x

Graham Potter Lined Up For Southampton Job

According to the latest reports, Russell Martin is on thin ground and should he lose at Bournemouth then it could be a new man in the dug out for the trip to Arsenal and that man is Graham Potter.

givemesport.com have reported that Saints are on the verge of replacing Russell Martin.

They say that with Everton having beaten Crystal Palace on Saturday and jumping above Southampton in the table, this has changed the outlook of the board and that should Saints lose to Bournemouth then they will make a change within hours.

They claim that talks may well have already taken place and if that is the case you would feel that it is only a matter of time before a change is made.

If Ipswich were to lose to Aston Villa on Sunday afternoon, that would perhaps also drive another nail into Martin's future at the club.

But a victory over Bournemouth would lift Saints out of the bottom 4 and also bring the Cherries into the relegation dog fight.

If any of those making the decisions at St Mary's were watching Wolves defeat to Liverpool on Saturday evening they would have heard Gary Neville's scathing attack on Wolves possession football game, if we thought that we were poor and didn't have the personnel to play possession football, then Wolves were appalling and this will have made the Southampton hierarchy jumpy.

Wolves were lucky in that Liverpool missed a few chances, but on another day it could have been different.

So this is an important week for Russell Martin, he may get a stay of execution on Monday evening, but then he will face one of the top 3 teams in the country, who may not be as accommodating as the teams we have met so far.

Some will say it is harsh on Russell Martin to be talking about sacking him after only 5 games, after all he did get us promoted last season, but that happened because he was forced to water down his tactics, the hope was that he would learn a lesson or two, but that has not been the case so far this season, although there were some hopeful signs in the game against Ipswich.

But the issue here is that he is trying to play these tactics with players that are not good enough to do so at this level, he is not adapting his tactics to the abilities of his squad, he is resolutely imposing his way or no way and sadly I think that the Southampton hierarchy have seen that and may feel that they have to make a change sooner than later.

So on Monday night at the Vitality Stadium, Russell Martin does not just have to win the game, he has to show that he has adapted his tactics to fit the situation and that he will do so at the Emirates on Saturday.

No one is asking him to abandon his principles, just to "adapt" but is he capable of doing that ? That is the big question, good managers who survive in the Premier League, know that they can't take on the likes of Manchester City and play them at their own game.

This is not just with possession football, it has been the case for as long as football has been played and the worry for Southampton whether it is the board or the supporters is that Russell Martin is just too stubborn to change.

This will be the thinking in the St Mary's boardroom, can they see Russell Martin changing and if not can they see his tactics winning enough games to keep us up, that is the big big question.

So will Graham Potter who had a short period at the club as a player in 1996/97 and played only a handful of games, but one of those games was the 6-3 defeat at the Dell of the then invincible Manchester United in the October of that season.

Potter was a 70th minute substitute, coming on as Saints defended a slender 3-2 lead with Egil Ostenstad & Eyal Berkovic orchestrating a 3 goal salvo in the final 7 minutes with Paul Scholes also scoring for the visitors in the explosive finish.

Graham Potter would be a popular choice with Southampton supporters, but that is mainly based on his 3 years at Brighton where he steered them from being relegation candidates to the top 10, but during that time he trod a fine line with Brighton supporters who were critical at times of his tactics and his time at Chelsea showed that he did not have the nous to manage a top side,

He has now been out of the game for 18 months and is believed to have turned down several managerial posts including Leicester City in the summer.

This will be an interesting week for Southampton Football Club and one that may well shape the rest of the season.

What to read next:

Swansea City : Luke ready for a sharp encounter ?
The Swans take on the Blades tomorrow evening in the gloom of a derby defeat as players report in at Fairwood today. Assistant, Alan Sheehan takes over whilst head coach Luke Williams and club Chairman Andrew Coleman, freshly back from a weekend trip to northern Holland as sporting directors, recruitment / scouting / agent type people in the midst of a transfer window with twelve days to go.
Is Andrew Coleman on the brink with Williams and the new investors ?
When Andrew Coleman, the current Swansea City Chairman sits down to reflect on the month to date he may well have a few heart palpitations. He has been fronting talks for certain players, such as Josh Low, and taking on the full daily running of the club. We know this, because the club are happy for us to share it.
Cardiff City 3 - 0 Swansea City - Player Ratings and Reports
If you saw the match, please give us your player ratings and a mini match report.
Swansea City : Sorry Luke, but this simply isn’t working
The Swans failed to show up in the Welsh derby and made a mockery of the shirt they were wearing. ‘They may as well have spat on the badge’ was one comment as the fans left the ground. They were so angry, so annoyed and many now see little in Luke Williams remaining at the club. It was a pathetic attempt by a weak willed team to play a game of football.
Swansea City : Match day morning : Darling & Cabango train on Friday
Today at 12.30pm is yet another derby game between Swansea City and Cardiff City. The previous encounter ended 1-1 in August at the Swansea.com, that game was thrown away by the Swans and they should have won it easily.
Swansea City v Cardiff City : The records that tell you who is the best !
People will see this game as the fiercest derby in the UK, others will shout Rangers v Celtic or Manchester United v Liverpool even Swindon v Oxford (not sure why) but all of these games are different to Swansea City v Cardiff City. This game is the only ‘bubble trip’ in the country.
Luke Williams : Where could he end up on Sunday ?
There’s not a lot going on transfer wise regards the Swans at least. No signings after seventeen days but we are seemingly determined to get players in. Plus there’s the derby tomorrow as well. To cap that off Luke is going scouting abroad.
Swansea City transfer news : still passing the ball around the back
The Welsh derby between Swansea City and Cardiff City kicks off at 12.30pm on Saturday, the Swans the away side and very much struggling for form on the road. Tonight we will look at where we are as the transfer window reaches half way.,
Joe Low knock back number two will not deter the Swans
A second bid before this weekend’s dismal FA Cup game away at Southampton has been turned down by Wycombe. That bid was for centre back, Joe Low. It was common news a second bid was coming but now it seems a third will be needed.
Swansea City : Luke continues to make odd statements
The loss at Southampton in the FA Cup with what many Swansea City fans believe was an ill informed choice of squad is bringing matters to a head at Swansea City.