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I agree. Striker is a priority if we get promoted. A keeper should be the priority in January.

Mason

Stone

Paterson from Sunderland

Upgrade at goalkeeper, i'm guessing a loan would make more sense.

Given we keep hearing about how we are data driven then they shouldn’t be ignoring their own strategy

It’s one of those rare occasions that MLG is right. We’ve got 4 strikers on the payroll who cost about £45m between them. Our first choice is the leagues leading goal scorer, we’re not replacing him so we’re looking for back up players. Why are we going to add another back up striker when we’ve got 3 already 2 of which have proven themselves more than capable in this league? The only way we’re being another one in is if 2 leave.

When you say no chance of a new keeper, Alfie House believes it can/should happen, even mention Sunderland’s keeper as an example of a possibility

I think everyone recognises he is very, very poor. But he wasn’t the problem on Tuesday night. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Ross Stewart shouldn’t be offered a new contract. If he was unfit for work as much as me he’d have gone down the fitness to work route and been paid off. We’ve established it would be “nice” to have a new GK, but we aren’t going to cancel George Long’s loan, no one is picking up Alex McCarthy’s wages when he has six months left, and we won’t be selling our current first choice in Gavin Bazunu. So you may as well rule out the GK option until the summer. I think we’ll only bring in a wide player, someone who hopefully injects a bit of pace. I would like to see a CB leave for someone better but again realistically I don’t think it’ll happen. Equally I’d like to see a better left sided WB, but again I doubt this will change as long as Larios is on the books and we have Welington as back up.

Just listening to the TSP Baz was statistically the 2nd worst keeper in The league when we got promoted, and is currently the worst. pretty damning to be fair, and anyone with eyes should recognise how bad he is.

I'm looking forward to sand all over the pitch. It's been years since I've seen that.

Ok let me phrase it another way; go with this example: we could win 1-0 with one attempt at goal, take an absolute pounding and he saves ten-plus attempts at goal from the opposition. But there would still be many on here complaining about that one misplaced pass that went out for a throw in. He didn’t really do anything wrong on Tuesday. But if you look at the first, second and third comments after that game you’ll see how there was those few that said how shit he was, despite probably keeping us in it. Understand? —— As mentioned before, I am not a Bazunu fan, but bloody go after him after he’s made a mistake by all means. Tuesday there was no reason to.

It's a fair observation, but they got rid of the manager responsible for most of that bad run, since Clement was appointed they have started to look better

There is no agenda, he’s just fucking shit. This fanbase, fucking hell.

Utter bullshit

Disagree. People have become more emboldened to say shit in the last few years and that comes directly from the likes of Trump, Farage, Musk and others seemingly being able to say shit and having little or no consequences. The masses start doing the same and soon realise that there are consequences to being idiots. Social platforms have given people a route to be rude or a dick etc but it doesn't mean its a free hit to be like that.

Hearing Fellows had a scan on a groin issue. Let’s hope it’s not long term.

The club up to its usual tricks of holding back tickets for staff but rarely fully taken up for distant fixtures. A very late number of seats have become available again despite this game selling out weeks ago. https://tickets.southamptonfc.com/selection/event/seat?perfId=10229133141354&choiceSelectionDone=true&productId=10229001095987

look out for the second half in this one. First half goals scored this season: Norwich 15 Southampton 20 Second half goals scored: Norwich 7 Southampton 14 First half goals conceded: Norwich 12 Southampton 9 Second half goals conceded: Norwich 21 Southampton 19

Key

So difficult to choose. If we are going up, CF #1. If we are staying down, a goalie to challenge Baz. But we are in limbo, so reach into whatever hat you got Scienza out of...

1.) Its great that he's come in and got 6 wins out 7. I don't think we really deserve all 6 wins, but he's got them - so great. And attacking wise, fair play, superb stuff - i really couldn't ask for any more there - he's putting our best players on the pitch, and got them playing some sensational flowing football at times. But game management/defence wise, there are some concerning signs that some of us would like to see improve - its unfortunate that this is seen as a bad thing by some. But, if we can do that, then I personally feel we have another level we can go to. I'm also not interested in talk of "missing out" with this squad, or excuses to that effect. Regardless of the bad start, we are easily in the best three matchday 11's and overall 25man squads in the league. There are 78points to play for and we're only 9 off 2nd despite a very below par start and with every team above us to still play at least once. So to be honest, if Eckert doesn't get us promoted he was the wrong hire, and it really is as simple as that for me - and the same would go for any manager appointment we could have made come the end of the season. In fairness to Eckert, he's basically said the same thing with regards to promotion. 2 & 3.) You're talking about results, but score lines hide performances - and again, i don't think we really deserve all of those 18 points based on the actual full 90min performances 🤷‍♂️. Ultimately this season won't be defined by a one of sample size of 7 games, it will be defined by the 31-34 he'll have as manager - we've played some fantastic attacking football, he's had a good start overall, but we've certainly had a bit of luck in that. I think we can get better and both dominate teams in an attacking sense whilst also looking comfortable and defensively solid (the part we aren't at the present), but to do it he does need to improve on game management and sort his defensive setup/tactics. Get that right and we've got the potential to comfortably be the best side in the league imo. He's a young manager and therefore can be expected to learn and develop. As it is though, we seem to have 2 distinct gears under Eckert, a frankly superb attacking setup that is capable of blowing teams away, and then this jekly/hyde transition into a pretty passive and weak defensive setup - one which I really don't like, and that sees us essentially cede 2/3 the pitch to the opposition and invites them back into games. It has already nearly cost us points vs: WBA - we did everything we could to scrape a draw from a 3 goal lead 🙃, Brum - who had every right to get a draw after twice being 2goals down, QPR - who frankly completely outplayed us for much of the game, And then ofc, we did drop points vs Millwall - where we lost despite leading twice, and which was entirely due to standing off them and dropping deeper and deeper, inviting them on to us, and allowing them to pepper our box with crosses and long shots. Needlessly. If we stay as we are, I still think we'll get play offs like as not, but its going to be pretty tense watching us invite teams to pepper our box with crosses and shots with these awful defensive setups - I can't say i relish the prospect of that in say a play off 2nd leg (or even at Wembley). I don't have an issue resting players - i have an issue with standing off the opposition and inviting them onto us. We are changing the players like for like, but completely changing the system into one that invites pressure. 4.) I don't agree that its patronising - Still's coaching setup left with him, Lallana is now with the u21, and Paul Trollope has also left. There seems to be a bit of a void there to fill with respect to senior coaching support. He's the youngest / least experienced manager ever at this level. The club would look to bring in experienced coaches and assistants to support any other manager, it can't just be deemed patronising because Eckert is 32 😄. And just look at managers like Jose, SAF, or Pep etc., who've had many prominent assistants over the years, not least the likes of Arteta and Maresca recently.

On his way here in January. Just waiting for the President to OK it.

Armstrong and Archer are similar, although AA is twice the player and so Archer is happy to sit on the bench as understudy. Stewart, even if he could keep fit, is a different type of striker…more of a CF and it is here that we need better. Stewart would be more than happy to spend most of his in the treatment room or watching from the bench if indeed that were possible. It is high;y likely he will be released when his contract is up, if not before. So we need a good solid CF - a player that is equal in quality to AA, but a different animal…a tall brick house guy who,can also defend our box at set pieces.