Saint86

I personally have seen enough of Martin to completely change my opinion around - I want us to be keeping him even if we don't get promoted - and letting him properly build a side this summer. I think he's done a pretty good job all in all this year, and he's a young manager who needs to make mistakes and learn, and to have some of his edges worn off. Another year in the champ where he's allowed to better build a team over the summer wouldn't be the worst thing that happens to us. The bigger concern is that is the structure in place above/behind him to actually focus on good player recruitment this summer (as opposed the priority last summer being to flog as many assets as possible to meet ffp requirements). For example, i've moaned all year about lack of cover at FB, at CDM etc. (and those are valid), but actually recently what has been really obvious is that once creative players go off, we struggle - players like Stu/armstrong - ones who can carry the ball and make something happen from midfield, who can create with their vision and passing - and actually utilise the runners of our strikers and wide me. Without them, we lose so much composure and control from our game, our threat reduces, our possession reduces, and it allows the other teams to push up more, win the ball back, and start to hurt us. Rothwell just doesn't fit the bill for that role, and Smallbone doesn't either. So whilst we have all mostly moaned at him for subs, there aren't replacements for those type of players in the squad -and that ultimately is on the recruitment side and Wilcox, with an acknowledgement that the bottom line last summer was to balance the books sadly. If that can be addressed in the summer (as well as CDM, a good finisher (perhaps that is steward), and full back cover - i think we'll be well set to go again next year. I do also think he's getting a lot of unfair disrespect from some fans over what he's achieved - given how he's completely changed the club's mentality around (from relegation to chasing promotion), changed the tactical style, and still built a very competitive side despite the chaos of the summer - its impressive imo - and the reality is that we are a joy to watch in full flow. Yes, he was pissing me off with his "being brave, proud of the players", and that smug chin right in your face every interview... Yeah, i can't lie, that was all grating... but on reflection - what do we (as fans) want - journeyman managers that come in, impose their own style and players and then f'off at the first majority, or are fans prepared to embrace a project? Maybe this is naive of me as most saints fans seemed to want Ralph out, so maybe they do just want a conveyor of short term disloyal managers... but from where we are now, we need a plan for the prem, and with commitment to Martin and his style of play i can in all seriousness see a successful step up in the future - it needs us and him to improve, and for a good summer of recruitment - but we should be targeting all of those things as standard?!. And frankly, its a freak season with respect to just how good we'd had to have been to have been promoted - Any other year we'd have been comfortable (with corresponding reductions in pressure), and wouldn't have had the fixture pile up we've had for the run in due to the fire and Leicester postponement to boot. And also, I have moaned about him all year - But I equally can't blame him for things like that Cardiff loss (amongst many others) - Armstrong, Che, Brooks to name a few... Its pretty damn evident that decent finishing would have made a huge difference this year (sweepstake @anyone over how many SR windows we go before we sign one and can stop saying this?) - and there are games where i swear our strikers couldn't hit a barn door at 6 yards due to lack of composure. Team Martin for me at the present time.

Struggling to work out what part of installing rail seating in northam required the away fans to move to the kingsland chapel corner and the club pissing off a good part of SMS in the process.

I sadly think the net result of all the changes will be lower season ticket sales and lower "attendances".

I gave you a list of players that also aren't meeting your criteria for being allowed to play twice in a week without any injuries being the manager's fault. Add to that the fact that we have a medical team who's responsibility it is to control and restrict game minutes if their are fitness concerns, and yet you're still on here blaming the manager for a freak injury.

What... like Aribo, Smallbone, Downes, Brooks, Rothwell, Edozie, or Sulemana lately 🤣 Absolute straw man argument. And also, its the medical team that govern restrictions on game minutes

He was benched for Coventry, Blackburn, Watford. Starts either side of that... So this was his second start of this "run"... and he only played 70min vs Preston. To state he's been overplayed and fatigued and to then attack and blame the manager for that injury is laughable.

The only thing that is mind boggling is that none of us are surprised with how it ended.

What an absolutely laughable thing to blame the manager for. Get a grip ffs.

Yup, last game for saints as well. What a day.

Absolutely fucking pathetic today. Lost to an injury ravaged team with a bunch of academy players. All this in a must win game where our attackers messed about like it was a training game. Jokers.

Totally lost the plot here.

Lost the plot here. Incredibly poor today. Adams and Brooks in particular treated it like at training game and their profligacy and casualness has certainly helped cost us.

We are wasting so many chances here.

Embarrassing finishing today.

https://x.com/SouthamptonFC/status/1781390801810940396 Like it or not, he's a key part of our game. Pretty apt example truth be told - since playing it to baz led to a goal against today's opponents. We play the ball around the back to draw teams on and break - and Macca and Lumley are no where near as good at that as Baz was.

How was that a fantastic tackle? He took out brooks and completely missed the ball?!?!?!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68857595 Maresca making more excuses for his side to drop points in advance... what is he playing at. Its a must win game for them?1?!?!

Lately, and Watford was a great example, we've used Baz, che, and other runners to go long repeatedly after drawing the oppo on to us, and to really good effect. That is off the cards with Lumley and Macca's kicking/throwing. People might find our football boring or ineffective, but it works - and being forced to change it now is a risk with respect to how it will impact the side. If we wind up in a situation where Leeds or Leicester don't need the win, or where teams are pushing up on us with a high line etc. the other two keepers just don't have the distribution to get us out effectively - and without that ability to mix it up we may well struggle. Not to mention our defence are going to expect to be able to pass it back and around very nearly at the back.. I don't know how the rest of you feel about Macca and Lumley, but their touch and positional play is no where near as good as Baz's, and Macca is as likely to find the touchline as our own players if kicking to the halfway line 😅.

Has banana skin written all over it. Hopefully we can get an early goal to settle the nerves - but failing that we simply have to just get the job done no matter how scrappy it ends up being.

I mean, we had posters who were blaming him for the watford goals and who are utterly oblivious to how good his distribution is and how important it is to our play. Anyone who thinks its a good thing going into 3 must win games (and likely play offs) without our first choice (and frankly only keeper that suits our style of play) is absolutely deluded in my opinion - this weakens the team unquestionably. We are going to go into must win games at Leicester and Leeds, as well as play off knock out matches with either Macca or Lumley. The former is a liability with the ball at his feet and anything at his near post, the latter is just a poor keeper although at least he can do the sweeper role to a degree. The only silver lining i can see is that it might actually introduce some concentration in our defence who seem to constantly switch off for fatal 5-10min periods in games... If it puts an end to the casual play consistently evidenced by our defenders (which is frankly the overwhelming reason we concede goals) maybe we'll get away with it...

That's interesting. The people around us in the ground didn't see it on the weekend, but he took a huge swing at one of the watford defenders who went down all off the ball. I looked at the ref (who didn't see it), then at the linesman (who didn't) - I couldn't believe he'd got away with it. No idea if he made contact, but assume he did from the reaction (although who knows these days with players being dishonest)... regardless, he was silly to take the swing and we're bloody lucky he didn't get caught in the game!

In my defence, i was in the process of marking up drawings: But we was robbed i tells ya! Now imagine if we miss out on promotion on goal difference (by say 1...) to Ipswich. Which is very plausible (if you assume we catch them on points) as we'll close up the current points gap and we've scored more per game than them.

He isn't offside Whitey! He's not in front of the ball.

Laughable to blame Stephens for that... The goal was caused by a long ball (which went clear over the top of Stephens and which he would never have got), then Downes (who badly missed a header an took himself out of the move and left a yawning gap), and then THB who just ran away from Kone and at no point was ever in any danger of stepping out to narrow the angle, challenge, or limit shooting chances - ultimately a free shot on goal. So unless you wanted Stephens to foul him, possibly conceding a penalty, i don't know why you're laying the blame at his feet. Reads like bias / scapegoating to blame stephens i'm afraid. Conversely, saints scored 2 goals with Stephens in midfield... (albeit the incorrect offside call chalked one of them off). Similarly, before this game, Stephens had 2 assist in 2 games.

Haha, yes agreed. I thought our chances were better when i started writing it... and then i just adopted a "i've started so i'll finish" mentality by the end 😂