david in sweden

This is a humbling thank you to all those people who " liked " my brief posting yesterday - prior to the start of the Stoke match. I haven't been able to travel to the UK as often as I would have liked in recent years in part due to family health issues, but my two sons have been indoctrinated by me over the last 40 years, and we have all been to SMS at various times ever since then. My eldest son, and his two lads travelled over to watch the game, as well as meeting up with a few family members, and whilst writing about them, I realised that my grandsons were now 4th generation Saints fans. (hence the long list of likes) . My thanks to everyone who acknowledged that , but the real tribute should go to my late Father who was a teenage fan in the 1930's and often spoke of Saints hero Ted Drake (another Saints success who ended up going to Arsenal and played for England pre-War). After his war service my father continued his support through the three traumatic seasons when Saints (somehow missed promotion - at the death) and failed to get to Division One that success had to wait until 1966. My debut as a fan must have been in January 1959 when Dad took me to The Dell to watch a top-tier Blackpool side that still fielded the 46 year old Stanley Matthews in an FA Cup match. Lots more in between promotions, and a relegation or two along the way. The 1976 Cup win, and Lawrie Mc Menemy's teams featuring those 5 England captains some great days. My move to Sweden is a story too long to publish here, but thanks to " modern technology" I rarely miss game , even if it's no longer so often at St. Mary's. I enjoy the threads you all post - even I might not agree with everyone. The secret to being a Saints fan is learning to be pragmatic. We might never win the Premier League, but there's always the hope of another Cup win...sometime, but I could no more desert Saints than I could change my blood type. COYR. Those people who feel otherwise.. should go and support one of the " big clubs" - if it makes you feel better. Thanks to everyone who liked " my little tribute " to the family.

I wasn't able to travel this time, but my son.. and two grandsons have travelled over and will watch the game this evening. That's 4th generation Saints fans in our family. My late father was a big fan in the pre-and-post WW2 era.

Actually Whitey, I think Reading demanded £2 million. Way too much for " Skinflint Cortese ", who had seriously questioned why (at first) Alan Pardew wanted to pay £1 million for...Rickie Lambert. Just about shows his level of knowledge / expertise in the footballing world. Nigel Adkins continued to build his squad on " cheap buys " , and his squad that got us promotion in 2012...cost a mere £6 million in total. Cortese then paid out £25 million on fees for Ramirez and Osvaldo, both on high% interest borrowed money ...before reckoning the total cost of their enormous salaries on those long term contracts). Those deals almost bankrupted the club a second time .

Hasenhuttl took him on loan, yet never played him in his best role (as CB). His only real game time came in games we lost and he wasn't the worst player on the pitch either. Sadly, Danso has had some serious health issues of late, and I'm unsure of the latest update.

Past comments from Anders S. on Swedish TV. (Strachan).. said that Anders was too much like Felice Fernandes and ......... he couldn't play both of us in the same game ! (Rednapp) ..he was hopeless as a manager. He never talked tactics, only a few words of encouragement in dressing room before we started. Anders rarely had the chance to play in his best role, yet was often best in the Swedish International squad. One of his better spells was when Saints beat Spurs twice in a week ...( Once in League, Once in FA Cup game ). He ran the midfield singlehandedly, and Spurs couldn't touch him ...and he scored a great solo goal.

No I haven't forgotten, nor have I forgotten 1997-98 when we were 20th after 9 games, and still turned everything around. It's a long season and things can happen . If we are still there at Easter (regardless of who is manager) ...then things will look bad. Everyone has a right to comment / criticise, but I am saddened by those " fans" who have forgotten how to support the team in the bad times. Perhaps some of the " younger " types on here don't have the history that some of us have. Maybe they should support a " big team ". I've been a Saints supporter for 66 years, ( I know I'm not the oldest ), but I'm still here and we've known worse times than this. COYR !

.and he said that we are one of the best teams in the league.....just another w*nk*r who knows nothing about the game ..eh?

there have been a few games that were equally unlucky in different ways. We know that the squad falls short of Prem. quality, but RM was only able to play the same start side in the first two games. Losing 0-1 to Forest, and also against Leicester at the death are typical examples of bad luck getting worse.

I watched that game and as I recall.....we made pretty hard work of that win ( 94th minute goal by Adams 2-1 ). Didn't think Argyle were that convincing and we were still learning " Russball " and made it hard work for ourselves. The rest of that season showed just how good Schumarker really was . Martin still had the better side by end of season.

....... is that a recommendation, or a condemnation?... Maybe he could get a job as Pep's doppelganger ...for the paparazzi's benefit .

......but good at winning penalties as I recall. Could have won an Olympic medal for diving.

Don't laugh too much . With his family connections, a bit of extra investment wouldn't pose a major problem.

The problem has always been that " the good managers " are never available when you need them. They are most likely DAJF a more successful side . There is usually a good reason for football managers to be long-term " unemployed " , and unless they are still living well on the several millions they received in compensation from their last sacking.. they really aren't up to the job of managing a struggling side.

.maybe?. .except that even thev ideo replays showed that Fraser made several penetrating runs and crosses into the box, but sadly no-one was there to convert them. The " non-penalty" showed the inconsistencies that referee is well-known for. 5 yellow cards for Saints was disgusting, as Leicester also made some very crude tackles that seemingly went unpunished . Although Fraser may have been " guilty " according to the rules, his attempt to stop Vardy was fairly mild compared to the Onuachu incident and then Fraser's red card " double jeopardy " decision only made it worse for Saints. Onuachu is very big and strong and difficult to hold back, even after 4-5 seconds the defender couldn't hold him back any longer. but if he had gone down from that shirt pulling, we might have won a spot kick.

Russell Martin will likely get at least one more game. No manager would get sacked for losing away to Man City. and ...what sane person would want to take over a bottom team who will play that fixture next weekend.

just as long as they keep Vardy off the pitch, he has a unenviable goal-scoring record against us ...... but with the height that Leicester have in their defence ..surely Onuachu must be strong candidate for some extended game time ?

:Mmmm . When looking back at your post, I reminded myself that any registered player regardless of age can play for a U21 side. Saints stated they signed Reeves (who had a good Academy background), but like many promising youngsters was only ever deputy for a first team player with international experience. By age 21, you are either established, or being moved out for career's sake, so it is a win-win situation for both club and player. Reeves had much lower league experience to offer the U21's , (much as Ollie Lancashire did a while back). Former players like Surman and McQueen had half-a-lifetime with Saints and feel a devotion, unlike mercenaries looking for a career stepping stone. Apparently , clubs are allowed to use up to three "overage " players in any match, but it can deteriorate to overkill in some instances. A few seasons ago, Chelsea U21's fielded three international players in their PL2 side, and only narrowly beat out lads. But it does give useful game time for injured players on their way back to fitness, or those in the 25 squad who might be short of minutes.

There aren't enough superlatives for that game...

you know Whitey, I might have had the same reaction ....except that I have a long memory that sadly proves the opposite to be more of a reality. Good players don't necessarily make good managers. In recent times, we have seen Gerrard and Lampard fail miserably on numerous occasions, and at present we see Wayne Rooney's Plymouth wallowing mid-table in the Championship. Whatever WR had as inspiration, talent and success cannot be automatically transferred over to a squad consisting of a smattering of foreign players from all parts of the World, and a group of promising youngsters who were still in nappies when these heroes were playing their best football. It takes time to adjust to new formations / tactics , and that's time that every manager knows is often very short, and several League clubs have had their own version of " Manager of the Month". I assume that, like me, you are in the generation that saw England's greatest (and so far only) triumph and recall that more than half of that team tried their luck at managing, and soon failed. Unlike COVID .. Success isn't an infectious condition that rubs off on those who come into contact with it. Dusan Tadic was a major success during Koeman's time, and he stayed on with Saints too long with a manager who didn't appreciate his ability . His career outside of Saints is equally impressive both at club and international level. I think he could DAJFU - even now - but not as manager (?) I have my doubts (even if he already had his badges (?). I think I'd prefer the Tadic I remember, rather than the one (who like RM) gets booed after a few bad results.

Tyler Dibling withdrew from the England U19( ?) squad ..." due to injury". Frankly I'm surprised that he's survived injury free so far, (as his reputation has caught the attention of numerous Prem. clubs)- whilst getting regular " ankle taps " when waltzing through almost every defence he's come up against. His injury is hopefully slight, as no-one else seems to have the ability to run on goal for us (as he seemingly does every game), but the injury may also be in part-" mental." A move up from the slower-paced U21 level takes time to adjust to, and where " crude fouling " is an exception rather that the rule. Tyler has already seen that no defender will leave him alone for long, and is anticipating those inevitable challenges before he gets near the penalty box. He is brave and eager to attack, but along with that comes the knowledge that, in the current " Russball formation" he is often... a one-man attack. We can hope that the match-free weekend has allowed him to recover physically and mentally, but our reliance on him will sooner or later begin to weigh on his mind and create unwanted stress. It's obvious that Tyler's enthusiasm knows no bounds but where he has only finished one 90 minute game one wonders what RM's " Plan B " will be if Dibling is likely to be out for a longer period of time ?. I am recalling the time when the young Raheem Sterling was " a must-be" in the England squad and showing up in every international, but the England manager of the day ( Roy ?) ..began resting him and made the knowing comment that after half-a-dozen good games his impact on the team had began to wane on the youngster's body and mental approach. It will be interesting to see if Tyler is" fit enough " to start the next game, and how he performs.

Fortunately.. I more important things to do, like the washing up and cleaning the toilet...but it was a good way to learn how to play without H. Kane. Russel Martin could have told Carsley that playing without a striker doesn't work, but as a Scotsman ..why should he help England. Did I read that the Greeks had 3 disallowed offside goals?...whether they were correct decisions or not is somewhat immaterial considering that they actually got the ball in the net 5 times. If this is the best that England have to offer , we 're in for a bad time before the next major tournament.

apparently, Potter was on a TV panel during one of our recent defeats, and he surely cannot believe that he could do better .. On the other hand, anyone who takes over the job is certain of getting a big pay-off ... IF / WHEN...they fail and relegation were to follow. It's upto RM to shuffle the pack again and hope for a turn of good fortune. We don't need another Hasenhuttl, Jones, Selles-type managerial change.

I think some of you are being a bit tough on Ramsdale. many of the goals conceded were'nt directly his fault. I've frequently written (for several decades past) .. that any keeper is only as good as the defence in front of him. SEE NOTE at end of this post. We conceded too many goals last season - but despite promotion - and we are still reliant on; THB, Bednarek and Stephens as our first choice CB's. Sugawara (though good) is still new to the task, as is Charlie Taylor and KWP has one foot out of the door, and so we have few viable alternatives. Look at some other Prem. clubs and count the international caps they have in their defence(s).. and the quality of strikers our defenders come up against. There is no automatic increase in quality because we won promotion, quite the reverse, even mid-table sides are seen to be better than we are. The quality gap between the top of the Championship and the bottom three in the Prem. is.....enormous, and the league table shows that both Ipswich and Leicester have fared little better so far. RM must come up with a Plan B - even on a temporary basis - but I'm not surprised at our position. Our defence, in its present form, is clearly not good enough for survival, and so this manager, or any other will have to live with the curse until January. NOTE ; For those too young to remember, or who don't have a Saints History to peruse. After a disappointing mid-table finish in the previous season, Lawrie McMenemy signed (the then) England goalkeeper Peter Shilton in Summer 1982. Arguably (one of) the best keeper in the World at the time, Shilton must have been shell-shocked by the performances of those in front of him when after the first 9 games ...his defence had conceded ..19 goals, whilst our strike force had scored .. just 5 times, and had won only twice. Yes, it was a long time ago, and I'm not seeking to compare Shilton and Ramsdale, even though AR is on the current short list of England keepers' but it's an eerie reminder of a similar occurrence. ( b.t.w. Saints did improve in 82-83, and were in top 10 by Christmas, and around 5th at Easter.)

to be fair, the loan deal to Turkey was made shortly after RM arrived and as he was committed to his % possession formation it may have seemed an obvious move bearing in mind Onuacho performances in the spring 2023 weren't convincing, in a side where some others were much worse than him. He was bought for Nathan Jones' set-up, but then subsequently ignored by Selles for the remainder of that relegation season. Recalling Peter Crouch's short sojourn with us (almost 20 years ago) which began with people laughing at him, before realising that although he seemed to move like a robot, every pace he took was 2 meters long and he outpaced defenders over the distance he covered - if not for speed, BUT he did score goals and could (laughingly) ...even see over the top of defenders heads at corners and set-pieces. Regardless of the comparative differences between the Turkish and Belgian leagues(?) , Onuachu showed that he could score goals, and give assists. Certainly the next 6 weeks' fixtures will be the critical time for Russell Martin to prove himself, or face the inevitable consequences. No one should be sacked for losing to Arsenal .. or even Man City, and the prospect of picking up points from November's games v. Liverpool and Brighton seems highly doubtful (on current form), but in between ...we face Leicester, Everton and Wolves who are all treading water in the places above us. Failure to get a good points return from those games will be catastrophic going up to the Christmas / New Year period. Whatever is needed for RM to " tweak " his formation must to be done if Onuachu is to be of value to us, as the other strikers have failed miserably so far.

After buying him for 18 mill. ..and then loaning him out for a season, at last we saw Onuacho on the pitch, and not a bad sub. performance either. As we now have more strikers on the books than in living memory and almost none of them can score (with exception of U18's Dibling), and now Archer (who came off the bench in order to score ) ..it's long overdue for Onuacho to get a start, he may be the last chance to save Martin's job.