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Comment | Southampton V Liverpool The Carabao Cup Preview
at 12:34:21
I don’t see the style of football changing much. Let’s face it the players have been playing possession football for the last 18 months so they won’t deviate too far from that despite it not being RM in the dugout. |
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Comment | Yorkshire Media Claim That Sheffield Wednesday Battling To Keep Danny Rohl
at 12:28:15
I remain unconvinced that Sports Republic are seriously interested in Rohl. Not because he isn’t a decent manager, he certainly is and has had success at every club he has been at not least Saints with Ralph and now Sheffield Wednesday on his own. However, Rohl’s footballing principles are for the high press/work hard off the ball approach which we saw for most of the time under Ralph. SR have already committed to the possession style that Russel Martin preached albeit with some pragmatism that RM couldn’t apply. If SR appoint Rohl, not only are they throwing away that philosophy which they haven’t shown any indication that they are willing to but also the majority of the current squad have spent the last 18 months playing and were brought in specifically to play. Rohl will want players that can play his way and while some of the squad will be able to adapt, we could have a situation where many need to be moved on because they don’t fit. We haven’t yet cleared out some of the players from the Ralph, Idiot, Selles period so could limit our ability to get in the players Rohl would need.
Don’t get me wrong of all the names mentioned I would put Rohl near the top, probably with Potter, but as it stands I don’t see it happening. |
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Comment | Southampton Will Recall One Player But Send Another To Sheffield Wednesday
at 12:41:07
A loan move for Edwards makes sense as he is getting very little match time at Saints, even with the U21s. Bringing back Shea Charles could mean a number of things:
- he has developed so far that RM thinks he is better than Flynn Downes - unlikely
- he is being brought back as cover in midfield- that would only make sense if we are also sending back big Leslie as we don’t need all 3
- he is being brought back as cover at CB - that would suggest Bednarek is out for a prolonged period. |
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Comment | Southampton Board Said To Have Set Deadline Day For Russell Martin
at 12:22:38
I would expect part of this period is also to sound out potential replacements. There is no point in waiting for these matches to pass, sack Martin if the results don’t meet the target and then waste another couple of games with an interim manager before appointing the replacement.
The other issue to consider is that other teams that are struggling will also be looking at the November break as a time to make a manager change. Do we want to be competing with Wolves, West Ham, Palace etc for the same limited talent pool - I expect we couldn’t either financially or potential survival prospects. |
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Comment | Southampton Already Have Their Target To Replace Russell Martin
at 09:50:41
This is the same board whose previous in season managerial change shortlist was headed by Nathan Jones. You can be impressed with all the stats but do they fit the club, can they cut it at PL level and can they get a tune out of the players without ripping up the squad and starting again.
Personally I don’t think RM is going anywhere just yet even if we lose against Ipswich. He has earned the right to get to Christmas at least. |
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Comment | Southampton At Everton The Carabao Cup Verdict
at 12:35:16
Not much to add to what has already been said . Poor match. However I want to give a shout to James Bree. A bit of a forgotten man at Saints but several times last night he bailed out his team mates when we lost possession either by being in the right place at the right time or busting a gut to get back. |
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Comment | Southampton At Everton The Carabao Cup Preview
at 12:39:20
Couple of points in response-
1 RM has said he wants a good run in the league cup as it allows other squad players a chance to prove that they deserve consideration for the PL side. Therefore I disagree that RM doesn’t want to win this match.
2 I hope we don’t go with a back 3. RM set up with a back 4 on Saturday and for the first 30 mins we looked good for it. It wasn’t the formation that ultimately led to defeat. There is no point in playing a back three with the fringe players if the PL side is going to stick with a 4-3-3 from now on. The players need to play with consistent formations and tactics in case they need to slot in as cover for future suspensions and injuries. |
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Comment | Southampton V Manchester United The Verdict
at 12:42:18
I’m not going to defend Stephens as he was at fault for the first goal and the sending off was reckless. However as it wasn’t mentioned in the article it should be noted that THB did exactly the same as Jack for the third goal and was playing the wide player onside when the rest of the defence had stepped up. I mention this for completeness of reporting the details of the match and to show that it’s not just Stephens that is making mistakes.
On the whole I was encouraged by the first 30 mins. We just need to make that good play count. |
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Comment | The Knives Are Out For Russell Martin In The Media But Do They Have Substance
at 13:10:20
The article has no substance so click bait. I think we have to bear in mind:
- the board have backed RM in the transfer market with a dozen new players.
- many of these new players are likely better than what we have but need some time to get used to the system. RM pointed out that the team would be different for Man U after 2 weeks of training with the players not on international duty.
- RM deserves his chance to prove himself - 3 matches is no time!
- Sports Republic were burned last time in the PL with chopping and changing managers so I think they will be more cautious this time.
RM knows it’s a results game and will be well aware that if he wants to keep his job then these need to improve but I doubt we will see any changes until Xmas at least. |
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Comment | Southampton At Brentford The Damning Verdict
at 10:28:46
With all the transfer dealings going on last week plus the Carabao cup game it wasn’t really a surprise to see minimal changes. From my viewpoint this is what i saw:
- Ramsdale is clearly a mile ahead of any other GK we have at the club. Bear in mind he only had 24hrs with his new teammates so at times his distribution wasn’t great but that will improve over time.
- RM won’t change the ethos of passing out from the back but as mentioned in the article the decision making of players needs to improve. For the first goal, had JS received the pass on the half turn he had two options ahead of him to break the press. Because he remained facing our goal the only option was to go back to THB who then compounded the issue by dithering. For the second JS and JB got in each others way. Beating the opposition press relies on outnumbering the players with short quick passing but if two players are in the same place that nullifies the advantage of the team playing out.
- the passing out needs to be quicker. Players need to trust the receiver can accept the pass at pace, which in turn will give them a little more time to control and make the next pass. The passes were too cautious and so Brentford were able to anticipate and close quicker.
- Going forward AA looks like he did 2 seasons ago. Out of his depth. With the players coming in I would expect him not to start the next game and be an option off the bench later in games when he has a bit more time and space as player tire.
- The 3 CBs with The idea of JS moving into midfield to be the out ball hasn’t worked as per my comment about the first goal on Saturday . I would rather see two defensive midfielders in there who are specialists in that position which in theory then gives more passing options to break the press but maintains protection for the CBs.
- RM post match comments did allude to personnel changes for the next game. With 2 weeks training for the newer players coming up that should help them get up to speed. I’m hoping we see a 4-3-3 against Man U with JB + 1 as centre back, Downes plus big Les as the holding midfielders and Fernandes ahead of them, with BBD on the left, Cornet replacing AA on the right and Archer in the middle. I still don’t see Dibling starting but he definitely is a great option off the bench.
Big test for RM coming up. Let’s hope he gets then messages over to the players and the players can execute. |
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Comment | Southampton Still Have Two Irons In The Fire For A Goalkeeper
at 08:16:13
The links with Ramsdale could just be someone linked with Arsenal trying to generate a bidding war to push up the price or force a sale rather than loan position. It doesn’t make sense to be genuinely interested in him if he doesn’t fit the style of play and we have a decent alternative in the Dutch guy.
Either way we have to get someone who can play the system better than McCarthy. |
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Comment | James Ward Prowse To Be Allowed To Leave West Ham United
at 21:28:41
I like the guy and always gave his all for Saints even though at times it felt he was trying to do too much in a poor side and compromising his performances as a result.
If a deal could be struck which makes financial sense for Saints then I think he could play a role in the squad. However i simply cannot see how the financials work.West Ham are likely to want to recoup a decent chuck of the fee they paid, probably £15-20m and his wages will be much higher than those he was on at Saints as our highest paid player. That’s too rich for Saints when we have higher priorities such as goalkeeper.
Good luck to him but a return would be mainly driven by nostalgia which isn’t what we need right now. |
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Comment | Southampton And Wolves Interested In Lazio Keeper
at 12:35:49
A loan for Ramsdale still seems to be the best option in my opinion. Proven quality and if the reports are correct that we need to sell first for more signings then we should be able to accommodate a loan even if the sales for ABK, Tall Paul etc don’t materialise quickly.
The Lazio lad may have the right skills but it seems a high price for an unknown quantity and also someone who could end up as back up when Bazunu is fit. |
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Comment | Southampton V Getafe The Pre Season Preview
at 11:11:12
Oh how I missed the doomsayers after the early part of last season. Have a little faith!
Matches against the likes of Newcastle aren’t our main battle this season anyway. Success is 17th and anymore is a bonus. |
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Comment | How To Open A Fanzone And Keep The Beer Queues Short - The Southampton Way
at 17:48:44
At the end of the day Saints are a business like any other and will want to maximise their revenue. They will have an idea based on past seasons how many pints they expect to sell so if that number falls due to the price hike then we may see a price drop. Fact is some fans are willing to pay those prices the question is will it be enough for the club to stick with the higher pricing. |
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Comment | Russell Martin Confirms No One Is Refusing To Play
at 13:13:39
This is a non story. Every club will have players that don’t feature in their future plans and won’t play to protect the market value (against injury) and to enable those players who are in the plans to maximise game time in preseason. Certainly Tall Pall and ABK fall into this group and while the club are more on the fence about KWP staying or going they and the player certainly don’t want to risk injury when there is potential deals to be made. |
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