red&white56 Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 After the West ham game I thought we were gone, so all credit to Mark Hughes for getting us to the stage where we should survive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Listening to his interviews tells you what a thorough professional he is. Given his experience of management at the top of the game it shouldn't be a surprise. Stealing a line from another league manager, you can't help feeling he'd be held in higher regard by the media if his name was Marco Hughesichi. We've already seen the influence he and his a coaching team have had on individual players in just 8 weeks. He's demonstrated his high level ability over team selection, set-up and tactics. Also good to hear him explaining how he assesses the opponents and responds accordingly. The only area we haven't yet seen him influence at Southampton is recruitment, but assuming he stays and given that he has the whole close season to work in, we should see some exciting changes. Unlike our previous two managers, Hughes is someone the boardroom will have to respect and listen to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
red&white56 Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Popular with players, but not convinced yet. 2 wins. Yes we'll stay up, but who'd have thought it would only take 2 wins. We still put in some appalling performances and his Stoke signings worry me. If he does get a chance, fine. Grateful just to have a premier league season next year now. Don't forget that before he arrived we had only won 5 games all season and were on a projectory where none of us could see another win. Also with better official we should have won at Everton... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelman Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 After the West ham game I thought we were gone, so all credit to Mark Hughes for getting us to the stage where we should survive. Agree. West Ham coming after Newcastle made me think that the new man wouldn't be able to do anything different from the old man. Small margins.....just imagine how we would be viewing him if we had held out for better results against Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadoldgit Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Fair play to the man. He was brought in to do a job and, baring any major catastrophes on Sunday, he has done it - although with only 2 wins and cutting it fine. But if Hughes had been suggested as the manager to follow Puel at this time last season there would have been a meltdown. Hughes was a pragmatic appointment at the time but is a competent mid table manager at best. If people want mid table mediocrity then fine. If there is still an appetite for being best of the rest then we could do better. Having "big balls" will only get you so far and I can see why some have been carried away with his brand of management after the likes of Puel and Pellegrino, but it is all about putting squads together and winning football matches. Do we want to be the next Stoke? Perhaps, given there are still some on here wanting to be the next Everton. So then, for those who had us relegated at Christmas, oh ye of little faith, but you can get your kicks now by calling for the Board to be removed in the summer and asking endless questions about why the new owner actually bought us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajjuk Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Popular with players, but not convinced yet. 2 wins. Yes we'll stay up, but who'd have thought it would only take 2 wins. We still put in some appalling performances and his Stoke signings worry me. If he does get a chance, fine. Grateful just to have a premier league season next year now. Same, I'm happy to give him a chance but I kind of feel that any half decent manager could have got that squad playing, we should not have been anywhere near where we were, our squad is better than many clubs above us. And the more we hear about what has been going on behind the scenes at Stoke is worrying, though how much control over transfers he had I don't know. To be fair he probably won't have that much control over transfers here so maybe its not a worry and the club consistently tell us that they do their due diligence on our signings checking them out not just as players but as people. And again to be fair they seem to because I have not heard anything about anyone acting unprofessionally behind the scenes (though Boufal?), Le Tiss for example was talking last night about how hard Gabbi works in training even though he has barely had a look in, so maybe Hughes with the tactics and the motivation of the players combined with some better signings might be a good combo? Though our scouting/recruitment team have hardly been setting the world on fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nta786 Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Are we run much better than QPR of that time? Taking QPR off of his CV, and his record is pretty impressive. Not sure why everyone is so anti him. cos hes British and put in the same breath as Pardew, Pulis, Moyes, Hodgson etc etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stud mark of doom Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 I am amazed at some of the tepid reactions of a few on here. Hughes has done a phenomenal job. I was seriously thinking of not renewing my season ticket of 30 odd years but recent games have changed my mind. The change from what went before is immense. If we don’t give him the job amd appoint yet another hopeless unknown who can’t communicate I think I might have to find another sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboy40 Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 I don't know if others have already commented on this but its his substitutions that make me happy (of course along with so much else, players taking yellows for the team in the past few games has been a breath of fresh air). Pellegrino was so amazingly inept at this side of the game, he really had no idea at all did he. It's been so good seeing subs being used to break up play again, to waste time tactically, not just a fresh set of legs. My worry right now is that Hughes and his back room boys may get a better offer elsewhere and not chose to stay at Saints at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Albert Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 The Mail thinks that talks for a long-term deal have already started... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5709051/Southampton-open-talks-Mark-Hughes-new-long-term-deal.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSAINT Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 I am amazed at some of the tepid reactions of a few on here. Hughes has done a phenomenal job. I was seriously thinking of not renewing my season ticket of 30 odd years but recent games have changed my mind. The change from what went before is immense. If we don’t give him the job amd appoint yet another hopeless unknown who can’t communicate I think I might have to find another sport. Great job by him. 8 games left when he came in? Loads of away games. 7pts from last 3 matches. I thought we were finished a long time ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Pete Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 The Mail thinks that talks for a long-term deal have already started... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5709051/Southampton-open-talks-Mark-Hughes-new-long-term-deal.html Great (and sensible) news if true. Get him signed up as soon as poss after Sunday so he can start working with the club on squad matters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Great job by him. 8 games left when he came in? Loads of away games. 7pts from last 3 matches. I thought we were finished a long time ago. Agree. Even in the tough matches we didn't get points, like Chelsea and Arsenal, we were competitive. With any luck we could have gotten points there too. Still 8 pts in the final 4 matches, with 3 of them away, is a remarkable run considering our form with MP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedWillie Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Wasn’t my first choice to be appointed but seems to have formed a quick bond with players and that counts for a lot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajjuk Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Great (and sensible) news if true. Get him signed up as soon as poss after Sunday so he can start working with the club on squad matters. This is an important point, if we get the manager situation settled for next season we can quickly get onto securing transfer targets, I wonder how many transfer deals were on the back burner whilst we sorted the manager situation out last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the saint in winchester Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 The Mail thinks that talks for a long-term deal have already started... http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5709051/Southampton-open-talks-Mark-Hughes-new-long-term-deal.html Skysports now running with that link as well. 13:31HUGHES KEEN TO STAY Having seemingly secured Southampton's Premier League survival, Mark Hughes could be set to sign a new deal. The Daily Mail say Hughes has had preliminary talks about staying at Southampton for the long-term. He is currently under contract until the end of the season but apparently indicated last week that he would like to talk formally about staying even if Saints were relegated. Not an exciting appointment if you were hoping for fire and brimstone management via Jokanavic, but I do agree that he has the players on side and it would be good to start the recruitment at the start of June rather than the last week of July! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Over the last 4 matches, which is the run-in to avoid relegation, only 4 teams have scored more points than us. That includes getting royally screwed out of 2 pts at Everton. What more can any manager so than Hughes did? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfahaji Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 We might end up staying up on Goal Difference. And there's only one man to thank for our good GD - Mr "draw is as good as a win" Pellegrino! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfahaji Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 cos hes British and put in the same breath as Pardew, Pulis, Moyes, Hodgson etc etc It's equally as ridiculous to include Hodgson in that list. And Pulis for that matter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy_D Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Hughes is the exact manager these players needed to get them playing and get them over the line. He's done a fantastic job. He's earned a new longer deal, no doubt. I do have some slight reservations with what has tended to happen to teams he's been at for a while, but at Saints the manager is just part of an entire recruiting team. If Hughes can work with that and we can build him a good team to work with, he might just be a perfect fit here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfahaji Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 I didn't want Hughes in January, for the same reason I wouldn't have wanted Allardyce in October. a) I didn't like him, b) thought the appointment would be uninspiring and while his record was ok, in the longer term I couldn't see how he would get the club back to an exciting top half table team. By the time Pellegrino finally left, I was happy enough with Hughes, because there were barely any other options for someone to come in straight away. I stopped thinking about the long term because we just had to stay up, whatever it took. Since his arrival Hughes has impressed me a lot. Puzzled me with his West Ham team selection, but after that he did rectify it. It's not just that he got the players playing for the shirt and for eachother, but he's shown a lot more than his previously dour demeanour suggested he would. I believe he has earned the chance to keep the job for next season, regardless of whether there are other possible candidates out there (I always liked Jokanovic, for example, so would like Fulham to be promoted so at least I can say to myself that he wouldn't be an option anyway). Stoke fans are rather bitter about him, but he had 2 good and 1 ok season there before. He managed to improve their style of play dramatically without sacrificing results. It seems their biggest issue is his transfers. On one hand I would like to see Les Reed leave, and a better chief scout come in. But I would prefer us to retain the 'structure' where the manager doesn't decide all the transfers*, which should protect us a little against Hughes' transfer blunders. But who is responsible for this being the case? Reed? Can we guarantee that if Reed goes someone better equipped will come in and do a similar, but better job? I hope so. The other thing is that Stoke always started the season badly under him. They usually turned it round, but it is a concern. Is it because they were always bedding in new players, or because they weren't fit or focused enough? * not even sure the extent of which this is true - I mean, Guido Carrillo - but I'm assuming for the sake of argument it is! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tajjuk Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Our transfers and scouting team have not been that bad, Liverpool are a testament to that, it's just they have had more misses than hits over the last 18 months or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Clarke Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Our transfers and scouting team have not been that bad, Liverpool are a testament to that, it's just they have had more misses than hits over the last 18 months or so. I think in the main the last 4 transfer windows have been poor - for a start, failing to replace the gaping holes in the side (defence, striker) and then signing players who don't actually fit. The transfers since Ross has come in have all been a bit crap. Hopefully we will return to signing players at the Wanyama level - someone good enough to come straight in who has been a star in a lesser league. The likes of Hoj, Lemina, Gabbiadini - whilst good players, have come to us on the back of poor stints at their previous club and are looking to rebuild their career….. We've got the cash, so let's spend on proven players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSAINT Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/05/09/southampton-open-talks-mark-hughes-next-week-new-contract/ Nelly Gao to be the next figurehead at the club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Clarke Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/05/09/southampton-open-talks-mark-hughes-next-week-new-contract/ Nelly Gao to be the next figurehead at the club. More club back-patting nonsense in that article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fatboy40 Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Nelly Gao to be the next figurehead at the club. FFS Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperSAINT Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 More club back-patting nonsense in that article. I know! Very unnecessary arrogance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sergei Gotsmanov Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 I am afraid I am a product of another era. The first thing I do when the fixture list comes out is look at the run in. Call me unambitious but I would always be happy with mid table and a good cup run. When we punched above our weight we just had our managers and players poached. I would rather have a manager like Hughes who has demonstrated he can deliver results and will not leave to go to a big club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Pete Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 More club back-patting nonsense in that article. Indeed. Quite unbelievable that they are slapping themselves on the back for the wonderful transfer business they have done after the terrible season we have had! Bednarek has done OK (can't fault his effort and application) but not sure I'm ready to think he is someone we should be relying on at Prem level. And as for Hoedt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 More club back-patting nonsense in that article. A very concerning article which suggests the club haven't learnt a thing and we'll get more of the patronising b*llocks next year. Ho hum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Indeed. Quite unbelievable that they are slapping themselves on the back for the wonderful transfer business they have done after the terrible season we have had! Bednarek has done OK (can't fault his effort and application) but not sure I'm ready to think he is someone we should be relying on at Prem level. And as for Hoedt McCarthy has looked good recently but he's hardly the strongest keeper in the world either. Lest we forget the five year extension and reported 80K a week for his predecessor too... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrfahaji Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Indeed. Quite unbelievable that they are slapping themselves on the back for the wonderful transfer business they have done after the terrible season we have had! Bednarek has done OK (can't fault his effort and application) but not sure I'm ready to think he is someone we should be relying on at Prem level. And as for Hoedt Jesus christ, you'd like to think the club might be a bit more humble about the situation after (probably) surviving by the skin of their teeth. Note that it mentions the relationship between Pellegrino & key players as the reason why he had to go. Not the fcking performances or results then?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadoldgit Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 More club back-patting nonsense in that article. How do we know that it was from the club? There was no direct quote. Perhaps it was just the reporter's take on things? As for Nelly Gao being the new figure head, why is that such a problem? There has been nothing but moaning about the lack of appearances from her father this season. Maybe we will see more of the owners in future, but as her family own the club why is it a problem if she becomes the public face of it? We have (in all likelihood) just secured another season in the premiership and there is still a need to find things to moan about Be happy FFS, even if it is only until the transfer activity does or doesnt kick in again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 One thing I like about Hughes is that unlike MP, he looked at our players and built a plan around them (not the opposite). He made a system that fit, he didn't ask the players to fit into a system. It only took him a match or so and he had us going three at the back, was playing Long more at outside mid/attacker than upfront, stuck Hojbjerg in the middle, starting bringing Gabbi in alongside Austin (they are a good pair in my opinion), etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Albert Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/05/09/southampton-open-talks-mark-hughes-next-week-new-contract/ Nelly Gao to be the next figurehead at the club. I hope the club see this season’s near-miss as a wake up call. I hope that complacency does not rear its head again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topcat Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Mark Hughes, is now a Saints legend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manji Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Hughes said in another article in the Telegraph he is not impressed with the club set up higher up the chain. Hopefully he will put some conditions in before he signs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 I hope the club see this season’s near-miss as a wake up call. I hope that complacency does not rear its head again. That article reads pretty smugly to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Hughes said in another article in the Telegraph he is not impressed with the club set up higher up the chain. Hopefully he will put some conditions in before he signs. Adam Blackmore said something similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manji Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Adam Blackmore said something similar. Yeah I’d forgotten about that. That was in that impromptu Radio Solent debate. Yeah they were all wearing thier hearts on thier sleeve during that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Benali Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 More club back-patting nonsense in that article. Exactly. Hoj has had a few decent games but like most of the squad has been average to poor this season. Romeu has had a dire season compared to last year. Bednarak has had a grand total of 5 games for us. Lemina started off well but gradually got ****ter and ****ter. Its like they have instantly forgot we are (not 100% safe yet) in a relegation battle. That is down to a mixture of poor managers and really **** players. Highlighting the recruitment and trying to spin it as a positive is quite frankly mental. Didn't take long for the club to start talking about how awesome they are again did it. Seems they have learnt nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Albert Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 That article reads pretty smugly to me. It’s worryingly smug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellman Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Exactly. Hoj has had a few decent games but like most of the squad has been average to poor this season. Romeu has had a dire season compared to last year. Bednarak has had a grand total of 5 games for us. Lemina started off well but gradually got ****ter and ****ter. Its like they have instantly forgot we are (not 100% safe yet) in a relegation battle. That is down to a mixture of poor managers and really **** players. Highlighting the recruitment and trying to spin it as a positive is quite frankly mental. Didn't take long for the club to start talking about how awesome they are again did it. Seems they have learnt nothing. I expect they have learnt a lot. Do you really expect them to publicly announce the Board has been bad and the players have been very bad and the management even worse? Who in any walk of life does that as a PR exercise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halo Stickman Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 If it was up to me I'd give Hughes a contract and throw in the freedom of the city for good measure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Clarke Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 That article has really depressed me. I know there are people who will say there are no club quotes, it’s not come from the club etc… but just read the way it's written.....it's been spoon-fed by the same patronising idiots who spoon-fed us the ''We wouldn't expect to lose our players to Everton, let alone the manager'' nonsense. I really hoped we'd learned our lesson. But going by that the fear is that we feel our ''success'' last night is justification of our approach. It's not. The reason we were in this position is because of our approach FFS. I noticed there are no references to the £19m ****ed up the wall on Carrillo. Are the club hoping we'll forget that one? Whoever keeps spewing out this patronising garbage needs to do one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hypochondriac Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 I expect they have learnt a lot. Do you really expect them to publicly announce the Board has been bad and the players have been very bad and the management even worse? Who in any walk of life does that as a PR exercise?Something about learning from mistakes and realising the need for greater investment would have been good instead of just w*nking over average to poor signings like they have been amazing value. Bednarek and our keeper are only playing because the very expensive alternatives have been so terrible by comparison. I notice they said nothing about boufal and carillo and I would challenge the opinion that hoedt has been anything more than a failure thus far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heisenberg Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 Let's not forget what we are dealing with here.... Mr "best midfield options in the Premier league" Reed He's a deluded old tit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ex Lion Tamer Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 I expect they have learnt a lot. Do you really expect them to publicly announce the Board has been bad and the players have been very bad and the management even worse? Who in any walk of life does that as a PR exercise? Something like this would have been good https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-city-relegation-coates-lambert-1545636 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 s. Highlighting the recruitment and trying to spin it as a positive is quite frankly mental. Didn't take long for the club to start talking about how awesome they are again did it. Seems they have learnt nothing. Reed spinning, the Beaker & Bunsen Mutual Admiration Society at it's finest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNSUN Posted 9 May, 2018 Share Posted 9 May, 2018 The alternative is to let Hughes go, then dither about for three or four weeks, get ourselves linked with an unrealistic top level European manager, which then inevitably falls through and then pi ss about some more then recruit our fourth choice manager sometime early July. Give Hughes the job now and have done with it. This. In a summer with an early transfer window finish, we already have a decent manager in place. I don't think he's the best we could attract, but he's far from the worst and has done a miracle job in his short time here. Stoke may hate him but he wouldn't be solely in charge of transfers here which was what they're blaming him for. I'm on board with Hughsey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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