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Comment | No Togetherness No Character No Fight
at 12:04:48
Agree with JGH
A week is a long time in football, look at Leicester. Lots of articles how no one liked their manager and they were done for. On the other hand we were the best thing since sliced bread again before Cardiff. We got tanked by the best team in the league away from home. Yes, they fell apart, i would think that has something to do with players having one eye on the play offs and recent injuries to colleagues when it went to 2-0. Should we do better, of course. We also took our eye off the ball before the game at anfield for a few weeks so plenty to learn from. It is a young team though.
At the start of the season i dont think too many would have had money on us still being in with a shout of the top two with a week or two of the season left. Lets be honest. After the prior season and the disjointed squad that was left, that woud have been a little optimisitic.
The play offs are a lottery but we have as good a chance as anyone. No one will fancy playing us when we click. We are playing some of the best football for a while, be careful what you wish for. Teams who go up with a hump it and lump it style never tend to fair that well. There is a plan in place.
COYR |
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Comment | Southampton V Ipswich Town The Verdict
at 10:03:13
Totally Agree with @Centurion
I thought the best we could hope for this season was the last play off spot. The simple truth is the problems cant be fixed in a few games and could potentially be made much worse with yet another change of staff and system. We are not a team yet, too young, too inexperienced, not enough leaders / experience on the pitch. Its the same issues as last season really.
A long long way to go, no need to panic. It will be an up and down season but could still go well if we can get a bit of confidence. Injuries have probably impacted the shape and balance, it was obvious even at the norwich game the midfield needed a DM. That remains the case. no protection for a very young keeper and CB pairing with Jan and Jack injured. |
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Comment | Southampton V Bournemouth The Verdict
at 17:05:35
You could probably write a book on this season and label it the strategy and approach that wont work. Yes, we do have some talented players but they don't want to be there and clearly only viewed this as a brief stepping stone, thats why weve only turned up on tv or vs bigger sides.
sadly this is a team game so it doesnt make any difference how good the squad individually is. You can see all season its basically 11 people turning up to play together, no leaders and barely even any talk on the pitch.
We seem to just have run of the mill whiteboard coaching badge 'tactics' at the moment, no identity and no plan let alone plan B.
Put simply, if these basics arent sorted out then the same ' talented' squad will struggle in the championship in my opinion. We have many similarities with watford if you look closely. We need some experience and know how and passion, sorry but they may mean not just signing players on for a profit. Great business plan but sadly not a great way to build a team, team spirit and bond and intensity.
The one positive is the way football is these days many clubs will come looking to buy and stock pile these young players so we wont be in the position of our last relegation where money was an issue. Also thanks to the premier leagues parachute payments which basically give us two years to get back up before we comply with EFL FFP payments. I really cant see us coming straight back in one season so time to plan ahead and come back like bournemouth and sheff united in season two.
Take way is whilst data certainly is a big bonus in some areas, you also need some common sense and experience to run a football club and create a team with a bond and spirit. I'd have said anyone with a bit of knowledge on football would have warned against such a young inexperienced team, having so many languages and a total lack of english football in the team. Let's not forget even lavia had not played a professional game before this season. No surprise such a squad would see its confidence drain away, that is when you need the personalities and characters and experience that dragged us out of this in the past.
Same will ring true next season, we need a few with championship know-how and experienced and older heads in the team and squad or forget it. We have said many times we can't defend crosses and corners...thats how most goals are scored lower down. |
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Comment | Saints Unconvinced About Steven Gerrard And Chris Wilder
at 11:38:37
I dont think i remember a situation at saints or outside where appointing a coach works beyond the short term. He already has a certain relationship with the players and that must change as a manager. Id argue this is why they would probably be up for him taking over, they are all his mate , that is the job of a coach. Also he never seems to have been at a side beyond one season.
I dont blame Marsche at all for turning down the offer, budget has clearly gone after the pay off to get Jones and subsequently get rid of him. If the club has no faith in a manager beyond 4 months why on earth would you join to dent your reputation even more with a relegation on it you had little to do with.
I remember Wigley was a great coach to and a certain dutch gentleman. The rest as they say is history and two relegations.
We are so far gone this season i am starting to think we may as well appoint Adkins, he would get the crowd behind the team and show a bit of energy and positivity. Also recent championship experience and of course or promotion history in it, should he want/ do enough to stay next season.
Sadly we must start thinking about next year for me, staying up is a distant punt, look at the fixture list and then the table. We have to be realistic, we are not a good proposition to take over at the minute, both in terms of on the pitch and how we have treated the last two managers and the interference/lack of help they seem to have faced from above. |
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Comment | Jesse Marsch Is Not Nathan Jones Mk 2.
at 18:37:31
We have already covered all the issues and how we got here. We are where we are . Not sure who people realistically thought we could get , the pool of those interested would be minute with them being the third manager of the season and no transfer window. Your signing on for a relegation on your CV.
My conclusion, sacking Ralph was a joke. If anything Jones has highlighted this more than anything else. The problem was never the manager but the recruitment, age and lack of in certain areas. |
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Comment | Southampton Sack Nathan Jones
at 11:09:14
Feel for Nathan Jones, seemed a good bloke and no doubt a good coach. For me the sack should have been saved for the person who let our experienced leaders and voices go and replaced them with mute academy players with barely ten professional games between them.
Let's face it this team would struggle in the championship, I doubt any manager could have kept the last group up and we have now sacked another manager one game in with a new set.also one who knew the championship inside out , where we will.play next season, probably without all these entitled academy players who will be off like a shot.
Shame there is no data on common sense as we have all said on here you can't have a football team with kids , no leaders , no experience and no voices.
Overall a real shame more than anything
Good luck to the new manager , he will need it. Not sure where we turn now. Will a proven manager stick around if we go down? Will any championship manager touch us after the treatment of Jones? Do we get stuck with a yes man coach worse than all other options ? |
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Comment | Saints Fan Forum Repetitive But Got Supporters Feelings Over
at 11:08:06
Love him or hate him, I don't think you cant argue he is trying his best and the pressure only shows if you take it personally and hate losing. Hope we focus on getting behind the team on Saturday and making some positive noise. |
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Comment | Southampton At Brentford The Verdict
at 11:05:25
I feel for the manager just as I did for Ralph, totally thrown under the bus by poor preparation from above.There is now a general apathy around the club and especially at our home games, I've heard more atmosphere at the cricket ground on a Thursday of a county championship game. All those who wanted Ralph gone must now surely be having a hard look in the mirror. This squad simply isn't good enough and a lot of that stems from premiership experience and leadership. Its a squad a ten year old would assemble on football manager. They have no bond and no identity and probably no voice on or off the pitch. It looks more like a u23 team. No manager will want to come now so sacking Jones is a total waste of time . We missed the boat on the good manager who is now at Everton , I fear probably too opinionated for our board , a little bit of what Jones is getting at if you read in to it. We may as well go more direct now, anyone who has seen is for the last year knows what we are doing isn't working. There is nothing wrong with playing down the channels or off a target man, we are sadly not man city.
I take heart from Burnley , lost so many players in the summer , much worse off financially than us but have had an impressive rebuild. For me, as you have touched upon, we need some experienced English players and leaders to build a foundation and some steel and identity in the dressing room. Right now I think this 'side' would be mid table in the championship
A lot are simply not ready for senior football, which entails a lot more than just technique on the ball to produce a winning side.
A real shame , but people need to hold their hands up and accept we are not good enough. I don't fault the effort i see at games which I have in past struggling teams. It's not a time to slate individuals or even the manager , it's a time to start planning to do it properly next season
Positives , we have a lot of players people will pay for and with a few experienced heads in goals , CB and CM we can have a good side next year.
Again not slating those in the positions now, they are doing their best but at the moment in their development, not good enough in this cut throat league
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Comment | Southampton At Liverpool The Verdict
at 10:32:26
Actually it reminds me of the young team we had in the championship, lots of talent but couldn't perform for a whole game and often simply over powered in the second half. Again I don't blame the players or manager for this , it is what it is . I wish the new manager all the best but if Ralph struggles with this squad so will he. It is that simple. |
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Comment | Southampton At Liverpool The Verdict
at 10:27:41
Unless we get at least 3 experienced premiership players in Jan we are big trouble. We need a whole new spine really. Need striker an absolute must, and two people who can open their mouth and lead and talk. This is the weakest group I remember at saints in terms of leadership, experience and physicality. Whilst some are extremely promising you could also argue in terms of quality, proven quality at least. Given the position it will be very hard to bring in the players we need in Jan. I don't blame either manager for this , for me the recruitment has been shocking and shows real inexperience of the league. We still have a chance after Christmas , I really think the WC has saved us here. However , we need to be realistic and say we have a side going out and no one has ever doubted their effort and commitment, that means they are simply not good enough as is. |
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Comment | Southampton Said To Want Nottingham Forest Manager To Replace Hasenhuttl
at 12:55:31
Thats funny because i remember everyone chanting his name in march when we beat Norwich at home at the end of feb / early march and we were tenth and at 40 points faster than an at any point post Koeman.
A calm look at the facts also show his win % is better than Potter at Brighton and hes got 50 extra games on him. Yet Potter is now Chelsea manager. 34.5% vs 31%
This team is young , inexperienced and has barely played together. If anyone thought we would be top ten they need a realty check, its not football manager on the pc.
Sure if you could tell me we could get Poch, even for a season or two, i may agree, but changing him for an unknown? No thanks, i think we learned that lesson last time we got relegated from the Prem? |
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Comment | Southampton Said To Want Nottingham Forest Manager To Replace Hasenhuttl
at 12:07:47
So for the hysterical fringe calling for Ralph out, are they suddenly happy with a manager who has lost 5 in a row, only has one premier league win ever and has also struggled when faced with an influx of players that he had little to do with signing and little time to gel them?
For the record i think Cooper is a great coach and Forest would be mad to sack him or let him go. Just as i fear we would be to let Ralph go.
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Comment | Hasenhuttl Rumours Rife As Odds To Be Sacked Shorten !
at 15:56:58
That's one game , we are about where you would expect in the league. We were brilliant against utd and Chelsea and should have had a point at least Vs wolves.
Having an average age of 23 your not going to be that consistent. Yes we were rubbish at Villa, I don't remember more than about one time in the 30+ years I've watched that we haven't been ...
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Comment | Hasenhuttl Rumours Rife As Odds To Be Sacked Shorten !
at 15:29:58
Mad if true
We finally seem to have the type of players to play the
Way he wants.
For all those who want him sacked , maybe check out his record on Wikipedia against the new Chelsea managers whilst at Brighton for some context on how well he has done under massive constraint.
Not sure if anyone else feels the same but it hards to like and indeed care about the premier League anymore. Lost its soul , shame the so called super League didn't take those clubs away |
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Comment | Dressing Room Unrest Never Ends Well
at 09:59:53
If you have listened to the BBC Solent forum, interesting to hear the manager say many went off the boil in march after being tapped up. Broja, Salisu and Bednarek were all linked away at that time. I wouldn't believe too much of that the daily mail writes, after all I think you have written numerous stories yourself on here about how they are out to do us harm. I would imagine any who have had a conversation are those not playing or being allowed to leave. Nothing new here. Adams won't be allowed to go until at the very least we sign someone else, that would be suicide. If he wants to go in the not too distant future he will, that is football these days . If you haven't, give the BBC forum a listen, we are lucky to have these collected and smart people running the day to day of the club. I'm sure they will make the right call on the manager if and when it is necessary. That isn't after one game of the season, away, at a top four club for me . |
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Comment | Southampton At Tottenham Hotspur The Verdict
at 09:40:48
Spot on really, we have spent a lot of money for players with no experience that even the manager says may take a year or more ' to help us'. I don't really blame Ralph as I don't think, like most managers these days, he has much say in transfer policy or targets . We have been crying out for a leader at the back for around 3 seasons. When you watch us there is also no vocal leadership in the whole team. Barely a word is said and they just look at each other. As you said not every player is a leader but we need one. Even JWP is more a leader from example than vocally. I'd also say we need a striker with premiership experience or we will sadly struggle this year. I can't see three teams worse than us. For me, Ralph has done great things for us , we have punched about our weight with no investment. What worries me now is has he played all his cards?
Jumping from formation to formation won't settle or go down well in the dressing room. I don't see 5 at the back making any difference if we're still reliant on Valery and Stephens. No offense but one is a right back and Stephens really struggled against Coventry last year. I feel for Ralph, I find it hard to believe he wanted these players , for me they come next season and this we were crying out for experience and quality. Coady is a great vocal leader but we won't get him . |
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