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Episode 324: Will dragging out this manager decision cost us in the long run?
139 Plays8 days ago
Southampton – Greg flies solo today with lots of thoughts on managers, world cups, upcoming fixtures and Tonda Exkert.
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Transcript
00:00:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
Hello and welcome back to the Daily Southampton, part of the Global Sports Podcast Network. My name is Greg Elliott, flying solo today because unfortunately at our scheduled time of recording, the internet was down, all of it.
00:00:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Cloudflare had all sorts of issues and we were unable to record. So flying solo tonight with with a short episode but sticking with the daily theme, it's sir still the international break. we're still bereft of news from the club.
00:00:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's almost like, uh, uh, an eerie radio silence. But despite that, uh, I've got some things to talk about, uh, and some things to think about.
00:00:56
Global Sports Podcast Network
So let's just get straight into it. Uh, it would be remiss of me not to mention, uh, despite not being primarily saints news, Scotland's qualification for the world cup for the first time in 28 years. Uh,
00:01:12
Global Sports Podcast Network
Unbelievable scenes. Unbelievable game. Crazy the way it played out. I know that there's often a rivalry between England and Scotland, but I mean i personally enjoy seeing all the home nations do do well.
00:01:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
and just Just fascinating to see it play out. Obviously, from a Saints perspective, Shea Adams coming on off the bench and Hoiberg starting for Denmark in that game that sort of finished up before too But, I mean, fair play to Scotland.
00:01:48
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think it's it's unbelievable. It's brilliant for them. You love to see it. And, you know, I was talking yesterday in the show about how It's that part of the tournament football that excites me when those fans that are going to become the exciting part of the tournament get to go and do it and do to to be a part of it. And Scotland are going to tick that box for sure. There's going to be some entertaining, lively stuff in the World Cup.
00:02:19
Global Sports Podcast Network
And yeah, just just absolutely fair play. Good stuff. Good stuff in indeed. Other than that, Slim Pickens from the club.
00:02:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
We didn't talk about it on the show, but it did come out that almost confirmation that we won't be signing Yulert at the end of his own deal, his loan deal, and in fact that he may well be recalled off his loan.
00:02:49
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, I don't know if that's you know, based off of performance or, or what really we've not seen lot of him, but, uh, but you know, he's been out with injury as well. It could be fitness levels. It could be, be anything, but it's, it's fascinating to me where it's a position that we're struggling with so much for it to come out. This is now the second time it's come out.
00:03:18
Global Sports Podcast Network
that they won't be activating his 8.5 million euro option to buy. but this is the, the first time it's come out that we might terminate his loan with Galatasaray in January. It's just, it's, it's just a shame. It's one of those smears that's going to go against Sports Republic when we look back on the transfer window. And I don't think it's necessarily because he's a bad player because from what we've seen of him on the pitch, uh,
00:03:46
Global Sports Podcast Network
he looked promising to me like a decent enough fullback, but it's just, it's another one of those signings of promise that hasn't worked out for Sports Republic that we've talked a lot about. And it will be interesting in the upcoming transfer window in January.
00:04:05
Global Sports Podcast Network
If we see them double down on that policy and on those guns, stick to their guns in that respect, or if, you know We've seen the rumours of players like Ward Prowse coming back.
00:04:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
and obviously We've seen, obviously, Romelu come back into the club. We wonder if that's a turn that they take and start trying to bring in experience to help bolster up the youth and the promise that they've signed.
00:04:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's adding a lot of intrigue to what is clearly going to shape up to be a fascinating January window. You know, we've got such a congested set of fixtures coming up there's still uncertainty with the manager which I will get to and talk about uh later on in the show but I think it's something like 17 just a crazy amount of games coming up before the end of the year and it uh
00:05:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
it will be interesting to see how that shapes the need for action in the January transfer window. Because, you know, we could go on a really good run now, and then all of a sudden it becomes a much more real prospect that we're still going to be pushing for promotion. Because I feel like within the club, that is still the target, despite this setback and despite where we're at at the moment.
00:05:27
Global Sports Podcast Network
The target is still to go up this season. so you know If we go on that run, how much backing do we get in in that win? source So it's like nine league games between now and the end of the year you know in in six weeks.
00:05:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
it's It's crazy. And then you know January also continues to come thick and fast, right? We've got fixtures on New Year's Day and then straight after you know Thursday into Sunday.
00:05:59
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's non-stop. So then what our target becomes in the January transfer window, it really becomes a fascinating picture. It looks, you know, are we going to have this situation where we're still trying to reduce what we've often called, you know, a still rather bloated squad? Are there to be players that leave? You know, players like Sammy Adozi and Joe Rebo who have been on the fringe but looking to leave. Are they actually going to get their move and go? It's going to be One to keep an eye on and how it plays out is going to be such an interesting, interesting such a pivotal window for Sports Republic.
00:06:35
Global Sports Podcast Network
With all of the focus, rightly or wrongly, on them, it's going to be pivotal for them to do well. And it will be fascinating to see whether they balance it with experience and youth.
00:06:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
or we see a fire sale, or we see a panic and we bring in loads of more players than we need. It's going to be interesting. I think from a fan's perspective and a fan's opinion, we need a striker who can score goals more consistently. I know we've I've talked before about that. It's like a unicorn that doesn't exist. But Adam Armstrong is a good striker at championship level. Unfortunately, he needs...
00:07:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
three or four chances to score the one. We've seen that time and time again. We saw that in the last championship season. That's not secret. We need mean someone with a better hit rate. Maybe a more than 50% hit rate is where we need to be aiming at. And what that looks like and who that player is, I don't know.
00:07:34
Global Sports Podcast Network
But I think that and do we are we going to sign a goalkeeper? I just don't know if we will. but it is a concern. It is something that we talk about almost every week on the show as the position of concern. So, yeah, there's a lot there's lots of different paths and lots of ways that this January window is already shaping up to be one of the more interesting things coming up coming up for the club.
00:08:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
It's just going to be really fascinating to see what they do. Right, want to to talk about the period of uncertainty. i want to talk about the manager. But let's have a little break and hear a message from our partners at Bionique.
00:08:54
Global Sports Podcast Network
Okay, so I am back. So, it has also come out in the press, although not perhaps directly from the club, but it's very clear that Tondareca is going to be in charge for this series of three games coming up against Charlton, Leicester and Millwall.
00:09:10
Global Sports Podcast Network
Now, there's two very distinct ways to look at this, because these are three teams who are, you know, frankly, in form, right?
00:09:21
Global Sports Podcast Network
Leicester doing very well. Millwall, you know, superseding people's predictions in Charlton, as we all know, well up in it at the moment, much to our sort of chagrin. And it's going to be an interesting one heading into Charlton. It's going to be an interesting atmosphere. I'm sure that the travelling away fans will have plenty of words for Nathan Jones to try and, you know, deal with that. And it'll be...
00:09:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
I know, it'll be a fascinating atmosphere to behold. It'll be interesting and see how it plays out. But we talked that Tonda had bought the club time to to give you know himself the wiggle room to get these games without being forced to make a decision.
00:10:08
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think the fact that they haven't you know gone out and made a clear statement signing of the manager... it speaks pretty clearly to me that their favourite for the job is Tonda Rekut and his these next three games are effectively like a drive-on-drop interview, right? Because if he goes and gets even as many as six points from these three games, it's very hard to argue that he hasn't done enough to earn that place.
00:10:40
Global Sports Podcast Network
And that is interesting and there will be people that shoot that down as bad and there will be people that shout out was good and I don't know if I sit in either of those camps yet and we've talked at length about who we think the next manager is going to be and I think I've said it time and time again and there's no name on the list that jumps out and excites me and in fact you know there's not even a proper list available on the betting sites anymore so
00:11:09
Global Sports Podcast Network
I mean, he's he's here and has an understanding of club and has already picked up two wins. So, you know, why not give it a go and see how it plays out? But the nice thing is not rushing in and giving it to him until the end of the season. He's got these three games to see, you know, if that momentum continues.
00:11:26
Global Sports Podcast Network
And three tough games. That's the other thing, right? if there was If there is someone else lined up who they'd want to bring in, is these three games with very little turnaround.
00:11:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
the games you want to bring them into because they're going to be, they're not going to be easy games. You know, Charlton is going to be a, an, an atmospheric game at the Valley.
00:11:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, there's going to be a bit of bite to it. Probably it's going to be an interesting interesting set out. And we'll talk about that, you know, as we get closer to it later in the week, more and more. Leicester, obviously another relegated club who also, you know, fighting,
00:12:06
Global Sports Podcast Network
for survival to to get back up. That's what they need to do as well. and And, you know, Millwall, I mean, playing Millwall is always always fighting a fighting affair, right? it's None of these games are easy. I mean, there's no easy games in the in the championship, but but these are three particularly difficult ones at particularly pivotal point of the season.
00:12:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
And, yeah, if he can go on and get six or seven points from those three games. You know, is that enough to get him the job permanently? I don't know. Is it enough to get him another three games?
00:12:45
Global Sports Podcast Network
Probably, you know, we've got another three game seven day period straight after that. then we've got Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday again. So, you know, it's, he's bought the club, the option by doing as well as he's done in the short period he's had.
00:13:02
Global Sports Podcast Network
And, the look, while he's here, he has my full support. If he's going to keep winning, happy days. What more can you really ask for? it It's definitely going to be the case more than for any other manager that the results are what really counts here. We can't... We're not at a position in the season now where we can go oh, but we're performing well and we're getting there. This is, you know, this is put up or shut up time because this is the serious business end of the season, right?
00:13:31
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know... this tight set of fixtures running into Christmas and the new year. We know it's the busiest time for football and we need to we need to be kicking on.
00:13:43
Global Sports Podcast Network
And, you know, if he doesn't get those results and loses two, draws one, and we're still dragging our heels about our manager, then that noise around the board and the decisions they're making is is only going to grow and grow and get louder and louder. And that's a position they really don't want to be putting themselves into.
00:14:03
Global Sports Podcast Network
So it's a tricky position they've got themselves in where there are not a lot of right answers. And a lot of the right answers are very dependent on the results and if they come.
00:14:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
So, you know, let's hope that they do. And let's hope, you know, let's hope Tonda just doesn't lose another game until the end of the season.
00:14:25
Global Sports Podcast Network
I think every Saints fan would be happy with that and would be united behind that as a decision in that scenario. but It's going to be tight. It's going to be interesting.
00:14:38
Global Sports Podcast Network
and you know We have to face the reality of the position we're in. Zach talks a lot. One of his favourite sayings on the show is maybe we're just not as good as a lot of us think we are or think we should be.
00:14:51
Global Sports Podcast Network
and Maybe that is the case, but I mean, i also don't think we're as bad as where we are in the table suggests. I think the right answer is probably somewhere in the middle. but But to even get back to that middle point, this is where we need to start putting it in and getting those results to show it.
00:15:13
Global Sports Podcast Network
You know, if we get seven points from these three particularly tough games and push ourselves on and push ourselves up, you know Obviously, all of the other teams play as well, but seven points on top of where we are gets us into fifth or sixth based on the table at the moment.
00:15:29
Global Sports Podcast Network
Even with other teams playing, and that's probably enough to push us up to eighth, ninth. And then we're you know a sort of almost tantalizingly close to where we're aiming for. so And you know then it comes thick and fast again.
00:15:44
Global Sports Podcast Network
right Birmingham into West Brom into Norwich in a in a seven-day period. it's just the games start coming and they don't stop coming and we just need to be pushing on at this point. It's such an unfortunate part of the season to have this uncertainty. This is the point we needed to be settled and kicking in for and and having this uncertainty hanging over our heads. I just hope it doesn't come back and bite us and cost us.
00:16:16
Global Sports Podcast Network
But, uh,
00:16:17
Global Sports Podcast Network
We will have to wait and see. Right, that, unfortunately, is is all that I have time for today. Slim pickings, news-wise, from the club, I am afraid, but we will be back tomorrow with a much more structured and much more prepared episode with something that's a bit of fun.
00:16:36
Global Sports Podcast Network
And I can't wait to bring it to you. Thank you very much for joining me today and listening. Let me know and the comments on the socials, what do you think? is Is it too much dilly and dallying? Do they need to make a decision?
00:16:50
Global Sports Podcast Network
yeah Is it going to cost us in the long run to faff around and change at this point in the season when things are so congested? Let me know. What is the right answer? I would love to hear it. Let me know in the comments, on socials.
00:17:04
Global Sports Podcast Network
We're on all of them. X, TikTok, Blue Sky, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, everywhere. Hit us up. Let us know. We love hearing from you. Like I say, will be back tomorrow.
00:17:15
Global Sports Podcast Network
with something that's a bit of fun. But until then, thank you everyone for listening and have a wonderful day.