By C and H blogger Allen Cummings
Since the shattering defeat to Arsenal the speculation over Manuel Pellegrini’s future has intensified while the condemnation and in some cases sheer hatred of the owners, never far below the surface anyway with some people, has manifested yet again.
But those issues, as important as they are, cannot be allowed to take precedence over what should be the biggest issue of all these next few days – a performance and a victory over fellow struggles Southampton at St. Mary’s.
In some ways the team could benefit from having to play this crucial game away from home. The pressure of playing in front of 58,000 at the London Stadium – with the huge expectation of a clearly tentative crowd – is putting an added burden on a squad with such brittle confidence anyway at the moment.
It looks to be affecting all the players – but some even more than others. They are terrified of making a mistake, reluctant to take any responsibility, more ready to look for the easy option, a backwards or sideways pass rather than attempt to do something positive with the ball. In other words they’re becoming frightened of their own fans.
On Saturday the boot will be on the other foot. The greatest expectation will come from the majority inside the St Mary’s Stadium – the Southampton fans. Saints have lost five Premier League games at home this season and conceded 23 goals in the process.
It won’t take much the get the natives restless again! We showed at Stamford Bridge what this team is capable of when we work together. It wasn’t a fluke – it was a victory well planned, well executed and well earned.
Hugh exclusively revealed yesterday that current assistant first team coach Enzo Maresca played a big part in preparing and setting up the team for the Chelsea game. And most importantly his methods had gone down very well with the people who really matter in all this – the players themselves. It’s not rocket science surely for the powers to be to realise if it worked once, why can’t it work a second time?
We need Enzo’s input again, that surely has to be a given. It’s almost exactly a year since our last visit to Southampton. On that December evening we finished 2-1 victors – with both goals coming from a highly impressive Felipe Anderson.
How we need the talented but temperamental Brazilian to turn on the style again. The shenanigans off the pitch have to remain secondary right now to the task ahead on Saturday. We’ve heard it before – but this game could be massive in shaping the rest of the season for our club.
Do we have any news on Cresswell? Whilst the whole team capitulated against the Gooners I hold Masuaku largely responsible for the second and third. Not tight enough and showing a pure left footer inside is madness
I too hope Cresswell is fit to play James. Masuaku is a walking disaster imo.
Enzo must be involved again and the players must leave any issues in the dressing room if they are worthy of wearing the shirt.
I hate myself for saying it but if a defeat at southampton meant getting rid of pellegrinni i would take it.Anything else is just prolonging the agony.
You must see for yourself allen that the guy is a busted flush.
I agree mate. He is now just a stick to bash the club – the club I still love. He has to go.
Southampton’s recent form has been much better than ours-a couple of wins & a draw away to Arsenal. I know that is not difficult & I am aware they were tinkled by Leicester, but they have not looked like a bottom three side in recent games. They must be strong favourites for Saturday.
The Maresca situation is interesting. I must have missed it, so can anybody tell me just why he was put in charge of training for the Chelsea game, when presumably this is not the norm? Or does nobody have the inside story on this?
It happens in footie mate. I had a dig around it was just one of those things when Pelle told him to take it – not unusual. What is that it’s happened twice and the other time was against NORWICH !!!!!!!
Well they might have been tinkled by Leicester, but I was trying to say ‘tonked’. Mr Predictive Text disagreed.
IfCresswell is injured what’s wrong with playing Johnson he is a full back & would give the team a bit more pace
Agree Claret .
Any of the youth full backs must be a better option .
Yep me too
Yeh Claret, never let Masuaku play at left back! But play Balbuena Diop and Ogbonna on the left side as a back 3 then use Masuaku as a wing back but never in a back 4 ? I agree 2 goals by Arsenal were his fault. If we are going for a back 4 Cresswell every time, if not try Johnson? Reid could be a sub for any of the back 3 if any are injured in the game as he’s played for NZ and the under 23″s lately?
Thanks for that Hugh.
Those results & the player comments suggest to me that he might be a safe pair of hands as an interim manager. But it makes it harder to understand why this is being dragged on. Pellegrini looks like a man at the end of his tether. I doubt he has much too look forward to in the game after this. I know he has not provided the answer for us but he is still a decent guy who deserves to walk away from his last big job with some dignity. I know he could resign but realistically how often does that happen?
This is just horrible for everyone. I don’t blame the fans on here saying they want us to lose on Saturday. If we are winning at the final whistle there will be an instinctive surge of joy, but followed by the sinking feeling that the situation still
won’t be resolved. Desperately want to get back to enjoying my football again. Too much to ask for?
I get all of that – agree with nearly every word. I can’t hope for a defeat though although I understand why some do. For me the worst possible outcome would be a draw. Yes he’s a decent man and that makes it hard unlike Allardyce
Yeah, you are probably right about the draw, although my first reaction to a draw would be relief. Always the same-years of poor away results, so I never expect much.
But on Allardyce we will perhaps have to agree to disagree. I wouldn’t mind a cheeky £20 bet that he WASN’T the manager you spoke to about the team. Or about anything else. Still, wouldn’t be a very interesting world if we agreed about everything I guess. And that’s one unemployed manager who we know won’t be posing with a claret & blue scarf round his neck in a couple of weeks. Then again, who would have bet a year ago on Mourinho taking over at Spurs..
Allen, whilst most WHU supporters an fans would welcome a win and a very big 3 points on Saturday it would only be masking the problem and cover the cracks for a while. .should we win and get a win at Palace and at least a point against Leicester then maybe we could all.have a bit if optimision for the future but realistically I can’t see it happening. .I really hope I am wrong. .
I understand what you say. A win would just paper the cracks. But it would still be very welcome. I always want my team to win. Really can’t understand those wishing for a defeat to put even more pressure on the board. I’m sure they know what has to be done.
I’m back with my tail between my legs – I humbly apologise to Hugh for questioning his creditability, but I can only say in explanation that I reacted without thinking to a suggestion that I found ridiculous!
Of course I’m referring to this stuff about this Maresca guy being considered as an Interim Manager, should things go south against Southampton. I accept that Hugh is only reporting what he has been told, but it just seems incredible to me. I mean why was he especially involved before the Chelsea game, which turned out well, but then not for the Wolves or Arsenal game? It just doesn’t make sense. Why if something works would you revert back to a system that doesn’t work? It just doesn’t make sense – to me anyway!
The cynical me would maybe think that the Owners are floating an idea and see what reaction they get – is that too Machiavellian? – would the Owners do something like that? Quite frankly I’ve got no idea, but the idea of one of Pellegrini’s close associates seems ridiculous to me!
Again, I’d like to apologise to Hugh and I accept that he is only reporting what he has been told – my reaction was not thought through and was uncalled for!
On the training pitch things change regularly – the manager will have someone else take training now and again. Just routine. Why he didn’t notice the result after Maresca is a question for him but it happened and has been confirmed by 3 sources. Apology accepted. And yes the idea is ridiculously Machivellian because the news was given me by a training ground source plus another close to a player. Let me repeat again, I do not float stuff on behalf of anyone and it really is time you understood that.
I was just on the Alan Brazil program on Talksport – they were talking about West Ham fans wanting the Club to lose against Southampton – I said it was a real quandary, you never want West Ham to lose but I want Pellegrini out!
I floated the idea of Scott Parker taking over again, and was surprised by Alan Brazil and Jamie Ohara’s favourable reaction – but they’re both closet Tottenham men!
As much as I liked Scot in Claret and Blue as a player..as a manager no no no at the moment. .he is on the learning curve at the moment with Fulham..what’s PDC doing at the moment he would put some f..ks into them and play for the shirt