Jump to content

Ralph to bow out in around 2 years (2024)


AlexLaw76
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • AlexLaw76 changed the title to Ralph to bow out in around 2 years (2024)

Basically from how I read that is that he intends to see out his contract with us, what happens after that is still a bit unknown. I thought that was always the case if I'm honest.

I guess he gets so emotionally involved in the cut and thrust of football that he fancies a bit of a break. I can't imagine it will be the end of him in football once he leaves us though, he still has a lot to offer. Similar to Pep, he's toyed with the 'quitting' football idea after his City contract finishes but I'm sure he'll be back.

We just need to give Ralph all the tools we can in these next 2 years in order for him to put us on the strongest footing possible, he can also have a hand in appointing his successor.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't see the issue with this at all and its hardly some kind of 'announcement'.

As he says, to stay at a PL club for over five years would be a huge amount of time and a great achievement.

I actually see it as being good for Saints that he is committed to the club, enough to say that essentially what he is getting from the job is satisfying him enough as a coach to feel his coaching career will be done once he is finished here. 

Also good stuff re the new owners and their plans and the fact he is keen to stay shows he believes in them, and if he does then so should we.

Edited by Dusic
  • Like 6
  • Confused 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seems an absolutely crazy decision to announce that now.

Our form is not strong enough for him to last two and a half seasons. Next time we go on a slump, which won't be far away, it will get blamed on the announcement, and then the next time it will get blamed on him winding down, or the players not respecting his long term authority. Or both.

Beginning of the end.

  • Like 1
  • Confused 4
  • Sad 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Dusic said:

Don't see the issue with this at all and its hardly some kind of 'announcement'.

As he says, to stay at a PL club for over five years would be a huge amount of time and a great achievement.

I actually see it as being good for Saints that he is committed to the club, enough to say that essentially what he is getting from the job is satisfying him enough as a coach to feel his coaching career will be done once he is finished here. 

Also good stuff re the new owners and their plans and the fact he is keen to stay shows he believes in them, and if he does then so should we.

No football manager in the history of world football gets to announce their resignation two and a half years before they plans to go.

It's a crazy thing to do.

 

  • Like 1
  • Confused 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

18 months later

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jan/21/pep-guardiola-will-make-manchester-city-contract-decision-at-end-of-season

I think highly unlikely Man C will just leave him in place for the duration of that contract.

Secondly Ralph is not Pep Guardiola.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, CB Fry said:

18 months later

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/jan/21/pep-guardiola-will-make-manchester-city-contract-decision-at-end-of-season

I think highly unlikely Man C will just leave him in place for the duration of that contract.

Secondly Ralph is not Pep Guardiola.

I’m disappointed no one has said he could be our Alex Ferguson yet though, it was all the rage when Adkins was boss

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

To put it into perspective, only 21 managers in the top 4 divisions have been in place longer than 2.5 years. It's a long time and it isn't exactly news, Ralph had already said it before.

To kick off the new manager speculation I'll nominate Bo Svensson of Mainz. Danish like Ankersen and Kraft, obligatory passage through the Red Bull system at Liefering and contract ends in 2024.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I mean, it is slightly odd that he said it now but I always thought after 2024 he would leave us anyway to be honest.

However, what has surprised me is that he has hinted at retirement!

I always thought he would follow, albeit whilst he is older/similar than Klopp and Tuchel, a similar path to them i.e. spend 5-7 years for a smaller club (both did Mainz), before getting their big opportunities.

I have no doubt in my mind that if by 2024 he has us playing a good style of football and finishing in the top 8, that a big-6 club or a big German team would take him on. 

Yes he lost 9-0 twice, and yes we've not quite finished in the top half, but it takes a certain type of character to come back from those lows.

Edited by nta786
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My initial thought was that I'd rather nothing got said at all. We are in a decent place, so why mess with it with such statements.

 I was hoping, that with the new owners in place, he'd get to see the fruits of his hard work for a long time to come.

But it's a long time away.  I hope we're in a position where there aren't calls for him to go before then. That our trajectory is upwards.

It also gives the club every opportunity to plan ahead. Better this, than scrambling around in the last summer, when he decides not to renew.

Besides, we'll always have his play book.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Plenty of time to get his replacement sorted, so no excuses really. The only question would be that Arsenal missed out on Guardiola and Klopp as they remained too loyal to Wenger in the latter years, ending up with Emery, which set them back a good few years. Do we wait out the two years knowing Hasenhuttl is going to leave, which would be the right thing to do, or should the ideal candidate come along, do we act, securing our long-term plans further as well as not risking missing out on someone who could take us further.

Drawing another Brentford comparison, they had Thomas Frank on their coaching staff, behind Dean Smith and when the latter left, it was an easy transition and they were able to carry on with their progress. We obviously can't do that at the moment, as Watson, Davis, nor Fleming are managers, but it will be interesting to see if we look to replicate a similar pathway here with a coaching appointment in the future.

Either way, as I said, no excuses on his replacement. We can't replace him with a defensive manager like Puel, as that's where the transition from Koeman to Puel broke down as they were two completely different managers. We can't go for the cheap option who sounds like Mauricio Pochettino, but doesn't have a clue about management. We can't go for the dinosaur/managerial merry go round brigade like Mark Hughes. And hopefully, when Howe gets relegated and sacked by Newcastle that takes him out of the running, as he will inevitably be linked.

Ultimately, it will be a shame to see Hasenhuttl go. The players have never turned on him, nor stopped playing for him despite him having to get rid of the egos in the dressing room that were here and clearly being quite strong minded with his approach on how players should behave. The 9-0s were embarrassing, but relegation would have been far more costly for us. Its always exciting watching us, never dull, well maybe the second halves, but the first halves are electric. Livramento also credited Hasenhuttl for him choosing Southampton, so he was clearly doing something Potter wasn't at Brighton off the pitch, so it will be a shame to lose whatever that was as well.

But, yeah, it's always going to happen in football these days. Does his family live over here, or are they still in Austria, as I know he went back in the most recent break? Additionally, I think we would all take retiring at 57. Earning millions, what a life. Surprised more don't do it. What motivates and gets Roy Hodgson down the training pitch every morning?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...