Midfield_General

Re: The conversation on TalkSport: It was interesting - it seems that someone at the club is now leaking to the press because they were giving a direct quote attributed to "a senior source behind the scenes". I don't have the quote word-for-word, but to paraphrase it was along the lines of "There is concern over the way that results have gone at the start of the season. We are looking to Russell Martin to rise to the occasion and prove that he can make the changes necessary to improve. The club wants him to succeed and he's got the support of the board for now." The two bits that really leapt out were: - The bit about looking to Russ to make changes - suggesting to me that they are not happy with the style of play and the gifting of goals and aren't prepared to sit back and let that continue. Which is slightly awkward timing, given that Ramsdale has also done an interview today talking about how Russ won't change the way he plays for anyone. - The little 'for now' kicker at the end. On the radio that was something that they jumped on and mentioned several times over, as it feels like it has been very deliberately mentioned in that quote to show that the microscope is very much on him Overall, it felt like a 'real' quote that was being read out, rather than Crook or some other knobhead giving it their 'I've been led to believe' nonsense. What we don't know of course is who at the club might have said it. Could have been the tea lady. But it seems that the club are very much watching how we do in the next few games and are looking for change and improvement, and want that to be known enough that they're now briefing the press on the quiet.

I sincerely hope you're not 21

No we didn't, we played the first half in a 4-4-2 / 4-2-2-2 with Dibling and Fernandes as the two up top. Dibling looked poor in that game because he was taken out of the position he's been consistently far and away our best player this season (down our right, running with the ball at his feet at isolated full backs) and put into a position he can't play (in the centre, trying to win headers and first balls, being battered by centre halves). Because of course he was. Fernandes was sort of playing off him as a strike partner, also looking completely lost and ineffective because he was being played out of position as well. In terms of team selection and tactics, it was genuinely the worst I've ever seen from a Saints manager. And I saw Branfoot try and replace Matthew Le Tissier with Paul Moody.

Sulemana can play down the middle I'm sure his injury's not too bad, and we need an attacking bench, so if we don't name a reserve keeper we can squeeze him on 👍

Anyone could pick a Russell Martin XI. Just put five centre forwards on the bench with no recognised striker on the pitch, drop a top quality full-back, freeze out a German international, make Stephens captain, force them to play out regardless of how much they're being pressed, substitute four of them at once on 60 minutes and then throw them all under the bus afterwards. There you go. I'll do it. Now we can sack him without worrying about who will manage this all-important fixture.

Why do people keep going on about some poxy charity match, like it has any bearing on anything? Who gives a fucking shit

Any sensible person would abandon any thoughts of trying to play out against their world-class energetic press, put nine men behind the ball, station someone quick on the half-way line to try and nick a breakaway, and just try to get out of there without a humiliation so we can move onto trying to get something from the Leicester game. After last night's absolute shambles, Christ only knows what Russ will do. He's lost the plot, so if he sets us up in a mental way, we concede early and our heads go down again they like keep doing, then it could be a cricket score if they're in a ruthless mood. I hope we're keeping Ramsdale wrapped in cotton wool this week because he might be the only thing keeping it vaguely respectable. Genuinely dreading it now.

At least there's a connection there, from when he was on Saints books as a kid

Yep we played two strikers first half. And with Onuachu, Stewart, Archer, Brereton-Diaz and Armstrong on the bench, the players we put in the two striking roles were Fernandes and Dibling. Weakening the striking positions, midfield AND creative/ wing positions in a single stroke of insane team selection, in a game we had to win, with not far off a full, fit squad to choose from. It was mind-bogglingly fucking mental, and was the moment I realised that for as long as RM stays in charge we’re just not giving ourselves a chance. It’s a limited squad anyway, but to wilfully choose to deploy the resources we’ve got like that is somewhere between incompetent and deranged.

I think Jim Smith is unlikely

Not only that - we actually played two up top in a 4-4-2, and with 5 actual strikers on the bench the two we played in the striker positions were an out of position winger and an out of position midfielder. Not only was it mad in terms of weakening the forward line, but it was a double-whammy in that it also removed two of the only other bright spots we've had this season, namely Dibling on the right and Fernandes in midfield. I literally can't begin to understand the thought process for doing that. It doesn't make sense on any level at all. It's absurd.

Aitor Karanka, Malky Mackay, Brian McDermott, Paul Lambert, Ian Holloway, Owen Coyle, Phil Brown, Aidy Boothroyd, Ian Dowie, Gary Megson. All perfectly decent managers who were good enough to get their teams promoted, sometimes very convincingly, but ultimately didn't quite have what it takes to be able to take on the elite managers of the Premier League. Based on the evidence, I think Russ probably belongs in this group. Everyone has their ceiling, and the PL is the most competitive and unforgiving league in the world. Not everyone is going to be able to succeed in it. There's no shame in that at all. In my opinion he comes across as a decent and likeable man. Promotion last season was amazing and he'll always, quite rightly, have a special place in the club's history for that. But for everyone's sake I think it's time to shake hands and move on now, and let's try a different approach that might give us a chance of grinding out a few results, because this just isn't working.

Absolutely fucking embarrassing from start to finish. Can't even be bothered to analyse it. I've really tried to give Russ the benefit of the doubt, and have advocated for giving him time, but we're getting worse not better and unfortunately he just has no idea how to win games in this league. So many awful, mad decisions tonight. The players look confused and lost, and Russ looks lost too, so it's best for everyone if we leave it there, get someone in who can coach a defence, and try and build something that is at least a step up from humiliation every game.

Having four centre forwards on the bench, then playing two up top, where one is an out of position midfielder and one is an out of position winger. Genuinely one of the maddest things I've ever seen at this level.

I was all for giving Martin more time but I actually think it would be better for everyone, him included, if we parted ways after this.

This is genuinely traumatic to witness.

I know! And what are these 'footballs' and 'boots' that these damned hipsters keep going on about? What's wrong with a pig's bladder and clogs? World's gone mad

Going down Megabowl after. Three games for a fiver on a Monday

Onuachu Stewart Archer Brereton-Diaz Armstrong Cornet Aribo Lallana Taylor Sugawara Ramsdale If the full-backs can get forward and get some crosses in, 7 centre-forwards should give them something to think about

Aaah fair play

He said that about Bournemouth.

He's a man of extremes, is Russ. Can't just play out when it makes it sense to - let's do it literally every time. Can't just make a substitution - let's do four at once. Can't just have attacking options on the bench - let's have five strikers. No nuance or balance. Just shit or bust. It's weird.

Tall Paul on the bench. Interesting.

Agree 100%. The basics for any promoted side should be to build from the back and make yourself hard to score against and horrible to play against. Grind out some draws or nick a few 1-0s and then build from there. We're the absolute opposite of that. We're also actually quite well-stocked to play on the counter. Dibling, Archer and Cornet are all quick and can play off the shoulder. Lallana and Fernandes are both very capable of picking a pass from midfield and giving them something to run onto. We could be effective playing that way.

He did an interview with the Telegraph over the weekend as well, saying that he's ready to come back. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/articles/c749n4ej9nko Feels to me like some post-sacking contractual thing has just expired in the background and now he and his agent are keen to tout him around for the next decent Prem job. I still think he'll think he can do better than us / a relegation fight, and he'll have his eye on a club with more spending power and top-half / European potential, but none of those jobs are available at the moment, and if ours came up it would be interesting to see if he could be persuaded. I don't think it's out of the question, if he was promised a decent wedge to spend in January. Obviously I hope we win tonight, but it will be interesting to see what happens if we don't, especially if there aren't any obvious signs of improvement.