S-Clarke

Have you been playing FM18 ally? Coco is a must buy on there...!

I don't think he really knew what he ever wanted to achieve. I didn't ever understand the style or the tactics he was trying to put across, I don't think the players did either. He as a decent bloke I'm sure, but he was so , so, so out of his depth at this level.

Someone with a bit of pace for sure, but someone with a bit of a physical stature. Not easy to find, but they are out there. Ammadu at Lillie or Issa Diop at Toulouse are two that fit that mould.

It's just about getting up high, playing in the opposition half and offering support to whoever is playing, this two-up front, 1 up front stuff is all a myth. If you look at formations as being set in stone, then we played 1 up front for years with Lambert, Pelle etc. The fact is we got the likes of Rodriguez, Lallana, Puncheon, Ox, Tadic, Mane close to them and had the midfield to support it. Whatever happens in the remaining 9 (or 10) games doesn't hide away from the fact that we need to re-address the spine of this team in the summer. We need a dominant and physical centre back, a dominant and powerful CM (which will allow this area of the team to push up without being too exposed) and proper pace and unpredictability in the final third.

I think alot of the 'negative' feeling from pundits over our run-in is because of the amount of away's we have, no neccearilly who we play. We've been **** at home for 18 months, marginally better away. So away games to teams bobbing around in mid-table nothingness is quite a decent run-in for me. At home games against a City and Chelsea team who will have zilch to play for by the time those games come round (maybe). Out of the 'top sides' I think I'd rather have Chelsea and Arsenal in the run-in rather than Utd, Liverpool, Spurs etc. My optimisim has been lifted the moment MP was shown the door. This isn't based on yesterdays win, as we were dog ****e for 60% of that game. But there are certainly reasons to be positive.

I've noticed his new role seems to be carrying around the clipboard for Stuart Pearce (going by their warm 'break'). Hope he doesn't break his thumb.

Byram, Obiang and Reid are season-enders aren't they? I'm 99% sure Reid is...

First half was awful, Wigan came out of the blocks and pressed us. We tried to be tippy tappy with it but kept losing the ball. 2nd half the envitable happend in that Wigan tired, but we also simplified our game a bit. Better with our long passes and our forward passing was more direct, looking forward rather than backwards - a fine example is Redmonds cameo. First ball through to Gabbiadini for the pen was very good, and the 2nd pass (although he got lucky) for Cedric was another forward thinking positive pass. They don't always come off, but there's a much bigger oppertunity of something happening as opposed to just keeping it ticking over for no reason. I thought Gabbiadini played ok, good movement, held the ball up and showed some good touches down the channels - needs a goal though! I quite liked him in that central roll on the shoudler, but also providing support out on the flanks. Less said about Carrillo the better.....! Still early days, but boy oh boy.

I guess the player was a little too professional to say what he thought about MP's regime?? Would be interesting to know what the players felt of it all now that he's gone.

In that case it's a shame they didn't like playing at Newcastle then. Easy excuse. They need to man up.

''We have to believe in our approach and believe in the philosophy to build a good spirit, we need to continue to grow. We can make good possibilities'' A Claude and MP waffle-combo.

Not sure why tbh, but I just fancied Stoke today. Thought they had to take the chance with their remaining fixtures, and Everton don't travel well. So i'm chuffed!

It was always very likley we'd be adrift come the end of play today, so don't let that get you down too much. Today's results have been a huge bonus. Didn't expect the Stoke outcome at all.

I thought Stoke would win that one, in fact I thought they had to. So that is a huge bonus for us, they've got Spurs, Liverpool and Chelsea in their next 4 now. Huddersfield threw another home game, after last weeks failire against Swansea. Those are the two sides I look at - Stoke and Huddersfied. Finish above them and we'll be sorted.

Well that's WBA all but done now, so 2 places to worry about.

Just watching that Huddersfield game, good lord they are awful. Praise to our previous manager to trying to get a draw against that dross outfit. God forbid you try and beat Huddersfield, we can never compete with them.

0-3

It's a Monday night rather than a Sunday afternoon game, I know - small details...but this was always on the cards tbh. This is all Arsenal's call.

They're away in Russia, so it will probably have an effect.

Surely people always thought this was a possibility though? Arsenal were never going to keep it on Monday with a potential away Europa League game on the thursday. It was always on the cards.

https://twitter.com/SouthamptonFC/status/974692234120630272

It isn't, because they are actually closed for a refurb. They're upgrading the EPOS and repositioning it (allow for more till space).

It always seemed to me as if the previous regimes (Claude/MP) put too much focus on tactical, technical approaches, retaining the ball and being a bit tiki taka (plus making things a little too complicated at times). The recruitment strategy seemed to go hand in hand with that with the likes of Boufal, Hojbjerg coming in. It didn't work. Now if what he says he's right and he's surprised by the lack of intensity, then that's quite galling. Kind of suggests that the main focus was indeed tactical and technical training as opposed to fitness and intensity. I think the club tried to be too clever with the last two appointments, thought we could reinvent football by coaching technical ability. At the end of the day old fashioned tactics, fitness and intensity is what wins you games in this league. I often wonder if Les Reed has gone senile and thinks we're in La Liga or something.

I think Redknapp was still in charge at that point.

Marko Hugheez