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Comment | Southampton V Stoke City The Carabao Cup Verdict
at 09:56:39
Sports Directs strategy seems to be grind fans down to indifference and get a few big pay days from yo-yoing. It's working pretty well so far.
I'm still amazed that RM managed promotion regarding the brand of football he promotes but in part its a reflection of the gulf between the top flight and the rest. How can a team that concedes among the highest goals in a league also get promoted? It shouldn't make any sense but in the surreal world of the championship Saints and RM managed it due to the lack of quality in the Championship. Although this approach has come unstuck in the premiership as we do not have the players to outscore the opposition and unlike teams in the championship the majority of our defensive gifts are taken - although Man City helped us keep the GD down thankfully.
The question is can Sports Direct appoint a better manager than RM or will they repeat their previous track record on managerial appointments?
COYRs |
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Comment | Southampton At Bournemouth The Verdict
at 14:43:18
I'm firmly in the camp that SR own this due to both their managerial appointments and the spread betting of average players. There business model from day 1 seemed to be pack the team with loans and youngsters and see what happens but don't lose their money.
It makes sense to be watchful of spend and not breaking the bank of 2 or 3 players but spending 10 M plus on several unknown entities on the basis that they might come good doesn't make for a winning formula.
No-one can hold RM's limited ability against him, it's who he is, but he was incredibly lucky in getting Saints promoted. We regularly conceded 3,4 or 5 against the likes of Huddersfield, Norwich and Sunderland and ultimately went up because of a fortunate injury to the worst GK over the previous two seasons. Lets not forget when he also brought Stephens back into a record breaking winning team (for which he deserves credit - although again rode his luck in several of those games) which resulted in us almost dropping out of the promotion places - until the injury to the GK restored winning ways.
When RM leaves his report card will make for very odd reading but unless SR provide him with hundreds of millions of pounds he will leave the club very soon.
The issue then is what comes next?
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Comment | The Knives Are Out For Russell Martin In The Media But Do They Have Substance
at 15:46:02
The media have been vocal in their condemnation of the way Saints have played so far with the most mocking being the Sky commentator during the game v Brentford - have a listen if you haven't already. This is football, like life, in the social media era.
Despite my own average rating of RM he's not an idiot and he doesn't want the sack or to lose games. He will change from this weird obsession of playing into trouble from the back. With the support the board have provided him we do have a team which can compete within the mini division of the bottom 6 or 7 we're up against.
However the weirder thing is how he tweaked his approach once Bazuna got injured but he has not continued that into the new season. Rather he's gone back to the system which saw 4 conceded at home against the likes of Norwich - and other average championship sides.
The question is why has he done this when it cost us so many goals in a much more forgiving league? It is illogical. What he needed to do was get points on the board - I'm sure we'd be happy with 3 pts after three of the easier games we will play this season than a deflating 3 losses.
RM got us promoted but made it unnecessarily difficult in a league where we had a large strong squad which was on par with the other top 4 teams in that division. Two big calls which defined our season were his decision to jemmy Jack Stephens into a record setting winning team which saw results fall away and the injury to Bazuna (statistically the worst GK for two years running) which forced RM to change the style of play and saw us stop a run of results which saw us fall from 2nd to 6th.
The jury is out on RM - I think he's got what it takes to be a decent Saints manager and build something good. But he's also got a blinkered stubborn streak which could cost him his job. I really want the capable side of his personality to win out as it will provide stability and as a result some kind of success for Saints.
COYR's
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Comment | Southampton V Nottingham Forest The Verdict.
at 09:44:15
Fair report Nick and the way Forest scored is instructive of this league compared with the championship i.e. any small misjudgement will be punished.
Although not convinced by RM I want him to succeed as like others I'm fed up with the constant change of managers - it sets the club back and doesn't provide stability. However to succeed he is going to have to adjust his approach to games and utilise the large squad at his disposal and try a different approach if his preferred methods don't work.
Sports Rep also need to rationalise their approach if they are serious about making us an established top flight club again. Loading the club with young players, loans and sub standard players is what got us relegated from a very weak premiership a few seasons ago - we're in danger of going the same way. I'm sure the farcical financial fair play rules play a role in their thinking but the answer isn't to buy expensive mediocrity but to focus where the squad genuinely needs improving.
COYRs |
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Comment | Should Russell Martin Put Out Another Reserve Side For Leeds United Trip
at 12:06:16
Will the outcome be any different regardless of personnel ? I guess as Leeds will be playing for automatic promotion they may be willing to hurt our key players to win so may as well play the reserves.
It's been a weird season and one I'm still trying to work out if its been success so far or not. I suppose on balance it's been successful but frustrating in equal measure.
COYRs |
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Comment | Southampton V Arsenal The Verdict
at 11:55:48
Credit where credit is due and from getting the push Ralph has somehow managed to buy himself some time. We've been here so many times with Ralph over the past few years so I'm still keeping my expectations low but well done to Ralph, the players and the fans for getting behind the team. |
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Comment | Southampton V Manchester United The Preview
at 09:57:26
Great article Nick. Nice dilemmas to have as you say and this will test Ralph's ability to pick the correct team. This does make me nervous but from watching the players in training and with input from the coaching team I hope he gets it right. 4 at the back will provide the solid base required.
Saints fans have, on the whole, been incredibly patient with Ralph and appreciated the restricted environment that he was operating in. Hopefully he has realised that chopping and changing formations, personnel and experimenting every other week does not win games and unsettles players.
As long as the lesson has been learnt then we can appreciate how lucky we are to have a bright and likeable person in charge of our club and enjoy watching an entertaining team realise their potential. COYR's |
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Comment | Southampton At Leicester City The Preview
at 13:14:29
Expect the unexpected. As we are still short in quality in important areas with a manager who seemingly makes team selections in a silo a draw will be acceptable. However as we have fallen behind the likes of Brighton, Wolves, Newcastle and Aston Villa in terms of buying power and pragmatic strategy are we replying on beating the new teams and the odd shock result to get points this season. In which case that's around 25 pts max.
Ralph got the selection wrong (again) in the last two games, we've conceded 6 goals in two games and scored 3 (an aggregate of 1-3 which I guess is our average score) and this is considered to be an improvement?
The error of judgement is small so therefore rather than returning to losing formation of 5 at the back it would make sense to go for a back 4 tomorrow and pressure and aging team (as has been pointed out). If it fails nothing has been lost as Ralphs plan A has constantly cost us.
I fully expect 5 at the back though. Not panicing - more resigned. |
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Comment | Matthew Le Tissier Speaks Out About His Beliefs
at 10:27:52
Regardless of individuals opinions its always worthwhile listening to how they get there. And challenge with counter arguments as necessary - listening and respect are the key rather than shouting and dismissing. |
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Comment | Southampton Interested In Manchester United Veteran
at 12:38:10
I wonder if work has started on recruiting a coaching team yet? Or will it just be Super Ralph going solo? I hear Howard Wilkinson, George Graham and Ron Atkinson are free :)
COYR's |
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Comment | Che Adams Linked To Leeds United
at 14:31:55
Now that Ted Bates statue is safe maybe the board could make him manager again. I'm sure his team selections would make more sense than Ralphs :) |
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Comment | Well Done To Southampton FC For Keeping Ted Bates Statue
at 14:29:17
It would have been illogical to remove this statue on the basis that an employee of the club 40 years ago has only in the last decade has been convicted (i.e. proven) as a paedophile.
As the phrase goes 'the past is a foreign country'. When I was a kid you were always aware of the local weirdo but nowadays due to a greater willingness of people to talk about these horrible incidents because they will actually be listened to we're very aware that these type of people are not weirdos they are dangerous and manipulative destroyers of life.
Removing this statue would have made as much sense as the club disassociating itself from Lawrie Mac, Alan Ball, Mike Channon and any other legend who was around the club at that time.
Historical injustices need to be corrected and appropriately addressed but that should not involve unfounded knee jerk shouts of guilt by association as that risks causing as much damage as the original wrong that which is being corrected. |
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Comment | Southampton Unity needed Now With Safety Assured
at 10:19:15
I agree that we need to sing from the same hymn sheet to the extent that when criticism is required we don't pretend that things are fine.
We've got two games left so lets enjoy them without any pressure and hope the players do their bit as well. They have fed us a lot of nonsense this season and we have been patient before finally voicing are displeasure last weekend.
COYRs |
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Comment | Big Night In Premier League Relegation Battle
at 16:27:35
A very loaded introductory paragraph. I think the majority of us will be relieved if Chelsea win tonight rather than feeling silly - and until we are mathematically safe I will not take our safety for granted – and for us to be mathematically safe will require those below us losing their games as I cannot see us getting any more points this season. All 3 teams below us have a better record over the last 5 games which is a very significant pointer to the next few games.
In the parlance of the tabloid press, over the past few tedious months of Ralphgate you have repeatedly looked forward to saints moving up the table in you pre match reports followed by the report on the inevitable defeat dismissed with an apologetic defence of Ralph while simultaneously pointing out the flaws that the non-Ralph cultists highlight e.g. weird selections, tactics, formations and substitutions.
I can understand it must be soul destroying to have to write the same things most weeks and you need to look at any positives where possible. But over the last few months, particularly, there just haven’t be that many, if any. To make positives up where there are none is crazy.
If Leeds lose tonight I’ll be relieved – but our club has an incredibly massive job to do if we are not to be in the same situation next season.
In the meantime the Ralph cultists remind me of the black knight from Monty Python’s Holy Grail……………..
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Comment | All Saints Fans Ask Is That Ralph Hasenhuttl Plays His Strongest Team Against City !
at 10:41:48
Well said Nick. As you say most of us are realistic about our club and are not expecting much from the the wekend other than for the players to show a decent account of themselves.
I'd swap two league wins for a cup win as I'm still nervous about the league position (I'll admit I'm a glass half full when it comes to Saints) so anything from this weekend will be a mixed blessing - especially if we sneak a win and the players then 'save' themsleves for the SF.
COYR's
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