Southampton banter 2

20 Sep 2025 15:57:05
Oh dear Bazuna - not again

20 Sep 2025 12:22:42
Thought I'd wait this time round until we were a reasonable few games in and past the transfer deadline to assess where we're at. Think my last few posts had me saying mid table championship was the future for us and it's not looking too far off of it.

There was some misplaced optimism that assumed Will Still was going to hit the ground running but there was never going to be instant success with the team he inherited.

I like the guy and as a coach, and possibly our best manager since Ralph, but that's not saying much. You can tell he grew up playing championship/football manager . He brings on a whole new squad of substitutes and not scared to roll the dice if things need to change during the game.

I'm not sure if we're get promoted this year, but then I'm not sure if that's a bad thing. The issue we have is that if he brings immediate success and West ham have a bad season they might look to take him and the opposite of we don't get promoted a certain percentage of our fans will be calling for his head, and then we're back at square one.

I like that transfers have been coming from further afield and he's been using his knowledge of other leagues, wether that knowledge is any decent, time will tell.

I was at the Pompey game and liked the look of Casper Jander when he came on, Sciena seems to have brought along with the flair for dramatics with diving, hopefully he cuts that stuff out.

His style of play seems to fit Ross Stewart for me, in that we need a strong figure up front to hold things together. Honestly think this could be Ross Stewart season if he stays fit and gets regular game time.

All in all, it all seems like a work in progress which is exactly where we should be after the disaster we had last year. The main thing I'm hoping for is that as fans we are able to adjust our place in the football standings. Too many think we're a mid table premier league team and that's where we should always be, we're more a championship team these days and we have to prepare that any success we have will mean that bigger teams will buy that success from us and we're be back to where we were. So for me like I've always said it comes from the top, the board.

When we've got a board in charge determined to keep hold of key players and build something that's when we can start having an identity again, until then it's always going to be ups and downs. Here's hoping Will brings in some Ups for as long as possible though.

20 Sep 2025 10:33:08
Can anyone see anything other than a draw today?

Need all 3 points to stay in touch with the early pacemakers.

They've got to find a way of playing as if their lives depended on it even if it means running with the ball now and again and maybe even going past defenders.

20 Sep 2025 21:08:53
No clear tactic, no clear shape, no choice of team based on opponent…. No clue.
Worst I’ve seen since Portveliet!
Miller time, I bow to your preseason predictions.

21 Sep 2025 19:01:52
Hi 2408 - I just wish I was wrong, but to be honest, right now we’re in free fall - getting worse by the week.

Won’t be long before we look to recruit a manger with relevant experience and allow Still to move on to develop his career elsewhere

19 Sep 2025 07:39:05
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18 Sep 2025 12:29:39
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14 Sep 2025 14:13:51
We just about deserved a draw. It's a shame that we lack any real offensive intent - there's no cutting edge to our play.

The problem must be in their heads - we've got a talented group of forwards but they just don't deliver.

And how much time do we waste stroking the ball sideways across the back, even when we're chasing a goal.

Mads looked out of his depth at RB and today showed what a miss KWP is down that flank - no real link up play.

I still don't have no clue what our strongest starting eleven is?

So five games in and just the one win (just about!)

14 Sep 2025 14:39:31
In the first half, only one team with flair, tactics, desire to win, attack and move the ball around . Pompey!
Not sure what our managers game plan is . if any.

We were totally disjointed

14 Sep 2025 18:31:35
We were truly awful!
Mads struggled all game. We pumped the ball so high down the centre of the park it was embarrassing. If Still wants to stick with this type of football, can’t call it tactics because it’s not, then for God sake change personnel.
Go 4222, back 4 various permutations, 2 midfield choice of 3 today plus Aribo, 2 in front and wider choice of Robinson Edozie Fellows Fraser Scienza ( who looks really lightweight aka Boufal) . Then Stewart and another up front. Can’t see where Azaz fits in. At least that team would suit our Wimbledon reincarnated style.

15 Sep 2025 06:46:41
Early days-No more than expected (especially considering we were very late to the ball pre season in securing necessary Player upgrades.However when fully gelled together the best x1 will eventually select itself.At the present in my view from the following : Bazunu Roerslev Edwards Wood/Quarshie Jelert/Manning Robinson/Fellows Charles Jander Matsuki/Scienza Stewart Downs/Archer. Whichever Players.bond best as a TEAM. KOM!

15 Sep 2025 06:51:43
Ah thanks 2408 . I was trying to work out who saints reminded me of! Wimbledon indeed . or even further back in my distant memory, what we were told to do at 6 by our football coach . hoof it every time the ball is in your area.
Now I know the Unsaviour of Rangers, Russel Martin, liked us to play around with it at the back, but this is now taking the pi**. we are literally hoofing the ball out from the back, to anywhere and everywhere.
Even high balls to the wee man!
I enjoy watching good football, this is not good football we are playing under Still…
We are also very slow with many static players.
Our attacks are simply not that, if the ball does manage to get into the opponents box is more luck than game plan. I see AA is still shooting on site. hasn’t he ever adjusted his style!
Disappointing and I am not sure we even deserved a point

15 Sep 2025 06:56:07
I guess Finn Azaz should be included as the “Star”signing even although he has not performed as expected so far.

14 Sep 2025 11:09:14
Starting line up I would have picked. 4 at the back. Robinson, Scienza to come on. Let's go!

14 Sep 2025 13:58:39
First half was appalling. Don’t know what we were doing, just seemed to want to play keep ball and nothing else. Second half was better but it shouldn’t have taken that long to work it out. Was all just sloppy, disjointed, and I don’t recall us having one decent chance given Archer chose not to shoot into an open goal.

New signings looked composed and will help us improve, Fellows decent, Scienza clearly has a spark, Azaz anonymous, Roerslev looked to be the only one wanting to pass forward all game. Otherwise we just didn’t want to look forward at any point in the first 75 minutes other than hoofing it and hoping it would create something.

At least he went to a back four. Hopefully with time they’ll start to gel. And at least we didn’t lose.

14 Sep 2025 16:56:22
"Meh" is my short match report!