qwertyell

It's the inertia that is killing us. Doing nothing and hoping things will somehow work themselves out is how Homer Simpson approaches problems.

Very decent manager - we could do a lot worse.

How much longer are we going to keep drifting aimlessly, putting off the inevitable? The club need to take charge and act decisively. Completely rudderless at the moment.

Work permit issues meant it was a non starter. Looks like Leicester are going to be able to sign him in January, though, because he's now playing enough to meet the criteria. Bazunu is no better than what we already had. No presence.

Maybe we went in for the pair of them in the summer, but Thorup opted to stay on with Copenhagen at that time. Maybe.

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.