Saint Fan CaM

Swansea starting to get on top a little.

Scienza is different class!

We’re all over them! Just no luck in front of goal.

Getting close!

Brilliant from Jelert!!!

Archer should have hit target there

I think we’re looking comfortable and if we can score we win.

Wing backs are looking so much better today.

Charles looking good today.

Welington already closer to his man than Manning ever is.

Galbraith is a good player for the Swans.

Pointless putting Fellows on without a big CF to get on the end of crosses…this line-up makes use of the best options across the forward line. Great to see a balanced pair of wing-backs and Manning dropped. Great to see Still putting his faith in McCarthy. THB the best of the CB options. Yes it’s a 5 at home, but it’s an attacking formation that packs the midfield, so I’m happy with it. COYS!

Aribo certainly could possibly do a job as a central attacker - knows how to trap and defend a ball and can turn his man. I can see no reason whatsoever why Still should not give him a go for the first half and see if it clicks with AA playing off him on the right and Scienza on the left and Azaz behind him as 10.

This maybe be correct. Thing is you get another manager and typically he’ll say he needs 6 new players and will drop X number of players because they can’t play his style. And on it goes - bloated, poorly performing squad that’s not getting results because they don’t suit or don’t get the system they’re being asked to play. SR are floundering and the easiest option right now is stick and hope it falls into place.

Hang on - that must be incorrect…Pompey are nowhere to be seen? 😉😂😂😂

To my mind, if a player can’t self-motivate himself to play the beautiful game while collecting a millionaires salary he should not be playing professional football. FFS in my day we would give our right arm to get the chance to play for our local lower league club, let alone a huge city based club like Saints. If any criticism can be aimed at Still it’s that he has found it seemingly hard to transform the style and system of play to one that is progressive in attack. It improved when he found a way of leaving out the players that had scar tissue or naturally don’t want to take charge of the ball and move forwards (Stephens, Manning, Downes), but now that has been possibly brought into question with two players from the spine of the team injured (Quarshie and Stewart). He needs to maintain the newer players in the squad (Jelert, Jander, Scienza, Fellows) - allowing a slip back to starting the old guard will inevitably lead to old results, bringing with it a lack of confidence and more pressure.

I think there’s a huge case for giving some time in the U-21’s - namely he’s not doing the basics well. Lack of pace and hard graft, can’t trap a ball, can’t get into the right positions in the box (too late or too early), can’t provide an assist and can’t shoot on target for toffee. The first team should be a place to exhibit what you’ve learnt and proven at Staplewood, not used as a training match to develop confidence. £15m worth of striking talent? Someone’s ’avin a laff!

Yes, that’s a good point. We’ll, it would be if it were not for the fact that Mane could trap a ball, run past several players and actually look like he had a chance of scoring. Downs appears to have none of that promise based on the times I’ve been unfortunate to see him play.

No - he didn’t play, we won 3–0, but then we had a better team with Ramsdale, KWP, Bree, Bedders, Big Les, Dibling and Sully. Of course it was better than Championship standards in general and indeed better than our side now, but nowhere near good enough for the EPL.

Better than what we’ve got? 😉

The Jelert story appears to be somewhat premature, however IF (and it’s a huge IF) SR have woken up to the fact that we’re royally fucked without a decent CF, then perhaps they’re saving their milk bottle tops for a Stewart / Downs replacement in January? Nah, I don’t think so either, but hey it’s a nice thought.

If Quarshie is out then it’s an excuse to shoehorn Cap’t Jack back into the team, which means more calamity in front of goal, especially if Manning is given the go-ahead to pussy around at the back and Baz is given another chance to test out his concrete boots. 0-2 Swansea.

It’s a very real issue. At this stage Charles is exactly the type of player we need to grow with us - selling him would more than likely mean we replace him with a lesser player…it is the way of Southampton FC unfortunately.

Excellent this evening - that is all.

Why is this bollox still being spouted? That team only just scraped the play-offs and importantly were assembled to play slug football to suit dear old Russell’s system. There have been too many players still featuring from that lot that are just not suited or good enough for what Still’s system…e.g. McCarthy, Stephens, THB, Manning, Downes, Fraser.