Saint86

I've always been on Spors' side, but beginning to think he might really know what he's doing...

Told yah ☺️😌

Cycle larin debut winner anyone? Scienza sadly very much off form lately, and limited squad depth their to offer competition.

Thanks for this reminder GS... I was in the process of enjoying my morning until then 🤣

5-2-2-1 (etc) is a dreadful formation. 4-2-3-1 allows us to play further up the pitch and carry more threat to the opposition, as a result we aren't pushed as deep and the opposition gets less chances and less dangerous ones at that. We also have one of the best squads in the league and should be worrying the opposition, not the other way around.

As shocking as this revelation may be, this narrative is not the way to win votes - this is the way to alienate a decent portion of the electorate and ensure. Parties like Labour, the greens, lib dems etc, will never win these votes if they run around constantly painting them all as thick racists 🤦‍♂️. The tories may get some of them back purely because they aren't doing this and may instead manage to persuade some of them that they're a good choice again.... Maybe... but I can't see it being that significant a number tbh - this lot are basically the forgotten left behind demographic, and they are Reform's as it stands. What people seem to utterly gloss over, is that an awful lot of Reform voters are traditional Labour voters - they look at what happened between 2019 and 2024, on that specific 5 year timeframe, but the larger picture is more interesting - alot of reform voters that "went from the conservatives to reform" are the so called "red wall" voters that in 2019 leant their vote to Johnson rather than Corbym... at the last GE they didn't vote tory, but they certainly didn't go back to Labour either... they've gone to Reform. And unlike the last GE, they're no longer seen as a protest vote - they are the most popular party in large parts of the country. Alongside that, the tories have bled votes to general apathy and often to the lib dems in the south and south west. But honestly, the reality is that unless something changes drastically, i struggled to see next the general election as anything other than reform as the largest party. Labour are going to get punished - people everywhere and in all walks of life are just utterly sick of them. The greens are broadly viewed by everyone to the right of them as far left, and the lib dems have elected not to really capitalise at all on the implosion of the two main parties and have a leader who runs around doing comedy stunts for kids and giving out ice creams as his version of 'serious politics'. The only question in my mind, will be whether tactical voting leads to a whitewash or a hung parliament - and that goes across all 5-6main parties (greens/labour/libs/tories/reform - and then SNP/PC). Are things going to get better under this Labour government, or worse?

Brilliant, so he's also a drink driver 🙄😡

Well, technically he doesn't... But he and Stewart need to be effective enough for us to get promoted. Thats the only yardstick SR should be judged on ultimatley.

Ignores the fact that, well managed, ten of our on field 11 should be good enough to be get promoted. Stewart (if he stays fit) being the 11th. Its a calculated risk by SR. The squad is still competitive, financially they've balanced the books, but they've thrown the dice on Stewart's fitness and risked us being left without a reliable goalscorer. Personally - my expectations for this squad are that we should still make playoffs, and within the playoffs, (assuming Ipwich get top 2) we should still be the favourites of the 4 to go up... I'd have been more confident if we had kept AA, and i'd be more confident if we had more depth in the ST, CAM, Wing positions. That all hinges on us sticking to a 4-2-3-1 and being well managed tactically for the remaining games. Anyone's guess as to whether that materialises. Has Eckert switched to a back 4 to save his job and get a few wins, and then it will be back to a 5-2-2-1? Or is this going to stick? And is his game management going to keep improving at the required rate to out think more experienced managers in a playoff race? Spors clearly backs him, and its on those 2 (and their big top man CF choices - stewart/larin) that any success this season now rests. One thing is for sure, they need to get Edozie up to speed PDQ, becuase we cannot go the next 19 games with just Jayrob as cover for the wings.

This.

Optimistic thinking Stewart will make it that far. The transfer window has just slammed shut, so by some counts he's due an injury anytime this afternoon... 🤣

The post you quoted has incorrect goals/penalty stats. The last time we played 4 at the back in the championship, Armstrong was the top player in the league for combined goals and assists in a side that was one of the most effective attacking units in championship history... so he very clearly does fit a 4-2-3-1 formation, and no amount of posters trying to reinvent history by saying he doesn't will change that... 🤦‍♂️ The reality is that he has been misused this season, and him playing as the lone striker in what has essentially been a 5-2-2-1 all season is on the manager(s)/recruitment, not Armstrong.. He's gone regardless, but let's not do the guy dirty with this weird revisionism.

Last time we played 4-2-3-1 consistently in the championship, AA was the top player in the league for combined goals and assists. This isn't aimed at you, but the "doesn't fit the system" argument is just not true.... unless of course we're reverting back to a 5-2-2-1.

Well, we'll see I guess... that is the great adventure that is being a Southampton fan (especially under SR) 🙄🫣. At least the last 3 matches we've broadly adopted a square pegs, square holes approach to matches... So you'd like to think we haven't just sold AA (who can play RW), to replace him with this guy who is a blatant target man that we'll then play on the wing instead.... So hoping we see more of the same re players playing in their actual positions and at least with peretz at the back we seem far more solid.

A summary of our business... I guess ultimately we've done good work to thin the squad/wage bill, and have strengthened in the GK department (which truthfully is probably worth more than AA's goals Vs Stewart/cerin's for the rest of the season). Presumably now we will see edozie reintegrated as an option on the wing (which is badly needed), and I guess we all hope that either Stewart can stay fit and firing for 19 more games this season, or that Cerin does...