Southampton Blog: The Humble Pie Edition

At the start of the summer, with Southampton players and management reportedly queuing for the exit, I wrote that the club had wasted its big chance to make meaningful and lasting strides in English football’s standings. With piercing insight I identified Chairman Nicola Cortese’s January departure as the root cause. Justly, I bemoaned our chances of holding onto the star players. A hugely difficult season was surely to follow for the depleted squad left behind, I reasoned sagely.

After eleven Premier League fixtures, Southampton sit in second place. They boast the nation’s best defensive record, and beat Sunderland by a record eight goals to nil.  They have reached the League Cup quarter-finals after winning away at Arsenal and Stoke. It has been their best ever start to a top-flight season; my confident prediction of a supremely underwhelming future with a demotivated and makeshift squad now appears patently ridiculous. At the time it was commonplace.

In May, Mauricio Pochettino became Tottenham’s latest new manager. Evidently he was unconvinced that the club could sustain its progress and momentum without Cortese. I shared his worries and met his decision with a glum acceptance; it was to be expected. With the popular Argentine gone, what the media would dub ‘the great Southampton exodus’ began in earnest.

First, club legend Rickie Lambert got his dream move to Liverpool. The excellent Luke Shaw joined Manchester United. Dejan Lovren was eventually reunited with his head, which he claimed had been at Anfield for some time. Adam Lallana’s form was rewarded and he also joined Liverpool. Yet another academy graduate, Calum Chambers, joined Arsenal after just one year and 23 appearances in the Saints’ first team. “Our position remains unchanged in that we are determined to keep our best young players at the club”, said Les Reed.

From Match of the Day darlings to crisis club in a few short weeks; panic and ridicule abound on social media. To many, myself included, this marked the end of the club’s journey since the 2009 takeover. Those most associated with that era were gone. The sales were the first in years that felt beyond the club’s control; tacit admittance that with Cortese went our ambition. Smarting from this painful realisation, we braced ourselves for a decline to plodding mediocrity.

Left holding the proverbial baby in the offices of St Mary’s were director Les Reed and new chairman Ralph Krueger. Berated for their singular lack of strategy (guilty), fans and commentators condemned the sales. The disillusioned fan-base was unhelpful but a growing list of wantaway players was their more pressing concern. At the height supporter outrage it was said that Morgan Schneiderlin and Jay Rodriguez were too close to leaving. Finally, Krueger broke cover:

“Morgan and Jay are part of the core we have decided to keep at Southampton” he said, “the deals put us in a strong position to reinvest and rebuild.” At the time Krueger’s spin was met with no small amount of mockery (me, again); the fans’ trust had eroded. An angry twitter outburst from Schneiderlin suggested Krueger had lost the support of the remaining players too, but a line had been drawn and the club dare not cross it now. ‘No more’, Southampton said. It has proved to be a major turning point.

In the midst of the panic and the anger of the summer, Dutchman Ronald Koeman had been appointed as the club’s new manager. With a CV that included two Europeans Cups and four La Liga titles as a player, Koeman was never likely to be content to see Southampton regress under his stewardship; his tenure so far has completely reversed the anticipated Southampton narrative of 2014/15.

As yet, his signings have been almost unanimously successful; Graziano Pelle, fresh off the back of two highly prolific seasons playing for Koeman at Feyenoord, has settled in very nicely indeed, adding a formidable physical presence and recording nine strikes already. I had feared the 29 year-old would flop in the Premier League, citing Altidore’s Law: Those who many score in Holland shall not also score many in England. As is the season’s theme - I was very wrong.

Dusan Tadic, another signing from the Eredivisie, has also shone; his vision, footwork and crossing have done much to fill Lallana’s shoes. Ryan Bertrand’s arrival was deemed by some fans (my apologies, Ryan) as scant consolation for the loss of Shaw, but so good has Bertrand been that the youngster hasn’t been missed. Alderweireld and Forster are further astute additions to the Saints’ defence – high in confidence and quality. Mane and Long add diverse options up front.

Koeman’s recruitment may account a portion of the early success – but Southampton’s record of 25 points from 11 games bears further explanation.

Somehow, Koeman made converts of those fiercely loyal to the old regime. Schneiderlin’s was a situation that threatened to turn very bitter indeed, but his application and commitment have been exemplary since the season’s start. Jose Fonte was also linked with a move away; Koeman made him captain and he has since got his first Portugal call-up at the age of 30. Nathaniel Clyne, who shared a position with Calum Chambers last term, is absolutely thriving and must now be seen as a front-runner for England’s right back slot at Euro 2016. Those Southampton chose to retain are producing their finest ever form in positions of new responsibility in the team. I eagerly await Jay Rodriguez’s return.

Koeman’s side press for the ball in the opponents’ half, not unlike Pochettino, though perhaps with the lung-busting intensity turned down a notch or two from eleven. Midfielders Davis, Wanyama, Schneiderlin and Cork are all expert at regaining possession but pick their moments to force errors. Southampton have profited from plenty of these at vital times already this season; Wanyama’s wonderful finish at Hull was virtue of harrying a nervous keeper, while Newcastle and Sunderland gifted goals at St Mary’s. Fortunate yes, but not a coincidence.

With odds shortening on a top four finish and a title challenge endorsed by several pundits who should know better, a fresh challenge awaits Koeman after the international break when a run of difficult fixtures come thick and fast. The Saints’ start means they can afford to lose a few, and they probably will. How they recover in the New Year will be what decides their season and whether they really stand a chance of European football – a truly momentous achievement that would stun the English game. I suspect not, but I’ve been wrong before…

Hodgson's England Set Off on the Long Way Back

There has been much soul-searching on the state of the national team in the months since the World Cup. What is English football getting so wrong that our players couldn’t muster a single win from our group? Grassroots coaching and the Premier League have been under scrutiny for some time and the quality of players they provide for the national team loudly condemned, but England’s build up to last night’s trip to Switzerland was set against a fresh media backdrop; a narrative that has slowly built momentum ever since Luis Suarez thrashed the ball past Joe Hart in Sao Paulo back in June.

 For the first time the country’s sports writers seem to have mutually permitted each other to criticise Roy Hodgson, whose name had sprouted the prefix ‘under pressure’ - usually seen just a bad result or two before ‘under-fire’ and finally ‘beleaguered’. While those pre-tournament concerns are certainly not without foundation, the truth is that the England’s World Cup squad was a good one and we could have expected a far better tournament.

The good-will that the manager enjoyed previously has run out and henceforth he shall be judged on merit, of which, truthfully, his reign is in short supply. Hodgson himself lent extra weight to the perception of his being under increasing pressure with a public outburst following last week's lifeless friendly against Norway and was forced to deny that he was cracking under the strain of the job.

In my view the spreading dissatisfaction of the national team is justifiable given the wider context of the national team's failures, but the latest target for our disappointment stems from a lazy backward glance at what happened this summer.

In the weeks and months before the World Cup Hodgson made all the right decisions; he made bold selections in his squad and then with his starting XI, taking to Brazil a group of players who had no deficiency of flair, attitude or goal-threat – perhaps just experience. In the two games in which it is fair to judge the team, we were not undone in our strategy, quality on the ball or ‘not giving a toss’ as Harry Redknapp helpfully suggested.

We lost our opening two games in a few vital moments at either end of the field. England made few more than four defensive mistakes yet conceded four goals, while they could easily have had more than the two they registered against Italy and Uruguay.

That is an opinion too readily shot down by disheartened Englishmen. ‘We lost, finished bottom of the group. We're terrible. End of discussion’, they say. Football may be a simple game, but there is no need to think about it so simply.

I found our failure at the World Cup perversely interesting. Painful yes, but nuanced. The overwhelming emotion for me: frustration at unrealised potential. Not the crushing disappointment of 2006 or the outright disillusionment of 2010. Just two years ago we faced Italy in the quarter finals of the European Championships and approached the game as a football league side might against a Premier League one. Scott Parker scrapped in midfield and Andy Carroll won knock-downs for Walcott to chase. While technically we fared worse this summer, I would argue the team has come a long way.

While it cannot be said that England deserved to qualify in Brazil – you get what you deserve in a three game group – it is nevertheless compatible and fair to say that were Group D played out one hundred times and England performed identically, we could probably expect to get through the group more often than not, and our three results would be better in the vast majority of those hypotheticals.

Still, it is very much not in the nature of sport discussion to hang too much significance on such an argument. Only with the benefit of future successes may Hodgson protest that he was actually getting quite a lot right at Brazil 2014.

It is a debate he cannot win with the information available now. The earliest possible vindication for Hodgson’s England reign is nearly two years away in France. He can do nothing but patiently ride out what will likely seem to most like highly depressing times for English football. A squad including Colback, Delph and Rose sparked derision, but Hodgson will believe that last night's victory is the start of a brighter era for the English game.

Jack Wilshere is a season-length run of games away from realigning his form and his ability. Phil Jones looks set to be given the chance to prove himself in Manchester United's central defence, the only position he is truly suited to. In Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Raheem Sterling, England have two of the best young midfielders in world football and they will only continue to improve. Barkley and Walcott are highly exciting players to be welcomed back from injury this year, while Chambers, Stones and Shaw will surely make the 2016 squad. James Ward-Prowse, Will Hughes and Patrick Roberts are impressive young players who are destined for the top.

England’s victory over the Swiss holds greater significance to their manager than just the three points from the toughest fixture in the group. It’s the halting of a story that could have lead to a rather ignominious end to the biggest job of his career – and highlights his opportunity to build a competitive new squad now that the last of the 'Golden Generation' have stepped aside.

We Are Southampton, and We Know Our Place

It should have been a glorious time to be a Southampton fan. A thrilling, record-breaking league season, three players in the England World Cup squad and plaudits showering down around us – the culmination of a brilliant five years of uninterrupted progression. Surely in the closing weeks of the 2013/14 Premier League season I should have been able to bask in satisfaction of a club well-run.  

Why then, have I increasingly felt a creeping anxiety whenever my mind turned to the club? A similar sensation to that which might creep into the last few days of a beach holiday; unable to fully enjoy oneself in anticipation of the depressing moment when your sister picks you up from Heathrow. 'Damn', I thought as I witnessed the best Southampton side I'd ever seen tear Newcastle to pieces at St Mary's in March, 'I'm going to miss this.' 

This frustrating, irrational sensation did not accompany any of the Saints' excellent performances before Christmas, a time when I supposed I had years of these kind of exciting performances to look forward to. Ah, happy, heady days indeed! What could turn such optimism into the kind of pre-nostalgic anxiety I have described above? 

It was the change in the St. Mary's boardroom that brought about my shift in perspective, and sadly Wednesday's confirmation that Mauricio Pochettino had jumped ship to Tottenham after only 16 months in charge has justified my gloomy outlook.  

Rewind to August. Re-established in the Premier League, the club targeted the next, more difficult step - a permanent position challenging for places closer to the top than the bottom of the league table. Supplementing its settled yet hungry side with ambitious purchases from abroad – the aim was to take this opportunity to lay meaningful foundations for an exciting future. 

  

The entire organisation appeared to be on the offensive. ‘Who can we sign?’ it asked, not ‘Who can we keep?’ 

Even considering the talented squad he had at his disposal, Pochettino made quite an impact on the league in his first full season. Roy Hodgson regularly cast his eye over the English talent excelling at St Mary's, and soon called up four Saints to his international squad. In spite of boardroom upheaval midway through the season the team continued to impress, and watching our run-in there was little to suggest that Southampton's 8th placed finish represented a glass ceiling for this young set of players. As it turned out, the relative calm signified a grace period; it was the momentum of years of success that saw us cruise to a new record points tally.  

Upon arrival the new board, headed by chairman Ralph Krueger, preached patience. Amidst the escalating speculation of external interest in players and management we were reminded that all decisions would be made 'with the best interests of Southampton FC in mind.'

Such a strategy is not unusual. Indeed, I expect that every sports team or business implement a similar plan day on day. But the statement is not meaningless. In this context its meaning depends entirely on an interpretation, the owner’s, of what it is that Southampton FC should be. Given what we know about why the boardroom reshuffle took place to begin with, I find myself concurring with the stories of impending disaster in the press. Perhaps that explains the feeling in my stomach - after all, we are staring down from a great height. 

 It wasn’t until relatively recently that Katharina Liebherr began to take an active interest in affairs at the club, affairs which had previously been left entirely to Nicola Cortese. That their visions for the club did not exactly coincide is not surprising. Her thoughts are not his thoughts, neither are her ways his ways.

The reason for the Italian's departure is likely to have been what is called is the music industry ‘creative differences’. Ms Liebherr clearly did not share Cortese’s ambitious vision. She has inherited a business that she may very well have the intention and ability to run relatively successfully, but Cortese’s ambition to drive Southampton forward will have required more financial backing than ever. The suspicion that Liebherr was unwilling to support the chairman’s grand plans is not to say she her decisions are dictated solely by money, but that she didn’t share the optimism of his dream. 

  

Krueger’s statement from the mouth of Cortese while he wielded the power and (admittedly, not his own) money would have carried significantly more promise. Whether or not his replacements at the helm of the club are up to the task, evidently they were wholly unable to convince Pochettino that the club he enjoyed such a fine first season at was worth staying at for even a little while longer. As I said, ostensibly Southampton FC looks a fantastic place to manage, yet as I write this (and note, when I started this article rumours of player sales and managerial exits were only rumours, making for several unenjoyable rewrites) the majority of our most valuable assets appear to be clamouring for the exit. 

 At the risk of sounding sycophantic, defeatist and melodramatic: Nicola Cortese’s resignation as chairman changed everything. From the day he took over the club's upward trajectory has been dramatic, but it is important to recognise that our success according to English football's league standings is not actually the point. You would expect any moderately well-run and well-financed club the size of Southampton to make it back to the Premier League. His practical qualities as a football chairman are only half the story - it was his ability to sell his lofty ambitions to great young players and an equally ambitious young manager that made him so valuable to the club.  

Perception is key. How do you convince the likes of Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Morgan Schneiderlin that they are better off staying at Southampton over moving to more traditionally illustrious clubs? How do you convince the likes of Dejan Lovren to join? Cortese sold the players the dream, and provided them with everything they needed to fulfil it - but most important was the belief he inspired. That I believed in it too is what makes this summer's drastic backward steps so disappointing. 

For so many years the club and others like it have cultivated talented squads and enjoyed occasional successful seasons only to be stripped of their heroes and asked to try again. For a minute there I thought we might actually have found ourselves in a position to break free of a long-held tradition of passably enjoyable mediocrity, but it appears I was mistaken. Southampton are a fine example of 21st century football's cycle of futility. Like Promethus on the rock.*

For Southampton FC, losing players the quality of Lallana and Shaw is to be expected under ordinary management. Under our guise of an ultra-progressive, ambitious club we might have stood a chance of retaining them for a while longer, and threatened to upset the league's natural order. My fear, compounded by what is turning out to be a truly appalling start to Krueger's first summer in charge, is for how much less Southampton FC expects of itself now. 

*Apologies, all avoidance of melodrama is now abandoned - the Rickie Lambert transfer story brought about rewrite number 3, and has hit me hard. 

Arsene Wenger: A Most Underrated Man

On the back of seven straight league wins few expected Everton’s European charge to falter so badly against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, but now that it has Arsene Wenger has reason to be optimistic going into the final four games of the league campaign.

A penalty shootout win over serial overachievers Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup on Saturday was followed by victory at home to West Ham on Tuesday, and Palace’s heroic performance capped off what could be a hugely significant week in Arsenal and their manager’s future. On the face of it, the week’s achievements are hardly ground-breaking, but coming off the back of yet another disastrous away defeat to a league rival last weekend the players must be given due credit. Not for the first time in recent years, Wenger’s side grit their collective teeth and got the results they needed to avert disaster.

At this point I can almost hear the howls of frustration as Arsenal’s army of keyboard warriors struggle to articulate the severity of their disagreement within the character limit, having already used up 10 on #wengerout. Yes, it has been 9 (nine) long years for Arsenal fans to endure the ridicule of their neighbours, rivals and just about anyone else au fait with English football. And yes, Wenger has sometimes appeared to prioritise the riches of European football over the glory of lifting a domestic trophy. Disillusioned by another season of promise embarrassingly spurned at the hands of their title rivals, it is true that many of their supporters have reached breaking point.

There are probably even some who would have preferred not to have seen three such pivotal results go in their favour this week if it meant the end of Wenger’s time in charge. I sympathise, but they should endure a little longer. There is much about their club to be envious of, and the manager’s ideology is at the heart of it all.

Wenger has never failed to supply Champions League football despite having to show an unparalleled restraint in the transfer market. In contrast, David Moyes – an excellent manager despite his painful first season as United boss – may not even finish in the top 6 despite adding expensive signings to the championship winning side he inherited. Wenger’s consistency, while no match for the devastating form of the Invincibles, is a remarkable feat. His endurance in the face of such ardent criticism is perhaps even more remarkable.

It might not seem like it, as they try to fend off a late charge from Everton coming up on the rails, but this season wasn’t far from being one of Arsenal’s greatest. Despite long-term injuries to the majority of their key (and mostly British) players at one point or another, Arsenal held onto top spot until a red-hot Liverpool dispatched them in February and were still well in the title-race before Chelsea ran riot at Stanford Bridge the following month. Unacceptable and embarrassing defeats, yes, but none of their rivals’ plentiful, expensive squads have had to cope with so many players in the physio room.

I find it hard to fathom how Arsene Wenger continues to operate, seemingly resolute and personally unaffected, after his depleted young side suffered those defeats at Anfield, Goodison Park and Stanford Bridge - and the football world declares it his fault with a gleeful vitriol. That’s what you get, Arsene. That’s what you get for trying to win the league without throwing money at it.

The philosopher Thomas Nagel wrote that there is something what it is like to be a bat; a consciousness is always experienced. Sometimes it is easy to forget that there is actually a consciousness that we call Arsene Wenger, reading a paper in his office, listening to a radio phone-in in his car, overhearing the opinions of laymen everywhere - and the laymen all think he should be sacked from his job. “Why can’t we be like Chelsea?” they cry to Alan Green. “Why can’t we be like Manchester City and have all the expensive players?”

That hardly seems fair, he must think to himself in his car, because for years this football club has asked me to nurture young talent into world class performers who actually give a toss about the club they play for, and not just buy ready-made stars because generally that’s a poor business model and it makes football all a bit soulless and depressing. And even now I have done that, a lot of my best players have been injured for long parts of the season and I don’t have a £30m foreign replacement in the reserves who we signed on a whim on the last day of the transfer window. And even after that we spent most of the season at the top of the league. Yes, it does seem rather harsh to blame me for our falling away in the latter stages of the title race, but I take Tim from Bournemouth’s point.

How many points’ difference would Walcott have made? Or Ramsey, if his astonishing season wasn’t curtailed? Oxlade-Chamberlain? Wilshere, a player who is in desperate need of 18 months injury free, was hurt playing in an England friendly. It’s wholly unsurprising that Wenger’s side couldn’t keep up the pace, although of course the manner of their defeats in the springtime made it harder for their supporters to take.

Clouded by that disappointment and embarrassment it may be harder to see, but progress is being made and were Arsenal to beat Hull to win the FA Cup next month there will be something of a redemptive element for Wenger. Stoically, he takes the abuse, he avoids disaster and he rebuilds. Hopefully he’s seen the last of that pattern. If he indulges himself a few calculated forays into the transfer market this summer and keeps his key players in good shape, Arsenal’s fans might just see something altogether more worthy than the free-spending overhaul they pine for.