Cabrone

It's all about winning and entertainment, if we were doing what Leicester are currently doing the stadium would be alive and packed to the rafters.

That said I do agree it feels more detached than it was when I started watching, that's not SFC specific though, it's just the way football has gone.

We're so boring to watch, if you're going to lose at least give us some entertainment doing it. It's static, unimaginative, scared, lazy and inept.

I'd start by picking our winners and dumping the losers. Our winners are up front so I'd go for a much more attack oriented team. Our defence is no good so cut it down to 3. It's a gamble and we'll ship goals but we're shipping them anyway and look to be in real danger of the drop so why not try something different.

Time for guys like Boufal, Adams and Armstrong to get game time and Cedric, Long and Hojbjerg\JWP to be dropped. Transfer priorities are a central midfielder (can we get Lemina back?) and a central defender.

Got to shake this team up, fans are tired.

I'd play him up top with Ings just behind. Had we persevered with him I think the goals would have come, needs a run.

Performed a minor miracle dragging the team out of what was looking like almost certain relegation last season. I think our expectations were maybe a little too high this season, the rot is pretty deep at this club.

I hope the club sticks with him, I think he'll steer us clear again but let's not expect much more with the squad we have.

Plenty of moaning but.......7 points from the last 3 games, one being away at Arsenal....I think it's safe to say that everyone on here would have bitten your hand off for that haul.

The main thing these wins should be doing is improving confidence. After the Leicester result the team lost belief and it was always going to take time to recover from a result like that......but we should be on our way now.

Fingers crossed we can keep this going with at least a point at Newcastle and another 6 points or more from the remaining December fixtures.

Che Adams to start for me and Cedric dropped.

I'd play Boufal, like all flair players he's a bit hit and miss but he has match winning capabilities and we need all our match winners on the pitch. I'd also play Djenepo and Che Adams up front, Ings playing just behind.

Drop Cedric, been poor this season and play 3 at the back. Risky but the defence is poor anyway.

Attack is the best form of defence.

Christ Arse are gash aren't they.

Haven't quite given up yet as we've got some huge winnable (in theory) games coming up. Reckon if we pick up 8-10 points by year end we can still pull out of the mire. Obviously need to get going right now though.

Sack Ralph and we'll just spiral down faster IMO, whole club is rotten.

To quote the Guardian...

This might be the first, certainly in Premier League history, in which both sides would accept a 4-0 home win.

Probably about right and how sad is that....

Ralph had a fantastic track record before arriving and I don't believe he's become a bad manager overnight. He inherited a club that was almost down and somehow performed a minor miracle keeping us up. However even he's struggling to get performances from players that aren't up to it.

I'm glad the club are backing him in words but they have to match this in funds for transfers. He has a style and he need the right players for it.

If we replace him we'll spiral down pretty quickly, we need to stick with him.

I was treated to an evening in the Markus Liebherr suite. Shame the car crash of a football match ruined the occasion. Sitting next to two Leicester fans, too. They were very restrained.

 

As for the game, Leicester were good and we capitulated abysmally. That's about it.

 

Huge respect to Maya who came up to face us after the game. Was relieved he didn't have a hara kiri sword. Made no excuses. Just said sorry. Got to "sort things out".

 

Before the game I asked one of the Saints staff whether there are underlying problems. He didn't deny it. Implied that the business model is broken as we're crippled paying the wages of all the very bad buys who we can't offload. Investment in players will only come from sales and we aren't selling anyone. I took that as confirmation that Gao won't put a penny in. Probably hasn't got a penny. Ralph losing his assistant was a far bigger blow than was admitted. I'd say that's the point in Ralph's time when things started to go wrong.

 

Depressing.

 

 

 

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True the ghost of Les Reed haunts this club and will do for some time but depressingly the problems run even deeper IMO and it starts from the remote, passionless non leadership from the top. It transmits all the way down.

Removing Ralph will just accelerate the decline IMO. I'd stick with him, do or die.

If you have an owner who's only ambition is to stay in the premier league then the club will nosedive. You've got to have ambition and send a positive vibe - even if you don't hit your targets - otherwise pessimism and lethargy set in and you go backwards.

At the moment we look good for the drop, 4 seasons of dross has turned us from an exciting team to one that looks like it's punching above it's weight in this league.

Hopefully we draw them at Fratton in the cup and get another 4-0. Always nice to do the double.

7 points from last 3 games - 2 away + 1 home to Man U.

I'll take that.

Probably time for one of these

 

 

If you were there with us that day you'll know what it means.

Best game of our best ever season. Fantastic memories.

Overall much more positive than last week and we were undone by a couple of good strikes.

Ings is getting a bit of stick on here but Adams missed a pretty good chance too, just that it was in the 1st half rather than at the death. Don't just single out Ings, the whole strikeforce need to sharpen up.

Would like it if the club could steal a song from a Southampton based band for entry music, dont know of a song that would suffice though.

Back in Southampton - Gutta Percha & The Balladeers

Even mentions Ted Bates and the 76 Cup Win

If you want a Southampton band then how about 'Berts Apple Crumble' by the Quik...top tune

BBC featured our terrible stat today...

 

Slow-starting Southampton

 

Southampton made a slow start to their Premier League campaign as they were beaten 3-0 by Burnley at Turf Moor. But it should come as no surprise for Saints fans as they have not won their opening league fixture since 2013-14 when they beat West Brom 1-0.

 

Southampton have a miserable opening Premier League weekend record with only two wins in 21 attempts - a winning return of 9.6%.

Our premier league opening record is bad but the 7 seasons we spent outside the prem were no better.

Opening day results were:

Wolves(h) 0-0

Derby (a) 2-2

Palace (h) 1-4

Cardiff (a) 1-2

Millwall (h) 1-1

Plymouth (h) 0-1

Leeds (h) 3-1

= 6 points, would equate to 44 points over a 38 game season.

This football club seems to have a real problem hitting the ground running.

Obviously the smart money's on a loss but I fully expect at a bare minimum to see a big improvement on Saturday. RH isn't going to put up with standard a second time running.

If we go at them with the bit between our teeth I can see a close loss or even with a bit of luck a draw.

Bednarek + Yoshida in central defence please. Also if you play Long on his own up front you won't score - Adams & Ings up front for me please.

He has seen Stephens plenty and still continues to pick him

I wonder if after a full pre-season Ralph wiped last season's performances and selected from friendlies form. Regardless he gave them the opportunity to claim those positions and they ended up costing us the game.

Enough IMO, it's time for a change.

If fit I'd have Yoshida and Bednarek in a 4-4-2 setup with the new kid on the bench, ready to be tried out.

Vestergaard and Stephens aren't up to it, I think we've seen that enough times now.

At least one 'positive' from yesterday is that after just 1 game Ralph should now know that they aren't up to it.

I'd be quite surprised if he gave them a 2nd chance.

We never start very well and that performance was far too early to make any real assumptions let alone the reactions on here.

Things will improve, RH will ensure it.

For me Friday night is the worst time for a game.

Besides the usual transport issues Friday evening is a time to unwind and have a drink after a week's work (or study for the students on here), not to go to a football match. Also when there's a game on a Saturday there's some anticipation\excitement on the Friday for the following day. Friday games kill that for the rest of the w\e.

Besides, it's just plain weird to play football on a Friday, there's no tradition whatsoever. Every Friday night game I've ever been to had a strange atmosphere.

Saturday > Sunday (4pm) > Midweek > Monday > Sunday (lunchtime) > Friday for me.

Whoever ends up buying Charlie has to play him right and he'll bag the goals. Forget through balls to run onto, get it in the box and he's and excellent weapon up front.

I still think 10M is about OK.

Didn't BT get a bit of stick in his early days at SFC?