coalman

Then he played five at the back and almost no central midfielders.

Err, thanks? I guess.

You bastard. You realise that MLG is going to have to go through my entire posting history now to confirm that?

When he was playing for the French U20 side.

Mara looked good before we systematically coached being a striker out of him.

5th in your opinion or the official UEFA rankings?

Never mind this pointless argument over which leagues are best in Europe. I still don't know who was first to confirm the story.

Thanks for being first to break this, @trousers

So who do we least want to play next season out of Sunderland and Sheff Utd? Can BBD score some goals to up his transfer price?

Glad we've got this done early and a backroom team in place so we, at least, have a chance over the summer. Good to see so many posters got there first to share the news.

Please god can we sign a striker this summer. One that scores goals instead of a £20 million last minute panic buy or someone that immediately takes up a bed in the treatment room.

There's an argument we got promoted in spite of Martin rather than because of him. I remember being impressed how he'd adapted his tactics in the playoff final against Leeds and thinking it boded well for the Premier League. Only to hear he was annoyed the players didn't follow his instructions because "emotion had taken over". That's not to say I didn't enjoy a lot of the football we played during our promotion season. In between the good stuff we still conceded a lot of goals and the signs were there. The other way I'd look at it would be whether the Saints team is in a better or worse state after Martin left than when he joined. I'd argue he's left us in a worse position. Sport Republic have played their part in this too with abject recruitment despite their willingness to open their wallet and spend some cash. Martin alone isn't responsible for where we find ourselves. For a mid table team that flatters to deceive or a squad at the upper ends of the Championship he's probably a decent fit. He just hasn't demonstrated the desire to learn or self awareness to go beyond that level.

I think Martin was genuinely unprepared for the step up in both quality and intensity. The question you'd have to ask is how he'd have approached it differently and, as he said to Lineker, he wouldn't.

This is the thing for me. Top level sports people typically have one thing in common - the ability to learn from their mistakes. Martin just made excuses and became more dogmatic. Then appears to have instilled that culture in the club.

I'm on the fence whether Martin would do well at Leicester. His style of football was so ruthlessly exposed last year that everyone will know how to set up against him. The only question is whether sufficient Championship teams have the quality to do it against the quality of Leicester's squad or whatever remains of it.

Given our suicidal passing around the back I'd imagine they're more of a therapist than a coach

Ok, so Lucy loses out by being forced to move to Leicester. The important thing is they're in love and happy to share that on social media.

It's easy to see how this works for everyone. In Martin, Leicester are appointing a manager who is capable of dominating the league (or at least scraping the playoffs) with a superior team. Southampton get his wages off the balance sheet. And Martin puts himself in the shop window for the England job after Tuchel, a shot at one of the big six in the Premier League or, dare to whisper it, abroad at somewhere like Real or PSG. On top of that the players pining for his brand of tough love that he left behind at Southampton have a career route to fulfill their career aspirations of playing the brand of centre circle possession dominance that they all not so secretly yearn for.

After two dogmatic coaches blindly playing a a rigid system at all costs that is music to my ears. I'm increasingly optimistic. That being said I'm optimistic every time we appoint a new manager despite recent evidence failing to support that.

They won't truly be in freefall until they appoint Martin.

At least it's not Lampard or Gerard or Rooney.

The occasion will get to Everton and they'll wind up playing at the same level as Saints. We have more experience being shit at football and that will carry us through.

He did save a penalty. The temerity of it. Pep's just a haute couture Russell Martin.

I'm surprised that RM wasn't offered a pundit role for the cup final. This is the kind of game that would really benefit for his insightful and pragmatic analysis.