in the process which is happening almost every game now, even when we win.

 

The fact that I no longer look forward to going to games is a sad indictment on the team and I suspect many feel the same. Apathy is the worst feeling to have as a football fan but it is slowly creeping in for me. So for now I'm still supporting the manager but if things don't improve quickly I will be firmly in the 'out' camp.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Reed was in charge when they sacked Adkins and appointed Poch

 

 

That was 100% Cortese, without a doubt. Reed did what he was told under Cortese. He is more powerful now.

[wild-saint]

I am with you here (that must worry you) and have heard similar whispers. I have said he must be kept on but I can't get myself to actually vote that way. I think I will wait a few days but I know that quite a few people I would regard as moderate have had enough, which is indicative.

 

 

I agree with much of this. I left the west brom game venting my spleen at anyone who would listen that we are so negative. However, looking at the baggies team i wouldnt swap many of thier players for ours. I woukd like to see at least two decent players to come in this month ( box to box midfielder and a striker) and see how that changes things before i would call for a change of manager.

 

The problem is that i dont think we will see either of much quality so in the tranfer window and therefore i dont see much changing.

 

so if the board dont back him they may as well bin him and take a new manager a buythe selves some time until the summer when we sell vvd.

[IFHP]

Voted in, but give him money to spend in Jan! He must targets in mind that aren't blind panic buys

 

Unless we sell, we haven't got a lot of money to spend in January.

[Give it to Ron]

I am undecided still but something has to change.

Maybe he needs better support from backroom team. As an example Spurs we got battered in midfield and I couldn't believe we didn't change formation at half time. Surely someone could see that ? Claude admitted we were dead after 20 why??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wild-saint]

Unless we sell, we haven't got a lot of money to spend in January.

 

 

where did you get this informationor is it your opinion?

[Donatello]

I am undecided still but something has to change.

Maybe he needs better support from backroom team. As an example Spurs we got battered in midfield and I couldn't believe we didn't change formation at half time. Surely someone could see that ? Claude admitted we were dead after 20 why??

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Did he say as much in his immediate post-match interview or something? Or is there an article about this somewhere? Ta.

[Lord Duckhunter]

I voted in because it's ****ing stupid to get rid of a manger after half a season when he's 10th in the league.

 

I wasn't particularly keen on Koeman and saw some dire performances which have been masked by a Mane inspired run in. I've no doubt had Koeman stayed with this squad we'd be lower in the league than Puel has us.

 

The main reason I voted in was his attitude towards youngsters. In this respect he's like Poch. If an untried nipper is 3rd in line as left back and your first 2 are out, he'll play you. Ron would have stuck Yoshida or Coco the clown there. Same on Sat, nipper on bench , defender off so he goes on. Again Koeman would have put Davis on and moved people out of position. I'm not saying he's a good a manager as Poch, but in his approach to playing nippers he is. There maybe "whispers" coming from the dressing room ( but I'm always suspicious when these whispers match the posters views) from senior players, but instead of whinging they should look in the mirror. Sat Jose & Yoshida made clear and avoidable errors. VvD missed blatant sitters that would have taken us out of EL group. Forster has been shocking of late, long missed chances at Old Trafford that spoilt a pretty good performance, how many 2 yard misses has JRod had this season, 3?

 

We haven't won at Everton for god knows how long, haven't beaten Spurs at home for a similar period and haven't won the last game of the year for 6 years ( so I read yesterday) , so the last 3 performances have been replicated over the years. I remember Shane Long giving us the run around at St Mary's in our pre Puel " glory" years , Wigan and Everton also making us look average.

 

Personally, I think the away performances have been pretty much on par with anything Ron or Poch did. Some very good ( Boscombe & West Ham) and some very poor. Our home performances haven't been up to the level of our 2 previous managers , but results have been okish. Poch's home performances were the best I've seen since Lawrie & Rons were inflated by Mane, Pelle & Vic, all of whom have now left.

 

I always thought that this day would come, that the past 4 years were a " golden " period for our club, yes, it's pretty shocking that a "golden period" is 8/7/6 with no cup win or even a semi final, but you only have to look at our history to see this. All things being equal I would place this club in the top 12 of English football and would hope for a decent cup run ( and maybe European football) every couple of years. Therefore, I would take this season as about par , and you don't sack a bloke at par unless he's had time to mound the team, had time to develop the nippers and bring a couple of fresh faces in. He is suffering with comparisons with the 2 previous managers in the same way Chris Nicholl suffered after Lawrie ( not that I'm comparing this football to Chris' exciting brand) . However, it's not a comparison you can make ( with Poch & Ron ) . If this guy had Mane, Pelle & Vic and we'd had the same season id be with you outers, pitch fork in hand. But he's been dealt a poor hand by the board ( a hand I'm sure he knew was coming) and is doing an ok job with it. Nothing great, but nothing like as poor as some of you are making out.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Edited 3 January, 2017 by Lord Duckhunter

[UpweySaint]

In.

 

Rather disillusioned like many for similar reasons; style of football, hapoel game, lack of obvious passion (yes not all managers need to be raving loonies but a bit more oomph might be nice), comparisons with last season etc.

 

Don't get me wrong if we were perilously close to relegation it might be prudent to gamble but replacing him would be a gamble. For every great escape there is a dramatic collapse.

 

As long as we don't find ourselves in a relegation dog fight I am in favour of giving Puel time to get his own players in and settle his style of play (two seasons seems a fair chunk to judge - if we can afford the luxury of time). He may need time to adapt to the league and the players to his ideas - we all know our schedule has made this difficult. He does have a reputation for developing young talent which is massively important for us as a club and, for most, a genuine point of pride. As mentioned by others his only real signings were Pied (unlucky to be crocked so soon but we shall see ...) and Boufal (who looks like he may have some real magic).

[West End Saint]

I voted out I didn't like the new system from the start and have said so, thought we needed a striker in the summer definitely need one now yet he believes we don't.

 

Not happy with the style of play so dull, I think we have got this appointment wrong

[Saint86]

I've voted out against my better judgement. I think he deserves to be judged at the end of the season and there have been some promising signs. However what concerns me is the lack of belief and fight in the players along with what appears to be a lack of leadership on and off the pitch. I'm hearing whispers he has lost senior members of the dressing room and once that happens then it's a case of when and not if.

 

The excuse it's not his team doesn't wash, it's still a squad packed full of internationals who have all performed better than they are at the moment. Reed was telling everyone who would listen only a few weeks back that our strategy doesn't rely on managers bringing in their own people. He seems to have scrapped his plans at the start of the season to play a diamond and now going 4-3-3 which is actually more like a defensive 4-1-4-1. he doesn't know what his best team is or his best formation and our previously solid defence looks a shambles. When you cant score and concede soft goals it's the perfect storm.

 

Basically this. I'm not sure where the problem lies but have also heard that senior players - and with that in mind I can guess that one of the is the club captain.

 

He's had less money to spend that Ronald, but less squad upheaval. The sad truth is that he is either out of his depth, a "yes man" or not being backed by the board in the transfer market.

 

As for the board. We seem to have ditched all our hyperbowl regarding the "southampton way" and have changed tactics and playing style; we're now faced with seemingly needing to buy players to fit a new system (square pegs round holes) etc. This just shows how out of depth the board have been and how complete their failure was this summer. Lost the manger, lost key players coupled with poor replacement business being done, abandoned system and the southampton way in a blind panic etc.)

 

Whatever it is, we are in for a terrible couple of months. We can't score and never look like winning a game. For that reason I voted out. Its more of a general protest, but I can't see anything improving for the club unless something changes - be it at board level or just managerial. Something ain't right at the moment for sure.