Tonda Eckert

[Saint Garrett]

Just now, Doctoroncall said:

Wouldn’t Martin have had more of a say as we were lacking a DoF at the time?

Don't think so. as someone else would have stepped in, but clearly it was a problem.

Biggest issue was starting the premier league with an arguably weaker team than that one that got promoted, due to losing Stu Armstrong and Che Adams, we had no focal point all season.  He was massively let down by the board signing the likes of Cornet, BBD, Archer, etc. 

Thats not to say we woudln't have struggled if we had signed other players playing in that way...

[Sheaf Saint]

Really interesting analysis...

 

 

[Tommy Mulgrew]

A really pertinent quote from Tonda after the game yesterday:

”… Southampton has not been known for being a team that suffers and accepts not having the ball for a couple of moments but being resilient - and we are making some good steps in that direction. …"

Edited Thursday at 11:52 by Tommy Mulgrew
Autocorrected wrongly

[Nordic Saint]

14 minutes ago, Tommy Mulgrew said:

A really pertinent quote from Tonda after the game yesterday:

”… Southampton has not been known for being a team that suffers and accepts not having the ball for a couple of moments but being resilient - and we are making some good steps in that direction. …"

As I said earlier, 

I don't think we've ever had a manager like Eckert. He will do exactly what it takes to win games, no more, no less, always bearing in mind that he wants to win the next game and the ones after that as well.

“We don’t get satisfied after winning one game, we have to win the next one, the next one, the next one."

How much possession we have, how entertaining we are, even how many goals we win by, are irrelevant to him. His only objective is winning and still being ready to win again. He is ruthless and relentless.

[saintant]

30 points out of possible 36. Take a bow Tonda!

[Nolan]

If my maths is correct this win put Tonda on 1.92 points per game. 

Martin's full season in the Championship was 1.89 points per game

[saintant]

3 minutes ago, Nolan said:

If my maths is correct this win put Tonda on 1.92 points per game. 

Martin's full season in the Championship was 1.89 points per game

2.5 per game from last 12 is amazing and has propelled us into a play off spot.

[Colinjb]

12 minutes ago, Nolan said:

If my maths is correct this win put Tonda on 1.92 points per game. 

Martin's full season in the Championship was 1.89 points per game

Starting to put him into the 'Enjoy him while you can..." Category. Just next to Scienza.

[bugenhagen]

1 hour ago, Colinjb said:

Starting to put him into the 'Enjoy him while you can..." Category. Just next to Scienza.

True. One of the sad parts of modern football as the big teams have a lot of money and no patience. Instead of young managers and players getting time to prove themselves over a couple of seasons at clubs like ours, it’s is less risk to take a punt early, and just bin the dude if he fails. 

Someone will probably take a chance on him in the summer or at the manager merry go round next season. 

[Badger]

23 hours ago, bugenhagen said:

True. One of the sad parts of modern football as the big teams have a lot of money and no patience. Instead of young managers and players getting time to prove themselves over a couple of seasons at clubs like ours, it’s is less risk to take a punt early, and just bin the dude if he fails. 

Someone will probably take a chance on him in the summer or at the manager merry go round next season. 

I’d like to think he’ll be here for a few seasons just starting out on his career. Perhaps just wishful thinking.

The immediate danger might be if Spors fucks off and will no doubt want to recruit him at the new club.

But we have to accept that at some point he’ll want to manage in Germany. 

[Tommy Mulgrew]

Interesting analysis of the Oxford game:

https://www.attackingfootball.com/how-southampton-beat-oxford-2-0-tactical/

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

Definitely getting the team to tick along. If he's a pragmatic sort, then I'm all for it. Showed his mettle with the wins over Coventry an Norwich and made the Oxford game comfortable. 

If he can do the same with team against Wrexham and Derby that would be amazing.

I will add, I was frustrated after his initial run of games with the terrible form over the Xmas period and thought here we go again and he'snot up to it. However the team is showing consistency. More results against the teams above Saints please!

Also can see that the players are getting more comfortable with their roles compared to what was happening under Still.

Edited yesterday at 09:39 by JohnnyShearer2.0

[Doctoroncall]

5 hours ago, JohnnyShearer2.0 said:

Definitely getting the team to tick along. If he's a pragmatic sort, then I'm all for it. Showed his mettle with the wins over Coventry an Norwich and made the Oxford game comfortable. 

If he can do the same with team against Wrexham and Derby that would be amazing.

I will add, I was frustrated after his initial run of games with the terrible form over the Xmas period and thought here we go again and he'snot up to it. However the team is showing consistency. More results against the teams above Saints please!

Also can see that the players are getting more comfortable with their roles compared to what was happening under Still.

It seems where Still relied on player intuition and skill on how to play the game within a given structure, Tonda gives more detail to the players backed up by examples that the analysts have found in analysing opposition games. One reason why there is an increase in the number of supporting roles at the club. 

[malcolm waldron]

13 hours ago, Tommy Mulgrew said:

Interesting analysis of the Oxford game:

https://www.attackingfootball.com/how-southampton-beat-oxford-2-0-tactical/

Thanks for sharing that - interesting reading.  Is the author American though?  'Oftentimes' isn't a term I recognise?

[BarberSaint]

3 minutes ago, malcolm waldron said:

Thanks for sharing that - interesting reading.  Is the author American though?  'Oftentimes' isn't a term I recognise?

Nope, it's just an old phrase used sometimes but not often (times). Isn't' it? Used it before, heard it before. 

[JohnnyShearer2.0]

14 hours ago, Tommy Mulgrew said:

Interesting analysis of the Oxford game:

https://www.attackingfootball.com/how-southampton-beat-oxford-2-0-tactical/

Interesting read.

Do think people are going to take umbrage due to the use of pivots, low blocks and mid blocks though!

[saintwbu]

I think this last week has really shown his credentials - we’ve played three different ways against three different levels of team, without our two best attackers, and we’ve taken 9 points with no goals conceded from open play. Pretty impressive stuff, regardless of how good you might think the squad is. 

[Disco Stu]

It's nice to have faith in a manager again. However this season ends now, he's earned his stripes. A huge gamble but ultimately an inspired appointment.

[Weston Super Saint]

5 hours ago, Doctoroncall said:

It seems where Still relied on player intuition and skill on how to play the game within a given structure, Tonda gives more detail to the players backed up by examples that the analysts have found in analysing opposition games. One reason why there is an increase in the number of supporting roles at the club. 

Are we doing that now?  Under the fabulous Russell we didn't bother to do that, just relied on our system.  

[Doctoroncall]

22 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Are we doing that now?  Under the fabulous Russell we didn't bother to do that, just relied on our system.  

Russell was too fabulous for his own good. 

[BarberSaint]

2 hours ago, Doctoroncall said:

Russell was too fabulous for his own good. 

And ours.

[Sheaf Saint]

4 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Are we doing that now?  Under the fabulous Russell we didn't bother to do that, just relied on our system.  

The fact that we put up extra advertising hoardings along the touchlines to mitigate Oxford's threat from long throws (that they evidently complained about) would suggest we are indeed doing very detailed homework on upcoming opponents.

The sheer fucking hubris of RM in believing this wasn't necessary and we just needed to believe in our own system 🤦

[Tommy Mulgrew]

3 hours ago, Doctoroncall said:

Russell was too fabulous for his own good. 

Absolutely.  🤩
 

 

[Fabrice29]

9 hours ago, Sheaf Saint said:

The fact that we put up extra advertising hoardings along the touchlines to mitigate Oxford's threat from long throws (that they evidently complained about) would suggest we are indeed doing very detailed homework on upcoming opponents.

The sheer fucking hubris of RM in believing this wasn't necessary and we just needed to believe in our own system 🤦

Weird dig at a method that has us higher and more successful than we are currently btw 🤣

That’s even without the added complication of it not being true.

[Ted Bates Statue]

9 hours ago, Sheaf Saint said:

The fact that we put up extra advertising hoardings along the touchlines to mitigate Oxford's threat from long throws (that they evidently complained about) would suggest we are indeed doing very detailed homework on upcoming opponents.

The sheer fucking hubris of RM in believing this wasn't necessary and we just needed to believe in our own system 🤦

Somehow you managed to choose the sole known instance of Russell Martin doing his homework... the playoff semifinal v West Brom 

[Sheaf Saint]

1 hour ago, Fabrice29 said:

Weird dig at a method that has us higher and more successful than we are currently btw 🤣

That’s even without the added complication of it not being true.

Aside from us having a better win percentage, better PPG, more clean sheets and an overall better GD under Tonda than we got over the season in 23/24, and the fact that RM actually admitted he didn't concern himself with the opposition too much and instead focused on his own game plan in numerous interviews during his tenure, yeah this is a top post 👍

[tdmickey3]

1 hour ago, Fabrice29 said:

Weird dig at a method that has us higher and more successful than we are currently btw 🤣

That’s even without the added complication of it not being true.

Still clinging on... Bless

[Fabrice29]

15 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Aside from us having a better win percentage, better PPG, more clean sheets and an overall better GD under Tonda than we got over the season in 23/24, and the fact that RM actually admitted he didn't concern himself with the opposition too much and instead focused on his own game plan in numerous interviews during his tenure, yeah this is a top post 👍

As TBS pointed out the exact example you’ve used is a carbon copy of the one we used against West Brom under RM. And yeah, this manager is doing really well, I’m a fan, which is a good sign as I was also a fan of the last one who got promoted too. The one you seem to be having weird little digs at for actually getting promoted. So top posting all round really. 

13 minutes ago, tdmickey3 said:

Still clinging on... Bless

You’ve been quiet lately, welcome back. Did we drop some points?

Edited 9 hours ago by Fabrice29

[Ken Tone]

23 hours ago, JohnnyShearer2.0 said:

Interesting read.

Do think people are going to take umbrage due to the use of pivots, low blocks and mid blocks though!

Depends how interested they are in sailing ship terminology. 😉  Got sod all to do with football as far as someone brought up in the 1960s is concerned . 

[swannymere]

 Spurs are sniffing around.

[Charlie Wayman]

On 21/03/2026 at 19:11, Colinjb said:

Starting to put him into the 'Enjoy him while you can..." Category. Just next to Scienza.

Sad but true, he'll get snapped up by one of the big boys if he gets Saints promoted.

Pochettino - who? when he arrived here, look at him now!

[Charlie Wayman]

38 minutes ago, swannymere said:

 Spurs are sniffing around.

They'll need a manager with Championship experience next season.