Vancouver Saint

1. It's an admission that our ambitions have been reduced to emergency survival desperation based around 'parking the bus, eking out turgid defensive stalemates and building a team of largely journeymen 'big body' hardmen whose primary goal is not to lose...and to break other teams best players legs 2. It would be a lost opportunity to get us moving in the right direction for the long term...hopefully with a young, inspiring manager who can rebuild our squad building on the four of rive decent players we have 3. It means the end at any attempts of creative, entertaining football...if he were hired and he did keep us up...what next? Would we keep playing the Allardyce way and resign ourselves to incredibly dull mid-table mediocrity at best 4. He's the past not the future...we've got to move forward 5. He's a crook 6. I can't stand his chewing on gum the whole time Of course I don't want to us to get relegated...but I'd rather have a season in the Championship rebuilding an exciting, attacking team with spirit and playing entertaining football than desperately clinging on in the premiership as the most hated team in the league

Allardyce?!!!!! - I'd rather get relegated than have that tosser involved with our club

I agree with you Bexy 100%. It was right to give Hughes a chance after keeping us up (we should also send Swansea a big thank you) - but even then we knew he was not the right long-term answer for us. I said give him 10 games - more than enough time to get the best out of the squad we have and prove himself - he's now had 13 and it's blindingly obvious he is not the right manager for us (worst stats of any Southampton Manager - what more do the board need?). It must be clear to the board too - but they do not want to admit to their own mistake giving him a 3-year fat contract they'll have to pay off - instead they are back into wishful thinking territory. Disastrous! Have we not learnt anything from our lucky escape last season? If we don't get the 'he's gone' news tomorrow (Monday) I will be disappointed. The only slack I'd cut the board is if they have a quality DOF appointment in the wings whom they want to give a say in the new managerial appointment...having written off the next two league games anyway.

Good post. Am done with excuses for Hughes. We're already way past the point at which we know what we've got with him. No defence, no attack, no goals, no resilience, no fitness, no confidence, no chance. We need to move quickly to get a change of fortune before Christmas...although I agree with whoever it was who said they'll probably give him the next two games as write-offs - which would be a mistake IMO. We need a regime change.

Sad state of affairs when I really don't care if we score an equaliser because I don't want to give Hughes even a thread of a lifeline to cling on to.

NO! FFS how can you seriously contemplate for one second bringing that crook in! I'm a lifelong fan and I would rather get relegated with a promising young new manager who will bring us back up again than that defensive, boring, un-footballing criminal.

So, trying the impossible - to take the emotion out and just focus on the result - I said to myself before the game nothing less than a win and 3 points from this game would be enough to keep Hughes in a job. Unbelievably, it will not be so you can put money on it. Hughes implying he was not being given decision on players with Les in place (may be true)...still this would have been the game to prove it on the pitch without Reeds influence. Yes, we were robbed of a perfectly good goal...and it had an incredibly deflating impact after such a long delay...but the reality was we looked unfit (does anyone else see we don't work hard to make the easy pass for the man on the ball? - basic stuff)...gave the ball away way too often...made poor tactical substitutions IMO and were second best for most of the second half. Turning point for me...Watford bring on a true leader in Deeny...we lose Ings and sub him with Austin instead of Obafemi. Huge advantage Watford.

Tragic. Sincere condolences to all at Leicester from all of us I'm sure. Just read this terrific article about the son and now new Chairman 'Top'. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/46052475 These owners have a true emotional affinity with the club and the community. We had that with Markus and to a lesser extent with KL; the difference, however, with Gao is stark and revealing.

Agree with others that starting Austin shows the lack of understanding Hughes has about who to play and when. Austin hopelessly out of depth at this level and not fast or fit enough to score or defend from the front. Gabbi - when he eventually gets a chance thinks he has to score every time he touches the ball. So many players playing well below what they're capable of...Bertrand off form, Romeu horrible today, Elyounoussi working hard but poor decision-making ...that non-pass early on could have made all the difference...Ings poor today...Lemina played well, defence did well too. Unfortunate we missed our most in-form player Hoj today - sods law. Can't fault the effort of the team but five games without a goal says it all. It's not all about chucking more forwards on - today was calling for more control of the midfiled and creating clear-cut chances. as it was we ended up 50:50 possession against the bottom team at home. Today, I think our formation was wrong...we could have done with an extra midfielder and run through the centre of their defence rather than trying to beat Yedlin all afternoon - their best player. 10 games in and less than 1 point per game. Hughes is not the answer to our problems.

Any decent threads? - am trying to watch from a hotel in Prague.

This. Ings and Gabbi with young Obafemi ready to jump in from the bench if we haven't scored after 60 minutes.

I don't think anyone expected us to get anything out of this game, however, what disappoints me is it was clear the players felt that way too! There was absolutely no belief we could get a result. A reality check of the gulf in class between the top and bottom of the table. Hazard unplayable and a huge difference-maker...Willian on song too and it's game over. Should've scored at least 1, that's the best we could possibly have hoped for with that going-in mentality.

Adkins unfortunate to have been sacked, but Pochettino an inspired, high risk choice - he was the transformer. Koeman built on and improved the great work Pochettino did. Those three all did great jobs for the club. One was fired by us, two fired us. Not sure what that says about us. Hughes's managerial record suggests slow improvement over 12-18 months to reach mid-table mediocrity, then collapse as things get stale. I don't think we've got the time or patience this time. Am not a manager myself - funny that - but isn't the very first step in re-building to make yourselves hard to beat, especially at home? When he continues to play Hoedt before Yoshida it tells me he has no clue about the defensive skills of what we have at our disposal.

This exactly. I can't believe anyone who enjoys watching football would want Sam Allardyce as a Manager. Apart from the fact he's a crook.

It was right to give Hughes a chance after he kept us up. I never thought he was the right long-term solution (not trying to be a smart-arse) - I said to myself give him 10 games and we'll know what we've got. Well we know after 7. This guy is clueless. I didn't get to see the game but the result was entirely predictable. Hughes was a striker and he knows nothing about putting a defence together. Our defence is a shambles. How can he put Hoedt ahead of Yoshida? Bertrand has lost all his confidence and bite after losing his England place. You build a team from the back. Time for a re-think and a re-build.

Caught the last 30 minutes - from just when we won and scored the penalty. Said to myself...here we go...how do we find a way to screw this up from here? Soooooooooooo predictable it was just unbelievable. Concede a terrible goal from the free kick within 2 mins, make two terrible substitutions, then just waiting for the pathetic attempts to protect a one goal lead before conceding an equaliser with 2 minutes to go. Yup. On cue. Thought McCarthy was culpable on both their goals actually...first he should come for and punched from a high free kick...second goal he should have come for the first corner...instead he looks like a hero for an amazing reaction save but in doing so concedes another corner from which they score (JWP idiotic shove...of course it's a penalty). It's not all about spectacular saves - it's preventative goalkeeping - stopping it ever being a threat. Commentator here even called it at 2-1..."attack is best form of defence knowing how many bad endings Southampton have had at St Mary's". If we can't see games like that out from 2-0 up at home to bottom half teams we are in deep doodoo again.

YESSSS! Now let's not concede a crappy goal - or any goal!

Have to confess swore under my breath at starting lineup but we were MUCH the better team in the first half. Good pace and running off the ball. Need a finisher. Praying we don't shoot ourselves in the foot with a silly mistake at the back and get a lucky break ourselves.

What?!! I thought his team selection was terrible and his substitutions / lack of substitutions cost us the game. Hoj instead of Armstrong? Shlong instead of Gabbiadini?! Austin before Gabbiadini? Shlong left on?! Hoedt before Yoshida?! Hoj was a carthorse throughout and was on a yellow...should have been changed before he got sent off. Plonker. Architects of our own downfall as the commentators said here. Starting with Hughes. 3 games in and ground emptying with 10 minutes to play. Not a good sign. Shame for Lemina and Redmond who played well.

What I liked about Sims was that he wasn't afraid to run at defenders. He shook things up when he came on. He has pace. He can turn defences. I'd have kept this option. We're only an injury away from being deficient in fast wide players. Plenty of others to sell/loan out before Sims IMO.

This. Way too much negativity on this forum - second game FFS and we never win at Goodison. Pickford's fingertips the difference in the end. Fine margins as was said. In American Football they have an offensive and a defensive coach - think Hughes needs a dedicated defensive coach to get us properly sorted at the back. Yoshida and Bednarek better than Woedt and Stephens. Bertrand looks off his game and has for a while. But we really need another new CB alongside Vestergard now IMO. How Austin gets started before Gabbiadini astonishes me. Time for Shlong to go on a goal-scoring and/or assist run soon or move on. Redmond has been good the first two games - hopefully we're going to see the best of him now. Lemina has class. Armstrong looks a good addition. Moi too. Think Gunn will be too if McCarthy falters. Ings clearly. So good additions. Hey, we are soooooo much better than under that clown last season - some mid-table mediocrity would suit us fine after last season.

Get in!!!!

This game screaming for us to defend by attacking...we have to win...time throw caution to the wind...aahhh, here he comes...c'mon Gabbiadin come on and score two goals. We will now have another 6 mins or more injury time....oh no!

Excruciating this. Poor performance from us first half I thought...very nervy, second to most 50/50 balls, Hoedt and Stephens a liability...Tadic hasn't touched the ball, Romeu looks sluggish and now on a yellow...Austin a good volley, otherwise meh... ...time for a major kick up the arse...this game is screaming for a touch of class...bring Gabbi on for his runs and a pivot in the box to score the winner! Come on your Saints!

Yes, you're right - and every team can point to an injustice or two at some point in the season - but that handball goal in extra time against us for Watford still rankles...that was two points for a blatant refereeing error. Those two points would have us out of the relegation zone and a point away from Huddersfield with a game in hand...