Ahead of the trip to St Mary's on Saturday we spoke to Saints Analysis about what went wrong at Southampton last season and how idealist manager Russell Martin has set about putting his stamp on the relegated side.

Where and why did it go wrong for Southampton last season?

A lot went wrong for Saints last season. We were terrible at converting key chances, and the defence also became very leaky. There was upheaval on the manager front too, and it’s clear the Nathan Jones appointment was never a good fit despite us needing to move on from Ralph Hasenhuttl. Add in a lack of experience to help what was a very young squad, and that’s why we got relegated.

What did you make of the appointment of Russell Martin, he divides opinion among Swansea and Championship fans in general?

Martin does divide opinions for sure. I believe he’s the right man for the job and that his style will not only help us win games but also bring back the enjoyment factor for supporters - a key area that the club needs to sort. Martin being a success is very much dependent on us building him the right squad though - plenty more work to be done in this regard. I don’t think he’s had a squad close to perfect for his style yet, and that’s what Saints will be aiming to provide.

Southampton so far…
Sheff Wed 1-2 Southampton Gregory 54 - Armstrong 8, Adams 87
Gillingham 3-1 Southampton Nadesan 12, McKenzie 51, 67 – Alcaraz 89
Southampton 4-4 Norwich Bednarek 17, Armstrong pen 21, pen 90, Adams 57 – Sargent 7, Sara 23, Rowe 45, Fassnacht 84
Plymouth 1-2 Southampton Hardie 51 – Tella 49, Adams 90

How’s it going so far?

I think we couldn’t really have asked for much more at this stage. Unbeaten in the league and good showings from an attacking point of view, and amongst the leaders - a solid 8/10 for me so far. Personally, I think it’s remarkable how Martin has coached the squad to the levels they are showing in a short space of time, and with so many rumours of outgoings. We’ve had to be patient to break teams down but I’ve been impressed with how we’ve kept grinding away to get out two wins. Negatives have been a few too many goals conceded, a bad result in the cup and a poor set-piece record defensively. However, we’re making strides on the last point with a new set-piece coach who I think has already made a difference. I love Martin’s calm manner and believe he will get us to where we want to be in the long run.

What do you make of your summer transfer business ?

Signing Ryan Manning and Shea Charles is a very good start to the window, but we will realistically need many more bodies by the end of August.

Rumours of outgoings and we will need to replace maybe two more who leave on top of Ward-Prowse and Lavia.

Some players who just aren’t involved may have to go out on loan, but we need to strengthen at CB, in central-midfield and we need a reliable goalscorer if Adams leaves.

A lot of work to do in the last week of the window as I write this.

Ins >>> Shea Charles, 19, DM, Man City, £10m >>> Ryan Manning, 27, Mercenary, Swansea, Free >>> Joe Lumley, 28, GK, Boro, Free >>> Flynn Downes, 24, CM, West Ham, Loan >>>

Outs >>> Romeo Lavia, 19, CM, Chelsea, £50m >>> Tino Livramento, 20, RB, Newcastle, £30m >>> James Ward Prowse, 28, AM, West Ham, £30m >>> Mohammed Salisu, 24, CB, Monaco, £10m >>> Mislav Orsic, 30, LW, Trabzonspor, £2m >>> Mohamed Elyounoussi, 28, LW, Copenhagen, Free >>> Ibrahima Diallo, 24, DM, Al-Duhail, Undisclosed >>> Dan Nlundulu, 24, CF, Bolton, Undisclosed >>> Mateusz Lis, 26, GK, Goztepe, Loan >>> Duje Caleta-Car, 26, CB, Lyon, Loan >>> Theo Walcott, 34, AM, Released

What should we expect to line up against this weekend?

4-3-3 in possession. Bazunu, KWP, Stephens, Bednarek, Manning, Charles/Downes, Alcaraz, S Armstrong, Edozie, Tella, A Armstrong (guessing Adams will be gone)

How do you see this season going?

Summer answer: I see Saints in the strongest six sides in the league currently, so a season for fans to get their enjoyment back and a place in the play-offs would be ideal - even though we know it’s a lottery. No reason why we can’t go for automatic promotion either, but we will be vying with Leicester/Leeds and some top sides already in the division. Again, success will be based on giving Russell Martin the right tools to succeed.

This week’s update: Still think play-offs. Based on our start to the season, we’ll be up there hopefully but a lot depends on the rest of the window for sure

Links >>> Southampton Official Website >>> Southampton Echo – Local Press >>> Ugly Inside – Forum >>> Saints Marching – Blog >>> Saints Analysis – Blog

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TacticalR added 13:13 - Aug 26 Thanks to Saints Analysis. Personally, I think the jury is still out on Russell Martin's style, even if a lot of people don't like it. Although it might be termed 'extreme possession', or even 'ineffective possession', at least it follows a consistent principle.
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