HarvSFC

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.

He has two weeks to coach the team to learn to play a system that gets the best out of Archer, as he's our best option in the centre forward role now. We don't have a target man with Stewart's latest injury. So no more slow build-up, not every attack has to start with the centre-backs, bypass them and get it to the creative players up the pitch and no more hoofing it aimlessly after our slow build-up gets pressed. We need a bit of tempo and getting the ball in the box. Stop trying to play through two banks of four because by the time our attack is building the opposition have everyone back and setup, which takes Archer out of the game.

Robinson was too attacking at the start of the season, so can't get in the squad now. Fellows had his best game against Middlesbrough and looked good in the first half in midweek. So he got hooked at half time and dropped out of the eleven today. Scienza's getting the same treatment now. No place for attacking talent here. How dare you take on the opposing defender.

Poor. Said before the game that what's needed is a good performance and three points against a Derby team battling to survive in the Championship. For the first seven minutes it looked like that was coming true and it showed how good we can be. However, the following 83 minutes was a boring mess full of crap. Alex McCarthy, Man of the Match against the 20th placed Championship side. That's very poor. At least he's cemented himself as the number one, although we may well get a new manager who has to go through the Bazunu process again. Don't know what Spors is thinking. We haven't played well all season. Our two wins against Wrexham and Sheffield United were fortunate, one needed a wonder goal to bail us out. So, he can't be happy with this start to the season. But, then he also thought Jack Stephens had a good pre-season when he was making mistake after mistake in those games, so not too sure his judgement is all there. End of the day we've played 9 games and we haven't played a good 90, maybe even a good 45 in any. Not looking good.

Remember when you used to get 8+ minutes added time. Never seems to happen anymore even with all the subs and now long throw stoppages. Another new rule phased out after the novelty.

Richard Kone scored again for QPR. He was far too obvious.

Sorry Scienza. Like Fellows and Robinson, you're just too attacking and progressive. Slow it down and pass sideways.

Mixed. We had a really good first seven minutes. Should have scored before the goal through Manning, we were running rings around them with our passing and movement, and then we scored and it's been poor ever since. Wish we would just put teams to the sword like Coventry are doing every week, rather than taking the foot off the gas and slowing the game down with a one goal lead. Sheffield United are in a false position, they have some good players there still who have just been mismanaged. Derby are not. 20th and as poor as they showed in the first 7 minutes. But, we've allowed them to be competitive. On a positive, Scienza's YouTube videos impressed me on his initial link here and he's looked decent today, has the ability to produce something from nothing, which not many of our current players have in their locker. Azaz on for Edwards is the obvious attacking move for me. See if he can feed Armstrong through as Armstrong and Stewart were looking good up there.

As I said last week with Luke Ayling. How much time and space does the Derby player have to put the ball in. Professionals can place the ball where they want with time ffs!

Okay, we've started excellently and now deservedly 1-0 up. Keep this up and hit them for a few goals.