I cannot remember a feeling in the crowd so dispirited as the one I witnessed at St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday evening and that includes some of the darkest moments in the club's history, action has to be taken and now.

At times in our past we have witnessed some dark days at Southampton Football Club, we have seen some poor teams and some poor performances, but none so in such a manner as the way we gifted Chelsea an easy victory last night.

I have stuck by Russell Martin when he was criticised by some last season and I urged those to do the same in the early games of this season.

But we have been watching a team that has no leadership, it is being forced to play a possession football game to a level that it is not capable of and that has lead to countless mistakes where possession has been easily conceded and goals given away that really should have been avoided.

On the opening day our goalkeeper gifted Newcastle the only goal of the game when he tried to play what should have been a simple ball out of defence or if he was not confident a clearance and here we are 4 months and 13 games later doing exactly the same thing, the goalkeeper trying to play a ball when under pressure and being compelled against his basic instincts to play a ball that is not really on.

That is the frustrating thing, if this squad had been allowed to adapt the managers tactics, then we would be at least 6 points better off and with a good chance of staying up, rather than finding ourselves 7 points adrift of safety.

Last night was perhaps the last straw, with so many out injured or suspended and with a team that was missing it's 3 best players so far this season and a team that had only 3 or 4 players in it that would be in the side if everyone was fit, you would have thought that Russell Martin would have adapted to suit what was essentially a second string side playing a team that was 3rd in the League.

But no ! from the start it was clear that the team had it's instructions and that was to pass the ball along the back whatever the situation, no one seemed to feel that they could go against the manager's mantra and clear the ball even when under pressure.

It truly didn't have to be like that either last night or for that matter in most of the 13 games that preceded it in the Premier League.

If the manager had adapted his tactics to suit the occasion, then we would not be in the mess we are in now.

But he has not adapted, he has pursued with his suicidal football and showed a stubborn streak that good managers do not have, one that says that there is only one way to play at all occasions.

There are those that say that next season Russell Martin will be a good manager to have in the Championship, that may well be, but if he takes us up, then we will be in the same position that we are in now, a manager who cannot adapt.

Last night the Southampton fans could take no more, the stuffing has been knocked out of them, they could not find the spirit to hurl abuse at the team or the manager, they showed it with their feet, with 10 minutes to go the ground was emptying, even those that stayed had mainly had enough of it when the 5th went in on 87 minutes and the sight of around 3/4 of the home sections empty for added time must surely have made a point to those in the club making the decision on Russell Martin's future.

The message now is simple, Russell Martin either has to adapt or he has to go !

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All Photos Via Reuters

mushinexile added 11:27 - Dec 5 But he won't. That is what is so bitterly, bitterly disappointing.
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sandywelsh added 11:30 - Dec 5 Go Now Martin and take Stephens with you!!!
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SaintPaulVW added 11:39 - Dec 5 He just doesn't appear to be learning. Which is disappointing. Firmly of the opinion that we have enough of a squad to put in a serious challenge to stay up. Last night KWP, Fernandes, Wood and Manning were all excellent and 3 of those are currently squad players. However, we have no chance if we carry on with this suicide football. Sides press us hard and take full advantage of mishit or slow passes with our defenders spread out looking to get open for a pass, leaving at least one unmarked player through on goal. If it does go on, SR are clearly happy to go back down with him. This really isn't going to motivate any team and performances may decline even further. Sometimes it's bloody hard being a Saints fan! COYR

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mascott514 added 12:01 - Dec 5 Well,I think we can say if it doesnt happen now- he is here to stay this year That was awful Although plenty of humour on the terraces! An key week ahead - we'll probably go on a 6 week unbeaten run now know us! Ok - just kidding!
4

bryanK added 12:02 - Dec 5 Complete and utter garbage and the manager is 110% to blame. According to this nut job Martin there were 6 brilliant Saints players on the night whilst 31,000 with white sticks failed to see anything. For my sanity go now. I have never joined the Stephens bandwagon but I have now. The mistakes by players are down to this idiot continuing his totally misguided crap style of football. Protests are now are only option as SR will not do anything unless their finances are squeezed.

2

davenbennett added 12:25 - Dec 5 Mates I go with couldn't go last night. Pissing down, as even though a season ticket holder, couldn't be bothered to walk 40 mins to the game. Don't regret the decision. Martin's ego has got us relegated. Just tweak the play a bit. Allow keeper to go long when under pressure. Pity we haven't got a 6ft 7 CF who could hold the ball up - oh wait!
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ItchenNorth added 12:31 - Dec 5 Slightly over exaggerating things in your first paragraph about St Mary's last night or do you sit next to Victor Meldew! We were always on a hiding to nothing with 6 starters out. Even a Chelsea teams with a few changes had about 200 mil worth of talent on the pitch. We just don't have the players at the back to play this suicidal football though. We condeeded a soft first goal but got level playing some good football down our left, only for Lumley to throw it away again. We played well in the first half and still created a couple of good chances to get back in it after this, but with then only 10 men, it was always going to end like this after that. Manning, Fernandes, Aribo, Archer all played well. Even Wood looked sound. But with so many others out, what did we really expect.

2

deanmiller added 12:32 - Dec 5 I could not believe what I was hearing in the post match interview. RM just kept saying he was proud of the players. PROUD about losing 5-1. I can't bear to listen to this guy anymore. Can anyone explain why SR are not getting rid of this idiot.
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DoctorSleep added 12:33 - Dec 5 Really impressed with KWP. Fernandes, Archer, Aribo and Manning showing the fight and determination that is required. Shame the rest of the team couldn't! Right from the start I've been on the fence with Martin really not convinced by him. Last night thou settled it - he has to go and sooner the better.
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JoeEgg added 12:56 - Dec 5 "But we have been watching a team that has no leadership, it is being forced to play a possession football game to a level that it is not capable of and that has lead to countless mistakes where possession has been easily conceded and goals given away that really should have been avoided." Nick All this is very true but the time for this stubborn prat to go was weeks ago because he will NEVER never change and at St Marys he will NEvER never have the quality playere he would need to make his system work. Of course it was always likely that we would lose to Chelsea with three of our key players missing but for Martin to suggest that we had six 'brilliant' players on the night borders on soccer insanity. To persist, as he will try to do, with Stephens as our responsible leader only confirms that this fool of a manager is way out of his depth. Apparently we play some brilliant football at times and Martin has acquired a small but significant number of admirers amongst the Premier League managers and some football journalists and ex-players. Even more amazing to me is the lack of vocal protest from our fans perhaps giving both directors and Manager the impression that many are still behind Sports republic and support keeping Martin on as manager. Martin is not wholly responsible for this utter mess. But his tactics will rarely favourably affect the outcome of a football match; his chosen Captain clearly illustrates his clueless appreciation of what is required on the pitch; whilst his team selections shoehorning his favourites into positions that simply demand the impossible.. , What more does he have to do to warrant an immediate exit from St Marys?

4

PezzaSaint added 12:57 - Dec 5 Haven’t seen the Saints live for a while, it’s been too saddening, but watched from just after Stephens was sent off last night. The passing around at the back is suicidal. Because we’ve not adapted our play that much over the season so far it is easy for the opposition to set traps for us and we simply fall in! When we break the press it looks good and even with 10 players last night we did that a few times quite well, but the rewards simply don’t warrant the risks we take. We’re going down, but I want Martin to stay, eventually learn from his mistakes, develop some pragmatism to our play and then bounce back up again and play a different style next time around. Controversial view I know, but constantly changing managers is no good.

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IanRC added 12:58 - Dec 5 What a shambles, yes odd players like Aribo and KWP really stood up but Martin’s pathetic sticking to Stephen’s as a starter, and even more unbelievably captain, really cost us. Does he watch a different game to the rest of us, can’t he see how unsuited he is to the role. Quite apart from the sending off the failure to organise at the back for the first goal was laughable. As regards the sending off the Chelsea players dive to the floor was also pathetic but how stupid was Stephen’s to pull his hair. Hopefully he will receive a very lengthy ban and we can start with a much stronger team going forward. There was some good incisive breaks forward but sadly some players appear to have been coached out of thinking to put in an early accurate pass in favour of turning backwards. VAR was its usual biased self, Manning was pulled over and prevented from clearing the ball for their fourth but by then it probably did not matter too much. Ankerson’s awful transfer decisions and the owner’s apparent indifference are sadly ruining our club.

4

jameslastfan added 13:44 - Dec 5 Telling the crowd behind him ( I'm sure aimed at one our two but effectively to the stand) for the second game running to foxtrot Oscar is not the action of a man in control of himself. I don't agree with him being abused if that is what happened but if someone in the crowd shouts an opinion on play I think they are entitled to do that. Did it against Liverpool too. Not a good look, and not going to recover or get crowd on board. Poor discipline throughout the club I fear. Actually I think the crowd have been very forgiving and polite.

1

Kingsland34 added 15:39 - Dec 5 Its RM's 'assisted defeat' tactic and it has to be self administered, already confirmed as terminal within a month.
0

landsdownsaint added 15:41 - Dec 5 He was still getting the keeper to play the ball into our incoming midfielder with a Chelsea payer on his back … unbelievable!, he seems to think the keeper is as good as an outfield player, i can’t believe he’s still here , they sacked Ralph easily enough for far less & their was every chance RH could’ve turned things around because he saw & adapted but not like this guy

3

StRipper added 15:52 - Dec 5 I get there is a lot of anger and frustration, and much of it justified. The reason I left early last night though was because of VAR. Whats the point of even turning up to matches when all that matters to VAR is shafting Southampton, And looking at each VAR punishment on its merits to try and justify VAR decisions is a scam. Because when every decision is going to go against us. All that is consistent is that it favours the bigger or higher up the league club and I can't be a*sed with it any more. I knew thats how it worked when we last got relegated, its why I preferred the Championship and and its why, despite the obvious drawbacks, I don't want to fund the EPL and its blatant merry go round of corruption.

3

Bowlercow added 16:48 - Dec 5 Nick you have a very selective memory The first 9 0 v Leicester,every game under Jones 2 seasons ago were all worse for supporters You claim to have supported RM but in my memory you were one of the first to jump on the Football Insider and call for a change I suspect you did so to appease the majority of posters The games continue to sell out despite our position and performances so the product is still good I like and want the style of play he is trying to achieve and I am happy to yo yo a couple of times to get there

0

YosemiteSaint added 18:31 - Dec 5 No team in EPL history has stayed up after going 1-2-11, so we're effectively relegated now. The question going forward is whether RM is the man to lift us back out of the Championship in eighteen months' time, and whether we're OK with being England's 23rd best side.
0

YosemiteSaint added 18:34 - Dec 5 As for Stevens, how ever will he make the apprenticeship hours to become a hairdresser if RM keeps picking him to play football?! We saw the inevitable outcome of this yesterday when he couldn't resist playing Cucurella's barber!
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stmichael added 21:01 - Dec 5 Aaron Ramsdale goes long when he needs too. So according to this logic Lumley and McCarthy have to pass it to players under pressure but Ramsdale can go long. Absolute nonsense.. They are not blindly following the managers instructions they are just totally incapable of reading the situation and make stupid suicidal decisions off of their own back.. The buck stops with the manager because he picks the players but make no mistake we are going down because we have the 20th weakest squad in the league. Where on earth does everyone expect us to finish… And I’ll finish by saying we had dozens of moments last night where we passed the ball Superbly with our second string and got through the Chelsea press. Of course it led to nothing because we don’t have a premier league strike force.. Again not something I’d blame RM for…

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pintsizedsaint added 08:37 - Dec 6 It’s clear - he’s not going anywhere. SR happy with the style of play he’s bringing and the blame apparently is with the players. SR with RM buy the players mind you! So it’s this for rest of season. Perhaps they think Saints will click and go on a run like last year. Wishful thinking in the step up that is the EPL. What’s the point of Saints fans turning up to watch?

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