 | News
Comment | Southampton At Leicester City The Preview
at 17:32:09
Its a tricky one about the TV scheduling. Yes, it is stupid. But I guess it is possible that clubs could try and get Saturday games called off, so that they get some TV coverage pay off in the future???
Unlike the rescheduled 12.30pm Saturday games, that nobody enjoys but its fine for Sky to show them. And why they have to screw about 3 rather than just one games adds insult to injury |
| News
Comment | What Do Southampton Do With A Problem Called Edozie
at 11:28:43
He might be miffed, and I can't really blame him for that. Though I am not sure how you can argue that he holds all the cards? Unless you are saying by not accepting a big pay cut and shipping off to play for Genk or somewhere is short sighted on his part?
SR Saints plc have treated a lot of players poorly, leaving those players to bear the brunt with the fans of being played under so many different managers, and in the wrong positions, with failed tactics and constantly changing lineups. The 23/24 season Edozie did enough to be given more time with the team to develop
The way we binned him off after 2 or 3 games in the EPL must have hurt, when he probably felt he had so much to prove and it must have damaged his confidence and trust.
I find it hard to believe that, if offered an olive branch, he wouldn't jump at the chance to get time on the pitch. It works better for all parties if he can be reintegrated into the squad. And he would fill the gap very well left on the right wing if Eckert's spreadsheet says he needs to rest Fellowes or Scienza.
So I would actually say, its Saints that hold all the cards on this one. Edozie is one man who is no star player at this point, so doesn't have much power. But for some reason, Saints plc would appear to be very poor at treating our players like people over disposable assets. Which means that we all lose out |
| News
Comment | Adam Armstrong A Pictorial Appreciation
at 16:36:25
Great stuff. Wish him all the best. Apart from when he plays us next season. We're going to miss him.
And Stuey Armstrong too! :)
Remembering that disallowed penalty and red card from the foul by Kyle Walker at home to Man City still boils my piss. And reminds me why VAR can always do one. |
| News
Comment | Southampton Put In Bid For Defender But Is He What They Need
at 11:33:59
Interesting times. Selling Edwards could indicate that the upgrade to Mlacic or similar is a done deal? And we have Sanda back in the Under 21s yet not getting a sniff of the first team.
We're really rolling the dice if we think these youngsters will get us promoted next season, without playing any part in this one.
Surely we can't buy another Damion Downs for next year?!?
Everything about Saints wreaks of a club being too clever, from the top down. Then learning nothing when the bright idea turns out to be a complete disaster. |
| News
Comment | Southampton Linked With No One In Final Days Of Transfer Window
at 00:05:14
A thing to add.
We're all hoping that the squad can be improved in the summer.
However, then we'll be competing with 3 newly relegated clubs for players.
So i hope we don't get complacent, in that the good players that we have now might fancy greener grass at amother club that is run more professionally than ours |
| News
Comment | Southampton Linked With No One In Final Days Of Transfer Window
at 13:41:29
I get the logic of not wanting to waste money on players if we don't need to, right now.
But then if SR considered that, you'd think they'd follow that approach with managers? Why spend loads on players to then not realise the value on that investment by recruiting the awful managers that weve had? And we're at the point now that Tonda is as bad as all the rest.
Makes no sense, when managers are cheaper than players Instead, we've had 6 noobs over the past 2 years, since Ralph |
| News
Comment | Burnley Chasing Southampton Defender
at 12:00:54
THB has been the best performing CB this season. So unless we have someone better in our sights to replace him, selling THB could be the difference between looking up or down for what's left of this season.
I would hope that THB and another developing talent (i.e. Not Wood or Stephens) would build a partnership. So probably Quarshie right now and maybe Sanda for next season, who for some reason Eckert is currently blind to.
So on that basis, with Sorts Republic, I expect we'll sell THB and Sanda before next season and go with Wood and Stephens as our starting CBs. |
| News
Comment | Southampton V Hull City The Preview
at 10:58:40
Can anyone seriously see us winning the next two home games? There is too much wrong to probably win either, let alone win them both. And Eckert has proved that he isn't the man to do it. He's just Spors' nodding dog.
Whether we carry on with the turgid failed 3 at the back. That we are even discussing Manning still being considered a starter, despite most goals in open play coming from where he was supposed to be. To the Will Still like substitutions. To the Jekyll and Hide like 1st and 2nd half performances. To rolling the dice of one bad keeper to another, smaller, bad keeper. I can only deal with so much self harm and stupid decisions and this season has picked up just where the last one left off.
I'd be happy with a win or even a point in either of the next home games. Though we know what is far more likely
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| News
Comment | Gavin Bazunu Tipped For Move From Southampton To Stoke City
at 14:00:50
Spot on with this Nick.
If the club recognises that we have to improve our Keeper situation,
I am confused as to how that has distilled down in to 'anyone but Bazunu', with those running the club. Eckert has demonstrated that he has more faith in Bazunu than McCarthy based on his decision to put him as Number 1. Yet as things stand, we're just putting all of our eggs into Peretz basket, based on nothing.
This is nuts, and may even be little more than the club making a few quid off of one keeper over the other.
Which is hardly going to achieve the original perspective of improving our keeper situation if Bazunu leaves and is no longer an option for Tonda "the Weak" Eckert |
| News
Comment | Daily Echo Hint At Player Power Issues In Southampton Squad
at 13:54:17
A few circumstantial observations I have.
I wonder if In light of this, it was notable that it was Harwood Bellis that made the initial comments to Lampard that kicked off the fracas in our home draw with Coventry. I can't believe that Eckert would have approved of THB going up to Lampard and having a dig at him about the sending off tackle on Wellington. So maybe even evidence there that some of those players are laws unto themselves.
It was also interesting that Downes was the one who bit to the heckling from one fan in the Northam end during a corner at the Millwall match. The heckle was about our lack of forward passing. Both THB and Downes laughed initially, then when the fan followed up to question again why we don't pass forward more, Downes then told the fan to "f8ck off". 6 of one, half a dozen of another I know. But more indications of some players seeming to think they are on a different level.
And maybe a stretch, but I wonder if thats also why Wood did the unthinkable too and abused Saints fans in the Preston loss. Has he been taking his worldview too much from the clique that he spends most of his time with? |
| News
Comment | Southampton At Middlesbrough The Verdict
at 13:57:01
I suspect that the complexity required to work with our dysfunctional system is one of the reasons why we struggle so much in 2nd halves or fall apart when the going gets tough. If you play in a 4-4-2 or equivalent, you generally know your role, where you are supposed to be and what your responsibilities are.
What we have now is a load of tweaks, tactics and directives overlaid on to our misfiring 3 CBs or 5 at the back. For example, the zonal marking, the CBs needing to shift over to cover the space when our Wing backs go forward. Or when we play it out from the back at goal kicks with half our squad staying back as passing options, whilst we try and play our way through the banks of opposition players pressing us. The last 5 managers have all tried to make it work.
What we've ended up with is a complicated mess where no one is doing their job or taking responsibility and they all just stick to a single position or role through transitions of play. Resulting in loads of space for the opposition to play in and we fail to provide the intended defensive cover and passing options.
Our players get too tired, aren't fit enough or are too confused to keep up the tactics for a whole match and just revert to doing one thing. i.e. our CBs just stay in the 18 yard box, our wing backs don't track back and so on. Meaning that everyone is leaving someone else to do their job.
Long and short of it is the same conclusion. The system doesn't work, as we all know having seen years of this tedious passing around at the back garbage, getting overrun in midfield and seeing unchallenged crosses coming in to our box.
No amount of tweaking is going to fix it. And we shouldn't waste more money on buying players to paper over the cracks to defend the system at all costs.
Sadly, we can all see the writing on the wall for the "new boss same as the old boss" again. Which is a real shame because Eckert clearly does have a great depth of football knowledge, unlike some other SR appointments. Yet he clearly has no authority, confidence or courage to change things, more keen to toe the line for SR and gaslight us in match interviews that things are better than they look. He's welcome to live and die with 3 CBs at the back. But until someone changes that, our football will continue to suck. Good luck with that, Eckert you mentalist.
He might be a nice guy, like the last guy was. But unless he's willing to go to 4 at the back, he's done. And we all know it.
The weird thing is, Goztepe and Valenciennes both played 4-2-3 1 in their last matches. So its not even like we are following an SR playing model if none of our sister clubs play this awful 3 at the back either. |
| News
Comment | Goalkeeper Loan Move To Southampton Stalls
at 13:45:44
Big question mark for me over why Bayern are so desperate to shift on a player that they signed for the future only 2 years ago. He could well have some serious underlying issues, be that health or attitude. I’d rather we looked elsewhere than sign another player that doesn’t cut it and we then can’t shift on |
| News
Comment | Southampton Lining Up January Move For Premier League Goalkeeper
at 15:13:47
I am not sure that its just playing matches to assess who is a better keeper, based on which division he played those matches in. The key measure is clean sheets isn't it?
From the 2020/21 year.
Bazunu 209 matches 42 clean sheets = 20%
McCarthy 86 matches 20 clean sheets = 23%
Patterson 179 matches 56 clean sheets = 31%
Yes, McCarthy played more EPL games but as they say, you can only play against the opposition that you are given.
So based on that basic stat, Patterson would be a significant improvement on our current keepers
Ramsdale is playing matches for Newcastle currently. Its highly unlikely that he'll come back to us. Certainly no chance if we're in the Championship.
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