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Comment | Southampton At Aston Villa The Verdict
at 10:34:09
I agree with most of what's said above. However I don't think SR will get rid of RM because I think they see him as a long term project.
It's harder to stay up having been promoted these days - all 3 promoted clubs last season went down and I predict that the same thing will happen this year. The difference between championship football and PL football, combined with FFP restrictions on spending make staying up a very difficult proposition these days.
As business owners (because like it or not, that's what football club owners are these days) SR will have a 5 year plan, and that will have included the likelihood that SFC will go down this season. Their ideal scenario is probably that we follow Fulham's model: yo-yo for a few seasons and eventually manage to get a good enough team, and a bad season for other teams, that means that at some point you stay up.
Because RM got us promotion I reckon SR would assume that he can get us up again.
I'm not condoning this approach but just trying to be objective about what SR might be doing.
The difficulty for SR is who they get in if they do sack RM. Potter won't come - he'll be waiting for a more established PL club to sack (Wolves I'd guess). Cooper's track record is a bit tarnished now. Danny Rohl has worked wonders at Sheffield Wednesday and many of us assumed he was the brains behind Ralph... |
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Comment | Southampton V Liverpool The Verdict
at 11:05:16
Obelisk - take your point.
However I'd say last season has to be seen in context:
Martin inherited a bad situation at the club:bloated squad, a few players who evidently weren't up for playing in the championship, joining a club who got through 3 managers the season previous). Also, there were some very good sides in the championship last season - better than usual most pundits say. I think getting us up last season was quite an achievement in that context.
The PL is a different league altogether from the championship. There's no dross. We haven't been able to strengthen the team to guarantee staying up - this is partly because of some bad decisions from SR: buying one striker for £25million would have been better than buying Archer and Bereton imo, but that's with hindsight. But also it's down to FFP - newly promoted clubs have it tougher nowadays. SR have got some good players in as well, mind, so credit there.
SR seem to stick with managers until it becomes untenable to do so - Ralph was on borrowed time for a while and Jones basically had a meltdown. I think they won't get rid of Martin unless the players turn or unless we our current performance levels drop off a lot. |
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Comment | Southampton V Liverpool The Verdict
at 10:28:51
In defence of McCarthy for their first: Fernandes seemed to be showing for the ball and Downes' clearance was poor.
Having said that, I think with Ramsdale in goal we wouldn't have lost.
This won't be a popular view but I think fans need to be more pragmatic about Martin. Unless the players turn on him I can't see Sports Republic getting rid. In fact the players seem to like playing for him, which speaks volumes given how the season has gone. SR are playing a longer game as they know Martin stands a good chance of getting us back up next season. Martin is also potentially playing a long game as well, as other clubs will likely appreciate him sticking to his guns.
Let's face it we're going down this season and I don't hear credible alternatives from fans about who we could get instead ('credible' as in a manager who could reasonably be expected to be an upgrade and would come to us). Better to see this season as steep learning curve for our players, some of whom are very talented but young, and Martin |
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Comment | Sources Say Southampton Have Made Decision About Russell Martin
at 19:50:32
We didn't really know the financial state of the club. Lot of scrutiny on FFP now. We're probably still paying off Ralph and Jones. SR maybe can't afford to pay off another manager on a punt that they may fare better.
The difference between now and 2012/13 is we had a much better team then! |
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Comment | Southampton V Wolverhampton Wanderers The Verdict
at 10:40:43
First VAR decision was awful. I'm generally in favour of VAR (think how terrible it was before VAR) but sometimes refs are too ready to overturn on field decisions and that has to be addressed.
Martin. I've previously been in the give him more time camp, mainly because replacing a manager usually doesn't work out midway through the season, especially for us, and the question of who we're going to get in. However, a terrible start to the season, constantly throwing away leads, and no shots on target against a poor opponent makes his position untenable.
I don't think any manager could stop us getting relegated because of the lack of quality in the side and our points deficit, but fans would hopefully rally behind a manager who could make us more competitive in games. People who are heralding Potter as a potential saviour need to remember that Brighton were a long term project under him. I doubt we'd see improvements straight away |
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Comment | Southampton V Leeds United The Wembley Play Off Final Verdict
at 15:16:59
Great performance. Everyone put in a shift. I like that we are playing to the opposition more. We'll need to do this in the prem. RM is definitely growing.
My mind can't help but think forward to what we need to strengthen the first team but this can probably wait for another day. |
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Comment | Southampton V Stoke City The Verdict
at 14:28:31
If memory serves me correctly plenty of people on here were saying at the start of the season that playoffs would be an achievement. Let's not forget how bad we were last season: no style of play, poor defence, weak attack. Yes, we're in a lower league but it takes time to heal a team that is so used to losing.
RM is a bit green but what are people expecting?
Leicester and Ipswich have consistently been better than every other team in the league. I'm Leicester's case that isn't surprising: look at their squad. Even Leeds are pretty shambolic at times.
It's a shame not to get an automatic place but that would have been some achievement in my view. The focus now has to be on ensuring that the best team is fit for the playoff games. That involves protecting the better players and giving the fringe players a go. People are asking for all of the fringe players to be given a chance all at once - that won't help anyone.
As for the game. Stoke had something to play for, we didn't. So the result shouldn't be surprising.
Let's just focus on doing as well as possible in the playoffs. These are one-off/two-off games. Nothing before them really matters |
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Comment | Southampton At Coventry City The Verdict
at 19:50:12
Agree with the positive comments. Think what RM has achieved in a short time. He inherited a big squad in a mess, no obvious style of play, rubbish more or less every week. Now we have a recognisable way of playing and a team that wants to play for the manager. Yes we're in a lower league but I still think it's impressive what's been achieved. Fans have to be realistic about this season. Leicester have retained most of their quality so that's one automatic place gone. Ipswich are doing what we did all those seasons ago when we got back in the PL. Playoffs would be a good result imo |
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Comment | Southampton At Coventry City The Verdict
at 13:42:23
Draw was a fair reflection, I thought. Coventry were well set up to break down most of our attacks.
It's a decent result away against a decent team on a good run.
Aribo is not a winger, and looked better when moved to CM. I think this is a more natural position for him as he's good at breaking up play.
We lack creativity in midfield. Once they'd marked Stu out of the game we resorted to attacks down the wings, which becomes very predictable.
The subs were effective and I think Charley is a good option for attacking midfield. We should use him more and accept that some days he won't be at it.
Che unfortunately adds little to the team when he starts. He doesn't suit our style. I reckon he had about 5 touches in the 65mins he was on.
My dream is that we sell Che and get Ings in, as he has far better link up with midfield.
I don't get the hatred for Manning. He's not a world beater but he's a decent defender and attacker and always provides an option.
Glad to see Baz is looking good.
KWP MOM |
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Comment | Does Kamaldeen Sulemana Have A Part To Play In Southampton's Season
at 12:22:24
Truth is that we don't really know what his attitude is like. It's all hearsay so far. In his defence he was bought by one manager and then he was sacked so he didn't get as many chances. He could be another Mane, he could not, but let's give him a chance.
My main concern is how does KS fit into Martin's slow, possession based build up style? |
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Comment | Southampton At Sunderland The (Damning) Verdict
at 11:06:11
Just to add: I'm wary of people (in life and at work) who are wedded to a particular way of doing something that is blind to specific circumstances. RM's strong attachment to the possession game therefore worries me a little because we're not Man City, and therefore opposition managers with experience (Mowbray) can predict exactly what we'll do and can target the weaker links. We need some flexibility in how we set up |
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Comment | Southampton At Sunderland The (Damning) Verdict
at 10:13:04
Team selection was too arrogant. Mara and Edozie can't play together as neither is good enough defensively. Unless he's injured why not play Charles? It was too early for holgate to be drafted in.
While I have no worries about our midfield or attack, our defence is still dodgy. Neither FB fills me with confidence, and a lot depends on the quality of the CB from Man City
The possession based style is fine but it needs some versatility: Sunderland had us sussed and knew they could punish us on the break.
Overall, I can accept this result as a bit of a freak due to the madness of the transfer window, but it does also point out some problems with RM's selections and his system |
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Comment | Southampton V Queens Park Rangers The Verdict
at 20:05:30
In the four games I reckon we've played a representative cross-section of champ teams: the good, the bad and the ugly. We've not been perfect but we've ended with 7 points.
I think RM and his team are doing a great job so far for two reasons: all the upheaval cis not easy to manage, and second the players are buying into the style in spite of all the changes. |
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Comment | Bayern Munich Interested In Southampton Star
at 09:09:23
harsh take on the player in this article. ABK got injured at the end of last season and, according to RM 3 weeks ago, he is still injured. RM was very complimentary about ABK's attitude.
If ABK wants to go to bayern munich I'd hardly begrudge him. I really hope he stays with us but think that's very unlikely |
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Comment | Southampton Confirm Departure Of James Ward Prowse
at 23:17:44
In the end it's decent business for both clubs. Prowse will do well at WHU. He's always put in a shift and has been a stabilising force amidst the madness of saints over the last few years. Wish him all the best |
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Comment | Sheffield United Have Will Smallbone Offer Turned Down By Southampton
at 14:17:09
My positive mood of Friday is evaporating fast. If we are to sell then the replacements need to be good. Of course, SR have a patchy record on signings so far.
I'd say that Sheffield United are almost certain to go down so it might not be the best move for smallbone long term |
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Comment | Southampton At Gillingham The Verdict
at 11:52:32
Agree that it was a bad decision to play perraud as cb and to throw the youngsters under the bus. Perraud has been a model pro imo and didn't deserve that |
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Comment | Southampton At Gillingham The Verdict
at 10:17:34
In a press conference over the summer RM said that there would be bad days as well as good days ahead. Clearly the possession based approach only works if everyone understands their role and multiple players are showing for the ball when we're in possession.
RM is somewhat culpable as it was kamikaze to go for an entirety different 11, but at the same time this was against L2 opposition and the players should be able to adapt.
I'm of the view that we're better off out of the cup given how demanding the league is, but this result is embarrassing |
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