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Comment | Southampton At Leicester City The Verdict
at 13:07:59
Few observations.
- Archer cannot play centre forward as a link up player. Hopefully Larin gets up to speed quickly if we need to continue to protect Stewart. Perhaps Archer can supplement the wide players as the squad has limited cover there.
- pretty sure it was Shea Charles’ second goal for Saints. He score in the EFL cup earlier this season. That said it won’t get many better than last night’s
- love the attitude. We have a run of very winnable fixtures over the next month. We need the second half performance level to be maintained and if we do then perhaps play offs are a realistic target.
- when the Leicester fans were calling “we want 9” did they mean 9 lost points (6 from the penalty and throwing 3 in the bin last night)? I think last night goes a long way to putting the 9-0 to bed. |
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Comment | Southampton V Watford The Verdict
at 13:25:01
I know Larin received MOTM in the ground but for me Welington was everywhere yesterday, with key tackles and supporting Scienza in attack. Looks like Bertrand in his prime. |
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Comment | Southampton Confirm Adam Armstrong Departure
at 23:35:59
I always wondered if he had the motivation to fire us towards another promotion only to risk getting sidelined again in the PL. His best level was the Championship and the transfer to Wolves is very much with one eye on next season.
His goal at Wembley is the stand out for many Saints fans. All the best Adam. |
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Comment | Southampton Agree To Sell Central Defender On Deadline Day
at 14:13:46
Wow I’d forgotten he was still on the books. £5m in transfer fee for ABK seems like free money at this point.
The fact that we are taking a cut price deal now rather than the higher amount in the summer, along with the other publicised outgoings seems to suggest Saints need to balance the books sooner rather than later. |
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Comment | Can Cyle Larin Delight Southampton Supporters
at 13:26:47
In terms of physical profile, Larin appears to be a straight back up for Ross Stewart. That isn’t a bad move given a) Tonda has settle on having a proper number 9 lead the line , and b) RS needs managing through games so we know cannot consistently play 90 mins.
Given his age/experience this is someone who doesn’t fit the Saints MO of getting in young talent. A loan to the end of the season appears to be best for the club and don’t expect wages will be significant.
I think Arma being sold is partly to do with balancing the books and partly to clear out elements that have had a negative influence on the dressing room. As for Downs and Archer they have both contributed the total sum of zero to this season so I don’t see it as 1 replacing 3 but rather Larin replacing Arma and good business getting shot of the other two. |
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Comment | Southampton At Stoke City The Verdict
at 15:31:45
Good all round team performance and I would say that none of the starting 11 were less than 7 out of 10 and a few merited higher than that.
As you say hard to call out MOTM but for me Wellington was involved in everything both defensively and going forwards on the left. Hopefully that puts to bed the Manning wing back experiment.
Finally i thought the ref had a shocker. This is one of the up and coming refs who took a match in the PL last weekend and maybe he was waiting for VAR to rule on the pens. We should have had at least 2 for fouls on Stephens and Azaz. But there was inconsistency all over with some fouls meriting yellows when others of similar standing were not. Not good.
7 points from 9 and with a run of home games coming hopefully this is the start of a run up the table. |
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Comment | Southampton Linked With No One In Final Days Of Transfer Window
at 12:58:51
This window was always going to be about trimming the squad than making major changes. The January window is usually overpriced for the buying club so unless there is a realistic chance of promotion then keep your funds for the summer. As the article mentions this squad should be good enough to be in the top 6 so any major signings at this stage seems to be throwing good money after bad.
One thing we cannot accuse Sports Republic of is not spending. The fact that the signings in the main haven’t worked is down to those making the decisions on player recruitment rather than a lack of ambition being represented by the amount spent. What I don’t want to happen is SR wasting money on overpriced players who don’t make a material difference to the squad and then we are lumbered with them hampering future transfer options. |
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Comment | Southampton V Sheffield United The Verdict
at 19:54:52
Agree with much of the above. Just to add that as well as the formation and personnel changes a noticeable difference was an improved attitude to get stuck in. It was Ross Stewart who set the tone by hassling the Utd CBs. The others seemed to respond and both Jander and Downes had their best games for a while.
Whether that was due to the changes on the pitch or in response to the “home truths” expressed after the Hull game we won’t know but it was welcome and will be needed for our next match. |
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Comment | Southampton Make First Signing Of The Summer Transfer Window
at 12:59:30
Bazunu is worst keeper in the championship by a number of measures. He consistently is rooted to his line on crosses which causes all manner of issues for our defenders who themselves are not great.
The only reason to bring this guy in is because he is an upgrade on Bazunu and McCarthy. He is not going to swap sitting on a bench in Hamburg for the same in Southampton, so let’s hope Spors’ faith is well placed. |
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Comment | Daily Echo Hint At Player Power Issues In Southampton Squad
at 19:17:36
I think there is some substance in Alfie’s cryptic message and Nick’s musings, even it they and we don’t, and can’t, know the whole truth. No smoke without fire…..
If you look for comparisons then there are plenty of connections with Man Utd. A few long standing senior players who rule the dressing room, a succession of bright managers who cannot get a tune out of the team, a boardroom without clear direction or accountability. And United have been in this place for a decade! |
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Comment | Southampton At Middlesbrough The Verdict
at 10:12:00
It was always my fear that once TE was appointed on a full time basis and the initial manager bounce had worn off that we would revert to the mess that we saw under Will Still. TE might be a “student of the game” but either his tactics are wrong or the players aren’t executing them. My view is that it is the latter and to sort the mess out takes effective man management which I think TE maybe lacking experience with.
I don’t think we will be sucked into a relegation battle but we are a million miles off being a promotion contender. |
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Comment | Another Ex Southampton Hero Linked For Return To St Mary's
at 12:59:37
I agree with Colburn, there seems to be very little upside to this when JWP would use up valuable financial resources that could be used on other needs e.g. Goalkeeper.
This move might have made more sense if the club hadn’t recruited Romeu but now he is in the door I don’t think we have a place for JWP as well. I don’t see his play being any better than Jander, Shea Charles or Downes. Cam Bragg is also emerging as useful cover and has just signed a new contract.
I wish JWP well and hope he finds the right move, just not at Saints. |
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Comment | Southampton At Norwich City The Preview
at 13:27:02
I believe Norwich will be without Josh Sargent for this match through injury which is a bonus for Saints as he is key to their attack.
That said I hear Tom Fellows is 50:50 for us but expect Weeman would come in if he is not fit.
On the Bazunu point I largely agree but we look nervy as a team at corners and free kicks and that is due to Bazunu not dominating his box and claiming high balls. Get that right then the second ball scramble doesnt happen. He has improved his shot stopping though which was an issue previously. |
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Comment | Southampton V West Bromwich Albion The Verdict
at 07:19:41
The first half was as good as we have seen at SMS but we need to carry that on into the second half for the first 15-20mins before we go into game management mode. I think the crowd responds to the style of play hence why it was quiet from the second half whistle. I get the early substitutions of Scienza and Fellows as it’s another 3 game week and we need their high energy on Saturday but doing it straight after West Brom had scored sent the wrong message and just encouraged the Baggies further. I wonder if Tonda and the players should look to pace the game better to spread out the effort through a larger part of the game as it looked like we were struggling for energy in the second half.
A quick call out for Bazunu. Not at fault for either goal but boy did he pull off a string of fine saves to keep West Brom from scoring their second until late on. He could do more to dominate his box at corners but overall he played his part as much as Scienza and Armstrong in that win. |
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Comment | Southampton V West Bromwich Albion The Preview
at 13:56:23
The crowd need to keep pushing the team forward. Saturday’s match against Birmingham seemed a little flat to me, at least for the first 20 mins, almost as if the complacency had crept into the fan base and we just had to turn up and watch a win. The fans need to play their part to make sure the team don’t fall into the same trap. |
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Comment | Southampton On Verge Of Managerial Appointment
at 12:14:35
Landsdown, I recall the same sort of messages about Will Still being a next generation talent when he walked in the door. TE clearly has had a positive impact but l would like a bigger sample size to be convinced. |
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