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30 Sep 2024 21:57:06
No signs of improvement, if anything it's getting worse. We face Leicester, Wolves and Everton in our next five. Who says no to Potter joining by the end of the week except for the Board.
30 Aug 2024 18:51:23
SaintGGsy has written an article entitled, Southampton Players Overview
17 Aug 2024 09:20:49
SaintGGsy has written an article entitled, Good Transfer Window For Southampton FC
28 Apr 2024 21:45:13
I'd like to think I've not quite lost my mind with our manager to the extent that most of you have, but my birthday was ruined by our Leicester drubbing.
The best we've played this season was the first half vs Preston. Essentially the policy was make runs, create space, line breaking passes, shoot on sight. And we were awesome.
There was no pressure then. We'd been written off again, then the second hope is back on the table we lose three in a row. I can't think of the last time we were a side massively under pressure AND delivered.
I think it was our win at Swansea under Hughes to stay up, and that was six years ago. It looks like we'll have Norwich in the play-offs and we will go down 2-3 on agg I reckon.
But this isn't just an issue with our manager - yes he's stubborn beyond belief and an arrogant sod, but our squad doesn't have the mettle to handle pressure and imagine this lot in the PL next season.
I also don't see how the board sack him. He will say 'most years 84 points gets you promoted (I think the average before this year was 79?) and the play-offs is a lottery' and our board are renowned for being lenient - Pellegrino, Hughes and Jones all outstayed their welcomes. I hope it happens, but also who do we bring in? Potter? Cooper? I doubt it. Go cheap and hope it comes off has been the policy for a decade plus and that'll probably be the continued thinking.
I almost hope we don't go up because we will never ever stay up next year and at least this year we've won games.
And on the discussion around players listening to their manager - a bit different but I'm a cricket captain, and the main philosophy is 'have fun, go for it, back yourself'. If I told everyone to play one way we would never win, there needs to be flexibility and that is something we absolutely do not have.
Even when losing in the last minute we pass it round the back, and the players need to have some bravery and belief in themselves to do what they think. It isn't all on one man and in August I'd have taken the play-offs. But I fear stagnation and a Bristol City type season (boring mid table) next campaign.
1.) 30 Apr 2024 21:36:07
Preston was an interesting one. We were quite simply superb… as you say, we changed things. I honestly thought that was the start of changes.
I remember when we started to play balls over the top, H-B particularly good and clever at it . I worked … but we stopped it.
it is almost like RM had sleepless nights worrying that he had gone against his possession obsession.
Possession obsession to the extreme.
11 Feb 2024 20:56:16
It's been a long time since I've expected Saints to win. It's been even longer since I've been excited to watch them play good football. It's been even longer since I've ENJOYED IT!
Even at half time yesterday. And all that positivity from five months' effort was gone. But even then I thought we could still get something.
But 8 goal involvements from substitutes is utterly obscene and shows our depth now. EIGHT! Rothwell 2G 1A, Brooks 2A, Mara 1G 1A, Edozie 1G. We won the second half 5-1!
Our two Bournemouth loanees were excellent and the fact they've come from the same club seemed to do wonders yesterday.
And just following it online from the second half, even at 2-3, I was still expectant rather than hoping, and I think Huddersfield were too.
Not only will that energise the fans, the fringe players, and galvanise the first XI regulars to pick up the standards, that must be massively deflating for both Leeds and Ipswich.
We were dropping to third albeit with a game in hand but have kept up the relentlessness and with Leeds playing Leicester in a few weeks, we could be a couple of wins clear before our dicey run-in.
I think it's just between us and Leeds now. Ipswich have nine points in nine games, but the three former Prem teams are all just winning and winning.
How epic could that game be at Elland Road to finish the season? And what's more, I can't wait for the game on Tuesday! We could pick any 6 of 11 MID/FWD players, and I'd still expect us to score four. 0-0 incoming no doubt.
SaintGGsy's banter posts with other poster's replies to SaintGGsy's banter posts
25 Mar 2025 21:30:44
Looking to the future, I kind of hope we don't get to 11 points. The club need to accept how bad this is and not be able to hide from it. I can see us doing a Luton and really struggling next year if we get the next choice wrong, but if we get a name currently being touted, there's hope.
We're still a desirable prospect with a good youth set up, recent European history and a place young players know they can showcase their skills. Hopefully that gives us some credit.
Looking to the squad;
GK: Ramsdale goes, probably for 70% of what we paid for him if we're lucky. We likely keep the other three.
FB: Sounds like Sugawara may join KWP in leaving. That leaves Welington, Manning and Bree as full backs. Probably need another in there.
CB: can see a clean out here. THB will probably want to stay in the PL after two consecutive promotions and clubs will likely be interested even if he hasn't been great this year. ABK looks disinterested, Taylor will want playing time guarantees, Bednarek and Stephens may well stay, but at least we have Wood and Edwards for our future who I'd hope would start to fill the shoes of starting CBs next season.
MID: Downes has been appalling this season and already hinted he wants out. Gronbaek I doubt we make permanent, Fernandes is too good for us and likely leaves, we look very light here. If Charles brings Rohl back with him, that'd be nice.
AM: Dibling will hopefully get us a good chunk, Sulemana will go, I think Lallana will retire and become an assistant manager if he doesn't give it one more season to help us get back on our feet. Brereton can go, Edozie I can't really comment on.
ST: Tall Paul will probably go but I'd love him to have a crack. Stewart needs to leave. Archer with Armstrong back will be good enough for our new level. Juan and Ballard in reserve should be sufficient if they get chances.
If we sell Ramsdale, Dibling, THB and Fernandes, I think we might get approaching £100m when accounting for the scraps. (Hoping for a Dibling bidding war to get £40m+).
We would then have a strong youthful homegrown core, needing a full back, a few midfielders and maybe a winger. Our forwards actually look like a good attack for the championship, the defence can grow into a good unit, we just need some guts in midfield.
Back to now, all eyes on el crapico at Leicester in a few weeks! Can we reach double figures? I doubt it!
1.) 27 Mar 2025 21:18:51
Southampton demanding in excess of £100M for Dibling according to the Telegraph
2.) 28 Mar 2025 07:45:53
Great post @SaintGgsy
I think we will pull in 150m in sales. Hope we make 4x statement signings at GK, AM, ST and winger, plus DM and CB, RB cover
Side looks good enough for championship but not many are prem level yet, so finally need to recruit and develop well.
Would love to keep Sulemana and Fernandes. Perhaps some are kept or loaned to get back if promoted.
New GK/Bazunu
Bree Wood. Edwards. Manning/Welling
Charles. Aribo/Downes
Armstrong New AM. Sulemana/Edozie
Archer/Onuachu
SUBS
McCarthy
Sanda
Stephens/Bednarek
New RB
Wellington/Manning
New DM Loan
Smallbone
Fraser
Edozie
New RW
Stewart (hard to sell)
Juan
Ballard
If get Rohl and 3x marquee signings, I will predict a positive 5th place.
Leicester
Ipswich
Sunderland
Birmingham
Southampton
Coventry
3.) 30 Mar 2025 00:56:24
With Albert Gronbaek unjustly given only a few minutes to prove his ability (by a Coach with very little ability) maybe it would be far more prudent to let the new Manager (in obeyance) assess him before making a life-changing decision on Albert’s future (retaining the option to sign him) .We have reported two brilliant young Managers under consideration (and as previously stated would be very happy with either but my ultimate choice (all things considered would be LIAM.ROSENIOR from STRASBOURG FC. As a clean slate is now required here are some of the high earners and dead wood to go : Bednarek, McCarthy, Stephens.Lumley, Fraser, Armstrong, Diaz, Onuachu Stewart Lallana (possible Coaching position) ALL GONE plus the anticipated transfers.
4.) 30 Mar 2025 16:07:20
I’m intrigued by all three expected to be relegated sides next year. McKenna may well leave, Leicester have recruited quite poorly and I imagine their wage bill will be inflated and need cutting down.
Neither team really has a great deal to be made through selling off players (Buonanotte and Delap aside) so if we actually get it right this time we may be able to pull back the gap, provided we are decisive, get the right man and then actively buy.
If we can keep the young stars, there’s a chance we can go for autos. Otherwise I’d just enjoy watching games and hoping we might be able to win a few. A team going down as horrendously as we are are likely to struggle, I’d take a play-off battle at this point and if we only win two games next season, a Pompey double will do.
5.) 02 Apr 2025 07:15:38
I remember having a dilemma last time about whether going up too soon would actually be a poisoned chalice and it turned out to be.
I would take a respectful performance too with a squad showing sings of growth and a playing style to survive in the Premier League.
Last time our squad strength gave us a predicted 2nd pand we finished 4th. This time it may be predicted 4th and we finish 5th to 7th.
Forgot to factor in Wrexham, I could see them attracting some good players and winning a playoff final, in a Hollywood script.
04 Jan 2025 21:39:24
Genuinely, who and what stays at the club next season?
Owners? Get rid.
Board? Get rid.
Manager? Get one.
Keepers? The one good one will leave.
Defenders? Can't defend.
Midfielders? Can't win the ball.
Forwards? Can't score.
After the last few games, I don't think we're now even a championship side. Keep Wood, Edwards, Archer, sell those that want to leave and are too good, fire sale the rest, start from three young players who may actually come good, because the rest are woeful.
So sad, but at least we're on for a record, albeit the first team to not reach double figures over an entire season.
20 Dec 2024 07:39:16
{Ed's Note - SaintGGsy has posted a new article entitled, Which Southampton Players I Want To Stick Around
19 Dec 2024 21:38:15
SaintGGsy has written an article entitled, Which Southampton Players I Want To Stick Around
1.) 20 Dec 2024 07:03:32
I realise confirmation is imminent of our new Managerbut I feel I ought to add to my previous shortlist posted.The late applicant ticks many of the boxes aside from his impressive successful record. He is VASCO MATOS (SANTA CLARA) PORTUGAL.It seems that both SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE COACHES’ have the unique ability to add another dimension to a game that is both very effective and exciting to watcch. KOM!
2.) 20 Dec 2024 11:46:14
Looking at Fabrizio's post it looks like it's Ivan Juric
27 Oct 2024 22:04:54
By my reckoning we should be 14th currently, above Man U and level with West Ham.
What I've been debating is whether Ralph would have gotten us many more points. I don't think it would be as many as the 11 I'd calculate, as this club does just crumble under any pressure, but Leicester, Bournemouth and Newcastle I'd expect we would have done better.
I believe we should be W3 D2 L4, good -2 or so, with wins against Leicester, Ipswich and Newcastle - all fairly self explanatory - and draws with Man U and Bournemouth.
Man U, we score that penalty, I think we would have gotten something from the game, especially given the state of United at the time and if we had already won one, and Bournemouth we won the second half 1-0, so better team selection and maybe that could've been something else from the game.
If those results came in as they could have, we're five clear of the bottom three with a tough run coming up after our next two.
Two things are unbelievably frustrating about this.
One; we are really not that far away from being mid table, with a penalty converted, being clinical at St James' Park, getting team selections right, we'd be going into the next two games looking to potentially move into the top half. Imagine that.
Two; same old same old. We have 1 point from 9 games. After Newcastle, the capitulations against Man U and Brentford, nothing changed moving into matches where we then took the lead and didn't learn and shore up at the back, or kill games off.
Even if (when?) we win, those things won't change and they will continue not to until we have a harsher taskmaster of a leader who is respectful and emotionally intelligent enough, but isn't into all this backpatting and 'we were so brave despite losing 3-0' bollocks.
Either Martin toughens himself up - he won't - and becomes a bit more pragmatic - he won't - or we likely lose the next two and he's sacked just before we have Liverpool, Villa and Spurs with 1 point from one third of our games and are staring down Derby's record.
He's a good bloke, we peaked well at the end of last season despite being fourth best in the league, but until he gets the City job, I don't think this can work out at this level with the players we have, and as he has repeatedly said, he won't change.
Try and tempt Graham, or have a chat with Moyes, I'm certain we will end up with a better season than with 29 more games of possession-ball.
1.) 29 Oct 2024 13:05:49
Will Erik Ten Hag Save us If Russell gets the sack and he wants to join us?
{Ed002's Note - ten Hag won't be joining Southampton. Could David Moyes save you is a better question.}
2.) 29 Oct 2024 18:40:34
Mourinho next season maybe?
He says he wants to fix a relegation club
also was supposed to put if he wants but he probably doesn't want to probably.
11 Nov 2023 21:52:55
Came here to say a very similar thing. Our next ‘tough’ game is the reverse of this fixture in February. Till then I don’t think we play a team in the top half. In this league we will slip up somewhere along the line but what a month or so.
Reflecting now on our losing run, in perspective they don’t look so shocking. Boro hadn’t won a game but are now mid table, Leicester and Ipswich are first and second, and the only real shocker is the Sunderland game which I still can’t fathom, and maybe that took a few games to come back from.
Maybe we all overreacted a little. Some more clean sheets would be nice, but ultimately losing on two long away trips and at home to the top two aren’t anything to be too ashamed of, and we now seem to have a settled and organised lineup. Also excellent to see Stewart on the pitch. Way things are going we might be able to offload Adams to a struggling PL club in January for too much money and invest wisely.
I’d like to think we can now go on a 20+ game unbeaten run but the championship doesn’t work that way, though shoring up a top 6 spot whilst keeping the top 2 within arms reach would be a nice place to be come the new year.
Go the saints! I’m actually enjoying supporting this team for the first time in about 7 years ?
27 Sep 2023 18:45:44
Thanks all, and thanks Ed’s for making that into a special article thingy, looks very cool!
What a sad spot we’re in. No hope for Saturday either, but at least it’ll be available to see live for the country to witness our embarrassment!
{Ed033's Note - Thanks, terrible period for Southampton supporters.
25 Sep 2023 21:20:03
There is definitely something amiss with our club. It seems so rigid - we must play this way or else - why can’t we bomb down the wings, cross it, big Paul with headers or knockdowns. There are reasons Sulemana and Alcaraz aren’t playing, why our best players aren’t performing.
I don’t know what it is, and I don’t think it’s just down to Martin, but problems feel deeper than we are seeing on the field right now, and it’s worrying.
{Ed033's Note - Thanks for the long post, i'll put it up tomorrow morning as an article
28 Jan 2023 22:20:34
Another winger with pace and little end product. GIVE US GOALS FOR GOD’S SAKE.
Doesn’t need to be anything magical. A half season loan deal to keep us up, and we’ll be in a much more inviting position if we stay up. Look what Gabbi did - none of us had heard of him and he had a spurt for two months which kept us up. Don’t sign a striker, we won’t know.
Che Adams and Adam Armstrong will not keep this side up. Mara has potential but isn’t going to bag 10-12 goals in the last 19 games. Maybe Orsic at striker is an option, but relying on JWP and Perraud for goals is a death sentence.
Also, generally speaking, it’s worrying that our 1.5th team (not quite a full second string side) barely beat a team in the championship relegation zone. Doesn’t exactly bode well.
26 Jan 2023 20:47:33
Saints fans: sign a striker
Saints board: signs a winger
Saints fans: close! Now get a striker to score some goals!
Saints board: signs a midfielder
Saints fans: ok, good player, now we need goals!
Saints board: James Bree
{Ed014's Note - ??
29 Apr 2025 00:04:16
Everyone in your category 1 will go, for hopefully £60-70m
From 2 THB, BBD and possibly Downes also go, for a further £20m
I’d keep most of 3 and 4, and sell Sugawara, Sulemana and ABK from 5, make that another £15m
So a good chance we get that £100m if we play harder ball than we have in recently.
I’d honestly just give Lumley and Bazunu a go for the first half of the season, we can take stock in January but no point splashing more cash if either one of them comes good and if not, a championship level keeper in January will be a few mill tops.
Defence seems very championship standard but fairly well covered if lacking decent full backs. Add one or two of them to the shopping list.
Charles, Smallbone, Aribo in midfield is crying out for two more in there. Up front, I just want one season of Tall Paul madness with Archer alongside him. Armstrong as well gives us plenty of goals for that level.
So I think you’re pretty bang on with the overall objective of raise £100m and sign 5 in to improve the starting XI.
There are just three issues to get to that. We need buyers for them all at prices we’re happy with. Some will be easier to get rid than others. We need a manager in pronto so he can shape the squad as he wants. And we need good recruitment which we haven’t had under these owners.
Right now, I’d take a Middlesbrough-ish compete for the play-offs and maybe squeeze in. We have gotten so used to losing, think of our start in 23/24, we were 17th or something in September. New manager is key to arresting that.
What I am looking forward to next season is a totally chaotic league. Wrexham and Birmingham, maybe a Nathan Jones-led Charlton, Ipswich and Leicester being decimated, whoever doesn’t win the play-offs offs will be there or there abouts, Portsmouth, randoms like Oxford, some fallen giants, I have no idea who might win the league if Sheff U win the play offs and it’ll be brilliant.
My one point of cautious optimism is our young spine. I have Wednesday and QPR supporting friends and they’d both love to keep Shea and Ronnie. Those two, Wood, Archer, there are makings of a good young championship side in there. Similarly, it all goes to pot and we end up Luton-ing it. Who knows. Probably the latter ?
08 Apr 2025 22:53:35
I can very much see us waiting until we are officially a Championship club if we go for a Rohl, in order to save £500k. When in reality, building for next season now, starting early in the market, getting good deals, and possibly going back up, would earn several hundred million.
Spors at least seems to be no nonsense, get on with it, we’re doing it this way, as opposed to the meandering of the past three years. Five years ago I never would have guessed Saints, Portsmouth and Wrexham would all be in the same league but looks like we’re headed that way!
30 Mar 2025 16:07:20
I’m intrigued by all three expected to be relegated sides next year. McKenna may well leave, Leicester have recruited quite poorly and I imagine their wage bill will be inflated and need cutting down.
Neither team really has a great deal to be made through selling off players (Buonanotte and Delap aside) so if we actually get it right this time we may be able to pull back the gap, provided we are decisive, get the right man and then actively buy.
If we can keep the young stars, there’s a chance we can go for autos. Otherwise I’d just enjoy watching games and hoping we might be able to win a few. A team going down as horrendously as we are are likely to struggle, I’d take a play-off battle at this point and if we only win two games next season, a Pompey double will do.
15 Sep 2024 19:55:05
That requires our manager being innovative - haven’t had one of those since Koeman!
14 Sep 2024 22:19:24
Next three home games are Everton, Ipswich and Leicester. Quite simply they’re the three most likely to drop aside us. We have to win all three. So by that logic, lose and we look like being toast.
Get ABK and Cornet in for Stephens and Brereton and it’s basically the perfect side. Dibling was our best player and it says a lot that our right back is our biggest goal threat ? positives, but positives don’t bring results and we have scored one goal in four games, including 60 minutes against ten men, and that one goal was a last minute consolation.
It isn’t too difficult a game as Martin may make it out to be. Play fluid attacking football, leave 2 CBs and a CDM on the halfway line, and express yourselves.
Turned off after we missed the penalty. Knew where it was going, and not a great deal of faith in getting anything next weekend.