So would you take the spend from each managers start date? 5 years is the club's start point for comparison.
Since when? or did you just make that up? The accounts are published each season aren't they? It just feels a bit arbitrary to me. You can make stats to fit to any argument, damn lies and statistics and all that.
That did make me laugh. Mainly because when I drafted my response I had added a sentence that said 'but that wouldn't suit your narrative' and then deleted it as it was unnecessarily rude and everyone is entitled to an opinion. If you read my response again, I wasn't blaming the players either. Simply that is what can happen when under pressure.
No problem. The challenge for Saints fans at the moment is to try and understand our demise this season rather than looking for blame. Personally I think it's a combination of overload and panic. Always remember after the (first) 9-0 thrashing, Ralph said he felt he was asking the players to take on too many new instructions, so they went back to basics. Probably needs to do the same again. I just wish it wasn't Liverpool next!
The Athletic ... “Over the last five seasons, Southampton’s net spend has been £22.3 million. In comparison, Watford’s is £125.7 million, Burnley’s total is £59.4 million and Brighton’s is, astonishingly, £214.9 million. Even Sheffield United have a higher net spend than Southampton (£56.7 million)”
Part 2 ... “OK, so in The Athletic’s five-point plan, Hasenhuttl has been backed but changes have to be made to the Austrian’s coaching staff. Although not advocating for anyone to lose their job, Southampton need to replace Danny Rohl, who left in 2019, once and for all. Hasenhuttl needs an assistant who can come into the club with a fresh set of eyes, a new voice, and offer a different perspective. If he does not like this or is not receptive to the idea, then tough. Whether it is right or wrong, players tend to become tired of hearing the same voices day after day. They suck it up when results are going their way but it becomes an issue — as we are now seeing at Southampton — when the defeats are piling up. It often looks as though Hasenhuttl makes decisions in isolation during a match and is seldom joined by members of his backroom staff in his technical area. Whether this is something he wants or not is unknown, but it needs to change. Someone should be questioning the substitutions he wants to make, the timing of them, and whether it is worth switching tactics during the game. This should, in theory, improve Southampton’s overall in-game management, which has been sub-standard at times throughout this season. The final say should rest with Hasenhuttl but there needs to be more voices”
Can’t disagree with the fundamentals they propose which are back the manager, shake up the coaching team, show intent by signing new players and discarding those not in the plans (even at a loss), recruit some players with experience as well as talented youth Then you can hold the Ralph responsible
Big like for this. Good summary although I see quite a lot of exchanges on the bench between Ralph and Kitzbichler even if he’s not actually on the touch line (per your earlier post). Aren’t the rules that only one person allowed in the coaching area at any time?
He desperately needs a dominant defensive leader on the pitch to organise the backline, as your signature says "Strong Leadership, Clarity of Vision".
So the coach, when joins a club, he brings his own staff and makes the changes to suit his needs. So my question is; why is he not responsible now for what seems to be a ****up with the coaching setup? Why will he only be responsible when we have new coaching staff when it was his particular responsibility in the first place?
Yes, he did bring in some staff. Every manager does it. He retained some staff too. The whole coaching setup sits with the manager, which is why you see a revolving door policy with coaches when a new manager joins a club.
Interesting that there seems to be a general consensus that the coaching isn’t up to scratch. That’s Ralph’s call in my books & therefore his responsibility. It’s now been established he doesn’t really have a proper #2, with DR’s replacement Kitzbichler being a video assistant. I wonder if it’s that other criticism/suggestion of Ralph being stubborn & either not wanting a real #2 or just can’t find the right person? Can’t believe it’s a club finance thing.
I think this starts with the goalkeeper. Despite his improved recent form, Forster isn’t really a leader, and nor is Alex. I sit just above the goal in the Chapel, and against Everton this season I understood why Jordan Pickford is England keeper; because he never stopped shouting at his defenders. CBs in particular, need to know where their keeper is, what he’s going to do next, and what he wants from them.
I remember when Saints first signed Shilton . His first game (I think) was a friendly away to Plymouth. Because we lived fairly close we went to watch, Plymouths goalie was a character somewhat aptly named Crudgington. Shilts spent the entire game marking, with his studs, reference marks in his penalty area, checking goalposts and bar and directing his defence. Crudge spent his time leaning against the goalpost and occasionally picking the ball out of the back of the net before wellying it upfield. Writing this I recall we also had a young debutant called Mark Wright, I was well impressed and told my nipper that he was watching a future England player ( not Crudge) Happy days.