Saint86

That twitter handle is not very reliable - and also this would be a stupid decision.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12025853/Harry-Redknapp-relives-horrific-return-Portsmouth-leaving-rivals-Southampton.html Bet the fishy few will love an article like this 🙄.

Could see theo getting a 1year extension for the championship, albeit on reduced wages. He would do a job for us at that level compared to most of our attackers - that much is clear - and he is ultimately an experienced player with a love of the club and a positive role model for younger players. He has however said that he wants to step back from the playing side of the game, so can certainly see him not being at saints next year.

Is your twitter handle @Andrewsaintsfc per chance? 🧐

As has been said numerous times, we were relatively stable under Ralph, Semmens, Crocker etc - albeit with no resources / pot to piss in. But the fans generally were not happy with this, the old adage "careful what you wish for was uttered", and the rest is history... But in the year of Sports Republic "not being too involved in the club" they have; Dismantled the first team coaching setup around the manager, Failed to strengthen the first team in the key areas (actually any?). Weird change to the 4-5-1 from a dedicated 4-2-2-2 advocate? Essentially undermined and then sacked a good manager. Hired the world's fittest welsh wizard, spent a load more money to little real effect, the 4-5-1 returned 🙈. Kept said fittest man for too long. Disastrously too long actually. It was okay though, the players liked him... Given the job to the players mate (seemingly keeping the players happy)... Now whether Selles knows his stuff or not, he is out of his depth in this scenario and has the unfortunate issue of being a real constant throughout the season's general disappointing abandonment of high press attacking football. At least the 4-5-1 finally went in the bin at last... Crocker has now left as DoF - this is quite a significant loss if Wilcox doesn't come in to be immediate quality himself - regardless, it is unnecessary change yet again. Matt Hale (head of academy) has now gone - right when the academy is now starting to bear serious fruit - More unnecessary change - if it isn't broke don't fix it ffs. Lost 2 heads of recruitment 😆 Probably loads more, but that's the crux of it... essentially we had good people who would likely have been absolutely fine running things themselves with the extra funding, and instead have gone down the route of maximum unnecessary harm because SR/Rasmus thought they were cleverer than they actually are. By some distance. Now we're going down and the entire club is in turmoil without the necessary staff in place to manage the most important summer in decades?

That surely was not a thing?!?!?! 😄

Okay, let me rephrase. In response to, "Not a chance City will allow him to go to another premier league club" (this summer) - Man City do not dictate our transfer policy on Lavia. If we can afford to keep him (and decide to) then we can/will - and if he is happy to stay in the champ (doubtful) then we may well reject bids for him - we may even reject bids for him if he wants to leave... But if we do decide to sell him and other teams bid for him this summer, then city will be forced to match those offers if they want to "not allow him" to move to other prem teams. Ultimately, If Lavia decides to stay at Saints for a season of 2nd division football then that is his choice, not city's - I would love that to be the case, but it would quite extraordinary for a player that talented (and with a season of successful top flight football under his belt) to step down and spend a year of his career in the 2nd tier - especially at a club as dysfunctional as saints. The choice ultimately is on Lavia and saints, not what city will or will not allow 😄😆. And to reiterate, it would be fantastic if we kept him for another year - even if it means we get £10M less for him next summer. Sadly i just can't see a scenario where he's playing Championship football. Best case semi realistic scenario is Boehly gets the panic sweats over Chelsea's abysmal form and bungs us £50m-£60M this summer. Not sure city would match that.

Its irrelevant what city want, if other clubs bid this summer they'll have to match it...

Will Still... MLG will be back like never before... 🤣

Went down the park at halftime, sounds like the obvious choice was the right one.... Rasmus' two candidates (Jones and then selles in a few seasons) both failures?

Was that a penalty on sulemana?

We're going down for a long long time. Absolutely no way this cluster cluck of a club bounces on arrival... I would go so far as to say "what club?". Every part of it is in flux and just about the only common trend is one of everyone still here wanting to leave.

Will book end Rasmus' first year quite nicely really. One of SR's first actions was to dismantle the existing coaching team and replace with their own hires.

All these crosses into the box, imagine we had the tallest player in the prem on the pitch...

What am i fucking watching. this is horrendous.

Given whats at stake, this is possibly the worst saints performance i have ever seen.

What the actual.... have we been purchased by Pompey fans and being managed into decline?

Lack of pace at CB is whats really hurting us here. Its the shitter equivalent of Arsenal having to play Holding against us. Bournemouth are very poor at the back, we've hit the woodwork twice - they actually are there for the taking... if we could defend.

You lot are so negative, saints win incoming!!! 😎

How do people read that formation? 4-2-2-2 With Lavia and JWP as the 6s, and Alcaraz and Ely as the 10s? Then AA and Theo up front? Or 4-3-3 with Lavia, JWP and Carlos, then Ely and theo/AA as wingers and Theo/AA up front?

If Bournemouth keep a clean sheet they've basically won. I actually think we'll win - we tend to do alright vs the attacking sides, and then absolute dogshite when teams set up to defend against us.

I'd say this is pretty fair. Decision making this year has been poor though. We've spent £160M, which was our opportunity to rebuild at this level, and have instead destabilised the entire club. The blame for that sits with the main decision maker which is Rasmus / SR - but then equally Sports Republic have clearly invested into the club. All we can do is hope they get it right this summer - i don't actually care whether that means Rasmus takes a step back or whether he starts making the right decisions... We can't afford another summer like this year - and in reality that isn't even the half of it, we have to be so much better on the recruitment front.

Tella will want to go and be part of the Burnley side he helped get promoted. But that doesn't mean he'll be unhappy at saints, down tools, and refuse to play / jeopardise his career. Those are very different things. Ultimately this isn't one of the big 6 or 7 squads, its Burnley... they might have a decent season next year, but they'll be back battling relegation after that at best.

"Understands the Southampton Mantra" .... Yes Rasmus? Harder Rasmus? 👀

Surely as a minimum one of Semmens or Rasmus is gone? Depends where the power ultimately lies - Rasmus or Dragan... Rasmus won't sack himself sadly, and Semmens is just about the last remaining fall guy he can fall on. We have no head of recruitment currently (shields), Hale (academy manager is off), Wilcox yet to start as Crockers replacement in the DoF role, and no one in to Tony Steele? I fear we will once again be at the whims of Rasmus come the summer - at a time when we'll be replacing the manager, trying to work out which players are committed to the promotion fight, getting good deals done for those that are off, and sorting out replacement / new signings... Have to say i do admire the optimism of some - everything about us looks like a basket case at present 😰😂.