James G

So, how does it work now. It reads that they are supporting Jones, and if the ship goes down, so be it. You also have a team at rock bottom, seemingly because of Hassenhutl. So, do you support the team, or, do you push against the tide in the hope that they will get rid of the manager. The feel in the stadium will, inevitably, have an impact on outcomes. It's all bizarre, but it seems that everyone top to bottom has decisions to make that will ultimately decide your season. Are the new players enough for Jones to push forward, and is he strong enough emotionally and canny enough strategically to carry the team forward. I'll stop posting now, as I'm probably annoying, but I wish you all good luck 👍

That's a good post. I genuinely thought he would adapt his principles successfully but he seems lost between his own way of playing, and the way Southampton were playing before he joined. They're somewhere in the middle, and it's not working. Now he's saying he wants to go back to his own way of playing, but Southampton do not have those types of players throughout the team, so it's obviously not going to work.

29, including free agents and loans, around 175 million pounds

There's a private flight from Groningen, so maybe Southampton are going for Ricardo Pepi who they were linked with a year or so ago. Just a guess

I was just thinking about the mystery striker, and came up with Valentin Castellanos, currently on loan at Girona. If you scroll through the flights, there is one from Girona airport on Monday He plays for New York, so is part of the CFG group, Man City, so given Southampton had City staff he might be on their radar. He's a striker, good with both feet and in the air, also good off the ball. Girona are linked through Romeu, could be 10-12 million. Argentinian too. Currently linked with a move to Brighton. Just a thought anyway

I thought he'd bought or built a house in the Midlands, and that's him settled now, so I'm not sure his family would want to move again. Maybe a short loan until the summer at best, but I can't see it.

It's interesting, and there's alot of science behind it. When younger players are in the academy, they record growth spurts in the players, and they follow this over a long period of time. And with this data, they are able to calculate playing time, recovery time, and help reduce injuries. Every player is different. Problems arise when this data isn't available as not all clubs are into science, so when you buy younger players without pedigree, you are taking a bigger risk.

Jones' style is very physical, and that risks injury for younger players, so they'll need to be looked after. I thought it was a good week though, was that the first win at Everton for 20 years, plus it was the first time City has no shots on goal for 4 or 5 years. I think you need another central defender, and a striker, at least. I think it'll be up and down for a few weeks, then you'll go on a run once things start to bed in. I watched the City match, it was one of the best performances against them I've seen

Either support the team or don't but NJ is two games in, threads like this are incredibly irrational and disrespectful after such a short time. Anyway, best wishes for the New Year👍

Well, the other team will have more possession, you close them down, shift it forward quickly second man available, into the box, shots on goal. Setups can be anything. Obviously at the weekend, there were errors early on and it went pear shaped, but Soton had double the shots, and were equal with shots on target. The Brighton ones came about mainly due to errors, but 80 per cent of football is about confidence, it is what it is. It's not going to be as pretty, but Soton will be fine.

Southampton will be fine, just chill. It was all aboard the daftee express the weekend gone, but the core principles are being embedded, you'll see improvement as we go.

No, my family run a mental health charity in England, I oversee some aspects, remotely now, and as part of that we attend charity functions during the year with football clubs, mainly to build relationships, to get funding etc.. Through these functions, you meet alot of people from alot of clubs, and they like to drink, relax and talk football. And they love to opine about other football clubs. So, I have heard millions of conversations about all sorts of things over the years. I don't know Nathan Jones, but I know he's highly thought of by alot of people.

Hi, Jones is highly regarded in footballing circles and is extremely flexible. He will base the formation and style of play around the strengths of the players. The only aspect he is consistent with is the high press, and having players around the ball to pass to. The reason he plays the way he does right now is that with the hoof ball, if certain players are playing, there is a 90 per cent chance of picking the ball up then pushing forward. It's just about numbers. He likes his players focussed and fit, and he's a hands on manager. From a footballing perspective, he's a very good manager, it's just going to be about how the players adapt to him and his methods