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After tonight's game between Wolves and West Ham there will probably be another sacking tomorrow and another potential "good" manager appointed that we will have lost out on.
I have long resigned to the fact there will be no change though I think RM may just have tipped the fans patience over on Saturday after his comments.
Agree Dirk. I did not realise Villa had a CL game coming up and it says something when teams rest players against us in the same way as top teams rest players when they get a lower league side in a cup round. It also says something (sadly) on where other teams see us let alone how we see us. It is a reflection of how far we have fallen as a club.
When I got up yesterday morning I was heavily weighing up whether to go to the game. I had the ticket but I didn't have the motivation and looking at the deteriorating weather I was looking for an excuse not to drive down the M18, M1, etc or hoping that perhaps the game would be called off. Anyway, despite all those doubts and knowing that I was going to watch another defeat, like many others I did go and the end if the day wondered why I did not stick to my gut instinct telling me not to.
I got there in good time, decided to venture into Aston Tavern to escape the cold and wet and paid the £5 entry fee which did include a bowl of food and though a Villa fans location there was a smattering of Saints fans and it was arguably the most pleasant part of the day.
As for the game. Well, whichever side you were supporting, there was a common feeling - it was a poor game, with a poor atmosphere played in poor conditions. Even the overhanging roof did not protect you from the elements as my feet became blocks of ice and the only thing that kept you going was the gallows humour between our own fans.
The game can be summed easily. They scored because of another error, we offered no goal threat whatsoever, despite alot of huffing and puffing. I think at best we had one real meaningful shot on goal and I think our corners was less than a handful. I cannot think of a more inept bunch of strikers we have had at this level in all my time watching Saints and that includes even through the Branfoot era. Armstrong was repeatedly in off side positions so on the rare occasion we did try to get it forward he had to come back. On a simple chance that he had in the second half he inevitably fluffed his lines. Archer I do think potentially offers more but wiith tall centre halves on either side of him the ball to him has to precision and Brereton- Diaz - why oh why did we waste our money on that purchase - put bluntly, we knew we would need a good striker for this level and we have at best a bunch of championship strikers - even Vardy at Leicester offers more than our 3 put together and of course in the background is Ross Stewart which has to go down as one of the worst signing decisions given he was injured when we purchased him - though I suppose they would not have expected him to have had these medical issues.
In some respects our build up play was not bad. As usual KWP, Dibling and Fernandes worked hard and Aribo worked hard when he came on but we simply had nothing in the final third. Our crosses got nowhere when we got to the opponents box. In defence we were ok (except for the one costly error) and Wood looks like persevering with. Lumley had his moments and having nearly had a repeat of his Chelsea moment he then proceeded to kick the ball long which RM blames the fans for doing as he claims it led to their goal! Blaming the fans is never a good thing - especially given the money they spend, the trip they have made, the conditions they have got there in and have to return home in and the lack of entertainment value his team have served up. We are not the ones on the pitch earning thousands of pounds per week.
Villa themselves were not in truth much better than us and that was also reflected by the lack of vocal support from their own fans, After the game I could hear Villa fans saying that Saints support was better - which is something given the difference in numbers. You left thinking that this was another game where the opposition were there for the taking. You would not have had to have been that much better than we were to beat them - if only we offered some sort of real goal threat. Most other PL teams would probably have beaten Villa yesterday, even arguably any of the others at the bottom (except us)!
For the life of me, I really cannot see where an improvement or a win (even a draw) is going to come from. I have tickets for one more game in this month and beyond that I am really questioning whether I want to invest any more of my hard earned cash in being so underwhelmed by my team and club - I probably will because I always have but is that insanity?????
We are now 8 points at least adrift and 9 if you count our poor goal difference. To all intents and purposes it feels like our season is over and it really depends whether SR feel it is worth making the change in the hope that someone can produce a miracle now or accept (as I believe they have) that going down in the hope of coming back up is a reason and their model for sticking with what we have - with the risk of losing the few good players we have (and given SR record of wasting the money that we would get from them).
West Ham Vs Wolves on Monday. It is being suggested that whoever loses that game will get the sack - probably an element of truth in it. I would not be surprised to see Potter going to West Ham and another opportunity will be missed by our owners.
It is difficult to see where we are going to get a win from and to date we have been a little fortunate that those immediately above us have not pulled away. But, as you say, that gap is starting to look wider now.
Villa have not won for a while and have not been scoring goals recently but you just know that they will break that drought against us on Saturday.
There have been some aspects of our play and some individual performances that have given me a little bit of hope recently but we need much more than a little bit of hope and some individual performances. We need the whole team to click and some VAR decisions that go in our favour for a change.
As much as it irks to say it on the disallowed goal your assessment Dirk is correct. We had a poor first half but a much better second half. Lumley did ok. We have lost quite a few players for the Chelsea game with the bookings.
When we played City away Dirk, City were not that special and I think a Brighton or a Bournemouth would have got something. On Sunday when we played Liverpool and we went ahead I believe most other teams in the PL even in the bottom half would not have lost it.
It is hard to say isn't it Nick. I kind of feel that if the change was going to be made it would have been made before this recent break but as thing stands we are heading for our season being all but over by the New Year and it will take something monumental to change it around even with a change of manager. What is holding up is the support - am I right in thinking that the Christmas period games are already sold out......or as near as damn it?
I am going today but I wonder why having made the long journey down in awful weather. I am not sure I will continue doing this if there is nothing to play for once we get to January - I appreciate that may make me seem like a fair weather supporter but when money is tight and you make the effort you want to at least feel your team will and can compete.
I hope we all get a shock surprise and result today.......it is always the hope.......like entering the lottery!
The game that always stuck in my head even though we lost it was the 3-2 defeat at The Dell in the 1981/82 season with sublime one touch football ending with a goal from Channon. Football at it's best............
Quite simply, No. Liverpool would have to have an exceptionally bad day and us an exceptionally good one to not lose this. In fact, I struggle to see where our next points will come from, no matter the opposition.
I think you need to view it in proportion to our support in games generally Nick. Our support both home and away has held up well despite our performances this season.
I am going this Sunday to a game that is now on TV. Travelling 240 miles to get there, staying overnight and I have taken a day off on leave. The Villa away game is sold out and it looks like Fulham away will be as well just before Christmas.
This cup game is mid-week, close to Christmas and for people like me would need at least 2 days leave. Sometimes you have to weigh it all up. I know you will quote how well Liverpool supporters still attend and have more games etc because of Europe but their fan base is wider and often as close to away games as much as home games. Would I like to have gone - yes, but money, timing, distance etc means that there are some games I just decide I have to miss and I am sure there are many like that.
Lawrie McMenemy used to say how much he had a mixture of pride and angst at his players being called up for International duty. There was pride in seeing a player called up from SFC but he said it nearly always spelled trouble when they returned from it because of the influence from players from the so called bigger clubs. He argued that Mark Wright was never the same once he was called up for England.
I had forgotten all about Ross Stewart. I think the last we saw of him was at Arsenal away for about 20 mins, went off and was told it was nothing serious and yet his name is not mentioned at all by the club.
What a huge waste of money he has been. Ok, he cannot help it if he has a fundamental medical issue but I believe we signed him when he was already on the injury list at Sunderland (if I am wrong in that, then I apologise). Nevertheless the lack of transparency by the club is astounding.
I think there is a groundswell sense of resignation to the outcome of this season. The fan base and support has held up well but that may be tested more once the new year kicks in.
We are a bit like Ukraine. We know we cannot win and the odds are stacked against us and it is a just matter of how much we lose.
I have resigned myself to the fact that if they were going to make a change in this break they would have made it now either on Sunday or yesterday. We can bring up as many names as we like but I can't see anything happening - unless in true Southampton form the board are just taking their time!!!!!!!
To be honest Nick, I have never enjoyed a visit to Molyneaux irrespective of the result or before, during or after a game. They are not a nice bunch at all and it is not a nice place - fans, staff or around the ground. I go out of loyalty to my team and that it is it.
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