Oldandtired

Just imagine, we're playing that badly yet still 5th... So according to your assessment of the way we're playing atm if we play even half way decently we should walk this league.

Can’t afford stake, spent it all on a season ticket……😎

It sounds like what you have in common with RM is to be happy with achieving a mid table finish as long as you are top of the number of 5 yard backwards passes table. How can one enjoy the principles etc. when those criteria aren’t delivering consistent enough results. If/ when they do start delivering those results and we are in a better position in the table then I’ll enjoy them…at the moment they are patently not good enough and do not do justice to the talent of the squad.

RM does not have a planB. I wonder if the board have a plan B when we reach the new year and are still wallowing in the depths of the Championship. They have proved they are not dynamic owners, seemingly not doing a lot to arrest the slide into mediocrity. We have a squad that is more than capable of doing well, you can see that in all too rare flashes so far, when they play a more simple, dare I say direct, style of football and yet I feel, as do most I think, we are being hamstrung by RM’s wannabe Barcelona/Man City tactics. Despite what I’ve said above about the squad they are not at that level and neither is the manager. Surely someone at board level must see what is going on and has to turn round to the manager and say it’s not good enough? Still a long way to go but one would hope that it’s not enough to wander through games, a win here and there, draw a few, get slaughtered now and then, finish up 14th and pat ourselves on the back that we made more passes than anyone else in the league? (Unfortunately as I write this I’m reminded that this manager’s previous triumphs were 10th and 15th in this league so as I said before it could be said that he is performing to his level) I’m sorry, but something has to give before we become lost in the dross of the also rans who inhabit the lower echelons of the EFL.

Did not see that coming. I was a bit nervous in the second half when we reverted to type or rather reverted to the type of football that has badly let us down on occasion this season. I thought Bednarek was excellent, perhaps the championship is his level. And I also thought that Stuart Armstrong had a really good solid game although no one else seems to agree as I haven't seen his name mentioned yet. All in all I enjoyed it, and a good solid base to build on. Let's hope RM adds to it from here on in. I also agree that the referee had an off day but for me one thing I enjoy about the championship is quite simply no VAR.

Apparently RM ‘believes the owners understand the situation’. https://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/23811065.russell-martin-believes-southampton-bosses-understand-situation/ If they understand that playing this type of football this season will be a write off, and are prepared to accept that, well, words fail me. He must be one smooth talking con man.

If we stick with Martin I'm not even sure that we will be playing in this division next year, and not in a good way. Still I suppose the plus side to that will be a couple of local derbies with the noisy neighbours to look forward to... if of course we're not changing places with them.

This, for me, is it in a nutshell. The players bought in were bought because they had certain strengths, expressing themselves, creative, defensively sound, whatever. It seems to me that this manager has taken all of these strengths, tossed them out of the window and told the players to play in a way that is probably alien to most of them. It’s like telling me, as a right handed person, to do everything with my left hand and do it better than everyone around me. It’s not gonna work. I believe our squad should be strong enough to be up there challenging for the top spots. I also unfortunately believe that I’ve seen enough of this manager and his way of playing to know that’s not going to happen. I would love to be wrong but…..

Thank you for the replies, interesting reading. As I said in the op I don’t really know what the complete answer is, especially in the short term, but just hope that there has got to be something soon…please!

We all have our theories on what is wrong with the club atm, RM out etc but I was wondering what peoples' theories on what can be done to sort it out, preferably by next Saturday? I have to admit I wouldn't have a clue where to start apart from reverting to what old people like myself call 'normal' football,just wondering what others ideas are.

This manager, having previously achieved 15th and tenth in the same division as we are in now, is basically fulfilling his potential and performing at the level he is used to. What I cannot for the life of me understand is how he managed to convince the owners that he could deliver a brand of football which could see us promoted out of this division. The football he insists on is sterile, lacking in guile, imagination, entertainment and end result delivery. I thought, despite the result, it was even worse against Ipswich than it was against Leicester, Ipswich being simply a well organised hard working team that had us in their pockets for most of the night. Tuesday, apart from the usual first 15 minute huff and puff flattering to deceive runaround, was about the worst I’ve seen from a Southampton team in many a year, and yet the manager thinks we’re making progress. Either I need multiple visits to Specsavers or he is an arrogant, deluded twat.

The most one dimensional team set upI’ve seen in a long time. Plan A doesn’t work, on to plan B….oh hang on a mo there is no plan B. Neither Leicester, Sunderland or Ipswich particularly good, just well organised and capable of switching it up when necessary. We are not.

I think I’ve noticed that he seems to be a lot weaker on his left side than his right. Maybe it’s just that where we sit is on his left when at our end, but I am convinced that he lets in more this side than the other. Disclaimer….I am not on medication and only drink tea at St. Mary’s…….

I was going to have a bit of a moan about the team and the manager but after reading this it’s just not important. I really hope you can find peace and solace in memories of the time you spent together.

On reflection I wonder what we all expected with this appointment. To appoint a manager whose peak of achievement was,I believe, 10th and 15th in this division, is the way it’s turning out really a surprise.

What concerns me is that RM is starting to sound like Nathan Jones in his ‘my way or the highway’ approach to his tactics. Reading his Sky post match comments has led me to believe that he was at a different game than me, in my opinion we were pretty clueless. I don’t think Leicester were that good, it was just that they had done their homework and knew exactly how to play against us. Far from delivering promotion this season, unless things change this manager will be fortunate to avoid relegation. I get that it’s early days still, but the way he seems determined to stick to his style of playing, woefully inadequate as it seems at the moment, and would appear to be resistant to change, is concerning.

If most of the squad are internationals they should be playing a whole lot better they currently are. Tactics? Manager? Players still wanting away? Something is badly wrong there.

I do wonder if, perhaps like AA, he isn’t really at premier league level which perhaps only makes him an afterthought buy for the more successful clubs. Perhaps he doesn’t see the point of going to a club which he thinks might struggle this year. His prem stats aren’t exactly earth shattering. https://www.premierleague.com/players/10905/Ché-Adams/stats

Well I did say there are reasons for this not to happen….😎

My son and I were having a discussion awhile back and the subject of a good defensive midfielder came up. We don’t think that Romeu has ever been replaced and we were wondering if perhaps Lyanco could fill that role. He is obviously a stopper, he’s quick and seems to have vision and a bit of flair about him. There are probably quite a few reasons for this not to happen, but we just wondered if it was worth a go.

I do get all the players moving on to better themselves etc comments . I just find it annoying that these players did not turn up for the club last season,did not give 100% effort or commitment, and did not play to the best of their ability. Agreed bad managers and tactics came into it but in my opinion that is still part of the reason why the club got relegated. Those same players will now move on to better wages etc, doesn’t seem right in my book.