Southampton Banter

20 Sep 2020 21:12:08
Another day another defeat do we really miss hoidonk this much Oris there a greater problem. spurs have six shots on target and score five, rumours have us swapping Gunn for butland a keeper who is no longer first choice at Stoke, can anyone feel any hope after this abysmal start to the season.

20 Sep 2020 12:52:31
Half time 1-1; we should really have killed this game off already.

Good to see a few yellow cards and Romeu go in early on Hojbjerg but if he now gets sent off it'll look very silly. Also very nice to see the ex Spurs man lift the back over the top to the man Spurs tried to unnerve/ buy who rejected them for the goal.

McCarthy's positioning for the Son goal was awful - he probably could've got to the ball but ran back towards goal and was basically on his left post, not great.

Adams and Djenepo have looked great if lacking the cutting edge. Adams should've scored, but Djenepo is such a livewire in and around the by line.

Spurs should never have a (legal) goal and in the 47th minute of the first half it's criminal because we've been in total control and a lifted ball to Son in behind is what does it.

If we are clinical and play in the same way this could be 3-1, else it may well end up being 1-3.

COYS.

20 Sep 2020 13:42:50
Or 1-4, 1-5, 1-6. Pathetic defending and Spurs are hardly the best team we have to face this season.

20 Sep 2020 14:46:00
The end score 5-2. Playing a high line has killed us. again. Spurs had 6 shots on target and scored 5. It was way to easy for them.

Something needs to be addressed. I don't think signing 2 new CB's would change much of our defence is just going to sit on the halfway line.

20 Sep 2020 15:31:55
Playing the high line/ pressing game doesn't always work as we found out today. When we come up against someone like Son who is brilliant at timing his runs we are done for because our defence are too slow and spend too long ball watching. Normally if your plan A isn't working you revert to plan B. Unfortunately we don't seem to have a plan B. Maureen won the battle of the managers today. I stick with what I said a couple of weeks ago that we still need 2 or 3 quality players to make us into a half decent team, if not I can see this season ending in a fight against relegation. Nice to see Danny grab a couple of goals again but not one other Saints player showed his passion or desire.

20 Sep 2020 07:39:23
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 20th September 2020

19 Sep 2020 07:39:16
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 19th September 2020

18 Sep 2020 07:39:12
{Ed's Note - Ed001 has posted a new article entitled, Review Of The Day 18th September 2020

18 Sep 2020 19:01:16
I assume you mean bring him in for Stephens? Who for some reason looks totally unfit! Completely different player to end of last season. And as for resting Redmond, he is now injured so it will be great to see the dynamic of the team without him. He slows down way too many attacks and has not improved for 2 seasons.

17 Sep 2020 09:01:01
After last night's very disappointing result do we stick to what appears to be our first eleven or make some changes to Sundays game against spurs possible changing the keeper and bringing in Vestergaurd also possibly giving Redmond a rest, what do others think.

17 Sep 2020 11:29:34
We were out thought, out worked and out played. We look a shadow of the side that finished last season. I think that Ralph has realised that this team is not good enough. Long season ahead me thinks.

17 Sep 2020 12:25:14
This is the same squad that finished third in the post-lockdown league. They’re good enough, they’ve just lost the mojo.

I really really want to know why Djenepo isn’t playing. When he was fit and firing he was like Saint-Maximin at Newcastle - tricky, quick, unpredictable and creating chances. I’d certainly drop Redmond, when available play Vestergaard and Salisu at the back - maybe even in a back five with Bednarek, let Romeu sit in the hole, have JWP alongside and play Djenepo Ings and Adams unp top.

That way the full backs can press higher up and we essentially back four at the back to cover, with JWP in the pockets pulling the strings, two out wide either side and Ings in the middle to finish off the chances. But what do I know.

McCarthy I haven’t seen much of either way but after two games we shouldn’t already be falling for his head, give him another four games at least.

Central Midfielder and possibly another forward to push Ings and Adams, and be better than Long and Obafemi, and we aren’t a million miles away.

I think Ralph’s just trying to get too clever when really we aren’t a side that does terribly well with 70% of the ball and a defence to break down. Hence why we normally do ok against sides around us who take us on and terribly against teams in the bottom five.

17 Sep 2020 15:38:46
I'm certainly not calling for Ralph's head because I believe that he's the right man for the job but he needs the board to back him in the transfer market. We have too many average players getting a game every week because there's no quality on the bench. In my opinion we are 3 quality players short of a team hoping to finish top 10.

17 Sep 2020 16:21:02
Seeing how other sides have progressed, I think we will definitely be below the big six, Wolves and Everton. Leicester were in free fall and haven’t made any additions - if Vardy gets injured they’ll be weak. Ninth is our ceiling. I don’t see Burnley or Sheffield United having as good seasons so we should be looking at 9th-12th, but agree about the lack of depth.

At full strength, we should be looking at;

McCarthy KWP Bednarek Salisu Bertrand *NEW SIGNING* JWP Armstrong Adams Ings Djenepo/ *NEW SIGNING*

Bench: Forster Vestergaard Stephens *NEW FULL BACK* Romeu Djenepo/ *NEW SIGNING* and Redmond, if not a youth player in Vokins/ Tella/ Smallbone in place of a defensive bench player.

So yeah, 3 players - one DEF one MID one ATT, short of a dynamic and potent side. That leaves Gunn, Sims, Valery, Long and Obafemi to come in to the bench which is probably about right, and gives us our squad of 25.

That’s probably £50m needed to be spent - in a dream world Maehle (£12m) Núñez (£20m) and I guess Ntcham (£20m) but I’d prefer a more creative mid, hopefully Ralph has something up his sleeve.

17 Sep 2020 18:57:16
Problem is that it's not Ralph holding the purse strings. I don't think that the board will back him with enough money to bring in 3 more players in fact I'm not sure that they will sanction any more incoming this season especially as we still have deadwood stealing a living from us.

17 Sep 2020 19:52:45
Shame isn’t it. Boufal seems to be on his way but Carrillo and Hoedt are still stealing a living, Lemina and ElYounoussi as well. It’s so plainly obvious we at least need a CM, just give the man what he wants for the love of god he’s the best manager we’ve had in yonks.

16 Sep 2020 20:38:36
Carabao Cup - half time - 2 Nil down to Brentford. Here's hoping for a Christmas miracle.

16 Sep 2020 20:51:53
Can’t quite understand what’s happened to our defensive tactics and this AlpenPressen as it were. And for the love of god find a versatile midfielder for under £20m in the next month.

Most worryingly is this is near enough our full strength XI bar Tella. And it’s nowhere near Brentford’s near-Premier League reaching side.

16 Sep 2020 22:03:02
0-2 down and we are still playing the same game pattern. I keep saying it, Romeu adds nothing to the dynamic of thev team, redmond adds nothing! After forster’s incredible time at Celtic, not only do we bench him but we bench him to watch McCarthy playing sh*te! Stephens about to sign new deal? What has happened to us? Hardly hear ings and the other guy mentioned as they aren’t getting the ball!

16 Sep 2020 22:05:46
I only watched the second half, but some things are still apparent from Saturday. Worryingly we didn't really create any chances in the second half.

- Massive gap between defence and attack in possession. Everytime we got the ball back, you have JWP and Romeu coming deep and passing it around our defence. You can't even see our attacking 4 in the frame, no one comes deep to try and get the ball. So we just knock and it long and hope an opposition defender misses it and we get a chance.
- We play it out wide to a full back and they don't have any options. So they end up going backwards
- Romeu plays facing the CB, no wonder he doesn't pass the ball forward
- Everytime we looked sharp, and like we were gaining momentum, we would give the ball away

We need to look at signing a decent midfielder that can play decent passes across the pitch. If all else fails, call back Lemina from loan!

16 Sep 2020 22:22:57
I wonder what Poch is doing now?

17 Sep 2020 09:26:08
When you think we have Boufal not getting
A look and lamina on loan. two players with more attacking skill than our whole midfield!
I believe Boufal has more assists in a few games than Redmond had all season! Why do we persevere with Redmond? As for Romeu .