Radio Solent Saints forum tomorrow….

[Saint Matty 76]

27 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

 

These statements are mutually exclusive. If I was there I’d have asked Martin what he thought of Baz’s performances last season. 

To be fair, both RM and Wilcox acknowledged it was a poor season for him last year, but they focused on the positives of what he'll learn from it etc. Whether that'll be true or not remains to be seen. 

However, despite my disliking of Bazunu as a player, I very much enjoyed how RM reacted in his defence.

[macca155]

Just now, SambaMaverick said:

Why do we have to do that?

You don't have to do anything. You can stand and criticise, or even shout abuse if that floats your boat.

But if you destroy our only capable goalkeeper with intemperate and knee jerk comments, you are going to have a direct impact on the team.

I'm not talking about docile unquestioning support, just a little consideration for where we are with some of the younger players.

[The Juice]

Did anybody ask about the robbery at the weekend?

Apparently somebody broke into the women's dressing room and stole an XXL women's goalkeeper shirt... 

 

[bpsaint]

2 hours ago, Convict Colony said:

Rus big big fan of baz in gk, would say he would like to sign him if he wasnt already here - will be best goalie in division.

Wilcox agree's

We can kiss goodbye to promotion then IMO. Was hoping for a GK to come in and galvanise our defence the way Boruc did.

[hypochondriac]

Just watched this and haven't read reactions in here. My reaction is wow that was incredibly impressive. Also very impressed with the young fans and the questions which wrre intelligent and not fucking annoying for a change so well done to everyone for that. 

Russell Martin is extremely likable and intelligent. I think we could have something good here and I really want things to work out for them. 

Edited 15 August, 2023 by hypochondriac

[FarehamSaintJames]

5 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

We can kiss goodbye to promotion then IMO. Was hoping for a GK to come in and galvanise our defence the way Boruc did.

He hasn’t be at fault for any of the goals so far this season.

The liability has been the defending in front of him.

[hypochondriac]

1 hour ago, Convict Colony said:

As Wilcox has won the premier league, got relegated, played for England, been City's Academy director for 10 yrs and watched and analysed all our game since Jan there is no one better qualified to re-build our squad and football club.

Also liked his comment that we won games through luck than system during those games he watched.

That was the best bit of the forum and he is completely correct. We had no defined identity last year because we talked all about it at the start of the season and then inexplicably tossed everything out the window in a panic when the mad Welshman came waltzing in. 

[bpsaint]

10 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

He hasn’t be at fault for any of the goals so far this season.

The liability has been the defending in front of him.

I’m not disputing that, my issue is his inability to organise a defence in front of him, and the lack of confidence our defence have in him. I reckon he’ll cost us more points than earn us points this season.

[hypochondriac]

59 minutes ago, macca155 said:

Just goes to show how good a manager he is. Bazunu needed to be backed, he's young and needs to know he has the confidence of the manager.

As fans we really need to play our part in that.

That will stick in the throat of some on here, but he's all we have at the moment. So bluntly we have to suck it up.

If he's destroyed by negative vibes raining down on him, we simply make things worse.

I don't mean some artificial love in. If he messes up he can expect some stick, but perhaps a little perspective.

However proper competition for the Premier GK position would help as well.

Not sure I agree with this. The only reason he's all that we have is because the club haven't addressed it. Despite what they've said, I still hold out hope that we will get rid of McCarthy and bring in a decent number two to step in of things go really wrong with Bazunu. At least then I can be reassured that we won't be in the position of last year of having a goalkeeper being out of form but with no viable alternative who could be better. 

[Lighthouse]

1 minute ago, bpsaint said:

I’m not disputing that, my issue is his inability to organise a defence in front of him, and the lack of confidence our defence have in him. I reckon he’ll cost us more points than earn us points this season.

Why does that responsibility fall on Baz and not Stephens or Bednarek, two experienced pros who actually play in said defence? I’d get it if misplaced back passes and bad coordination were putting us under pressure from needless free kicks and corners but blaming Baz for experienced CBs leaving strikers completely unmarked is one heck of a stretch.

 

A decade ago the likes of Fonte, Lovren, Toby and Virgil were making Forster look top class when he quite obviously isn’t. Good defenders should be capable of organising themselves, with reference to the keeper, not being continually spoon fed the basics on who to mark.

[S-Clarke]

Not the most amazing forum, some of the questions were a bit pointless to say the least.

But compared to last season's, it was night and day. If you remember - last seasons forum was very, very defensive (Toby Steele regarding the stewarding, Martin Semmens about anything). That forum was when I thought we had a few problems, it didn't feel right.

With the new guys they are all aligned and they are all pushing for the same thing, the same philosophy. Something struck me from what Wilcox said...he'd been watching our matches since January, and his opinion were that our wins were out of luck - not style, not philosophy and he couldn't work out what we were ever trying to do. Music to my ears to have someone speak what we've all been seeing for what feels like a few years.

This club was quite clearly caught between two philosophy's and confused it's self, having everyone aligned will enable us to zone in one a single philosophy and build and recruit correctly for that. It won't happen overnight, it will need patience before it's all roses, but I don't think it'll take long with someone like Wilcox in charge - he's a proper leader, you can tell. Absolutely the right person for this root and branch reset.

[hypochondriac]

The thing I like most about Martin is how he seems to watch the same game as all the fans. With the last few managers (even Ralph) I found myself shaking my head when they praised someone like Mo or made an inexplicable substitution that seemed to make no sense at all. When Martin talks about the game on Saturday he has praised Charles and Smallbone and made other comments that I feel aligns almost perfectly with what all the fans are saying. It's reassuring when a manager sees things the same way that the fans do because it shows that he is on the same wavelength even if he has some added context behind the scenes that fans don't see. 

[Miltonaggro]

3 hours ago, Stripey McStripe Shirt said:

Just logged on. Some old bloke in the pink goalkeeper shirt asking if we can be more friendly to the away fans travelling from Durham to watch the womens team. Thinks it would be lovely if we could say "Thank you for travelling so far" over the tannoy before the match. 

Great use of a few minutes of the microphone. Shame he didn't seize the opportunity to ask who has better hair out of Martin and Armstrong though.

The Pink Panther is not interested in the men’s team. 

[SW11_Saint]

32 minutes ago, bpsaint said:

I’m not disputing that, my issue is his inability to organise a defence in front of him, and the lack of confidence our defence have in him. I reckon he’ll cost us more points than earn us points this season.

How do you know the defence lack confidence in him? And why is it his responsibility to organise a defence that is way more experienced than he is? Feels like he’s carrying the can for a less than capable defence… 

[S-Clarke]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

The thing I like most about Martin is how he seems to watch the same game as all the fans. With the last few managers (even Ralph) I found myself shaking my head when they praised someone like Mo or made an inexplicable substitution that seemed to make no sense at all. When Martin talks about the game on Saturday he has praised Charles and Smallbone and made other comments that I feel aligns almost perfectly with what all the fans are saying. It's reassuring when a manager sees things the same way that the fans do because it shows that he is on the same wavelength even if he has some added context behind the scenes that fans don't see. 

Exactly, the same can be said of Wilcox as well - they seem to speak for us, they see what we see. That is refreshing.

I don't think Ralph was ''too'' bad (it got worse towards the end), but Selles and Jones were utter nutjobs when it came to not seeing the actual game that was going in front of them.

It feels like the two people heading up the football side are firstly aligned, but secondly see exactly what we all see. I hope my optimism of these guys is well placed come the end of the season, but something feels right to me.

[Miltonaggro]

3 hours ago, Stripey McStripe Shirt said:

Just logged on. Some old bloke in the pink goalkeeper shirt asking if we can be more friendly to the away fans travelling from Durham to watch the womens team. Thinks it would be lovely if we could say "Thank you for travelling so far" over the tannoy before the match. 

Great use of a few minutes of the microphone. Shame he didn't seize the opportunity to ask who has better hair out of Martin and Armstrong though.

The Pink Panther is not interested in the men’s team. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

1 hour ago, macca155 said:

 

But if you destroy our only capable goalkeeper with intemperate and knee jerk comments, 

Capable of what? Because it’s not saving fucking  shots. 
 

Nobody would say “don’t have a go at Tall Paul because he’s our only big option up front. He’s shite, Baz is Shite, why does he get a free pass just because he’s in nets? 

[SW11_Saint]

1 minute ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Capable of what? Because it’s not saving fucking  shots. 
 

Nobody would say “don’t have a go at Tall Paul because he’s our only big option up front. He’s shite, Baz is Shite, why does he get a free pass just because he’s in nets? 

He isn’t shite though. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

8 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

The thing I like most about Martin is how he seems to watch the same game as all the fans. With the last few managers (even Ralph) I found myself shaking my head when they praised someone like Mo 

I imagine a lot of supporters were shaking their heads when he praised Baz.

[hypochondriac]

4 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

I imagine a lot of supporters were shaking their heads when he praised Baz.

Actions speak louder than words. I can absolutely see the logic in the manager publically backing his keeper. I fully expect us to dump McCarthy and get in another keeper who could do a job if Bazunu fecks up. 

[macca155]

1 minute ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Capable of what? Because it’s not saving fucking  shots. 
 

Nobody would say “don’t have a go at Tall Paul because he’s our only big option up front. He’s shite, Baz is Shite, why does he get a free pass just because he’s in nets? 

Oh come on he's not shite, his distribution is excellent and he makes some top quality saves.

I will concede he has his iffy moments, however that narrative is principally from last season

So far he has been done by some desperate defending, that needs sorting.

Anyway my point was that he is all we have at the moment. Until there is competition for his spot, it will be counterproductive to get on his back.

 

[SambaMaverick]

11 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Capable of what? Because it’s not saving fucking  shots. 
 

Nobody would say “don’t have a go at Tall Paul because he’s our only big option up front. He’s shite, Baz is Shite, why does he get a free pass just because he’s in nets? 

Spot on

[HarvSFC]

Would've been nice to have questions like was Wilcox expecting us to be relegated when he agreed to join. If so, why did he join, or how did his plans for the club change with the relegation. Also asking Martin why he decided to come here over other clubs he was linked with and why he waited as long as he did for us. Both would have said "the project" but would have been nice if a bit more originality came forth.

Anyway, both seemed pretty keen on promotion, which goes against the handful who were saying the club weren't targeting it this season.

The best stories come from those who attended and met them away from the cameras, so did anyone attend? If you're the guy in the pink goalkeeper shirt, I don't want to hear from you.

[Pat from Poole]

42 minutes ago, Miltonaggro said:

The Pink Panther is not interested in the men’s team. 

Well, I met him in Israel watching them, so I imagine he is…..

[Pat from Poole]

38 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

I imagine a lot of supporters were shaking their heads when he praised Baz.

Yes.

Martin will learn the hard way, it seems.

[Mr Saints]

That bloke in the pink GK shirt - check his hard drive immediately 

[Saint_clark]

4 hours ago, Convict Colony said:

Rus big big fan of baz in gk, would say he would like to sign him if he wasnt already here - will be best goalie in division.

Wilcox agree's

 

3 hours ago, miserableoldgit said:

I think to be fair he said that he would be the best....not is the best.

So we're planning on being in the division for a few seasons then? He may well improve to be at that point but he is a long, long way off it right now.

[Lighthouse]

27 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

So we're planning on being in the division for a few seasons then? He may well improve to be at that point but he is a long, long way off it right now.

Christ, grow up. It’s one thing to not rate Baz, fine nobody is asking you to worship him, but some people are acting like giant babies. He was top notch in League 1 for Pompey,  the Premier League was a step up too far last season, now he’s having a crack somewhere in the middle.

We were a point off winning the league last time with Kelvin, who was a hopeless PL keeper. Burnley just won the league with Muric, a young keeper whose only previous experience in England was being hopeless at Forest on loan. RM and JW have clearly backed him so you’re going to have to live with it I’m afraid.

[Raging Bull]

47 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

 

So we're planning on being in the division for a few seasons then? He may well improve to be at that point but he is a long, long way off it right now.

Sorry but this is pure cobblers. 
 

Having an organised defence in front of him will change lots about his overall performance. 
 

Also, having Downes will be huge for our entire season 

[Nolan]

6 hours ago, Saint_clark said:

 

So we're planning on being in the division for a few seasons then? He may well improve to be at that point but he is a long, long way off it right now.

No it was said he would be the best keeper in the Division this season, and that the errors came from the line in front of him.

[Smirking_Saint]

Really really like Russell and Wilcox, seem humble, intelligent and honest

Big fan of a backing away from the corporate bullshit we got previously, even Phil was impressive

Obviously they need to back things up but a great start imo

[LuckyNumber7]

Yes, I thought all three of them spoke very well and were very relatable. Makes you feel like we're in good hands.

Only negative for me was their blind faith in Bazunu which is very concerning. We won't be going up with a GK who basically waves the ball past him and barely saves anything, he needs to improve hugely on last season and I just don't see it.

[John Boy Saint]

20 minutes ago, LuckyNumber7 said:

Yes, I thought all three of them spoke very well and were very relatable. Makes you feel like we're in good hands.

Only negative for me was their blind faith in Bazunu which is very concerning. We won't be going up with a GK who basically waves the ball past him and barely saves anything, he needs to improve hugely on last season and I just don't see it.

Must be something in there with Baz if you compare with Aaron Ramsdale who much of the time at Bournemouth and Sheffield United looked as equally dodgy as young Gavin. Ramsdale goes to Arsenal and looks a shadow of his seemingly former wobbly self behind a decent back line. 

[Charlie Wayman]

So the only useful takeaways from this event were that Downes is coming in this week and every one of our players is up for sale at the right price…  and there were we hoping we had stopped becoming a selling club and that a firm line had been drawn under further transfers out.

Not that this comes as a surprise after Wilcox was so scathing about everything and everyone involved in SFC before his own arrival. Clearly he has no interest in retaining any of the players who were here last season other than Bazunu who has emerged as an unlikely Martin favourite. 

The new CEO comes over as second rate, second-hand car dealer;  honestly, all that crap about the importance of sustaining SFC financially pretty much told us what we all knew anyway that with this lot the balance sheet is king, players are assets only and the notion of early promotion back to the PL a pipe dream for fans to puff over..

It's small time thinking by small men with no vision. 

Edited 16 August, 2023 by Charlie Wayman

[coalman]

One thing that really impressed me with Martin was saying we hadn't seen the best of players last season and it was his job to ensure we did this season. Great way to show his faith in people and take responsibility. If you want people to perform then taking the pressure of them by showing trust is a key part of leadership.

[saintant]

23 minutes ago, LuckyNumber7 said:

Yes, I thought all three of them spoke very well and were very relatable. Makes you feel like we're in good hands.

Only negative for me was their blind faith in Bazunu which is very concerning. We won't be going up with a GK who basically waves the ball past him and barely saves anything, he needs to improve hugely on last season and I just don't see it.

RM obviously expected the question on Baz and seemed a little frosty at any criticism and quickly launched into a detailed defence of the keeper. His loyalty to the guy is laudable and he certainly came out in no uncertain terms to praise him and stress that they trust him. Whether that trust and loyalty is misplaced will become clear over the coming weeks and months but he has openly expressed his belief in Baz so will be rightly praised if he turns out to be on the money. If it goes pear shaped he'll be in for some criticism because many fans are far from convinced about the guy's ability. Bazunu must now repay RM's faith in him with some decent performances and I hope he does.

[Pamplemousse]

Bazunu will be fine, he has been scapegoated a bit too much I feel. Wasn't his fault we didn't score enough goals for example.

[Hopper]

36 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

So the only useful takeaways from this event were that Downes is coming in this week and every one of our players is up for sale at the right price…  and there were we hoping we had stopped becoming a selling club and that a firm line had been drawn under further transfers out.

Not that this comes as a surprise after Wilcox was so scathing about everything and everyone involved in SFC before his own arrival. Clearly he has no interest in retaining any of the players who were here last season other than Bazunu who has emerged as an unlikely Martin favourite. 

The new CEO comes over as second rate, second-hand car dealer;  honestly, all that crap about the importance of sustaining SFC financially pretty much told us what we all knew anyway that with this lot the balance sheet is king, players are assets only and the notion of early promotion back to the PL a pipe dream for fans to puff over..

It's small time thinking by small men with no vision. 

I don't think anyone with a read on Rasmus and the philosophy he brings thought we would stop being a selling club. Look at Brighton or Brentford, that's the financial model we're chasing. Being a selling club works to the club's advantage if managed well.

As far as financial stability is concerned from the CEO it's refreshing to hear that transparently from him given the last time we didn't give focus to the club's financial management we ended up in league one.

At the end of the day, as long as Wilcox continues to recruit in line with his proven track record we will continue to buy young talent, develop them with us and sell high. As long as the production line doesn't stop it's sustainable.

The vision is clearer then it's been in years in my opinion, that doesn't mean you have to agree with it mind.

[manji]

15 hours ago, Badger said:

Interesting you mention Darren Mowbray. Would have been very interesting to hear something about how his role is developing, and how far afield he might be looking for players.

Don’t suppose anyone asked, too busy making statements (not asking a fucking question) about stewards, or some other banal crap. 

Wilcox said recently. Mowbray will be living out of a suitcase for the next 12 months watching matches overseas nearly everyday. Sometimes two a day. If their wasn’t a match to go too he would be analyse videos.

[manji]

5 hours ago, Nolan said:

No it was said he would be the best keeper in the Division this season, and that the errors came from the line in front of him.

It’s obvious Bazunu has talent. He will undoubtedly improve as the team set up becomes more settled.

[beatlesaint]

5 minutes ago, manji said:

It’s obvious Bazunu has talent. He will undoubtedly improve as the team set up becomes more settled.

I maintain playing behind our defence last season is enough to destroy any keepers confidence, not least a 20 year old one.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

16 hours ago, Stripey McStripe Shirt said:

Just logged on. Some old bloke in the pink goalkeeper shirt asking if we can be more friendly to the away fans travelling from Durham to watch the womens team. Thinks it would be lovely if we could say "Thank you for travelling so far" over the tannoy before the match. 

Great use of a few minutes of the microphone. Shame he didn't seize the opportunity to ask who has better hair out of Martin and Armstrong though.

I met this bloke when we played Newport away and to put it kindly let’s just say he is the ultimate pub bore. He also has what some might say an intense interest in all aspect of the ladies teams, taking his camera to all the matches from the first team and the youth. 

[AlexLaw76]

42 minutes ago, Fitzhugh Fella said:

I met this bloke when we played Newport away and to put it kindly let’s just say he is the ultimate pub bore. He also has what some might say an intense interest in all aspect of the ladies teams, taking his camera to all the matches from the first team and the youth. 

Sounds like a nice bloke, but not someone you would let babysit

[Charlie Wayman]

1 hour ago, Fitzhugh Fella said:

I met this bloke when we played Newport away and to put it kindly let’s just say he is the ultimate pub bore. He also has what some might say an intense interest in all aspect of the ladies teams, taking his camera to all the matches from the first team and the youth. 

Very unfair and the innuendo is border line libellous.

The gentleman concerned was perceptive enough to realise that the predominantly male panel and male audience was pretty much ignoring Marianne Spacey so he chose a question that would bring her into the conversation. Football and Southampton Football Club still have only a nodding acquaintance with equality.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

8 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Very unfair and the innuendo is border line libellous.

The gentleman concerned was perceptive enough to realise that the predominantly male panel and male audience was pretty much ignoring Marianne Spacey so he chose a question that would bring her into the conversation. Football and Southampton Football Club still have only a nodding acquaintance with equality.

Yes but quite a few (me included) think there should be two forums which would negate “fans” like him trying to set an agenda. The audience were ignoring her because most weren’t/aren’t  interested in the ladies side of the club. 
As for your other comment, you read into it as you want. I am suggesting nothing of the sort just pointing out he had a lot of photos of the women’s teams on his phone. I have a lot of photos of the men’s teams on my computer, so pick the bones out of that. 

[Badger]

14 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Football and Southampton Football Club still have only a nodding acquaintance with equality.

Does that make us a ‘noddy’ club ? 

[Crab Lungs]

2 hours ago, Fitzhugh Fella said:

I met this bloke when we played Newport away and to put it kindly let’s just say he is the ultimate pub bore. He also has what some might say an intense interest in all aspect of the ladies teams, taking his camera to all the matches from the first team and the youth. 

Well well well.

Edited 16 August, 2023 by Crab Lungs

[SaintsLoyal]

When it comes to the pricing of away games, we clearly need to charge the same as what they charged us.

[Ted Bates Statue]

3 hours ago, Fitzhugh Fella said:

I met this bloke when we played Newport away and to put it kindly let’s just say he is the ultimate pub bore. 

Hope you didn't tell him about this place, we've got enough of that type as it is.

[Badger]

35 minutes ago, SaintsLoyal said:

When it comes to the pricing of away games, we clearly need to charge the same as what they charged us.

Are we allowed to ?

I thought prices had to reflect the same charge as for home fans (although that might only apply to EPL)