Fitzhugh Fella

The 5-3 at home v Huddersfield was the first time

Slightly more trivial it was also the first time three subs scored in an away match.

I didn't realise it was the last kick.

Hopefully this is considered worthy of a new thread. With help from Keith Fray who has digitalised all Southampton's results since 1885 in preperation of the forthcoming Official History book, I have checked to see if Saints have ever overturned a three goal deficit to win a competitive football match. The answer is never have we managed it - either home or away. We have come back from being 3-0 down at home to draw 3-3 a few times, eg Liverpool (Pahars), West Ham (Paine) and Forest in the Cup (1963) but never won a three goal comeback and certainly not away. What is it about our manager? Never before have we scored 5 goals away in a either half of a game and yet we did it at Charlton under his stewardship. Two records in one season.

Yes we are all frustrated and yes the standard of players willing to come here is diminishing, but calling a bloke a joke before actually seeing him play is premature. Spors made some errors last summer, signing Downs and letting Ballard go was just one, and its not surprising confidence in him is low. But I was at Stoke on Saturday and for the first time this season we had round pegs in round holes and boy did it show. Immediately Azaz looked a better player than some on here were giving him credit for, and in Harwood Bellis and Stephens we also had two maligned players suddenly looking like strong central defenders. Good managers and tactics can improve players, I'm going to give this guy the benefit of the doubt although I do agree SR and Spors are dining in the last chance saloon. There is no more room for errors.

Unlike you I place less emphasis on stats when forming an opinion. His minuses have overtaken his pluses this season. We need a complete rebuild and if we can get 15m for him now then that would be a good bit of business as Archer is an adequate replacement for now. What a shame we let Ballard go.

Define prolific and even if he once was he aint now

Because he's not very good, seems to have lost his interest in us and he's a useless captain. And that's just off the tip of my tongue. Hope it helps.

The apathy on and off the pitch yesterday was palpable. Most were too disheartened to boo. My anger has given way to resignation bordering on despair. At least in the Branfoot days we never went down and there were people around the club who had a vague notion of how to run it. And of course we had some players who were proud to wear the shirt. Everywhere I looked yesterday was decay, apathy and malaise. These are tough days.

That Villa game came the week after Russia invaded Ukraine so maybe Putin is to blame?

Our myopic gaslighting manager is telling the Echo he's happy with what we already have.

100% correct, by coincidence I was meeting AH yesterday afternoon on an unrelated matter and the clique thing is not an issue as far as he is concerned.

Its interesting that Downs is still obviously thought highly off in Germany. I just wonder if the blame lies with our coaches/tactics/managers all of which have combined to make him look like a fish out of water (which he has). Something is not adding up

I tell you one thing about Jack having met him etc he may well be a mediocre polayer (he doesn't claim to be anything special) but one thing I can guarantee about him is that he cares passionately about the club (witness the Wembley tears) and always gives his all (even if you don't think that good enough). There's a lot wrong with the club from top to bottom but if I had ti climb into a WW1 tremch JS is still the sort of bloke I would want in there with me.

I find his post match comments insulting and patronising. Having endured the game at Oxford and yesterday it is utter tedious garbage and yet he tells me it's all OK? After the draw at St Andrews he said if we pick up 3 points v Millwall it would have been a good point. After the game today he said if we win at Middlesborough then the point v Millwall there would be positives from the game. It's basically AI generated surely?

I swear to God Tonda is a product of AI.

Gary O'Neil?

I am not sure Ankerson is involved on a day-to-day basis - when I was a guest in the Board room for the Pompey match he was nowhere to be seen. I would be prepared to give Eckert a lot more time if he dropped the "Russball playing it out sideways" tactic. It seriously does my head in.

As usual Glen nails it. I don't know how he gets the energy to write up such a dross performance. I left the Kassam speachless and stayed that way until someone bought me a pint in West Ilsley. If only they let Glen into the pressers we might get some tough questions and some non AI generated answers.

I think you have to bear in mind the opposition yesterday

Yes it is fickle to be blaming Tonda so soon after his appointment, but yesterday was possibly the most inept away game I have ever been to, and I've been going since Boxing Day 1969. (We lost to Chelsea). This sideways passing out which normally ends up with us conceding possession in our own half, has got to be down to him. Its dreadful, tedious, risky, unproductive and foolhardy. I heard several accusations that he is just a pound shop Russell Martin yesterday and It was hard to disagree. His post match comments are surely concocted bt ChatGBT they are so anodyne. I am sure he's a jolly nice fella but, by moving him from his learning curve overseeing the U21s, we have disrupted the whole coaching structure and from what I witnessed yesterday we are no better off than we were under Still. It was utterly depressing yesterday.

Me too. This playing the ball out sideways usually leads to us conceding possession in out own half and yet, when its humped forward then if we lose it at least its in their half. Eckert is as you say a little too partial for my liking. Next game I's bring back McCarthy and play Bazanu as a nos 9 - he seems to be the only player who can head a ball (apart from our centre-backs).

I think giving someone a chance is a fair outlook but the problem is our recent historical managerial appointments has undermined our confidence in the whole process of picking managers. The need to get this spot on now is crucial. Unfortunately he is very young and very inexperienced (as were Selles and Still). I get there may not be a lot out there able or willing to come, but that shouldn't influence the decision of appointing him which should be on his merits alone.

I honestly think Tonda will get it by default. There is no one AVAILABLE out there the Board want, would come or have confidence in; and they know another gamble would be their death knell. Of course Tonda is a big gamble, especially after the Millwall game, when we reverted to a Still-esque performance. So all in all not really a healthy place to be. A young, inexperienced manager on the back of a four match run against at least 2 poor sides or ......... Time to cross the digits and hope like hell things work out. In Tonda we trust.🫣

You make a good point . Tall Paul's scoring ratio is respectable at every club he's been at, apart from us so I would suggest the criticism should be levelled at our failure to play to his strengths (having bought him)