UpweySaint

Genuinely curious why Lallana is now with the 21s. Is it a promotion? A demotion? A sideways move? Does it mean Tonda doesn’t need him around the first team? Feels just a bit odd 🤷‍♂️

Perhaps but I would rather we get him in the right physical shape before putting him in. If we can keep him fit for the season he could be a key part of the team.

Individual work. I’m all for legitimate criticism of the club but I anticipate this will have been managed by sport science staff. Romeu has not had a preseason or played any competitive football since before the summer so will need to build up accordingly.

A good blast from the past. If it is Tonda some proper experience and nous around him would be valuable - I wonder if Pearson would be up for a supporting role?

Hard to argue that four wins on the spin would not be impressive if he gets them but it’s a big IF. He deserves some credit for the two wins he has picked up but the context does matter - the QPR game was a lucky win in my book and beating Sheffield Wednesday in their current state is par at best. He has had a bit of time with a decent chunk of the squad over the international break so seeing how we look against Charlton will be interesting either way and a reasonable yard stick for him. They are a well organised side and have bought into Jones’ philosophy - even if he still is a massive bellend! I’m not convinced Tonda is the answer and can see why he is being seen as the ‘clever dick/spreadsheet wanker’ type of appointment but if he gets results then fair enough. The other names linked aren’t exactly awe inspiring. There are a few I would feel much more confident than Tonda but most have their flaws.

As you say, bizarre if that’s the case. Physicality is surely something you can get a good sense of ahead of getting a player in - it’s not something a little more subjective like personality type/aptitude. We’re not blessed with options so I would like to see more of him should he stay and be able to get fit. He does look more than decent for this level.

Injuries have limited his game time severely which could be a factor I guess? Possible he just hasn’t settled either. We have seen very little of him but he does look decent if he can stay fit (god that feels a familiar refrain!)

I think I have missed something today! Has something happened to convince everyone we are going with Tonda? Without going back more than a couple of pages it seems like the consensus is it’s a done deal …

Betting odds reflect the betting market but also take into account other factors that impact on probability. As an absurd hypothetical - Poch quits the USA citing his desire to rekindle his love of Southampton. He might not get the job. People might not bet on him. But the odds would naturally come down to protect the bookies profit margins in case it DID happen. Or, for a less absurd example, the odds are likely to be lower for somebody without a club with championship experience even if nobody is betting on them specifically. I take the point that in the absence of much concrete information about who we are looking at fluctuations are most likely a result of betting patterns but reject your conclusion that odds do not reflect the likelihood of an event happening. That’s what they are.

I keep looking at the lists and wonder why there isn’t a few more continental names on there. I’m not saying we will/should go that way but it looks like a narrow field of candidates otherwise. Carrick I am so so O’Neil uninspired but would make some sense. Rodgers is a prick but has some pedigree. Martin - never going to happen. Ralph could be interesting but I don’t see it happening. Corberan I like but get why others don’t. Eckert has done okay but doesn’t feel like the man we need here and now - no point judging him too much after two games but the fact that they are the only two games he has managed in first team football is exactly why appointing him feels like an absurd risk. I would be surprised if this is therefore our actual list which leads me to conclude that there probably is not much public knowledge of who we are actually interested in.

Yeah fair points. It’s a deal until the end of the season too so depending on how he gets on/where we are we can revisit if an extension suits both parties. Three points and Ori back. I know things are pretty much still a shit show but god it’s good to have something positive saints related. Being a saints fan has felt like such a slog for so long. You can feel it on here - there are always a range of opinions but the level of frustration and negativity feels heavy. Massive personal tangent but on Monday my twin boys turned two. When they were born they were very early and we were rushed from our local hospital to Winchester so they could get the care they needed - my joke is the boys were such saints fans they were determined to be born in Hampshire. A few weeks after birth one of my boys was very poorly and spent a long time in Southampton paediatric intensive care - a lot of it in an induced coma. I can’t put into words what it was like but one of my few distractions was Saints. There were plenty of games where I would be by his bedside either listening to commentary or telling him about my plans to take him and his brother to Saints games. I told him about our European adventure and my first game. He heard oh when the saints and a cleaned up version of what should I be more times than I cared to mention. This is a long roundabout way of expressing what the club means to me - albeit something of an overshare. Seeing Ori’s genuine love for the club feels so very important and I anticipate it will be similar for others who have an attachment to the club that goes well beyond what happens on the pitch each week. It’s alway means something to fans to see players who seem to get it.

I don’t think you will find a single saints fan who isn’t made up with this. It feels right on every level. Even if it doesn’t go perfectly he is a quality player who cares deeply for the club and will make a contribution on and off the pitch. Welcome back Ori!

Largely agree. It’s balance. Taking punts on potential is reasonable when combined with squad building that includes enough seasoned pros to integrate new players alongside. I’m okay with having some hits and some misses but when it leaves us with Stephens, Downes, Armstrong, Aribo and McCarthy as the ‘senior pros’ to fall back on we’ve clearly fucked it.

Perhaps a slight tangent and any answer is entirely subjective but how attractive do people think our job is/isn't? If we’re being generous we have a squad with quality but one or two obvious holes. We have parachute payments this year and next. The league feels pretty open and a Steve Cooper at Forest style play off charge is possible (albeit not likely) though from our current position the measure for success bar is low this season. We seem financially stable and have an ambitious owner - yes, he has got some big calls wrong but he has put his money where his mouth is. For many managers the premier league is the panacea and getting a job with an existing team in there isn’t easy - okay Wolves can’t be too picky at the moment - so taking a team up from the championship is a potential route in. The academy is still well respected and we have some age group internationals which suggest potential in the pipeline. There are counter arguments aplenty but if you’re an elite level coach (or aspiring to be) I expect many would back themselves overcome the issues and make a decent fist of things. Somebody mentioned Rose. While it would clearly be a big step down could someone of his ilk see us as one step backward to hopefully take two forwards if they can get us back up this year or next?

Did anyone actually demand we keep Still until the end of the season?

Ralph hit a wall but was also often doing things with one hand tied behind his back with Gao not able/willing to spend. I think we needed a refresh at the time and it’s often much easier to change a head coach than squad. If Ralph has his mojo back I would welcome him back. He had an immediate impact and we could (pre the drubbings and the wobble) all see how he wanted the players to play which largely got the team playing above the sum of their parts. Get Ralph, a proper 9 and a keeper in January and we can get things back on track. The argument goes Still lacked the experience/presence to get a tune out of the players. Ralph is certainly an antidote to this.

I’m not in the Still out camp (yet!) but that sort of selection puts a lot of pressure on him. Has the feel of a must win to get our season going again and give Still a bit of breathing space. Also feels like a big game for Azaz - still yet to see much of anything from him so far. Good to see Matsuki on the bench, I’ve liked him in the little I have seen of him. The November fixture list looks relatively forgiving so if we can find some momentum we could start moving up the table.

Is this a serious take? Would you have honestly been happy if, instead of a manager with Still’s background, we plumped for somebody from the Southern League?!? I can get not rating still so far and being unhappy with the style of play but some of stuff posted on here this season has me baffled - this very much included!

Clearly not at the same level but reminded me a little of Bale for Wales in the way he thrived with the responsibility of being one of, if not the, main men in the team. Very ‘all action’ midfield performance. Hopefully we can unlock more of that in a saints shirt!

Nope. I don’t get this reactionary attitude at all. We’ve not been good enough, no question - but it’s far too early to bin off the manager and start from scratch. If we get fuck all from Sheff Utd and Derby circle back to me.

He certainly harries less than Archer. Give him some credit he had a good flick down to Arma (I think) later on in the half but we looked much more mobile and aggressive with a three of Archer, Scienza and Armstrong. Shout to Armstrong for some really clever movement and showing a bit of experience- simple things like stopping a quick goal kick when we were overcommitted. Overall some positives today but more questions than answers really - also need to caveat it all with a much changed Liverpool side in a midweek cup game. Are we better as a five? If so, what’s the back three and what does it mean for Azaz? Did Jelert offer a bit more than Mads? Is there a place for Armstrong in the side? I think Still has got some tricky calls to make over the next few weeks. You never know - we might master more than one system/style of play and be able to adjust to opponents…

Maybe harsh because the second half has been a bit flat and coming on as a sub can be tough but Downs has barely made anything stick. We aren’t having too much of the ball this half so need him to make more of an impact.

If you see it as a lecture okay. It was intended as a polite ask on my part. Onto the footie I guess Jander may get a chance to show us what he can do on Saturday with Downes likely unavailable.

I anticipate you already know but the majority of people coming from Eritrea and Afghanistan are Asylum Seekers. I think you may well be doing schtick. Either way, fancy keeping it to the football on here? There is enough divisive stuff elsewhere to keep us all angry - whatever our politics or worldview. I would be interested to see what Jander offers but I wonder if it might be too soon. You are spot on about tempo though- we’ve looked our best this season when we have moved the ball quickly and with purpose. I think both Downes and Charles are capable of it - moreso Charles - but it may need coaxing out of them. A clean sheet away from home would be good. I don’t see us scoring three but could see a 2-0 - reasonably early goal, second if they open up sort of game.

Pretty much this. If we don’t get into gear quick enough for the autos and lose a play off for example that could be ‘acceptable’ in the context of noticeable upward trajectory that we think we could build on the following season. If we scrape in and we’re still scratching our heads about how best to utilise the squad it’s a different story.