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Comment | Do Southampton Need To Recall Bella-Kotchap For Liverpool Clash
at 10:13:26
If the rumours are true ABK is refusing to play in the U21 side, so there will be question marks over his fitness. Match fitness is the only reason some of our first team squad appear at U21 level.
We have Wood, we have Edwards, who can also play football (note for RM there) Charlie Taylor can play CB and is a very experienced defender but we all know it will be Jack. The only upside to this is we just might drop this ridiculous hybrid centre half/central midfield role that leaves us badly exposed to counter attacks. Liverpool have the pace and passing ability to run through our press easily. Funny how they can top the PL without p*ss*ng about sideways and backwards! |
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Comment | Does Shea Charles Prove That Russell Martin's Player Judgement is Flawed
at 09:59:51
I'm not so sure that the decision to loan him was a bad one. In all honesty he looked a little short, in my opinion, whenever he played and had a lot to learn. He is now doing that under a very good coach and it was noticeable how much our from dipped under ralph when he left us! Same with Edozie though but he is another who will improve with more game time and bit part playing is of no benefit. More importantly and something some on here have highlighted is the poor choice of squad replacement. Why on earth we resigned Fraser is astounding to me, I honestly don't think I've ever seen him take anyone on? And as for the forwards panic buying and quantity over quality has left us with a massive squad of limited ability and value, overall. This may or may not be the managers fault depending on who sanctions the signings.
It seems strange to me that RM's strategy requires players with a high technical ability and yet we sign workman like players and he seems to pick a team with a high work rate perhaps because of this.
Not sure Le Tiss, in his prime, would have got into this team? |
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Comment | England England's Number 16
at 19:24:05
It was a good confidence boost to get on the pitch and even better to get on the scoresheet.
Well done Taylor and Carsley! |
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Comment | Central Defensive Injury Blow For Southampton
at 19:21:55
With ABK refusing to play for the U21 team there is obviously a question mark over his fitness levels. We still have Wood & Edwards yet to make a PL debut but it does look as though Jack will be one of the two main CB's. This may actually strengthen the midfield as Jack won't be in it?
Hopefully a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 formation and the death of the CB/CM hybrid that has had no benefit to results thus far! |
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Comment | Southampton Targeting Scottish Wonderkid But is This What The Fans Want To Hear !
at 20:20:13
This boy is being watched by several clubs, all bigger than us apparently, so maybe at the price suggested is worth a punt.
However, we really need to reduce the size of our squad before adding to it. There are have a lot of experienced players that are not performing, or being given the opportunity to perform, depending on your personal viewpoint.
It's costing us in wages and retarding the progress of our current batch of young players. Sam Amo-Ameyaw being a prime example. |
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Comment | Southampton V Everton The Verdict
at 11:51:51
This was a game where the result was far more important than the performance & that's how it ended. two pretty poor teams jousting for the points and not particularly concerned how they were going to get them.
Disagree with you Nick on Lallana as I thought he was below par from the start. And the collective sigh from the crowd every time we slowed down a promising move must affect the players, regardless of the fact that more often than not it's justified. It is also a massive lift for the crowd when Dibbling runs at defenders and the audible surge in excitement must also carry over to the players. So lets have a little bit more of the latter please Russell? |
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Comment | Southampton Board Said To Have Set Deadline Day For Russell Martin
at 13:13:17
Unfortunately for us fans football is now big business, particularly the cash rich PL.
SR have a ten year plan for success which doesn't just involve Southampton. They are still putting all of their pieces in place, so, with parachute payments, are able to be a yoyo club for the short term. They have, rightly or wrongly depending on your personal viewpoint, allowed RM to pick his own players, spent a lot of money & played hardball with potential purchasers, rather than give our best players away. Hopefully January will see a thinning out of the squad, something desperately needed & we will see where that leads us. I am neither defending or supporting SR but recall the ten year plan being mooted when they took us on half way through the relegation season. It's very easy to sling mud at the owners but lets remember there wasn't a plethora of potential buyers back then!
Don't get me wrong I want RM to keep us up and to see us prosper but the worrying thing is whilst we all want him to be more flexible and drop this obsession with possession, Vincent Kompany didn't do to badly after taking Burnley back down, despite being just as stubborn! |
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Comment | Southampton V Leicester City The Verdict
at 11:04:58
Modern football has become more of a chess game between managers, move & counter move. Cooper made an attacking move by bringing on Fatawu in the 60th minute. It was pretty obvious that he was causing us trouble down our left & that Winks (46th minute) was also having a positive influence in the middle. RM did nothing where the obvious initial counter move would have been defensive, to counter these two players. Nothing, 61 minutes Suguwara gets a bad tackle & goes off injured. Now is the time for the defensive counter but no we actually weaken our left flank, with a winger, probably not even the best winger on the bench whilst disregarding both weakest LB at the club & their domination in midfield? 64 minutes goal down our weakened left flank, surely now is the time but no remove our most influential midfielder & replace with the least defensive on the bench. For me it would have been Ugochokwu, for Aribo (who had a good game but was flagging) & still ignoring the pressure down the left. 74 minutes penalty at the far post after Fatawu had hit the bar a scramble and a tugged shirt by Fraser who was the wrong side of the attacker, 2-2. Now in full panic mode we make the change that should have occurred on 62 minutes, on comes Charlie Taylor a defender first & foremost.
Now we'll never know but just maybe if RM was tactically astute the defensive move early would have calmed the game down and allowed a more attacking change a bit later?
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Comment | Southampton Summer Signings The Initial Verdict
at 09:39:42
Its more of a problem for the strikers as our style of play doesn't offer them the opportunity to slip in behind the defence. Our extremely slow build up gives the opposition greater chances of recovery, than our own defence gets when they break. I would like to see us play with two up front but not sat out on the flanks all of the time as seems at present. Maybe given a decent chance our strikers can come good. If they don't it's really immaterial how the others do! |
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Comment | Southampton Already Have Their Target To Replace Russell Martin
at 09:44:39
There are very few clubs in the PL that don't have a contingency plan, manager wise & this is being widely reported. Which is how Nick picked it up. I have been, as many others have, critical of our style of play but every so often, the first 30 minutes against Utd for example< we looked good. We all saw last season that RM was able to learn from his mistakes as the season progressed & I'm hopeful that will be the case this season too. I personally feel we have some talent in this side and if we were to just pass and move a bit quicker, take the risks in the opposition half and not our own we have a good chance of staying up. But the strikers need to be given some decent opportunities, with crosses and balls into a less crowded box, by moving the ball quicker.
There is little doubt that RM has a good footballing brain but he needs to be less rigid in his thinking and allow a little leeway within his footballing principles. For me he stays! |
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Comment | Southampton At Everton The Carabao Cup Verdict
at 12:02:49
We won but what a poor game that was.
I would hate to be a striker in this team, very rarely getting a pass in behind or a decent cross into the box. when chances do come our build up play has been so slow the box and around it is full of defenders, so you're having to work hard for very little return. How different it is for opposition strikers, where we move up the field (very slowly) as a unit, there is soo much space behind us and through us it's a dream for a striker!
The fact they missed at least two pretty easy chances should be very worrying.
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Comment | Russell Martin Has Plenty Of Options For Manchester United Game But Will He Use Them
at 10:42:28
"You can build all the fanzones that you want, you can create a home end, you can give them a big flag to pass above the fans heads, but an hour or so before the game, you can either get the fans buzzing with your team selection or you can deflate them before a ball is kicked.
So true Nick, we are not the noisiest of stadiums even when doing well but if enough fans feel deflated before a ball is kicked it gets worse. We have pretty decent options in every position and although very few of us would field the same starting 11, I don't think there would be huge differences. RB could be interesting but maybe play them both interchanging along the right flank? We have signed a very good LB & about 15 CB's so defence shouldn't be an issue. Downes is a definite starter in midfield but on current form neither Smallbone or Aribo have shown anywhere near enough to retain their places? So who slots in here & is it a three or four? Forwards for me Archer & Diaz but maybe a front three?
Thing is as Nick has stated we have options throughout, it will be interesting to see if RM has the tactics which suit his options?
Lots of questions but do we have the answers! |
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Comment | Sam Edozie Set For A Move To Belgium
at 18:31:58
He has the ability to make it at the top but needs to work on his end product. Another where I hope, if he goes permanently, there is a sell on clause thereafter!
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