gio1saints

Yup that’s right. But that does not mean that trying to get promoted is excluded. Nor does it mean that surving in the EPL is excluded. Neither is thriving in the EPL excluded. The current set up way of playing style playbook etc is aimed on that holistic set of targets. That’s the theory. Putting it into practice effectively is the difficult part. Sacking the manager binning the coaching team and changing half the squad cos it did not work one year is what everyone does. But there’s only very few clubs win the trophies - and the rest are by definition also rans. For many years we were very effective at being also rans in the first division and then EPL. And our attempt at automatic from this lower league is probably going to fail - so it’s a total disaster right? BUT this Manager this team this club are trying to defy the prevailing paradigm that only a select few get to win everything, every year. Our attitude and irrespective approach to that is something to be proud of irrespective of results. If we goup it’s not to become also rans yet again.

Against teams that try to pass us off the pitch we usually have an excellent chance of competing - and in this league it’s almost 100% of the time - because we are usually better at it than them. Against teams that are not interested in out passing us but rather in STOPPING us playing and then feed off what scraps arise we have struggled this season. Bottom line is that it’s easier to destroy than to create. And Saints refusal to adjust approach this season is the reason we continue to be beatable or draw-able against even versus supposedly inferior teams. The matches we’ve drawn in particular to well organised but essentially anti-football playing teams has been the most frustrating part of the season for many fans. Our apparent refusal to compromise tactically regarded as a weakness by many fans here. It IS a weakness when we get found out as too often already this season - the argument goes “why can’t we play a more direct style more often if it’s going to be more effective against certain opponents at certain times?” But it is also, ultimately, a sign of strength. A sign that Saints are not playing for the small prizes but the very biggest. Surviving and thriving in the EPL for the long term. Trying to create a footballing dynasty to emulate the Man City’s of this world but on a smaller budget. But then again, anyone who has ever dared to dream big will always always get shot down because nay saying and criticising is just so very easy. Creating innovating and persisting with the courage of one’s convictions even in adversity and especially in adversity is so desperately unfashionable for todays instant gratification world. Keep trying to play beautiful football Saints, keep learning, keep humble and don’t give up.

That’s exactly what he is and has been doing. Anyone with a sports pyschology diploma would recognise that talk instantly. To criticise him for trying to get the best out of his players by speaking in tgat way when he is being interviewed is somewhat one dimensional frankly. Or plain ignorant is another way of seeing it. He is NOT going to say they yet again have proved themselves faint hearts is he? You know you’ve lost the dressing room when that comes out. So why posters berate his language in interview is beyond me. Just showing themselves up basically. Interviews and private convo/ thoughts are two different things. Didn’t think I’d have to spell that out.

Good point. Not all failure is catastrophic. Especially when it’s a game of football we are talking about not a botched heart surgery. If we do not hit the primary objective but have shown good progress in other ways then perhaps it’s not total failure. For many fans of course it will be. Promotion is everything by hook or crook. Nothing else matters. For some the resurrection of our pride our identity and spirit count for something and give hope that we are able to return to the top table - and stay there. Im no apologist for poor or under performance. Made a career out of the opposite especially in sporting context so do not mistake my view on Saints as being from someone “ easily satisfied” or with “zero ambition”, or a “ happy clapper” or even “Russell’s mum”. I’m just not so certain that having a bloodbath of manager and players even club management if we don’t go up is really in anyone’s interests. Yet again to start from scratch? Are we more likely to get promoted with an as yet unknown quantity new manager new coaches and a bunch of new players or by building on what went well this current season with settled manager and staff? We will lose a bunch of our best players, sure, but the likes of THB, Ryan Fraser, Rothwell and David Brooks all joined a championship team not guaranteed promotion - so I’ve no reason to doubt there will not be other good EPL quality players wanting to play at SFC next season - and under RM - if we miss out the playoffs. If I was SR I’d be taking all the pressure away and just encouraging RM and team to play there hearts out without fear because if we don’t do it this time we will be back stronger for it next year. Just the way Ive always worked with man management and motivation. The process the principles the style is good. The execution - and the defending - must improve. That’s it.

I would not go that far 😂 - but i know what you mean because it was truly horrendous last year - and some people have short memories. If you experience a life changing incident and survive every day thereafter can feel like a gift. You don’t get so stressed. You appreciate the NOW. You appreciate what you can see in front of your eyes and that’s all that really matters. Saints are playing some great football. I enjoy it. Many enjoy it. It’s mostly winning football also. I can see the thinking behind the style of play and it’s obvious to all that the players are playing for the manager and (new contracts) but also with desire to prove they are not the cowardly bunch from last season. I’m grateful for that. Means a lot to me. None of that = failure if we don’t go up. We have our pride back and that’s the biggest win we will probably ever get.

Sad fuck-itis.

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.