trousers

Yep, I'm leaning that way too. As you allude to, there are potential pros and cons of either approach to be fair, but I agree that the risks associated with playing a full strength team outweigh the risks of playing a weaker team, in my opinion. I get the train of thought that says we don't want to go into the playoffs on the back of another defeat, but if that defeat is as a result of resting several key players then that shouldn't impact the team's mentality going into the playoff games as they'll know the context behind the defeat and as such it shouldn't be demoralising. What will be demoralising is if we play a strong side and still end up losing... Logic says we should rule out that eventually and playing a weakened side is the only way to ensure that...

Whilst I acknowledge there's probably no manager that sees any job as a permanent appointment, I'm more inclined to agree with the sentiment that Hassenhuttl saw Saints as a long term project rather than overtly as a "stepping stone". I've just listened back at his initial interview (below) and there's nothing in there that even alludes to such thoughts. My overriding impression with RH, especially in the first couple of years, is that he quickly saw Saints as "his" club and everything seemed geared towards a partnership of longevity (the so called Ralph 'playbook' underpinning that philosophy). Anyway, all in the past now and we'll probably never know for sure what he perceived his career path to be upon joining us, and beyond.

I get where you're coming from but I disagree a tad with your assessment of how in contention we were. I believe that first table was at the end of our "club record unbeaten run" (TM).... at which point there was no sign whatsoever that the wheels were about to come off... Our momentum was upwards and going on to secure an auto-promotion place from there was not unrealistic in the slightest. So, in my humble opinion, we very much were "in the hunt" after 30 games and it's only hindsight that suggests otherwise.

Erm...

Indeed... And therein lies the problem....

This is ultimately what it boils down to. People can, and will, obviously spin figures to suit their viewpoint, but the simple matter of fact is that we're one of the top goalscorers in the league but amongst the bottom half of the table in terms of keeping the ball out of the back of the net.

The vast majority of people who left did so straight after the final whistle , at which point we didn't know how long it would take for the players to come back out.... So most people had made their minds up before any waiting kicked in...

If, between us, we were going to go into full MLG mode, we could draw all three matches and still get promoted....

Nee-naw, nee-naw....

I fear my answer might attract the wrath of the forum's much esteemed fence-sitting police...

Indeed.... it's almost as if idioms shouldn't be taken literally....

Get him in the first team FFS!

Yep, fair point.

Ah, ok... "Trousers talking nonsense" it is then..... Supplimementary question in that case: I wonder why he's dropped back down to the u18s having been promoted to the u21s...? Probably just a case of not being quite ready for the step up I guess.

He played, and scored, for England 2 weeks ago.... Bit of a conspiracy theory but I wonder if we're trying to keep him out of the public eye as much as possible in the run up to the close season to try and keep him off the radar of the bigger club vultures, with the plan being to unleash him into the first team next season (especially if we're still in the Championship)? Just me thinking out loud, so probably spouting nonsense as per usual....

Don't know, hence asking

Given we're now mathematically out of the auto-promotion race, I'd leave Downes out of the squad. Given how pivotal he is to the way we play, the risk of him getting injured versus Leeds is higher than the risk of playing him in the play-offs with next to no match practice. Need to wrap him up in cotton wool. IMO of course.

Btw, any idea what's happened to Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez...? Hailed a a "wonderkid" at the start of the season... broke into the U21 squad.... but hasn't appeared on any teamsheets over the last couple of months IIRC.... injured I assume? https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/the-scarily-talented-southampton-fc-wonderkid-who-must-have-a-first-team-pathway-view/ " Alejandro Gomes Rodriguez may not be a household name yet in English football, but he could well be in years to come. The 15-year-old Southampton academy product had scored nearly 50 goals for the Saints across different age groups by March 2023. He'd only joined the club in the summer of 2022, according to Junior Premier League. The centre-forward is eligible to play for England, Portugal and Venuzuela, but has already played for England Under-15's, scoring four goals in two games in February this year. These are remarkable statistics and the Saints will be thanking their lucky stars that a player this talented is on their books. Keeping hold of Rodriguez will be crucial for the club in the years to come. As Birmingham City showed with Jude Bellingham, age is no object if you're good enough to play first-team football. However, it's important to remember that Rodriguez is only 15, if he's rushed into first-team football too early, it may stunt his development and may even lead to injuries. On the other hand, it's important that Southampton ensure there's a path to first-team football for Rodriguez, as he could be a future star at first-team level. If he continues to perform for the Saints academy, it won't be long until bigger clubs start circling. It's crucial that they find the balance between rushing Rodriguez's development and keeping the player happy. If the forward was to break into the Saints' U21 set-up this season, then he could well see himself involved with the first-team in training and during pre-season next year. At 16, he'll be the same age Bellingham was when he made his debut for Birmingham for comparison. Russell Martin will be aware of how talented the youngster is and will want to ensure he keeps his feet on the ground and performs for the Saints' academy sides. It's unlikely that he'll get a first-team look in until he's playing for the U21 side, that should be Rodriguez's aim for this season. " (the above article was written last year; he turned 16 last month)

Seems a tad odd that we're not giving Ross Stewart a 30 minute run out in this game given Martin has confirmed he'll be involved versus Leeds? In fact, we never seem to use the U21s/B-Team games to give fringe senior squad players match fitness run outs these days. I wonder when/why that philosophy changed?

Can't think why that would happen this summer, unless Sport Republic's business plan is wholely reliant on returning to the PL at the first time of asking? Anyway, given past takeovers, we'll surely hear rumours on here long before anything happens.

To be fair, the person who gets to use the 'Charlie Wayman' account on Sundays has always been much more level headed than the Saturday fella...

Indeed... Fancy people coming on here trying to make a point ad infinitum....

I rather suspect that's the general idea... He's very good at his craft to be fair....

I rest my case... 😂

If only there was some bright spark on the forum who could help put that seemingly fantastic run into context...