| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 11:08 - Mar 11 with 1733 views | Butty101 |
"Before I elaborate I must be completely clear that this is not a witch hunt against Jack Stephens, some of the abuse seen towards him this weekend and indeed other players during this season has been uncalled for, but I recognise that over the past 7 years Jack has been a great servant to the club and a good player to have in the squad."
Then a witch hunt follows........
I notice you left out when Jack was recalled to play leftback at West Brom as the team had just conceded 6 in 2 games and the team kept a clean sheet. That wouldnt work with your narrative right..... |  |
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| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 12:36 - Mar 11 with 1654 views | SaintNick |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 11:08 - Mar 11 by Butty101 |
"Before I elaborate I must be completely clear that this is not a witch hunt against Jack Stephens, some of the abuse seen towards him this weekend and indeed other players during this season has been uncalled for, but I recognise that over the past 7 years Jack has been a great servant to the club and a good player to have in the squad."
Then a witch hunt follows........
I notice you left out when Jack was recalled to play leftback at West Brom as the team had just conceded 6 in 2 games and the team kept a clean sheet. That wouldnt work with your narrative right..... |
Where is the witch hunt, I have not slagged off Jack Stephens in any part of this article, i have ,made it clear on several occasions that it is not about his performances and the fault lies with the manager.
Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side
Monday, 11th Mar 2024 09:50
Much of the talk on Southampton fan websites after the win over Sunderland has been about the change of dynamics in the defensive line up and most fans are clear where the problem lies. [ Edit ]
Before I elaborate I must be completely clear that this is not a witch hunt against Jack Stephens, some of the abuse seen towards him this weekend and indeed other players during this season has been uncalled for, but I recognise that over the past 7 years Jack has been a great servant to the club and a good player to have in the squad.
I therefore do not take it lightly to have to put up a headline such as this one, but the reality of the situation is that Saints have gone from just a few weeks ago being one of the strongest defences in the Championship to being one of the worst.
Hence i confirmed that in this part of the piece, where although i dont name the West brom game directly I point out that he has played a part in some of our wins
"But this is not down to Jack Stephens, at least not directly, in the main his performances have been ok and he has played a part in some of our wins since his return from injury, the blame does not lie with Jack here, but Russell martin who has seen fit to break up one of the best central defensive partnerships for on the face of it no other reason than to fit Jack Stephens into the side."
I am not a big fan of Jack but I respect his loyalty to the club and I appreciate the contributions he has made, as I said later in the article if he had played at right back in the past few games, then he might well have been in the side on merit and keeping his place, as it is he has been hung out to dry when the manager hauled him off on Saturday, you don't do that to your Captain usually |  |
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| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 12:39 - Mar 11 with 1651 views | Ron11 |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 12:36 - Mar 11 by SaintNick |
Where is the witch hunt, I have not slagged off Jack Stephens in any part of this article, i have ,made it clear on several occasions that it is not about his performances and the fault lies with the manager.
Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side
Monday, 11th Mar 2024 09:50
Much of the talk on Southampton fan websites after the win over Sunderland has been about the change of dynamics in the defensive line up and most fans are clear where the problem lies. [ Edit ]
Before I elaborate I must be completely clear that this is not a witch hunt against Jack Stephens, some of the abuse seen towards him this weekend and indeed other players during this season has been uncalled for, but I recognise that over the past 7 years Jack has been a great servant to the club and a good player to have in the squad.
I therefore do not take it lightly to have to put up a headline such as this one, but the reality of the situation is that Saints have gone from just a few weeks ago being one of the strongest defences in the Championship to being one of the worst.
Hence i confirmed that in this part of the piece, where although i dont name the West brom game directly I point out that he has played a part in some of our wins
"But this is not down to Jack Stephens, at least not directly, in the main his performances have been ok and he has played a part in some of our wins since his return from injury, the blame does not lie with Jack here, but Russell martin who has seen fit to break up one of the best central defensive partnerships for on the face of it no other reason than to fit Jack Stephens into the side."
I am not a big fan of Jack but I respect his loyalty to the club and I appreciate the contributions he has made, as I said later in the article if he had played at right back in the past few games, then he might well have been in the side on merit and keeping his place, as it is he has been hung out to dry when the manager hauled him off on Saturday, you don't do that to your Captain usually |
The problem is, we never know what Martin is going to do next...mess about with a solid defence - why? |  | | |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 16:35 - Mar 11 with 1501 views | GRIM |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 12:39 - Mar 11 by Ron11 |
The problem is, we never know what Martin is going to do next...mess about with a solid defence - why? |
Why, because RM is guilty of overthinking things, it's a simple game keep it simple.
Play each game as it comes & always play your best players in their preferred position.
STOP selecting players that you are afraid to upset or that your most friendly with.
RM's possession based style of play & stubbornness will be his downfall but the club will suffer because of it.
Also RM stop constantly using the words "Love" & " Proud" & just occasionally try a more assertive way of motivating the players. | | | |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 18:57 - Mar 11 with 1426 views | felly1 |
Nick.. Your anti Jack Stephens obsession is both fascinating and strange considering the amount of years you've scapegoated him when we've lost or failed to see when he's had decent games.
Considering how you will defend every other player (Manning, Mara, Bazunu etc) to your dying breath bar Stephens.
THB and Bedders are our best CB combo.. Without a shadow of doubt and are both arguably better defenders
Strangely though Stephens track record always stands up well.
23/24 Championship games
Played 15
Won 12
Drew 2
Lost 1.
15 games.. 38 points... Promotion..
Last season.
No Stephens.. Relegation 26 points
Loaned to Prem league rivals Bournemouth and once Stephens played they quickly moved out of the bottom three and won a succession of games | | | |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 19:17 - Mar 11 with 1414 views | 1ASIN12 |
I like Stephen’s ,he’s a leader on the pitch , however he is our 3rd best centre back this season .
He should only play as a centre back if the other two are injured or as like at West Brom who’s tatic was to pump balls into the six yard box we needed his extra height .
He’s a very useful player to have in the squad and can also cover full back ( but not long term) .
If we don’t go up this season then he’ll be an important player for us next season. | | | |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 01:50 - Mar 12 with 1297 views | Ripleys_revenge |
I don’t see how anyone can say Stephens really is a leader on the pitch. Would a leader allow the team to switch off as badly as it did against Sunderland? As we let the game drift on Saturday, Stephens’s leadership was nowhere to be seen. For all the talk of us lacking leaders, I see plenty in our 2 optimal CB’s, bednarek and THB. When the first goal went in it was Stephens turning his back and not getting close enough to his man that led to the deflection that took the ball in. You only have to look at bednareks exasperation with manning and sulemana to see a leader demanding better from his team mates.
The argument about Stephens’s leadership qualities being the main reason for him being in the team I find very confusing. He’s never looked like that sort of player to me, in all the time he’s been a saints player he’s always seemed like the opposite of a leader to me. Which makes his sudden inclusion in the team all the more baffling by Martin. Totally agree with Nicks article here, please let’s just get back to the back 4 who were doing so well previously. [Post edited 12 Mar 1:51]
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| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 13:50 - Mar 12 with 1126 views | saint22 |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 01:50 - Mar 12 by Ripleys_revenge |
I don’t see how anyone can say Stephens really is a leader on the pitch. Would a leader allow the team to switch off as badly as it did against Sunderland? As we let the game drift on Saturday, Stephens’s leadership was nowhere to be seen. For all the talk of us lacking leaders, I see plenty in our 2 optimal CB’s, bednarek and THB. When the first goal went in it was Stephens turning his back and not getting close enough to his man that led to the deflection that took the ball in. You only have to look at bednareks exasperation with manning and sulemana to see a leader demanding better from his team mates.
The argument about Stephens’s leadership qualities being the main reason for him being in the team I find very confusing. He’s never looked like that sort of player to me, in all the time he’s been a saints player he’s always seemed like the opposite of a leader to me. Which makes his sudden inclusion in the team all the more baffling by Martin. Totally agree with Nicks article here, please let’s just get back to the back 4 who were doing so well previously. [Post edited 12 Mar 1:51]
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The baffling thing about Stephens is how as such an average playing who is prone to errors he has managed to find himself selected endlessly for seasons
I would say the fact he still get a a game at CB is one of our biggest failings in recent years
He had an atrocious period under hassenhutl alongside bestergaard yet still played | | | |
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| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 14:08 - Mar 12 with 1101 views | saintmark1976 |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 16:35 - Mar 11 by GRIM |
Why, because RM is guilty of overthinking things, it's a simple game keep it simple.
Play each game as it comes & always play your best players in their preferred position.
STOP selecting players that you are afraid to upset or that your most friendly with.
RM's possession based style of play & stubbornness will be his downfall but the club will suffer because of it.
Also RM stop constantly using the words "Love" & " Proud" & just occasionally try a more assertive way of motivating the players. |
Spot on GRIM.I couldn’t have put it better myself.
As for Nick and Jack Stephens, it’s simply a rerun of his previous constant prejudice concerning Yoshida but with a different name this time. Having said that he’s entitled to his opinion just like the rest of us.
For what it’s worth, I’d take Jack Stephens over Ryan Manning all day long. | |
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| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 14:40 - Mar 12 with 1082 views | felly1 |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 13:50 - Mar 12 by saint22 |
The baffling thing about Stephens is how as such an average playing who is prone to errors he has managed to find himself selected endlessly for seasons
I would say the fact he still get a a game at CB is one of our biggest failings in recent years
He had an atrocious period under hassenhutl alongside bestergaard yet still played |
Hi Saint22,
Do you mean the the 19-20 Season when he started 27 games under Hassenhuttl and we finished 11th in the Prem?
No would argue he's a better "defender" than our main two.
The point is , he is a ball playing CB and arguably changes the dynamics of the game in our favour.
People keep saying how many goals we've conceded since he came back.
That's fair enough but no one mentions how many we've scored?
From Puel , Hassenhuttl, Gary O'Neil at Bournemouth and now Martin seem fairly happy with what he brings to the team.
A player with certain limitations..too passive and ball watches ,yep.
Maybe Nick and his band of critics should notice his strengths. | | | |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 15:18 - Mar 12 with 1059 views | SFC_Referee |
| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 14:40 - Mar 12 by felly1 |
Hi Saint22,
Do you mean the the 19-20 Season when he started 27 games under Hassenhuttl and we finished 11th in the Prem?
No would argue he's a better "defender" than our main two.
The point is , he is a ball playing CB and arguably changes the dynamics of the game in our favour.
People keep saying how many goals we've conceded since he came back.
That's fair enough but no one mentions how many we've scored?
From Puel , Hassenhuttl, Gary O'Neil at Bournemouth and now Martin seem fairly happy with what he brings to the team.
A player with certain limitations..too passive and ball watches ,yep.
Maybe Nick and his band of critics should notice his strengths. |
Well even then, since we had the little drop in form after the Bristol game, Stephens has been better than Bednerak, as he’s been the one at fault for more goals than anyone else since Stephens return, so I don’t think Bednerak and HB are our best 2 centre half pairing, as like you showed with the stats before for when Stephens played, we’ve certainly been getting most of the results we’ve wanted… |  |
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| Russell Martin Must Stop Shoehorning Jack Stephens Into The Saints Side on 15:57 - Mar 12 with 1036 views | cocklebreath |
Change title to Ryan Manning |  |
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