aintforever Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) 26 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said: This bunch is different from the last bunch Not massively, I guess it depends how much we strengthen in the summer. We still have our best striker in Armstrong, best midfielder (Downes) and best defender (THB). The keeper is a massive upgrade, though he will no doubt go. If our owners invest like last time there is every chance we will have a better squad than what Martin had. If Martin was so shit getting back up shouldn’t be very hard with a half decent manager. Edited April 13 by aintforever
AlexLaw76 Posted April 13 Posted April 13 35 minutes ago, aintforever said: Not massively, I guess it depends how much we strengthen in the summer. We still have our best striker in Armstrong, best midfielder (Downes) and best defender (THB). The keeper is a massive upgrade, though he will no doubt go. If our owners invest like last time there is every chance we will have a better squad than what Martin had. If Martin was so shit getting back up shouldn’t be very hard with a half decent manager. Well, yes massively
Lighthouse Posted April 13 Posted April 13 It’s interesting because yesterday I posted the team that basically, "got promoted in spite of Russell Martin," minus KWP and with BBD up top instead of Adams. The majority of people said I was taking the p*ss saying it was decent and that it’d be lucky to finish top half. I knew KWP was a good RB but I didn’t realise he was THE difference between a bottom half Championship team and one which couldn’t fail to be promoted. 3
Matthew Le God Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) 1 hour ago, aintforever said: I guess next season we are going to see how easy it is to bounce straight back up with this bunch of players. 1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said: This bunch is different from the last bunch 32 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said: Well, yes massively Not really 'massively' Alex! These 17 players are all still contracted to us for next season from the promotion campaign... Keepers - Bazunu, McCarthy & Lumley Right back - Bree Left back - Manning Centre backs - Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens Midfielders - Aribo, Smallbone, Downes, Charles Attacking players - Armstrong, Edozie, Fraser, Sulemana, Stewart On top of those 17 you then have Larios, Bella-Kotchap, Onuachu to make it 20 senior players contracted to the club in the last campaign. And then all the new players from 2024/25 - Fernandes, Edwards, Wood, Juan, Matsuki, Brereton Diaz, Ramsdale, Sugawara, Taylor & Welington. Edited April 13 by Matthew Le God
AlexLaw76 Posted April 13 Posted April 13 1 minute ago, Matthew Le God said: Not really 'massively' Alex! These 17 players are all still contracted to us for next season from the promotion campaign... Keepers - Bazunu, McCarthy & Lumley Right back - Bree Left back - Manning Centre backs - Bednarek, Harwood-Bellis, Stephens Midfielders - Aribo, Smallbone, Downes, Charles Attacking players - Armstrong, Edozie, Frazer, Sulemana, Stewart On top of those 17 you then have Larios, Bella-Kotchap, Onuachu and then all the new players from 2024/25 Massively, different coaches, different situation with relegation, no Armstrong, no Adams, no Tella for a few games, different level of scar tissue, different attitude from fan, Spors, different transfer committee etc 1 2
Matthew Le God Posted April 13 Posted April 13 1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said: Massively, different coaches, different situation with relegation, no Armstrong, no Adams, no Tella for a few games, different level of scar tissue, different attitude from fan, Spors, different transfer committee etc The point you were discussing with @aintforever was about " this bunch of players", not the "staff, situation with relegation, scar tissue, fan attitude, Spors, transfer committee". His point was about the players, not everything else. 1
aintforever Posted April 13 Posted April 13 2 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said: Massively, different coaches, different situation with relegation, no Armstrong, no Adams, no Tella for a few games, different level of scar tissue, different attitude from fan, Spors, different transfer committee etc So squad wise “massively different” is no Armstrong, Adams or Tella for a few games. 2
AlexLaw76 Posted April 13 Posted April 13 Just now, aintforever said: So squad wise “massively different” is no Armstrong, Adams or Tella for a few games. I just said it is massively different.
Matthew Le God Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) 1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said: I just said it is massively different. It isn't, I listed all the remaining players from last season. A lot of them are still here! That is a big reason why we struggled this season. We needed more of a clearout! Edited April 13 by Matthew Le God 1
AlexLaw76 Posted April 13 Posted April 13 Just now, Matthew Le God said: It isn't, I listed all the remaining players from last season. A lot of them are still here! You keep talking about the squad, that’s nice i just said it is massively different. 1
Matthew Le God Posted April 13 Posted April 13 1 hour ago, aintforever said: I guess next season we are going to see how easy it is to bounce straight back up with this bunch of players. 1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said: This bunch is different from the last bunch 5 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said: You keep talking about the squad, that’s nice i just said it is massively different. I'm talking about the players because the discussion was... about the players.
AlexLaw76 Posted April 13 Posted April 13 5 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said: I'm talking about the players because the discussion was... about the players. You make the rules?
ApprenticeBillionaire Posted April 13 Posted April 13 Some of you are going to be in for a rude awakening. The squad won't be anything like the squad we had that got promoted, these players will have options. And I don't think they'll want to stick around next season and neither will their agents. 1 1 1
aintforever Posted April 13 Posted April 13 7 minutes ago, ApprenticeBillionaire said: Some of you are going to be in for a rude awakening. The squad won't be anything like the squad we had that got promoted, these players will have options. And I don't think they'll want to stick around next season and neither will their agents. 14 players left last time we went down.
Matthew Le God Posted April 13 Posted April 13 35 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said: You make the rules? You were the one that replied to a post applied the squad bunch saying... "This bunch is different from the last bunch" And then shown that wasn't really true.
AlexLaw76 Posted April 13 Posted April 13 16 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said: You were the one that replied to a post applied the squad bunch saying... "This bunch is different from the last bunch" And then shown that wasn't really true. I was merely expanding on the point that it is different to last time - IMO. Threads do develop, this one started and was about Russell Martin and not the players.
Lee On Solent Saint Posted April 13 Posted April 13 59 minutes ago, aintforever said: 14 players left last time we went down. Hopefully roughly the same amount will leave this time 1
saintant Posted April 13 Posted April 13 1 hour ago, ApprenticeBillionaire said: Some of you are going to be in for a rude awakening. The squad won't be anything like the squad we had that got promoted, these players will have options. And I don't think they'll want to stick around next season and neither will their agents. I doubt very much that many of them will have options above the Championship. They have demonstrated how poor they are so who will want them? 1
ApprenticeBillionaire Posted April 13 Posted April 13 7 minutes ago, saintant said: I doubt very much that many of them will have options above the Championship. They have demonstrated how poor they are so who will want them? I don't know but they will They absolutely will have options outside of Southampton. Their agents will blame this season on the manager, the formations, the owners, the fucking tea lady you name it to sell their clients.
Lighthouse Posted April 13 Posted April 13 Just now, ApprenticeBillionaire said: I don't know but they will They absolutely will have options outside of Southampton. Their agents will blame this season on the manager, the formations, the owners, the fucking tea lady you name it to sell their clients. If that’s the case, we can look forward to some pretty decent fees, so happy days.
Harry_SFC Posted April 13 Posted April 13 38 minutes ago, ApprenticeBillionaire said: I don't know but they will They absolutely will have options outside of Southampton. Their agents will blame this season on the manager, the formations, the owners, the fucking tea lady you name it to sell their clients. Yep. KWP is leaving, THB is almost guaranteed to have Premier League teams after him purely because he played for England. Ramsdale, Fernandes, Dibling will all have offers from the Premier League too. Bednarek will have offers from abroad, as will Sulemena. Onuachu will go to Turkey etc etc.
woodsaint1 Posted April 13 Posted April 13 3 hours ago, ApprenticeBillionaire said: Some of you are going to be in for a rude awakening. The squad won't be anything like the squad we had that got promoted, these players will have options. And I don't think they'll want to stick around next season and neither will their agents. Good because most of them are shite 2
Saint Garrett Posted April 13 Posted April 13 On 11/04/2025 at 16:25, obelisk said: What did you expect? A consensus that everything had all gone swimmingly? No, but more of an understanding that we were very much underprepared, and when you have no strikers and can’t score from anywhere else on the pitch, then I’m not sticking much blame on any manager. I have larger frustrations with the general state of football in this country, and our recruitment for this season, I saw a young manager trying to play his way and gave the fan base something to get behind last season, I have a lot of sympathy for him, I think we’d be in a better state if he was still the manager of this club, and I’m sure he’ll learn from his mistakes In time. He’s not blameless by any stretch, but I am definitely surprised with the amount of shit he’s got from a minority of our fanbase this season. 1 2
S-Clarke Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) 14 minutes ago, Saint Garrett said: No, but more of an understanding that we were very much underprepared, and when you have no strikers and can’t score from anywhere else on the pitch, then I’m not sticking much blame on any manager. I have larger frustrations with the general state of football in this country, and our recruitment for this season, I saw a young manager trying to play his way and gave the fan base something to get behind last season, I have a lot of sympathy for him, I think we’d be in a better state if he was still the manager of this club, and I’m sure he’ll learn from his mistakes In time. He’s not blameless by any stretch, but I am definitely surprised with the amount of shit he’s got from a minority of our fanbase this season. But he's the key reason we were underprepared, that's what I was getting at and so many others have. He had too much of a say over transfers in the summer, obviously aided by a wider committee - but he was the only football voice around the table really. He thought we needed Nathan Wood and Ryan Fraser for starters. We correctly pursued Downes, but there was a lot of naivety - or blind faith - in thinking he could do the same role in the PL. Martin has openly admitted that he was shocked by the pace and power of the league, that's a shocking admission that he pretty much went blind during the summer transfer window, wedded to the daft belief that our passing for passing sake would do us good in a higher level - without better players to go with it. There was no pragmatism around his approach, it was his way or no way - and he didn't identify the right players to play his way at a higher level, so our lack of prep this season is heavily on him. Edited April 13 by S-Clarke 8
Saint Garrett Posted April 13 Posted April 13 Just now, S-Clarke said: But he's the key reason we were underprepared, that's what I was getting at and so many others have. He had too much of a say over transfers in the summer, obviously aided by a wider committee - but he was the only football voice around the table really. He thought we needed Nathan Wood and Ryan Fraser for starters. We correctly pursued Downes, but there was a lot of naivety - or blind faith - in thinking he could do the same role in the PL. Martin has openly admitted that he was shocked by the pace and power of the league, that's a shocking admission that he pretty much went blind during the summer transfer window, wedded to the daft belief that our passing for passing sake would do us good in a higher level - without better players to go with it. There was no pragmatism around his approach, it was his way or no way - and he didn't identify the right players to play his way at a higher level, so our lack of prep this season is heavily on him. If you think he was the main person recruiting players last summer then I’m surprised, he’s he’ll have been involved, but people above him were picking the signings. Wood and Edwards were clearly bought for next season and because they were good business deals, (buying players beneath market value). I’m certain Martin had no interest in having Onuachu and Sulemana in the squad this year. Said he didn’t want Diaz or Archer too,
aintforever Posted April 13 Posted April 13 20 minutes ago, S-Clarke said: But he's the key reason we were underprepared, that's what I was getting at and so many others have. He had too much of a say over transfers in the summer, obviously aided by a wider committee - but he was the only football voice around the table really. He thought we needed Nathan Wood and Ryan Fraser for starters. We correctly pursued Downes, but there was a lot of naivety - or blind faith - in thinking he could do the same role in the PL. Martin has openly admitted that he was shocked by the pace and power of the league, that's a shocking admission that he pretty much went blind during the summer transfer window, wedded to the daft belief that our passing for passing sake would do us good in a higher level - without better players to go with it. There was no pragmatism around his approach, it was his way or no way - and he didn't identify the right players to play his way at a higher level, so our lack of prep this season is heavily on him. I think we were doomed to relegation the moment the final whistle went at Wembley last year. We scraped promotion by the skin of our teeth and our best player was Adam Armstrong - a proven failure at Premier League level. Last time we went up we had the bones of a Premier side there with Lambert, Lallana, Schneiderlin, Fonte etc - this time there was nothing. Things have obviously turned out shitter than anyone could imagine but short of doing a Forest and buying a whole new side there was little hope of us staying up. 4
AlexLaw76 Posted April 13 Posted April 13 (edited) 4 minutes ago, aintforever said: I think we were doomed to relegation the moment the final whistle went at Wembley last year. We scraped promotion by the skin of our teeth and our best player was Adam Armstrong - a proven failure at Premier League level. Last time we went up we had the bones of a Premier side there with Lambert, Lallana, Schneiderlin, Fonte etc - this time there was nothing. Things have obviously turned out shitter than anyone could imagine but short of doing a Forest and buying a whole new side there was little hope of us staying up. buying a new side you say... Ramsdale Sugawara, Edwards, Wood, Taylor Uguchukwu, Fernandes, Gronbank Cornet, Archer, B.Diaz Not counting the loans we secured / Fraser Edited April 13 by AlexLaw76
Saint_clark Posted April 14 Posted April 14 13 hours ago, Lighthouse said: It’s interesting because yesterday I posted the team that basically, "got promoted in spite of Russell Martin," minus KWP and with BBD up top instead of Adams. The majority of people said I was taking the p*ss saying it was decent and that it’d be lucky to finish top half. I knew KWP was a good RB but I didn’t realise he was THE difference between a bottom half Championship team and one which couldn’t fail to be promoted. Well it was minus Adams, KWP, Brooks, Stuart Armstrong, Fraser and Rothwell all of whom were starting regularly, so yeah the team you posted was much worse.
ApprenticeBillionaire Posted April 14 Posted April 14 8 hours ago, Saint Garrett said: No, but more of an understanding that we were very much underprepared, and when you have no strikers and can’t score from anywhere else on the pitch, then I’m not sticking much blame on any manager. I have larger frustrations with the general state of football in this country, and our recruitment for this season, I saw a young manager trying to play his way and gave the fan base something to get behind last season, I have a lot of sympathy for him, I think we’d be in a better state if he was still the manager of this club, and I’m sure he’ll learn from his mistakes In time. He’s not blameless by any stretch, but I am definitely surprised with the amount of shit he’s got from a minority of our fanbase this season. Christ on a bike.
Lord Duckhunter Posted April 14 Posted April 14 14 hours ago, Saint Garrett said: Said he didn’t want Diaz or Archer too, Russell Martin has repeatedly expressed his excitement and confidence in Cameron Archer's potential, stating that Archer is a "real threat" and a "brilliant signing" for Southampton. He has been impressed by Archer's ability to score in training and his quick thinking on the field. Martin believes Archer's first Premier League goal will be a significant milestone, marking a turning point in his Southampton 2
Lighthouse Posted April 14 Posted April 14 7 hours ago, Saint_clark said: Well it was minus Adams, KWP, Brooks, Stuart Armstrong, Fraser and Rothwell all of whom were starting regularly, so yeah the team you posted was much worse. I doubt anyone was looking at the team I posted and thinking it really needs Rothwell, Fraser or Adams to make it better. Stu and KWP were decent, Brooks was here half a season and was in and out of the team. The point is that the team I posted would be reasonably competitive. We’d need half a dozen decent signings to be in the hunt for automatic promotion but we’re a lot closer to that than we are to plummeting down to League 1. 4
vectraman Posted April 14 Posted April 14 (edited) I hope our ex manager Russ gets a new gig soon. So deserves another chance at management. Inspirational and so misunderstood. ***** No, I’ve not gone batshit crazy - he needs a new start somewhere - so we can get him off of our payroll and he can buy all of his chums off of us to help us out!! *** Bye Captain Jack, Flynn, Nathan, Ryan, and as a bonus make us an offer for Will as well 🤞🤞🤞🤞 Edited April 14 by vectraman 4
Oldandtired Posted April 14 Posted April 14 1 minute ago, vectraman said: I hope our ex manager Russ gets a new gig soon. So deserves another chance at management. Inspirational and so misunderstood. ***** No, I’ve not gone batshit crazy - he needs a new start somewhere - so we can get him off of our payroll and he can buy all of his chums off of us to help us out!! *** Bye Flynn, Nathan, Ryan, and as a bonus make us an offer for Will as well 🤞🤞🤞🤞 And Jack...
Whitey Grandad Posted April 14 Posted April 14 1 hour ago, vectraman said: I hope our ex manager Russ gets a new gig soon. So deserves another chance at management. Inspirational and so misunderstood. ***** No, I’ve not gone batshit crazy - he needs a new start somewhere - so we can get him off of our payroll and he can buy all of his chums off of us to help us out!! *** Bye Captain Jack, Flynn, Nathan, Ryan, and as a bonus make us an offer for Will as well 🤞🤞🤞🤞 To be honest I’d be inclined to throw Will in for free. 1
Holmes_and_Watson Posted April 14 Posted April 14 34 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said: To be honest I’d be inclined to throw Will in for free. Buy one, get six free in the Sizzlin' Saints Summer Sale! 2
Lee On Solent Saint Posted April 14 Posted April 14 19 hours ago, Saint Garrett said: No, but more of an understanding that we were very much underprepared, and when you have no strikers and can’t score from anywhere else on the pitch, then I’m not sticking much blame on any manager. I have larger frustrations with the general state of football in this country, and our recruitment for this season, I saw a young manager trying to play his way and gave the fan base something to get behind last season, I have a lot of sympathy for him, I think we’d be in a better state if he was still the manager of this club, and I’m sure he’ll learn from his mistakes In time. He’s not blameless by any stretch, but I am definitely surprised with the amount of shit he’s got from a minority of our fanbase this season. Not sure its a minority, and I doubt very much he will adapt any of his "principles" from his time with us. You only have to listen to his interview and gig from Sky to realise he is totally arrogant. I don't have an ounce of sympathy for him, and to suggest we would be in a better state as a club if he was here is frankly laughable. I get that Juric was just as bad, but at least he wasn't saying how much he loves the players and wanted to be their best mates. 5
Zorba Posted April 14 Posted April 14 49 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said: Buy one, get six free in the Sizzlin' Saints Summer Sale! Clique & Collect 2 4
skintsaint Posted Tuesday at 10:58 Posted Tuesday at 10:58 Norwich job is now available, wonder if he will end up there. 1
beatlesaint Posted Tuesday at 11:08 Posted Tuesday at 11:08 9 minutes ago, skintsaint said: Norwich job is now available, wonder if he will end up there. Wouldnt be a total surprise to be honest. 1
gio1saints Posted Tuesday at 11:18 Posted Tuesday at 11:18 On 13/04/2025 at 22:28, S-Clarke said: But he's the key reason we were underprepared, that's what I was getting at and so many others have. He had too much of a say over transfers in the summer, obviously aided by a wider committee - but he was the only football voice around the table really. My understanding is that Russell really wanted : Liam Delap - Liam was happy but our ceo fucked it up, he wanted o’reilly but our ceo fucked it up, he even wanted Jordan Henderson and was refused. He got what he was allowed to get and they were not his first choice(s). Even the Flynn deal was nearly fucked up. To say the the bad recruitment was on Russell Martin is inaccurate. Guilty in other ways but in that : innocent. 1 1
Holmes_and_Watson Posted Tuesday at 11:36 Posted Tuesday at 11:36 15 minutes ago, gio1saints said: My understanding is that Russell really wanted : Liam Delap - Liam was happy but our ceo fucked it up, he wanted o’reilly but our ceo fucked it up, he even wanted Jordan Henderson and was refused. He got what he was allowed to get and they were not his first choice(s). Even the Flynn deal was nearly fucked up. To say the the bad recruitment was on Russell Martin is inaccurate. Guilty in other ways but in that : innocent. There is always that admission that he was surprised at what was needed at PL level, and seemed unprepared. However, SR's recruitment policies have left every one of our managers, here during a window, without key positions filled. That's always setting them up for a struggle. 1
AlexLaw76 Posted Tuesday at 11:49 Posted Tuesday at 11:49 50 minutes ago, skintsaint said: Norwich job is now available, wonder if he will end up there. Not a chance does Martins’s ego allow him to stoop as low as Norwich 1
CB Fry Posted Tuesday at 11:50 Posted Tuesday at 11:50 50 minutes ago, skintsaint said: Norwich job is now available, wonder if he will end up there. Feels like a no brainer for all involved. He's not going to get a better job and to be honest they probably won't get a better manager. 4
Badger Posted Tuesday at 12:12 Posted Tuesday at 12:12 21 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said: Not a chance does Martins’s ego allow him to stoop as low as Norwich Where might he seriously expect to end up ? Leicester might be a better option if offered to him, or a back room or lower ranking team in the Man City group.
Badger Posted Tuesday at 12:20 Posted Tuesday at 12:20 58 minutes ago, gio1saints said: My understanding is that Russell really wanted : Liam Delap - Liam was happy but our ceo fucked it up, he wanted o’reilly but our ceo fucked it up, he even wanted Jordan Henderson and was refused. He got what he was allowed to get and they were not his first choice(s). Even the Flynn deal was nearly fucked up. To say the the bad recruitment was on Russell Martin is inaccurate. Guilty in other ways but in that : innocent. No idea if any of this is the case, but by saying our CEO fucked it up, do you mean by not paying the amounts asked, specifically O’Reilly ? No idea on Delap but wasn’t that reported as due to wages ? Clearly Delap wasn’t happy with our offer. 1
Badger Posted Tuesday at 12:23 Posted Tuesday at 12:23 44 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said: However, SR's recruitment policies have left every one of our managers, here during a window, without key positions filled. That's always setting them up for a struggle. Critical issue with us in our decline over last few years. It certainly buggered Ralph’s time with us 2022, and have some sympathy for Martin with this background ( although still blame him on tactics, and selections). 1
Sarnia Cherie Posted Tuesday at 12:24 Posted Tuesday at 12:24 33 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said: Not a chance does Martins’s ego allow him to stoop as low as Norwich Carlo Ancelotti is rumoured to be leaving Real Madrid. Russball would be right up their street. 😂 2
Oldandtired Posted Tuesday at 12:33 Posted Tuesday at 12:33 (edited) 43 minutes ago, CB Fry said: Feels like a no brainer for all involved. He's not going to get a better job and to be honest they probably won't get a better manager. What have Norwich ever done to you to wish that on them... Edited Tuesday at 12:33 by Oldandtired 2
Lord Duckhunter Posted Tuesday at 12:39 Posted Tuesday at 12:39 1 hour ago, gio1saints said: My understanding is that Russell really wanted : Liam Delap - Liam was happy but our ceo fucked it up, he wanted o’reilly but our ceo fucked it up, he even wanted Jordan Henderson and was refused. He got what he was allowed to get and they were not his first choice(s) I smell pony. You’ll be claiming Frazier, his mate, wasn’t his signing. Neither was Wood or Manning. He must be the only manager who was shafted in the window who then said “We’ve done good business this window," What a guy, most other managers drop subtle hints they’ve been let down, not Lego. Unique talent…. 2
Willo of Whiteley Posted Tuesday at 12:48 Posted Tuesday at 12:48 (edited) 1 hour ago, gio1saints said: My understanding is that Russell really wanted : Liam Delap - Liam was happy but our ceo fucked it up, he wanted o’reilly but our ceo fucked it up, he even wanted Jordan Henderson and was refused. He got what he was allowed to get and they were not his first choice(s). Even the Flynn deal was nearly fucked up. To say the the bad recruitment was on Russell Martin is inaccurate. Guilty in other ways but in that : innocent. I’ve heard similar through someone that works with the club. This is why I haven’t felt as annoyed by Russell Martin as some. As I’ve said before, sure he made mistakes and should’ve tinkered tactically a little bit, but he had little to no support in regards to transfers and negotiations. He’s also in the position where he wouldn’t necessarily be able to talk about things like this, there a lots of contracts and agreements that are out in place to stop leaks happening about internal business. He was hardly going to go on “The Rest Is Football” podcast and say this and that was happening. Edited Tuesday at 12:49 by Willo of Whiteley 1
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