Saints travel up to Manchester to take on the corporate giant that is now Manchester City, perhaps the toughest fixture in European football these days, a surprise result for most teams at the Etihad is no longer a win or even a draw, but a defeat by 3 goals or less.

The cynics in the Southampton fanbase will say that the only question before this game, is which 9 players will accompany Aaron Ramsdale & Jack Stephens on to the pitch at kick time, Ramsdale of course is their on merit, but even he is not 100% certain of making the starting line up.

Jack Stephens has been used in a hybrid left back/central midfield role both last season and this season and now some are claiming that he will feature against City in goal but with the licence to carry the ball forward into the midfield, modern managers like Martin will call this a hybrid Goalkeeper/Playmaker role, older Saints supporters will recall this position from their childhood, it was known then as "Rush Goalie".

The plan is quite simple, when Jack in goal catches the ball, he will run to the edge of the penalty box, drop it and dribble it into the midfield and beyond, the nearest defender to the goal will then shout "Rush Goalie" and will now be the nominated keeper and be able to catch the ball with his hands.

Some may scoff and say i'm having a little bit of a joke, but I am absolutely serious, after last weekend, I am baffled as to what tactics Russell martin will employ week to week and this therefore seems not only perfectly plausible, but also a natural progression of how Jack Stephens has been used by the manager so far.

But it will be far from a joking matter come 3pm on Saturday at the Etihad, there is no doubt that football is at a crossroads, I said a couple of years ago when City and other clubs announced their plans for a European Super League and were thwarted, that this was not a victory for those not at that party, but merely extending what is now a flawed model.

The rest of us are just canon fodder, City and others want to take things to another level, fine, but that level is not about fans attending games at weekends, it is about TV revenue and playing certain games in neutral countries for big bucks.

Personally I want no part of this, although I am sure that there are many fans of City, United, Liverpool & Arsenal et al who also want no part, having seen their clubs torn from them and handed to the football tourist, but it is inevitable, so the sooner it happens the better and then the rest of us can not only survive but flourish, with a chance to win not only the English title, but both the FA Cup & the League Cup.

Since the Premier League was formed in 1992, the only clubs to win it outside of the Big Six are Leicester City in 2021, Wigan in 2013, Pompey in 2008 and Everton in 1995.

The magic of the FA Cup has been bought, no longer can the minnows win it, its a similar story in the League cup, that was often seen as an easier competition to win than the FA Cup, but the last non Big Six club to win it was Swansea in 2013, before that Birmingham in 2011, they are the only Non Big Six clubs in the last 20 seasons.

I have digressed, that is because I have no interest in a team that has bought it's way to League titles & cups, that has assembled a squad that can put out two teams that would both finish in the top 4 in the Premier League, it is all about money.

The sooner City are gone the better, a European Super League is what the armchair fan wants, give it to them, but let the rest of us get on with the Premier League and domestic football, but the likes of City won't let that happen, they want both slices of the cake, to play in both the Premier League and the European Super League.

So I am not bothered about who plays for Saints on Saturday, I am even less bothered about Manchester City with its team full of players with faces like a slapped arse if they don't get a throw in, I of course do hope that we don't get slaughtered, but in truth I am not bothered if we do, it's points that count and there is little hope of any coming back South on Saturday.

If Pep Guardiola resigned Friday afternoon and Russell Martin took over from him, then Manchester City would still beat Saints and would probably still win the Premier League and probably the Champions League, that tells you all you need to know, it is not about having the best manager, it is about having the most money by a country mile.

As Voltaire once said "God is on the side of the big Battalions"

All Photos Via Reuters

JoeEgg added 14:50 - Oct 25 Good on you Nick _ agree with your sentiments precisely! I see Guardiola is already telling Martin that he should continue with his chosen style of football - after all it will make City's task easier on Saturday. Just makes the job a little simpler when you have Millions to splash out on all the best players available!
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saintmark1976 added 16:54 - Oct 25 Spot on Nick. I’m as disillusioned with the current state of football as I am with our owners Sports Republic. On both counts I just can’t see where the enjoyment is for us fans anymore.
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A1079 added 17:43 - Oct 25 Agree JoeEgg. If Pep or Slot or Arteta are praising our team it is not usually a good sign. I am going tomorrow but will also be seeing my son and going for a meal afterwards so the football is likely to just be a side show that will soon be forgotten. You always have that feint hope that a surprise may happen but you know it won't.
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Bowlercow added 17:55 - Oct 25 I agree with the sentiment but would worry that the withdrawal of funds could lower the standard of our domestic game To have stood any chance against City we would have needed a transfer budget of about half a billion quid
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ElSanto added 21:07 - Oct 25 Got me all riled up, Nick. Great article and nice way to finish it.
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cotswoldsaint added 00:43 - Oct 26 Yeah, I get all that saintnick, but stepping aside from drowning in your negativity, just occasionally the Prem will throw up two or three freak results each season. To that end I've had a fiver for us to win with BetFred @ 25/1 at the Etihad. For a two horse race I'd say that's pretty fair !!
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Staycalm added 09:18 - Oct 26 Nice analogy Cotswoldsaint but you might have to hope that something happens to their horse, as ours only appears to have 3 legs and a jockey facing in the wrong direction!
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wessexman added 11:38 - Oct 26 The likes of Citeeh, Arse and Liverhampton are way beyond our financial reach and yes, a level playing field can only be achieved when they enter their swamp of greed and avarice, ie a superleague, But, once we have stopped bellyaching about the unfairness of the top echelons of the Premiership teams, the big question for me is....WHY SR seem incapable of running a football club which is at least capable of competing against the lower echelons of the Prem? Why do they keep appointing second rate managers? Why do we shop in the basement bargain shop when it comes to players? Are they not interested in our club having Premiership status?

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codge added 14:08 - Oct 26 Stephens back in and captain 😭
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FrankSaint added 11:04 - Oct 27 Loving the Voltaire quote. Nice way to finish off this stream off consciousness. Highly satisfying when it comes off.
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