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This is another consideration - lots of managers will want to bring in their own coaching team. But having revamped the coaching set up a over the summer, Saints probably aren't about to do so again a few months into the season. The new guy is going to have to be able to work with what we've already got in place. Having a pre-existing relationship with his old assistant Selles might just tip the scales in his favour.

If only we were as good as mediocre these days - that would be a step forward.

Useless show pony couldn't even score against Bournemouth. We'll be fine, I'm sure...

We drew with City home and away last season, as mad as that sounds with a defence that shipped 70 goals. Conceded 1 across the 2 games. It's the kind of "nothing to lose" game we tend to do surprisingly well in.

Do people not watch any other matches apart from Saints'? Maitland-Niles has never been a holding midfielder in the Romeu mold. Never will be. It's bizarre that so many seem to think he's come in to do that role. If he's most like anyone, it's Diallo - with all the same weaknesses. Fine in a three, with someone else holding the fort so he can run forward. But he's not breaking up play, winning tackles, putting his body on the line to defend. Not his game at all. He's just cheap cover we brought in to fill a couple of positions in a pinch, in spite of not being special in any of them. If he's starting more than 10 matches this season, something's gone terribly wrong.

Lavia got injured, and our genius squad planning never thought we might need more than one midfielder who can actually tackle. Games are won and lost in the midfield - and we don't have one. Letting Romeu leave was monumentally dim. Amateur hour.

Yeah, that's him. Pops up in training pictures now and again. Vokins was assumed a write off when the club sent a 22 year old who held his own in the SPL last season on loan to a non league side this season.

Going to be ugly in the midfield for us again, I fear. Gueye, Onana, Iwobi are a physical and technical trio that we don't match up well against - especially if we go with a two.

And Jeremi "JRod 2.0" Rodriguez (19). Not sure about Tom Davies' new comic character, though. Bit racially insensitive.

We're in the Pellegrino phase now, where the club knows deep down that the manager's a broken flush, but will keep looking for any excuse to kick the can down the road and avoid making a decision (and a hefty pay off). No chance he's sacked after a draw. That would be seen as a positive step forward. He's going to be here until the WC no matter what. Maybe longer. Whether our season will be salvageable by the time the board finally act is the big question.

He departed a while ago - for "personal reasons" - after just three months in the job. Just got hired as set piece coach by Vasco da Gama in Brazil. Perhaps his "personal reasons" were wanting to live in Brazil.

Think their young right back who was having a bit of a breakthrough season has picked up a bad knee injury on international duty. Shame for the lad, but potentially disrupts their settled defence. Another blank incoming then...

Henderson was left out initially because he wasn't fit. Prowse has no-one to blame but himself if he misses out - he's been shite all season without Romeu to carry him.

Said at the time that Delap wouldn't be the starting striker we needed. Ridiculous that we spent most of the summer seemingly putting all our eggs into pursuing a striker without a single league goal to his name, before abandoning that plan and then going all in on a winger who never even wanted to join us.

Come on, they were really good for about 20 minutes of the second half of that game against the Dutch at Euro 96.

Unless those four defenders play for Saints.

He's just Shane Long without the pace or aerial ability. Doubt there's much more to come from him in terms of development. The fact that he's become our main striker is a damning indictment of the entire club.

Wouldn't even get that. "... same every year. No-one has ever caught the cheese. I mean, what would they do with it anyway? Who wants a muddy cheese...? And finally... Southampton are in the market for a new manager... (Holds finger to ear) Hang on a minute! A big cheese update at the top of the hour, after the break."

Eddie Izzard ran 32 marathons in 31 days. Doesn't mean he isn't slow as shit and easily outmanoeuvred in the midfield.

Think the Juventus job will come up soon. Allegri's second coming has been rotten.

Based on nothing but a search on transfermarkt and a vague yet baseless feeling of some types that might interest us: Dejan Stankovic. (Excellent player in his day). Serbian. Last club Red Star. Domenico Tedesco. Seems to have been earmarked as a bright young coach (age 37) for a while, without an amazing record under his belt. Last club Leipzig. Vladamir Petkovic. Experienced coach who managed an excellent Euro campaign for the Swiss 18 months back. Paulo Sousa. A name that often comes up. Available. Xisco Munoz. Got Watford promoted. Then, in classic Watford style, got sacked a few games into the next season. Scott Parker. People within the game seem to think he's a really talented coach destined for great things. David Wagner. Was the high-pressing, Klopp-esque hipsters' choice a few seasons ago. Frankly performed miracles with Huddersfield. Pal Dardai. Another hipsters' choice from back in the day. Xabi Alonso. Out of left field. An aspiring manager - only managed Sociedad B - but you've got to start somewhere. His intelligence and playing experience in a number of countries under great coaches would, you'd think, give him a shot at becoming a good manager. Sean Dyche. You know it's going to happen. Mauricio Pochettino. You know it's not going to happen. Assuming we're prepared to pay a little compensation to snag a manager in work: Jess Thorup. FC Copenhagen manager. Danish. Reunite him with Ruben Selles. How much compensation would Danish clubs really demand? Contract until 2024. Thomas Thomasberg. Danish. Doing great things with FC Randers this season - top, unbeaten, after 10 games. Then there's these beauties out of work: Claude Puel Mauricio Pellegrino And everyone's favourite, Martin O'Neill. (Should add, I don't think the club are going to sack Hassenhuttl anytime soon. The World Cup break will be the likeliest time to take stock.)

He was pretty strongly linked to Man United when it was reported that we'd "won the race" for his signature. Perhaps having seen us sign a 17 and 18 year old left back in the last two summers he's had a rethink and doesn't see a pathway here for a 16 year old left back.

Terrible from start to finish. Although to begin with a solitary positive, the kid Larios looked game. Physically, he's got a lot of developing to do, but he's brave, pretty quick, and tidy on the ball. The rest of the side were a fucking joke. They had no idea how they were even going to get into the opposition third, let alone create chances. Backwards, backwards, hoof - rinse and repeat. Elyounoussi will rightly get hammered for his consistent crapness, but in terms of what we should expect from our captain, "talisman", and best player, Ward-Prowse was appalling. An absolute chicken shit of a performance: didn't want the ball, didn't take any responsibility, just passed the buck (backwards), on the rare occasions he wasn't completely bypassed by the game. He's not going to the World Cup on current form - and he'll have no-one else to blame of he misses out on another tournament squad. Selling Romeu when we knew Lavia had a bad injury will prove to be one of the dumbest decisions we've ever made. There's absolutely nothing there in midfield now. No physicality. No tackles. No aggression. Nothing. Maitland-Niles won't provide that either - just in case anyone is trying to convince themselves that he's the answer. That's not his game. Don't rate the keeper at all. Hasn't made anything other than straightforward bread and butter saves - and has fucked two of them up in the last two games. 4 defeats in 7. No goals in 3 of 7. No clean sheets. And the football is garbage. Going to be a big January, I guess...

Fuck me, Ward-Prowse losing the ball on a counter attack because his first thought is to pass backwards. Useless.

Dire. No quality. No intensity. No hope. The Ward-Prowse/Diallo axis continue their record of being overrun and overpowered EVERY SINGLE TIME they play as a partnership. Usual vanishing act from Elyounoussi. This "upgrade on McCarthy" is nothing remotely special, either. Don't get the hype. His distribution is crap as well Aston Villa are absolutely shite. And comfortable against our rabble. Another toothless defeat on the cards.