Midfield_General

After last week I think we'll look to close them down fast, keep it tight at the back and be really switched on defending set pieces and crosses, and as a result will grind out a turgid 12-12 draw.

Very pleasantly surprised by Smallbone. Composed, always looking for space, played with his head up and good range of passing. Like having a decent new signing.

He wasn't brought on to run at people and take risks, he was brought on to help keep the ball and close out the game. Which he did.

How are Reading going to afford his wages given they’re in the midst of total financial fuckdown? He’s been on something like sixty grand a week, and they haven’t got a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of.

Oh cool, a load of kids from Man City's youth team

More importantly, is this the biggest thread bump in history? Biding your time for 10 years to comment on an ultimately inconsequential event in a game against Malta. You have to admire that.

An exploration of the relationship between Joe Shields and Lavia’s agent would be interesting. Although I’m sure it’s all absolutely, definitely above board.

I'm not having a go at you mate, but jesus christ, if that's the reason for anyone to be in any team week in week out, let alone a Premier League one, then that team deserves everything it gets. Manager: "OK, I don't need you to receive the ball, keep the ball, pass effectively, go past people, win headers, tackle anyone or contribute anything going forward. I just need you to sort of stand in vaguely the right place while the game goes on around you. Here's sixty grand a week". Fucking hell

To be honest, can you blame him? Brought into a shite side for a decent fee expecting to play and then has to sit on the bench while dross like Ely and the rest of the proven failures still got game time ahead of him week after week. I hope he stays but I wouldn’t blame him if he got a better offer and bailed - If I was him I’d be pretty pissed off with that too. Sounds to me from those quotes like he wants to feel a bit of love and for someone to tell him he’s wanted here. Hopefully we can get a manager in quickly who can put an arm around his shoulders and make him feel part of something before he gives it up as a bad job.

Yes we would have done if Theo had ever played in the same side as either Bale or Chamberlain, which he didn't.

That’s our hand-selected guy, is it? Him? Christ. I feel like I’m at a sales seminar for the Carphone Warehouse.

Have SR actually interviewed/ considered anyone else, or have they just decided from the outset that he’s the right guy so it’s not really worth considering or meeting any other candidates?

Fair point - I stand corrected

And loves snazzy touchline attire

Translation: Sacked by Bournemouth, Fulham and Club Brugge.

What did happen to that poster who joined pretty much the day Jones started, talked incessantly about how brilliant NJ was as a manager, claimed to have been a Saints fan all his life but occasionally slipped and called Luton 'we', and then disappeared as soon as the mad twat got the boot? The one who absolutely, definitely wasn't Jones posting after training? 🤣

“In the words of one member of staff, Southampton started the season with a team that was ‘basically Prowsey, Theo and a bunch of children’ “

Well that's a load of absolute bollocks for a start, isn't it. In the squad on first day of the season only 3 players were under 24. That's not a 'bunch of children'. And Theo wasn't even in the squad. Squad vs. Spurs: Bazunu - 21 Walker-Peters - 26 Valery - 24 Bednarek - 27 Salisu - 24 Djenepo - 24 Ward-Prowse - 28 Lavia - 19 Romeu - 31 Aribo - 26 A Armstrong - 26 Subs: McCarthy - 33 Stephens - 29 Adams - 26 Redmond - 29 Perraud - 25 S Armstrong - 31 Elyounoussi - 28 Diallo - 24 Bella-Kotchap - 21

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/tables https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/teams/southampton/scores-fixtures HTH 👍

That’s what it feels like, but how can you possibly be complacent when you’re rock bottom of the league and losing most weeks?

When you see it like that, it brings into focus just what a weird team we are. We’ve been so, so shit in so many games, but that set of results shows we’re not a completely lost cause. You can fluke a few results against the top clubs, but not five. Why can we only raise our game against good sides and be so utterly useless against everyone else?

1-12

Because he was. Making one good save against us doesn't change that.

This is why Denise Coates, who owns half of Bet365, is worth £5.2bn

Keep up the good work 👍