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Comment | Southampton V Liverpool The Verdict
at 22:09:57
My two pennies worth on Liverpool:
- McCarthy completely at fault for first two goals. Yes we can point to our insistence on playing out etc. but RM would be expecting common sense. AM should have used his experience to see nothing short was on and allow formation to reset. 2nd goal was utterly hopeless positioning - berefit of confidence and match day experience.
- We play well and have real potential. But we lack pace to fully enact RM’s style of play. Unless we find better in our squad or invest in Jan, this will not work.
- I really suspect that we’re are hoping for stability and for the squad to click. Confidence plays a huge part in that, so the poor judgments and lack of rub of green is really hurting. However we just need a small run of games.
- Longer term is to stick with this play strategy. That means RM whether you like it or not. I like that. It makes sense rather than constant change and upheaval. If we go down then so be it. But it’s pretty rubbish for remainder of season AND SR will have to ensure that we retain a core of players who actually can play this style.
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Comment | Southampton Still Have Two Irons In The Fire For A Goalkeeper
at 07:22:52
Yosemite Saint hits the nail on the head here! Bijlow is more skilful with ball at his feet, and comfortable under pressure from high press. Like it or not, that’s the style of play RM is after. Ramsdale is a really decent keeper too, but Arsenal felt he’s not as strong with his feet in that sweeper/keeper role.
Either keeper will be a really good addition though. Whilst he’s always stepped in to help out Saints, Alex McCarthy is best as a backup GK |
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Comment | Southampton At Rotherham The Verdict
at 22:33:40
Can I also thank Nick for his dedication and tolerance of putting up with unnecessary and unwarranted abuse. For gods sake, you don’t have to agree but you can be polite and respectful to views. Oh, and some actual logical reasoning would be nice too. |
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Comment | Southampton At Sunderland The (Damning) Verdict
at 18:01:41
Truth is, this was perhaps down to a bit of arrogance and believing the hype. It seems we thought Sunderland would sit back (at home?!). Putting Mara in was a major mistake, but the biggest blunder was throwing Mason Holgate in when he’s barely played (let alone barely knows his teammates) particularly as this meant omitting Shea Charles, who must be rightly aggrieved. Holgate too (thrown under bus there).
Terrible defending for the goals in the main, although second goal was an awful deflection. Yet Bazunu once again looked like rabbit in headlights. Nick spot on about lack of defensive leadership. Holgate more than likely to give that edge, but jeez he needs a bit of time! Overall we cannot keep shipping goals.
Let’s file this one under “manager shocker” and move on. Great thing about the championship is that anybody can beat anyone on the day. Hopefully it’s a wake up call for the next two very tough games we have. |
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Comment | Russell Martin Expected To Be Appointed Southampton Manager Within Hours
at 19:28:27
My word!
Russell Martin (if announced before weekend) isn’t going to be paraded around the Stadium!
Feels actually quite honourable to allow Selles opportunity to say goodbye to the fans. How many managers actually get that chance.
Appointing new manager as incoming DoF comes in means we hit ground running. Allows Martin to assess squad and have say in who goes etc. |
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Comment | Russell Martin Expected To Be Appointed Southampton Manager Within Hours
at 19:28:25
My word!
Russell Martin (if announced before weekend) isn’t going to be paraded around the Stadium!
Feels actually quite honourable to allow Selles opportunity to say goodbye to the fans. How many managers actually get that chance.
Appointing new manager as incoming DoF comes in means we hit ground running. Allows Martin to assess squad and have say in who goes etc. |
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Comment | Saints Announce Departure Of Ruben Selles
at 19:23:30
Lots of speculation here! Who knows what has been discussed. What we do know is that Reuben was very clear that he wanted to have a discussion and be told to his face if he was staying or not. SR have done exactly that. He may have been asked if he would feel comfortable/want to manage the last game and he said yes.
We also don’t know whether SR needed to act on securing Martin or not. Swansea’s owners were quite keen to keep him, so who knows?
Not sure it’s a major issue for Reuben to say goodbye at the last game. In fact I think that’s quite honourable. Any fan having a go at him - well, they need to grow up. He was dealt a bad hand and wasn’t able to make it work. He wasn’t really crap either! |
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Comment | Saints Need To Connect With Their Fans With Managerial Appointment
at 13:52:01
Media reporting now that Martin has verbally agreed to become next Saints manager. Clubs sorting out compensation. Could be announced in next 24 hours.
I get the lack of enthusiasm- but come on, Potter was never going to come. Martin is also a million miles away from Nathan Jones. He’s gathered a lot of praise for his possession based tactics, which will be vital in the Championship, only Burnley had better ball possession in the Championship last year (and it was marginal).
I would be delighted for Saints to move away from the high press and play the possession game. We played the best when we did this previously and we shouldn’t be so vulnerable to the counter attack as shown this season. Most crucially, we might see some attractive football.
He’s an experienced and respected former player and (from reports) has a really good management style about him.
Yea he might not be a big name signing, but we need to put delusions of grandeur behind us now. |
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Comment | Saints Forward Commits Himself To The Club Next Season
at 13:57:30
Anybody dissing or doubting Adam Armstrong needs to go watch his YouTube reels from his time at Blackburn. He’s a great talent, and the classic example of the poor management and development seen at SFC for some time now. He’s completely shot of form and confidence and that’s mostly down to the club. The fact his work rate is still so high - and has outwardly committed to the club - is testament to his character, he’s the kind of player this club needs both in the Championship under the right manager and team, and back in the premier league. |
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Comment | Southampton At Chelsea The Verdict
at 13:55:16
I thought as much!
Great game, highlighting what we’ve heard about RS having lots of respect and tactical awareness. I too had a raised eyebrow about some of the selections, but the after match interviews kind of made sense of it. RS said he had no time to change things and so went back to Southampton basics. He noted that a number of the team didn’t need much time to adopt that. We also need a bit of experience. So that does it for me and Bednarek in particular, and I wonder if Caleta-Carr has lost some match fitness? Orsic also needs a bit of time and was perhaps a luxury player for now when we needed basics.
AMN superb choice for filling in the gaps. He needs to up his fitness I reckon but he’s a solid reliable player for multiple positions. I even liked Walcott coming on, again another experienced head (apparently we’re a bunch of kids remember?!)
Now - biggest test is next two games. We do well against the bigger teams but then switch off when it really matters. And boy does the next game really matter… |
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Comment | Saints Unconvinced About Steven Gerrard And Chris Wilder
at 11:16:05
Appreciate I might be in the minority here, but I’ve said before that I reckon Ruben Selles is the best fit at the moment. I know that sounds a risk, but all the stories coming out of the club is that he is hugely respected by the players, and is seen as a competent manager in waiting.
For me, the biggest issue now is the players getting behind someone and playing with heart. We have an incredibly talented squad that has shown it can cause the likes of Man City, Chelsea etc real damage. Ruben is widely credited as being instrumental in the tactics that led to our 2-0 win over City (although that meant a false narrative for NJ that prolonged the agony). If you have a team that is together and playing for the manager, that’s 80% of the task complete. |
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Comment | Saints Fan Forum Repetitive But Got Supporters Feelings Over
at 16:51:38
This forum told us nothing, which was entirely understandable. It is probable the club are seeking to buy time to line up another manager.
Ominous signs today that it is being reported the players have lost confidence in NJ. That is the biggest fear and now it’s being leaked.
Personally I would put Ruben in charge now. We stand a better chance of getting something out of the Wolves game - and possibly the remainder of the season- regardless of whether a not they can find someone quick. I really fear there is an inevitability to the weekends game, and we’re more points away from safety. |
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Comment | Saints Sign Luton Defender But It Is Not The Signing The Fans Want
at 13:39:35
Not entirely sure why people are getting upset or concerned about Bree. He’s a good, experienced player who can enable Saints to stop putting square pegs in round holes at the back. Jones knows him well and Luton fans say he’s a strong, athletic defender who completely gets NJ’s aggressive style. He’s also a leader on the pitch and off it too. He can also score free kicks (useful for if JWP isn’t playing!).
At £750k it makes a lot of sense. He will know he’s a fringe player and that helps with squad stability. Good signing for me. |
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Comment | Southampton V Newcastle United The Carabao Cup Verdict
at 13:53:43
Not much more to add on what’s reported here, just to say:
- Another incremental positive performance against a team at the top of their game and have not conceded for 10 games;
- Both handball decisions were correct
- Pope should have at least got a yellow card
- Diallo isn’t a starter. He had some periods of good play, solely about disrupting play. But Sorry, but he too often fluffs the simple pass and gifts the oppo splendid counters. He also lacks confidence/skill to pick a decent forward pass.
- Too often we stopped and looked around in the attack, allowing Newcastle to regroup
- Armstrong is really good but cannot buy luck at the moment
- Alcaraz looked really good. Orsic looked like he’d need a bit of time, but was against a top notch defence.
Lots of positives nonetheless. Based on fact we played one of the in form teams, we held our own. Keep this up and we will move clear of the bottom |
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Comment | Southampton V Aston Villa The Verdict
at 11:37:08
Agree with Nick's report here - a point would have been fair. Lots of people blaming VAR but Elo did step on his ankle.
Overall, going in right direction. Villa have stepped up since Unai's arrival, so good to see us on a level here. Again, we were punished for the weakness in defending set pieces, and I hope we continue on ironing that out of our game.
I too question why the new signings didn't come on earlier/start. I totally get that they won't start due to lack of prem experience, but expected Orsic to come in around 60 minute mark to get that game time. I wondered whether it may be with one eye on the Newcastle game (i.e. limited intelligence for Newcastle to analyse may help with what will be a difficult fixture).
I hope so - Orsic is class and has the full ability to score goals from outside the box.
Diallo is a great off-the-bench alternative, but he's not got the quality for a starting line up week in week out. Again, I feel that this might be the transition - with Alcaraz being the preferred option with Lavia going forward.
Armstrong does great things but needs a goal! Adams too. Alas we cannot rely on them to find this form in a relegation bun-fight. |
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