Midfield_General

He’s more of a poacher. The sort of player who might be quiet all game but then pops up in the right place at the right time to score the winner. He didn’t do much yesterday (though didn’t get a lot of service) but when the keeper spilled one from long range he had been sharp enough to follow it in for a tap in. He’s not the biggest either, he’s more of a fox in the box type, but he’s good at it. I think I read somewhere that all (or almost all) of his goals this season have been one touch / first time finishes. So he’s a different style of player to Larin, and they each have their own qualities.

They are soft at the back though. Didn't realise how many points they've dropped from winning positions, and they threw the lead away twice again tonight before snatching it at the end. They really aren't very good defensively. I think we'll beat them fairly comfortably at home.

Watching Stoke vs. Boro. HT: Boro are tidy enough on the ball and have a lot of it but haven't created anything. Cozier-Duberry down the right looks their biggest threat and most of their play is aimed at getting him on the ball, but he's not done anything of any real note. Lankshear obviously poses a threat but has had no service whatsoever. They play fairly high up and can be pressed into mistakes in midfield to create spaces in behind. Really not that impressed so far. Think Stoke will hold them at arm's length and then nick something. They look very beatable if you set up right. Edit: Could be wrong though lol. Good finish tbf.

I hope Leicester get some, we still need to shift BBD permanently

Why, out of interest?

Haha that's amazing. Let's break it down shall we: "Eckert faces sack" - not sacked ❌ "and FA ban" - not banned ❌ "Sporting Director under scrutiny" - still here ❌ "Fears sponsors will pull out" - none did ❌ "Angry players consider legal action" - none took any legal action ❌ Wrong five times in a four-line tweet, that's pretty impressive even for that melt

Four at the back, Schlotterbeck turning out to be excellent and Bree being immovable from the side has screwed him really. Makes him fourth choice CB and second/ third choice RB, and only likely to play in any meaningful games in the event of injury.

The SFC firm making their feelings known about it ScreenRecording_10-13-2026 11-52-27_1.mov Edit: Don't know why this came out as a download rather than embedding

"This time we should send a dummy bus in first and let them work out their frustration on it before the real one arrives." My god, they're genuinely terrified of coming down aren't they 🤣 They'll be petitioning for a bubble next

Oh my god, Middlesborough fans have started calling us scummers 🤣 https://fmttmboro.com/index.php?threads/the-southampton-away-game.86403/ They are so desperate to think they're our rivals, it's getting weird now It's like having a girl who won't stop calling and who describes herself to people as your ex, when you only took her home pissed once and can barely remember what her name was

I can hear it now Love it

They should have done a lot better with the free header that Peretz saved comfortably immediately after the sending off, but that was the only real save he had to make. They had no composure and no quality in the final third. They looked like a League One team.

Well, we do like to make life hard for ourselves. Even when we were looking good in the first half, the formation looked weird and lopsided on the right hand side. You could argue that it worked as it was where the goal was scored, but Bree was being asked to do a hell of a lot. It looked like either Stephens or JWP were meant to drop in at right back when he was off up the pitch, but neither of them really seemed to know whose job it was, and Pompey were getting a lot of joy in behind down that side. A team with any quality may have punished us a lot more. We were way superior until the red card, but I thought Bragg was having a poor game even before that and it was a big call to put him in for such a pressurised game. I'm glad the red didn't cost us the match. He's a Saints fan and a young lad and it could have seriously impacted him. As it is, he got away with one, and hopefully he'll learn from it and use the experience to develop. I really liked how the manager and players all went to him to support him. Great team spirit. Pompey were atrocious in the final third. Once they had the extra man they were getting into some good positions, but their crossing was appalling and when they did get a sight of goal they had zero composure. Again, a better side could have punished us. But what a fantastic, gritty, fighting performance from Saints in the second half. Really dug in, everyone fighting for each other and giving absolutely everything. Stephens, Schlotterbeck, Bree the warrior with his head stuck together with tape and Downes were all outstanding. Proper dogs of war stuff. Azaz though - wow. A stunning performance. His vision and quality of passing is just something else. But then who knew he had that in him as the makeshift number nine, playing with his back to goal, holding it up and giving us an out ball? He was asked to play three different roles during that game and was different class in all of them. Very interesting that when it came to the crunch Tonda chose to play him up there and leave Mubama on the bench. He mentioned more than once in his post-match interview on Sky that he needed someone up there he knew he could trust. Goes to show the very high regard in which he holds Azaz, and is maybe quite telling that he realises that Mubama is not quite ready yet. To give them an extra man for half the match and still beat them though, it doesn't get much sweeter than that. It's been a long time coming but we deserved it. And a final word to the fans, who were absolutely magnificent from the first minute to the last. The place was rocking and our fans were all you could hear. What a week. Spygate finally behind us, Tonda in the dugout and out-fighting that lot with ten men for a win we fully deserved. COYS

They created plenty, they just couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo

Just noticed Jander’s on the bench 👍

He won’t though. He’ll keep getting sacked, and then when no-one will employ him anymore he’ll get the gig on Sky as an analyst, sagely dispensing his expert wisdom on what all the other managers are doing wrong like the guru he is. Exactly what he did after stinking out the premier league with us, basically.

Maybe next time we get a shot at the PL we won't be going up against Liverpool and Arsenal managed by someone whose level is 19th in League One and who gets tactically schooled on a weekly basis by the managers of Burton Albion, Stevenage and Peterborough.

High press

Summary below (nicked from another board). Excuse-wise, he's really playing the hits now: His interview: He says that the tactics aren't to blame for the goals being conceded. Goals against are usually because of individual errors. We're fragile at the back because people don't do their jobs. We're not clinical up front, especially when teams defend as though their life depends on it. Sometimes we need to do the ugly stuff in big moments, to settle us after we concede. The team is young. I tell them to get it forward and do the ugly side of the game, I don't know why they don't do it. There will be changes for the next game There's no point in changing the manager.

Throwing the players under the bus post-match

Childish I know, but made me laugh from their boards

No. 1 in the league for possession. 19th in the league for points.

McCarthy got two years as well, at 36 🤣

70% possession. 644 passes vs. 263. 4 shots on target. Final score: 1-3. And let's not forget just what an appalling side Peterborough are. They were 23rd in League One, and they were away. Not sure what's more ridiculous, Martin's coaching or Savage's trousers.

Three year contract. As a free agent. 🤣