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Wouldn’t be so bad if we at least looked like we wanted to win for more than 5 minutes each match.

I see Daouda Traore has started one of his 4 matches and come off the bench in the others, but only for 1 minute last night. How is he getting on?

Is KWP actually better than Sugawara though? I've been very impressed with Yuki

It isn’t that bad is it?!

He's Martin's mate, that's why he's in. Wood has looked awful every time he's played - makes Lyanco look like Van Dijk.

Did anyone miss out (other than Bazunu)?

Good to see former academy player Christoph Klarer doing well at Birmingham. Played the full match last night after signing for them for around £4 million this summer. Always thought he looked pretty promising, and a former Austrian u21 international.

Whenever I watch with non Saints supporting mates, they always ask who's injured for Stephens to be starting. I'm going to have to answer now has to be he's starting as we've never adequately replaced Lyanco! I had a terrible thought this morning - what if this shunts Wood into the team?! 🤣

Wood has looked awful, but Edwards looked like he had potential at least

Really?! If Martin does actually play our best team, we will start picking up points pretty quickly. I doubt we'll see a core team featuring all of McCarthy - Stephens - Smallbone - Aribo - Armstrong many more times this season!

Harwood-Bellis has made a few mistakes, but IMO is a better player overall than Stephens. I think someone else mentioned, but if we have him, and he's fit, Bella-Kotchap should be partnering Bednarek, then THB, then Stephens. I watched Wed and obviously conceding the 3 goals isn't great, but with a better keeper and a proper back line, it would have only been that one screamer conceded. I still can't work out why we bought Wood, who has looked very average (or actually awful vs Oxford!) every time I've seen him. At the end of the day my opinion over the past 120 odd premier league games he's played is that Stephens is not good enough to be a premier league first choice centre back.

Why is the team seemingly built around playing Stephens now (5 at the back to fit him in, shift to left back when going to 4 at the back, play in central midfield?!), when the period we were best last season was when he wasn't in the team?! As much as he has passion (i.e. the same thing Lyanco was lynched for), he's not premier league standard. The sooner we can move on from him, Aribo and Smallbone, the sooner we start picking up results.

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Think he would be getting more of a look in if he wasnt pushing for a move. Probably thought he did well last season (which he did) and should've been dislodging Manning (which I'd agree with), but has since had a couple of players jump in front of him in KWP moving over and Taylor signing, and Larios (who himself is a very promising player) returning. Shame to see him go, but understandable.

Thought the Alberto (goals and skills) video showed a good range of goals, and someone who can actually score a header! Might be handy now we have Sugawara, a player who can put some good crosses in… Funny that Corinthian fans are saying the same things now he might be leaving that we said about Adams, who we are now seemingly desperate to come back…! I have no idea if he’s actually good, but if we sign him, willing to give him a chance at least!

We all think the back four picks itself, but Martin will find a space for Stephens…!

Again it seems crazy to take off Sugawara, who actually does carry an attacking threat, and then play Stephens out of position. Stephens is probably our 5th(?) best left back but is constantly moved there for some reason.

Well it should be Suga - THB - Bednarek - Taylor / KWP but it’ll probably have shoehorn in there somewhere!

Nathan Wood done a few too many headers in his youth. Good job they've cut that out for the kids now.

Saw Juan came off the bench and notched an assist for his debut. Matsuki didn't make the bench. Not sure if injured, or just not selected? If not selected, hopefully that changes as he gets up to speed, otherwise no point him being there (unless they're covering full salary and have paid us a fee)?!

What a random signing for Saints. Did he ever play for us? I'm assuming it's a £10 million fee 😜

In a long line of strange decisions, signing another average left back would be up there, when there's about 3 or 4 other positions which need strengthening first. Taylor is good enough for us, and if we're playing a back 3 / 5, then if Larios gets back to fitness (good to see he played in the U21s!) then he'd be a good option as a pacy, technical player. Lets see, hopefully the Targett rumour is nothing.

Have they been reading the tried and tested Southampton "at least we tried" playbook?

Isnt this something like the third centre back Hoffenheim have pulled out of buying at the last minute this summer? Sounds like a crazy club.

Male Gigalo?