My goodness that was bad! Only lesson learned was those players we don’t think are good enough still aren’t good enough (esp Macca who was truly dreadful). SAA and TD must be kept in the squad
The rest? Not worth £5
The rest? Not worth £5
The pre-season thread - 2024/25
- Thread starter - Doing The Lambert Walk
- Start date
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Not sure about that. I mean, it's likely, and it's definitely going to be the case if we continue thinking our goalkeeping options are going to keep us anywhere near in the league, but there's a way to go in the window. Though I've heard myself say that a few times in the past...
I think even the most optimistic Saints fan would agree that we are very likely to go down if the current squad is what we have for the PL season, luckily there’s still a month left of the window to address that
Most disappointing thing to come from that game, wasn't the result, nor that McCarthy hasn’t suddenly become a PL quality GK,…it was Mara and Sulemana going off injured. Who (apart from us) is going to buy a crocked player!?!??
Can't get my head round it at all.
Russell Martin post-Oxford:
"That annoyed me a little bit. We lacked feeling, energy, aggression, intensity, purpose, personality, character and joy in the first half.
“We lacked all of that. We didn't lack good positions. We didn't lack structure. We didn't lack good detail. We just lacked energy and feeling.
"The only player that played with a little bit of joy, and gave a little bit of joy, was probably Sam Amo. I thought Ryan Manning did great in bits in a different role.
"We played a ball over the top three or four times and we were in. Someone takes a really positive touch - then we take three touches and wait for the opposition to come back in. It's madness.
"That's done. That bit of the process is done. I give the guys the benefit of the doubt because it's pre-season. We're three weeks in. They're knackered. They're planning with fatigue. The atmosphere is pre-season atmosphere. But like I said to you, we've got no time to rest and wait and find out. We need to bring our best version of ourselves every time.
"When the guys play in the way that we want to, with real intensity, they experience a lot of joy, I think. They give me a lot of joy. Hopefully, they give a lot of people a lot of joy. Tonight, no joy in the first 45 minutes. They did better in the first bit of the second half.
”And then the guys that came on were much better. More aggressive, actual chances. We should score a couple. Runs, energy, feeling, character, personality. So, yeah. We need to improve."
"That annoyed me a little bit. We lacked feeling, energy, aggression, intensity, purpose, personality, character and joy in the first half.
“We lacked all of that. We didn't lack good positions. We didn't lack structure. We didn't lack good detail. We just lacked energy and feeling.
"The only player that played with a little bit of joy, and gave a little bit of joy, was probably Sam Amo. I thought Ryan Manning did great in bits in a different role.
"We played a ball over the top three or four times and we were in. Someone takes a really positive touch - then we take three touches and wait for the opposition to come back in. It's madness.
"That's done. That bit of the process is done. I give the guys the benefit of the doubt because it's pre-season. We're three weeks in. They're knackered. They're planning with fatigue. The atmosphere is pre-season atmosphere. But like I said to you, we've got no time to rest and wait and find out. We need to bring our best version of ourselves every time.
"When the guys play in the way that we want to, with real intensity, they experience a lot of joy, I think. They give me a lot of joy. Hopefully, they give a lot of people a lot of joy. Tonight, no joy in the first 45 minutes. They did better in the first bit of the second half.
”And then the guys that came on were much better. More aggressive, actual chances. We should score a couple. Runs, energy, feeling, character, personality. So, yeah. We need to improve."
Yep that just about sums it up
What I don’t understand is how Macca is so bad with his feet, he’s a footballer, he spends a lot of time kicking the ball surely, why can’t he pass to a team mate? It can’t be that difficult can it?
l am hoping his decision making will improve once the games actually matter.
Chelsea fans have just realised how good Lavia is, after one game of seeing him pre-season. (He did look bonkers good in fairness, going by clips).
RM did seem pretty dejected in the interview after. Maybe because he knows that we're not getting O’Reilly and have very little money to spend??
This current squad will be favourites to get relegated and we desperately need a couple of quality attacking players to boost the team, and Martin.
Desperately need players like ABK, Tall Paul and even KWP to move on in the next week or so. I would even think about getting rid of Sulemana, Mara etc. Need to generate some cash quickly.
This current squad will be favourites to get relegated and we desperately need a couple of quality attacking players to boost the team, and Martin.
Desperately need players like ABK, Tall Paul and even KWP to move on in the next week or so. I would even think about getting rid of Sulemana, Mara etc. Need to generate some cash quickly.
Or maybe he doesn't like losing.
He has said several times that the result doesn’t concern him in pre season.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not wetting the bed about a pre season result, but the jump up to the premier league is 10 times bigger than when we last got promoted. The staring 11 last night showed a real lack in quality depth.
Oh, and I agree 100% about Leicester.
Ipswich will struggle horribly too. They feel like this year’s Luton. Sadly we feel like this year’s Sheffield United…
Maybe with the squad as it is right now. Thankfully we have just over 2 weeks before our first game and 3 before our first home game (which is the real target for getting signings in IMO). Newcastle away is a free hit so I'm totally relaxed about that game. Forest at home however, already feels like a must win!
As it stands the three promoted teams will go down with a whimper again. Won’t be long before they start considering binning relegation/promotion
The only way that will change is if the 3 promoted teams get a year free from any FFP regulations. The rest of the premier league will never agree to that. Closed shop
Maybe in future seasons, fans of other clubs will use the 24-25 Saints side as a yardstick of (lack of) success. We may even get a dictionary entry, as in "We did a Southampton". Still, on the bright side...er...