I said in the preview that Ivan Juric and his coaching staff do not have enough Premier League experience between them or for that matter any real knowledge of the Saints squad, that was exposed for all to see on Saturday's debacle.

I will start this by saying that although this result virtually condemns us to relegation, especially after Ipswich's draw at Fulham on Sunday afternoon, that I am not one of those calling for the head of the manager after only 4 games.

The truth was it was always going to be a hard ask to keep us up, in many respects it is about trimming the squad and rebuilding for next season and this game just confirms that.

But having said all this the blame for this defeat has to fall squarely on the head of Ivan Juric and his team selection.

To be honest the fact that he selected Kamaldeen Sulemana for the starting line up was just incredulous, in his two years at the club Sulemana has had but one good game for the club, that in a dead rubber against Liverpool, since then he has just not performed.

It was strange when Russell Martin suddenly recalled him to the side and he didn't perform then, he didn't perform coming off the bench for Juric in his opening 3 games in charge, so why the hell is he selected in the starting line up against Brentford !

If Ivan Juric had walked down Above Bar and spoken to any Southampton supporter, they would all be united on one opinion and that is Sulemana has not done anything for this football club and has shown no sign of actually doing so any time soon.

Likewise the selection of Tall Paul Onuachu, he too was awful at Palace and although he had some good chances against West Ham, they were just that good chances but poor finishes, that was the same for his header on Saturday against Brentford.

He too did not deserve a start, how did the pair of them start whilst Cameron Archer & Adam Armstrong sat on the bench, both of them have their critics, but they have both scored goals and provided assists, not least Armstrong for Tyler Dibling's goal at Palace.

Brentford dominated the first half and we were lucky to just go in a goal down at the break, at half time Juric made two changes, Charlie Taylor of for Nathan Wood and Suguwara for Bree in what was an attacking strategy,

On 55 minutes off went Onuachu & Sulemana and suddenly we looked like we might get something out of the game, Armstrong worked his socks off and was clearly out to make a point to the manager, the crowd got behind the team and for 7 minutes we looked good.

But just after the hour the visitors doubled their lead and again they carved through us with ease.

7 Minutes later and they were 3-0 up and everyone knew the game was up, the only real surprise was that we went into injury time with no further goals conceded, although that was soon to change and they netted twice in the time added on to turn a defeat into a rout.

As I have said the manager has to take a lot of the blame hear, but so do CEO Phil Parsons and his board, Juric is an experienced manager, how do they leave him with no real Premier League experience in his coaching staff, aside from his own men and the Goalkeeping & Tactic's & insight coach (Yes what it means I don't know either) the only other coach is Carl Martin who up to June 2022 when he was promoted to first team coach had only coached at Academy level.

Where is the experience ? and perhaps more importantly where is the Premier League experience and where is the spirit !

Perhaps both Southampton players and fans can get through the next 4 months is to perhaps take note of this quote from the TV series Band Of Brothers.

"The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll be able to function as a soldier is supposed to function: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. All war depends upon it."

Perhaps that is a little dramatic, but it can be converted to football, the sooner that we all accept that we are not going to survive this season, the sooner we can get behind the team and start to look forward to next season, rather than gripe about this one.

Get rid of the dead wood and then rebuild in the summer.

Most of us go to football to enjoy it, we go in hope, so when we lose it hurts, we now need that siege mentality, get behind the team and have pride in our club and our City, if you don't want to do that, then fair enough it is your choice, but perhaps better not to put yourself through the rest of the season.

Owners, managers and players come and go, supporters in the main stay loyal, Southampton are no different to most other clubs, we have a loyal hardcore who will turn out every week no matter what and others who will pick and chose game, indeed pick and choose seasons, I have no problem with any of that, but I do get embarrassed to see people leaving in droves with 20 minutes to go.

Onwards and upwards, all we can hope for now is to win a few games and not have the stigma of the lowest ever points total come the end of the season, the only way we will achieve that is by a fighting spirit both on and off the pitch.

All Photos Via Reuters

saintmark1976 added 17:13 - Jan 5 People leave in droves with 20 minutes to go Nick because they are sick and tired of paying good money to watch and support a Club owned and managed at board level by a collection of imbeciles. What other legal action can fans take to express their frustrations, particularly given that the vast majority of those doing so are like myself season ticket holders who have paid up front for their seats ? It’s not as though we can withhold our money for the next Premiership home game is it ? As for our performance yesterday it’s quite easy to summarise. The majority of our ridiculously overpaid players simply threw in the towel, some earlier in the game than others.

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bryanK added 17:24 - Jan 5 Never been a picker on a chooser but the complete lack of fight in the players was extremely poor and as a paid up season ticket holder enough is enough. My Dad on Monday 9th March 1959 (with me at his side) decided enough was enough after Brentford beat us 6-0 at the Dell and apart from 2 games in the next 35 years he never went again. I however returned on Saturday 14th March 1959 to see us beat the mighty Southend United 3-2. I will unlike my Dad return in 2025/26 but will not return to watch Sports Republc football team for the remainder of this season. I had hoped for some semblance of pride from this group of players who earn more in a week that most of us earn in a year. AFC Totton v Gosport on 18th January now beckons

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davidargyll added 17:28 - Jan 5 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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DorsetIan added 17:53 - Jan 5 It's always on the manager. And this is now on Juric. We looked far more solid and knowing what we were doing when Simon Rusk was in charge. I'm wondering now whether that entertaining first 45 mins against WH was the last hangover from the Rusk era. I hope I am wrong, but Ivan Juric is giving me very strong Nathan Jones vibes. We looked absolutely clueless in the second half yesterday. Yet another managerial cock up from Sports Republic. We play Man U, Forest and then Newcastle in the next 3 three. In the likely event of nil points, are we then allowed to call for Juric to be sacked?

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king_sid added 17:55 - Jan 5 I said it before Russell Martin got the boot and I will say it again now, recruitment is the reason we are where we currently are. He had his faults, but ultimately he was dealt an unplayable hand. No manager in the world could keep us up. When the players have given their all we still get beaten, an off-day and we get thrashed Ramsdale and KWP are the only two players who might get into another Prem team's first eleven. THB, Dibling and Fernandes might get into a matchday squad. The rest of the entire squad are a million miles from Prem standard. Buying three Championship strikers is not the same as buying one Premiership striker. SR have repeatedly used the same gamble that keeps not working - trying to do it all on the cheap and their naivety is staggering. Also, regarding their policy of manager recruitment, why go all in on tippy-tappy and then completely abandon it for hoof-ball - this is a repeat of two years ago with replacing Ralph with Jones. No wonder the players are confused and demoralised. Mr Solak will clearly not sack all of his board, but they are a shambles and the reason we are where we are is because we deserve to be.

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1885_SFC added 18:04 - Jan 5 My only hope now, as sad as it is, is to reach that magic 12-points mark - and not go down in history as the sh1ttest team ever to grace the Premier League!
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Centurion added 18:20 - Jan 5 A lot of work needed to be ready for the Championship. Even then it will be a case of steadying the ship and avoid a second drop.
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JoeEgg added 18:35 - Jan 5 Well Saturdays match confirmed that we have now have the worst squad of players in Premier League history; Why on earth did Sports Republic and the board bring in a manager who had no experience of the Premier League, a mediocre managerial record in Croatia and knew sod all about our individual Premier League players? The team selection for the Brentford game was just crazy - our midfield and forward line would have lost to a Championship team. Clubs like Brentford, Bournemouth, Forest and Fulham have shown how to plan for both survival and success;; For Saints the lights have gone out at St Marys and will not be switched on again under Sports Republic and their board members.

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jameshill added 18:37 - Jan 5 Memo to all those armchair football managers on this site who spent weeks slagging of Russel Martin and Jack Stephens: It would seem you were not so insightful after all. They were not the problem. Never were. in my view the problem could be seen from outer space even before the season started: No forwards (of Prem ability) means no goals and no points. How in the hell did we beat Everton!

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halftimeorange added 19:09 - Jan 5 If I was a player I wouldn't want to be out on the St Marys' pitch right now, would any of you? The majority of Saturday's featured individuals looked just like that - individuals - with no knowledge as to what the system now is and it was brought home to them emphatically that they will be overrun, outplayed, outthought and humiliated over and again for the rest of this season. Any of them with ambition will be praying that the transfer window gods will pluck them to safety or else total nervous breakdowns threaten aplenty. No footballer wants to see their supporters turn their backs on them and depart in disgust. The money they're paid doesn't count in these circumstances for most of them. We, like them, can only hope that personal pride will come into play but, after Saturday's abject display, that hope might be a forlorn one. i don't see the Saints marching into anywhere any time soon.

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kingolaf added 19:34 - Jan 5 I couldn’t care less what people think of me leaving on 70 minutes. I don’t enjoy it anymore. Only go because I have a season ticket. Think this season is it for me.
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Colburn added 19:37 - Jan 5 Every time we play 5 at the back we get overrun in midfield and big Les had to do the job of 2 men in there. Result was therefore very predictable. We only have one decent finisher, Archer, not in starting line up, 2 players we’ve been trying to rid of for 2 years start. No creativity in midfield to feed our incompetent strikers selected. We spent 45 million on Ramsdale and THB (who is worth 10) plus a load more on Downes yet set aside just 7 million for Diaz plus a Cornet loan expecting to tear up the Prem? As has been stated we didn’t bring in any potency up top aside from a young Archer, relying on a crocked Rod Stewart, another farcical purchase from the clowns who sit round the table. Yesterday was an all time low thanks to SR and their ignorance. Their latest appointment just smacks of more cluelessness. Ankersen and Parsons have to go, they just don’t have the nous and haven’t replaced Wilcox.

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SanMarco added 21:49 - Jan 5 Totally understandable that the blame is being thrown around. Yesterday was abysmal. Just a couple of observations: Our problems are down to the decisions made by SR. The appalling lack of understanding of what is needed to run a club at this level is there for all of us to see. This includes allowing Russel Martin to continue his mad experiment - RM was part of the problem but now he is finally gone anger should be directed towards those who 'run' the club. Anything else is a distraction, particularly laying into the new manager. The idea that starting Armstrong instead of Sulemana would have had us knocking the goals in is laughable. Loads of people (possibly even Nick?) were all for Tall Paul a few weeks ago. Juric has taken over a demoralised and far too weak squad and he is not going to produce a miracle - no other manager would have produced one either. Let's direct our despair and anger at those who have caused this steaming pile of poopey. As for fans leaving after 70 minutes - I salute you all for lasting that long...

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DPeps added 07:03 - Jan 6 To be fair to Juric he perhaps feels that he needs to give players a chance. He's not had the luxury of preseason to assess the players. Following his experiment Juric should now know who not to play. But as SanMarco says, it's not as if the other players who could have been picked on Saturday would have won the game for us.
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andoverpedro added 08:22 - Jan 6 I dont blame Juric for the result , yes he picked the side but i think he needed to see what the £40m strike force could really do in a match situation, yes we knew already but he needed to see it for himself and now he knows why they are not playing . Maybe we can still get some money for this dross before everyone else realises they are crap as well. i see Brereton diaz is gone on loan, the first of many i think . Next we need to find out who will stay for the championship next year and dump anyone else that doesnt want to be here and save the wages and maybe get a fee or two . Even Dibling can bugger off if he is playing silly buggers over a new contract &25m please will go far for next season as he is far from finished and could hide in a bigger club squad more easily.

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HythePeer added 09:38 - Jan 6 What was the score when Onuachu & Sulemana were playing & what was the score when they weren't? That rather defeats your argument, no?
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underweststand added 11:05 - Jan 6 Not a lot more to say really. The squad (overloaded by all accounts) is still incapable of finding a winning formula. Quite frankly, they weren't better than Leeds last season, and only the win in the play-off got us the promoted. That squad was composed of 5 loan players and a group of promising kids and was clearly not good enough for the Prem. and as of today we see that neither Ipswich of Leicester seem capable of getting clear of the drop zone either. Martin's tactics may have worked for the best part of last season, but were totally unsuitable at the highest level, and the mentality of the players who suffered consecutive defeats week in and out has clearly affected their performances. The strike force is pitiful. The most we can hope for is for some brave results before the end of the season, because most of this squad would likely find it difficult in a very competitive Championship league.

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IanRC added 12:13 - Jan 6 Sulemana was probably our best player in the first half although admittedly not a particularly high bar. He has also been more effective in terms of dangerous crosses than anyone else in the odd 10 minutes has been allowed but you appear far too blinkered to see this sadly. Totally agree with SanMarco and HythePeer. It seems to me that Sports Republic's total incompetence is largely to blame for our position, poor managerial appointments, poor recruitment and keeping Rasmus in charge. From what I saw the players are now totally dispirited and lacking in confidence. I do not subscribe to the view that the players are not good enough to survive in the PL. I think the above, some criminal officiating and the suicide tactics adopted by the previous manager are the reasons why we are where we are. Really hope Rasmus is sacked and we buy a decent striker in the window but not confident that SR have the balls and where with all to do either.

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AmericanSaint added 13:07 - Jan 6 So I am going to be a bit pragmatic here since so much has already been said. I think that as DavidArgyll said and someone said last week, the squad is not physically fit. After playing RM passive ball passing for so long and now Juric "High pressing" death metal ball, it is painfully obvious that the most players are out of shape. Example, Dibbling wasnt even running back in the 60+ minute when they scored their second. He is 18 and should be able to run all day long. Next, If anyone though that us changing between two dramatically different styles of play was going to happen overnight, then that was as delusion. I was surprised that KS started along PO and dont think he brought much to the game. It was obvious that he doesnt like to "press and defend" which is his biggest weakness. We saw it every time their keeper had the ball and he kept looking for Paul to press the keeper. Next, only Ramsdale was worth his pay for this game. Everyone else should give their pay to a local charity. So now what does Juric do? I think we need to go to a 4-4-2 system and have KWP go back to RB and put Manning or the new guy in at LB. Having 3 CBs who are not fast enough to keep up with most Prem forwards, does us no good. We need 4 true midfielders to clog it up and slow counter-attacks. Then the 2 forwards are just a combination of what we have left to offer. I think we will eek enough points to beat the Derby record, but 1 or 2, but that is it. Like everyone else, just scratching my head and trying to figure out where we go from here. COYR

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obelisk added 14:28 - Jan 6 "On 55 minutes off went Onuachu & Sulemana and suddenly we looked like we might get something out of the game". :| Blimey! I thought we looked even worse after a brisk 5 minutes at the beginning of the half. Conceding 4 goals after those substitutions tells a story in itself.
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StRipper added 15:48 - Jan 6 I am still baffled that it is beyond any of our management to just try pairing Onuachu (hold up man) with Archer (2nd striker, mobile threat). Whilst we can moan and berate about our need for a quality striker - which I don't dispute - it doesn't matter if you have Haland up front if he doesn't get any supply. Pelle played a similar type of role to Onuachu and, he sometimes dropped deep to create space for the attackers and draw out the defenders. And lots of our fans berated him too, but there is no doubt that he was class. And every time we take off Onuachu, our threat has gone and we get pummelled. I think that Onuachu is getting by on awful service and has had half chances at best. It doesn't make it his fault that he is not scoring. It is our midfield that is a mess. Yes, it was always going to be a disaster without Downes and Fernandes. But we are still short in midfield to create chances and release the pressure from our back line. And we aren't brilliant enough to have 5 at the back. As posters have said here - we lost the midfield. Just as we did against Palace and WHam. For whatever our long term ambitions, I would drop the 3 at the back and play a back 4, as others have said, so we can have at least one more player in Midfield until we have sorted out our overall squad and play. And I would probably drop THB of the back 3. He takes way too long on the ball, which is a disaster in the EPL, meaning whoever he finally passes to is already under pressure. And I don't remember seeing hm throw himself in front of shots like we've seen Wood do. Which is often what it takes to get points.

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Monksway added 16:21 - Jan 6 I think SR joined RM in the love-in and hype that surrounded promotion after the play-off final. Keeping that team together (THB, Downes, Frazer) was the priority in the transfer window plus doing the usual "squad for the future" thing with ( Edwards, Wood). Sugarawa was meant to be a replacement for KWP, Fernandes for Stu Armstrong and Archer for Che. None were upgrades and in truth only Ramsdale is a clear upgrade and that is because of Bazunu's injury and McCarthy being hopeless in the opening games. RM genuinely believed that he had turned Stephens, Bednarek, Aribo, Armstrong, Manning, Smallbone etc into really good players when playing the RM way!. He was totally deluded. As SR stated when they sacked him they had completely underestimated the gulf between the Premier League and the Championship. We are left with a team in the wrong division regardless of who is the manager. Getting rid of RM was too late to make any difference and the team now looks utterly disillusioned and confused. I guess they believed the hype as well!

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bartley41 added 18:46 - Jan 6 The comments by Monksway are probably the best I have seen on this Forum. Anyone with the slightest knowledge would have been aware of the gulf between the Championship and the Premiership as shown last season by Burney, on
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bartley41 added 18:54 - Jan 6 continued from above -----Burnley, Luton Town and Sheffield United. What does surprise me is the continued attendances of 31,000 at St. Mary's, obviously it's only the Finance that matters not the entertainment for the fans. Beware you reap what you sew!!
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131153 added 12:50 - Jan 7 I attended on Saturday, the game confirmed my thoughts the squad is basically not fit enough. Almost certainly down to the RM passing game. Tired players with tired minds make the mistakes which cost points, particularly Leicester and Ipswich come to mind. I also feel Monksway has hit the nail squarely on head, also agree with bartley 41 his comments are the best summation on the forum.

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