This is what I meant when saying that Ralph wouldn't keep us up. The other teams we are similar squad wise to imo usually set up with a "don't lose" as their first priority. We don't do that and if we aren't going to give Ralph the players to play his style through lack of investment then I can only see one outcome. I personally am not fussed if we go down, but some of the numbers I've seen don't make for pretty reading. We will be in admin in about 5 mins unless something changes pretty quickly at the top.
If nothing changes it is. We have a massive wage bill which relies on the PL TV deal, I assume we have written in relegation wage drops into the contracts (blatantly haven't the way we have been run recently) but even so we will be pretty ****ed in the champ without some investment from somewhere or offloading a **** load of players. I think @Schad broke down the numbers better than I can, but it looks pretty bleak
Dear Man City, You know what. You can win this one. It's a cup game. We won't mind. What you can do is put out some average players and keep the score down to 2-0 - preferably with a lucky goal that wouldn't have gone in on another day and a moment of brilliance where we can all say "well, no-one could have defended against that" Let Saints rebuild. Don't cane us - save the punishment for our relegation rivals in the league. Oh, and tell the ref that if a team is eight-nil down at home and you've already sent off one of their players, then don't award a penalty even if the team puts on boxing gloves with horseshoes in them and clatters the daylights out of the other team. Any ref who does that has clearly got a sponsorship deal with the British salt board and surgeon's league. PS. If you've got a few fringe defenders you could lend us on the cheap, we'd gratefully appreciate it.
That's some sense of humour you've got there jonny. I'm saving myself the indignity of leaving before half time by not going at all to this one.
This is a more positive line up than it first looks because although we obviously won't create any chances for Ings, their goalkeeper might **** up a back pass and Ingsy is deadly with those.
i was trying to travel from Euston to my home on Friday evening and was having such a bad time with very very severe delays but I thoughtt oh well i can listen to my beloved saints game on the radio and have a beer while i wait for the major train issues to be resolved. Little did I know what was to come. i am appauled to be frank. I just dont know what to think. I suppose the only positive is that it is so bad that surely something signifucamt has to happen now. we look like relegation fodder to me - dead cert
After leaving early, I was probably home from the game before you got home from work. Joking aside, I'm appaulled too. I said on another thread that I was in a state of disbelief and still am to be honest. Saying sorry and donating wages doesn't go anywhere near addressing the damage IMO. Some posters were earlier saying about the relegation places being hard to predict because this season there were no obvious candidates. I think we may have found one.
The Southampton players who lost 9-0 at home to Leicester City on Friday are "incredible professionals", says Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. ------------------ That sarcasm is sure to fire our boys up!
Watched MOTD this afternoon and had to chuckle, watching the City highlights, when the commentator said that Fernandinho being sent off would add the their defensive problems, in the next game against Southampton. They could put 4 cardboard cut outs in their back four and still keep a clean sheet, if we can’t control the ball for long enough to get anywhere near their goal.
I'm pretty shell shocked too and disgusted by the performance but don't really get this 'give us our money back' cry from some fans. Especially those who didn't stay to the end (which I'm not criticising - it's their prerogative). At the end of the day, we go to football hoping for the best and preparing for the worst. I don't recall anyone offering to pay double when we beat Sunderland 8-0. We should be prepared as Saints fans to take the rough with the smooth surely. There are other realities to consider too. Walking round the pitch and applauding the fans, apologising, giving up their wages - all good gestures that will be well received by some and condemned by others. They really can't win after a performance like that and it is just that there is no hiding place. But let's not write this team off just yet. The 7-0 defeat at Elland Road way back when upset me more and the team that day was a pretty decent First Division outfit. Martin, Fry, McCarthy, Steele, Gabriel, Stokes, Paine Channon, Davies, O' Neil, Jenkins. Even worse was Watford in the League Cup when we took a 4-0 lead to Vicarage Road and lost 7-1 (our goal was an own goal!!). The team that day was admittedly a weakened side but still included Channon, Williams, Watson Nicholl and Holmes. There was a similarly heavy defeat at Goodison one year but I wasn't there for that. What I'm saying is these things do happen in life. They're not necessarily a symptom of a side doomed to relegation. They may reflect poor form, poor morale or maybe - just maybe - a freak result. It is only 5 weeks since we played Bournemouth with the expectation of going 3rd and some saying we might just have turned the corner. Have a little faith and remember that the only thing guaranteed from following Saints is a bumpy stressful ride.