14 Aug 2026 07:39:03
{Ed's Note - phil_LFC has posted a new article entitled, Aroujo to Liverpool: What He Adds and What Worries Me
18 Aug 2026 03:04:28
VERY DISAPPOINTING, -especially in light of the pre-season expectation and hype.Watford obviously far fitter and better prepared pre-season regarding better opposition, far sharper etc. with less recognised team players.In the light of losing Shea Charles which severely questions promotion chances.
unless Tonda acts real fast from here on in.A quality Mid to replace Shea plus a second quality Mid and TWO new Quality Centre Backs plus a proven sharp goal-scoring Striker.The remaining squad Players' to be played in their best and most effective positions.In my opinion Harwood -Bellis is a good player and Club man he will be replaceable far easier than Shea Charles will be.
However it's very early days and a Home win next Saturday is critical and will do much to restore confidence and set us back on course to overcome our points deficit.
18 Aug 2026 17:03:46
Good to hear your reflections St John and I hope all is well with you.
The result was disappointing but the performance was even more dismal.
The big problem is that as a team, they play with no urgency, no penetration and very little passion.
It is all too predictable. The opposition will always fancy their chances against us because we are so goddamn predictable.
Aside of that, we don't match up to the physicality of most sides - we are for the most part light weights.
Then look at Jack Stephens - not good enough for us 3 years ago and now seemingly a starter. I agree THB has some quality but he strolls round with a swagger he hasn't yet earned.
There's a same old feeling also that no one has much of a clue about what the starting eleven should be if everyone's available. Leo aside, you can perm any two from 6 up front with no standout player. Larin will continue to get the nod while he's banging in goals but the supply in to the box is far too slow.
I think we have problems both on and off the pitch and my thinking is we will end the transfer window weaker than when it opened.
You're right - a decent display on Saturday and a win against West Ham midweek will change the mood but right now, we've got to show more bravery and more game strategy if we are going to mount a challenge.
19 Aug 2026 05:47:16
Hey Millertime-good to make contact.Thought I would share just a few personal coincidences that we both share.1.We are both avid Saints fans.2.Romsey had an influence on our lives.3.We are both ex.goalkeepers.4 On arrival in WA some 34.years ago we were introduced to JS and J by a mutual friend from Southampton who had arrived to spend a holiday with them.This resulted in us taking all three for dinner & wine. From there a close friendship was formed and we spent many great holidays caravanning throughout WA.We also became friends with your ex.
T. JS consulted Mick Channon to purchase.a share in one of Mick's young racehorses which was aptly named 'Archers Road ' ( which similar to Saints won a couple but lost a couple also),!We also barbecued. with Jimmy Case when he came over as a 'guest' player for a local team. However JS has now relocated to Melbourne and we to Tassie so that is the current state of play Hope this little foray into yesteryear hasn't bored too many other posters! Kind Regards
19 Aug 2026 08:20:01
I thought the post was clever spy to spy shorthand!
I flew to Scotland last week to watch a game of football!
I watched a centre back
Command the area
Read the game
Press when needed
Held off when needed
Man marked
Superb distribution
And then we have jack stephens!
The one thing that was superb for us last season was that there was not one weak player in the team.
All the dead wood that was being picked in previous seasons. we're not picked
And now we have calamity Stephens back in the side
He is not good enough!!
We missed the fluidity of last year
As someone else, we were physically lightweight. that doesn't matter if your inter passing is fast and fluid.
But dwell on the ball and you get tackled. or even clattered!
Come on you saints
19 Aug 2026 09:35:41
I nearly choked on my breakfast St John. An amazing set of coincidences and you certainly did your research! Playing football in the JS garden whilst going out with his daughter certainly brought back fond memories.
Apologies South Hants Rich (and other posters) - I fully understand that your interest in my former flames amounts to less than zero but St John has certainly brightened up my day!
Back to the Saints - I've always been a glass half full type but I'm beginning to doubt myself. In short, I think we've been found out and I'm not talking about the other business. Anyone of us on this forum could set up a team to play against us. Our attempts to play out from the back invite the opposition on and invariably lead to us giving the ball away cheaply. We cannot defend against pace through the middle, or down either flank come to that.
Our domination in possession is meaningless because we pose little threat in the final third.
Come the end of the season we will probably have won more games than we lose but whether it's enough to finish in the top 8 remains to be seen. What I fear most is how much impact the 4 points deduction will cost us.
However, let's keep the faith and see what happens.
21 Aug 2026 00:07:02
I hate (love to) be that guy but one match in, it does seem like it's panning out the way I suggestedasr season and was berated for.
It's not that we lost, it's that there was nothing there from last season in this game. Before kick of the saints PR team was all about momentum momentum momentum, but there wasn't anything of what was catching peoples eyes last season in that game.
Sure it's just one game and I'm not putting anything on it. We have 4 home game in a row now I believe, I think after those 4 games we can begin to take stock. Home games give us the chance to do things the way we want, home fans ect.
My point last season was that there was a lot more spying going on then which was acknowledged and wether we/Tonda would be different this season without it. Definitely against Watford we were a different team.
So let's see how we get on with these home games.
21 Aug 2026 11:50:59
I think we should refrain from all Spygate convos and focus on the here and now.
Most seasons start with misplaced optimism. Yes, we finished last season strongly but that counts for very little when we reset the clocks in August. All teams are starting with a sense of 'this could be our season' hence why Watford started so well. That, and our lack lustre approach to the game.
IMO, there needs to be a real kick up the butt - we stroll around the park as if we're world beaters. We're not and that just adds fuel to the opposition.
Start the game as if we're trailing 1-0 and make every minute count. Patience is an over quality and generally translates into a kitchen sink frenzy from the 85th minute.
So, show Stoke we are not afraid to play attacking football and get the three points we urgently need.
22 Aug 2026 02:53:57
Agree/Disagree Miller. Agree that sick of talking about it, but also it's a prevalent/dominant thing of this season.
Watford mascot and fans were mocking us so you know if they know the Watford training team left no stone unturned. I think this will be the basis for most of the season, I can't see it last for more than a season, but every new team, at least the first game we play this season will have fire in their bellies against us and like I said any Management team would be useless if they haven't learnt from the way we played yesterday, especially now a lot of Tondas training/planning methods are out in the open.
I'm hoping the cat isn't out the bag and even a loss tomorrow/today won't change that but if we lose tomorrow it's about how we lose. we need to start seeing some resemblance of the team we were under him.
22 Aug 2026 13:43:53
It's official, Leslee is more obsessed with spygate than Boro fans.
