ant

Bad feeling about this one. Mad Nate has them well-organised, and other than a narrow loss to Wrexham they've been in very good form. Can absolutely envisage him doing something akin to a 'Ralph v Liverpool' come full time.

Always found it bizarre how many posters spelt his name Goa. Or did it just become an in-joke? 🤷‍♂️

Whilst I'd have respected the chanting continuing, it was never likely if results started picking up. Think it's wrong to assume they've stopped, though. Won't take much for discontent to rear its head again.

If we choose to follow that counter-argument we can continue as we are for a bit, no? Rather than giving Eckert a multi-year contract. Might be nice to dodge paying further unnecessary payoffs. Just for a season or so...

Every week (OK, not so much today...) we see opposition keepers that could improve us. Most could've been pried away for a reasonable price. They might not do us in the Prem. But how about we fucking focus on getting there first? You could permanently demote Bazunu to play with the kids and he would still be shown up. There's sunk-cost fallacy and there's... This. One of the clearest examples of Sports Republic's insanity.

Felt it was disjointed for long spells, and once again we lost the plot after the subs. However we were at least fairly clinical, which isn't something you could accuse us of this season to date. The creative players seemed to have a bit more freedom to run at the opposition - but that could've just been because Wednesday are limited. Two fairly 'meh' wins is probably the best we could've hoped for in this interim spell.

Done some reading around why Middleborough let Carrick go and it seems fan opinion was he was overly wedded to a possession-based system that didn't frequently enough convert into points. Whereas the board couldn't get over the regression of league positions, and didn't feel they had the assurances that things would change/progress. In 2024-25 they'd budgeted for promotion, so finishing 10th (when the points threshold for the playoffs was the lowest for a decade) wasn't deemed acceptable. Aside from any virtues of Rob Edwards, I guess this in part accounts for why they're flying high at the moment, i.e. the squad building was already well under way. (As an aside, it's worth noting that they haven't really spent a fortune - and how heavily they lean on loans...) In mitigation, it sounds like there was a general falling out in the January 2025 window over transfer targets, with Carrick being overruled. Not sure whether that speaks for or against his strength of will and/or character. Perhaps a couple of red flags. Granted, this doesn't fully account for the competency/incompetency of the Boro board. But then look at what you have to work with for us... 🤦‍♂️

Not for long.

Hope you're right. Now's the time to hit the gas, not the brakes.

Looks like the club still hasn't posted anything on social media since before the match, which is interesting. A conscious attempt not to give fans somewhere to react? Waiting until it's news of the manager getting the boot? Or option C...?

Trying not to care, as a method of self-preservation. But still absolutely livid this morning.

This league's schedule is relentless. Can't we go a few bloody days without having to endure another shitty Saints performance? Used to hate international breaks. Now they just seem like sweet relief.

One of the better performers this season, and to be honest I don't mind seeing a player give a bit back. We were justified in how we reacted to today's performance, and it's more authentic for him to react like that than to meekly clap as he walks off the pitch. Feels fairly similar to Boruc lobbing that bottle of water into the Chapel. In the sense of not being the ideal reaction, but an understandable level of humanity.

Just stop supporting a team altogether. My little bro fulfilled the younger sibling role in all aspects other than deciding to glory hunt and be a United fan around the age of 6. He saw the light from then on. You're telling me that at (what I presume is) an adult age you'd go against what a literal child managed to ascertain was wrong? Southampton 'til I die. And if you disagree, be gone with ye. Good riddance.

Sorry, I meant in terms of the general optics and wider public opinion of his clown club getting beat all the time, as opposed to him literally watching.

Doesn't match my experience. Multiple chants of "you're not fit to wear the shirt" towards the end and after - including during one of our final corners. Might have imagined it, but fairly sure Wood got pissed off about it. One or two renditions of "sacked in the morning". Then at the final whistle "Sports Republic, get out of our club" got a couple more decent rounds. When Still came over after the final whistle the boos were venomous. Overall thought the crowd pitched it about right today. Timeless chants like "Southampton til I die" rather than much about the current day. Saved any poison for the most dire moments. Definitely less soft and accepting than we normally are.

Almost as scared about controlling the narrative as Lowe was.

Plenty of venom directed SR's way today. And it's about time. How proud a man is Solak when it comes to public shaming? He's clearly not all that perturbed by watching us get humped every week.

It was either brave or stupid for him to walk towards the Northam at the end! Maybe he just wanted to say goodbye. 😉

Crowd ire is turning towards SR and the board. Imagine they'll just react by chopping Still.

Starting lineup looks gross. Feeling pretty fucking despondent on the walk to the ground. The guilt of having bought a season ticket when money is tight is more of a motivating factor to attend than any anticipation of enjoyment.

Given the ridiculous number of crosses we put into the box with nobody willing/able to attack them, I fancy Gav to get about a goal a game with the suggested tactics. A 34 goal season will easily make him top scorer. As for Saints, we'll draw every remaining match 1-1 or 2-2, scraping to 46 points and surviving on the final day. Bazunu will get a big-money move to a top division continental side and Sports Republic will congratulate themselves on a another job well done. Sadly, Solak's funds will be frozen shortly after and we'll fall into administration over the summer. Starting 2026-27 on -10 in League One. Our saviour? Rasmus Ankersen as a private investor.

Only just seen this. Explains why Bragg didn't have a name or number on his shirt. Unfair to throw him in at the deep end through little other than ineptitude. We don't buy success, we traumatise it.

I head towards Bitterne, so walk straight past the bridge and use the underpass. But if you're heading west you can easily do the same thing and then double back once you hit Northam Road. A longer route, but I bet you'll be away quicker.

Match 12 - Martin W6, D2, L4, 20 points (5th) The infamous home draw against Rotherham (where Downes moaned about the fan reaction) was followed by an away win at Hull. By this point, we were over the tricky run and up to 5th - a position we'd go no lower than for the rest of the season. Match 12 - Still W2, D6, L4, 12 points (20th) Midweek: bloody hell. Yesterday: bloodier hell. Start brightly; score; retreat; miss chances; lose our heads. Repeat. Our points tally is matched by the mighty Oxford, who have a superior goal difference to boot.