Last Chance Saloon

[Bit of a plonker]

Voted back him, but could easily flip flop to sack him. IMO, not so much now about backing him, the time for that was the January transfer window. More, stuck with him. He should have been sacked before January ideally, but no point now. Next 5 games are huge, the club hasn't made a quick managerial appointment since the Cortese days. The only out of work managers I can think of are Hughes, who has already taken a pretty decent Stoke squad to the same place as us, or Silva, who hasn't convinced me so far. Having said that, if we did sack him and replace him immediately with Silva, I wouldn't be disappointed. I just can't see us doing that, as our boardroom moves at the pace of a snails flabby fart.

[Give it to Ron]

"get behind the team FFS" mindless dogma. Exactly the attitude that leads to relegation, because the club knows it can get away with it.

 

Cretin.

 

The fans have backed the team...they did so again on Sunday to half time then watched another debacle from clueless tactics and substitutions even then only a few songs against the numpty.

The fans are not the issue...toxic my arse..he obviously doesnt go and listen to people at games, walking over the bridge, in pubs most support the team until its apparent the team are baffled, left high and dry by negative tactics and substitutions.

he is like a few of the gushing lickspittles you see like Forester...plant an attack on fans and then run away when they get beaten by good reason and debate.

 

 

Guan...great post

[Pamplemousse]

I think the fans have been remarkably patient given the circumstances

[Minsk]

He said they weren't all replaced. But they clearly were.

 

Lovren was replaced by Alderweireld on loan, Alderweireld was replaced by van Dijk and van Dijk was replaced by Hoedt. The only one who arguably hasn't been replaced is Fonte. I'd say Stephens isn't at the level Fonte was at his peak, but he is currently better than Fonte as things stand today.

 

vab Dijk was not replaced by Hoedt. We were told so when he signed.

They categorically stated Hoedt was signed to play alongside VvD, not as a replacement for him.

 

He’s been improving. Team selection is there, we will pick up points in the next five games. We should stick with him and get behind the team. There is no white knight who can change the players we have. We missed our chance to get someone in when the window opened, now we are stuck with what we have.

 

I disagree that he is improving. Yes, the last two team selections (starting 11) have been better than the previous 25 matches, but his in game tactics and substitutions are still as baffling as ever.

 

10 minutes to go, losing 2-0 at home, do you: a. bring on a striker? b. bring on a defensive midfielder?

 

as just one example.

 

 

I voted for him to stay. I think he is out of his depth but I hope that we stay up and get rid of him in the summer, when there will be a better selection of managers to choose from. Unless we bring in an out of work manager, the disruption of chasing an in work manager in the protracted way we do deals will be worse than sticking with MP and we have no natural caretaker manager. So the club would have to go for an out of work manager and that pool is small.

 

There was talk from Gao that there are changes coming in the summer, I've taken that to mean changes to the behind the scenes structure and even to Reed. Thats the time to bring in a new manager.

 

I also think that SFC believe that by changing the manager too often it sets up a culture where players can stop playing for a manager at any time and a cycle of this happens, like Chelsea; now I don't know whether I subscribe to this theory but they have obviously got a reason to believe this and they have access to greater brains than mine.

 

It's a fine line but I think the chance has gone and in balance the risk imo is slightly higher in getting rid of him. So we plough on and hope we get to the summer still in the prem.

 

Thanks for at least offering up something other than, 'I think he is improving' and 'we will only replace him with someone worse' as a reason for voting keep.

 

However, you admit that you think he is out of his depth! A question for you, do you think he will keep us up?

 

Also, as others have said, we only need a short term replacement for now. We don't HAVE to appoint anyone long term; plus, when he takes us down it will be even harder to bring in a manager of any quality.

 

back him. its pretty simple, really. you back the club. you back the players. you back the coach. that's just "what you do." sad to see a great club appear to have such blinkered, toxic, basically sh*t supporters, but I console myself with knowing that you lot don't really represent the average fan.

 

I think this is top quality Trolling. However, if not:

 

If you are the average fan God help us all!! Did you back Branfoot? Maybe you did, or maybe you are too young; whichever, this guy is worse.

 

I agree supporters should support the team during matches, but only an idiot blindly follows and accepts anything without raising questions and concerns.

 

All we need is a short term solution, someone on a huge bonus to keep us up, then look for a long term decent manager in the summer, even if we have to pry a manager away from another club.

 

Spot on!

 

Thanks for giving a view, especially when you know it is going to be unpopular. I can see the sense in what you are saying if we were comfortably mid-table, but we aren't. We are in serious danger of being relegated - with the exception of West Brom all the other teams down there are picking up good points. With the talented squad we have, relegation would be crazy but this does have the hallmarks of being a crazy season.

 

In my opinion we need to stay up at all costs and reassess in the summer. There are managers out there who I believe would give us a boost we need to get over the line. We won't be a very attractive proposition for managers of players if we slip to the Championship.

 

Having said that ^ I don't think for one minute MP will go before June. The club would surely have done it in January if they were so inclined.

 

Absolutely this.

 

Spoke to someone in the emergency services last night who knows an ex full time hairdresser that used to play for the club. (Anyone have a clue?)

 

Apparently Pellegrino is the dogs******s and everyone at the club enjoy his training, his ideas and that the players are 100% behind him.

There is no way that he is leaving as the board believe he is the right guy and that he can turn it around.

He is a massive improvement on Puel who created a bad atmosphere on and off the pitch.

 

Im staggered as he is ****ing clueless.

 

I am extremely inclined to believe this.

 

He should have gone after Leicester. It is quite obvious that Reed has no intentions of firing him, as that would an admission of his (Reed's) own failure.

 

 

when we go down, he will go anyway.

 

Just all a bit weird.

 

Scarily. I am not even sure he will be sacked if we go down!

 

last two times this poll has been run after a defeat. I'd be interested to see the results after we win a game.

 

(so I guess I'm saying we should repeat this poll in a month or two)

 

So, you admit that we might not get a win for a month or two; yet you still voted to keep him!?

 

How many wins are you expecting us to have by the end of the season?

[Chickendippers]

I only voted to back him as I am still scarred from the Wigley / Gray days. Remember Silva still managed to get Hull relegated. I think the risk of changing is bigger than sticking.

We have good enough players to stay up.

At the end of the season it is time for a change as he is not good enough - I'll shed no tears.

#we march on (#ironic)

[Katalinic]

I only voted to back him as I am still scarred from the Wigley / Gray days. Remember Silva still managed to get Hull relegated. I think the risk of changing is bigger than sticking.

We have good enough players to stay up.

At the end of the season it is time for a change as he is not good enough - I'll shed no tears.

#we march on (#ironic)

 

How can the risk be bigger, we are in the relegation zone. I would argue the opposite, that we have nothing to lose.

[mrfahaji]

Although I voted to sack him, I do appreciate Fan the Flames' reason for going with 'back him'. The idea that we'd now have to appoint a second rate/choice manager who would be an improvement but not necessarily enough of one to keep us up, added to the fact that if a short term option isn't there (eg Silva), we could be lumbered with someone like Mark Hughes for the foreseeable future, while all those good managers go elsewhere in the summer.

 

BUT, those 'good' managers aren't coming to us in the Championship, so it really comes down to whether you think Pellegrino can scrape survival or not. I'm not sure he can.

[mrfahaji]

I only voted to back him as I am still scarred from the Wigley / Gray days. Remember Silva still managed to get Hull relegated. I think the risk of changing is bigger than sticking.

We have good enough players to stay up.

At the end of the season it is time for a change as he is not good enough - I'll shed no tears.

#we march on (#ironic)

 

Pellegrino isn't much better than either of them. And as for being 'scarred' by Gray, while I concur that he was awful, Lowe acted quickly at the start of the season and appointed Strachan (no, I don't want him back), who did fantastically for us.

[miserableoldgit]

back him. its pretty simple, really. you back the club. you back the players. you back the coach. that's just "what you do." sad to see a great club appear to have such blinkered, toxic, basically sh*t supporters, but I console myself with knowing that you lot don't really represent the average fan.

I have been watching Saints for about 60 years and had a ST every year since 1975. I have supported the team through thick and thin in that time...but I have got to the stage where I have had enough. I pay a lot for my ST but as a "customer" I am not getting "value for money". There is absolutely no enjoyment in attending games at St Mary's either this season or last. It seems that the club want to be in the pond with the big fish but we are acting like minnows. The transfer window debacle when they sold VVD even before the window opened for a record fee and then failed miserably to bring in the obvious reinforcements that were needed without even any sort of statement was shocking. Whether I count as a "blinkered, toxic basically **** fan" I am not sure, but if you are a club plant you should be ashamed of yourself and of what is happening at the club...the great things that were achieved after ML took over are being destroyed....we are sleepwalking to relegation and we have no indication from the club that anyone there even cares.

 

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[mrfahaji]

The fans have backed the team...they did so again on Sunday to half time then watched another debacle from clueless tactics and substitutions even then only a few songs against the numpty.

The fans are not the issue...toxic my arse..he obviously doesnt go and listen to people at games, walking over the bridge, in pubs most support the team until its apparent the team are baffled, left high and dry by negative tactics and substitutions.

he is like a few of the gushing lickspittles you see like Forester...plant an attack on fans and then run away when they get beaten by good reason and debate.

 

 

Guan...great post

 

I seem to recall that Forester was a fan of Puel but not of Pellegrino. He might be a little bit OTT on the "you got what you wanted" mantra in that respect, but I would say that his posts are generally reasoned and he's not a "the club can do no wrong" type.

[ericb]

The only way the club will get the message is if we stay away, it's really that simple. One game boycott, season ticket holders and non season ticket holders, or a walk out BEFORE half time so it can't be put down to a bad performance.

 

If we b*tch and moan on here, or squinny on social media they can ignore it. The club is going down, going backwards and the board is too arrogant to care. They believe their own hype, they believe they're special, but resting on their laurels has seen them go backwards.

 

The ones i feel the most for are the people's who's jobs depend on a bunch of millionaires pulling their fingers out.

[LGTL]

He/ they have gotten off lightly so far. Things could implode much quicker if we have a terrible march.

[Give it to Ron]

I seem to recall that Forester was a fan of Puel but not of Pellegrino. He might be a little bit OTT on the "you got what you wanted" mantra in that respect, but I would say that his posts are generally reasoned and he's not a "the club can do no wrong" type.

You need to go back to the Pellegrino Out thread....calling fans morons is reasoned...ok

[AK]

The only way the club will get the message is if we stay away, it's really that simple. One game boycott, season ticket holders and non season ticket holders, or a walk out BEFORE half time so it can't be put down to a bad performance.

 

If we b*tch and moan on here, or squinny on social media they can ignore it. The club is going down, going backwards and the board is too arrogant to care. They believe their own hype, they believe they're special, but resting on their laurels has seen them go backwards.

 

The ones i feel the most for are the people's who's jobs depend on a bunch of millionaires pulling their fingers out.

 

I suspect you are correct and The Club will not take any notice whatsoever. However I cant help in thinking, that maybe, just maybe if The Echo actually gave the results of this poll a significant bit of coverage, it might then get picked up by The Nationals and maybe SSN , then The Club might start to squirm.

 

I'm always up for a bit of straw clutching.

[Saint86]

Its too late to be messing around now. We have improved in recent weeks, have to hope that we continue to net benefit out of the teams around us. If we do we'll stay up.

 

After Hoedt's mistake, yesterday was always a loss.

[Wrensup]

I know we’re little old Southampton, but why hasn’t there been more coverage on how he’s still here. There’s been zero pressure on him from the media, and doesn’t help our only pundit isn’t willing to speak out more! We need to be jumping in on any phone ins there are to get the word out!

[Dark Munster]

The players all loved Wigley too. Didn't make him a good manager.

Gray was popular too. I'm seeing a pattern here.

[Batman]

I know we’re little old Southampton, but why hasn’t there been more coverage on how he’s still here. There’s been zero pressure on him from the media, and doesn’t help our only pundit isn’t willing to speak out more! We need to be jumping in on any phone ins there are to get the word out!

unless you are top 6 or it is something very significant, the media care little

[Dark Munster]

We have a mixture of 20 clueless gimps, Pompey trolls and complete idiots who accidentally clicked the wrong line.

Come on, everyone's entitled to their opinion. Even if it's wrong.

[Dark Munster]

I think the fans have been remarkably patient given the circumstances

Perhaps many of them are a bit sheepish after realising they were wrong about Puel? That could take the sting out of their fury against his clown replacement, even though it's now legitimate.

[tajjuk]

I've voted back him, purely because I don't think we are going to get anyone else in that is going to make a difference and there doesn't seem much point.

 

He should have been sacked in early January, and we should have backed the new manager in the window, we basically did neither, sticking with the current failing manager but not backing him in the window either which is the worst of both worlds.

[trousers]

I know I'll have to incur the wrath of Fitzhugh Fella when I say this but..... Its an abstension from me.... I genuinely have no idea what's best at this stage.

 

#arsefullofsplinters

Edited 13 February, 2018 by trousers

[Appy]

unless you are top 6 or it is something very significant, the media care little

 

This.

[Matthew Le God]

I've voted back him, purely because I don't think we are going to get anyone else in that is going to make a difference and there doesn't seem much point.

 

It wouldn't be hard to find a more tactically competent manager for the last 11 games. A competent manager would be able to get a lot more out of this squad of players, it is Pellegrino that is holding us back, not the squad of players.

[the saint in winchester]

I know we’re little old Southampton, but why hasn’t there been more coverage on how he’s still here. There’s been zero pressure on him from the media, and doesn’t help our only pundit isn’t willing to speak out more! We need to be jumping in on any phone ins there are to get the word out!

 

Adrian Durham raised it on Talksport last night, inviting Southampton fans to call in. As I was driving home, I left it to "Jamie" to speak for us. He explained how clueless Pellegrino was, referenced the performance and substitutions at the weekend, that almost all fans wanted him gone but clearly the Board are giving him all the time in the world in the hope he can somehow turn it around.

Pellegrino is apparently 8/11 ON to be sacked next but it isn't happening.

[eurosaint]

It’s too late to sack him now and the firefighters are all taken (the likes of Pulis, Silva, Pardew etc .. would have been cr@p anyway) so we are going to have to live with it ! Some recent performances have given us hope and I’d prefer to dwell on the positives rather than throw in the towel !

Voting stay does not necessarily indicate approval but could well be the better of the two options!

[Leslie Charteris]

I know I'll have to incur the wrath of Fitzhugh Fella when I say this but..... Its an abstension from me.... I genuinely have no idea what's best at this stage.

 

#arsefullofsplinters

 

#metoo (is that the right hashtag? I'm not much good with this social media stuff)

[Doctoroncall]

Cannot vote on the app but would be sack for me as he has shown only a glimmer of competence in a couple of games. That may be due to the opposition giving an opportunity for the team rather than some excellent team management and tactical set up!

 

There are some managers that would be worth a go for the short term. However, I believe that the club will stick with him irrespective of relegation or survival.

 

He may not be the root cause of the current issues at the club but I can not see him help fixing any of them.

 

The squad is reasonably, missing a few important/strong characters but the worry is that they will not be filled appropriately and there doesn’t seem to be the pathway to the first team anymore.

 

It was one of the most important elements to help the club recruit youngsters and promising players but it seems to have the been abandoned.

[S-Clarke]

unless you are top 6 or it is something very significant, the media care little

 

Even when we finished Top 6 we were still pretty irrelevant.

[SaintZamboni]

I’ve chosen back him for a few reasons. As others have said, i don’t expect it to be popular or roundly endorsed but it’s not my ringing endorsement of the manager or the situation we find ourselves in either.

 

I don’t want us to bring in any old firefighter just because, its only going to sell us short down the line. Managers don’t take 6 month deals with big bonuses from clubs like us no matter how much people like to think they would. We’re not Chelsea offering Ancellotti a sweet pay deal between international/big club contracts. Appointing an Allardyce/Pardew/Pulis type character (Hughes too) only sets us back for next season when we don’t actually want a manager like that (assuming we stay up, but perhaps also if we go down). For example, Allardyce is already around 5th favourite to be the next premier manager gone and I’m inclined to believe Everton will drop him like a stone given the right replacement. Pulis hasn’t got Boro flying high and being talked about for their attacking prowess either.

 

I also don’t prescribed to the favoured opinion on here that our wins this season were all purely circumstantial. We played well in those games, maybe not as well as we want or even for the full 90, but we won and beat what was in front of us by the means needed. That’s all that matters. There’s been some decent half games and the opener against Swansea was a good showing despite the result. I wonder if we’d won that and the squad got going and confident if things would be different but that’s just conjecture.

If the players like him then stick at it because I think we’ll have enough to stay up but this end of year review is going to be a vital one.

[Pamplemousse]

I’ve chosen back him for a few reasons. As others have said, i don’t expect it to be popular or roundly endorsed but it’s not my ringing endorsement of the manager or the situation we find ourselves in either.

 

I don’t want us to bring in any old firefighter just because, its only going to sell us short down the line. Managers don’t take 6 month deals with big bonuses from clubs like us no matter how much people like to think they would. We’re not Chelsea offering Ancellotti a sweet pay deal between international/big club contracts. Appointing an Allardyce/Pardew/Pulis type character (Hughes too) only sets us back for next season when we don’t actually want a manager like that (assuming we stay up, but perhaps also if we go down). For example, Allardyce is already around 5th favourite to be the next premier manager gone and I’m inclined to believe Everton will drop him like a stone given the right replacement. Pulis hasn’t got Boro flying high and being talked about for their attacking prowess either.

 

I also don’t prescribed to the favoured opinion on here that our wins this season were all purely circumstantial. We played well in those games, maybe not as well as we want or even for the full 90, but we won and beat what was in front of us by the means needed. That’s all that matters. There’s been some decent half games and the opener against Swansea was a good showing despite the result. I wonder if we’d won that and the squad got going and confident if things would be different but that’s just conjecture.

If the players like him then stick at it because I think we’ll have enough to stay up but this end of year review is going to be a vital one.

 

I don't agree, but I appreciate that you've explained and justified your position, and some of the comments you make are fair. But at the end of the day, it's a results business, and they just haven't come for him.

[hypochondriac]

If nothing else, this outs to bed the lie that it was the fans who got puel the sack. The vast majority of fans have been screaming for pellegrino's head for weeks now and have been totally ignored.

[tobes8]

He’s been improving. Team selection is there, we will pick up points in the next five games. We should stick with him and get behind the team. There is no white knight who can change the players we have. We missed our chance to get someone in when the window opened, now we are stuck with what we have.

 

Then what in the hell was sundays 2nd half all about. He sets his team up to play one way but then when he needs to change things the players don’t have a clue and it appears that absolutely no preparation has been made. I haven’t seen him manage a game effectively all season.

[Hodgey]

It’s all utterly bizarre. He’s obviously a nice bloke and in his head is playing exciting possession football - but he’s easily the weakest manager in the Prem and will take us down. It would take a monumental attitude shift for us to stay up - my only hope is that Austin will come back from injury as he’s the kind of angry player who would give a damn - but with his 20mil mate and 1 upfront even if fit he’s only going to come on for 20m and Austin isn’t an impact player. We need to sack him now - but we won’t. Being honest I’m more concerned that we will keep him even if we go down - logic has long gone out of the window here so I wouldn’t rule out another lost season next year with someone coming in Christmas time to save us from going down again. Real shame to throw away 5 yrs work like this....

[djg]

I can't believe any right minded fan would want him to stay a minute longer. Not sure who we'd get to replace him but given the amount of money the club would lose if we were relegated, offering a £4-5m bonus to a manger to keep us up would get quite a few interested and motivated... unlike this idiot we have at the moment

[Polaroid Saint]

I know I'll have to incur the wrath of Fitzhugh Fella when I say this but..... Its an abstension from me.... I genuinely have no idea what's best at this stage.

 

#arsefullofsplinters

 

I should have abstained too.

 

Instead I voted to back him . But that was before I read the vitriol on the rest of the thread.

 

I assumed I was answering the question in the title "what should the board do"... ...and not what would I do or would I want.

 

The board should back him. Otherwise they end up looking even more incompetent than they already do. They have to protect their own interests and hope that works out for the club.

 

FFS. If the poll was phrased 'what would YOU do" then I would take the gamble. But it weren't, so I answered honestly - the board should back him.

 

We still have the players to get us out of a hole, and the right set of fixtures to do it (ie against relegation rivals).

 

Statistically football teams 'return to mean' and if reports are true that there is no dissent in the squad then hopefully that will be the case.

 

Call me a gimp if you want but I hope I am right and you lot are wrong. As WBA shows a new manager is no panacea.

 

Yes I am a contrary ba'tard. But I love my club and hope, beyond hope, that we (again) do something different and survive despite out manager being out of his depth.

 

I personally, would have asked MoPe to do one on Jan 1st; but now? As per the poll question; The board have to stick to their guns and back him.

[Dark Munster]

Retrieved from http://sotonians.com/chat/dear-ralph-cc-les#latestvisit

© Rallyboy 2018, All rights reserved.

 

Hi Ralph,

Just thought I’d drop you an email as you were out of town yesterday, I think we need to catch up...

That was a lovely picture of you and the owners watching the Winter Olympics on TV, I particularly liked the way you all had freshly unfolded identical scarves draped on you by wardrobe assistants, it really gave you the common touch.

Early results from exit polls suggest that social media post increased the feeling of the Marching Together concept by 1.7% and offered potential scarf sales of 4% - great stats and a win-win.

As for the game, hopefully you turned over after the ice hockey and caught a bit of it.

Disappointing but not surprising was the general feeling around the arena, though there were also good shouts for feeble, gutless, error-strewn, lacking in cohesion, embarrassing – sadly no one mentioned Marching or Together.

I gave your regards to Virgil as you asked – he was able to have a chat with me behind the goal during the second half as he had literally nothing to do, he looked lovely in high-viz orange.

It has to be said, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but with the performance being a 'slight disappointment', I was surprised to see the four of you gurning like circus clowns as you watched it, the rest of us were less amused.

And I have to say, while the stats for brand-awareness across Asia and the US are excellent, for a franchise built on the Soccer experience of Les, and yourself, one of the world’s greatest Ice Hockey coaches, we do look incredibly out of touch in the actual 'sporty' competitive bit.

Having been around the brand longer than you guys I have an insight into how a season can look in the third quarter, and I don't know how to break it to you, but this one isn’t shaping up terribly well…

I don’t want to alarm you, but in 2005 I saw a roster heading for relegation, and this season looks like a nod to those guys.

Back in the day they’d got to a cup final, lost it, lost their way and some managers, and then went down without a fight.

Some might harshly observe that this isn’t a team we have now, it’s a frigging 2005 tribute act.

The class of 2018 has little fight, no threat, the offensive line is never given the ball, the midfield receivers can’t even pass to each other, we have a pair of defensive linesmen who are a goal threat in both boxes, and every week they all meekly climb aboard a bus that has Relegation written boldly in big black letters on the destination board.

Now if you think that is being alarmist I need to point out, my pants are dry, but I know what relegation looks like and smells like, you can sense it - and this team stinks of relegation.

There are 26,000 people who’ve seen it before and recognise the signs, and another 2000 who are too young to have suffered it before, but they will get the whiff of Championship football sometime in the next ten weeks.

Change the manager people shout, even when it is individual errors costing points - so we have a problem.

If I could compare the franchise to the Titanic, which I think I can, people have been pointing at the iceberg since we were twenty-five miles out.

There’s a guy who points at it every season and has been wrong for the last nine years, even he will be correct this time.

We are now a mile away and closing rapidly, so appointing a new helmsman at this point would be like bringing on Steven Davis late in a game and thinking that will turnaround a two goal defeat.

A new boss might be able to stack deckchairs, tune violins or sort out evacuation procedures, but we are now at a stage where he’ll struggle to avoid the actual impact.

It’s just about too late - the last chance saloon now has less beer on tap than the Rockstone and the Fat Lady is halfway through the first verse of that appalling Saints song you insist on playing at the stadium.

So what can we do?

It might improve matters a little if we dropped the pictures of players cheerfully training and talking about positives after defeats?

Maybe lose the 'gurning clowns look' as you watch the games, and instead you could have a crisis meeting with the manager and coaches an hour after the game, and ask them what the **** you have just witnessed?

I suspect the fans would like to see some passion, some fight, a little sign that someone other than themselves actually cares.

I realise you're busy at the moment, but as soon as the Ice Hockey final is done, perhaps you could sit down with Les and see if he’s noticed that things are going a little bit 'Charlton'.

It might also be an idea to hold off the old rallying cry Hollywood speeches for a bit, they don’t sit well with a fanbase who can see what is happening before their eyes.

Ditto the unwavering support for the manager thing.

Finally, I don’t know if you’ve heard of Rupert Lowe but I’d hate your career to be remembered in the same way.

Sorry to sound a bit down about things but when no one turned up yesterday after half time, even the most dedicated franchise supporters wonder what the **** is actually happening?

Anyway, great news on the Asia brand-awareness figures, love to Kat, good luck with it all - see you soon.

RB

PS Don’t wear any mustard cords, or tweed – and don’t get confused by my Titanic reference and appoint an ice hockey coach - and for god's sake don't answer any questions about radio stations or catering until I've briefed you.

[Dark Munster]

I should have abstained too.

 

Instead I voted to back him . But that was before I read the vitriol on the rest of the thread.

 

I assumed I was answering the question in the title "what should the board do"... ...and not what would I do or would I want.

 

The board should back him. Otherwise they end up looking even more incompetent than they already do. They have to protect their own interests and hope that works out for the club.

 

FFS. If the poll was phrased 'what would YOU do" then I would take the gamble. But it weren't, so I answered honestly - the board should back him.

 

We still have the players to get us out of a hole, and the right set of fixtures to do it (ie against relegation rivals).

 

Statistically football teams 'return to mean' and if reports are true that there is no dissent in the squad then hopefully that will be the case.

 

Call me a gimp if you want but I hope I am right and you lot are wrong. As WBA shows a new manager is no panacea.

 

Yes I am a contrary ba'tard. But I love my club and hope, beyond hope, that we (again) do something different and survive despite out manager being out of his depth.

 

I personally, would have asked MoPe to do one on Jan 1st; but now? As per the poll question; The board have to stick to their guns and back him.

I agree the vitriol against those who voted to back him is out of order.

[trousers]

If I could compare the franchise to the Titanic, which I think I can, people have been pointing at the iceberg since we were twenty-five miles out.

There’s a guy who points at it every season and has been wrong for the last nine years, even he will be correct this time.

 

[Batman]

Retrieved from http://sotonians.com/chat/dear-ralph-cc-les#latestvisit

[emoji767] Rallyboy 2018, All rights reserved.

 

Hi Ralph,

Just thought I’d drop you an email as you were out of town yesterday, I think we need to catch up...

That was a lovely picture of you and the owners watching the Winter Olympics on TV, I particularly liked the way you all had freshly unfolded identical scarves draped on you by wardrobe assistants, it really gave you the common touch.

Early results from exit polls suggest that social media post increased the feeling of the Marching Together concept by 1.7% and offered potential scarf sales of 4% - great stats and a win-win.

As for the game, hopefully you turned over after the ice hockey and caught a bit of it.

Disappointing but not surprising was the general feeling around the arena, though there were also good shouts for feeble, gutless, error-strewn, lacking in cohesion, embarrassing – sadly no one mentioned Marching or Together.

I gave your regards to Virgil as you asked – he was able to have a chat with me behind the goal during the second half as he had literally nothing to do, he looked lovely in high-viz orange.

It has to be said, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but with the performance being a 'slight disappointment', I was surprised to see the four of you gurning like circus clowns as you watched it, the rest of us were less amused.

And I have to say, while the stats for brand-awareness across Asia and the US are excellent, for a franchise built on the Soccer experience of Les, and yourself, one of the world’s greatest Ice Hockey coaches, we do look incredibly out of touch in the actual 'sporty' competitive bit.

Having been around the brand longer than you guys I have an insight into how a season can look in the third quarter, and I don't know how to break it to you, but this one isn’t shaping up terribly well…

I don’t want to alarm you, but in 2005 I saw a roster heading for relegation, and this season looks like a nod to those guys.

Back in the day they’d got to a cup final, lost it, lost their way and some managers, and then went down without a fight.

Some might harshly observe that this isn’t a team we have now, it’s a frigging 2005 tribute act.

The class of 2018 has little fight, no threat, the offensive line is never given the ball, the midfield receivers can’t even pass to each other, we have a pair of defensive linesmen who are a goal threat in both boxes, and every week they all meekly climb aboard a bus that has Relegation written boldly in big black letters on the destination board.

Now if you think that is being alarmist I need to point out, my pants are dry, but I know what relegation looks like and smells like, you can sense it - and this team stinks of relegation.

There are 26,000 people who’ve seen it before and recognise the signs, and another 2000 who are too young to have suffered it before, but they will get the whiff of Championship football sometime in the next ten weeks.

Change the manager people shout, even when it is individual errors costing points - so we have a problem.

If I could compare the franchise to the Titanic, which I think I can, people have been pointing at the iceberg since we were twenty-five miles out.

There’s a guy who points at it every season and has been wrong for the last nine years, even he will be correct this time.

We are now a mile away and closing rapidly, so appointing a new helmsman at this point would be like bringing on Steven Davis late in a game and thinking that will turnaround a two goal defeat.

A new boss might be able to stack deckchairs, tune violins or sort out evacuation procedures, but we are now at a stage where he’ll struggle to avoid the actual impact.

It’s just about too late - the last chance saloon now has less beer on tap than the Rockstone and the Fat Lady is halfway through the first verse of that appalling Saints song you insist on playing at the stadium.

So what can we do?

It might improve matters a little if we dropped the pictures of players cheerfully training and talking about positives after defeats?

Maybe lose the 'gurning clowns look' as you watch the games, and instead you could have a crisis meeting with the manager and coaches an hour after the game, and ask them what the **** you have just witnessed?

I suspect the fans would like to see some passion, some fight, a little sign that someone other than themselves actually cares.

I realise you're busy at the moment, but as soon as the Ice Hockey final is done, perhaps you could sit down with Les and see if he’s noticed that things are going a little bit 'Charlton'.

It might also be an idea to hold off the old rallying cry Hollywood speeches for a bit, they don’t sit well with a fanbase who can see what is happening before their eyes.

Ditto the unwavering support for the manager thing.

Finally, I don’t know if you’ve heard of Rupert Lowe but I’d hate your career to be remembered in the same way.

Sorry to sound a bit down about things but when no one turned up yesterday after half time, even the most dedicated franchise supporters wonder what the **** is actually happening?

Anyway, great news on the Asia brand-awareness figures, love to Kat, good luck with it all - see you soon.

RB

PS Don’t wear any mustard cords, or tweed – and don’t get confused by my Titanic reference and appoint an ice hockey coach - and for god's sake don't answer any questions about radio stations or catering until I've briefed you.

haha.

[stevy777_x]

 

Hahahahahahahaha take that Dalek!!!!

[alehouseboys]

"There’s a guy who points at it every season and has been wrong for the last nine years, even he will be correct this time"

 

 

Yep, excellent work once again from the Rallyboy and a lovely touch with that nod to you-know-who on here.

[Dalek2003]

 

That's not fair, if it is a reference to a Dalek. I actually said that we were on a downward swing and predicted where it would end up. The trouble is, people are even re-writing history when I am clearly correct and was brave enough to issue warnings long before anyone saw them. As I have said before prophets are not always welcome when the message is one that people do not want to hear.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

I know I'll have to incur the wrath of Fitzhugh Fella when I say this but..... Its an abstension from me.... I genuinely have no idea what's best at this stage.

 

#arsefullofsplinters

 

Sometimes you have to take tough decisions in life. You may get it wrong you may get it right but in the name of Allah at least have the courage of your convictions. Tbh I’d rather you voted for him to stay than not vote at all. Gawd this is so depressing.

[Dalek2003]

Hahahahahahahaha take that Dalek!!!!

 

Yes laughing now...and you were laughing two years ago when I predicted this mess. It is easy to publicly ridicule me, but you know I was right and called it a long time before others. I and a few others were perceptive enough to see the errors and the beginnings of the long decline. Still, the signs were subtle and I do not blame people for missing them and being fooled by propaganda.

[OttawaSaint]

Yes laughing now...and you were laughing two years ago when I predicted this mess. It is easy to publicly ridicule me, but you know I was right and called it a long time before others. I and a few others were perceptive enough to see the errors and the beginnings of the long decline. Still, the signs were subtle and I do not blame people for missing them and being fooled by propaganda.

 

....and the award for the most pompous self-important **** on the board goes to....

[mrfahaji]

I’ve chosen back him for a few reasons. As others have said, i don’t expect it to be popular or roundly endorsed but it’s not my ringing endorsement of the manager or the situation we find ourselves in either.

 

I don’t want us to bring in any old firefighter just because, its only going to sell us short down the line. Managers don’t take 6 month deals with big bonuses from clubs like us no matter how much people like to think they would. We’re not Chelsea offering Ancellotti a sweet pay deal between international/big club contracts. Appointing an Allardyce/Pardew/Pulis type character (Hughes too) only sets us back for next season when we don’t actually want a manager like that (assuming we stay up, but perhaps also if we go down). For example, Allardyce is already around 5th favourite to be the next premier manager gone and I’m inclined to believe Everton will drop him like a stone given the right replacement. Pulis hasn’t got Boro flying high and being talked about for their attacking prowess either.

I also don’t prescribed to the favoured opinion on here that our wins this season were all purely circumstantial. We played well in those games, maybe not as well as we want or even for the full 90, but we won and beat what was in front of us by the means needed. That’s all that matters. There’s been some decent half games and the opener against Swansea was a good showing despite the result. I wonder if we’d won that and the squad got going and confident if things would be different but that’s just conjecture.

If the players like him then stick at it because I think we’ll have enough to stay up but this end of year review is going to be a vital one.

 

From what I know, Boro fans are happy with Pulis after Monk. They're glad to actually see the ball in the opposition penalty area once in a while, and the individual players look like they have a better idea of what they're doing. Plus, they are sniffing around the playoffs after looking destined for nothing more than a midtable position when Pulis came in.

 

I'm not saying they'll stay happy with his tactics forever, and I wouldn't want him here, but I'm not sure what you've said is true about his job at Middlesbrough so far.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

If you are not a club plant, then the following is relevant to you:

 

A) They don't think of you as a fan or supporter, they think of you as a customer.

B) The operation of a football club is not simple. The support of a football club is not simple. It's a nuanced, complex operation, which needs to have clear lines of responsibility and failure standards. Failure to meet those standards will result in a drop in performance and a culture where nobody is to blame because everybody is to blame. Failure to recognise these realities results in relegation.

C) Being afraid to criticise a badly run/performing club doesn't make you loyal, it makes you a lackey or a sycophant.

D) People have backed the coach, they backed him when we went out of the cup to wolves reserves, when we fell into the relegation zone, and when players were put off transferring here in the January window by his management of the club. We have slid down the table, instead of climbing up. Now they have had enough.

E) You speak of a Toxic atmosphere and blinkered views, while being blind to the fact that backing the manager on instinct while ignoring the horrorshow that is our tactics, approach and results on the pitch will create the most toxic atmosphere, a bizarre doublethink born from a half hearted obligation to "get behind the team FFS" while ignoring the dross being served up. It is the unthinking attitude which may sum you up best, tbf.

 

A lot of Saints fans have a real problem with C)

Good post Guan

[Doctoroncall]

That's not fair, if it is a reference to a Dalek. I actually said that we were on a downward swing and predicted where it would end up. The trouble is, people are even re-writing history when I am clearly correct and was brave enough to issue warnings long before anyone saw them. As I have said before prophets are not always welcome when the message is one that people do not want to hear.

 

I don’t think RB could have made a funnier response!

 

Thanks for adding to the laughs.

[alpine_saint]

Retrieved from http://sotonians.com/chat/dear-ralph-cc-les#latestvisit

© Rallyboy 2018, All rights reserved.

 

Hi Ralph,

Just thought I’d drop you an email as you were out of town yesterday, I think we need to catch up...

That was a lovely picture of you and the owners watching the Winter Olympics on TV, I particularly liked the way you all had freshly unfolded identical scarves draped on you by wardrobe assistants, it really gave you the common touch.

Early results from exit polls suggest that social media post increased the feeling of the Marching Together concept by 1.7% and offered potential scarf sales of 4% - great stats and a win-win.

As for the game, hopefully you turned over after the ice hockey and caught a bit of it.

Disappointing but not surprising was the general feeling around the arena, though there were also good shouts for feeble, gutless, error-strewn, lacking in cohesion, embarrassing – sadly no one mentioned Marching or Together.

I gave your regards to Virgil as you asked – he was able to have a chat with me behind the goal during the second half as he had literally nothing to do, he looked lovely in high-viz orange.

It has to be said, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but with the performance being a 'slight disappointment', I was surprised to see the four of you gurning like circus clowns as you watched it, the rest of us were less amused.

And I have to say, while the stats for brand-awareness across Asia and the US are excellent, for a franchise built on the Soccer experience of Les, and yourself, one of the world’s greatest Ice Hockey coaches, we do look incredibly out of touch in the actual 'sporty' competitive bit.

Having been around the brand longer than you guys I have an insight into how a season can look in the third quarter, and I don't know how to break it to you, but this one isn’t shaping up terribly well…

I don’t want to alarm you, but in 2005 I saw a roster heading for relegation, and this season looks like a nod to those guys.

Back in the day they’d got to a cup final, lost it, lost their way and some managers, and then went down without a fight.

Some might harshly observe that this isn’t a team we have now, it’s a frigging 2005 tribute act.

The class of 2018 has little fight, no threat, the offensive line is never given the ball, the midfield receivers can’t even pass to each other, we have a pair of defensive linesmen who are a goal threat in both boxes, and every week they all meekly climb aboard a bus that has Relegation written boldly in big black letters on the destination board.

Now if you think that is being alarmist I need to point out, my pants are dry, but I know what relegation looks like and smells like, you can sense it - and this team stinks of relegation.

There are 26,000 people who’ve seen it before and recognise the signs, and another 2000 who are too young to have suffered it before, but they will get the whiff of Championship football sometime in the next ten weeks.

Change the manager people shout, even when it is individual errors costing points - so we have a problem.

If I could compare the franchise to the Titanic, which I think I can, people have been pointing at the iceberg since we were twenty-five miles out.

There’s a guy who points at it every season and has been wrong for the last nine years, even he will be correct this time.

We are now a mile away and closing rapidly, so appointing a new helmsman at this point would be like bringing on Steven Davis late in a game and thinking that will turnaround a two goal defeat.

A new boss might be able to stack deckchairs, tune violins or sort out evacuation procedures, but we are now at a stage where he’ll struggle to avoid the actual impact.

It’s just about too late - the last chance saloon now has less beer on tap than the Rockstone and the Fat Lady is halfway through the first verse of that appalling Saints song you insist on playing at the stadium.

So what can we do?

It might improve matters a little if we dropped the pictures of players cheerfully training and talking about positives after defeats?

Maybe lose the 'gurning clowns look' as you watch the games, and instead you could have a crisis meeting with the manager and coaches an hour after the game, and ask them what the **** you have just witnessed?

I suspect the fans would like to see some passion, some fight, a little sign that someone other than themselves actually cares.

I realise you're busy at the moment, but as soon as the Ice Hockey final is done, perhaps you could sit down with Les and see if he’s noticed that things are going a little bit 'Charlton'.

It might also be an idea to hold off the old rallying cry Hollywood speeches for a bit, they don’t sit well with a fanbase who can see what is happening before their eyes.

Ditto the unwavering support for the manager thing.

Finally, I don’t know if you’ve heard of Rupert Lowe but I’d hate your career to be remembered in the same way.

Sorry to sound a bit down about things but when no one turned up yesterday after half time, even the most dedicated franchise supporters wonder what the **** is actually happening?

Anyway, great news on the Asia brand-awareness figures, love to Kat, good luck with it all - see you soon.

RB

PS Don’t wear any mustard cords, or tweed – and don’t get confused by my Titanic reference and appoint an ice hockey coach - and for god's sake don't answer any questions about radio stations or catering until I've briefed you.

 

Superb, even though I thought the "nine years" comment was directed at me.