Miltonaggro

Yes, that would likely be the majority view.

How about this type of thing with blue shorts? Bit different:

My position last May was that the worst thing that Sport Republic could do is overthink the Championship and on reflection they’ve done just that. Martin on experience and track record was a left field gamble and so were our critical signings, whilst sticking with others who clearly struggled last year. We might still go up of course but this looks in the balance with a brittle squad lacking in character when it comes to seeing out games or finding another gear. THB, Downey and Fraser are top players in this league but there will be a reluctance to fully buy in from experienced loan players like Brooks and Rothwell, and that’s perhaps foreseeable. Plus Martin’s tactics and selections would likely see us destroyed in the league above, even if SR made funds available. Knowing Sport Republic if we choke the playoffs they’ll stick with their man at least until midway next season when we sit solidly in mid-table treading water, by then you’ll be looking at a 2.5 season rebuild. To be fair to Martin he would never have been my choice so hard sell, but he seems committed and overall a decent man, I just don’t think he’s right for Southampton.

You have to factor in the Ankersen factor, that in all probability he hasn’t the faintest idea what he’s doing. Could be Wilcox wanted Maresca and when that fell through Rasmus had already identified a lower league Pep lite to sate his Man City on sea fetish. Wilcox was ‘sod it’ let’s try it.

Martin might brave up now that Wilcox no longer has his probationary balls in the vice. Thankfully we have the redoubtable Lumley to step in.

This could be combined quite effectively with a high consensus of eye-witness testimony, perhaps close to 30,000.

It’s essentially Angus Gunn Deja vu, but on balance Gunn was arguably the better player. I hope that Man City don’t have promising Welsh keeper in their under 18s in case our lunatic scouts fancy the British Isles full set.

Excel on Rasmus's laptop malfunctioning.

The scariest thing is that big Joe is still statistically slightly more effective than Bazunu

It will likely involve latent anger, obsessive pre-match grooming, and Ryan Manning.

That’s rather a circular argument as certainly applies across the entire top four - for instance what effect has Leicester’s apparently unstoppable form in the first half of the season had on Leeds and Ipswich since the new year? Every person I know who is interested in excelling whatever the discipline uses competition and pressure as motivation. Fine margins at the top of course, and that’s where we appear to be falling short.

Personally, I think that our first choice back four - Bree, Bednarek, THB, KWP - is about as good as you could hope for in the Championship, add in Downes and this group should be a defensive luxury for Russell Martin. Should we fail with promotion this year it's not a luxury that his replacement is likely to have. Bazunu shouldn't be first choice keeper and Adams shouldn't be first choice striker, but that's been obvious to almost anyone who watches Southampton for well over 18 months. The Board has failed in addressing clear gaps in the squad, attempting to use the first eleven as a shop window, and appointing an unknown quantity at this level as manager. Martin is failing in getting the best out of what he has, in terms of his penchant for shoehorning favourites into competitive sides, tactics and game management.

That’s the one area of consistency since they rocked up.

Interesting points. Should Martin depart there are a few managers who might fancy getting a Championship tune out of that quartet next season.

Our Manchester City YTS lite experiment with Shields and Wilcox on the tiller, instigated you'd imagine by Ankersen, has on balance probably cost us (Dragan) in excess of £10 million to date. That's notwithstanding the primary financial impact of contributing to our relegation last year and the high possibility of missing out on promotion this year. The core of the former Shields / Wilcox youth team - Lavia, Bazunu, Edozie, Larios and Charles which cost around £50m in fees, was balanced by the transfer of Lavia to Chelsea, but you'd imagine that this would be in considerable deficit once you factor in wages / contract lengths for mostly bit part players. No wonder Saints appear to be shitting bricks in terms of Wilcox's compensation. Arguably the club did better in terms of youth talent spotting in the Gao doldrums in the months before Sport Republic took over, with Livramento and Broja joining in August 2021. Whoever they appoint next it would be nice to have integrity, commitment and Championship nous high on the desired attribute list, plus Ankersen strategically placed in Turkey.

I thought Lumley looked like a competent Championship keeper in his FA Cup games, and personally would start him against Blackburn. Don't think that there is any additional risk in doing so, got a bit of character so would likely fight to keep his place down to the play offs.

Thought Ipswich were a horrible side to be honest, dirty, direct and with a targeted game plan for individual players and the officials. But they were relentless, worked as a team, dug deep and McKenna fully deserved that nasty win. That was an industrial win, but in this league often the difference between winners and losers, promotion and stagnation. In contrast we have a team of individuals, arguably the best technical players in this league, but with little appetite for a fight or an ability to close ranks as a unit. Martin’s management style seems to be rather like a spiky overprotective dad with a kids team, rigidly sticking to the mantra whilst projecting and overreacting to any reasonable criticism of his charges. Said all season that this lot won’t have an appetite for the play offs and sticking with that. We will then lose the core of our technical ‘better’ players in early summer - KWP, THB, Downes, Brooks, Fraser, so I hope that the rumours that the Board are already looking for Martin’s replacement are correct. We need a winner allowed to impose his character and then bring character and backbone into this group. It might take three seasons, step back to go forward, but you wouldn’t need gimmicks and goal music to attempt to galvanise the saints support then. Most know the difference between shit and shinola when they see it.

There’s three or four in all probability. Another thing SFC aren’t particularly good at.

Start of the season I felt that the best way for the Board to protect Bazunu, if they felt he was a genuine prospect would be to have him as number two to an experienced keeper as a mentor, and / or send him out on loan. Like we did with Flowers and Burridge, a similar situation. I would have got Kasper Schmeichel in at the start of September when he left Nice. For me, it's not just his shot stopping, it's positioning, lack of physical strength and presence, rather like having a youth keeper in goal. This is clearly Sport Republic protecting their investment, same with Sulemana and to an extent Edozie and Mara, making sure these youngsters are in the shop window, and given the reaction at the fans forum last year, Martin had been told who his first choice keeper would be on joining. To be honest Lumley on a free looks no worse than £12m Baz, and if we miss out in the play offs and McCarthy goes I'd be straight in for Johanssen at Rotherham over the summer.

Yep, the 2000 plus who travelled on their bank holiday today need shooting!

I’d take a Gary duo of Glitter and Lineker.

A final turd today is that with Bree sent off, nailed on we will get mind the gap Manning back for the run in.

Choke!

Needed Fraser to stay on here.