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Comment | Southampton V Wolverhampton Wanderers The Verdict
at 09:22:04
Well ten out of ten, Russell Martin! You are responsible for sapping the life out of our football club!
Because the ultra dull, sterile and lifeless style that you started has now blossomed fully under Ivan the Absolutely Terrible as, with a couple of honourable exceptions, on Saturday we witnessed A SQUAD TOTALLY DEVOID OF ANY DESIRE AND BOTTLE. Those exceptions were Fernandes, Sulemana and Sugawara (amazingly), who ran forward with the ball as much as they were able. But for the rest of them, what a bunch of disinterested, gutless individuals who were just taking the p*ss! And embarrassingly, this lack of desire now looks completely ingrained: 9 points is it.
It does puzzle me, though, that they do not seem to care that,
1. For all time, these individual players will forever be associated with being part of the lowest points-winning team of all time.
2. Even if they don’t give two figs about SFC, surely it is in their best interests to put in a performance, or else future clubs will only bid down - if at all - for some of these gutless performers (which will hit their own pockets).
And as for potential superstar Tyler Dribling(!), trotting around with his socks around his ankles thinking he is God’s gift, what an utter waste of space he is! How on earth he wasn’t substituted I do not know. (Unless, that is, the manager is playing a very clever game to stop him from leaving - by showing the world what a grumpy teenager he is, and therefore not worth all the plaudits paid to him, including, unbelievably, according to the Daily Telegraph, one of the five PL players to watch in the second half of the season!!!).
But whatever the attitude of the players appears be, above all else they have a duty to ENTERTAIN. And I can honestly say that this season I have been more BORED more often than I thought it was humanly possible to be. The fact is that there is no reason on earth why I should drive 30 miles ever again to watch this borefest.
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Comment | Southampton V Liverpool The Verdict
at 12:02:11
There is no doubt that Liverpool are a class team and we are amateurs in comparison. But Saturday’s game was interesting because it showed that, underneath all this season’s disappointments, perhaps the Saints aren’t really such a bad cohort of players, not PL standard certainly, but…
Yes, Liverpool looked off the pace in H1 for various reasons, but also because, to a greater or lesser extent, for the first 45 minutes we did give them the run around. OK, so in H2 they got off their bums and we suffered as a result. But in doing so they did give us a very simple lesson in how to win a football match:
WHEN YOU LOSE THE BALL MAKE SUPERHUMAN EFFORTS , PRESS, PRESS AND MORE PRESS UNTIL YOU WIN IT BACK, AND THEN BREAK HARD AND FAST.
There is no doubt that we are fitter than we were under the dreadful Russell Martin but, with the honourable exception of Adam Armstrong - who scored again for West Brom on Saturday - even now virtually every Saints player would be left floundering in the wake of every Liverpool player in a 100 metre dash.
Whether or not we have players with sufficient skills is one thing - their H1 performance though did suggest that they are better than some have made out - but if next season the manager, whoever it may be, makes his number one priority to get the team SUPER FIT, then I believe we just may do a lot better in the Championship than some are predicting.
PS. Will Tyler Dibling for ever be the grumpy teenager? Or does he have any chance of becoming the next Harvey Elliott? Compare and contrast ….
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Comment | Southampton At Chelsea The Verdict
at 10:19:39
I think we can all agree that Juric couldn't manage his way out of a paper bag. And clearly the dressing room is behaving as if he has lost some if not all of them.
And yes I do find myself wondering, on the basis of the last few games whether the players are just not good enough or whether they have been managed and coached really badly.
Although I have never been involved in a sports business, in my time I did work for a couple of failing businesses - which is surely what SFC is now (regardless of what the so-called success on the commercial side some fans have suggested Phil Parsons has had).
And the one common factor is that FAILURE IS ENDEMIC, IT AFFECTS EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING, NO ONE TALKS STRAIGHT TO ANYONE, FRIENDS EVEN CROSS THE STREET TO AVOID YOU AND IT IS ONLY EVER RESOLVED BY A COMPLETE CLEAR OUT.
So no i don't blame the players really, they all know what is happening, they all know what people are saying about them, they all know the club is going down the plug hole and against that incredibly negative vibe, they are being asked to perform. Psychologically, they must be completely shot and I defy any fan to really expect anything other than the rubbish we have been served up with against such a background.
So until Dragan Solak and Sports Republic swing their hook, our beloved club and its players are doomed to continuing failure and a self-fulfilling spiral downwards. |
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Comment | Southampton V Brighton The Verdict
at 13:04:52
I think you can always tell the health of any sort of institution - and particularly a sporting one but it applies to all businesses - by the state of its loos.
For a while now, visiting SMS has been a grim, disagreeable and generally awful experience; after Saturday’s performance of “lets-see-how-many-goals-we-can-give-away-today”, the lavatories are definitely better…
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Comment | Have Southampton Fans Finally Lost Faith With The Club
at 10:22:54
Yes it is all a very interesting dynamic.
Because I don’t suppose, at least in the last few years, Dragan Solak has had such a financial disaster on his hands, whereby the merry dance his so-called trusted lieutenants have led him, will have cost him I reckon maybe £100m, if not more.
Because their entire experience, plan and policy must have seemed so eminently logical when he and SR bought the stake off Gao. And look what a totally misguided concept it has turned out to be.
So what does ho do now, indeed where/who does he turn to for good sensible advice?
I posted earlier a great article from the FT this morning about how Brest, a much smaller club and budget than us in France, has done it, such that they got themselves in to the Champions/Europa league.
I reckon he could do a lot worse than give the chairman there a call… |
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Comment | Southampton At Nottingham Forest The Verdict
at 14:07:02
No doubt we are not helped by some hugely lazy and over-rated players like Downes and Harwood-Bellis, but Forest are an example of what CAN be done. Just look at their progress this season. Remember we didn’t come far from taking at least a point off them in the first game of the season at SMS, and now look at them! They have gone forward massively: they are happy not to have the ball, but they press hard and, when they do get it back, because they are much fiiter and quicker, every attack is dangerous.
Whereas the Saints have gone backwards because that complete toe-rag, Rarsehole Martian, believed in this ludicrous tippy tappy shite which led to lack of fitness, no zip, no bottle (why run into trouble when you can save your legs by passing sideways/backwards?) and every attack - if you can call it that - is consequently slow, predictable and by-and-large ineffective.
If i was the Board I would fire Martin - apparently he is only on gardening leave - and tell him to sue us for compensation if he dares because I think his case for having done his job would get laughed out of court! |
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Comment | Southampton V Brentford The Verdict
at 17:28:41
Two observations i would make after yesterdays fiasco:
1. The team was at least a yard off the pace in every department, which showed just how unfit the players are; and this we can lay fairly and squarely at RM’s door because his style did not encourage running but passing, in other words laziness (why run with ball and risk losing possession when you can pass it and not get out of puff).
2. When Brendan McCullum was appointed England cricket manager, he told captain Ben Stokes that His ONLY job was to ENTERTAIN. SMS this season has been so devoid of anything approaching entertainment - at least for the home fans! - that it continues to amaze me that 30,000 of us continue to turn up, because that is what we come for. But now, if yesterday's performance is anything to go by, we are not going to see an enjoyable match anytime soon and surely the attendance numbers will start to flag… |
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Comment | Southampton At Crystal Palace The Verdict
at 15:28:10
Two things I noticed about this match which perhaps have been evident for quite a while:
1. The act of getting just the one goal is almost super-human for this team because it is such a rarity! So when they do get one there is this almost inevitable feeling of “job done” even if it there is stil a long way to go.
2. At the moment, that slackening off of intensity has been most noticeable in the second half of a lot of our games. And until the last few minutes this was evident again on Sunday.
I suspect this habit has been around for a long time, especially as it has not occurred to many, if not all, our opponents.
Because what it is all about is fitness.
And the trouble with the way RM told the team to play - keeping possession - was that it encouraged economy of effort and discouraged surging runs. But what this resulted in wasn’t a team that could control games, but a squad of players that cannot play at full tilt for 90 minutes, so inevitably they were forever getting taken to the cleaners. In other words THEY ARE NOT FIT ENOUGH FOR THE PL.
So if Ivan the Terrible can do anything, its to get them much much fitter, so they can last out the entirety of a match and not to think they can take the foot off the peddle at any stage, especially when they have scored. |
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Comment | Southampton V West Ham United The Preview
at 10:00:34
Yes I for one do have a lot more optimism ahead of today’s game. It is not so much a must win as a mustn't lose. Because if we can play like we did against Fulham - ie it wasn't a one-off, but the start of something better - then we should be able to.
But as i have said before, it is worrying that we are close to the top of the league on cards and fouls, so that it would be surprising if this changes much, given that Death Metal Football is very much an “in-your-face-and-take-no-prisoners” style.
I have always felt that fouling is a sign of lack of skill, lack of pace and a lack of tactical awareness. But if Ivan the Terrible can improve at least one of those, well maybe, just maybe the Great Escape might be on….
COYS |
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Comment | Southampton At Fulham The Verdict
at 16:42:35
My first visit to Craven Cottage, i was right at the top of the new stand, which was a good view, when i could see! Christ it was a pain because so many people just would not sit down and were moving all the time! Certainly not my experience at SMS!
In so far as the game was concerned, we were lucky in H1 but we did defend well. And in H2 we played much better and a draw was a fair result even if Fulham fans around me were suggesting it was 2 points dropped for them.
Individually, Downes I think deserves a serious kick up the arse, because he struts about thinking he owns the place but made several cock ups at least one of which nearly led to a goal.
Tyler D is a great player but LBH is very lightweight and gets bundled off the ball far to easily; he needs to grow some balls! Ramsdale is class! Enough said. As is our new skipper Jan. The rest did at least played like a team, and not a load of own-feet-shooters!
Moreover, despite our shortcomings, you did get the feeling that we have definitely turned the corner. Could we get out of it? Well our odds have shortened to 1/16! Which just might be worth laying… |
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Comment | Southampton FC Sack Russell Martin
at 09:10:40
PPS. My spies(!) tell me that the reason why RM was not given the Spanish Archer much sooner was because, at a Board Meeting a few weeks ago, Dragan Solak - who wanted him out - was outnumbered by Ankersen, Kraft et al. Such are the inherent difficulties of owning, as opposed to running, a business.. |
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Comment | Southampton FC Sack Russell Martin
at 08:29:55
PS “We are witnessing first-hand the significant gap between the Championship and the Premier League”
This is interesting… perhaps this is a hint that they really do have ti try and get a top (PL or equivalent) manager… |
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Comment | Southampton FC Sack Russell Martin
at 07:52:04
As many of us have been saying for a long time, but unfortunately at least a month if not three months too late.
But Thank God it has now happened.
But frying pans and fires come to mind now as to who they may approach.
If Rasmus (W)Ankersen is behind the selection process we will no doubt get yet another “up and coming manager from the sixth biggest league in the world”. In other words yet another cheap no-hoper from the Championship.
Because, at the moment and on past evidence, the Board just do not seem to get that, if you want to play in the big boys’ playground, you have to at least try play like the big boys do…
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Comment | Southampton At Aston Villa The Verdict
at 15:41:40
As i have said elsewhere, football, especially Premier League football should be, above all else, FUN.
So Yes, whilst I agree with every word that has been written about what a dreadful manager Russell Martin is, isn’t his biggest crime, regardless of the results, making our style of play so EFFING DULL?
I should think there is not a single fan who can honestly say that they enjoy watching us, because not only are we bad, we are BORINGLY BAD!!! |
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Comment | Russell Martin Turns On The Fans And Players
at 14:24:24
God i hope you are right. Russell Martin is an apology of a manager. And if he goes this week, that won’t be a day too soon.
And so far as a payoff is concerned if I was SR I would pay him until the end if the season and tell him to sue.
But ultimately, whatever we think about his abilities or lack of, isn't the worst thing is that HIS STYLE IS SO UTTERLY BORING? |
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Comment | Southampton At Brighton The Verdict
at 20:56:16
Fair result on the balance of play, as luck was with us in H1 (had there been better finishing by Brighton, we’d have been three down) but against us in H2 (VAR decision)
But what really concerns me is our discipline, or lack of. Because back in the day we used to have a reputation of being a nice family club with a disciplinary record to match.
But now…
At 44, yes 44, YELLOW CARDS we have the second-highest number in the PL with only Chelsea having (three) more! Plus two red cards (the highest).
Ok, so last season, we had the equal highest number of cards in the Championship, and got promoted. But this season i think the lack of discipline is much more because:
1. The players are struggling to cope with the speed of their opposite numbers;
2. They are making up for their lack of skill by fouling;
3. Poor coaching has lead to poor positioning;
4. There is a real lack of leadership on the pitch.
Some will say this shows passion! I think it shows that the manager is really not in control.
OK, so yellow cards are not in themselves a disaster, but last season, the team with the highest number was Chelsea(!), followed closely by Sheffield United, and we all know what happened to them…
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Comment | Southampton V Wolverhampton Wanderers The Verdict
at 12:23:58
Saturday’s game was a dreadful indictment of where our USELESS MANAGER has taken us. Forget about the zero shots on target, or the absurd passing around at the back instead of going forward, or the bizarre substitutions. When will RM ever learn that having c70% possession - as was the case at the weekend - means you have twice the chance of losing the ball and getting punished, vs having half that?!
But what really summed up the dross we are now weekly being forced to watch was when, on at least two occasions, a Wolves player took on three, yes THREE, of our players and got away from them! As Terry-Thomas used to say “What an absolute shower…”
But whatever one’s verdict on Saturday’s performance was, judging by the look on RM’s face and his demeanour after the match he knows the game is up: SO SR, IF OUR APOLOGY OF A MANAGER IS DYING TO BE TAKEN OUT OF HIS MISERY, FOR GODS SAKE DO THE RIGHT THING AND GET RID OF HIM… NOW!!!
PS. As a saddo and a masochist, I thought I would just see how, over the last ten years, teams who have been at the bottom of the table after 11 games, did by the end of the season.
The facts make stark reading, as if anybody could have imagined otherwise.
In ten cases where teams had 5 or more points (either alone or jointly) only three survived.
But only one team, out of five who had 4 or less, stayed up and that was Crystal Palace in 2017/18. They had changed their manager in September 2017 but it still took them a dozen matches to get out of the bottom three. And the name of their then new manager? That wily old fox Woy Hodgson.
Conclusion:
If we do manage to get in a VERY smart manager PDQ, and pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, we’d still be heavy odds on to go down.
But if we don’t, as the old saying goes, there’ll be two hopes, Bob Hope and No Hope…
PS. I recall once reading about tactics in the SAS. When you are in an utterly hopeless situation, you ADVANCE, not retreat. Because you’ll certainly be done for if you go backwards, but by attacking not only will you take the enemy by surprise and put them on the defensive, but you just might win! Something which our so-called manager might care to think about…
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Comment | Southampton At Wolverhampton Wanderers The Preview
at 17:55:54
Personally i thought both teams last weekend were rubbish, it was just that the luck for once was with us. We have played better and lost but on Saturday we played dreadfully and won.
And it is Lady Luck again tomorrow that will make the difference.
Russell Martin is a poor manager but the TEAM deserves things to go their way for more than just the one game. |
| | davidargyll
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