gio1saints

Milton, we were bottom and dead in the water this time last year. I would not swop then for today - we had too much downwards momentum there - today it’s the opposite on many levels. Our football was rubbish and there was no spirit no fight no idea no recognisable sign of anything remotely like an identity at Southampton Football Club. And it was about to get even worse. This time last year criticism of the team the management the owners dominated everything, and rightly. Right now we are still in with a chance of automatic and playoffs almost certainly and there is a recognisable identity and spirit to Southampton Football Club once more. We are at the clutch end of the season when management players and supporters need be as one to get anything out of this season. So, why dont all the people publicly sharpening their knives for Russell on this thread give it a rest and show some loyalty for the last ten -twelve games instead of bleating endlessly? eh? They made their point - Russ out the football is bad must do better etc . If we don’t go up they can all have 19 smug told you so points but to go on endlessly repeating woe is us is meaningless. There is only one way out and that’s maximum support for RM and the team right now. Next pre season yiu can all slag off a different manager or the owners or the style to your hearts content in whatever league we are in. Fair?

The sad fuckers from before who are only at their happiest pissing on one of the relatively few bright spots of recent times for saints are still the same sad fuckers. Scorn me all you like, sad fucks, but, unlike you, I give credit where it’s due and RM has already achieved something incredible. It’s not the final product but it’s promising. You, I repeat, sad fucks who revel in anti saints propaganda are going to be in sad fuck heaven soon if we fail to go up and you get your wishes to see us being yet again a no mark team. RM is trying, Saints are trying, to do something ridiculously hard. Part of it seems to be going right as we are in good company with our style of football. Not the results- yet. And it’s harder still with the sad fucks who call themselves supporters constantly just being the sad fucks that they are. So, sad fucks, you are obviously allowed on this forum to carry on with relentless personal abuse - because I get it every week all season from you - but I hope you just wipe the tears from your eyes for a moment and realise that you actually better have an argument to bring to the table if you want to bring RM and The spirit of the club down right now. Or me. “Only” being fourth does not cut the mustard from where we were this time last year so your pathetic attempts at undermining the club and its fanbase at this crucial moment of the season just sums you up. Sad fucks.

Professional handwringers are United it seems. We ARE doing something right and instead of scorning it we should be saying good that’s great now let’s stop the too many goals conceded. But no, too obvious. Some of you are obviously getting off on how “crap” Saints are, as usual. You love to say things like “High possession stats means nothing because…we are shit at defending ….” Or words to that effect as if you had just revealed an ancient prophecy or discovered life on mars or indeed are the reincarnation of Einstein. Truly some of you should form a masochists society given your amazing and highly intelligent propensity for revelling in how bad everything always is at Saints and giving it your best but pitiful cynical put downs on anything that looks remotely like a bright spot for SFC. Something to build on something that’s got us in good company? Oh no let us cleverly piss on that particular bonfire notion cos it’s not fun unless we can turn our hate frustration and general life impotency into attacking something in a an forum that you should actually be putting down as plus. Jesus wept indeed. Sad fuckers.

Thanks for clarifying on the autistic /simpleton/personality disorder casual grouping - which basically betrays ignorance of what Autism actually is- and a fairly big clue as to why autistics are still being discriminated against. To describe MLT as Autistic in a disparaging way is basically as ignorant as describing someone negatively because of their skin colour or religion.

For years- make that a century - we have struggled to ever consistently be at the elite end of ANY comparison table. To scorn that we are in the company of the best teams in the world is cutting off your nose to spite your face - though that’s meat and drink to some of the professional cynics here. In fact, historically, SFC are masters of mediocrity. We are bottom quartile for everything usually. Especially last year. Let’s scorn that shall we? What that table shows is that SOMETHING is going right this season. If Saints can stop the goals against count we might be on to something here. Or shall we go back to endless below average at everything like the last 100 years give or take a few bright spots?

I thought he was alright when he came in. Don’t know what the fuss is all about.

Delighted at his goals love that he makes impact but think these goals are the exception not the rule given his career. Hope I’m wrong. Without the recent goals he is an average AMF for saints- not a standout BUT he has scored so maybe he is now going to carry in scoring rest of season. 🤞 For most Championship sides he will start every week. Irrespective of how they play. For the top four in Championship he probably comes off the bench most matches but also starts a fair few also. It’s 50-50 depending on how the team plays injuries suspensions etc. For the Premiership he’s a decent squad player but not a guaranteed starter nor first sub depending on injuries suspensions tactics etc. Given his age, if we don’t go up then a 1-2 year contract is a good shout. If we go up though I’d think, just, probably not. There are younger lower wages talents in the championship worth a punt if we going that route. Or indeed more chances for our own young players.

He hardly ever gets picked to start. His confidence must be low. He is a last 20 minutes impact sub. Not somebody trusted to start. His job is to take risks and attack flanks. He can dribble past anyone but final product has not been there _ BUT - I feel he’s often too far ahead of his fellow teammates who are not on his speed wavelength. He’s a maverick player in a team of reliable know what they are going to do Stepford wives type players. He gets bollocked every match he plays by RM and his teammates for it. Yet persists. He is still a kid so it looks like he’s a sulker. And he does sulk. But he does keep trying over and over again to beat his man and cause danger despite the grief he gets. The lad must have sone inner strength to carry on that for sure. If he does not make it at Saints I think he either folds or goes full Sadio Mane mode elsewhere. Just hope it’s with us. He’s worth persisting with imo. I rate him as having an exceptional talent but not yet refined enough.

God help us. The idiotic substitutions which led to Rothwell scoring two goals are a big inconvenience to the “ it was the substitutions that fucked us up” narrative. Posters Literally grasping at straws NOT to be positive about a 4-2 win. Irredeemably miserable.

You can make it up. Some on here here get their kicks from being contrary on purpose. It’s called trolling. There’s some world class trolls here and you got to respect quality even if it’s in doing something as pathetically cheap as trolling other saints fans online. For those naive souls who make the mistake of “ enjoying “ a Saints win like today as if it’s the last win they will ever see us achieve - which for me is the ideal because living in the past or the future is for Dr. who & time travellers only - there is always the dyed in the wool cynic whose contempt for “ happy clappers” knows no bounds. That our saintly trolls apparently always combine both contempt for normal saints fans with apparent encyclopaedic knowledge of how-to-play -and -manage-a-football-club better than our existing players and management at any given moment is just one of the funniest things ever.

Russ says Hi, he also asked me to pop this question to the geniuses of this forum- what did you think of his subs impact scoring two goals? And was Ryan alright winning that penalty despite him meant to be on the bench? That “idiot’s” IMG_7554.MOV tactics helped win us the match by playing Ryan and putting Rothwell on at the right time to score two vital goals. If people still grasping g for things to be angry about I respectfully suggest the issue is not us smacking Sunderland 4-2- it’s something else- not Russ, not Ryan, it’s you 😂❤️

I heard if we don’t go up Itchen bridge is gonna collapse. #Saintsdeathspiralprophecies

There’s a fair chance he will start at LB and Bree at RB on Wednesday. It will be interesting to see if Ryan is given the KWP attacking / disruptive role or James - or if it’s shared. Or indeed ( and I think this is probably what most saints fans would prefer in the absence of kwp) if Russell asks them both to curb the attacking side and stay tighter defensively in the light of conceding a gazillion goals at home lately and let our talented mf and forwards get the goals.

Fair enough. He may not be as good as you wish at left back. He may be the weak link. Some of the evidence supports that. Other evidence suggests he contributes well to Russell’s formation. I personally think his defensive skill is limited - but that’s not the issue here for me because it’s not as if we have had fantastic alternatives fit enough uninjured enough or mature enough to replace him this season. We’ve been spoiled with some greats - Wayne, Gareth , Luke, but as a saints fan I’d leave it at that rather than the endless nastiness about the man.

@Fabrice29is not saying Ryan is the best Left back in the league or even in the team, he’s explained why it sometimes appears the left back is a weak spot. It’s Russell’s call not Ryan’s. Blame Russell if you don’t like the tactic that, occasionally, encourages the direct ball exploiting the space ( often ) available in our left back area. And it might not be amiss for some of you to chill with the exaggerated negative comments on Ryan. Makes you sound like Pompey fans. It’s been explained very clearly by @Fabrice29 and by @The Cat but one last time : When KWP goes forward with ball running - wherever he likes but usually on RH side and central - it is because he and the team know he is allowed to do so. He is a ( arguably THE) key disrupter for us of opposition defensive tactics. He is specifically told and allowed to do this by Russell. KWP attacking triggers an immediate response for the rest of the defence. They shuffle across - which means the LB ( Ryan Manning) tucks in more centrally, and the right CB - usually THB but can be Beds pops out a little for a temporary back three. In that moment space - and plenty of it - is obviously visible in our lb position. Less visibly so on the rh side because thats the side of play being disrupted. Given that there’s a good chance KWP will get dispossessed and a “ breakaway” is possible via a direct long ball, usually lofted, if I was an opposition manager I would reckon my players chances of successfully executing a direct pass to a forward who had to face Ryan in the obvious left hand side was higher than on the ( disrupted) rh side, where, incidentally our best defender awaits : THB. So target left back. Straight away from a height and strength and defensive ability perspective it’s no contest. THB >RM. So target left back. So blame Ryan all you like but were you to replace him with Meg - and with KWP in same free role role as before with same RM tactics - then some of you lot will be calling him “ dog shit “ etc and destroying his career before he’s even really started. RM is a pretty seasoned pro and can take the criticism - I doubt Meg could. Who else for LB instead of Ryan? Well obviously Bree - but I bet you willbe all over him like a rash the minute a goal goes in from that area. It’s up toRuss to solve that problem. Player bashing pundits like some of you far too keen to scapegoat players like Ryan, Will, etc when it’s as much /majorly our tactics that’sfundementally at the heart of the issue. Not defending the tactic - it’s clearly an Achilles heel of sorts- just trying to explain why in singling our Ryan you are largely missing the point.

This is a nice team view of our beautiful first. Especially for those who hate all that fannying around we do🤣https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4DdXSQMMFV/?igsh=YTMxMzhwdHpncWJv

True. Our style does create a lot of XG and tbf we are pretty good - not rubbish at converting chances overall - it’s just we seem to out concede the XG for opponents with regularity and that’s been the problem all season.

Bit like the philosophy the 70’s Brazil seemed to play to- Basically we will score more than you.

I see what you mean and you are right - I did take the OP comment at first sight as not giving RM any outs on what to say at press time. Sry. IMO this “issue” seems to define the club this year under RM. What you, and many others, call not making sufficient or adequate adjustments ( or “ learning by our mistakes”, ) to our style/tactics/set up pre match and in-match is a reasonably fair and accurate call. But in its defence I think there’s a very clear ( rightly or wrongly) football philosophy reason for that which RM and team are steadfastly attached to : Saints prepare for each match thoroughly by watching previous oppo matches, analysing the strengths and weaknesses of the team they are facing at granular level , then talking to the players and the player units about the likely scenarios tactics players they will be face in match etc. RM and his back room team pick an 11 to start accordingly. We all know this. So the “knowledge” is there for change if desired. And even fans not football professionals and coaches can see with our own eyes what’s going wrong and why on the pitch sometimes. If and when we are taken by surprise by the tactics ( Bristol City good example) the speed of reaction can be criticised. Some of the BEST all time managers see things quicker know how to counter it quicker and have also trained their players in the mental, technical and tactical flexibility required to adjust playing style mid-match. At Saints we have a team very well drilled in one style of play but with relatively limited ability - or and this is the key part- even desire - to play differently. The message is that playing in this style they will score more than the opposition. Because most of the time the opposition will not have the ball. The issue seems to be that it’s an all or nothing approach. RM cannot just drop it and play 442 or some other way because that gives the lie to every thing that went before. In the purest sense he is right. IF we have the ball they cannot score - we are the only team that can score. And with teams of similar ability we should win more than we lose. Sticking to that philosophy even when being defensively bad as per recently may cost us Promotion . OR it may propel us to the EPL as a force to be reckoned with. That’s the risk Saints take. Personally I’m happy to go for it this way. There’s something naive faithful and noble - dare I say Saintly about us at same time that appeals to me as a long term supporter.

So what do you want? His head on a stick? You don’t want him to take the blame for when we play bad? It’s some kind of trick? He does not mean it? He’s lying? You want him to call the players out by name and say they are shit? God your post is so unthinking it’s not true. He just cannot win with you can he!

I’m still surprised that we get 30,000 people to home matches. The minimum the adults are paying is something like £20-£25 and more for posh seats. Walk around the stadium prematch there’s queues to buy £55 replica tops ( now half price!) people eating £12 bowls of food with there £6 pint in hand.. Simultaneously theres people in Southampton rely on food banks, live on the streets. Child poverty in Southampton is high. The number of local kids going into higher education well below national average. The incongruity of those two facts is uncomfortable were you to think on it for too long. If the new Northam is going to happen, I hope that it puts the work of the Saints Foundation square centre as a net end beneficiary from it. I’d like to think that would help coalesce support for it from all us- the Saints fans who can choose to afford to go the SMS, buy the pies, the shirts, the beers - and the many of our city that simply do not have that choice. If done in that way I’d hope support would be overwhelmingly high.

It’s extremely sad for Will, Saints and for every supporter that “one of our own” has had to do this. Literally no one is immune to the nasty personal stuff that gets posted every day online by our own “fans” about RM & our players, and anyone who defends them. You’d think it was supporters of other clubs trying to destroy player, manager and supporter morale with the vile stuff but no, it’s as likely to be a saints so-called “ fan” as anybody else. More likely in fact on here. The list of Saints players who are meant to show maximum loyalty to the club yet are ritually abused by some supporters grows longer. RM was 100% correct - it’s idiots and unhappy people projecting their unhappiness onto others. Only upside is that it’s a human condition not limited to Saints fans to be like this. Not everyone is like that, fortunately. Anyhow- COYS ! - a morale boosting 3pts and a good performance do everyone the world of good!

Like a scratched 70’s album stuck on the same tune. You have one line of hatred for RM and it’s incorrigible in you. Even now trying to dress it up differently using this concept that he is thick as shit. I’d love to see you and him in a face to face debate. After you had called him all your names and stuck your tongue out at him you’d be out of content. You could try telling him about your Phd in negative shite but he’d then just smile pitifully at you, offer to shake your hand (😂) and walk out.

This using that handshake thing as a proxy to attack RM in general is fake. Say you don’t like him cos we lost 3/4 matches and are getting frightened we might not go up but don’t hide behind nonsense like snubbing handshakes. if your insight is correct and keeping a level head is his problem then no doubt some will get their wish and we can go for manager number 4 in a calendar year which will be a bundle of laughs and handshakes all round I’m sure. Or just support your team and manager these Final run in games when we need it most ffs.

We were not doing what they wanted when we went 25 unbeaten. Ever heard the phrase if you don’t stand for something you fall for everything? I am still surprised at the level of negativity present in Saints fans after the entertainment they’ve had this year- especially after that shit show last year. I really don’t think people know when they got it good. That we are “only” fourth in this ridiculously strong league this season but with all still to play for is not the fucking end of the world some here would have you believe. Get a grip on yerselves and stop crying.