Saint Fan CaM

Downes living on a tightrope. Ref giving him a chance there when a yellow was likely. Russ has not worked out that you start building a defence from the front. He just packs the defence randomly and hopes for the best.

1-0. Defensive switch off.

Another shit free kick from Manning - straight to the keeper.

Five at the back and Welbeck gets a free header. What’s the fucking point?

Manning doesn’t seem to know if he’s a CB or LB…just making a hash of it all.

Downes showing his sluggishness off. Yellow.

There’s the second fuck up trying to play footsie.

There’s the first fuck up.

He’s basically nobbled the team enough to ensure his home town get a good win.

Another crazy line-up with sub-standard players - Lumsdale is no worse than McC but team consistency is important - reckon this is his proverbial petty slap on Alex’s wrists. Pre-match interview was an exercise in waffle. TP out because he upstaged Russ in the Pool game. Got no hope that we’ll get anything from the game - there will be loads of mistakes in our pen area and they will take advantage. We’re going to get spanked…just hope it’s not too embarrassing.

That was only an illustration of a simple clear instruction to the players to get them thinking collectively about how to play out. My feeling is four oppo players in our pen area is too risky at the present time with this squad and even that would lead to disaster. But yes, we agree on the same principle…the level of risk allowed is clearly not working atall - whether that’s because Russ has instructed them to play that way or because they’ve been allowed to work it out for themselves in the heat of battle matters not - all too often it’s an absolute shambles that needs a solution.

Seriously poor defence made by Russ of his ‘revolutionary’ ideas. And he has the temerity to confirm that their first goal came because the players didn’t listen to him and ignored the fact that there were too many Pool players around our area! FFS Russ, what are you telling them? It’s really fucking simple…if there are more than four players in our half, don’t under any circumstances fanny around passing out at the back - get rid of the fucking ball! Also, ALWAYS have a player near the halfway line when the opposition are about to put a dead ball into our box from a corner or free kick - that will consume at least one if not two of their players and provides an outlet and potential break. These are absolute basics that I don’t believe the players are ignoring…they’re overridden by Russball.

My view of SR and the Board is that Martin will be seen as the best hope of re-shaping the squad and pushing for promotion again. My view of the chance of success is that it will be worse than our last shot because the squad will be weaker and less able to work Russball, plus more teams will be aware of ways to beat Russball. Think we’ve got Championship footie to look forward to for at least two seasons.

You seem to have tarred many on here with the same brush using emotive language like ‘hate’. I’m one of the most critical posters of RM on here, but I’ve never used the word hate, whether talking about him, his tactics or anything about him personally. I’m not sure others have used the term much either. And I think it’s being somewhat disingenuous to list the stuff that posters typically laugh about like him being hipster etc. as if that were the primary concern, over his tactics and team selections. If you were to count up the negative posts on here it’s clear that his managerial decisions are the top focus for most supporters and if those concerns were put to rights, the other stuff would hardly be mentioned. The indefensible facts cannot be disputed - his results this season are appalling. The only question up for grabs is whether another Manager could get a better tune out of the available squad. I reckon that’s entirely possible and you only have to look at Martins pre-Saints record to confirm that view. Playing his system/tactics he reached the best he could achieve out of the Swansea squad and the same is now true of better Saints squad…he’s hit his ceiling. You could argue it’s not his fault that the club can’t afford better players to push through his ceiling, but that’s not possible and highly risky. Keeping him in place is a folly that will persist until the club either gets significantly better investment, or realises it’s not working and sack him, or continues to be an ‘also ran’ club in the Championship, or Russ gets a better offer elsewhere and buggers off leaving behind a right old mess.

Yeah that’s an excellent analogy - he’s not the only to both have to attempt adapt to Russball AND do it through sporadic appearances. A master class in rubbish team management.

Oh, and I bet if Russ somehow manages to get a more tempting offer from another club, he’ll be off quicker than when he gets a BJ from Lucy.

Even if all that were true, the one thing the team didn’t have to deal with in the last Championship run was an unprecedented number of continual losses (in any English league) and being part of a squad that writes itself into the history books for ALL the wrong reasons. Squads tend to need to be re-built entirely to get over such ‘trauma’. Managers usually don’t survive such devastatingly shit seasons such as this one is shaping up to be. What’s Russ going to say? “Don’t worry lads, the better players I favoured playing were actually no so great - you guys that are left are not so good, but we’ll storm the Championship together, [ahem, before I ditch you for better players if we get promoted]”. It’s another recipe for disaster and one I’d wager that will see us fall short of the auto’s and possibly even the playoffs.

There was a moment later in the 2nd half where Suga launched the ball upfield to clear another dangerous ‘Pool attack. Russ was on the edge of the tech area giving Suga a bollicking for the clearance…he clearly ignored orders to play it out. Think Suga will find himself keeping Charlie Taylor company on the sidelines for a bit - the Russ equivalent of the naughty boy step. Bree incoming or Capt’n Jack moves to LB I wonder?

Are you saying that the conditions of the last relegation are exactly the same? I’ll save you the trouble - they’re not.

So your reasoning is simply because any given manager deserves the season. Fair enough and if the rumours are true, the club can’t spend the money on a sacking anyway, but it doesn’t remove the fact that Russ doesn’t deserve to be kept in place. His style of football is boring and his results are simply atrocious.

It matters not who goes - whoever’s left gets to be told how to lose a game of football by Russ. Some will ignore him, most like Manning and Stephens will not. I’m fearful of our next term in the Championship…the summer will not be long enough to sort out this shitshow.

Based on what? The stunning results? The lovely warm hugs? His perfectly manicured beard? I’m not getting it, unless you’re on a wind-up of course.

Understand the sentiment, but I think that’s harsh on the lad for that particular passage of play. As the ball came across it was partially unsighted with another two players and he saw it late which caused him to be airborne when the ball struck his chest and the natural movement of his arm in flight made it look like he’d moved it towards the ball. Otherwise it might have been judged differently - I.e. ball to chest then arm which has been ‘allowed’ previously. That’s unlucky and let’s face it, playing Pool at 2-2 there’s only one way VAR was going to see it. It’s also just one instance in hundreds of defensive cock-ups by every single defender/midfielder on the books while trying to make sense of Russball.

I’m sure I’m among many in anpproaching each next game with the hope that we might win or at least draw and so claim some pride and respect from the match. But even that has been stripped away - there’s no hope and it’s nailed on that Russball will provide us with a loss. I can’t imagine how the players must feel…they’re professionals and so must see more than most that whatever they’re being instructed to do is failing week after week after week. They must be confused and demoralised - it’s all their fault, despite what their esteemed boss says in the media. It must be, because nothing changes for them. How do they go into a game now actually believing they’ll win? They’re not that immune are they? My late Dads family came from Brighton - I was born there, but my parents moved us to Southampton when I was 4 for better prospects. Since the time I knew what the local pro football team was about, Saints were my ‘home’ team (untypically following my Dads choice). Naturally I like to see Brighton do well - obviously not this Friday, but Russ will do his best to ensure we hand it on a silver platter to them, selecting round pegs in square holes etc. Head : 2-0 Brighton. Heart : 2-2

With McCarthy brain fart goal, I immediately thought Macca thought Salah was going to be called offside and so pulled out of a challenge. Not sure if anyone spotted the Lino, but if he gave even the slightest hint he was raising his flag that would have influenced AM.