Well what can be said about this game, it was a game of two halves where the biggest talking point was the referee, but lets also be pragmatic, Leicester played with organisation and passion and looked the better side for most of the game.

This was a game that Saints should have won, 2-0 up at half time, it was surely all about game management in the second half, but the truth was we had none, just as we needed to keep it tight and batten down the hatches, a lack of leadership both on and off the pitch once again cost us dearly.

But it started well, after hitting the bar early on a good run and cross from Ryan Manning found Cameron Archer who fired home to give Saints the lead after only 8 minutes, another fine run down the same wing from Kyle Walker Peters saw Joe Aribo double the lead and although Leicester hit the inside of the post we seemed to be holding firm and were good value for the lead, although the Foxes had shown enough to suggest it would not be an easy second half.

That proved to be the case, Saints stayed strong for 15 minutes of so but then the game swung after Yuri Sugawara went off injured, Kyle Walker Peters switched to right back and within minutes Leicester had marauded down our left side and crossed for the Foxes to halve the deficit.

Now it was truly going to be about game management. but we seemed to lack any both on and off the field, Leicester were now on top and pouring forward, we needed cool heads, but it was Will Smallbone who came on, now I am not a critic of Smallbone, but was he really the man to come and shore things up after being out injured for the last month or so.

The obvious choice here was to bring on Charlie Taylor at left back and switch KWP, square pegs in square holes, but we changed 3 positions in one foul swoop and that broke our rhythm.

The obvious choice would surely have been Adam Lallana, I have heard somewhere that he was injured in the warm up, but this is the 3rd game in a row he has not got off the bench, that is baffling, there seems to be a problem here.

Off went Cameron Archer for Paul Onuauchu, and things did not get better, once again only minutes after a substitution came a goal conceded, we just couldn't seem to get organised and keep the ball and Leicester were rampant, a fine save from Aarron Ramsdale kept the ball out, most thought that we had somehow kept the ball out, VAR showed Ryan Fraser literally had a hand in it, tugging on a shirt and the resulting penalty was tucked away.

Now we were down to 10 men and under the cosh, but somehow we held on till the final minute of 7 added for injuries etc, you all know what happened next.

So where did it all go wrong ? Yes the referee was no help, he was awful, he did not let the game flow and flashed yellow cards for the most innocuous challenges, Ryan Manning was booked in the 6th minute, Matteus Fernades in the 10th and by the 36th, Referee Taylor had another 2 of our men in his book, not one Leicester player had joined them.

Of course the big talking point was the fact that Taylor gave a penalty for Leicester, VAR was more responsible for that and in truth Fraser was guilty as charged, but Saints had a similar appeal turned down with Taylor only yards away and VAR not suggesting he take a look.

But these things happen in football, we should never have been in this position, the game turned on game management, Steve Cooper made the right changes for Leicester and turned the game, we made baffling ones and threw it away.

Russell Martin is suddenly turning to players that have done nothing for the club, it seems like he is desperate, Tall Paul Onuachu and Kamaldeen Sulemana have done nothing for this club in 2 1/2 years, and that didn't look like changing on Saturday.

Just as we needed cool heads on the pitch, these two were brought on by Martin, the big question is why ! I could understand it if we had been in Leicester's position and chasing the game, but we weren't.

On 68 minutes when Onuachu came on we were 2-1 up, we needed experience and work rate, Adam Armstrong would have been the obvious choice here, he will put in a shift and close down to stop build ups, Tall Paul is ok when the ball is near him, but he can't run.

The introduction of Taylor in the 78th minute was about the only logical sub made out of 5 by Martin, when Tyler Dibling came off at the same time, why was it Sulemana who replaced him, a player that was injured in pre season and has not been fit, surely it is obvious that he is not the player to shore things up, nothing against Sulemana, aside from his lack of end product in his entire Saints career, but surely it was about firstly trying to hang on to what we had, batten down the hatches, not have two players on who are yet to make a notable contribution to this football club.

So for me this was what cost us dearly, a total lack of game management, it was just as much about the players who did not get on the pitch, than those that were, no Adam Armstrong, no Adam Lallana, No Lesley Ugochokwu, these three stayed on the bench, when all three were those that could have made a contribution.

Sulemana & Onuauchu have made it quite clear that they don't want to be at the club, how does that make those that do want to play for the club feel, not just those stuck on the bench, but those not in the matchday squad, Ben Brereton Diaz, Sam Amo- Ameyaw, Maxwel Cornet, even these three have better track records, these sort of selection's do not unite squads, they create division and tension and they make players question the manager.

On Saturday Steve Cooper changed the game for Leicester and our manager seemed to be stuck in the headlights and not sure what to do for the best, I would love Russell martin to turn things around, I stuck up for him last season and I did so in the early games of this, but I truly cannot see anything at the moment that makes me feel that he can change things, he is just chopping and changing without any real conviction other than hoping something will work.

That means there is only one solution and that is a change of manager.

All Photos Via Reuters

davidargyll added 09:14 - Oct 21 I was going to begin with the words “where to begin?” but the entire set up of Russell Martin’s has been andremains an utter shambles. And a lot of people seem to think that the players have to carry their share of the blame for our pitiful display on Saturday. And I thought it was only the Italians who give up without a fight! But that simply isn’t it, because it is the responsibility of the manager pure and simple. He tells them where to go, how to position themselves etc. and they do what they are told. And therein lies the problem. Russell Martin has no tactical nouse and just tells his players to keep doing what they have been doing at it’ll all come right. Which has proven to be cr*p. I’ve said before, as have many others, that his team selections are all over the place, his tactics are naive and his subs baffling. But regardless of the evident truth in all those criticisms, the key point is that Russell Martin does not have the ability to MANAGE the team. Why were the likes of Alex Ferguson and Jock Stein and Cloughie and Klopp and Pep so good? Because every player is/was prepared to DIE for their manager, and would run through doors for them, some would even take a shoe in the face for them. But Russell Martin? If anybody seriously thinks that that is the sort of atmosphere he has created, let alone whether he can still create, with this demoralised squad, is completely off their trolley. And yet… I think we really do have some half decent players who would have a damned good chance of surviving in the PL (as evidenced by the H1 performance on Saturday). But the squad’s inability to see out the game is not their fault; they clearly do not know how to do it. And that is entirely the manager’s fault, because either they haven’t been told how to, or they have but he’s made it impossible (too complicated) for them to implement it, or they are not fit enough or a combination of the three. WHICHEVER WAY YOU ARGUE IT, THE MAN IS UTTERLY INCAPABLE AND MUST BE FIRED IMMEDIATELY. END OF.

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IanRC added 09:21 - Oct 21 Disagree with your comments about Sulemana I've seen nothing that indicates he doesn't want to be at the club and Onachu nodded on some good balls but we were too deep by then. Martin's usual tactical ineptness cost us dear, what was he thinking of bringing on Fraser rather than Taylor. However the major influence on the game was by the officials let's review their performance. 1. Taylor tries to book the entire Southampton team in the first half while ignoring Leicester's persistent fouling of Fernandes amongst others 2. Vardy chops down one of our players with a reckless foul which would have had any of us our players sent off but receives only a yellow card. Sugawara has to go off injured. Vardy who should not still be on the pitch wins a penalty. 3. Taylor ignores a clear shirt pull in the penalty area right in front of him and var fails to intervene 4. As Leicester are only drawing Taylor decides to play over the allotted seven minutes to enable them to score their winner This is as disgraceful a performance by the officials as you will see anywhere and the FA really needs to get exact together. That said Sports Republic need to act and get rid of Martin and bring in a suitable manager unlike their previous attempts. 3.

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JoeEgg added 09:52 - Oct 21 A first class report Nick echoing my own thoughts but which apparently Sports Republic cannot appreciate! Yes the referee was awful and much that RM seems to try is either terminated by bad luck or bad refereeing! However that is not the whole story. and I fear that we are already slipping into a relegation position from which there will soon be no escape. According to RM's latest comments Sports Republic are content with what the manager is doing. and still trust him to find a way out of this disastrous mess. If this really is the truth then I see little hope for this season - the occasional point gained and more goals gifted to the opposition. Thats the best we can hope for - a sad day indeed.

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landsdownsaint added 09:52 - Oct 21 He dropped KWP not long ago & just by that it shows he ain’t got a clue ! We need someone in now or we’re going down , theirs nothing to suggest he can turn things around because he hasn’t got the players to do it . That ball out from ramsdale to our player in the middle of the park which fails every time & puts us under pressure also tells us all we need to know .

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DorsetIan added 10:33 - Oct 21 You're spot on about game management. RM can't do it. He's tactically naive. And Cooper isn't.
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bryanK added 10:34 - Oct 21 We are united in our rant but SR do nothing all the comments made are totally justified. The introduction of a speedy winger by Leicester and moving KWP to right back meant the introduction of Taylor was obvious but no let’s put Manning a first division full back at best up against him and rely on the journey man Fraser to double up. Tactics that were totally inept and sums up what we are witnessing. Some people believe SR have a massive say in who we sign and who plays whatever this is RM and the CEO we brought in from Brentford (who seems to have fingers in several pies) need to go yesterday or sooner before we become worst than the laughing stock we currently are. God help us!!!!!!

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kevleykeegle added 10:59 - Oct 21 A Bournemouth fan popped up on a forum and stated that their new manager lost his first ten games - and now they look more like a premiership team. Just saying is all.
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SanMarco added 11:00 - Oct 21 There has been a lot of talk in recent months about the overall way we play (playing out from the back, possession football etc) but the (even) more important point was amply illustrated by this game. As Nick and those already commenting say: the bloke makes too many errors in team selection and game management. Yes, poor choices at the back have cost us points but managerial decisions before and during games have cost us more. This 'look at me I made an eccentric decision' rarely worked for Ralph (an experienced manager at this level) and will never work for RM. Sadly, it is time for him to go - probably was after the Bournemouth fiasco. I have already heard mutterings about 'what if they choose someone worse' (ala Nathan Jones). Well - if they do they do (and the track record is very poor here) but there isn't a lot worse than 1 out of 27 (my crystal ball says an RM masterstroke to get something at Abu Dhabi is unlikely) and indeed, if we had had Wolves' start to the season we would now have 0. As for the ref - Leicester took advantage of the poor refereeing - are we capable of doing the same?

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Block8 added 11:04 - Oct 21 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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JoeEgg added 11:40 - Oct 21 Just read this Nick to add to your observations, comments and criticisms! RM explaining: "Martin insisted subbing Lallana on would not have played to his strength, instead turning to Will Smallbone on 68 minutes with the score at 2-1." As bryank says "God help us"!!!
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saintmark1976 added 12:00 - Oct 21 Fair report Nick although not so sure about Leicester being the better team overall, second period yes, first period I thought they were very poor and were fortunate to be only down two-nil at the break. I’m agnostic as to whether Martin stays or goes simply because I don’t believe that any replacement manager is now capable of getting our current squad to a position of Premiership safety. The bookies who don’t get it wrong very often, obviously think the same as we are currently 1/5 for relegation. My concern now isn’t what happens this season. It’s more long term because it’s becoming clearer by the day that Sports Republics Owners, Board, Recruitment Team and Senior Management simply don’t have the desire or abilities to sustain a Premiership football club. Having relegated us once already when we had some experienced Premiership players, they have now assembled an extremely poor squad of players and have effectively relegated us once again, this time after only eight games. My view is that they appear happy to make our club into at best a Championship club who act as a feeder club for long term established Premiership teams. In a nutshell it’s my opinion that Sports Republics ambitions and aims no long equate with those of the vast majority of the 28000 home fans who turn up at St Mary’s.

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StRipper added 12:24 - Oct 21 Agree with the views and sentiments here. Though I am confused by these mentions of Ugochunkwu being a man we should have brought on. Short memories Saints fans. He was the cause of leaked goals and lacks of concentration up until we had to take him off after his shambles at Bournemouth. I have no idea why him or Cornet would even get another place on the bench, let alone time on the pitch. Other than because we have to due to the terms of their loan deals. We can send them back now as far as I am concerned, which would be an improvement to our squad

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kingolaf added 12:36 - Oct 21 Martin is a hindrance. It’s not even 1 step forward 2 steps back. It’s 1 step back 1 step back. He absolutely has to be sacked before he causes more damage.
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onetowatch added 12:38 - Oct 21 There are many valid points made above and a general agreement, consensus, that RM is inept tactically and needs to go - so many awful decisions, and for me, not bringing on Taylor iso Frasier being the highlight, but only just!! The only comment I wanted to add was that a couple of weeks ago, there were several postings on here, agreeing with and justifying, the dropping of KWP....really???!!!! Those people should just look at Saturdays' game again. We can't afford to let such talent sit on the bench.....

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Colburn added 12:54 - Oct 21 Taylor the referee was awful, it is clear that the game is full of corruption as nobody can be that incompetent to ignore a five second shirt pull at one end then give one a few minutes later at the other end. Taylor was determined that we would not win. He is a cheat. That said, he shouldn’t have been given the chance to ruin us as he did. To bring on Fraser to replace Sugawara to mark Fatawu was absolute madness. Gateau left Fraser for dead for the first goal, as did many Championship players last season. He did a good job last year but was only ever an impact sub in that league so why we brought him in for a Premier season is beyond me. He showed last year he has no idea how to defend and this substitution snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Why not bring on a proper left back then rather than waiting til 78th minute when it was too late? To go from having a solid enough defence and removing the one man with pace from the left just handed the initiative to Fatawu. This game was absolute madness. And Martin says this wasn’t Lallana’s strength? What!!? We desperately needed him to come on and control the midfield. As usual, we got a good half from Aribo then he wanted too much time second half and kept losing the ball. Martin should have gone two weeks ago but we have a board who are devoid of any clue of how to make decisions, this is why we were relegated in the first place 2 years ago. Ankersen is a joker, no idea what he is doing, hence 1 point from 9 games. We need new owners if we ever want to see stability or success. Martin has to go this week but we all know that he won’t.

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Farlow added 13:18 - Oct 21 How can all the contributors here see Charly Taylor should have been the obvious sub to combat their winger but not Russell Martin. I dont like sacking managers but he,s had a fair crack,time for a change.
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131153 added 13:41 - Oct 21 As a fan first game April 1960 I've seen many ups and downs over the years, and I guess from an age point of view only post 3-4 times a year (social media not a great interest). After watching the refs last year in the Championship, many I felt were poor but reffed in such a way made little or no difference to the result. I have watched for the last two seasons and so far this season in my seat and only standing when we scored. However on Saturday I was up from my seat screaming at Taylor half a dozen times for poor decisions I felt bordered on bias. I didn't even see at the time the five second tug in the box until I got home. When I subsequently found out he said afterwards he had seen it all and felt it didn't affect the play. Jeff Stelling called it a shameful decision this morning. Having said my piece where do we go from here, I haven't heard comment from anywhere on the fact RM did alter our game plan and we played much more directly even prior to Tall Paul arriving. Most TV and radio "pundits" claimed we played the same way as the earlier games this season, you do wonder how many watched the game. The substitution mistakes were our downfall together with the repeat of the Ipswich cock up with the corner. I really don't know where we go from here, I even feel the Championship is where we need to be let'the top 6 sod off to Europe and play themselves continually. Leaving the remaining 14 and top 6 or 8 from the Championship create and compete in a wonderful league with promotion and relegation intact with the league below.

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IanRC added 14:49 - Oct 21 Actually the ref gifted Arsenal a goal the other week too, not interfering with play ... really. Has the fa got an agenda against us or is it just their officials.
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JoeEgg added 15:00 - Oct 21 Sorry for a third contribution but the more you hear the more angry you get! Harwood-Bellis talking after the match: "The set-piece at the end, the organisation is not right. People aren’t in positions and we get punished." Its unbelieveable. Maybe its not just RM but his coaches who are also to blame. They are all just not up to the job - simple as that.
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Bowlercow added 15:56 - Oct 21 When Leicester got their first goal you could feel the momentum change in their favour Had that dud referee given us a penalty for the shirt pull on Onuachu,and assuming we converted it,that momentum would have swung back in our favour. Had the rule applied to Fraser been applied to Ayew he wouldn't have been there to score the winner Those crap decisions could end up costing RM his job and the opportunity to prove that he is capable PL coach The injury to Sugawara should have seen Taylor replacing him with KWP switching to RB To get him off quickly RM put Fraser on because he was already to go on and was about to replace Manning Even so KWP was probably the only defender with enough pace to have kept up with their winger

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Whatsforpud added 16:24 - Oct 21 Nor sure if anyone has made the point yet, about our marking for the 98th minute goal. Just like at the end of the Ipswich game, we had 11 men in the goal area, with no one marking the 3 or 4 Leicester players lined up on the edge of the penalty area. It need just one or two of our players to be there to stop their free shot.
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halftimeorange added 16:49 - Oct 21 It's not often I wonder why I pay to watch professional football but, on Saturday I could not believe that a FIFA-listed referee had been as heavy-handed as Anthony Taylor was in his treatment of Southampton's players. I won't argue about Fraser being penalised for the shirt pull but, a sending off was rather harsh. To have seen and ignored the pull-back on Onuauchu was criminal. We pay to be entertained, not to see our team unfairly disadvantaged by the person only there to see fair play. This surely warrants an explanation which we won't get as we're only Southampton and, in the eyes of the football circus, only on board to make up the numbers. As for the failure to introduce Charlie Taylor earlier to negate Fatawu, Russell Martin should hang his head in shame. I have to say I feared for the worse when he declared prior to the game that he always feels more comfortable when Will Smallbone is on the pitch. I'm really sorry, Russell but, your naivete will cost you your job and quite rightly, too.

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Colburn added 18:05 - Oct 21 Also I think SaintMark1976 has a point. I’m not too sure the owners are that ambitious about the club being in the Prem. This is about finances and the Moneyball thing or whatever it’s called is about maximising every penny from player not investing to try to achieve silverware or compete at higher levels. I would rather we broke the rules and had a 3 point deduction like everyone else.. I don’t see the club being back to where we were even under Ralph whilst these owners are here.

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ItchenNorth added 19:15 - Oct 21 Spot on halftimeorange
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SanMarco added 21:39 - Oct 21 I think you can make a point that we have been a bit unlucky this season. Looking at how we have performed in the eight games you could argue that having 4--7 points would have not been unfair. But its results that count Russell and you're not providing them.
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