Les Reed

[Nordic Saint]

I've never known a director of football who has sought so much publicty for himself before. I seem to recall that the photo ops when new players were signed for example were given to managers. Now he grabs them all for himself. I guess this gives the desired impression to some of our fans that he is the only one responsible for our success. To what extent he really is or isn't, I don't know but I'd prefer it if the PR focus were more on the managers and players and less on him. This Les personality cult has reached the ridculous stage now where some of our fans idolize him and hate our players and managers.

[Village Saint]

I've never known a director of football who has sought so much publicty for himself before. I seem to recall that the photo ops when new players were signed for example were given to managers. Now he grabs them all for himself. I guess this gives the desired impression to some of our fans that he is the only one responsible for our success. To what extent he really is or isn't, I don't know but I'd prefer it if the PR focus were more on the managers and players and less on him. This Les personality cult has reached the ridculous stage now where some of our fans idolize him and hate our players and managers.

 

This is a remark of such stunning absurdity that I felt I just had to respond. Les Reed seek publicity! Blimey he is barely more visible than the invisible man. I have never seen him do a weekly press conference. That is always left to the manager. He rarely gives interviews (I am not complaining here). The only time I can remember him is when they do those new signing or new contract splashes in the press - well he is the one who does the negotiations so difficult to see who else could do it - and even these seem to be fewer these days. I in fact am very happy that he seems content to do the excellent job he does barely noticed. More power to his elbow.

[Nordic Saint]

It must be tough in your village, being both deaf and blind.

 

https://www.google.co.uk/search?safe=off&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=677&q=signs+les+reed&oq=signs+les+reed&gs_l=img.12...2771.9849.0.11699.18.17.0.0.0.0.200.1331.9j3j1.13.0....0...1.1.64.img..5.10.1063.0..0j35i39k1j0i19k1j0i5i30i19k1j0i8i30i19k1j0i8i30k1.vXCLOE8NUrQ

 

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=les+reed+southampton

[angelman]

Seeks publicity for himself?? He is the face of the club so is present in pictures of players signing. So what? We could have the owner, the chairman, the director of football or the manager. The owner is anonymous. The chairman is as well, or maybe you would prefer the Dildo Bothers. So that leaves the DoF or manager or no one. Bit unfriendly to have no one, and the way the club signs players, it is natural to have DoF there.

 

Is that really all you now have to whinge and bîtch about? If so, then Les is doing a good job.

[CB Fry]

I've never known a director of football who has sought so much publicty for himself before. I seem to recall that the photo ops when new players were signed for example were given to managers. Now he grabs them all for himself. I guess this gives the desired impression to some of our fans that he is the only one responsible for our success. To what extent he really is or isn't, I don't know but I'd prefer it if the PR focus were more on the managers and players and less on him. This Les personality cult has reached the ridculous stage now where some of our fans idolize him and hate our players and managers.

 

Obvious troll is obvious.

[View From The Top]

Obvious troll is obvious.

 

Sadly I believe you to be wrong & actually it's his genuine view.

[Toadhall Saint]

I've never known a director of football who has sought so much publicty for himself before. I seem to recall that the photo ops when new players were signed for example were given to managers. Now he grabs them all for himself. I guess this gives the desired impression to some of our fans that he is the only one responsible for our success. To what extent he really is or isn't, I don't know but I'd prefer it if the PR focus were more on the managers and players and less on him. This Les personality cult has reached the ridculous stage now where some of our fans idolize him and hate our players and managers.

 

Lol

[scotty]

Sadly I believe you to be wrong & actually it's his genuine view.

 

I have a horrible feeling that you could be right.

[Saint86]

Can you name even five directors of football who are truly better than average, if "slightly better than average" is two straight promotions, then 14th, 8th, 6th, 7th, 8th for us.

 

In fact, just five clubs who over the the last five years have performed genuinely better than average and not just as a one off. I'll accept Leicester and Huddersfield but not sure who else. Are there three more? (hint - all of the top six clubs have performed, compared to your jolly high standards, no more than averagely in this timescale).

 

 

 

That's a whole heap of strawman there.

 

 

 

This is, pretty much to the letter, exactly the stated ambition of the club. It's precisely what Les and Ralph have said over and over and over again. Aim for europe, ideally the CL, but do it our way, not overspending and will likely require the big clubs to have a off season. I'd say that having that stretching objective is why we have finished 8th and 7th and 6th which I think is pretty bloody good and you think is "slightly above average" for us. Bizarre.

 

 

 

 

The club sacked Puel not the fans. Funnily enough he didn't meet with our ambition. Do you understand how this works yet?

 

 

 

No idea what any of this has to do with anything but there you go.

 

Sorry Fry, but I can't credit Les Reed (or our current board) with the promotions or Wembley final. He came to true power with Nicola's exit and the new board restructuring.

 

To put it another way.

 

Cortese Admin (CA) got us taken over.

July 2009 - CA hired Pardew

July 2009 - CA hired Harding

August 2009 - CA Signed Lambert

August 2009 - CA Signed Hammond

Jan 2010 - CA signed Puncheon

Jan 2010 - CA Signed Fonte.

March 2010 - CA deliver JPT win.

April 2010 - Reed Joins as head of football development.

CA admin removed Pardew, hired Adkins (100% a NC sacking).

CA admin removed Adkins delivered Poch. (100% a NC sacking and appointment).

 

With Lallana, Morgan etc, that is basically the core of our team from League 1 to Premier league, and it had sod all to do with Les Reed... The most exceptional signing Les Reed can lay a claim to in that time is Chaplow.

 

People can't have it both ways. If the Don Cortese was a control freak "who had to go" then everything pre his removal is on him. And everything since is on the current board.

 

If you really want to go into it, Les Reed (or more generally the current board) fell out with and then lost Poch, but did well in hiring koeman (who got us VVD, Toby, Mane, Tadic), they signed Forster and Bertrand (credit where it is due), but then lost us Toby (despite our manager texting him all summer), and then fell out with our most successful manager since LW, losing him to Everton, we then hired Puel. Although they did have the balls to see the error of his ways (and fan discontent) and sack him.

 

All in all, its an okay record for the current board. But neither they (not Les Reed) have very much to do with anything pre Koeman. If they did, and were actively managing the situation and in control, we would not have had the upheaval we had following Cortese's departure. They were caught completley out of position, with no strategy in place.

 

Its not something i've ever claimed, but Les Reed does love a bit of the media attention

Edited 8 September, 2017 by Saint86

[CB Fry]

Sorry Fry, but I can't credit Les Reed (or our current board) with the promotions or Wembley final. He came to true power with Nicola's exit and the new board restructuring.

 

To put it another way.

 

Cortese Admin (CA) got us taken over.

July 2009 - CA hired Pardew

July 2009 - CA hired Harding

August 2009 - CA Signed Lambert

August 2009 - CA Signed Hammond

Jan 2010 - CA signed Puncheon

Jan 2010 - CA Signed Fonte.

March 2010 - CA deliver JPT win.

April 2010 - Reed Joins as head of football development.

CA admin removed Pardew, hired Adkins (100% a NC sacking).

CA admin removed Adkins delivered Poch. (100% a NC sacking and appointment).

 

With Lallana, Morgan etc, that is basically the core of our team from League 1 to Premier league, and it had sod all to do with Les Reed... The most exceptional signing Les Reed can lay a claim to in that time is Chaplow.

 

People can't have it both ways. If the Don Cortese was a control freak "who had to go" then everything pre his removal is on him. And everything since is on the current board.

 

If you really want to go into it, Les Reed (or more generally the current board) fell out with and then lost Poch, but did well in hiring koeman (who got us VVD, Toby, Mane, Tadic), they signed Forster and Bertrand (credit where it is due), but then lost us Toby (despite our manager texting him all summer), and then fell out with our most successful manager since LW, losing him to Everton, we then hired Puel. Although they did have the balls to see the error of his ways (and fan discontent) and sack him.

 

All in all, its an okay record for the current board. But neither they (not Les Reed) have very much to do with anything pre Koeman. If they did, and were actively managing the situation and in control, we would not have had the upheaval we had following Cortese's departure. They were caught completley out of position, with no strategy in place.

 

Its not something i've ever claimed, but Les Reed does love a bit of the media attention

A true true true Cortese cultist then. Absolutely batsh it.

 

Nice chatting to you.

[shurlock]

Sorry Fry, but I can't credit Les Reed (or our current board) with the promotions or Wembley final. He came to true power with Nicola's exit and the new board restructuring.

 

To put it another way.

 

Cortese Admin (CA) got us taken over.

July 2009 - CA hired Pardew

July 2009 - CA hired Harding

August 2009 - CA Signed Lambert

August 2009 - CA Signed Hammond

Jan 2010 - CA signed Puncheon

Jan 2010 - CA Signed Fonte.

March 2010 - CA deliver JPT win.

April 2010 - Reed Joins as head of football development.

CA admin removed Pardew, hired Adkins (100% a NC sacking).

CA admin removed Adkins delivered Poch. (100% a NC sacking and appointment).

 

With Lallana, Morgan etc, that is basically the core of our team from League 1 to Premier league, and it had sod all to do with Les Reed... The most exceptional signing Les Reed can lay a claim to in that time is Chaplow.

 

People can't have it both ways. If the Don Cortese was a control freak "who had to go" then everything pre his removal is on him. And everything since is on the current board.

 

If you really want to go into it, Les Reed (or more generally the current board) fell out with and then lost Poch, but did well in hiring koeman (who got us VVD, Toby, Mane, Tadic), they signed Forster and Bertrand (credit where it is due), but then lost us Toby (despite our manager texting him all summer), and then fell out with our most successful manager since LW, losing him to Everton, we then hired Puel. Although they did have the balls to see the error of his ways (and fan discontent) and sack him.

 

All in all, its an okay record for the current board. But neither they (not Les Reed) have very much to do with anything pre Koeman. If they did, and were actively managing the situation and in control, we would not have had the upheaval we had following Cortese's departure. They were caught completley out of position, with no strategy in place.

 

Its not something i've ever claimed, but Les Reed does love a bit of the media attention

 

#enemyofthepeople #inuncleleswetrust

[benjii]

I know for a fact that when Cortese was a banker in Switzerland he had has eye on Dan Harding as a good signing, were he ever to assume control of a football club.

[aintforever]

Sorry Fry, but I can't credit Les Reed (or our current board) with the promotions or Wembley final. He came to true power with Nicola's exit and the new board restructuring.

 

To put it another way.

 

Cortese Admin (CA) got us taken over.

July 2009 - CA hired Pardew

July 2009 - CA hired Harding

August 2009 - CA Signed Lambert

August 2009 - CA Signed Hammond

Jan 2010 - CA signed Puncheon

Jan 2010 - CA Signed Fonte.

March 2010 - CA deliver JPT win.

April 2010 - Reed Joins as head of football development.

CA admin removed Pardew, hired Adkins (100% a NC sacking).

CA admin removed Adkins delivered Poch. (100% a NC sacking and appointment).

 

With Lallana, Morgan etc, that is basically the core of our team from League 1 to Premier league, and it had sod all to do with Les Reed... The most exceptional signing Les Reed can lay a claim to in that time is Chaplow.

 

People can't have it both ways. If the Don Cortese was a control freak "who had to go" then everything pre his removal is on him. And everything since is on the current board.

 

If you really want to go into it, Les Reed (or more generally the current board) fell out with and then lost Poch, but did well in hiring koeman (who got us VVD, Toby, Mane, Tadic), they signed Forster and Bertrand (credit where it is due), but then lost us Toby (despite our manager texting him all summer), and then fell out with our most successful manager since LW, losing him to Everton, we then hired Puel. Although they did have the balls to see the error of his ways (and fan discontent) and sack him.

 

All in all, its an okay record for the current board. But neither they (not Les Reed) have very much to do with anything pre Koeman. If they did, and were actively managing the situation and in control, we would not have had the upheaval we had following Cortese's departure. They were caught completley out of position, with no strategy in place.

 

Its not something i've ever claimed, but Les Reed does love a bit of the media attention

 

Or put another way, all we achieved prior to Reed joining was get out of League 1 at the second attempt, bank rolled by a billionaire and with a squad that contained Rickie Lambert, Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana, Jose Fonte and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain. And even then we finished behind Brighton.

 

Way to go Cortese.

[Saint86]

Or put another way, all we achieved prior to Reed joining was get out of League 1 at the second attempt, bank rolled by a billionaire and with a squad that contained Rickie Lambert, Morgan Schneiderlin, Adam Lallana, Jose Fonte and Alex Oxlade Chamberlain. And even then we finished behind Brighton.

 

Way to go Cortese.

 

lol same squad we had in the championship, but that doesn't stop les reed getting the credit rofl.

[Miltonaggro]

I know for a fact that when Cortese was a banker in Switzerland he had has eye on Dan Harding as a good signing, were he ever to assume control of a football club.

 

Gentlemen prefer blondes...

[CB Fry]

lol same squad we had in the championship, but that doesn't stop les reed getting the credit rofl.

Except Les didn't get "all the credit" because there was a certain cuban-heeled italian media whore who went out of his way to ensure he hoovered up any credit/publicity/fawning media articles all to himself. His name escapes me but it'll come.

[northam soul]

Except Les didn't get "all the credit" because there was a certain cuban-heeled italian media whore who went out of his way to ensure he hoovered up any credit/publicity/fawning media articles all to himself. His name escapes me but it'll come.

 

Bit harsh on poor old Rupert and are you sure he is Italian

[max_saints]

What has NC been doing after his wildly successful time at Saints? DOF at Real Madrid? Barcelona? Top half premier league team at least? Championship...?

[benjii]

He's battling a foccacia addiction. It's no laughing matter. It's nearly as destructive as Toblerone addiction.

[Donatello]

I've never known a director of football who has sought so much publicty for himself before. I seem to recall that the photo ops when new players were signed for example were given to managers. Now he grabs them all for himself. I guess this gives the desired impression to some of our fans that he is the only one responsible for our success. To what extent he really is or isn't, I don't know but I'd prefer it if the PR focus were more on the managers and players and less on him. This Les personality cult has reached the ridculous stage now where some of our fans idolize him and hate our players and managers.

 

Numpty

[Heisenberg]

From - 10 (league 1) to top 10 (premier league) the fact an Italian banker with ZERO football experience was able to achieve more in 4 years than Les has in 50 will probably always rile old Les.

 

Shows quite how hard this job is.... An Italian banker just waltzing in from nowhere and smashing it

[ALWAYS_SFC]

Like this thread,it keeps the trolls in work and off other threads...... Keep it up

[farawaysaint]

From - 10 (league 1) to top 10 (premier league) the fact an Italian banker with ZERO football experience was able to achieve more in 4 years than Les has in 50 will probably always rile old Les.

 

Shows quite how hard this job is.... An Italian banker just waltzing in from nowhere and smashing it

 

[CB Fry]

From - 10 (league 1) to top 10 (premier league) the fact an Italian banker with ZERO football experience was able to achieve more in 4 years than Les has in 50 will probably always rile old Les.

 

Shows quite how hard this job is.... An Italian banker just waltzing in from nowhere and smashing it

He was a fantastic lower league bean-counter/admin guy but pitiful once we got close to the top table.

 

Very much the Neil Warnock of football administration, with the only difference is at least Warnock proved he could do it again and again.

[Heisenberg]

He was a fantastic lower league bean-counter/admin guy but pitiful once we got close to the top table.

 

Very much the Neil Warnock of football administration, with the only difference is at least Warnock proved he could do it again and again.

 

An Italian banker by trade... What did you expect. He was just helping out his mate Markus

 

But still achieved more in 4 years than Les has in 50 years

[Toadhall Saint]

From - 10 (league 1) to top 10 (premier league) the fact an Italian banker with ZERO football experience was able to achieve more in 4 years than Les has in 50 will probably always rile old Les.

 

Shows quite how hard this job is.... An Italian banker just waltzing in from nowhere and smashing it

 

I'd wager he did it with les rather than without.

[CB Fry]

An Italian banker by trade... What did you expect. He was just helping out his mate Markus

 

But still achieved more in 4 years than Les has in 50 years

 

Yep, just a banker. Kinda like why the only times he waded in the actual football, it was catastrophic. Hello Gaston.

 

#warnock

[Heisenberg]

I'd wager he did it with les rather than without.

 

Cortese was a control freak right?

[Dellman]

Yep, just a banker. Kinda like why the only times he waded in the actual football, it was catastrophic. Hello Gaston.

 

#warnock

Hello Poch

[CB Fry]

Cortese was a control freak right?

Control freak on commercial activities, yes. That was his job.

 

Football he knew fu ck all about, which is why he was shrewd enough to employ Les Reed who then did the business and did the business big style.

 

In the area Cortese was control freaking he managed to generate less commercial revenue in the Premier League than then-second tier Watford. Hopeless.

[CB Fry]

Hello Poch

A brilliant appointment by the black box/sporting department, not the commercial department.

 

Absolutely Cortese was brave enough to action the decision with the critical intel from the football experts at the club.

[Toadhall Saint]

Cortese was a control freak right?

 

Just as much as you're a troll

[Heisenberg]

pitiful once we got close to the top table.

 

 

waded in the actual football, it was catastrophic.

 

 

which is why he was shrewd enough to employ Les Reed who then did the business and did the business big style.

 

 

So did we do the business "big style" or was it "catastrophic" and or "pitiful"

 

You're all over the place mate. Slow down, relax

[CB Fry]

So did we do the business "big style" or was it "catastrophic" and or "pitiful"

 

You're all over the place mate. Slow down, relax

You're struggling to split apart Commercial Activity - Cortese's job, pitiful in the Premier League - and football activity - Reed's job, generally excellent. Occasionally Cortese blundered into this area (Gaston). What the Italian was brilliant at was bravery to act on the recommendations of the sporting department (Poch).

 

Pretty simple to understand - why can't you grasp that?

Edited 9 September, 2017 by CB Fry

[Lets B Avenue]

You're struggling to split apart Commercial Activity - Cortese's job, pitiful in the Premier League - and football activity - Reed's job, generally excellent. Occasionally Cortese blundered into this area (Gaston). What the Italian was brilliant at was bravery to act on the recommendations of the sporting department (Poch).

 

 

He couldn't even keep control of his spoons.

[James]

Control freak on commercial activities, yes. That was his job.

 

Football he knew fu ck all about, which is why he was shrewd enough to employ Les Reed who then did the business and did the business big style.

 

In the area Cortese was control freaking he managed to generate less commercial revenue in the Premier League than then-second tier Watford. Hopeless.

 

So hiring Poch was a brilliant move by the sporting department but signing Gaston (who had, lest we forget, excelled at the Olympics that summer and who we were all excited about) was an atrocious decision attributable only to NC? Seems pretty convinient to apportion good and bad footballing decisions to suit your narrative.

 

Cortese was great for us, I was gutted when he left and I honestly think we'd have qualified for the CL had he stayed. Reed's big problem is that summer when we sold everyone. Regardless of what's been achieved since the fans will never 100% trust him following that.

[Toadhall Saint]

So hiring Poch was a brilliant move by the sporting department but signing Gaston (who had, lest we forget, excelled at the Olympics that summer and who we were all excited about) was an atrocious decision attributable only to NC? Seems pretty convinient to apportion good and bad footballing decisions to suit your narrative.

 

Cortese was great for us, I was gutted when he left and I honestly think we'd have qualified for the CL had he stayed. Reed's big problem is that summer when we sold everyone. Regardless of what's been achieved since the fans will never 100% trust him following that.

 

Well he has my trust 100%.

[CB Fry]

So hiring Poch was a brilliant move by the sporting department but signing Gaston (who had, lest we forget, excelled at the Olympics that summer and who we were all excited about) was an atrocious decision attributable only to NC? Seems pretty convinient to apportion good and bad footballing decisions to suit your narrative.

 

Have it your way. Reed wad in charge of all football operations and was integral to every decision that saw us through L1, the Championship and on to three top 8 finishes and a major cup final. If you're desperate to dump Gaston at his door, fill your boots, I don't mind. But his record despite that has been simply excellent (promotion, promotion, 14th, 8th, 7th, 6th, 8th) and unparalled for a club our size in the last twenty years. Unparalleled. Brilliant stuff Les.

 

Cortese was great for us, I was gutted when he left and I honestly think we'd have qualified for the CL had he stayed. Reed's big problem is that summer when we sold everyone. Regardless of what's been achieved since the fans will never 100% trust him following that.

 

Hilarious. Only the cultists believe that man has any of the qualities required to lead a football club in the highest tier of the spirt. History proves he just wasn't up to the job. Lower league : fine. Top flight: a real struggle to adjust from being the richest club bully boy in the league to being mid-stream. Couldn't cope.

 

There is a reason we gave gone from strength to strength to strength to strength (both on and off the pitch) from the minute he bottled it and walked out.

[View From The Top]

So hiring Poch was a brilliant move by the sporting department but signing Gaston (who had, lest we forget, excelled at the Olympics that summer and who we were all excited about) was an atrocious decision attributable only to NC? Seems pretty convinient to apportion good and bad footballing decisions to suit your narrative.

 

Cortese was great for us, I was gutted when he left and I honestly think we'd have qualified for the CL had he stayed. Reed's big problem is that summer when we sold everyone. Regardless of what's been achieved since the fans will never 100% trust him following that.

 

You need to lay off the crack pipe youth.

[Give it to Ron]

You need to lay off the crack pipe youth.

Ignoring the fact he spent 30m extra on training ground than should.

Champs League....I reckon admin with his unaccountable spending of someone else's money.

 

Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk

[St Marco]

Can't blame him for the results on the pitch. But he is to blame for the manager changes and changing the style of football that we were successful playing with. Add to that he seems to have a hard on for signing defence minded players when everyone knows we badly needed quality attacking ones. We will get to January with the same problems as last year. Personally I think it's time someone else came in who has different ideas. I appreciate what he has done in the past but I think it's clear his decision making process has declined. Time to take old yella behind the shed.

[Saint86]

May as well sticky this thread tbh.

 

This place is going to go mental in the next few days, and it will all be compounded by those with their heads in the sand trying to defend the undefendable.

[Saint86]

Can't blame him for the results on the pitch. But he is to blame for the manager changes and changing the style of football that we were successful playing with. Add to that he seems to have a hard on for signing defence minded players when everyone knows we badly needed quality attacking ones. We will get to January with the same problems as last year. Personally I think it's time someone else came in who has different ideas. I appreciate what he has done in the past but I think it's clear his decision making process has declined. Time to take old yella behind the shed.

 

A bit generous, but yeah.

[Heisenberg]

Genuine question but are we dictating the playing style?

 

Or are we just appointing managers that have no playing identity or pizzazz?

 

Seems odd to me that both Puel and Pellegrino have abandoned previous playing styles once appointed saints manager.

[Saint86]

Genuine question but are we dictating the playing style?

 

Or are we just appointing managers that have no playing identity or pizzazz?

 

Seems odd to me that both Puel and Pellegrino have abandoned previous playing styles once appointed saints manager.

 

Tis the Southampton Way!

Edited 9 September, 2017 by Saint86

[Heisenberg]

Meltdown time!!

 

It's the manager(s) fault

It's the fans fault

It's the players fault

Its Eric Blacks fault

It's Forsters fault

It's Ross Wilsons fault

It's Boufals fault

 

What do they all have in common?

[Katalinic]

Meltdown time!!

 

What do they all have in common?

 

That you are a consistently a massive bell?

[larry12]

That you are a consistently a massive bell?

 

Incorrect about the bell! El Duce( power mad midget dictator) rules the football side at Saints.

2 CB's in the latest failed window will solve our inability to score and "we have probably the best midfield stup in the Premiership" (stated 11/07/16) That speaks to me of professional incompetence.

Time to get rid of Les Reed.

[SKD]

Meltdown time!!

 

It's the manager(s) fault

It's the fans fault

It's the players fault

Its Eric Blacks fault

It's Forsters fault

It's Ross Wilsons fault

It's Boufals fault

 

What do they all have in common?

 

All appointed by, or at least ran by, the 'head of recruitment', Ross Wilson.

 

I'm still yet to see any benefit (Let's hope Lamina / Hoedt are a success, he needs it) Ross has brought to the club.

[OttawaSaint]

Meltdown time!!

 

It's the manager(s) fault

It's the fans fault

It's the players fault

Its Eric Blacks fault

It's Forsters fault

It's Ross Wilsons fault

It's Boufals fault

 

What do they all have in common?

 

They are all multicellular eukaryotic organisms?