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Comment | Southampton At Cardiff The Carabao Cup Verdict
at 14:00:44
Didn't learn too much from last night.
If you've ever seen Archer play before, ya know he's a clinical finisher. I'm not sure where this comment about him being an unknown quantity comes from. Speak to any Villa or Boro fan and they'll tell you he's quality. He has to start in the 9 in the Premier League.
Fernandes looked quality again and should start over Smallbone in the 8 in the Premier League.
The main surprise was the quality of Lallana. His touch and eye for the pass was excellent.
Apart from that (and Dibling) the other players were and will largely be second string and it showed. |
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Comment | Southampton V Nottingham Forest The Verdict.
at 13:08:15
It would help if we played with someone in the no 9 position! We looked far more balanced when Archer came on & with Dibling driving forward. If not Archer in the 9 and we want a more physical presence play Dias there. Fernandes looks a tidy player who's 1st thought is to get forward as well. Frustrating game. A 433 needed imo. |
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Comment | Southampton Sign Portuguese Midfielder
at 22:15:41
Hi Saintmark
We've bought two centre forwards, Diaz and Archer. Who's to say the club are not trying to sign a keeper? There is still time in this window to buy or loan a keeper.
Fernandes looks a good player. I like the signings we've made so far. Time will tell if they'll cut it, but we are making moves to add strength and depth to our squad |
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Comment | Southampton At Newcastle United The Verdict
at 13:28:36
McCarthy is to blame for the goal, not the system we play. The pass McCarthy attempted was never on, it was poor judgement not technique and that's not good enough. He had two other options, pass out to the player on the right or get rid of the ball up field. Martin's system is not pass pass pass at all costs out from the back, it's about making the correct decisions when in possession and retaining the ball. We saw Bazunu (who is great with his feet) often drop a mid/long range ball out to the wide positions on the half way line in the second half of last season. |
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Comment | Southampton At Newcastle United The Verdict
at 13:28:33
McCarthy is to blame for the goal, not the system we play. The pass McCarthy attempted was never on, it was poor judgement not technique and that's not good enough. He had two other options, pass out to the player on the right or get rid of the ball up field. Martin's system is not pass pass pass at all costs out from the back, it's about making the correct decisions when in possession and retaining the ball. We saw Bazunu (who is great with his feet) often drop a mid/long range ball out to the wide positions on the half way line in the second half of last season. |
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Comment | Southampton Sign Forward From Aston Villa
at 20:52:14
Good player really good signing. You only have to ask Villa fans about him and they'll tell you he's quality and knows we're the goal is. He was decent for Villa at a young age, then scored plenty for Boro on loan. He's been banging them in for Villa this Pre-season but finds himself third choice behind Watkins and Duran. He's happy down the middle as a number 9. Our attack now feels significantly better now.
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Comment | A Rough Guide To The Changes At St Mary's Stadium
at 18:25:36
Movement of fans around the outside of the stadium will be fine. There is plenty of space around the outside of the stadium, even with the new segregation/fences. Heck, remember The Dell; we all managed to navigate the terraced housed streets before and after or the cramped surroundings under all the stands or exiting at 445. Give it a couple months and everyone will have worked out their favored route in and out. |
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Comment | Southampton Set To Smash Scottish Transfer Record For Celtic Star
at 13:41:04
We certainly do need a striker this summer but we need strengthening in midfield. The bottom line is that without a strong midfield you can't protect your defence or create for you forwards. It's no point buying a striker if they don't get the opportunities to score. We can't expect to out score teams in the Premier League. |
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Comment | Back To Stripes Back To Reality For Southampton
at 22:18:49
I'm not a fan of red and white stripes, never have been never will. We just go back in the pack with the likes of Sunderland, Stoke, Sheffield Utd and Brentford.
Saints have had some standout kits in recent years and I like the way we rotate designs, so it's stripes this year but it looks pretty bland to me.
I don't mind the lemon yellow away kit.
Each to their own regards football kits. It's points in football matches that really matter. |
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Comment | Southampton Make Sixth Summer Signing
at 08:34:28
A good signing by most accounts.
We do though need to sign at least another 3 Premier League level starters. We cannot go into the new season without a new striker, Flynn Downs (or another) and centre back. We also likely need a number one goalkeeper. Our current squad will be toast otherwise in the Premier League. |
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Comment | Southampton At Leeds United The Verdict
at 16:28:31
Saints under Martin have always played their best football against the the best sides (Leicester aside). We need teams to come at us, to press us high, as the entire philosophy of our game is to beat the press. I was confident that with our strongest available 11, we'd beat Leeds.
As we head into the Playoffs, hopefully these better teams will also come at us and not sit back! |
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Comment | Southampton V Stoke City The Verdict
at 12:17:49
The irony of this website stating the following!
This should have been a celebratory day for Saints fans, there should have been a feeling of positivity, but the truth is that the fight has been knocked out of the supporter base
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Comment | No Togetherness No Character No Fight
at 12:42:22
Yes, we all saw last night's performance, and yes we all have concerns about where the season might go, but really..............keep it until the end of the season review.
The player and the manager need us behind them for the last two games and Playoffs, not this pessimistic drivel that fuels fan's collective moaning and negativity. Blimey, thank goodness you aren't a Saints player. I wouldn't want you in my team when the going gets tough ! |
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Comment | Southampton At Leicester The Debacle
at 12:25:32
It's fairly simple and obvious to me. With three key players (Gavin Bazunu, Flynn Downes, Stuart Armstrong) from our starting 11 out, we will struggle.
Gavin Bazunu - Despite all his detractors, Bazunu is a key element of playing the style of football Russell Martins has instilled. Bazunu is good with his feet and we start so many of our passages of play from the back, he's a big miss. You only had to look yesterday to see that we were trying to play this way with 10 men (as McCarty hasn't got it in him and defenders were reluctant to play the ball through him). You then start with one less option for a pass, so the drawing in of the opposition player(s) stops, which creates less space. We then end up lumping the ball forward !
Flynn Downes - protects the backline, has excellent movement and is comfortable on the ball allowing others to play off him.
Stuart Armstrong - is one of the few players that drives forward, and will shoot on sight or play others in.
Without S Armstrong and Downs, Aribo has to work harder as he doesn't have that safety net of better player around him. I thought Charles was fine last night, but all around him there were problems.
To me the midfield is key. We had nothing last night so Che was not involved. Our wingers when they did get into forward positions seemed unable to beat anyone when they are on the ball.
No need to panic though, that's for fans to do. Russell needs to re-focus the players. Saturday is a massive game now. We need a performance and a result at St Marys so we go to Elland Road and the Playoffs in some form. |
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Comment | Saints Announce New Season Ticket Details- Good For Some A Kick In The Teeth For Others
at 21:31:41
I think St Mary's having a real home end and safe standing is really positive. However, I hear lots of fans say that they've sat in the same seat for years and this is forcing them to move. Well, as a season ticket holder in the Itchen North and someone who has sat/stood next to away fans at The Dell and St Marys for nearly 40 years (because I enjoy it more, not because I bait or any other of some people's stereotypes), I feel the club is unfairly incentivising fans to the Northam. I get it but, it sounds like if I move to say block 20 in the Chapel South to be next to the away end, they want to charge me more now ! |
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Comment | Southampton V Watford The Verdict
at 13:44:18
A strange game that won't live long in the memory imo. We were comfortable for the 20-30mins but then the game started to shift and we were poor from then on and Watford didn't deserve to lose.
I didn't think the substitutions were poor. No one was play well. Aribo was not that effective, clearly had a knock, so came off. Brooks was equally not really doing anything so bringing on Fraser was obvious, but then Fraser did nothing. Bree could have stayed on, but Martin clearly needed to put on another attacking option, so Manning gives us that in the full-back position. Adam Armstrong was frustrating throughout, endlessly giving up the opportunity to shoot. The only players that stood out were Downes and maybe THB.
Then came the strange winning goal. I didn't celebrate it at all, because it was so clearly handball, the ref would surely blow and disallow it. That didn't happen but surely the lineman would speak to the ref, but he didn't. I stood there waiting, watching everyone go nuts. It felt like when you see the flag go up but half the ground doesn't see it and celebrates !
Happy for the 3 points of course and hopefully our luck is turning with other results going our way again. But we need to be better than Saturday.
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