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Comment | Southampton Set To Appoint New Manager Ahead of Birmingham Game
at 14:03:03
If the rumour is true, and judging by the PR being pushed by the club, it would seem that Eckert will be announced soon as Manager if anyone is.
And as is the screwed up way that the club is run, what a weird, confused bit of timing if that happens ahead of the Birmingham game.
Whilst most were apparently coming around to the idea of appointing Eckert, the Millwall loss indicated that the reservations that fans might have about his appointment may be valid - e.g. his success has been helped significantly by more player effort and less tinkering, he hasn't had to show significant tactical nous, he hasn't dealt with a loss or bad run.
So now is the worst time to think about appointing him. After his first loss.
In the next 2 or 3 matches, we are about to find out if the winning run that Saints just had was because of Eckert or mainly because he wasn't Will Still.
Imagine if we lose the next couple games against credible opposition. And we get outthought and outplayed, again, just as we did against Millwall.
Another long, tawdry period of fan division will be set in play with bickering about our situation, what to do about it and those who run our club will again be shown to be the clowns that everyone thinks that they are. Seems like that's what they want for us?!? |
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Comment | Tonda Eckert Set To Get More Time But Are Saints Biding Their Time For Their Man To Be Available
at 11:59:47
mascott514, I think we've had enough of managers being given the Saints job to have "a bash at it". In fact, that is all we have had.
We've all paid our money. Watched dull and negative football. Watched our managers consistently being tactically out thought by pretty much every other manager that we come up against, and only seem to get the win when the opposition team is floundering, on or off the field.
So enough. No more experiments thanks. Eckert's decisions at Millwall showed to me that outside of playing people in their (kind of) correct positions (aside from the Wing Back situation), he may just be randomly pulling levers in the hope of finding a successful formula, a bit like the Wizard of Oz when we see behind the curtain.
I can see a flood of platitudes, more weird decisions and promises of jam one day, not too far in the future from our inexperienced enigmatic friend, Tonda. |
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Comment | Tonda Eckert Set To Get More Time But Are Saints Biding Their Time For Their Man To Be Available
at 14:57:08
An interesting if highly unlikely chain of events.
Though I do wonder, if Selles was given the job in the Championship with this squad, rather than in the EPL, would even he have scraped together 4 wins?
At this point, Eckert shown very little other than the ability to put square pegs in square holes. And on the back of Millwall, his marriage to 3-4-3 and tactical decision making clearly have been brought into question. I remember above all Selles tried to stay chummy with the players. Whilst I really would like to think that there is more to Eckert, at this point, he could very well turn out to be Selles Mk II |
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Comment | If Southampton Appoint Eckert Backroom Recruitment Will Be Essential
at 16:47:03
I think its very telling that Lallana has been moved to the U21s. Though i also wonder what qualifications or competence he has demonstrated to get that role as U21 manager?
Clearly Eckert doesnt want him, which is weird considering the experience that Lallana should have to share. Potentially indicating Eckert does not trust him to not undermine him for the manager role.
I believe i heard mention that Lallana's original appointment was championed by Phil Parsons.
I guess that is his protection because otherwise you have to wonder how Lallana is not being associated with the shocking failure from our promotion to the EPL up to now. Yes, there could be the claim that the managers didn't listen to or ask for his opinion. But then, if thats the case and the Board have been generally happy with the management teams, what's Lallana been getting paid for all this time?
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Comment | Southampton At Charlton Athletic The Preview
at 15:36:52
This match was one not to miss, to say I was there to see the great Nathan Jones! So glad the footballing gods threw this one up for us. And the timing is perfect. Like a reminder of how we ended up in the mess that we are ow, by trying ambitious, inexperienced, under qualified managers.
With all this talk of who we could appoint as our new manager, I think a key point is getting lost. We are not entertaining and it is not enjoyable or exciting watching us play. And its been that way since Russ ball was shoved down our throats.
We're turning into what Sam Allardyce did to Bolton. And look where they are now.
That means that 3-4-3 has to go in the bin. And so far Eckert has shown a total lack of new ideas and that he will be just as married to that tiresome formation.
We have to get back to playing like a Southampton side since time immemorial. Whoever does that and can read the game, am sure we can all get behind. But if we give the job to Eckert because he scrapes a few results, we're going no where but downhill |
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Comment | Two Weeks Gone Since Still Sacking Are Southampton HedgingTheir Bets
at 16:20:24
Once Eckert gets sacked for being the Selles like one trick pony that he is and being unable to get results. Why don't we just give the manager job to a fan to have a go by drawing them in a tombola? Like we do for the Saints mascot? Then we can just take turns through Managers on the basis that eventually we will find one who can win enough games to keep the job? Thats pretty ,much what the club strategy is anyway, isn't it? |
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Comment | Southampton At Queens Park Rangers The Verdict
at 13:00:22
That was a battling display by Saints. Not pretty for large parts. All resolved by a bit of quality. Absolutely right to restore Jay to the starting line up too.
There were various clangers across the team and THB had a shocker but maybe just what you would expect from a side low on confidence, not settled in their set up and who have struggled to get results. Always one step at a time and as said, its all about the result.
I thought Bazunu changed the dynamic at the back and brought more energy and communication. Glad to see him back in the side and I see it as a forward looking decision. Similarly, I thought Stephens was our best defender on the night.
We played some square pegs in round holes (e.g.Fellowes as RWB, Armstrong down the middle) , but understandable given the injuries list. The sooner we can bin off 5 at the back, the sooner we will stop conceding the midfield and opening ourselves up to being contained in our own 3rd. Every time we did seem to win the ball in the second half, there was no one forward of the ball to pass it to, so we quickly lost it again.
No doubt the 'injury' list will start to clear up now.
Job well done to steady the ship by Eckert and the team. Though my suspicion that Eckert prefers last night's formation rules him out of any serious consideration for the job on a longer basis. |
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Comment | Southampton Sack Will Still
at 09:18:16
Shame it had to happen. I don’t think anyone was wishing to get rid of Still. Only wheel t became apparent that he wasn’t up to the job, it was always the inevitable outcome. A relief that the club got on with it rather than dragging it out and creating more division.
I just hope whoever we appoint next is not another experiment.
A word for those calling for Carrick. I have a good friend who is a Middlesbrough fan. They lost patience with Carrick after a couple of years because he wasn’t making any progress with what they felt was a a more talented side than their results and league position showed. And seeing as how the change to Rob Edwards has shot them to the top of the table, that view would seem to bear out. So not for me, he’s just another Gerrard like appointment, credited for his football connections over any ability shown as a manager. We’ll likely just end up back where we are more with him. |
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Comment | If Saints Fans Protest Then Make It Positive And Make It Peaceful
at 16:20:06
The right sentiments here.
I love Saints. I hate the corporation and the greedy, profit focus at the fan's expense. Along with the opaque decision making that comes with it.
Those who are happy to give Still more time, you are welcome to your opinion and I fully respect that and the reasons for it. Please give those of us similar respect who don't agree and see Still as another terrible appointment that needs to be gone for us to see any tangible improvement in the football results. Its all about results, if you have forgotten that. In the same way that Martin spouting on about our possession stats was irrelevant too.
If there wasn't some good evidence of the need for change, there wouldn't be a debate. We'd all be behind the manager and the team. None of us really want constant managerial change. And it doesn't matter how many times we have changed managers if the next one that gets appointed is still fundamentally incompetent.
I am tired of all the muddying of waters, like blaming the recruitment, pointing to statistics, blaming the players, blaming the owners. Those are issues that can be discussed, yes, sure. They are no doubt a reason for our problems and why we are where we are as a club. Do they make Still a good or bad manager? Nope, totally unrelated.
By those same arguments, you could argue that we should have given Nathan Jones more time. Or that we should have given Selles longer to prove his pointlessness whilst very little changed in our results. And we got behind Selles and were patient. How did that work out for us?
The real point was, they weren't right for us as a club or capable. I would prefer us to get back to the way we have traditionally played football. Fluid positive Attacking football. Thats what works for us.
I don't give a monkeys about statistics when it comes to things like this. I do care about having a manager who I think knows more than the average bloke down the pub.
And certainly like Selles, Still just talks about an indefinite period of waiting for improvements. There is no substance of how he's going to achieve that, if you really listen to his interview. And like Selles, Still constantly blames the past and the situation he inherited, when the majority of the squad had nothing to do with last year's abysmal EPL catastrophe. The guy has brought nothing new. And we could end up in a similar place if we give Still too much more time. Beyond help of doing anything good or entertaining in this league.
I don't want us to pass it around for ever in our own third, and still lose it when we try to cross the half way line. I don't want us to pack our team with defenders and hope we get to score on the break.
Instead, I want to see some tactical nous, rather than a manager that gets sussed out and outthought by his experienced counterpart every match. When we change something, I want it to be based on common sense or to create an advantage, rather than it looking like some random punt that confuses everybody, including the team on the pitch. And I want players to be picked based on form, rather than to squeeze them into some weird ineffective formation that doesn't suit their strengths or characteristics.
Enough is enough already. As fans, we've had our heads pissed on for too long and some of us know that that isn't rain.
Respect to whoever is planning to protest at the weekend. Sadly, I suspect that the powerbroker at the club isn't listening or all these weird experiments would already have stopped. We'd hire a Struber or at least someone who knows English football like Rosenior (look how he's doing with Strasburg compared to Still's meagre boast about drawing nil-nil with PSG).
Some chance. But until we can see some progress and something to get behind, I'm done listening to those imploring me to accept the same old garbage on another day, for however long. |
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Comment | Southampton At Bristol City The Verdict
at 11:39:47
halftimeorange - "if we don't give him time, we won't find out what he can achieve" - you could apply that argument to every football manager. And the finding out is often not all that, when the gaps in their overall competence already show up and their reassurances of future excellence never come to fruition. For example with Reuben Selles. We gave him time. Was that the right thing to do?
If the appointment was a bad one, as pretty much every appointment has been since Ralf, it doesn't matter how much time we give them. Except in maybe one situation...
Should we have given Nathan Jones more time, seeing as Charlton are in the Play off spots? |
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Comment | Southampton At Bristol City The Verdict
at 12:23:32
Like the majority of Saints fans, I want us to stick with a manager and find some stability. To do that, we need to have a manager that, even if not a genius, is at least competent at managing players, tactics and strategy.
So as much as I don't want to think it, its starting to look like Still doesn't meet those basic criteria.
He was totally out thought by Struber last night. However dominant we were in the 1st half, a tactical tweak at half time by Bristol completely nullified us. And then we struggled to keep possession or create attacks. And Still's only apparent answer was to sub in a few like for like positions, like it was the performance of individuals that would make the difference. Its not just Still. I blame all of the coaches. Including wonder boy Lallana, who appears to have had little to no impact.
The worse thing for me last night was that our players gave up from about 70 minutes and reverted to aimless passing, after already demonstrating their brilliance at ball watching earlier in the match.
Once the huff and puff has gone, we clearly don't have a way of playing. Players aren't sure where they're supposed to be and what to do in situations. So then we just look flat and out of ideas. The antithesis of how Ralf prescribed every role or Russ Pochettino's defined styles. I am not harking back to the past. But without tactical awareness and something to define the team identity, we can see the situation unraveling for Still.
Sadly, the writing is already on the wall. Its just a matter of how long it takes Spors and SR to make that decision. |
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Comment | Southampton V Swansea City The Verdict
at 15:17:22
SainteSimon - I don't think Nick has claimed anything different? Though in addition to having an opinion, Nick has run this site and reviewed every game, without ego, for longer than I care to confirm. So if you're that frustrated by the comments, you could always start your own site and use it to promote your opinion? The more Saints fan sites the better |
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Comment | Finn Azaz Looking To Experienced Saints Coach To Regain Form
at 12:41:02
Is it written into Lallanas contract that he has to have smoke blown up his ass at frequent intervals?
However many puff pieces about him the US owned Echo and Sports Republic owned club do, we've seen zero evidence of his influence on the pitch or player performances. And he might only have officially been given a coaching role in the past few months, but in that case what the hell has he been doing there since the beginning of part season? Because he certainly wasn't playing any football.
If Lallana was having any positive effect on any player or how effectively we attack, wouldn't we at least have seen some evidence of it in the past months? Sadly, that really doesn't seem to be the case |
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Comment | Southampton V Middlesbrough The Verdict
at 18:04:24
Thanks Nick. Spot on about the impact of substitutions. Particularly the situation with Azaz.
I noticed that Boro seemed to have orders in Midfield to contain Azaz at all costs. Understandable, as his former club and recognition of what a good player he can be. They clearly didn't want their bubble burst by him scoring against them. It looked a bit overboard though when we could see Azaz surrounded by 4 Boro midfielders. And this absolutely played to our advantage meaning that the rest of the team got more time on the ball, found some space and we didn't get dominated in Midfield like we have so often in recent times.
Which made it utterly bizarre for Azaz to be replaced and not even by an equivalent, such as Robinson, but by Scienza. A winger, as you say. Not only did he have negligible impact, but it meant that we no longer controlled midfield and it freed up all those Boro players who'd been busy with Azaz. Cue loads of our tedious passing across the back line when we did have the ball, looking for gaps, where there now were none. Then more substitutions to try and counter the damage caused by removing Azaz.. Shortly followed by their goal.
Still's decision to remove Azaz was naive at best. Though its baffling and slightly concerning that he maybe didn't notice what was going on on the pitch and instead deferred to performance and stamina monitors of who to change, if anyone.
I think the changes made by Still at the start of the game were positive overall (bar the ever debatable Baxunu v McCarthy). And I think Edwards could be that leader that we have been crying out for.
The pressure is really building for a win though. And Still isn't helping himself or us by seeming to throw out the good with the bad. For example, players who appeared to be shaping up for a good season, like Robinson and Archer, suddenly can't get any game time to accommodate players who haven't yet earned their place. |
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Comment | Southampton Winger Set To Move To France
at 16:27:26
Wish him all the best. He probably didn't push on and make the impact that he needed to on his loan with Anderlecht to justify a place with Saints, after a so so season in the Championship.
Unlikely that he's going to provide the contribution that we need, when you see him compared to Robinson's recent outings. So probably the right decision to move him on and free up space in the squad |
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Comment | Southampton Insult Supporters With Behaviour Message And Season Ticket Prices
at 17:36:04
Spot on with your sentiments here, Nick.
I despise the people running our club.
It would seem that, outside of opening venues to take our money, they similarly despise us.
About the only thing I have enjoyed on match days recently on getting to the ground and going to away games is mixing with fellow fans. And yearning for the old days when it was just about the football.
Everything else at Saints has been a floating turd - Starting with the football and the managerial appointments. Then we have the marketing - with two shockingly bad neon away kits that hardly anyone wanted to buy. To getting a marketing agency to humiliate us in the Northam for the first half of the season with those massive hubristic banners pulled over our heads when the players came out, ignoring the fact that we had lost every game.
And the cherry on the cake is commercial/fan control ventures, like the email that riled you here, and the App, to blocking our phone signals if we don't use their awful wifi, to setting up bar outlet "queues" at half time and thereby ensuring that no one gets served during half time.
And finally we have the insult of the ticket prices for next year and the valueless, vague ST "perks", supposedly battled for by the nebulous useful idiots, the "Fan Advisory Board" - FAB the Thunderbirds (Are they actual fans? Do they exist? Do the really represent us in any way?
I've really had enough of Southampton Football Club and their lack of humility or gratitude to the fans for putting up with the club's repeated abject failure. Like everything else, they are only flattering themselves about there being any likelihood of a pitch invasion after the match.
If its like most other matches this season after we've played 5 at the back and still leaked goals like a seive, the ground will be effectively empty long before the match is over.
Good riddance to the worst season probably any of us can remember |
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Comment | Saints 2025/26 Season Ticket Pricing 5% Discount Is Not Enough
at 13:17:02
Despise for the club definitely isn't too strong a word.
And Fan Advisory Board? What a joke. Anonymous club controlled minions. All they have 'achieved' is acting to give the club consent to blast us with their WiFi signal and block our personal phone signals in the process. Who gives a monkeys about those ST incentives?
I won't be renewing until I know who the new manager is and what our plans are for the football side this season. Which most likely will mean I end up going game to game. Also if they make me pay for a physical ticket, they can whistle. Has been a godsend this year in getting in without hassle while every queues up fiddling around with their mobile phone apps.
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