Saints have made a big decision in appointing Ruben Selles as first team manager until the end of the season, this will please most Saints fans, but it is a massive leap of faith given the fact that the Spaniard has little managerial experience other than an assistant.

No Saints supporter who travelled to Stamford Bridge last Saturday can deny that there was a different atmosphere and spirit both in the Saints team itself and also the supporters, it gave that new manager bounce that we had all been hoping for under Nathan Jones, but didn't get.

There is no doubt that both fans and players seem to be behind Selles getting the job, but this is a massive leap of faith from the Saints hierarchy in giving him the end of the job until the end of the season, given that the Chelsea game was the first time that he had actually been the manager of a team in a Professional League.

His career so far has been as an assistant manager, as was his position at St Mary's and his only other experience in the hot seat cam when he took charge of the team in the Carabao Cup against Sheffield Wednesday, a day before Jones was appointed.

That is the big question mark in appointing him and he must be the only manager to be appointed a manager in the Premier League who has never managed before at any professional adult level, hang on a minute though this is Southampton FC and I forgot about Stuart Gray and Steve Wigley !

I'll amend that claim, we must be the only club that has appointed a manager in the Premier League with no previous managerial experience at any level.

Having got the down sides out of the way, we have to look at the positives, It is clear that the players believe in him and Selles has an aura about him, he looks like and talks like a manager who knows what he is doing, is calm & collected and believes in his own ability.

So i think most Saints supporters will welcome this move and see it as a positive, Nathan Jones was clearly not up to the job and more to the point was actually counter productive in his team selections and man management of the squad.

From this point of view literally anyone would be better than Jones.

Selles job is straightforward, he has a squad that is capable of getting us out of trouble, he needs to keep it simple, as he did at Chelsea pick the right players in the right positions, not try to over think thinks and motivate the players.

That is all that is needed, this squad with the January signings now has the quality to pull clear, it just needs leadership.

The feel good factor will also be a big factor in keeping us up, Selles last weekend was the catalyst that suddenly excited the fans again, perception is a big thing in life whether it is football or otherwise, the perception of Ralph Hasenhuttl was a big factor in the atmosphere around St Mary's over the past year or so, the perception of Nathan Jones meant that he was never given a chance by the fans and the atmosphere was toxic by the time he played his first home game in the Premier League.

Selles has already wiped away that toxicity in one foul swoop, the fans perceive he is the man for the job , we all need to get behind him and turn St Mary's into a cauldron and pick up the points at home that will steer us to safety.

It feels like there isn't much time left in the Premier League season, the reality is that we are a month behind due to the World Cup break, there are still 15 games left, a Great Escape is not yet needed, just getting a little over a point a game average will see us home

Saints announcement was short and sweet.

"Southampton Football Club can today confirm that Rubén Sellés has been appointed as Men’s First Team Manager until the end of the 2022/23 season. "

No explanations no excuses, no quotes, just the plain fact of the matter, Ruben Selles is in place, there is a job to do.

Photo: Action Images

CautiousOptimist added 09:58 - Feb 24 Thank goodness for that! We cleary need to be realistic that playing in the Championship is the most likely outcome for us next season, but appointing Selles seems like a sensible, logical decision by the club. He feels like a good fit for us - in a way that Jones just didn't - knows the players and wants the job. I honestly don't think theres anything to be lost here and he gives us a fighting chance of getting the performances we need to stay up. Its all about commitment and leadership now. And a few dollops of luck would help too.

4

Block8 added 10:00 - Feb 24 The negatives being we are bottom of the PL, would we get any top quality manager to come in now, probably not & he is inexperienced as a manager. The positives we have a good squad of young talent, he is (by all accounts) an excellent coach, the players seem happy with him and he has the personality to win over the fans. We also have, if we perform at our best a slightly easier run in than some of our rivals & if we can get a little bit of momentum it will carry us. Saying that Saturday is a very big game but in itself will neither keep us up or relegate us but a win would maybe be the start of that momentum! COYR

4

HythePeer added 10:17 - Feb 24 I think that employing anyone else would be a leap of faith!
3

Daisy_cutter added 11:05 - Feb 24 On the positive side maybe Ruben can keep us up and reach the Europa League by winning the FA cup too. As a season ticket holder pre-Ruben, I wasn't going to any cup games but now I feel like I want to go and watch again COYR's
2

DellBoyWally added 11:10 - Feb 24 "He has been at Southampton six months, two managers have changed, but he is still there. Ask yourself why. It's because every time somebody asks the players whether he is helping them, they say yes. So, of course he is still there. He is ready." That's from David Nielsen whom Selles worked with at two clubs speaking to Sky Sports. That's good enough for me.
3

saintmark1976 added 11:16 - Feb 24 Given our current predicament ( 4/9 to be relegated ) it’s about the only sensible decision that the board have made for months. In fact, it appears that they probably had no other option due to their previous mismanagement. If we do go down it won’t be Sellés’s fault.Responsibility will rest unequivocally with the board members in failing to sack Ralph in the summer, not buying a recognised striker in the last but one window and then employing Jones,who was so far out of his depth it was embarrassing. Let’s look forward now and get behind the new manager and hopefully a revitalised squad.Who knows we might just stay up despite the boards every effort to the contrary.

3

Bowlercow added 11:30 - Feb 24 Great decision I felt an instant connection with Ruben I never got anywhere near that with Jones
2

SaintPaulVW added 11:35 - Feb 24 From what we have seen if him, he looks like a class act. He now needs to prove it in a high pressure situation from now until the end of the season. Every faith he will. COYR
2

PaleRider added 11:56 - Feb 24 I think this is a sensible decision. He has good credentials as an assistant, by all accounts he is a good coach and seems to have a good rapport with the players. There appears to be no better option at the moment. However, I would bring in someone like Lawrie to act as a short term mentor for him and to act as a sounding board. Relegation is clearly still a possibility but personally I see light at the end of the tunnel.

0

StRipper added 12:07 - Feb 24 Finally I feel that we have made an appointment that will match his actions with his words. The player commitment, the cohesiveness as a team and the crowd atmosphere at Chelsea was something that many of us haven't felt in a long time. Add to that the exceptional way in which Selles came across and fielded the media questions before and after the game reinforced what an excellent appointment we are making. Who knows how things will pan out in our upcoming games. At least I am sure that I am going to enjoy this season run in, and can enjoy it as a supporter. Rather than go to games full of doubt, distracted by what bizarre decisions are going on behind the scenes with the team and our players. Bring it on. Personally, my gut feel is that fear of relegation will be a distant memory by the end of April following this appointment.

2

Chesham_Saint added 12:22 - Feb 24 The jury is out for me, but I'd prefer him to a has-been like Allardyce (although I would have taken Dyche or Potter had they been available). Leeds is an acid test whereas Chelsea was something of a free pass as nothing was really expected there. Good luck to the guy - at least he looks the part (Unlike his immediate predecessor!).
1

DorsetIan added 12:31 - Feb 24 The damage was done in the 8 PL games under Jones. Selles feels like the right appointment at this time. And fair play to the club for rolling the dice with him early and ending the managerial chatter. He seems to have the players very much on side. Good luck to him and let's see what he can do.
4

PaleRider added 12:32 - Feb 24 Chesh - you make good points. However, Dyche is a ship which has sailed and Potter is a ship which is still in port! I suspect Potter may be sacked at the end of the season, in which case a Potter/Selles combo may actually be something of a dream team for a club like Saints. For right now, I think Selles is the logical option and a short term contract is exactly the right move. It is important that everyone gets behind him for the rest of the season.

3

highfield49 added 12:33 - Feb 24 If you had been posting about the appointment of Jesse Marsche as manager until the end of the season I'm absolutely certain that the comments would have been overwhelmingly negative. Supporters are more than willing to give Selles their backing because he feels like the right person for the job unlike so many appointments in recent years. I'm possibly being too optimistic but I have a gut feeling that we can pull clear of the relegation places in the coming weeks with a manager who the players respect.

1

SaintNick added 12:55 - Feb 24 The big worry for me is that we are employing a manager with absolutely no experience and most of the fans are just taking everything at face value, he looks good, sounds good and a few players speak well of him, so he must be good ! That is perhaps the sum of his CV for the job, I dont disagree with what people people are saying, but truth is we are going on little hard facts that he is up to the job.

1

saintmark1976 added 13:16 - Feb 24 Nick, I can understand your reservations but on the other hand our board employed a manager ( Jones ) with “ experience” and that worked out marvellous well didn’t it. In truth, we are in the last chance saloon and I can’t see much of a downside in appointing Sellés.If relegation is our destiny then so be it. At least it now feels as though the players and fans are as one and prepared to go down fighting.

2

blubberboy added 13:22 - Feb 24 He wanted the job. That automatically makes him 100 per cent more suitable than any of the other candidates mentioned!
0

StRipper added 13:40 - Feb 24 Nick, you could have said the same about Pochettino? So maybe a little unfair to speak for other fans based on how you think fans are judging this appointment. That would be your perspective, not that of others. Agree its right not to be too all in or out. We'll know in the next month how things are likely to pan out. But its time for a bit of positivity. Saints seem too often to be too quick to wrap anything positive in a negative, i.e. "I think we'll probably still get relegated but..". That doesn't make a view more thought through, its just pessimistic over optimistic. The fact is, we're going to play a style of football that we are used to. We have an interim manager who knows the club, its operations, coaches and players. No other external appointment would have achieved that, whatever is on their CV. Its the positive atmosphere we need at home games now, and that needs us to fully get behind the appointment. Because that is all we have right now. And that may be a key factor in getting a few more points at home. And lets see where we are at the end of the season. Rather than worrying we might look stupid if we get behind the manager and the team and get it doesn't work out.

0

CautiousOptimist added 15:56 - Feb 24 In reply to Nicks comment - you're absolutely right to have reservations and it would be daft to think that everything is magically going to be fine. We're not privy to what goes on behind the scenes and tone of the ways we can form an opinion about Selles is how he speaks/acts/looks publicly. Thats doesn't necessarily mean accepting everything at face value but we are entitled to make an emotional judgment about whether we feel that connection with him. If we do, and it looked like it from the fans on Saturday, and comments on here, it will help us for the remaining games. I sometimes don't agree with Stmark, but I'm absolutely with him on this one.

0

ItchenNorth added 17:31 - Feb 24 Everyone needs to start somewhere. Mourinho was an assistant manager at a number of clubs (admittedly big clubs) before going straight into management of Benfica then Porto. The biggest plus is that players clear respect him. Fans can back him and the negativity of the past months is gone. Up or down, whatever division, it feels like we can at least move forward now.

0

ItchenNorth added 17:48 - Feb 24 What can not happen is, whatever the result Saturday, the moaning and fans turning again on a manager has to be kept lid on. Otherwise,its a sure fire way to throw whatever chance we have to save this season way. We are not looking for a 4th manager in one campaign. It has been now be 100% backing until we are safe or mathematically impossible.
0

aceofthebase added 19:08 - Feb 24 In the end, it is the players that will keep us in the premiership, the manager may influence matters but it is a strong team well supported by staff and fans that obtains the points. I am happy that Selles is the right man to be in charge and wish him luck and the knowledge to inspire the team.
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Sheffield United Polls