IT’S RALPH’S ROUND!
New Saints boss offers free drinks to season-ticket holders
RALPH HASENHUTTL has opened his door to Southampton players and offered a free drink to seasonticket holders attending his first match at St Mary’s. After cancelling the players’ day off on Monday, his squad have had an intensive week featuring video analysis, plenty of sprints and one-on-one meetings with the Austrian manager.
And Hasenhuttl sent a signed letter to season-ticket holders, outlining his vision for the team and asking fans to join them on a ‘very rewarding journey’, adding: ‘What I can promise you is that I am not afraid of this challenge and that we will give everything to ensure we overcome it.’
Enclosed with the letter was a voucher, reading: ‘Get behind Ralph Hasenhuttl for his first match at St Mary’s and enjoy a free drink on Southampton FC. Prost!’
The Saints have won only once at St Mary’s in more than a year and tomorrow face Unai Emery’s Arsenal, who are unbeaten in 22 matches. Hasenhuttl said: ‘Everyone who knows me knows I am a guy who always brings everyone in our boat to row with us.
‘You can feel every day that Southampton is a very, very important part of everybody’s life in this area. And everybody wants to keep this club in this division.
‘So, for us it is a big, big chance to help them get lucky again. All we want to do with the whole day is make it possible and to have fantastic, emotional moments again.
‘You have to build up your credit. It’s like an account. Now we have to put money into the account, show them that we are working harder and put more into games, like on Sunday.’ Hasenhuttl has met half of his squad for individual meetings and will engage with the rest next week.
‘I wanted to know everything about each player, about his history, what he is thinking about the way we want to play,’ he said. ‘ We showed in his position specific videos, what it is necessary for him to know.
‘The discussion I had with all the players was very interesting for me. You know how this guy works. What he is thinking about. You know what his problems are.
‘And in the future, if there are some questions, I want them to come to me. If they have good arguments that we do something different, they can come to me. We can do it differently.
‘But if I have a better idea, we do what I want. If they have a better one, we can discuss it!’