Trout-Tickler

To be honest I wonder if the club did any due diligence on MP at all! Les Reed said in the summer that we wanted to play fast attacking football with a high press...a fair enough statement and one which most fans (myself included) would most likely echo. However, looking at his playing style at previous clubs he's managed MP has never played that way and lets be honest have we played to that style at any point this season? Alaves was all about being tight defensive and hitting teams on the break. If we wanted a manager who plays fast attacking football with a high press we should've gone out and found somebody who plays that style. Instead we have a gutless defensive manager who plays not to lose.

The Southampton way? Sadly it seems to be believing your own publicity.

Managers live and die by their results...it's a simple equation. We've won a single league game in the last 15 and our home form is worse than our relegation season. All the teams above us have won at least 2 more games than us. Truly staggering that he's still here, should've been put out of his misery a long time ago.

Sunderland away in December 1999. East wind blowing in from the North sea, absolutely bloody freezing. Lost 2-nil I think, with Phillips scoring both.

Should've played that team on Wednesday! Reckon he knows it's win or bust....

A word to the wise, when people sell you down the river they don't usually tell you that they've sold you down the river.......

Unfortunately it's got to the stage were you have to ask whether anyone could do a worse job? I'm sure MP is a nice man and is undoubtedly trying his best but it just hasn't worked out. We've won 4 games out of 25 and didn't win a single league game for the entirety of December and January...almost a third of the season without a win now. With that in mind you have to ask how anyone can believe that he can turn it around? Presently he reminds me of Steve Kean the season that Blackburn went down which isn't a great scenario....

Maybe the wording of the 5 pledges has been agreed.

#wemarchon

Well said, completely agree.

Exactly! Can completely understand Spartak not wanting to selling one of their best players meaning the only way we can get him is to meet the release fee.

Is he now fit or is he still injured?

We've only won 4 matches all season, everyone above us has won at least 5. It pains me to say it but based on our results we're in the position we deserve to be in.

Was the game at Palace not Roy's first in charge?

Reminds me of when Markus Bent fired in for Everton in the 2-2 draw at St Mary's when we were relegated.

If my cynicism was to extend further I might suggest MP's position was secure because we don't want to pay him off. That plus the cost of hiring someone new.

Reading that won't be holding my breath for any imminent signings...VVD money invested over the next 2 windows. If I was being cynical I might suggest that some will be kept in reserve just in case we go down.

In many ways I can't get my head round Puel's spell in charge. Your right we played some great attacking football during the cup final, we also had those wins at Sunderland and Watford in the same period were we scored 4 and were much more attack minded. However, in complete contrast, the last 8 games were utter garbage with the home game against Hull being one of the worst I've seen at St Mary's. The european campaign was also an embarrassment, for a club that makes european competition so infrequently I'll never understand Puel's attitude toward it...that final game versus Ber Sheeva where he set us up to play for a goaless draw was abysmal. Overall I was on the fence when he got sacked but ultimately it was the boards decision not the fans.

Wonder what they think of their investment so far?

Don't really take much solace from that TBH, we're sh it but there's worse...great.

A back 4 of Cedric, VVD, Hoedt, and Bertrand with Romeu and Lemina in front of them looks decent to me. With respect to the remaining 4 attacking players we simply haven't found the best combination yet, for me there's a total disconnect between midfield and attack. We're slow in possession, there's no real movement and a total lack of pace. It's certainly not the high pressing fast passing attacking football we were hoping for!

Isn't that supposed to be Boufal?

According to the Record (http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-transfer-news/celtic-midfielder-stuart-armstrong-wanted-10968135) his contract runs out next summer with talks having broken down on a new one.

Agree, MP spoke very well. Didn't get irked at all by the VVD questions though that may eventually change with the season getting under way.

It is winter in Oz though how cold exactly I don't know.