Voting was locked for this match at midnight on Saturday 16th September but you may still add your mini match reports. Note that members and non-members alike were able to vote.

Your Southampton v Leicester City Match Reports

SFC_Referee added 12:50 - Sep 16 About the only half decent performers yesterday were Edozie, Manning and Bazunu, which says it all
-3

Block8 added 13:07 - Sep 16 Two early goals finished this game as a spectacle for Saints fans but it doesn't detract from the ridiculously low level of the overall performance. We lost discipline, shape and any form of responsibility. Leicester were excellent but they really didn't need to be, we were that poor. Things we should learn, other teams with pace use it, why don't we? Other sides keep their shape, our attempts to be fluid may work if we are disciplined enough not to all go charging forward like a Sunday morning kids team. Will Smallbone is a very good player but is not a number 6. If we are so good going forward where were the decent openings, I'm not counting the poor crosses that Vestergaard gobbled up. AND probably most of all, if we are insistent on being a passing team then lets at least learn to pass!

9

I_would added 13:08 - Sep 16 Even Fraser gave up. Don't blame him, surrounded by L1 standard losers and managed by Krusty with a new behind-the-ears hair do. RM out!
0

codge added 13:13 - Sep 16 Don’t we ever learn from passed mistakes seems not,manager says they did exactly as asked well that goes to show you what a long season this will be.Completely gutted once more and have to say after watching Saints for 70 years this bunch have to be some of the worst to put on the shirt to represent Southampton Football Club.
6

WestSussexSaint added 13:29 - Sep 16 Where to start….. The players looked lost. Unsure of what to do, when to pass, when to commit. That’s on the manager - either the players can’t deliver his tactics or don’t want too! But the absence of of a cohesive game plan wasn’t the only issue. There was no leaders on the pitch, no one to pull everyone together after the initial goal and focus the team. The midfield was absent without leave. That’s why the best tactic we had was Bazunu kicking it long to the two wings cutting out the midfield entirely. Smallbone was too lightweight (the 4th goal was a pathetic attempt at a tackle) and Downes couldn’t cover everything with no help. Defensively the two CBs were out of their depth. Charles showed why he is not a genuine CB getting pulled out of position too often. It was hard for THB to make his first start against Leicester. He looked good at points but needs to be playing with a more experienced partner - never before did I think I would be hoping Stephens make a swift recovery. Finally there were too many players who were going through the motions. KWP had his worst game for saints. Adams, Fraser, Alcaraz and Sulimana when they came on never looked like they were bothered. Perhaps they realised that whatever they did it would be pointless because of the defensive deficiencies but that is unforgivable in my eyes. Regardless of the situation you show you care and you set an example even if it doesn’t impact that match it sets the standards for the future. Leicester are a good side but boy did we make it easy for them. Ipswich on Tuesday will also be hard given their start. I hope at least the players find something within themselves to stand up and be counted and the manager finds a way to apply his tactics in a while realising what his players are capable of.

10

Boris1977 added 13:31 - Sep 16 We've got a new verb in our house - to make a Russell of something or to Russell it up. 'I went to the shop to get some bread for sandwiches but I came back home with 4 packets of jelly. Damn I really Russell'd that up. SR have been a disaster from day one. Bad managerial decisions, scatter gun player recruitment, relegation which was entirely avoidable, which meant selling our better players and replacing them with loans and inadequate staff. Under SR we will keep going in the same trajectory. We cannot keep making the same basic errors forever but by the time things get sorted out this club will be responsible for ruining yet more half decent players prospects. There was a time not so long ago that we were a respectable and well run club who developed players. Now we're a laughing stock where young players come to have any positivity and creativity knocked out of them. COYRs

2

AmericanSaint added 13:40 - Sep 16 I will save my review of the game after reading Nick's review, but will say these 3 things for now: 1. Russel Martin seems to be like RH and stuck in his ways with no plan B. He also is making some daft subs. 2. Ryan Manning shouldn't be on the pitch and wouldn't make my Sunday League team. 3. We should have sold Sulemana to anyone that offered $1. He obviously thinks he is better than anyone else and should be somewhere better, YET he is responsible for a goal for the 4th goal with his lazy pass. Bench him and sell him to anyone in January.

6

Bawdrip added 14:24 - Sep 16 Dreadful performance. Though we occasionally played some neat football we could have easily lost 7-1. They missed great chances whilst we created very little other than speculative shots straight at the keeper. Despite all the promises from the manager we learnt absolutely nothing from the Sunderland hammering and simply reproduced the performance. Defence was woeful as was the midfield. We put out an attacking line up but going 2-0 down so early (again) just meant Leicester could sit back, defend deep and then pick us off on the break. Teams will keep doing this to us. The acres of space we left at the back were ridiculous. If Martin can't change/modify how we play we're going to really struggle.

9

Staycalm added 14:57 - Sep 16 Agree totally with AmericanSaint. Sulemana had the most obvious 'what am I doing here?' look and found the perfect solution NOT to be asked to do anything for the next 3 games!! The thing was, when he did try, he looked good going forward. RM certainly doesn't have the players playing for him and when he came out at the end and said how proud he was of the players, it didn't sound like a credible Manager at this level. More like a School Games Teacher, applauding the school B team for having just taken on one of the best A teams in their League!!

3

mattthelegend added 15:32 - Sep 16 I went to the game sadly, second game of the season and it’s terrible. Long season for us if this the best we can manage. Sulemana doesn’t want to be play for us and from what I’ve heard has never been injured, just not interested in playing for us.
3

Avior added 15:34 - Sep 16 Woeful. There is not enough space to go through the problems. I can only assume RM failed GCSE math’s because he clearly isn’t familiar with percentages. No man back at corners, tippy tappy by your own box when being pressed and resorting to goal rush is just asking for trouble. Small one was one of the worst performances I have ever seen
5

SaintPaulVW added 15:47 - Sep 16 With a young side and a makeshift Center back partnership, the worst thing that could happen was an early goal. Nuff said. We then became headless chickens for most of the first half. The second worst thing that could happen was a goal right before half time. Defence went missing and so it goes. I thought KWP and Smallbone were spectacularly off the pace last night. Manning, this season's new scapegoat, was duff in the first 20 minutes but got better after that. Bazunu played well but with little help was always going to let a few in. For some reason our best player was taken off and Sulemana then came on to play as a quicker Djenepo, runs past people but no end product. I look forward to the earnest interviews with players explaining they are sorry and will put this right. Do they care, really? Last night, familiar stuff from the last 2 years - we can't defend or attack - certainly can't finish fairly straightforward chances - Edozie excepted. We very quickly, need to learn to do at least one of these. I accept RM has been appointed to play a particular style of football but so far teams seem to know how to counter this style and our players don't seem able to execute it. Anyway, on to Ipswich - COYR!

8

RedandWight added 19:26 - Sep 16 Goals against = Relegation form
4

YosemiteSaint added 21:09 - Sep 16 I think we've made some progress. Instead of losing 9-0 all at once, we've spread it over two matches and thrown in a goal scored as a bonus!
6

allsaint54 added 21:40 - Sep 16 Utter garbage
2

SanMarco added 22:18 - Sep 16 RM will not survive long. 7 competitive matches, 19 goals conceded and only two decent sides played. We were warned we would get plenty of ineffectual tippy-tappy and be sh1te in defence and lo and behold.... We will of course be told that things will get better but how will that happen with a manager who doesn't seem to think that defending matters. If you watch those four goals they weren't individual errors it was the whole bloody team.

9

Bowlercow added 22:32 - Sep 16 Downes and Smallbone did very little wrong but the totally failed to stamp their authority on the game In any way The chances we did get we're almost accidental and no one was prepared to put their body on the line or take responsibility Martin is on the verge of losing the crowd and another home defeat on Tuesday will just about do it
3

sandywelsh added 22:15 - Sep 17 Looks like we got the wrong player from Swansea. We got the Duff Manning while Leeds got the top Striker Piroe who scored 2 goals to help Leeds win today.
0