CB Fry

In the position we are in, and the opponents we have at home, this team is fine, and should be enough to get us in the old ball bag for the next round.

To be fair the point is that in August Ralph was saying we were going to sign a first team striker. He wasn't saying "we've done that, its Mara, he's the striker we've signed". Everything about Mara at the time was about him being one for the future, absolutely not that he was the striker we were promised.

Winning the "we didn't blink first" award is so much more satisfying than degrading ourselves by actually signing a goalscorer.

And it's a really exciting deadline day here in St Mary's where newly appointed manager Paul "Eggy" Egginson has already stamped his ideas on the squad. The former Blyth Spartans boss has swooped to bring in former players "Smudge" Watkins, Johnny the Postman, Spanish Colin, "Leaky" Jenkins and Mick the Spark.

You're quite right. It would take an incredibly brave Chairman to bring into Premier League Southampton a non league manager and a load of players also from non league. Very brave.

Once he starts working with Premier League players like Che Adams and Adam Armstrong he'll really be able to get that down to a fine art.

Honestly if you are seriously going to compare Sam Allardyce taking Notts County down to Division 4 25 years ago with Nathan Jones being appointed into a Premier League job in 2022 then honestly there is no help for you at all. Not even worth debating, it's an absolutely moronic point. Jones was hired not to take us down and then magically become a wonder manager later on, he was recruited to keep us up this season. You know, like Ralph Hasenhutl and your hated son-in-law approach did when he took over from Hughes. Funny how successful that was, and how dire your dream "aggresive" football has been so far.

For someone whose opening opinion to me was "I prefer Nathan Jones to a Big Sam/Sean Dyche style manager" you are doing an incredibly good job of perfectly describing the attributes of a team managed by a "big Sam/Sean Dyche style manager". I think you need to admit that you like Nathan Jones precisely because he is a Big Sam/Dyche style manager and you and Duckhunter performing acrobatics to pretend that he isn't really is quite laughable.

The January we got promoted we signed Billy Sharp to help get us over the line. He wasn't Premier League standard either. At least Burnley have now got got two forwards this forum can drool over because they are a oh-so-potent in the Championship and that means they're brilliant brilliant brilliant. I wish we had them to save our season etc. While at the same time, without any hint of self awareness whatsoever, also go on and on about how shit Armstrong and Adams are for us.

We need as much money as we can get in the "we will spend it but only on the right player, if the conditions are right and we won't be held to ransom" kitty.

Definitely one for the future. Next season, when we are in the Championship.

I take it your Everton line is a wind up - they've hounded out multiple managers - Martinez, Koeman, Silva, Benetiz - so have no track record of loyalty whatsoever. Trust me, if it Bielsa and Saints had appointed him them the Saints fanbase would be "backing their new man" as well. We didn't get Bielsa. We got some div from Luton. I'm not "praising" Sam Allardyce at all - I am picking up on Nick's point that he likes Jones because he's not a Big Sam or Dyche "type", but that is exactly what he is. Just Big Sam but without any achievements. He's not some exciting new "type" of manager, we're charging about like a Championship team in a Cup tie. And losing and losing and losing and losing. He is not some genius ahead of his time - we're chucking it forward and playing high energy lower league football. Every coach in the league will work him out no bother. From where I stand everything is pointing to him not achieving anything remotely on a level with Sam Allardyce. Ever. In fifteen years time when Jones has finished top ten in the Premier League with multiple different clubs then fill your boots you've proved me wrong. You're the one comparing Southampton to 1991 Notts County - honestly god knows what point you are trying to make. We are not Notts County. See you in 15 years when Nathan Jones wins innovative coach of the decade or soemthing.

Jesus wept. Its not bloody 1991 any more. Is Jones getting us relegated is some masterplan now? He's going to take us down and then magic himself into Big Sam? And in this scenario Southampton Football Club - Premier League for a decade and in recent history top 8 multiple times - in this scenario we are now Notts County, a little club for a new unproven manager to learn the game? The shit you're coming out with now just because you like Jones playing more "aggressively" and didn't like Ralph.

I think that would have been a brilliant meltdown on here if it was us (especially as we'd be doing the medical at 11:45pm on deadline day)

Except he is a Dyche and Big Sam type manager, just without any success in the Premier League. Meat and potatoes, lower level playing career, worked in Championship and lower to begin with etc. What "type" of manager do you think he is? If anything I am being massively unfair on Big Sam who was innovative in his day at Bolton and had a proven track record of getting into clubs and teams and building success.

Honestly if anyone in any position of influence in the club believes this then no wonder we are bottom of the league. It's a shame the fans moaning about us not buying a striker since the start of last summer has not resulted in us, you know, buying a striker.

I've taken your opinion on the Luton player, thank you. I won't take that you are a Saints fan because it is obvious you're not. If that's a "prejudice" then congratulations you are the new Rosa Parks, you little hero you.

And just so happened to join the forum a few weeks ago.

I suppose it is occasionally useful to have Luton fans on here pretending to be Saints fans.

Never heard of him, didn't know we were linked with him until now but still. Absolutely raging here.

I imagine we've been tracking this Luton Town player for many many years before we made our move.

Well, at least we're still in the tie after the first leg.

Er, I am not putting "my flag in Ralph's camp" - I've said plenty of times that it was 100% the correct decision to let him go - it was clear he was going stale and running on empty - and the form of the calendar year 2022 meant that he really deserved to go. The point is Jones was recruited to keep us up, bring in changes that improve performances and results. What he has done is make us worse. An absolute disaster of an appointment. The correct comparison is Ralph coming in after Hughes and Pelligrino. He actually delivered what a new manager is supposed to - implement new ideas, start winning, steer us to safety. That's what we needed in November when the club made the change. Jones has done the complete opposite.

And we've lost 5 out of 6 league games and we're stone bottom. We've only beaten the side that everyone is beating so even that will be pretty worthless. Dogshit against Forest, and Villa and elsewhere. You might not like it but Ralph's son-in-law team would beat Nathan's Ale-House aggressive real men 8 times out of ten. Hasenhuttl took a team into the CL and then kept us up on no money for years. Another top flight job will be his if he wants it. This Yeovil bloke is never getting a Premier League job again.

He said something similar before the game I heard on Radio 5 "if we get to the final it would be great for me....." and then quickly mentioned the fans and the players as well. I've heard someone who has net him say he is incredibly humble (almost can't believe he has got the job) but from what I can see he is a man with significant ego.