swisstiss

So lads.
 
It's been a month or so since I posted.
 
Signed Stekkers from Fulham and that lad from Villa.
Stekkers is not rated by Southampton fans. He was seen as a clever move back when Forster was injured and an able stand in, but he never convinced. Sorry to be so blunt, but better to let you know what you've got. He was once a fairly decent Dutch int'l keeper, but he made mistakes and wasn't a leader at the back in the same way Forster is. Saints fans feel Gazzaniga arguably prove himself as capable to step up as Stekkers.
 
Gueye was linked with us when Koeman was here. He seems alright, decent, cheap addition to your midfield. Adds a bit of muscle and can play the ball which is always nice, although your midfield seemed alright last season and I would have taken a couple of those players to Saints. I suppose you could say that if you had world class midfielders maybe there wouldn't be so many cock ups at the back with Martinez love of playing the ball out the back, but hey. It's important to note that Koeman loves to play the ball out the back (not in a tedious and risky way like Martinez), but it's probably that Gueye has been signed to be the kind of midfielder that can add muscle, and drop back between the back two to shift them out wide and give more space on the ball. Koeman has explicitly talked about this tactic before and Wanyama did it a lot at Saints.
 
I wouldn't have said Gueye is the kind of signing you need to push on to CL places, since he's alright, but not world beating. Shame you seemed to have missed out on Witsel, think he was exactly the kind of player to add presence and speed to the midfield, but anyway. Who knows what other signings will come. Only point to say now is that I think you are relying a lot on the other midfielders to be able to play the ball in a tight space and making plays.
 
I'd be interested to know your thoughts on Koeman thus far. I haven't been impressed by him in the transfer window, since all the talk was about a "war chest" and 100m to spend. Not seen much of that, or the claimed transfer ambition, yet, though there's still time.
 
Are you happy with his showings in pre-season? I guess you, like us on the south coast, are holding off until Sep 1 to make any kind of reasoned judgement on the summers dealings.
 
Saints? We're alright. Redmond is a good prospect, lively but not going to replace Mane 1-1. Hojbjberg, our new midfielder to replace Wanyama, is the dogs nuts. In a good way. He's a young, 20 year old silky smooth ball playing midfielder. Reminds us of Schneiderlin. His pedigree is Bayern, and he's my tip for fantasy football. Almost every first team player has signed a contract extension this summer, with most staying at the club until 2020. That's arguably the best news of the summer. Commitment to the long term vision and all that. Puel, new manager, seems alright. Untested but an encouraging pre-season. New style of play, also.

So lads.
 
It's been a month or so since I posted.
 
Signed Stekkers from Fulham and that lad from Villa.
Stekkers is not rated by Southampton fans. He was seen as a clever move back when Forster was injured and an able stand in, but he never convinced. Sorry to be so blunt, but better to let you know what you've got. He was once a fairly decent Dutch int'l keeper, but he made mistakes and wasn't a leader at the back in the same way Forster is. Saints fans feel Gazzaniga arguably prove himself as capable to step up as Stekkers.
 
Gueye was linked with us when Koeman was here. He seems alright, decent, cheap addition to your midfield. Adds a bit of muscle and can play the ball which is always nice, although your midfield seemed alright last season and I would have taken a couple of those players to Saints. I suppose you could say that if you had world class midfielders maybe there wouldn't be so many cock ups at the back with Martinez love of playing the ball out the back, but hey. It's important to note that Koeman loves to play the ball out the back (not in a tedious and risky way like Martinez), but it's probably that Gueye has been signed to be the kind of midfielder that can add muscle, and drop back between the back two to shift them out wide and give more space on the ball. Koeman has explicitly talked about this tactic before and Wanyama did it a lot at Saints.
 
I wouldn't have said Gueye is the kind of signing you need to push on to CL places, since he's alright, but not world beating. Shame you seemed to have missed out on Witsel, think he was exactly the kind of player to add presence and speed to the midfield, but anyway. Who knows what other signings will come. Only point to say now is that I think you are relying a lot on the other midfielders to be able to play the ball in a tight space and making plays.
 
I'd be interested to know your thoughts on Koeman thus far. I haven't been impressed by him in the transfer window, since all the talk was about a "war chest" and 100m to spend. Not seen much of that, or the claimed transfer ambition, yet, though there's still time.
 
Are you happy with his showings in pre-season? I guess you, like us on the south coast, are holding off until Sep 1 to make any kind of reasoned judgement on the summers dealings.
 
Saints? We're alright. Redmond is a good prospect, lively but not going to replace Mane 1-1. Hojbjberg, our new midfielder to replace Wanyama, is the dogs nuts. In a good way. He's a young, 20 year old silky smooth ball playing midfielder. Reminds us of Schneiderlin. His pedigree is Bayern, and he's my tip for fantasy football. Almost every first team player has signed a contract extension this summer, with most staying at the club until 2020. That's arguably the best news of the summer. Commitment to the long term vision and all that. Puel, new manager, seems alright. Untested but an encouraging pre-season. New style of play, also.

So lads.
 
It's been a month or so since I posted.
 
Signed Stekkers from Fulham and that lad from Villa.
Stekkers is not rated by Southampton fans. He was seen as a clever move back when Forster was injured and an able stand in, but he never convinced. Sorry to be so blunt, but better to let you know what you've got. He was once a fairly decent Dutch int'l keeper, but he made mistakes and wasn't a leader at the back in the same way Forster is. Saints fans feel Gazzaniga arguably prove himself as capable to step up as Stekkers.
 
Gueye was linked with us when Koeman was here. He seems alright, decent, cheap addition to your midfield. Adds a bit of muscle and can play the ball which is always nice, although your midfield seemed alright last season and I would have taken a couple of those players to Saints. I suppose you could say that if you had world class midfielders maybe there wouldn't be so many cock ups at the back with Martinez love of playing the ball out the back, but hey. It's important to note that Koeman loves to play the ball out the back (not in a tedious and risky way like Martinez), but it's probably that Gueye has been signed to be the kind of midfielder that can add muscle, and drop back between the back two to shift them out wide and give more space on the ball. Koeman has explicitly talked about this tactic before and Wanyama did it a lot at Saints.
 
I wouldn't have said Gueye is the kind of signing you need to push on to CL places, since he's alright, but not world beating. Shame you seemed to have missed out on Witsel, think he was exactly the kind of player to add presence and speed to the midfield, but anyway. Who knows what other signings will come. Only point to say now is that I think you are relying a lot on the other midfielders to be able to play the ball in a tight space and making plays.
 
I'd be interested to know your thoughts on Koeman thus far. I haven't been impressed by him in the transfer window, since all the talk was about a "war chest" and 100m to spend. Not seen much of that, or the claimed transfer ambition, yet, though there's still time.
 
Are you happy with his showings in pre-season? I guess you, like us on the south coast, are holding off until Sep 1 to make any kind of reasoned judgement on the summers dealings.
 
Saints? We're alright. Redmond is a good prospect, lively but not going to replace Mane 1-1. Hojbjberg, our new midfielder to replace Wanyama, is the dogs nuts. In a good way. He's a young, 20 year old silky smooth ball playing midfielder. Reminds us of Schneiderlin. His pedigree is Bayern, and he's my tip for fantasy football. Almost every first team player has signed a contract extension this summer, with most staying at the club until 2020. That's arguably the best news of the summer. Commitment to the long term vision and all that. Puel, new manager, seems alright. Untested but an encouraging pre-season. New style of play, also.

So lads.
 
It's been a month or so since I posted.
 
Signed Stekkers from Fulham and that lad from Villa.
Stekkers is not rated by Southampton fans. He was seen as a clever move back when Forster was injured and an able stand in, but he never convinced. Sorry to be so blunt, but better to let you know what you've got. He was once a fairly decent Dutch int'l keeper, but he made mistakes and wasn't a leader at the back in the same way Forster is. Saints fans feel Gazzaniga arguably prove himself as capable to step up as Stekkers.
 
Gueye was linked with us when Koeman was here. He seems alright, decent, cheap addition to your midfield. Adds a bit of muscle and can play the ball which is always nice, although your midfield seemed alright last season and I would have taken a couple of those players to Saints. I suppose you could say that if you had world class midfielders maybe there wouldn't be so many cock ups at the back with Martinez love of playing the ball out the back, but hey. It's important to note that Koeman loves to play the ball out the back (not in a tedious and risky way like Martinez), but it's probably that Gueye has been signed to be the kind of midfielder that can add muscle, and drop back between the back two to shift them out wide and give more space on the ball. Koeman has explicitly talked about this tactic before and Wanyama did it a lot at Saints.
 
I wouldn't have said Gueye is the kind of signing you need to push on to CL places, since he's alright, but not world beating. Shame you seemed to have missed out on Witsel, think he was exactly the kind of player to add presence and speed to the midfield, but anyway. Who knows what other signings will come. Only point to say now is that I think you are relying a lot on the other midfielders to be able to play the ball in a tight space and making plays.
 
I'd be interested to know your thoughts on Koeman thus far. I haven't been impressed by him in the transfer window, since all the talk was about a "war chest" and 100m to spend. Not seen much of that, or the claimed transfer ambition, yet, though there's still time.
 
Are you happy with his showings in pre-season? I guess you, like us on the south coast, are holding off until Sep 1 to make any kind of reasoned judgement on the summers dealings.
 
Saints? We're alright. Redmond is a good prospect, lively but not going to replace Mane 1-1. Hojbjberg, our new midfielder to replace Wanyama, is the dogs nuts. In a good way. He's a young, 20 year old silky smooth ball playing midfielder. Reminds us of Schneiderlin. His pedigree is Bayern, and he's my tip for fantasy football. Almost every first team player has signed a contract extension this summer, with most staying at the club until 2020. That's arguably the best news of the summer. Commitment to the long term vision and all that. Puel, new manager, seems alright. Untested but an encouraging pre-season. New style of play, also.

Of those mentioned in press, typically clueless and jumping on the band wagon and throwing names around, club don't want Villas Boas or Frank de Boer, and Moyes no chance at all. Tuchel hasn't even been mentioned,.
 
Unai Emery (of Sevilla), Eddie Howe, Pelligrini and 1 other - unknown - are at the top of the list, this is all coming from an In The Know (who works for the club we understand). Vitor Pereira has also been mentioned. I hear that the club will not rush the appointment and are not panicking.

I'm inclined to agree, although some things are true. It is true that contract talks were progressing and had reached the stage of discussing key transfers for this summer (that's not surprising, since I think these conversations would take place quite often with a current manager). It's also true that he changed agents, and that after the change the rumours about his move to Everton surfaced.
 
It's also true that the club have gone from publicly very happy with him (our end of year awards was basically a big smooch-up for Koeman, saying how brilliantly this season had gone and that we're looking forward to next season), to a leaving tweet with no thanks at all. In fact, the club media quite apart from other players that have left on good terms in the last few years (notably Schneiderlin, Shaw, Lambert), which have been all about 'thanks for their good service and wishing them luck', that the media has been very quiet. Pochettino's departure was in similar circumstances.
 
I'm not saying it's true, but it does lead me to wonder what happened behind the scenes. It's gone from happy clappy to cold turkey in a matter of weeks (don't we all know that feeling).
 
The bitterness was never that Koeman was too good, and now he's terrible.
 
1. It was about his character, that we had thought he was committed and true to his word. He's obviously gone back on that now, and that has soured our view of him understandably. It's not to say his skills of being a manager are in question, just his character. And I think you can see why we'd say that.
2. Football is a game of consequences. If the ball goes in the net, it was a good move. If you try some tricks or even hoofing the ball and you don't put the ball in the net, people question what the heck you were thinking. In this case, the rumours of Koeman staying was a statement that Saints fans wanted to cling to, and something to hold on to, that he was committed to Southampton and that he saw opportunity in us, and that football was about more than just money. So we jumped on that bandwagon, heartly affirming that this was a good move. In other words the rumours that he was staying got a really positive response from us, since he's been good for us. Now that he has gone to Everton, it's brought out the worst in him and us. It's put into question our board (which looked to be making savvy decisions what with successfully giving top players new contracts), our ambition for the next 5 years, our finances, and ultimately, our attractiveness as a club. The reaction to that from Saints fans has been wholeheartedly awful. We're disappointed in the club, feel betrayed, and some of that has rubbed off on how we have talked about EFC.
 
In other words it's gone from being 'yeah, they are more similar to us than before, the balance of the league is changing what with Leicester's title win' to, 'Is that really what we are? Just a selling club in player and manager?'. And the flipside of that is that fans have come out in a bitter tone against EFC which is a shame.
 
In any case, my opinions the same, that it is less risky to take Everton who have been struggling, than Southampton who have been doing well. It's guaranteed almost that you'll improve and push for Europe next season. That isn't guaranteed with us. If he wants to take a bigger job than Everton, Barcelona and Netherlands team he's mentioned, then it's a greater guarantee of success. But I don't think that that is an indication of either club, actually.
 
I don't think Saints fans should be so downbeat (thinking that because he's left it means we don't have ambition), and I don't think Evertonian's should be so positive he's joined (it shows that you have ambition and this is the start of something great). I mean that in the politest and most gentle way. I just don't think that the move shows either. RK's career as a manager was unknown to a lot of us (his playing days aside) two years ago, and yet now he has the power to determine whether one club is 'bigger', 'has more ambition' or has a 'better future' than the other? Nonsense. I think you'll have a good season, and I think we might finish 12-13 next season, but that's fine and probably more a reflection of chance, player purchases and the like as it is down to the difference Koeman will make. Football is football.

I'm inclined to agree, although some things are true. It is true that contract talks were progressing and had reached the stage of discussing key transfers for this summer (that's not surprising, since I think these conversations would take place quite often with a current manager). It's also true that he changed agents, and that after the change the rumours about his move to Everton surfaced.
 
It's also true that the club have gone from publicly very happy with him (our end of year awards was basically a big smooch-up for Koeman, saying how brilliantly this season had gone and that we're looking forward to next season), to a leaving tweet with no thanks at all. In fact, the club media quite apart from other players that have left on good terms in the last few years (notably Schneiderlin, Shaw, Lambert), which have been all about 'thanks for their good service and wishing them luck', that the media has been very quiet. Pochettino's departure was in similar circumstances.
 
I'm not saying it's true, but it does lead me to wonder what happened behind the scenes. It's gone from happy clappy to cold turkey in a matter of weeks (don't we all know that feeling).
 
The bitterness was never that Koeman was too good, and now he's terrible.
 
1. It was about his character, that we had thought he was committed and true to his word. He's obviously gone back on that now, and that has soured our view of him understandably. It's not to say his skills of being a manager are in question, just his character. And I think you can see why we'd say that.
2. Football is a game of consequences. If the ball goes in the net, it was a good move. If you try some tricks or even hoofing the ball and you don't put the ball in the net, people question what the heck you were thinking. In this case, the rumours of Koeman staying was a statement that Saints fans wanted to cling to, and something to hold on to, that he was committed to Southampton and that he saw opportunity in us, and that football was about more than just money. So we jumped on that bandwagon, heartly affirming that this was a good move. In other words the rumours that he was staying got a really positive response from us, since he's been good for us. Now that he has gone to Everton, it's brought out the worst in him and us. It's put into question our board (which looked to be making savvy decisions what with successfully giving top players new contracts), our ambition for the next 5 years, our finances, and ultimately, our attractiveness as a club. The reaction to that from Saints fans has been wholeheartedly awful. We're disappointed in the club, feel betrayed, and some of that has rubbed off on how we have talked about EFC.
 
In other words it's gone from being 'yeah, they are more similar to us than before, the balance of the league is changing what with Leicester's title win' to, 'Is that really what we are? Just a selling club in player and manager?'. And the flipside of that is that fans have come out in a bitter tone against EFC which is a shame.
 
In any case, my opinions the same, that it is less risky to take Everton who have been struggling, than Southampton who have been doing well. It's guaranteed almost that you'll improve and push for Europe next season. That isn't guaranteed with us. If he wants to take a bigger job than Everton, Barcelona and Netherlands team he's mentioned, then it's a greater guarantee of success. But I don't think that that is an indication of either club, actually.
 
I don't think Saints fans should be so downbeat (thinking that because he's left it means we don't have ambition), and I don't think Evertonian's should be so positive he's joined (it shows that you have ambition and this is the start of something great). I mean that in the politest and most gentle way. I just don't think that the move shows either. RK's career as a manager was unknown to a lot of us (his playing days aside) two years ago, and yet now he has the power to determine whether one club is 'bigger', 'has more ambition' or has a 'better future' than the other? Nonsense. I think you'll have a good season, and I think we might finish 12-13 next season, but that's fine and probably more a reflection of chance, player purchases and the like as it is down to the difference Koeman will make. Football is football.

I'm inclined to agree, although some things are true. It is true that contract talks were progressing and had reached the stage of discussing key transfers for this summer (that's not surprising, since I think these conversations would take place quite often with a current manager). It's also true that he changed agents, and that after the change the rumours about his move to Everton surfaced.
 
It's also true that the club have gone from publicly very happy with him (our end of year awards was basically a big smooch-up for Koeman, saying how brilliantly this season had gone and that we're looking forward to next season), to a leaving tweet with no thanks at all. In fact, the club media quite apart from other players that have left on good terms in the last few years (notably Schneiderlin, Shaw, Lambert), which have been all about 'thanks for their good service and wishing them luck', that the media has been very quiet. Pochettino's departure was in similar circumstances.
 
I'm not saying it's true, but it does lead me to wonder what happened behind the scenes. It's gone from happy clappy to cold turkey in a matter of weeks (don't we all know that feeling).
 
The bitterness was never that Koeman was too good, and now he's terrible.
 
1. It was about his character, that we had thought he was committed and true to his word. He's obviously gone back on that now, and that has soured our view of him understandably. It's not to say his skills of being a manager are in question, just his character. And I think you can see why we'd say that.
2. Football is a game of consequences. If the ball goes in the net, it was a good move. If you try some tricks or even hoofing the ball and you don't put the ball in the net, people question what the heck you were thinking. In this case, the rumours of Koeman staying was a statement that Saints fans wanted to cling to, and something to hold on to, that he was committed to Southampton and that he saw opportunity in us, and that football was about more than just money. So we jumped on that bandwagon, heartly affirming that this was a good move. In other words the rumours that he was staying got a really positive response from us, since he's been good for us. Now that he has gone to Everton, it's brought out the worst in him and us. It's put into question our board (which looked to be making savvy decisions what with successfully giving top players new contracts), our ambition for the next 5 years, our finances, and ultimately, our attractiveness as a club. The reaction to that from Saints fans has been wholeheartedly awful. We're disappointed in the club, feel betrayed, and some of that has rubbed off on how we have talked about EFC.
 
In other words it's gone from being 'yeah, they are more similar to us than before, the balance of the league is changing what with Leicester's title win' to, 'Is that really what we are? Just a selling club in player and manager?'. And the flipside of that is that fans have come out in a bitter tone against EFC which is a shame.
 
In any case, my opinions the same, that it is less risky to take Everton who have been struggling, than Southampton who have been doing well. It's guaranteed almost that you'll improve and push for Europe next season. That isn't guaranteed with us. If he wants to take a bigger job than Everton, Barcelona and Netherlands team he's mentioned, then it's a greater guarantee of success. But I don't think that that is an indication of either club, actually.
 
I don't think Saints fans should be so downbeat (thinking that because he's left it means we don't have ambition), and I don't think Evertonian's should be so positive he's joined (it shows that you have ambition and this is the start of something great). I mean that in the politest and most gentle way. I just don't think that the move shows either. RK's career as a manager was unknown to a lot of us (his playing days aside) two years ago, and yet now he has the power to determine whether one club is 'bigger', 'has more ambition' or has a 'better future' than the other? Nonsense. I think you'll have a good season, and I think we might finish 12-13 next season, but that's fine and probably more a reflection of chance, player purchases and the like as it is down to the difference Koeman will make. Football is football.

I'm inclined to agree, although some things are true. It is true that contract talks were progressing and had reached the stage of discussing key transfers for this summer (that's not surprising, since I think these conversations would take place quite often with a current manager). It's also true that he changed agents, and that after the change the rumours about his move to Everton surfaced.
 
It's also true that the club have gone from publicly very happy with him (our end of year awards was basically a big smooch-up for Koeman, saying how brilliantly this season had gone and that we're looking forward to next season), to a leaving tweet with no thanks at all. In fact, the club media quite apart from other players that have left on good terms in the last few years (notably Schneiderlin, Shaw, Lambert), which have been all about 'thanks for their good service and wishing them luck', that the media has been very quiet. Pochettino's departure was in similar circumstances.
 
I'm not saying it's true, but it does lead me to wonder what happened behind the scenes. It's gone from happy clappy to cold turkey in a matter of weeks (don't we all know that feeling).
 
The bitterness was never that Koeman was too good, and now he's terrible.
 
1. It was about his character, that we had thought he was committed and true to his word. He's obviously gone back on that now, and that has soured our view of him understandably. It's not to say his skills of being a manager are in question, just his character. And I think you can see why we'd say that.
2. Football is a game of consequences. If the ball goes in the net, it was a good move. If you try some tricks or even hoofing the ball and you don't put the ball in the net, people question what the heck you were thinking. In this case, the rumours of Koeman staying was a statement that Saints fans wanted to cling to, and something to hold on to, that he was committed to Southampton and that he saw opportunity in us, and that football was about more than just money. So we jumped on that bandwagon, heartly affirming that this was a good move. In other words the rumours that he was staying got a really positive response from us, since he's been good for us. Now that he has gone to Everton, it's brought out the worst in him and us. It's put into question our board (which looked to be making savvy decisions what with successfully giving top players new contracts), our ambition for the next 5 years, our finances, and ultimately, our attractiveness as a club. The reaction to that from Saints fans has been wholeheartedly awful. We're disappointed in the club, feel betrayed, and some of that has rubbed off on how we have talked about EFC.
 
In other words it's gone from being 'yeah, they are more similar to us than before, the balance of the league is changing what with Leicester's title win' to, 'Is that really what we are? Just a selling club in player and manager?'. And the flipside of that is that fans have come out in a bitter tone against EFC which is a shame.
 
In any case, my opinions the same, that it is less risky to take Everton who have been struggling, than Southampton who have been doing well. It's guaranteed almost that you'll improve and push for Europe next season. That isn't guaranteed with us. If he wants to take a bigger job than Everton, Barcelona and Netherlands team he's mentioned, then it's a greater guarantee of success. But I don't think that that is an indication of either club, actually.
 
I don't think Saints fans should be so downbeat (thinking that because he's left it means we don't have ambition), and I don't think Evertonian's should be so positive he's joined (it shows that you have ambition and this is the start of something great). I mean that in the politest and most gentle way. I just don't think that the move shows either. RK's career as a manager was unknown to a lot of us (his playing days aside) two years ago, and yet now he has the power to determine whether one club is 'bigger', 'has more ambition' or has a 'better future' than the other? Nonsense. I think you'll have a good season, and I think we might finish 12-13 next season, but that's fine and probably more a reflection of chance, player purchases and the like as it is down to the difference Koeman will make. Football is football.

Saints Fan here again.
 
Well, well done. You've bagged the man that took us to our highest two league finishes in the PL season, so that's not to be sniffed at.
 
You'll notice from our press release that we didn't actually thank RK for his time, and we said our "focus now is to build on our long-term plan, and work with a new management team who share both the club’s and our supporters’ values and ambitions.?"
 
Most Saints fans think it's a veiled jibe that RK somehow didn't fit our values and ambitions, whether that means he was more ambitious than the club in the short term, or that he wasn't ambitious enough, isn't clear. Nor whether or not the values was relevant. Artur Boruc' hilarious tweet which basically said that RK is money grabbing shouldn't be taken lightly (even though he is a total nutcase). I guess that player-manager relations - not just for Boruc we hear - weren't always as happy as club media made out with all this trashy 'outtakes' and 'xmas fun' videos. Anyway.
 
Thought I'd come back amid the flak between EFC and Southampton fans about ambition. Feels a bit bitter, and I think I've never read so many posts with "history" in.
 
Here's the deal, if you are a right thinking Everton fan:
 
We're aware that Everton has a bigger stadium, though we're both still way below the 50 or 60 thousand seaters that the top clubs have. Everton have a great footballing history and while everyone is talking about Southampton "pushing for European places", it's obvious Everton have occupied that title for a lot longer.
 
What frustrates us is that we've really seen a sea-change in the speed at which the club is moving forward in the last 7-8 years. Nicola Cortese came in and brought with him a vision for the club (already there, though) and since then I have felt nothing but year-on-year success, ambition, backroom strengthening and the club being much tighter around it's vision, values, mission statement etc.
 
I feel in the last 5-10 years (or even since the turn of the millenium after we moved to St Marys) that the club is a lot more coherent than it ever has been in what it is aiming to do and how it will carry that out. Let's not forget we've come from League 1 (OK, administration blah blah blah, writing off debts blah blah blah, but you get my point).
 
For Saints fans at the moment it feels like the skys the limit. Forgive us, for a second. Yes you can say we don't have as rich a history - although I think the south-coast footballing history is very strong and has a great heritage. Us and the skates had more time on the pitch together in years gone by, granted, but the rivalry is still rich.
 
We feel that the transfer policy of the last 10 years, significant youth players sold for reasonable profit, getting back into European football, highest ever PL finishes, our brand name/supporter base growing around the world, it's all pointing toward an ambitious, developing club. Yes we're still only an average home stadium capacity, and we've not won that much, but we feel we're on the way up. We've finished above you the last couple seasons and you might see that as a blip ("finishing below Saints is embarrassing") but we don't, maybe we're deluded but I really think the club is on the rise.
 
For RK to go to Everton isn't a big deal, at the end of the day. There's multiple reasons. But why now, that's the question of Saints fans. If there was ever a time in SFC history to stick around, surely this was it? What could possibly have put him off? That's our issue. I feel that Everton being a bigger club who are sleeping, and Saints being a smaller club who are soaring, what's the difference? We're both just as likely to be pushing for Europe next season, the only difference being we've not been doing that as long. But there's never certainty in football. You can't say that the history of Forest or Leeds or even Wednesday (?!) counts for a great deal. At one time they were dead certain to remain well managed (arguably) and solid clubs.
 
For us, the issue is what questions this asks of SFC. With all the momentum and not just hope but proven results of the last 5 years, why would someone leave at the very time the wave is at it's biggest? I guess the question remains now, and what Ronald's leaving has thrown up, is, is this a sign that the wave is about to come crashing down? I.e. are we about to lose our manager (gone) and best players, and eventually turn the corner and find we're running out of ideas and start falling down the league. That's why we're frustrated.
 
So there it is. The ambition and success of the last 5-10 years is the reason we are so optimistic, call us deluded, and the reason we are stunned that RK would go to Everton now of all times.
 
I wish you, and him, the very best and he's a really nice genuine guy (besides the leaving fiasco, whatever went on). We march on...

Saints Fan here again.
 
Well, well done. You've bagged the man that took us to our highest two league finishes in the PL season, so that's not to be sniffed at.
 
You'll notice from our press release that we didn't actually thank RK for his time, and we said our "focus now is to build on our long-term plan, and work with a new management team who share both the club’s and our supporters’ values and ambitions.?"
 
Most Saints fans think it's a veiled jibe that RK somehow didn't fit our values and ambitions, whether that means he was more ambitious than the club in the short term, or that he wasn't ambitious enough, isn't clear. Nor whether or not the values was relevant. Artur Boruc' hilarious tweet which basically said that RK is money grabbing shouldn't be taken lightly (even though he is a total nutcase). I guess that player-manager relations - not just for Boruc we hear - weren't always as happy as club media made out with all this trashy 'outtakes' and 'xmas fun' videos. Anyway.
 
Thought I'd come back amid the flak between EFC and Southampton fans about ambition. Feels a bit bitter, and I think I've never read so many posts with "history" in.
 
Here's the deal, if you are a right thinking Everton fan:
 
We're aware that Everton has a bigger stadium, though we're both still way below the 50 or 60 thousand seaters that the top clubs have. Everton have a great footballing history and while everyone is talking about Southampton "pushing for European places", it's obvious Everton have occupied that title for a lot longer.
 
What frustrates us is that we've really seen a sea-change in the speed at which the club is moving forward in the last 7-8 years. Nicola Cortese came in and brought with him a vision for the club (already there, though) and since then I have felt nothing but year-on-year success, ambition, backroom strengthening and the club being much tighter around it's vision, values, mission statement etc.
 
I feel in the last 5-10 years (or even since the turn of the millenium after we moved to St Marys) that the club is a lot more coherent than it ever has been in what it is aiming to do and how it will carry that out. Let's not forget we've come from League 1 (OK, administration blah blah blah, writing off debts blah blah blah, but you get my point).
 
For Saints fans at the moment it feels like the skys the limit. Forgive us, for a second. Yes you can say we don't have as rich a history - although I think the south-coast footballing history is very strong and has a great heritage. Us and the skates had more time on the pitch together in years gone by, granted, but the rivalry is still rich.
 
We feel that the transfer policy of the last 10 years, significant youth players sold for reasonable profit, getting back into European football, highest ever PL finishes, our brand name/supporter base growing around the world, it's all pointing toward an ambitious, developing club. Yes we're still only an average home stadium capacity, and we've not won that much, but we feel we're on the way up. We've finished above you the last couple seasons and you might see that as a blip ("finishing below Saints is embarrassing") but we don't, maybe we're deluded but I really think the club is on the rise.
 
For RK to go to Everton isn't a big deal, at the end of the day. There's multiple reasons. But why now, that's the question of Saints fans. If there was ever a time in SFC history to stick around, surely this was it? What could possibly have put him off? That's our issue. I feel that Everton being a bigger club who are sleeping, and Saints being a smaller club who are soaring, what's the difference? We're both just as likely to be pushing for Europe next season, the only difference being we've not been doing that as long. But there's never certainty in football. You can't say that the history of Forest or Leeds or even Wednesday (?!) counts for a great deal. At one time they were dead certain to remain well managed (arguably) and solid clubs.
 
For us, the issue is what questions this asks of SFC. With all the momentum and not just hope but proven results of the last 5 years, why would someone leave at the very time the wave is at it's biggest? I guess the question remains now, and what Ronald's leaving has thrown up, is, is this a sign that the wave is about to come crashing down? I.e. are we about to lose our manager (gone) and best players, and eventually turn the corner and find we're running out of ideas and start falling down the league. That's why we're frustrated.
 
So there it is. The ambition and success of the last 5-10 years is the reason we are so optimistic, call us deluded, and the reason we are stunned that RK would go to Everton now of all times.
 
I wish you, and him, the very best and he's a really nice genuine guy (besides the leaving fiasco, whatever went on). We march on...

Great question.
 
So absolutely, Pelle. He had him in Feyenoord then in Saints. If you lose Lukaku, Koeman will see a need for a target man who can link play (not just height in the box, but a player who has a football brain). Hand's down Pelle fits that.
 
Other than that, he has lots of praise for Clasie, who also played for him in Feyenoord, Virgil van Dijk (who has undoubtedly been one of our best players last season) and Forster, the keeper.
 
Any other player I could choose, like Long who he's praised a lot (in answer to a fan's question event on his favourite player last season, Koeman's answer was not to dodge the Q, but say Shane Long based on his improvement in the last year - which is true), or Tadic who he signed because of his contact with him in the Dutch league, or even Jose Fonte who Koeman has lauded because of his captaincy and leadership. All those players are just good players, but not particularly special to him. Mane isn't a big fan of RK since he openly criticised his performances and fined him once or twice for being late.
 
Van Dijk, Pelle, Clasie and Forster have no doubt a special place in his thinking. Of those, Clasie just arrived in the South coast with a young family, Forster just signed a long term contract and feels loyalty to the medical dept for their help in his recovery from ACL, and Van Dijk just signed an even longer (6 year!) contract, after only 1 year of being here.
 
Oh, and don't be surprised that three of those players are defensive minded .
 
Bigger question is how reliable are player contracts in this day and age, and will we see a growing disconnection between contracts and length of commitment (what I mean is, in today's world of moneyball is a long contract just a reflection of price tag rather than the player's intention to stay). So who knows what these new contracts mean, they could go this summer with as quick a turn around as RK had.
 
But I wouldn't be surprised if Pelle went to EFC. That's my view. Any other would be more or less a surprise to me, or as likely to go to EFC as any other club.

Great question.
 
So absolutely, Pelle. He had him in Feyenoord then in Saints. If you lose Lukaku, Koeman will see a need for a target man who can link play (not just height in the box, but a player who has a football brain). Hand's down Pelle fits that.
 
Other than that, he has lots of praise for Clasie, who also played for him in Feyenoord, Virgil van Dijk (who has undoubtedly been one of our best players last season) and Forster, the keeper.
 
Any other player I could choose, like Long who he's praised a lot (in answer to a fan's question event on his favourite player last season, Koeman's answer was not to dodge the Q, but say Shane Long based on his improvement in the last year - which is true), or Tadic who he signed because of his contact with him in the Dutch league, or even Jose Fonte who Koeman has lauded because of his captaincy and leadership. All those players are just good players, but not particularly special to him. Mane isn't a big fan of RK since he openly criticised his performances and fined him once or twice for being late.
 
Van Dijk, Pelle, Clasie and Forster have no doubt a special place in his thinking. Of those, Clasie just arrived in the South coast with a young family, Forster just signed a long term contract and feels loyalty to the medical dept for their help in his recovery from ACL, and Van Dijk just signed an even longer (6 year!) contract, after only 1 year of being here.
 
Oh, and don't be surprised that three of those players are defensive minded .
 
Bigger question is how reliable are player contracts in this day and age, and will we see a growing disconnection between contracts and length of commitment (what I mean is, in today's world of moneyball is a long contract just a reflection of price tag rather than the player's intention to stay). So who knows what these new contracts mean, they could go this summer with as quick a turn around as RK had.
 
But I wouldn't be surprised if Pelle went to EFC. That's my view. Any other would be more or less a surprise to me, or as likely to go to EFC as any other club.

Saints Fan here again.
 
Well, well done. You've bagged the man that took us to our highest two league finishes in the PL season, so that's not to be sniffed at.
 
You'll notice from our press release that we didn't actually thank RK for his time, and we said our "focus now is to build on our long-term plan, and work with a new management team who share both the club’s and our supporters’ values and ambitions.?"
 
Most Saints fans think it's a veiled jibe that RK somehow didn't fit our values and ambitions, whether that means he was more ambitious than the club in the short term, or that he wasn't ambitious enough, isn't clear. Nor whether or not the values was relevant. Artur Boruc' hilarious tweet which basically said that RK is money grabbing shouldn't be taken lightly (even though he is a total nutcase). I guess that player-manager relations - not just for Boruc we hear - weren't always as happy as club media made out with all this trashy 'outtakes' and 'xmas fun' videos. Anyway.
 
Thought I'd come back amid the flak between EFC and Southampton fans about ambition. Feels a bit bitter, and I think I've never read so many posts with "history" in.
 
Here's the deal, if you are a right thinking Everton fan:
 
We're aware that Everton has a bigger stadium, though we're both still way below the 50 or 60 thousand seaters that the top clubs have. Everton have a great footballing history and while everyone is talking about Southampton "pushing for European places", it's obvious Everton have occupied that title for a lot longer.
 
What frustrates us is that we've really seen a sea-change in the speed at which the club is moving forward in the last 7-8 years. Nicola Cortese came in and brought with him a vision for the club (already there, though) and since then I have felt nothing but year-on-year success, ambition, backroom strengthening and the club being much tighter around it's vision, values, mission statement etc.
 
I feel in the last 5-10 years (or even since the turn of the millenium after we moved to St Marys) that the club is a lot more coherent than it ever has been in what it is aiming to do and how it will carry that out. Let's not forget we've come from League 1 (OK, administration blah blah blah, writing off debts blah blah blah, but you get my point).
 
For Saints fans at the moment it feels like the skys the limit. Forgive us, for a second. Yes you can say we don't have as rich a history - although I think the south-coast footballing history is very strong and has a great heritage. Us and the skates had more time on the pitch together in years gone by, granted, but the rivalry is still rich.
 
We feel that the transfer policy of the last 10 years, significant youth players sold for reasonable profit, getting back into European football, highest ever PL finishes, our brand name/supporter base growing around the world, it's all pointing toward an ambitious, developing club. Yes we're still only an average home stadium capacity, and we've not won that much, but we feel we're on the way up. We've finished above you the last couple seasons and you might see that as a blip ("finishing below Saints is embarrassing") but we don't, maybe we're deluded but I really think the club is on the rise.
 
For RK to go to Everton isn't a big deal, at the end of the day. There's multiple reasons. But why now, that's the question of Saints fans. If there was ever a time in SFC history to stick around, surely this was it? What could possibly have put him off? That's our issue. I feel that Everton being a bigger club who are sleeping, and Saints being a smaller club who are soaring, what's the difference? We're both just as likely to be pushing for Europe next season, the only difference being we've not been doing that as long. But there's never certainty in football. You can't say that the history of Forest or Leeds or even Wednesday (?!) counts for a great deal. At one time they were dead certain to remain well managed (arguably) and solid clubs.
 
For us, the issue is what questions this asks of SFC. With all the momentum and not just hope but proven results of the last 5 years, why would someone leave at the very time the wave is at it's biggest? I guess the question remains now, and what Ronald's leaving has thrown up, is, is this a sign that the wave is about to come crashing down? I.e. are we about to lose our manager (gone) and best players, and eventually turn the corner and find we're running out of ideas and start falling down the league. That's why we're frustrated.
 
So there it is. The ambition and success of the last 5-10 years is the reason we are so optimistic, call us deluded, and the reason we are stunned that RK would go to Everton now of all times.
 
I wish you, and him, the very best and he's a really nice genuine guy (besides the leaving fiasco, whatever went on). We march on...

Saints Fan here again.
 
Well, well done. You've bagged the man that took us to our highest two league finishes in the PL season, so that's not to be sniffed at.
 
You'll notice from our press release that we didn't actually thank RK for his time, and we said our "focus now is to build on our long-term plan, and work with a new management team who share both the club’s and our supporters’ values and ambitions.?"
 
Most Saints fans think it's a veiled jibe that RK somehow didn't fit our values and ambitions, whether that means he was more ambitious than the club in the short term, or that he wasn't ambitious enough, isn't clear. Nor whether or not the values was relevant. Artur Boruc' hilarious tweet which basically said that RK is money grabbing shouldn't be taken lightly (even though he is a total nutcase). I guess that player-manager relations - not just for Boruc we hear - weren't always as happy as club media made out with all this trashy 'outtakes' and 'xmas fun' videos. Anyway.
 
Thought I'd come back amid the flak between EFC and Southampton fans about ambition. Feels a bit bitter, and I think I've never read so many posts with "history" in.
 
Here's the deal, if you are a right thinking Everton fan:
 
We're aware that Everton has a bigger stadium, though we're both still way below the 50 or 60 thousand seaters that the top clubs have. Everton have a great footballing history and while everyone is talking about Southampton "pushing for European places", it's obvious Everton have occupied that title for a lot longer.
 
What frustrates us is that we've really seen a sea-change in the speed at which the club is moving forward in the last 7-8 years. Nicola Cortese came in and brought with him a vision for the club (already there, though) and since then I have felt nothing but year-on-year success, ambition, backroom strengthening and the club being much tighter around it's vision, values, mission statement etc.
 
I feel in the last 5-10 years (or even since the turn of the millenium after we moved to St Marys) that the club is a lot more coherent than it ever has been in what it is aiming to do and how it will carry that out. Let's not forget we've come from League 1 (OK, administration blah blah blah, writing off debts blah blah blah, but you get my point).
 
For Saints fans at the moment it feels like the skys the limit. Forgive us, for a second. Yes you can say we don't have as rich a history - although I think the south-coast footballing history is very strong and has a great heritage. Us and the skates had more time on the pitch together in years gone by, granted, but the rivalry is still rich.
 
We feel that the transfer policy of the last 10 years, significant youth players sold for reasonable profit, getting back into European football, highest ever PL finishes, our brand name/supporter base growing around the world, it's all pointing toward an ambitious, developing club. Yes we're still only an average home stadium capacity, and we've not won that much, but we feel we're on the way up. We've finished above you the last couple seasons and you might see that as a blip ("finishing below Saints is embarrassing") but we don't, maybe we're deluded but I really think the club is on the rise.
 
For RK to go to Everton isn't a big deal, at the end of the day. There's multiple reasons. But why now, that's the question of Saints fans. If there was ever a time in SFC history to stick around, surely this was it? What could possibly have put him off? That's our issue. I feel that Everton being a bigger club who are sleeping, and Saints being a smaller club who are soaring, what's the difference? We're both just as likely to be pushing for Europe next season, the only difference being we've not been doing that as long. But there's never certainty in football. You can't say that the history of Forest or Leeds or even Wednesday (?!) counts for a great deal. At one time they were dead certain to remain well managed (arguably) and solid clubs.
 
For us, the issue is what questions this asks of SFC. With all the momentum and not just hope but proven results of the last 5 years, why would someone leave at the very time the wave is at it's biggest? I guess the question remains now, and what Ronald's leaving has thrown up, is, is this a sign that the wave is about to come crashing down? I.e. are we about to lose our manager (gone) and best players, and eventually turn the corner and find we're running out of ideas and start falling down the league. That's why we're frustrated.
 
So there it is. The ambition and success of the last 5-10 years is the reason we are so optimistic, call us deluded, and the reason we are stunned that RK would go to Everton now of all times.
 
I wish you, and him, the very best and he's a really nice genuine guy (besides the leaving fiasco, whatever went on). We march on...

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!

Hi lads. In peace as a saints supporter.
 
Think you've bagged Koeman, I know you've got mixed feelings but he's a solid choice. I was surprised he'd go to Everton, because he'd been pretty firm about staying and clear about finishing his contract here. My guess is that in the end we never offered him an ambitious, or expensive enough, offer. All the Soton club talk has been about ambition, building a good structure in terms of player development, recruiting, partnerships etc. to push for Europa League every season, but I guess in the end even what we pitched to Koeman wasn't ambitious enough.
 
So that's the good part, I think he'll be more forward thinking than you would guess. I know there's talk of him not taking you to the next level, but I wouldn't be so pessimistic. Bear in mind he's got a lot more to work with at Everton, in terms of transfer money and squad depth/quality, and I guess in the end that's why he's likely to join you.
 
So what do you get with RK?
He's been solid for us, Saints fan alike will tell you that he's got a strong tactical head, he likes to play good, positive attacking football but is also very capable at making us better ogranised, good at defending etc. We noticed a difference between Pochettino and Koeman, Pochettino seemed to just out-attack the other team, constantly pressing and stretching the squad, with attackers high up the pitch and defenders sitting back a little. It was a good tactic, we scored a lot but the defensive drill wasn't there as much. Koeman introduced much better organised defense, it was really under RK that the whole 'defending starts from the front' line began to come out much more strongly. That's why he favours players that are willing to track back and help out. It's no surprise that the good success story of this season has been Shane Long with his workrate at hustling defences and coming back to help defend. Koeman is versatile, if you remember season before last he switched formation when we were having a real lull in the season, I think we actually played Everton in that game (with 5 at the back) and won. He did a similar thing last season, playing back 5 for a few games. He didn't trust our right back, Cedric, at defending, and he didn't trust Cuco Martina, our backup RB, for anything at all really. So he played back 5, Bertrand playing as a centreback, for a while. In other words, he really isn't afraid to change up the system and play players out of position. That can be good, because Bertrand has excelled in that role, it can also be bad, for instance playing Yoshida (CB) at RB for several games where he made heinous mistakes. He definitely favours defensive midfielders, hence why last summer we got in Romeu, Clasie etc. Both are defensive, Romeu arguably moreso although Clasie has a reputation of being a tough little guy. This was in a season that we kept Wanyama, as well. So defensive midfield is a big thing. He really doesn't appreciate small nifty attackers. Juanmi, bought last season, and Ramirez (returning from loan) hardly got a look in. Obviously they just weren't up to the physical standard of the premier league, although it could be argued that he just isn't that keen on this kind of attacker. Mane is pretty strong, even though he goes down easily. So he's defensive minded, but he also likes good play. His standard formation for us has been 4-2-3-1, with a big CF up top. Bear in mind Pelle is a favourite of his, as is long, both are good in the air although Pelle's workrate is at times questionable. Steven Davis, James Ward-Prowse, Mane have also been a key part of the saints set-up this year. Make of that what you will as regards qualities he favours. He left Dusan Tadic on the bench for a lot of the season, even though he has been outstanding season before last and made good showings last year as well. Set pieces are a big point for him. Yoshida, but more prominently as season went on Cuco Martina, replacing Cedric as first choice RB, was an indication that he likes height in the box, and expects the RB to play closer to his own box, rather than out wide, allowing players on the wing, such as Tadic, JWP etc. to track back to the corner flag to be defending crosses.
 
He seems to be a good people manager, and several players have come out to say they enjoy playing under such a well renowned defender of his experience. He speaks several languages, which probably helps. However, don't be mistaken in thinking that all our players were his idea. Pelle, Tadic, Romeu, Van Dijk had already been touted (probably by Paul Mitchell, now at Spurs as head of recruiting) before his arrival. Mind you it's difficult to escape the Dutch nationality/played in Eredivisie links. Now that the rumours of Koeman leaving are starting to snowball, some stuff has come out about maybe his relationship with some players not being 100%, and that certain individuals were going to be happy that he's gone. I don't know how true it is.
 
It's true that we're sad to see him go. He comes across as a real nice bloke. But without wanting to finish on a low, it must be said that I don't want Saints successes over the past two seasons attributed to him (i.e. that you can be tempted to think, "he's taken them to their highest ever league finishes"). We have an excellent club structure, scouting and player development system, and our management (aside from notable high profile fiasco's including this one, Alderwiereld transfer and any-other-SFC-transfer-rumour) seem to be very steady and capable. In other words, he's had good people around him. We seem to find that not an insignificant number of players/managers who come here tend to have a wobble when they leave, or collapse completely. The former is understandable, the latter could be down to the club structure making them appear much more capable than they are. I'll leave that there.
 
Koeman can bring out the best in some of your players, and he'll love having a diverse squad that can provide different playing styles/options. In other words, expect that he'll want to have a fast striker, a big CF, a tricky player like Deulofeu (is that how you spell?), wingers, players who can play as either full back or centre back, etc. He likes to have diversity so that second half he can change it up.
 
Listen, I know these are rumours and you and me both are anxiously waiting any announcement...but good luck, hope this provides some interesting food for thought. Get back to me if you've got any questions - happy to try and answer!