Miltonaggro

#pragmatic

Given the lukewarm turgid dogshit served up last night I actually thought the fans were very good, particularly second half. If the Board expect more than that in the current predicament they may need to attend some ‘neutral’ football matches and seek psychiatric help.

You only had to look at McKenna last night I find a manager template for saints early summer. KM has a solid, steady coaching pedigree at some top clubs, plays to strengths and sets teams up to win points. His current club could only dream of our club’s finances. Ipswich are a limited, workmanlike side but were physical, niggly, competitive and were playing for each other and the shirt. They were also short passing across the back and in midfield much more effectively than saints, so he’s better at that aspect than Russell Martin too. Why Sport Republic cannot recognise confidence and competence in terms of recruitment, with the resources the club currently has it is truly baffling. How do you recruit Jones from an open field, perservere with Selles with survival still possible, and then come to an executive decision that Martin is answer and saviour. More clowns than Billy Smart’s circus.

Yes, said that to my boy at the game, Leicester had better players, more guile, quality and ruthlessness on the counter. Thing is both gifted three soft points from the blancmange fortress that is St Mary’s in the Championship! There are few teams like Leicester but a lot of sides like Ipswich in this league…

The only ‘scar tissue’ I’m seeing is between Russell Martin’s ears where it appears to be as thick as fuck and possibly inoperable. We’ve had one genuinely dominating half this season and that was in the first game, on live tv, when we had Ward-Prowse and Tella pulling the strings against a very limited Sheffield Wednesday. Those couple of jammy wins, and being an affable chap, painted over a lot of cracks in Martin’s set up and abilities. I think true to form Sport Republic will double down and attempt to ride this out until at least Christmas, and by then we are likely going to be too far adrift to make the play offs. All that was needed this season was the appointment of a recognised, solid manager for this level who could galvanise fans and players, and round pegs in round holes through the spine of the team in recruitment. Instead we have blue sky tinkering and an attitude that the benevolent Board are more on-message and intelligent than the peasant, dopey fans who are forecasting each debacle - very reminiscent of Lowe and Cowan in this league, and it’s currently dogshit. It’s their money but our club.

Good summary.

Jones got 14 games, Selles 17, bet Russ beats both regardless of what happens on the park.

It was ok, no fucker noticed, including him!

Very much this and baffling why we didn’t start with this set up. So much more solid at the back and through the middle second half. What worries me more is that we can’t seem to break down defences at the moment, despite having Sully, Alcaraz, Adams and Mara on at the end. Ipswich did a right shut out job on us as did Sunderland and Leicester.

On way back from that. Ipswich were a hardworking organised championship side, just what I thought we’d be facing when we got relegated. Regardless of where they are in the table currently we should win this at home all day long. Saints however, were utterly toothless, out muscled, out fought and no answer to a layered, marshalled defence. Management apparently no idea how to retrieve the game after a goal down. Fuck all to do with the crowd, who were stoic in the face of mediocrity yet again. Think we might be in a bit of trouble already.

🫏 🦒 ⚽️ Fair play to him!

Traditionally the football was used as a social safety valve, a place where you could escape the drudge of hard work and express yourself, say what you like, with likeminded people for a couple of hours a week. I get that the modern game has been corporatised, sanitised and watered down over the past 25 to 30 years but for a great many supporters it’s still tribal, it still matters, it’s about personal and cultural identity. If it wasn’t I doubt many people in our city would ‘choose’ to support Southampton, with much better, more reliable ‘service providers’ available. The comparison to other services just doesn’t work, and I personally I couldn’t give a shit as to how those around me get their bang for buck paying an extortionate amount to watch second rate tripe, a broad church doesn’t have to be evangelical!

I think those kind of numbers would take an entire season, but I admire your passion and optimism

A few years back I often used to bump into Dave and his missus shopping. He would always give a nod of the head and she would smile, seemed a close couple and very genuine people. Age wont be a comfort here, and he'll be devastated, I hope he has close family and friends for support. Sincere condolences and all positivity to him, old school Saints through and through.

We conceded 73 last year, so a real chance to improve exponentially under Russ!

By Christmas he’ll look like Bob Geldoff!

Whist being the most zen man in Europe...

When we went down I posted that Sport Republic needed to avoid trying to ‘think outside the box’ in the championship. There is an existing template. Bring in a manager who can galvanise support and focus on power and experience through the spine of the team. Don’t overthink, Luton got promoted from this league FFS! Essentially replicate what Leibherr and Cortese did via Pardew and Adkins the last time we hit the buffers. Build confidence in the punch-drunk fanbase and actually get back to the prem before trying to revolutionise it. Most of the traditional fanbase seemed to want this in one form or another. Instead, it seems that the Board are pushing a version of what we saw last year, and the fanbase is currently seeing what they are not. The atmosphere at St Mary’s was pretty decent v Norwich and QPR compared to recent seasons, but it’s apparent to the watching public that there are more problems than players ‘getting used to the system’. I like Martin, he seems a good man, but he was a punt after Maresca turned us down. Unless things resolve relatively quickly it feels like the atmosphere is going to get toxic much quicker than it did last season.

If Sports Replublic go for an ex Brighton manager he’ll need the goldmine effect and to intellectually exist well outside the box, my money would be on Sami Hyypia (23%).

Martin’s renowned close control, primarily in terms of hairstyling, should provide inspiration for Walker-Peters who has lost his way recently.

The plot thickens 😂

Alternatively, if we are going down the Miss Marple route, maybe Wilcox and Board didn’t want to back his judgment beyond Manning - this season’s Bree? Guess is Piroe and Grimes would have put a big dent in the recoup!

More like Mrs Slocombe!

His mind seems elsewhere, may improve once the lawsuit against Tony & Guy is settled in his favour.

Jason Wilcox needs to rein it in a bit!