Colinjb

We seem determined to do this in an almost joyless, labourous way. Despite the ability some of our squad have. Not that the three points are in themselves objectionable.

This is shite. I'm going to do everyone a favour and stop watching, swear I curse the side when I make an effort to see them.

Baz keeping us in this.

Met an American kid in Yates before that game, he was extremely excited to be going to see us on a very cold december night. Delighted he would be getting a chance to buy one of our 'Jerseys' and see this team tearing up the championship in person. Hope he wasn't too dissapointed.

FFS

Whilst looking for a push chair for my youngest my mind went back to the brand Joie being a sponsor of Liverpool. Happily spent a bit more to not have one.

Great squad player who came up with some important moments during our most successful times. Helps that he seems to be a very decent bloke. Was a shame he just seemed to slip away on the quiet. Wonderful to see him back, he clearly feels some decent affection for the club.

It's FRASER TIME!!!!!

Fraser trying to channel his inner Shane Long........ badly.

And Breathe.

Here we go.

Martin must be eyeing up that pass record we had v Sheffield Wednesday.

Lovely goal. Well done Sully.

Harwood Belis. We deserve that.

Birmingham fans must be so f**ked off. Replacing a manager who had done nothing wrong for this.

Shades of Viafara in the play off semi for that one. That 2005 game was televised if I remember correctly. Remember watching it.

And the bit in highlight indicates the clear advantage Ange has over RM. You have said it yourself, he has a way of doing things but his Celtic side and Spurs side are set up differently.

Maybe not the best example to prove your point, Postecoglu very specifically has made clear he is not wedded to a single formation. https://metro.co.uk/2023/07/06/ange-postecoglou-on-tottenham-formation-and-harry-kane-19080299/ So, this proves the point that employing adaptable managers he can use the squads to their strengths, not forcing players to fit a preconceived, stubbornly dogmatic pattern, is better.

His indecision on whether to support Edozie or stay central last night in the build up to the second Preston goal suggests otherwise. I admire your optimism though.

Ground laid after the star players left. Pochettino was no idiot, he did his research very carefully before taking over, he knew our squad would suit him, he knew the technical ability was there. See how he has done at Chelsea so far, flashes of good, but square pegs in round holes. I see talent join us and get worse. Shea Charles looked great to begin with, as he tries to adapt to Martin he gets worse. The best managers help their players get better. I cannot think of a single player, except maybe Bazunu and Edozie, who has looked like they have genuinely improved since Martin came in. Managers who dogmatically stick to one way of playing (Which Pochettino doesn't do..... he can adapt) stifle talent, they don't develop it.

That's f**king hillarious.

We don't just grow talent, we squander it

The one thing I am certain of, is that ever since Koeman left we have massively overcomplicated how we have been run. So sure of our intelligence in trying to do things differently that we have disappeared up our own backsides. Football is not a complicated game, you play your players to their strengths. Systems do not win you football matches, football players do. If you are able to match players to a system, yes, it has a chance of working. But putting players in situations and ways of working that do not suit them lead to failure and stops them reaching their potential. Hassenhutl had a system, we couldn't afford to sustain it with a disinterested owner and lost the players that suited it. Martin has a system (not that it has bought any actual prior success) he is making players that are not capable of making it work try it. All a system and philosophy does is tell your opponents how you are going to play. Once they adapt, we collapse..... and have done for the last 4 years. Man City/Guardiola can make it work because they have more money then god and can cherry pick players to make it work. Until we accept that we are not that clever, we will continue to fail. Here ends my rant.

I f**king hate being a Southampton fan. Truly do.

Wow Bazunu.