Saint Fan CaM

Disagree...we need attacking players with guile, experience and a football brain. We've got pace in Boufal and Gabbi. Redmond Long and Austin do not possess enough between them.

Funny...I wonder if he is any worse than that 'old timer' at Bournemouth...the one that still scores for fun? Lets face it we could do a lot worse (and have done).

Like others had some interaction with him during the last of the Lowe years. Nice chap and sorry to hear the news. RIP SaintLee.

Anyone think that Pochetino would get the same results with this squad and Black hovering like a bad smell in the background? No, I don’t either.

I don’t think a change of manager will make a difference with this squad and the manner in which Uncle Les wants the team to play (the Southampton way). The last two seasons should be a clear indicator of that. Reed has royally fooked up allowing the quality of the squad to deteriorate, allowing player unrest to dictate team spirit and appointing cheap managers who will bow to his footballing philosophy. Add to that a significant coaching deficit in Black and putting all eggs in the Forster basket (case) and you have a recipe for the disaster we watch unfold. Relegation is not with us yet, but the writing is on the wall.

I refer to my pre-match comment. The only thing I got wrong was that Burnley were not good enough to score twice.

I think if you don’t feel a sense of hope when thinking about the game on any given match day, it’s probably time to stop going. It’s been different the last two seasons though...I don’t have the same optimism about ANY game even when we’re at home. Mostly because of a distinct lack of creativity and cohesion in attack. Today will be no different...if we score first we’ll try to defend a 1-0 lead and end up buckling to pressure. Or they’ll score first and we’ll be looking for a lucky break to claw back a point. Today will be tough...Burnley are looking good and have the team spirit we had 4-5 seasons ago. My prediction 0-2, boos at full-time and a full blown meltdown on here. What I wish for is that something finally clicks into place and we romp home with a 4-0 win - but then I woke up.

Dross effort from our 'attacking' players.

1st attacking effort and guess what, Redmond fooks up.

Utter rubbish - no attempt to change the game so take off Boufal for Redmond. Dreadful management decision.

Thought this was a nice bit of fun from the club...nothing bad about.

Doubt Boufal will get the start he deserves. Whoever scores first will likely win. Brighton know how to play high possession teams and know how to score from route one play. It will not be an easy match.

Funny, I thought Brom played just like we did but with poorer players and added a bit of time wasting into the mix. Boufal needs to start central and given a run of games. The talk about him not tracking back is rubbish...ask where he started his run from before scoring - half way inside our half winning the ball. He is more physical than many make out. The only issue he has is lack of experience which means he makes wrong choices sometimes but without game time he’ll not learn. He is a far better prospect than Redmond, but Redmond is English and Les needs to show his mates in the FA that he can produce top English talent. Fraser poor again. Lemina is excellent. Romeu worked well too. Long flatters to deceive. Austin has heart but is finished at this level. Gabbi needs more service. Generally we need a new top class striker.

Setup the team too defensively at home. Not good.

Weird team selection for a home game...defensive looking so don't expect goals. Oh dear.

Look, Austin is a great guy but his knees are shot and he cannot start a prem game without ‘help’...he simply cannot sustain the tempo etc. The reason he gets sub appearances is because the games naturally slow down in the last 10 minutes anyway. He’ll be gone in January and while I don’t like to see a good guy go, for the clubs sake we need someone of much higher calibre. If Long was not so industrious he’d be gone too I suspect. I’ve been told we’re looking to sign a high ranking playmaker or striker in Jan...being worked on now....might be that Barca lad.

Must win...not because of past effort but because of whats coming. 1-1

I'm still convinced that 50% of our inability to score and to a lesser extent defend, is down to the system imposed by Les across the club when in the 1st team we do not have enough players capable of understanding the system. On a positive note I've heard we're definitely looking at bringing in a new playmaker / striker type in January. Sounded like the club knows exactly who they want (not Theo).

They're starting to look like a half decent side that now know what they're doing. I doubt there's been any change to our goal scoring ability so I'm not too confident of a result. If we score first perhaps 1-0 or 1-1. If they score first 0-2.

How old was Pelle when he arrived? 28 I think.

Echo pretty much all the thoughts on here...total legend...just a pity he didn't resist the call to Pool. Would love to see him back at SMS even just to watch a game in the Directors box...would be a big boost. One thing I thought about his pens...someone had to create all of those...someone had to be mobile in the box to get the pen awarded. Who the heck is doing that now since Mane left? The answer is no-one most of the time...certainly not Redmond.

Very interesting insights Monk. Tell me, is it usual for a Director of Football to appoint his own first team coach to work amongst the Manager and his staff? Just seems a bit strange and divisive to me...makes me wonder how the arrangement plays out with the squad dynamic in general.

No conspiracy...its the "Southampton way" - surely you've not missed the fact that the system employed is installed right the way through the club from kids levels up? Les can't turn away from the project now...he IS the project. The problem is it's been starved of investment in certain areas and/or poor decisions made and not corrected, key building blocks have left the club, managerial appointments messed up, etc. It all made sense and worked lovely up until the point we became a victim of our own success, but then the wheels started to come off. We lost far too many key players and staff in a relatively very short time - team spirit evaporated. I don't pretend to have the answers, but I do feel the malaise is significant and not straightforward now. IMO its not something that will be corrected by playing 4-4-2 or swapping Gabbi for Long as some on here would have you believe. I do honestly think we've not seen the worst of this season yet unless something fundamental changes.

This...absolutely nail on the head, but I think this applies to all our attacking players. How otherwise do you explain the fact that when they 1st started playing for Saints, Redmond, Gabbi, Long, Boufal and even Austin all struck some great goals? Seems to me they've had natural goalscoring ability coached out of them.

Surprised many don't see what's happening here. Why do 2 separate managers suddenly field teams that play identical football with the same results? Why do creative players come to the club and then after scoring a couple of early great inventive goals then seem to lose that ability? Can't be certain of course, but my gut instinct is that Reed insists on a particular style and mandates certain team selections. Black is his crony...the guy that reports back on training sessions...whether the Manager is diverting from "the Southampton way" . Plus as I've said before, our attacking players are not of Prem quality. Needs a massive change to turn it around now.