We started with 3 wins and a draw, then had run of 3 losses. Would opinions differ if results were shuffled with losses interrupted by the better results?
Possibly, but I think the bigger issue is that our aim in this league is to go straight back up. So whereas in the PL 3 straight defeats is a bit annoying but no biggie, 3 straight defeats in the Championship is very damaging towards our objective of an immediate return and we need to turn this form around right away.
This is exactly my position. It is too early for a knee-jerk reaction and I feel that Martin is having to deal with a lot of the fall out from the last two seasons. It will not be a quick fix to turn Southampton around and we will be in a better position to judge him after the Rotherham match which there should be no excuse for losing. We will get a clearer indication of how good is his then. Picking up on Lincoln's salient comment, if Martin does not work out, I feel that the individual who has been making these appointments needs to be the one whose head goes on the block. Part of me thinks that we should have stuck with Hassenhutl but maybe he was given a chance at the begininng of last season when we should have said "goodbye" in the summer. He was massively better than the three managers who have followed on from him. I would suggest that Martin will not get us promoted in the short or long term on the evidence of the season so far but I think even Pep with struggle with our current squad and the mentality within the club. There are no leaders on the pitch and we are crying out for a Romeu or Jimmy Case. I am also thinking that the fan reaction will now put off potential future candidates. I concur that SR cannot be trusted with future appointments but we are fast becoming a "basket case" club where the only decent football club played in the last 6-7 years was during the Covid crisis when it was not possible to watch the games. Saints fans are rightly annoyed with having a team that constantly malfunctions. Martin is the last chance for SR. If we are mid-table or in a relegation battle come December, I would have hoped that someone else can come in and rescue the club. The direction of travel under SR is only going one way. I do not feel seing Portsmouth replacing Saints in the Championship as being quite as unlikely as it might have seemed in August.
I think getting rid of the manager is bit premature ask yourself if you could do better with the loss of premium players he has had to put up with. Yes it does not look good for us at the moment let’s give him a decent chance.
I think it’s too early to get rid of RM . My main concern is WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND would want to come here ?
Bigger issue is that if RM ultimately fails, thats three failed appointments from SR. Highly unlikely that they get it right next time too. Oh and that will bump us up to paying three managers off simultaneously. (The upside to what they did with Selles being that it was at least a clean break).
I can see an obvious problem straight away that many of you seemed to have missed. It also explains a lot about the team selections if Russell was with them. As for dumping the manager, yeah go for it. The only thing that's keeping me going being a Saints fan is changing the manager every 3 or 4 months. The team have been ****e for at least 4 seasons now, so if you can't have a new manager to get excited about, and then disappointed by, what's the point? Russell seems like a nice bloke, but so was Ralph. I was a bit sad when the old rabbit hutch got broken up for firewood but now after two more wasters have come and gone I've got a taste for manager sackings. You've got to look for the silver lining in these grey clouds and it's an entertainment business after all, so **** it, he can go now and the next one in the New Year so we can have something to look forward to in 2024. To be honest though, I don't fear further relegations. Now we've been dumped by the Premier League what difference does it make which league we are in? As Confucius once said; Once you've stayed in the Ritz every other hotel is a Travelodge.
Not really arsed about what league we’re in either. I just want to see some competence and some enjoyable football. Unfortunately both of those have been in short supply at Southampton for a long time. I just can’t believe we have put ourselves in this position. We now have to “trust the process” of a manager who’s footballing philosophy has yielded a grand total of zero success. Not only is it unsuccessful but it’s also dull as dishwater. Laughable. Could only be saints.
I'm still with him right now as building a team takes time but he has to start playing our best players in their correct positions. 99% of us know roughly what our best XI is and I have no problem with the possession style as long as we don't overdo it and concede silly goals. There is a lack of confidence right now because of those goals and I think we would be better if we scored the first goal in the match. Shea must start at DM, Smallbone is more effective further forward, I don't believe that AA leads by example and a different Captain would do better in the absence of Jack. Manning's under-performances are confusing as we know he we good enough last season under the same manager, maybe he has not settled in the area yet. Charly is another that should be starting as AM and we need a talismanic scorer in the team so the inclusion of Stewart can't come soon enough.
The way I see it the below can make things happen/are class and should probably be starting: Charly Adams (lol Adams not Adam) Fraser Charles Stuey KWP The below probably should start Edozie Smallbone Downes Sulemana I have probably missed someone as I am still at work and typing in between deployments
Spoke to a couple of Ipswich fans walking away from the ground. Both thought our squad is far too good to not finish in the top six. I suspect many fans think the same - not just us. And that just increases the pressure on Martin yet further. It's not like he can blame a lack of tools. That said, there is one area where I'm now really worried we're lacking. Right wing. Failing to replace Tella could prove to be a huge mistake, for our season and for Martin. And the fact that he openly said that we would replace Tella hasn't helped his cause.
I read the Sunderland board on here before our game with them and they said that our bench for that game would all get into their first team. We look good on paper but there is no belief or conviction in how we are playing. I also get the impression that a few of the team don’t want to be here and didn’t think they would so aren’t really that bothered. They are humans after all so they arent necessarily just going to get over it immediately and be fully invested over night
This is why I’m leaning toward the need for a manager that’s a bit of a tough bastard too. He needs to be saying “if you don’t want to be here, you’ll be with the kids. Good luck getting a move sorted”. There’s a few there needing a reality check over a cuddle.
Yeah I’d imagine they’d take that option as well. Adams and KWP, although the latter was better yesterday. Alcaraz and Sulemana maybe not so much due to being less established so might knuckle down a bit more
I thought Adams last couple of games is way, way off. That may be cos we been, like ****e, but think it is more with him. Really doesn’t seem arsed.
Nah, Adams was up for it last night, just wasn’t quite coming off for him. He was frustrated as hell with others around him. Made a few good runs that were ignored for a safe pass.
Fair enough, didn’t see it that way. Then again, there were only really KwP and Bazunu who played ok. I did notice a few runs he made and not picked out, still don’t think he is at the level he is capable of maybe that is the manager influence
Ipswich, Leicester, Norwich and Sunderland all currently in the top 5. The four teams who we've failed to beat. Is that because they've been fortunate to play us? Or does it imply that we've had a tough early set of fixtures?
If Turkey can sack their manager, there's no reason why we can't sack ours. Kuntz sacked as Turkey boss after two years
