This is starting to get monotonous now, I could just cut and paste the last few verdict's change the name of the opposition and it would still be a perfect fit for this performance at Stamford Bridge.

Ivan Juric surprised few people when the line ups were announced, he still had only 1 central defender on the pitch, with a full back & a midfielder partnering him in the centre of defence and it was Tall Paul Onauchu's turn to play up front, there was a feeling that the manager had just shuffled the pack and therefore he was just doing the same things and that the same result would be obtained and that proved to be the case.

The queue to get in the away end was like queueing up to be shot, once again the fans turned out in numbers and there did not seem to be a hint of optimism ahead of the game.

In truth it didn't start too badly, no one could accuse the players out on the pitch of not trying, but they were a team running around with no leadership or direction and after the first 15 minutes, Chelsea soon started to dominate the game and the only surprise was that it took them 24 minutes to get the first goal.

Once that happened you knew it was going to be hard and when they netted a second on 36 minutes you feared a landslide, in these situations as a team you should shut up shop and get into the break just the two goals down so you are still in the game and can refresh and regroup at half time.

But we could not even do that and when Southampton born Levi Colwill scored a third, you knew it was going to be a question of how many.

I am truly embarrassed to say this, I am not a person who sees leaving early as some sort of thing to be proud of, I don't apply this mythical 3 goals rule, I usually stay to the death, my rule is that I will leave when there are less minutes left to play than goals needed to get a draw, but enough was enough last night.

In fairness I would have stayed, but with rail works and replacement bus services looming, the choice was to get to Clapham for the 10.10pm train which would get me back to Southampton by about 11.40pm, or get the 11.10pm which would not get me back till 1.56am

That is a shameful way to run a railway and that made up my mind for me, I had watched one shambles, I wasn't going to be part of another, I was far from the only Saints supporter on that 10.10 train.

So I am afraid I can't tell you much about the second half and I cannot bring myself to watch it on tv, I can only assumed that the introduction of Taylor Harwood-Bellis must have stabilised us a bit as we only conceded a single goal in the second half.

So where do we go from here ?

The answer is that we have to get this manager out of the club now, we all know Russell Martin had to go, his 5 points from 16 games, was atrocious and he was the architect of his own downfall, but at least in the main we were reasonably organised if lacking leadership.

Juric has now had 10 Premier League games in the dug out and he has had 9 defeats, that is a record of 0.3 points per game, Russell Martin's points per game ratio was 0.3125, when the inevitable defeat at Liverpool happens in the next game Juric's ratio will drop to 0.27 per game.

The stats are there, but our own eyes also tell us, things are worse under Juric than they were under Russell Martin, I suspect that he knew the game was up and now he is going through the motions till the inevitable break clause is actioned in the summer.

There is nothing that you can say about Juric that is positive, he seems to have fallen out with a lot of his players, he is not in control of the situation, his team selections and substitutions are abysmal, he does not appear to have any sort of tactics, his approach is completely scattergun, some players are in and out of the team and back in, with no rationale, other than Juric does not know what to do next.

There is no point in continuing with this manager, if we selected the team by an online poll of season tickets holders, it would be no worse !

We are going to have to pay Juric till the summer, put him on gardening leave until then, put Simon Rusk in charge with Adam Lallana assisting him, they might not have much experience in coaching at this level, but they are the only two at the club who could take the job on, they could do no worse than Juric.

We have 10 days until the next game, now is the time to make the change, it won't save us from relegation, it might not even save us from having the lowest points total ever in the Premier League, but it will bring some stability back into the playing squad.

Everything can be focused on restoring the harmony in the squad and planning for next season, it will show the fans that those running the club now have their finger on the pulse, than Johann Spors our new technical director or whatever they are calling him knows what he is doing.

It will also give the fans hope and that is what we need at the moment, some hope that there is a positive future out there, that we have a squad that will compete for promotion next season, that the foundations are being kept intact and that players that may not quite cut it at Premier league level, but are very good championship players are still here next season, the sooner that Juric is gone the sooner that we send a message to our players that we mean business next season.

All Photos Via Reuters

davidargyll added 10:19 - Feb 26 I think we can all agree that Juric couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag. And clearly the dressing room is behaving as if he has lost some if not all of them. And yes I do find myself wondering, on the basis of the last few games whether the players are just not good enough or whether they have been managed and coached really badly. Although I have never been involved in a sports business, in my time I did work for a couple of failing businesses - which is surely what SFC is now (regardless of what the so-called success on the commercial side some fans have suggested Phil Parsons has had). And the one common factor is that FAILURE IS ENDEMIC, IT AFFECTS EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING, NO ONE TALKS STRAIGHT TO ANYONE, FRIENDS EVEN CROSS THE STREET TO AVOID YOU AND IT IS ONLY EVER RESOLVED BY A COMPLETE CLEAR OUT. So no i don't blame the players really, they all know what is happening, they all know what people are saying about them, they all know the club is going down the plug hole and against that incredibly negative vibe, they are being asked to perform. Psychologically, they must be completely shot and I defy any fan to really expect anything other than the rubbish we have been served up with against such a background. So until Dragan Solak and Sports Republic swing their hook, our beloved club and its players are doomed to continuing failure and a self-fulfilling spiral downwards.

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wessexman added 10:56 - Feb 26 Solak and his board are the ones who need a good look at themselves. They have turned this club into a joke. If they are allowed to continue on this destructive path, league one seems a more likely outcome. The sooner they are gone the better.
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JoeEgg added 11:20 - Feb 26 I think we all wondered what Sports Republic had seen in our new manager to bring him here with his pretty mediocre reputation. I imagine a fair few preferred choices for manager turned us down. However it is clear that Sports Republic's judgement has been pathetic and has failed our football club - we are now seen by one and by all as a laughing stock in the world of football. Irrespective of the terms of his contract Juric should be sacked immediately and a replacement installed. I suggest we invite Steve Cooper to restore some soccer sanity into the way we line up and play.

4

stmichael added 11:36 - Feb 26 When you add a generally stupid fan base to a pathetic ownership you have the ingredients for chaos which we have seen time and time again. These are the results of hounding out a good man and a young manager who in time would have been great for this club. The entitled I want it now brigade have played a big part in this shambles. Unfortunately those of us that knew are also suffering the consequences.. We haven’t got close to rock bottom yet..

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saintmark1976 added 11:50 - Feb 26 Don’t feel bad about leaving early Nick, a good few season ticket holders can’t now even be bothered to attend home games from the start and they have already paid for the “ privilege “. I listened to the pre match build up on Radio Solent. Even the perennial fence sitter Blackmore finally appears to have found the courage to apportion blame where it truly lies. He and Tessum both said that fault doesn’t rest with the players who clearly aren’t good enough, nor with the managers, but squarely with Sports Republic and its owners. Unsurprisingly another humiliation followed shortly thereafter. Will anything change for the better whilst they have the custody of our club ? Not the faintest chance unfortunately.

3

AmericanSaint added 12:47 - Feb 26 So I didnt watch the game but saw highlights of the first 3 goals. Again simple basic individual errors cost us goals. We all believe that SR doesnt know what they are doing, but I ask you - what if this is their plan? What if they are just waiting to sell the players they can and recoup monies along with the parachute payment. Maybe they decide that we were done and dusted so that is why they brought in Juric on the cheap. They had no belief that survival was realistic, so they went the money route. I know staying the PL is more lucrative, but if you believe you are done like SR, then you go to plan be. This is a business for them and not a passion, so they dont care about the fanbase. Just because you are a billionaire, doesnt mean you a billionaire with lots of extra loose money to spend on a football club. SR is not Leibherr, who had a passion for Saints and was willing to spend his own money to make the club succeed. So to SR this is purely business, not passion.

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Farlow added 12:55 - Feb 26 Ive always believed ever since SR took over their intention was to take as much money out and then sell us on.I wish theyd sell us now.
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SaintPaulVW added 13:17 - Feb 26 Agree 100% with this verdict. Juric hasn't worked time to cut losses and prepare for the inevitable. COYR
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HythePeer added 13:31 - Feb 26 Dear Sir or Madam, We hereby send you a formal notice relating to the service provided during the recent “professional” football match. Indeed, after having paid the sum of at least £150 to attend this match, it was impossible to enjoy any of the entire 90 minutes of the match, and it was not possible to watch a professional football performance worthy of the name. Furthermore, all suffered a loss of 90 minutes of life. As consumers who have paid for a clearly defined service, we are entitled to expect a professional football match. However, this was clearly not the case. We all lost varying earnings, so we suggest all are compensated at the same hourly rate earned by the “professional” players of Southampton FC. Failing this, we will be forced to refer the matter to the courts to assert collective rights.

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Dobbin60 added 13:34 - Feb 26 Shout shout let it all out, The Saints are the team we care about, Shout Shout SR OUT!!! You’re the ones we could do without, Come on, We’re talking you. Tears for fears or in our case tears and fears!
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Ali_Diarea added 13:43 - Feb 26 Let’s not forget that Ivan Juric was behind Nathan Jones on our manager wish list. The fact that either (let alone both) were on that list proves the incompetence of the current management team at SR. I dread to think who is still on that list and was behind Jones and Juric, probably the guy who manages the trains…
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