Saint86

I doubt Ralph (or indeed many of the strategic decision makers now at the club) are particularly aware of Fonte sadly, even more so that they are in contact with him. But I agree, as a defensive coach, i can see him being a good addition. I thought Lallana had a good game against us. History aside, he reminded me that he is (and very much was) a joy to watch with the ball at his feet. Effortless skill and has a very english way of beating players without relying on pace. I look at the team now and we have no one with that ability. Probably the closest player we have who is able to carry the ball, beat players, and create chances is Armstrong - but he's a different kind of player. Also just thinking back to that Poch season and it does make you realise how much worse of a team we are now. Fonte, Lovren, Lallana, morgan, Wanyama, jayrod, lambert, clyne, shaw, even cork. What a great team that was - and one that certainly knew how to hurt teams with a combination of skill, pace, and power. No slight against Koeman's Mane/Tadic/Pelle combination either - also a tasty team. If you did a combined 11 from the 3 managers, I wonder how many of the current team would get in...

Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl speaking to BBC Sport: "In the second half the opponent wanted it more and we have to be self-critical about it because it was by far one of the worst games we have played this season. "It is time to work on a few basic fundamentals in the next weeks. The second goal gave them a lift. Afterwards, we did not have a solution, only one chance at the end. "We see that our game is far away from what is has been this season. I can remember we were one of the best home teams at the beginning of the season. What has happened in the second half, we have to ask the question ourselves. "We are not hungry enough and the basics are missing at the moment which makes it very difficult to win games." Yeah i tend to agree. Not much time to really reverse this though. Could be a very worrying end to the season!

First and foremost. The performance today vs Brighton was appalling. We were far too soft, gave them easy goals, and lacked any real threat going forward. It was also very concerning just how tired we looked. But, a point of reflection perhaps: I think the reality is that the overall squad is probably relegation scrap level and the system WAS working to produce results above the standard of the "whole". We've had a terrible run of poor results, bad decisions, injuries etc. and all of that has clearly knocked the players' form and confidence. As others have said, we are no long making the runs or the passes that we were making at the start of the year, the players aren't fluid because of the unsettled team and lack of confidence, and we are still missing Ings and Romeu - How many have looked at Newcastle and thought that ASM and Wilson are going to be big misses for them? - because I would say Romeu and Ings are far worse, and that is excluding all the other players we've missed. All in all, things are very much spiralling in an alarmingly negative direction. Ultimately, none of the above can excuse the meek performance today - which will have an even worse knock on our confidence as well. And if anyone is thinking that Burnley, Palace, and West Brom are a chance to get points - all i can say is that they will play exactly the same way Brighton played today. Sit deep, don't give us anything, and take chances when we over commit (i.e. inevitably gift them). You can't explain away the current form. We are a team in trouble. But you also can't ignore the frankly superb year Hassenhuttle has had either. The guy has taken the squad he inherited from Puel/Pellegrino/Hughes, and ultimately had it lose players and be weakened. Even this year all we've really done is like for like replacements for PEH and Cedric, signed a squad rotation/prospect CB, and picked up two loans (one of which is injured and being covered for by the other). To those that think Ralph should be doing better with this team. I would query what that is based upon? Is it based on the performances of his predecessors who all had better squads but left us in relegation fights? Doubtful. Is it instead based upon our form since project restart and prior to this winter? More likely. I personally think Ralph is a good manager who has overachieved with us, and that he isn't an idiot. He must realise we're in trouble, and frankly he's saved us from certain relegation twice now imo. All we can realistically do is hope he can turn this around and get us out of danger - and then hope that something significantly changes at the club over the summer. Another summer like last year (this time losing ings, bertrand, vestergar(?), Theo and Minamino) will leave us with a squad i would expect to come mid table in the championship!! The international break cannot come soon enough. I see no reason to expect a win in the league until after the leicester and liverpool games on current form. But i still wouldn't call for his head yet. I'd say I am concerned, but i am interested to see how he addresses things as players start to come back and get fitness. Only having Che and N'lundulu (or, wait for it.... Redmond filling in) as fit forwards is dire for any team imo. Edit for an additional musing - I wish we had Gabbi still 😕

What the hell was this?!? Its absolutely atrocious. We've barely had a touch in their box in the past 20 odd minutes. In a must not lose game. Utter garbage.

Wrong thread!

This is an absolutely shocking performance. We had one job above all others today. Don't give Brighton 3 points. But we've made it easy for them. It's been effortless for them to just play through the middle and into areas where they can expose the back line and get chances. Totally pathetic from the team and tactics. We also look absolutely shattered (despite resting half the team) and have absolutely no threat whatsoever going forward. We could play for the rest of the day like this and not score! Play many more games like this and we might actually get relegated!

Its a real shame how badly run our club became in the latter years of Reed's tenureship. So much money wasted on bad signings and managers, then when things finally come good we either don't have the funds to capitalise, or the players are already on the move. Just a shame no one will offer us decent money for Redmond... At least recruitment seems to have be getting better in recent years - and in Ralph we trust (well most of us anyway).

Forgot this was on, and turned it on just in time to catch the penalties. They won the toss to go first (statistically means they are favourites) then promptly missed the first 2 (the first was one of the worst penalties you will ever see). Salford banged in 4 out of 4. Job done. What a delightful little gift for a Saturday. Apparently they've been outplayed by a lower division team all game as well. I do love them being so horrendously shite 🤣

It won't be easy. As we get closer and closer to the end of the season, teams are going to become more and more desperate. I think this will become a very important factor in what has already been a very erratic season form and injury wise. We've got a strong first 11 and our weakness has always been dominating during games and not scoring. Brighton seem to struggle for goals a degree. I'd like to think that means we at least get a draw from this and would be hopeful of a win. But I can also see us dominate, fail to score, and give Brighton plenty of free chances from which to score. Maupay is always a threat as well. Ultimately its very unlike we'll go down. But win this and we can start to enjoy the rest of the season and it will set us up well for the cup game and hopefully Wembley!

Having watched that interview, he actually comes across as a 1 club man. He talks about inspiring his son to grow up and score free kicks for Southampton, and for his goal to give everything back to the club that has given him so much...

You'd fancy our chances when they're on a 20game winning streak instead then? 🤔😉

Just watched the MoTD highlights from the weekend. Stand by this 😅

His confidence is low and the team's attacking / chance creation / runners into the box etc. has all dropped off a cliff. But am astounded at how hard he works, how well he holds the ball up, the problems he causes, the chances he creates, and his one touch finishing (when he doesn't think about it) are all good. If you could improve his composure he'd be a good player.

Disagree, he was poor at managing DCL.

Welcome to forum. The main complaints I would have against Ralph is that surely he had some say on letting Valery etc out - and it does appear to have been a mistake. Regardless of whether he feels Djenpo is better than Valery at that role, we needed the depth. This is compounded by letting Long out, Walcott being out, Minamino being out, Che Adams being off form, and Redmond being off form.... And the second point - Ralph's tactics leave us prone to taking a licking in games where perhaps we should have played for containment (and that may be because he's stubbornly ignoring the drop in matchday quality). But even saying that, we've nicked points late on because we keep on going - come back vs Chelsea (who should have had 2 goals ruled out for offisde built up and a handball) to draw 3-3, and the draw away at United last season to be two prominent examples. Unfortunately i think you've slightly missed the point / gone off on a tangent somewhat. We are where we are because a terrible run of injuries has impacted a small squad at a financially stricken club. That has been coupled with playing the bulk of the top half and form sides (sometimes multiple times), minimal breaks between games, and terrible luck with referee/VAR decisions. People can go on all they want about morale etc (i agree it is low), but is it really surprising when you consider what the team has been through. I don't think we've had more than 12 first team quality outfield players in our premier league matchday squad this year. So is it really surprising that we're struggling when we have such a small group of tired first teamers (that basically can't rotate), inexperienced youngsters, playing some of the best sides with no real breaks, and getting nailed by the refs every game? In my opinion the United game was the pinnacle of bad refs vs squad depletion, it was like a bad joke at that point and you could see the players thought so as well. But equally just take say the Villa game - it should have finished 2-1 or 3-1 (if you considering Mings pushed Martinez over his own goal line and the goal was subsequently ruled out for a foul on the keeper, let alone the pen or farcical offside), or the wolves penalty fiasco, the fact that we should have been a goal up minimum vs Leeds, the blatant foul for Leicester's opener etc. Just how much do people expect out tired and threadbare squad to actually overcome? Ultimately, we've been royally cock rogered this winter. and I just can't understand how people are judging Ralph so harshly for this form (with an absolute threadbare team) whilst ignoring (or even suggesting it was a blip) what he achieved with a full squad?! To ignore the above makes any other analysis of limited merit, and to criticise him for it also seems very harsh. Especially when we all saw him have a top 4 standard 2020 with a full squad.... Sacking him would be mad.

Good post and I agree. He's been a very good and consistent professional for us, and one who has stuck by the club when there has certainly been opportunities to aggravate for a move. Yes, i think he is slowing down. But I also think he's rarely caught out and i don't think you can attribute any specific blame to him for our current run. He also wants to commit his future to the club long term. You don't get many players happy to do that, and when they have the experience of someone like Bertrand, then you try to keep them IMO - I've actually lost count of the number of times i've seen saints fans moan over the years about the lack of quality ex players involved in the club. Ultimately, I never quite understand why some fans are so eager, and want rid of, a loyal committed player, in this instance because he's getting a bit old? And yet, i'm sure some of them moan about absences of loyalty when other players move on!

I would argue they would have been hoping for 7points from those games. Minimum 5. A loss to West Brom or Brighton (in particular) would be very bad news for them. And Villa aren't anything special.

He's been on fire for Bournemouth. So yes.

We've had a very bad run of tough teams, coupled with terrible injury luck, and frankly atrocious refereeing. Yes. Everyone would like us to be higher and have gotten more results. But sadly all of the above has combined to knock confidence and morale. But the club were happy with Ralph even if we had gotten relegated last season. We aren't getting relegated this year. He isn't getting sacked. He's also on course to take us to Wembley 😜

Agree for comments above. For a very long time now (almost criminally long), far too many of our attacks break down with Redmond. He's seriously lacking in confidence and belief. The number of times he runs straight at a player, does a step over, and runs the ball into their waiting foot is just poor. As are all his little flicks and poor pases that give the ball away, waste the team's running and stamina, and just put us back under the cosh when we should be pressing them in their 3rd. He has to be dropped surely? On current form he is worse than Djenpo, Walcott (not fit i know) and Tella... just shouldn't be starting. And Che Adams looks like another man shot of all belief sadly. Feel for him a bit. The team are so low on confidence right now that we're struggling to create anything. We aren't getting players in the box like we used to, and even when we do, they aren't chancing the runs off the final defender etc that we used to. Its all become very static. Once Diallo and KWP are back we'll be fine (assuming no more injuries). But this whole period has been a terrible reminder of just how weak the squad is currently - and its not likely to change with our finances. Personally thought that JWP and Armstrong were very good yesterday. The former especially rarely gave the ball away, was one of the few players always coming deep, receiving it under pressure, recycling the possession and tidying thigs up. Armstrong, JWP and Ings must simply be the first 3 names on the team sheet for saints. Lose any one of those and we are going to be in the shit.

Spare a thought for Djenpo having to play at RB. His positional play is laughably bad bless him. But he's not for lack of trying, he covers a tremendous amount of ground and doesn't stop running - I keep finding myself saying, ffs where is djenpo, only for him to sprint back and make a tackle. He does get beat and allow crosses in too much though - but i don't blame him for that.

This somewhat pleases me. Mossy at least seems to have decent games for us in my mind!

There are worse teams... I doubt it looks that strong with our likely bench however!

Stephens can do a decent job as a central defensive minded midfielder i'd wager. Wasn't he tipped for that sort of role when he was younger? His lapses of concentration / positional errors won't be as fatal there as at CB (famous last words i know).

Reed was an utter disaster for the club. Utterly hamstrung us when we were reaching heights fan's had only dreamed of, then tied a Wesley Hoedt (et al) shaped millstone around our necks and hired Puel, Pellegrino, and Hughes. At least he rang the changes with the academy at any rate.