EvilDave

“Owain, can you explain what happened in the second half out there today? Your side looked comfortable at half-time, and yet Forest turned the game on its head after the break.” It was true, and I didn’t have the answers. An early goal for the hosts had been cancelled out by the 25-minute mark by Hodge and Escalada, and we were unlucky not to be even further ahead at the interval. It had been one-way traffic for the remaining 20 minutes of the half, and Forest had been lucky to get away with the one-goal deficit. But 10 minutes after the break our old nemesis Gordon Hunter fired in a leveller, and by the midway point of the half a clumsy Vandinho challenge in the penalty area allowed the hosts to go ahead from the spot, and that was that. We were a different side in the second half, and the transformation was not one I had enjoyed seeing. “I can’t explain it, no. We were excellent for 45 minutes and terrible for the second 45, and without watching things through a second time and speaking to the players individually, I can’t explain the sudden drop-off. Obviously it’s our third game inside a week, but the same is true of Forest and all I can do right now is congratulate them on their comeback.” I was trying hard not to let the irritation rise too high – for the sake of my health and my players, who in fairness had been put through a tough run in the last few days – but there was nothing I could say that could explain that second-half display. “It marks Southampton’s first Premier League defeat in nearly a whole year – 34 games since Brighton last January. How do you go about picking the side up from this point as you look to push on?” “I think the rest we’ll now get over the next few days will help, but we’ve got a good group here and they won’t need any extra picking up. We’ve lost three points today, but we’re right in the running to retain our title and have the FA Cup and Champions League coming up to contend with – there’s a lot to look forward to. We’ll review today, look at where we need to improve, and then put it behind us. It’s what we have to do.” “Will the loss today affect how you go about approaching the transfer window?” “No. We’re unlikely to be making drastic changes to the senior side, and we’ll be scouring the market for any players that might be available in the summer. That could mean first-team players, it could mean promising youngsters ready to make the step up. But one result doesn’t change our approach, no.” We were already deep into negotiations with three players – German teenagers Osier Royo and Paul Zimmer, a centre-back and striker from Frankfurt and Bayern respectively, as well as 22-year-old Spanish/Moroccan right-back Karim Yildirim from Marseille. The latter was likely to replace Antonio Miranda as second-choice right-back, the Portuguese summer signing moving to the centre-back rotation with Mel McGoona wanting to leave the club. I could understand the Welshman’s frustration at his lack of opportunities, but Miranda was an improvement in the middle and Yildirim could certainly do a job on the flanks. “Finally Owain, you go to Hillsborough for the FA Cup next week – given what happened at Barnsley earlier in the season, what sort of side will you be playing?” “We haven’t decided that yet – that will be dependent on training this week and fitness levels. I doubt I’ll be changing the entire team this time, but at the same time there are players that need time on the field and this does give us an opportunity to do that.” Given that we had lost the match, that hadn’t gone all that badly. We had still lost – and I couldn’t lose sight of that – but despite Forest’s turnaround, the stress and anger had not come completely to the fore. Maybe, just maybe, I could in fact handle the pressure after all.

Manchester United’s visit to St Mary’s was a big game. Having seen off Arsenal on Boxing Day, we had moved level on points with Roberto Martinez’ side in third place having played two fewer matches than the Old Trafford outfit, and a win here would move us out of the group of sides who may be considered part of the chasing pack into those thought of as genuine challengers. It was undeniably the game of the round in the Premier League programme, we were live on TV for all to see, and the pressure was almost certainly on. We would be favourites, albeit barely, but with our inconsistencies over the season that was hard to fathom. United, on the other hand, were on the back of four wins and high in confidence after a disappointing season last time round, and were keen to cement their place among England’s top clubs once again. That confidence shone through in the opening stages of the match, the visitors coming on strong in the early exchanges, but we held firm through the first 20 minutes and slowly began to get a foothold on the match. Once we got that foothold, we established it quickly. Inside five minutes we forced visiting goalkeeper Jaime Milla into no fewer than three top-class saves – the first tipping a wayward cross from Kus over the crossbar when it looked as if it may drop beneath the bar, the second a brave stop down low at the feet of Gelling, and the third a flying one-handed stop to keep out a 20-yard curler from Adam Bright that seemed destined for the top corner of the net. By the interval we were firmly on the front foot and penning United back, and it was somewhat disappointing that we went in level at the break. Milla was in top form into the second period as well, his heroics earning him man-of-the-match honours from the TV pundits, and in the opening moments of the half pulled off another superb stop to push away Sidibe’s powerful header, and I was beginning to doubt whether or not we were ever going to find a way past the Spanish stopper. A comfortable catch from a deep free-kick almost set United away on the break just after the hour mark, and I could once again feel my heartbeat quicken on the sideline. This time, I decided the best course of action was not to increase the volume of my instructions, but to make the necessary changes from the bench and trust in the system. Into the final quarter of the match, that trust finally paid off. Substitute Luke Shaw left his man on the floor with a deft hip feint out by the left touchline, and put in a teasing ball at hip height across the penalty area. With Milla showing a rare hint of hesitation and neither of his two centre-backs knowing whether to go with their heads or feet, there was space for my Saints to attack, and another substitute, Richard Boakye, did so in spectacular style. The Ghanaian made contact in full-length dive, launching himself at the ball between the two defenders and meeting the cross with a firm hander that left the Spaniard in goal with no chance. United were behind with just 12 minutes to play, and lacked the ability to shift through the gears that they needed. That goal was enough to move us into third place on our own, three points ahead of the Red Devils with our two games from the Club World Cup still firmly in hand. As 2029 came to an end, so too did the first half of the Premier League season for the vast majority of the teams involved, and the top of the table made for interesting reading. Despite our struggles, we were just three points behind Liverpool and Manchester City – the latter ahead of the former on goal difference alone – with the potential to go three points clear ourselves if we took advantage of our extra matches. That placed my perception of our struggles in a somewhat new light, and made me once again question whether or not the three-year extension sitting in a desk drawer in my office was worth signing. There was barely any time to consider that before our next game – away at Nottingham Forest on the first day of 2030 – but it would need some serious thought at some point. What that point was, however, was something much more difficult to ascertain.

Christmas was over before it had even started, but in truth I couldn’t remember a year when that hadn’t been the case since taking the job at Prestatyn, and it was not about to change at the home of the European champions. I was fortunate enough to have a very understanding family – and they appreciated my willingness to switch off completely from football for Christmas Eve and the day itself – but less than 24 hours after finishing the last mouthfuls of a frankly decadent festive meal, I was on the move again. This time the ladies in my life came with us, deciding to combine our away day at Arsenal with a spot of sales shopping in London. I was grateful that none of the three were particularly inclined towards retail therapy in the more stereotypical manner, but I could not resent them to chance to spend a bit of time together in the capital while I prepared my Saints for a key game at the top end of the Premier League. The Gunners had slipped a little down to 6th after a couple of poor performances, and we were ready to seize on their struggles. I was not anticipating us seizing on them so quickly however, and was delighted to see the opening goal fly in after just 11 minutes of play. It was a fine goal too – Sidibe stopped in his tracks by a late challenge from a defender, and his strike partner Jacobson stepping up to whip a curling free-kick over the wall and into the far corner, the goalkeeper expecting the shot to be placed into the other side of his goal and powerless to do anything about it whatsoever. We were glad of the lead, but Phillip Cocu’s side were not about to sit back and let us have things all our own way. As the first half ticked along, Beraldi rapidly became the busier of the two goalkeepers, and we only held our lead thanks to the referee’s assistant ruling out an Arsenal equaliser for offside. Less than three minutes later Sidibe too was denied by the linesman’s flag, and although the half-time score remained at 1-0, the end-to-end nature of the game could easily have resulted in more scoring. My men were given instructions at the interval not to allow the Gunners back into things, and the intensity with which we began the second half surprised even me – I had expected my words to be interpreted in a more defensive manner, rather than the high-pressing, quick-passing way my players chose. Regardless, it paid off in some style, a Ross Ifan shot parried into the path of Sidibe just before hour allowing the Ivorian onto the scoresheet after his disallowed strike in the first half, and at 2-0 we were looking very good for the three points. We could not possibly maintain the tempo for the full 90 minutes, but with only 30 remaining the onus was finally on our hosts to go on the offensive, and we had met Arsenal enough times for them to know that we were a very dangerous team on the counter-attack. As a result they felt unable to commit the men forward that they needed, and our defensive screen of Woodward and Hossam found it relatively easy against more manageable numbers. A couple of speculative efforts made Beraldi work a little, but the full-time whistle blew with the score unchanged, and as our hosts slipped to 7th place they were greeted with boos from the Emirates crowd. How much longer Cocu had remained to be seen. That was not our concern, as much as it was unpleasant to see another manager out of work, and yet my own future was very much on own radar between our trip to the Emirates and the visit of Manchester United. Had I been right not to commit beyond the end of the season? Should I have been more reserved with Krueger? Perhaps more pressingly, at what point did Rachel and I have a serious conversation about my future in management? The journey home to Chilworth was not the time – not with the children along for the ride – but it would have to be soon, and it would have to be decisive. I owed it to my wife and daughters to be honest and consider the options, and I owed it to the club and the fans to let them know of my intentions one way or the other. With so many unknowns still hanging in the balance it was not an easy call, but I needed to do something about it soon. It couldn’t linger forever.

May 23rd Liverpool have added the FA Cup to their Premier League title after defeating Manchester City – the side they beat to the league title on goal difference – on penalties after a 2-2 draw at Wembley. John Stones was the man denied by Alisson for the decisive spot-kick, handing Liverpool the domestic double. A few miles away at Old Trafford, David de Gea and Phil Jones have been told that they are free to leave the club if their asking prices are met – De Gea after the side failed to qualify for the Champions League, and Jones after expressing his desire for a new challenge. With Mark Wilson somehow still in charge and a rumoured £170m transfer kitty before sales, it is clear that the club’s owners are anticipating a complete overhaul of the side. May 27th Mikel Arteta won his second trophy in his first ever season in management after guiding Arsenal to the Europa League title, a 4-0 thrashing of Borussia Monchengladbach in Gdansk adding to the Carabao Cup trophy lifted earlier in the year. The Gunners overcame Celtic, Braga, Inter and Roma in the knockout rounds on their way to the final, and in lifting the trophy have booked their return to the Champions League next season. May 30th Eden Hazard’s extra-time penalty denied Liverpool an historic treble as Real Madrid secured their 14th Champions League title in Istanbul. The final proved to be a cagey affair with neither side wanting to lose, but Joel Matip pulled down Isco with just three minutes of the 120 remaining, and Hazard ended his first season in Madrid in perfect fashion to hand his side the trophy. May 31st With domestic and European competition now at an end and Euro 2020 soon to begin, we look back on the 2019/20 Premier League season: Winners: Liverpool Jurgen Klopp’s men ended 30 years of hurt by coming out on top of a titanic battle with Manchester City, taking the title by virtue of their superior goal difference. The Reds netted 101 Premier League goals, with the front three of Salah, Mane and Firmino contributing 47 of them, as they regularly blew opponents away. With an FA Cup win and Champions League Final appearance to their name as well, Liverpool will be the team to beat next season. Champions League qualifiers: Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Arsenal (Europa League winners) While the battle for the Champions League looked to be close at one point, Chelsea wound up 11 points clear of Wolves in comfortable qualification. Arsenal’s Europa League win would have seen them miss out had Liverpool lifted the Champions League, but former star Eden Hazard did them a massive favour with his winning penalty. City will be disappointed to concede their title by such narrow margins but still broke 90 points, while Spurs will be pleased with an excellent 83-point season and Arsenal have plenty of reasons to be hopeful after picking up two trophies in Mikel Arteta’s first season at the helm. Europa League qualifiers: Wolverhampton Wanderers, Leicester City Wolves took the Champions League battle into the final third of the season but ultimately fell away to settle for Europa League action next season, while Leicester put in a late surge to claim continental football after a disappointing first half of the season. Many expected Manchester United to claim this as a consolation after a disappointing start to the year, but Mark Wilson’s side continued to struggle and were undoubtedly one of the league’s underachievers, finishing down in 9th place. Relegated: Watford, Southampton, Everton Managers across the country will be on high alert after three sides tipped for midtable found themselves falling through the trapdoor into the Championship. Watford were perhaps predicted by most to struggle, however neither Southampton nor Everton featured in many pre-season predictions of failure, and will be devastated at their relegations. With the three sides picking up just 22 wins from a combined 114 games, there can be little denying that their demotions are deserved – Huddersfield, Fulham and play-off winners West Brom will be hoping they can do much better when they take their turn next season.

It wasn’t a conversation I was particularly planning on having at the time, but it had been long overdue. Mr Krueger had been kind enough to inform me of his own situation and intentions, and prepare the contract which gave me so much freedom to decide my future, that I decided it was the least I could do to be open and honest with a man who had never offered me anything less than his complete support. However, giving a straight and simple answer just wasn’t possible at this juncture. Did I enjoy working at Southampton? Most definitely – despite the struggles of the present season, the entire club was a fantastic place to work, and we were undoubtedly a team on the up. Did I want to leave for another job anywhere else? No – there was no appeal to me from one of Europe’s established giants, and I would be inclined to reject it if there was. Nevertheless, I had not signed the three-year extension because I remained unsure of whether it was the right thing to do. My recent health issues and stress warnings had left me wondering how long I could continue in football management, and I valued my commitment to Rachel and the girls far higher than I did that to any football club. If I retired immediately we would have enough money to last several lifetimes, and I’m sure I could find something to keep me occupied between family time. What’s more, a big part of the reason for my happiness at the Saints was Krueger himself – despite criticism from some quarters in the early days of his time in charge, he had learned the sport well and had not been the typical trigger-happy chairman of many Premier League clubs. His interests had always been those of Southampton and the fans – ensuring stability, backing his managers, ensuring the supporters were not priced out or left disenfranchised. His own departure from the scene, and the fact that nobody could say who would replace him, made me less inclined to sign the deal without question. To his credit, he understood my reasoning fully, and said very little to persuade me either way. I could tell that he would be hurt by my failure to sign – he had made it his personal mission to secure me for the club’s immediate future – but also understood that family trumped football every time. We concluded what turned out to be a lengthy meeting with promises to keep the other informed of our thoughts, not to hide things away from the other, and with wishes of Merry Christmas to our respective families. I could not wait for those blessed couple of days with Rachel, Bethan and Rebecca, and the visit of Fulham could not be over with soon enough. My head was in the game but my heart was already at home, and so were those of the opposing Cottagers. Sidibe struck after just five minutes to put us on easy street, a second from Bateson just after the interval secured things, and then a frantic three minutes of stoppage time – goals each from Henrique and Bright, plus a red card for our Brazilian anchor and a matching one for Fulham’s Kaveh Mousavi – closed out a 4-0 win which lifted us into the top three ahead of the season’s festivities. We would go to Arsenal on Boxing Day, and I would not see my players any more until the morning of the game. For the next two days, I was a dad and husband to the exclusion of all else. I wasn’t prepared to compromise on that.

May 17th Premier League 38/38: Norwich City (13th) vs Manchester United (10th) De Gea; Bailly, Maguire, Lindelof; Wan-Bissaka, Pogba, Fernandes (Grealish 61), Williams (Kolarov 77); Greenwood (Mata 54), Martial, Rashford Two first half goals secured Manchester United a final day win at Carrow Road, closing a disappointing season with an ultimately meaningless victory. Paul Pogba and Brandon Williams were the men on the scoresheet against a Norwich side already sure of survival, with the three points bringing a seven match winless run to an end at the final opportunity. The result sees Mark Wilson’s men end on 54 points – 37 behind champions Liverpool, 19 adrift of the Champions League spots, and four short of even Europa League qualification. By any measure of success, the year has been a failure. In the unlikely event that Wilson remains in charge next season, it is clear he has a full-blown rebuild job on his hands – the problems at Old Trafford run very deep indeed. Norwich City 0-2 Manchester United

There's not a huge amount to add to what Neil has said, other than to echo his thanks - thank you, Mark, for all your hard work and dedication to keeping this small but brilliant corner of the internet not only alive, but a fun place to hang out. You've been a great mod - props especially for the awards ceremonies! - and a legendary writer, so I look forward to seeing you keep telling your stories and no doubt extending that lead at the top of the all-time list. Thanks again for a great job well done

May 13th Premier League 37/38: Arsenal (7th) vs Manchester United (10th) De Gea; Wan-Bissaka (Bailly 82), Lindelof, Maguire, Williams; Grealish, Pogba, Fernandes (Mata 68); Greenwood, Rashford (Dzyuba 68), Martial Two late goals handed Arsenal a much-deserved win against Manchester United, officially ending the Red Devils’ hopes of European football for next season. The history books will look back at this game and see Xhaka and Aubameyang’s two goals in the final three minutes as perhaps a lucky victory, but with the bulk of possession and 35 attempts on goal it was the very least their dominance deserved. The game showed a contrast of fortunes for the two sides – while Arsenal have recovered from a poor start to secure Europa League football, reach the final of the same competition and lift the Carabao Cup, United sit 10th in the Premier League with an FA Cup Semi Final appearance their season’s highlight. Not only are the styles of Mikel Arteta and Mark Wilson very different, it would appear their abilities are too. Arsenal 2-0 Manchester United

“Thank you for coming to me at such short notice Owain, I do appreciate it – especially at this time of year, I know you’re a busy man.” “It’s no problem Mr Krueger, I know you understand these things and assumed it must be important.” Usually, when a manager to be called into the chairman’s office for an unexpected meeting, alarm bells begin to ring, and this was no different. I had no fears for my job – we had slipped to 4th in the Premier League, but had two games in hand on the competition thanks to our Indian distraction – but I knew Krueger was thinking of stepping down, and had promised to keep me informed of any developments on a potential successor. “Well, I appreciate it. I’ll get to the point Owain. As you know, I’m looking to step down as soon as the Liebherr family decide how to replace me, and while things have been going on in the background, it’s been quiet – everybody is keen that the media do not catch wind of things. Things are picking up steam however, and I want you to know before you read it in the papers – they’re looking at selling the club.” “Can I ask why? They’ve never shown any inclination to get out before now, have they?” “The family hasn’t shown a great deal of inclination to do anything for a while – can you remember when you last dealt with them? Did you even hear from them at the end of last season, after doing the Double?” “Come to think of it, I don’t think I did, no.” “Exactly. Markus Liebherr loved the club and basically saved it, but when he died it passed to Katharina. She stuck at it for a while, but she stepped out of the business in 2020 and the two cousins that took over are strictly businessman – they see Southampton as an old family investment, and have no interest in football.” “So why sell now?” “Think about it Owain – the club has never had a higher profile, looked more attractive, enjoyed so much success – in other words, been more valuable. Southampton are on top of the footballing world, they have an expanding stadium, excellent players, a manager who brings in more money than he spends – the club is highly marketable proposition at the moment, and they want to sell before either the position of strength is lost, or the sense of a team on the rise is replaced by the perception of an establishment team.” “So it’s about money.” “Of course.” “Are they close to finding a buyer?” “There are a large number of interested parties. Because the Southampton name is not as established as clubs we have been beating – Manchester United, Liverpool, even Chelsea – it would take significantly less investment to take control of this club than it would to purchase one of those, so the appeal is obvious.” “I see. And the timescale?” “It’s hard to say. When you’re talking about hundreds of millions of pounds these things can take time, and then there’s the FA and their various tests for ownership. It could be as early as January, or it could drag on into the summer. What I do know is the Liebherrs will sell at some point, and unless the prospective new owners splashes it in the press – at which point the deal falls apart – only a select few people will know until it’s very near completion. They’re very private people, so you shouldn’t expect speculation in the press.” “Is there a favourite at the moment? Any names I should look out for?” “I can’t say I’m afraid Owain, I’m sorry. However, I have a question for you.” “Yes?” “Are you planning on extending your contract?”

Rachel had been pleased to see me – as you might expect after a lengthy separation from her husband – but it was Rebecca who seemed to have missed me the most. More specifically, she had been looking forward to telling me that, in my absence, she had made her chilly debut for the girl’s football team at school, and was waiting to find out whether or not Southampton had a team she could play for. Of course, Rachel had told me much of this over Skype, but to hear the enthusiasm and excitement in her voice was thrilling in itself. Of course, Southampton did have a team she could theoretically play for – the senior women’s team were pushing for promotion to the Women’s Super League, and there were several age-group sides who were always looking for players. Rebecca would need to impress at their next trials day in January, and although she would no doubt struggle to dodge accusations of favouritism as the daughter of the men’s team’s manager, I was not about to stop her having a go. From what Rachel was able to tell about a single school match playing on an almost-frozen pitch, we had a promising young playmaker on our hands, and I had no intention of letting my career get in the way of her potential – if that was what she chose to pursue. Hoping to get in the way of my Southampton side after my enforced mini-break – a break which allowed Rachel and I to get the overwhelming majority of our Christmas shopping done as well as reuniting as a family – were Wolves, and the build-up to our clash at St Mary’s took on a wholly more pleasant tone when compared to previous encounters with the Molineux side. The difference did not take long to figure out either – Sami Hyypia brought a much more professional and amiable touch than his predecessor John Terry, with whom I have always had a somewhat frosty relationship. With the Finn on the other hand, I had nothing but a cordial relationship, and our handshake before the match was genuine and warm. Since his dismissal from Chelsea, my opposite number had done well to drag his new charges out of the bottom three and given them a real hope of survival, and the key looked to have been a new steeliness in defence. This was hardly surprising given Hyypia’s reputation as a player, but it began to grow frustrating when deployed against my Saints, and at the interval we found ourselves deadlocked at 0-0 despite dominating proceedings. Four minutes into the second half we had our breakthrough, and it came with a generous portion of good luck. After one attack of ours had fizzled out, we were given an unexpected opportunity to start another when the referee inadvertently blocked a pass between two Wolves midfielders. The ball broke perfectly for Cohen, who surged forward before playing in Sidibe for the opening goal. Hyypia had a heated exchange with the fourth official, but even he knew there was nothing to be done about bad luck, and we had the lead our play had probably deserved. It was lead which, thankfully for my stress levels, we held onto comfortably for the remainder of the match, racking up more than 30 shots at we kept Wolves pinned firmly back into their own half. In the dying seconds of the match, our Ivorian hitman headed in a second to clinch the victory, and we returned to domestic action with a comfortable victory. I had half-expected a struggle after such emphatic wins in India, and so to see out one of the more sedate 2-0 wins of my tenure came as some relief. The following day brought draws – two of them, to be precise – as we found out the identities of our next opponents in both the FA Cup and Champions League. The couple of non-league outfits remaining in the former would be left disappointed in their dreams of a game against my Premier League champions, as our ball followed that of Sheffield Wednesday. After taking on their city rivals United at the following stage last season, it would be the Owls’ turn to test themselves against us this time around – as before, we would be favourites even with a rotated squad. The big news of the day for the majority of Saints however was not our impending trip to Hillsborough, but the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League – and it was one that brought back fond memories. Two seasons ago we had beaten PSG in Hamburg to announce our arrival on the European stage and lift the Europa League, and last season two wins over the French champions helped us on our way to first place in our group as we mounted our assault on the competition. This year, we would meet in the round of 16. They would want revenge, we would be confident, the fans would enjoy their trip to Paris – everyone was pleased the tie, and February was suddenly looking like a very exciting prospect.

May 10th Premier League 36/38: Manchester United (10th) vs Newcastle United (15th) De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof (Jones 36), Maguire, Williams (Kolarov 50); Grealish, Pogba, Fernandes; Greenwood (Martial 62), Rashford, Dzyuba A tale of two penalties played out at Old Trafford as Manchester United’s winless run continued against Newcastle. Just five minutes after Miguel Almiron had fired the visitors into the lead, Artem Dzyuba was fouled in the area, allowing Rashford to level the match from the spot. Then in the second half, with United on top and leading through Fernandes, the Portuguese clipped the heels of Joelinton inside the box and Nabil Bentaleb beat De Gea from the spot to earn his side a share of the points. The draw extends United’s winless run in the league to seven games and leaves them needing to win their final two games and several results to go their way if they are reach any kind of European football – the question on everyone’s lips seems to be when, rather than if, Mark Wilson is given the boot. Manchester United 1-1 Newcastle United