SaintLondon

Perhaps the thinking is now to extend the interim role through to the Birmingham game to test whether those four wins were a bounce or something more durable. Millwall were the better side at the weekend; that happens, you can’t win every game. But TE did make a few curious calls, Aribo chief among them and they may want to see how he responds to a setback and whether the team can rebound. (We aren't the most robust side are we...) The cruel irony for TE is timing: if that Millwall defeat had landed mid-run, bracketed by wins, he’d likely look a stronger candidate today. As it is, the question is whether he can reset quickly and show there’s substance beyond the initial spark. Birmingham will tell us plenty.

How does the Kool-aid taste?

In other words, we don't know what we're doing and we're hoping for a miracle.

This a hunch based on the murmurs last time or you've heard something? It would be classic SR to be putting the fate of the club in the hands of either Tonda Eckart or Eric Ramsey based on a failed experiment with Will Still. What annoys me is that the likes of Spors are getting linked with clubs such as Juventus, they don't mind taking the risks and making a mess because they know they can wash their hands of it and walk away. We're the ones that are left to deal with the mess they've made with no way of cleaning it up. Any clubs with decent ambitions in the Championship can use us as the case study on what not to do.

Seen a report we might cancel Jelert's loan in Jan - what is happening there? I thought he has looked ok?

What happened to K Billy?

You'd hope the people in the footballing department being paid millions per year can come up with this answer. Don't think chastising someone on here for not knowing the answer to that is all that fair. It's literally not our job but it literally is theirs.

I have been told by a friend who works for the club that we shouldn't expect any news on this any time soon. I'm now convinced that they wanted GON but us pesky fans got in the way of another SR masterclass.

I just don't buy this logic. Yes, he’s two from two, but the underlying numbers suggest that stronger opposition would have punished us. Even if they didn’t, it remains a gamble - and gambles should be informed by track record, not two senior games. If the stakes are as high as suggested - i.e., we’re in a difficult financial position if we don’t go up - why would we risk the season on a coach with virtually no senior résumé? I like TE; he speaks well and carries himself impressively. But we’ve done the hopeful punt before. Rúben Sellés looked a revelation after Chelsea away and it didn’t sustain. That’s a case study we should learn from, not repeat. There’s a better blueprint: decide early, appoint experience, and build momentum over multiple windows. Look at Coventry City. They made the hard call on 7 November 2024, sitting 17th on 15 points, and brought in Frank Lampard.. Performances stabilised, results improved, and they used the following window to add smartly. They fell short that first season, yes but crucially they turned a bounce into a culture. This year they’ve continued the trajectory: recruitment aligned, belief embedded, and a squad that’s been living in a positive atmosphere for the best part of 18 months. That’s how you enter the Premier League with tailwinds rather than turbulence. That is what Southampton are crying out for. Timing matters. We’re not in August; we don’t have the luxury of “a few games to see where we are.” The sensible route is to hire an experienced head coach now, keep TE in a clearly defined supporting role, and make a serious push for the play-offs while laying foundations for the summer. Give the dressing room somebody proven - systems, standards, substitutions and let TE learn under that framework rather than carry it on his back. As for Sport Republic, history doesn’t inspire confidence. It looked like they were pushing Gary O’Neil despite the Pompey problem until the backlash made it untenable, which likely explains slience. And here we are - again - staring at a late decision with no clear plan. If they surprise us with a heavyweight (say Brendan Rodgers or Marco Rose), I’ll happily eat my words. But the fear is we end up with TE or a left-field swing like Johnny Heitinga, and we’re back in the cycle of hope, drift, and reset. Bottom line: if promotion genuinely matters to the club’s financial health, don’t stake it on romance and short samples. Appoint experience, codify the culture, and let momentum do what it did for Coventry.

There isn't any substance in the Rogers rumours, right? Just general gossip?

For anyone still thinking he'd be good...

Telegraph reporting GON is in pole position.. Feels like Nathan Jones appointment all over again. Full scale negativity.

Yeah but Pompey is the only one he came out and spoke of after he retired to say he was now a supporter of.. Also, who is calling for Zidane? We're just saying *not* GON. We know where are in the pecking order and I find it weird that some fans are fine with a Pompey supporting manager in the dugout.

If SR appoint GON, it will confirm what many of us fear: that all the talk about the club being “nothing without the fans” is lip service. Appointing him - despite the Pompey context, which they either don’t understand or choose to dismiss - would be a glaring sign of leadership that is out of its depth and acting in spite of its own supporters. I’ve tried to give Dragan the benefit of the doubt; he has invested heavily and taken losses. But this decision ultimately rests with him. If he allows Spors to proceed with appointing him, it will - judging by feeling on here and my Saints supporting friends - be the final break in any remaining goodwill toward the board and Dragan in particular. I don’t think they grasp quite how monumental a fuck up this would be.

Romeu left after Ralph? Romeu played a couple of games under Martin, didn't he? Lost my mind. All the shite has merged into one hellish campaign.