HarvSFC

We were shit for a lot of the match, but we were somehow winning. Yet his subs made us even worse and we all thought what may happen after the Stephens sub, but would still take a lot for Blackburn to score twice. Yet, they have. A common theme of this season has been manager's outthinking Still. Where's that points lost from leading positions stat.

At least Jack Stephens does a lot of quality things off the pitch. What that is, who knows?

We want Still out + All associated with Sports Republic.

The crowd has turned.

Low quality half. Given up possession a lot through aimless passing, or just running into the Blackburn defence. Just get Scienza on the ball as much as possible, seems to be the only way. When you watch Archer, you're left thinking, okay maybe Downs isn't that bad. And then you watch Downs and you're left thinking, okay maybe Archer isn't that bad. So, hopefully Oyekunle can do an Obafemi before his career tanked and actually make an impact at senior level.

Remember when Solent conducted that bizarrely negative interview after we signed Scienza.

Our only player with any talent. Good finish.

And we still have Aribo, Edozie and Matsuki sitting around doing nothing. Not the best names ever, but Aribo was important in the last promotion season, Edozie was alright two years ago before he got clattered and is good enough for today, while Matsuki hasn't been seen since scoring a lovely goal at Norwich. All three good enough to play against the 23rd placed team in the Championship to give us another option and a bit more going forward, rather than persisting with the tactic that has given us two flukey wins in 11 games.

5 at the back against 23rd placed Blackburn. Still hasn't brought off a centre-back for an attacker in any of the previous games we've struggled to score in, so doubtful we'll change it up if it doesn't work again. Must win, or we've appointed another dud.

A lot of these players could barely motivate themselves to try and get to 12 points last season. A lot of them seemed content to be part of the worst Premier League side of all time points wise. They don't have any pride. But, at least we have a fantastic captain and leader of these men.

I think it's fair to say this has been another summer of fuck ups, which were all fairly clearly to see. The mistakes off the top of my head: 1. When the season started we had only signed Joshua Quarshie and Damion Downs. Almost as though how shit we were last season was missed by all those at the club. We needed more than two inexperienced players joining in pre-season and before the season started. A lot of people peddle the line that little old Southampton can't sign players early in the summer, but it's as much of a myth as newly promoted clubs can't stay in the Premier League. Yes, the last two weeks are busier in the window, but every other club at least adds two or three first team players before the season starts. 2. The goalkeeper spot has been a blind spot for years. We finally had a good goalkeeper in Aaron Ramsdale, who we charitably allowed to leave on loan despite Solak claiming Ramsdale loved it here (Solak also said we'd sign an attaker before selling anyone, so who knows). Okay, we may have put ourselves in a tricky situation in a years time if we signed a new permanent goalkeeper with Ramsdale coming back. However, there was absolutely nothing stopping us from signing a new number one on loan to cover the position. Instead, we went for George Long, because he's a good character to have in the dressing room, but has 0 impact on the pitch. What's McCarthy, if he's not good to have around the dressing room, surely that quota was already met? We blindly went into the season with Bazunu as our number one AGAIN. 3. The striker position has also been a blind spot for years. We keep trying to go down the youth route, first Mara, and now Downes and both have been so poorly scouted, they barely resemble footballers. We already had the young striker quota met in the squad here with Ballard, and he's now proving to be better than Downs. What we needed was a senior physical man to lead the line. But, they don't provide any resale value, so we can't retain our net spend trophy. 4. Will Still had a perfectly capable coaching team in France. His record in France, the top flight was good, and that was with his team. It would make sense to not only bring Still here, but his coaching team also. What's Rooney without Rosenior? Shit. What's Paul Ince without Ray Mathias? Shit. Managers have their own team they trust, and not only this, but Still's team were his brothers. Instead, we try to reinvent the wheel and give him an underqualified Lallana, Martin, who has been the constant of the last few years and Paul Trollope, who isn't a big enough name to make up for Still's lack of experience. 5. The Jack Stephens contract. Three years. It took Will Still 6 games to realise Stephens isn't a good enough player. But, apparently he's amazing off the pitch. To that, I say we've been as shit as a football club can be for well over a year now, so what ever his off the pitch incredibleness is, it is having fuck all impact on the pitch, where it matters. Sure there's more. As I said on Saturday, attendances are now dropping. SR have been lucky it's taken this long, but how shit do we need to become until we start putting pressure on the board? 4 wins in how many games? This wouldn't be accepted at most clubs in the country. I don't know why it is here, we're a reputable club who were comfortable in the Premier League when they came in and now closer to League One than the Premier League.

I just can't believe we've still got three centre-backs on the pitch.

Who's going to be our next manager then? Mr. Blobby? Alongside needing a goalkeeper and a striker in the summer, we also needed to bring Still's coaching team with him, the one he had a fine record with in France. Instead we've forced Lallana and Carl Martin on him and tried to mould a new team with Trollope.

We look better when we move the ball quickly, and don't ponderously pass it between our centre-backs. The goal came from quick play, one ball forward from Charles after THB won it back. The Archer chance and the Armstrong offside earlier in the game. Don't think we've created a chance from our centre-backs playing it between themselves. A regular theme of this season has been teams showing us a lot of respect at the start of matches. Then they start to sus out we aren't actually that good, so they press us a bit more and move a few more players forward and then we struggle to cope and get dominated. Still don't think we need three centre-backs against these low blocks, but then Still hasn't changed this in any of the games this season, so expect another dull 45.

Well that isn't fair, when they get through on goal, they score.

Can we have any joy?

What a ball from Charles. That's what could happen when you don't look for the safe pass and go back to the centre-backs.

I just don't see the sense in signing two of the Championship's best attackers. Two exciting signings and benching them, restricting them to cameos off the bench. What did Azaz get at the weekend? 5 minutes? I just think an attacking midfield three of Scienza - Azaz - Fellows would be exciting and good enough for this level, but I don't think the three have been on the pitch together. Scienza causing issues down one wing and Fellows down the other. Stops teams from doubling up on one, as Armstrong isn't running at, nor beating anyone with skill on the other side. But, hopefully I'm wrong and we play out a comfortable victory with this line-up.

That's when Bazunu or Long play in the warm up.

Leicester destroying Portsmouth. Won 7 corners and now a goal up within 27 minutes. Whereas we were hoofing it up to a midget.

Feels like I've been walking away from St Mary's feeling frustrated for well over a year now, oh wait, we all actually have. The numbers in the ground are now starting to drop finally, and the atmosphere in the ground is now as bad as it has been for years. No anti, or toxic singing, just apathy and silence. If the numbers dropping don't make SR finally wake up, then they never will, while you're also left wondering how many mistakes you're going to allow them. As for the match, the first half hour was dull, then we came in to life with Scienza on the ball, who produced two quality chances after skinning their full-back, but nobody got on the end of either shot, hit the inside of the post from outside of the box and had it not been for Jander later the player (Archer?) following would have got miss of the season and then he put in the corner for Wood to miss a fairly simple header. We went into half time with a lot of momentum, but didn't start the second half with it and the second half became a dull and scrappy affair with the aforementioned Jander miss being the main highlight and I haven't really seen a miss as bad as that one for quite a while. McCarthy was never tested, but I don't think we worked their keeper enough in the second half either. The seven minutes added on were very frustrating. Either hoofing the ball and giving up possession, or playing slow possession in our own half. Scienza the clear man of the match. His YouTube videos impressed me the most in the summer and finally they're actually been true. He's the only one in our entire squad capable of producing that bit of magic. The only one who isn't a robot, looks to take his man on and isn't always looking to play the safe pass. It would be criminal if he now received the Robinson, Matsuki or Fellows treatment. Jelert played well again defensively. Attacking wise could have done better, but Swansea sent all their attacks in the first half out wide to his side, towards Inoussa and Jelert stuck to him well, even when they were doubling up on him as Armstrong wasn't tracking back enough. He didn't do a Manning and give his attacker time and space to get their cross in, which was appreciated. And, yeah, been saying it for a lot of this season, but I don't think we needed three centre-backs again today. Teams will sit deep against us 75% of the time this season, we could have done with an extra man up the field to retain those second balls and keep the pressure on Swansea when the momentum was easing. Maybe even an extra man in midfield in Downes to sit back a bit, but play higher than a centre-back would have been better.

It would be nice to see us move the ball up the pitch faster and create more clear cut opportunities. We aren't drawing matches because our strikers are missing loads. We're drawing matches because we aren't creating enough. Think how much harder McCarthy had to work than the Derby keeper last match and they're 20th in the league. Get the centre-backs off the ball and let Scienza, Fellows, Azaz create up the pitch.

He's probably our best full-back currently at the club, based purely on his only substantial minutes at the club against Liverpool. Buyout clauses also don't get decided in October. Although, we don't follow the norms of football, so could well be true.

Just checked Nicholas Bignall, because emergency loans don't really happen these days and it was 15 years to this day that he signed. What a signing. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/s/southampton/9074154.stm

It would make sense to have the fans forum during the first international break in September. When the squad is finalised, all incoming transfers have been made and players have been sold. Also played a handful of games, so more of an idea. The August slot is all just speculation, and they refuse to comment on speculation.