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Southampton At Blackburn Rovers The Verdict
at 12:04:19

Not sure if the Board would agree with the above-comments about Will's style pf play.

However, looking back at our recent managerial "failures" it must be noted that you can only employ candidates who applies for the job,(and if rumours are to be believed)..the list of names who had already bought a bargepole was impressive, but definitely uninterested.
Another abrupt change may soon draw bad comparisons with frying pans /and fireplaces.

Although Spors may have had some influence in the choice of WS, many of the signings were probably his choice , and Will is stuck with them.
We have a mix of older players who were (in part) all responsible for last seasons fiasco, and not really good enough and the new recruits who are still adapting to this League.

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Juventus Said To Be Interested In Southampton Sporting Director
at 08:57:18

Obviously a lot of things haven't gone to (whatever) plan the club had and Will Still is the person getting all the flak for our dismal start, so perhaps Spors maybe looking at an exit -before people start to point the finger at him. I have written before that ambition is not a dirty word in football, although some fans still think that players/admin. staff are somehow betraying a club for those who want to leave for greener pastures, and more success.
Very few of (Spors) summer signings have shown up so far, although one or two may have got the nod from Will.
The role of DoF is more important than many think, and the loss of Jason Wilcox, meant some of that summer's signings failed to solve the short term problem(s) - having been made by club officials unfamiliar with the perils of the transfer world.

Football is a short-lived profession for most players and some managers, and many have no qualifications in the "civilian world" and must make the best of their opportunities.
If indeed Spors DAJFU remains to be seen, but swapping a struggling Championship side for a top-rated Italian club when the opportunity comes seems like a no-brainer to me.

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Southampton At Bristol City The Verdict
at 16:56:49

really not a lot to add to obvious comments. Will's task hasn't been made easier as we had a huge squad who were mainly responsible for the relegation and had just got " used " to conceding "silly goals" and were the remains of those from the previous managers. The new European signings look promising, but are still learning the tough English game.

Tactics and performances improved after the Liverpool game, but although last night's match started well again, it deteriorated and we ended with almost 70% possession by simply passing back and forth in the centre circle (Russell Martin style) whilst Bristol took their chances by running on goal and scoring. I genuinely feel sorry for Will. S. ..maybe he should make them all offers they can't refuse and start over again in January.

I continue to echo the point that we haven't had any decent strikers..since Lambert, Rodrigues and Pelle. Danny Ings filled that role for a season, but Ché Adams never made it. Adam A. showed he can score in this league, but the Prem. proved to be a bridge too far.
I thought we finally solved the problem with a few good displays from Ross Stewart, but now he's back in the treatment room...yet again.

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Southampton At Bristol City The Preview
at 16:18:50

Not a lot to argue. Just keep playing the same start side as on Saturday and just move the goalposts a bit to the right. It was the best attacking formation I've seen in quite a while.

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Southampton V Swansea City The Verdict
at 12:31:06

OK ...only one point, but a clean sheet with the " new look " back line that has only conceded 3 goals in the last 4 games. (The "old brigade" Jack and THB - conceded 7 in their last 4 games together), but it was back to the same problem of poor finishing ..and the woodwork getting in the way. It might help if we had wingers who took defenders on, instead of passing back all the time. Leo Scienza is a real find, and I hope that Will finds the best role for him. With 21 shots we had enough chances to win 2 games, so I just have to hope for a bit more luck in front of goal, whilst Casper Jander brings a new dimension to the midfield trio / quartet and look the part.
Maybe the frustration of " not winning" has tempered your judgement (Nick) but like many others (who posted above) I think you were a tad "over-critical " of a pretty good display.

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Danny Rohl Turns Down Rangers And Stirs Up Southampton Rumours
at 15:46:53

1) Not sure Rohl would be a good fit (even if Will was to go) - I don't think he's likely to.
2) He was with Saints a fairly short time (during Ralph H's sojourn) and promptly moved back to Germany and seemingly got some mileage in his time in the Bundesliga, and as an ASSISTANT in the national side.
3) We know that his task at Wednesday wasn't easy, but everyone expects a coach to do the best with the players he has, and clearly that didn't happen for him. If you employ a manager, one hopes that he joins with a good record, which clearly he didn't.
4) Finally, there are two camps in the Saints fanbase, those who expect a new manager , with new players to be in the top six after a month or so, (note that Russell Martin didn't)
and promptly start to call for his sacking ...alternatively the many who realise that we will not automatically " bounce back" and maybe need another season before that is true.

The reality is that in the diabolical form we showed last season - we might well have struggled, had we been down in the Championship and not propping up the Prem. table.
NO - I think Will deserves more time - even the entire season - as long as we don't finish poorly in the bottom half - and are even treading water behind the final promoted sides.

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Constant Re-Shuffling Is The Cause Of Southampton's Problem's
at 16:19:25

I agree with your "chicken comment" (Nick) but clearly Damion Downs hasn't had any real experience outside of (Bundesleague 2) which is likely on a par with our Prem. League 2. DD has no-one to play off and our midfield is changing every week and he doesn't look like the type of player to play as a lone striker. I don't see him as instant replacement for Ross Stewart who was just starting to look something like a " new Beattie / Pelle " type model.
Success comes from good partnerships. The " young Lallana " and Rickie Lambert seem to play telepathically, but we still look lopsided at the back with THB and Jack S. still suffering the nerves from the relegation and played with the jitters. The "new-look" backline with Edwards, Quarshie and Wood looked more confident after just a few starts together.
(Jose Fonte partnered 6 other CB's in his time and was a stable figure throughout his time).

Will S. is struggling to integrate his new recruits with those of " the old guard " who are still able to DAJFU and they haven't " partnered up" yet. Although everyone quotes we have only won 2 games (!)..we have also lost ONLY 2 and were worth the win against Stoke who took their chances well enough to win that game. Neither Fellows or Azaz have shown up that well (yet)...and the only confident midfielders look to be Jander and Shea Charles, whilst Flynn Downes seems to be regressing - rather than improving.

I prefer Will's style of attacking play, but the memories of Russell Martin's "slow-motion" formation still seems to be haunting the dressing room.

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Will Still Appears To Have Decided Loanee Has No Future At St Mary's
at 12:17:04

Jelert was never going to be a first choice FB, and so there is no need to pay out that level of fee to sign him. The real error in this situation is Saints disregarding the real value of having James Bree on the books, and then letting him go out on loan(!). His recent performances have been praised in the media and not just by the Charlton manager.
We should pull him back in New Year, and not allow him to depart for a * paltry fee. His previous experience alone should be enough to convince .." whoever "needs convincing.

* Speaking of paltry fees, why were we so quick to let Dom Ballard move on to Orient, as even the promise of performance based " extras" was included in the deal. I would have preferred a " buy-back clause " which is popular with some bigger clubs. The new regime may look good on paper but none of them has any real history with the club and seemingly overlooked the talents of the two players I named above.

I agree with the majority of views (covered by those above). Too much is expected from Damion Downs (and too soon). He ought to get some game time with our U21/23 side and try to get a few goals under his belt. The loss of Ross Stewart has put us back 2 years and we are left with the original problem - we need an established striker in the squad.
Another clearout is needed in January. If Edozie and Aribo are just drawing their salaries and Brereton-Diaz' future is also uncertain(?), let's "get rid of " and free up the squad places and get some players who will be able to challenge for a regular place.

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Southampton At Derby County The Verdict
at 10:39:32

Oh yes -the match. Best players were undoubtedly the two goalkeepers. On any other day, it might have been a 4-4 result. After Stewart's exit, the formation changed and whatever game plan (Will) had, went out of the window with it. The new CB combination looked OK
although Quarshie needs to be a bit sharper at the back. Jander seems to be a good fit, and Scienza looked like a real jack-in-the- box who wasn't afraid to shoot on síght.

After seeing Ross Stewart playing like a real centre forward in the Sheffield game, I thought we might have turned that corner, but seeing him limping off ruined that storyline. Hamstring injuries can be many weeks / months before returning to some sort of match fitness and so we are back to square one with Armstrong showing some form, but neither Archer or Downs look to be replacement - but for different reasons.

Hopefully, Will can devise an Plan C, as I still prefer his "new look" to the poor showings we had in the first 4 games - starting at the back. Rightly or wrongly, getting JWP back maybe solve the midfield quandary, but for the second season in a row - we still need a recognised-striker, even if (like Rickie Lambert) we have to dredge through League One prospects, but preferably someone who knows his way around the English leagues.

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Rangers Sack Ex Southampton Boss Russell Martin
at 10:16:54

Judging by the reaction in the Scottish media I'm surprised he's lasted so long as he did.
Not sure if he's using the same formation / strategy that he did with us, but clearly it didn't work in the SPL either.
I think " we got lucky" the season we got promoted as many Championship teams didn't expect the high % possession game, but in time he got sussed out, even though we did eventually get promotion, the personnel we had then was barely good enough to get promotion and was totally unsuitable to compete in the Prem.

Enthusiasm and psychology isn't enough, and ( like Will Still) he bought in half a new team who struggled from Day 1, and the existing Gers players didn't take to the many changes.
I'm sure they MIGHT have done better for him, but maybe another case of Player Power.

Difficult to feel too sorry for him with all that compensation he will be getting. If he ever wants to return to management(?) he might have to go back to League One status.

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Depth Of Southampton Squad Is Will Still's Problem
at 19:32:34

Just when we thought we'd clear the decks in the summer we are still " stuck" with some of the old guard who won't get game time, and seemingly no-one who wants to buy them.
The main problem seems to be that too many were bought to play "other managers formations " and Will has other ideas, and so we have too many square pegs to get rid of.

Who you, I or anyone else likes is really down to Will's choice so we must wait and see.
Ramsdale wants to be in the England squad before a World Cup (like Prowsey did 3 years ago) but he will stay on the bench at Newcastle - unless Pope gets injured.

Certainly the " new look " line-up seems promising, so now we have even more bodies who must move on - if they want regular game time, but it's too early to see who is likely to be Will's first-choice starting side.

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Southampton Plotting Return Of Former Hero Ostracised At West Ham
at 14:32:34

Well, who couldn't see this story coming? Changing managers always leaves someone on the beach, and even 100K /week is no compensation for those wanting to play every week. Contributors on here have created a MARMITE situation with 49% thinking he was a waste of space and only good for his fantastic free-kicks (which they seldom praised, along with a fairly good record of converting penalties), whilst those who looked at stats. noted he covered most ground every match and rarely missed games. His ability to play almost anywhere on the right was obvious, although he was landed with the sh*tty end of the stick when taking up the DM role after Romeu left and the club failed to replace Orry.

Once Gareth Southgate's Golden Boy in the England U21, he captained the team and played over 30 times but was unsurprisingly dumped by GS after he got the England job.
Like all England managers before him, he surrendered to the hostile TV media types who make or break a manager if he fails to meet their expectations or favourite player choices.

Compare Prowsey's stats with Grealish's, (who cost Man City £ 100 million), and after he got found out, now City can't get rid of him. Prowsey's move to West Ham was his last chance of making the World Cup squad that followed. Once again Southgate ignored him and pathetic England barely took a decent free kick, or corner in the whole competition.

I feel sorry for JWP (even with his big salary). No-one doubts his loyalty to Saints (15 years - man and boy) but like Lallana before him, he deserved a good move to a better side and it didn't happen, and (like AL) he was criticised for his ambition by those who felt he should stay and rot in the club regardless of our status.

and so ..should we get him back? If we are in a Top Six position by mid January, it would be a no-brainer to ignore the opportunity to loan him back - even for the last 20 games, and make a decision afterwards.

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Southampton At Sheffield United The Verdict
at 13:57:08

Needless to say 3 points is welcome anytime, (but as NIck said) it wasn't pretty at times, but we have played better and lost, so I think we should be glad for the result. As a long standing critic of McCarthy I have to admit that he made some excellent saves, and given the chances we can see that Wood has the makings of a good CB along with Edwards.

Despite Adam A.'s miss (yes they've all done it at times) the combination of him and Stewart has the look of a good strike pair, something we have missed for quite a while. However, the best to last is that Ross Stewart has started to "look the part" let's hope his fitness continues to improve. A good result at Derby would put another complexion on the rest of the season.

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Southampton V Middlesbrough The Verdict
at 11:35:36

Agree with most of you (above) but you were a bit scathing with some comments (NIck).
With exception for a few familiar faces ..it looks like we have a whole new team and with a good attacking formation. Will S '. new look has only played 2 league games together so far, and against a better class of opposition. Some of the squad which started the season looked "shell-shocked" from last season's fiasco. The new boys are a breath of fresh air.

If Middelsboro' are the best we will come up against, then I can see us picking up a few good results quite soon against "ordinary sides", especially if we start scoring properly.

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Southampton V Middlesbrough The Preview
at 14:10:18

without meaning to sound sarcastic , I think THB and Capt. Jack are suffering from the football version of PTSD. Last season was a nightmare for everyone and the thought they might get through a game without conceding ..must be a humbling thought every game.

I wasn't disappointed with the back line v Liverpool, so if it ain't broke ...you know the rest.

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Southampton At Liverpool The Verdict
at 18:39:12

Good performance - pity about the result. Cannot recall the last time I saw a Saints attack without sideways passes, or play back to defenders. OK - it was Liverpool's "B team" but that doesn't mean they lacked big money buys, or the help of more experienced names.

If this was a new Saints trial start side, I was impressed. Once again we were robbed by the woodwork only to concede 30 seconds later, and whilst Liverpool fans were glad to finally see Isak gifted his first goal, he might admit that he'll never score an easier one.

Had VAR been in operation, L' Pool might not have been credited with their second goal.
My one regret is that we are unlikely to see the same side starting on Saturday, when Will returns to usual back line, who will then doubtless make their "normal mistakes", when
I thought that Quarshie, Wood and Edwards really looked the part on the night.

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Southampton At Hull City The Verdict
at 15:51:15

Adam Armstrong's excellent but very late finish was the only positive, in that it we didn't finish with zero goals. The 70% + possession was reminiscent of Russell Martin's slow-mo format but failed to one create decent chance, but the breakaways that led to their first two goals was sadly reminiscent. Whatever our " best CB partnership" is, clearly it is not going to be THB and Capt. Jack.
Both lack pace when coming up against a speedy attacker and Hull's third goal was a disgrace (from Saints viewpoint) with our defenders playing "statues" like kids in a school playground, whereas Hull will take pride in McBurnie's performance, as he gave our defence a rugged time from the first minute and deserved a reward for effort he put in.

Where do we go from here, Will ?. I do have sympathy both for Will S. (and those new foreign signings) who have yet to learn each other's names, but we do need to get a few league wins PDQ - one way or another. With Liverpool already assured of giving their best names the evening off, we can only hope that we can put out a decent start side and give some of the "also-rans" a chance to show up. In some ways the League Cup result is almost immaterial as neither club is likely to field the same line-ups next Saturday.
Liverpool will give a few of their young hopefuls some game time and a chance to play at Anfield, and the best that Saints can hope for will probably be a clean sheet - before the penalty shoot-out begins.

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Southampton V Portsmouth The Verdict
at 12:57:31

one point that few have mentioned (from our side) is the three-man incident where the Pompey goalie was injured. Now the Pompey manager seems all set to seek a Police charge accusing Fellows of deliberately injuring his two players (!). Dangerous stuff.
It was a loose ball that all three wanted to contest and their goalie took it on himself to come a long way out and challenge instead of leaving it to his defender to deal with.

Obviously It is bad news if the goalie has a serious injury, but it almost seems that the two Pompey players caused their own injuries in the collision. The thing I find most disturbing is that the Pompey manager seemed more aggressive than most of his players were and what began as " sour grapes" has stoked up the atmosphere for the return fixture.

Bearing in mind the scenes following the 2019 League Cup fixture, I hope he will calm down before then instead of fanning the flames as he has done so demonstrably.

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Southampton V Portsmouth The Verdict
at 11:28:45

Verdict; SAD. An over-publicised "non-event " with Saints players almost too afraid to make mistakes (of which there were many,) and a Pompey side who squandered enough chances to win two games, yet we ended with neither side able to score a goal.

Some encouraging solo efforts from a couple of the "new boys" , whilst the likes of Azaz and Manning looked a bit stale after three games in a week. It seems that Archer can only score "by accident" but the rest of the time is almost anonymous. Stewart might have been more of a threat at the start, with a "fresh" Archer on as sub. later. We have FIVE strikers (?) on the books yet 4 of our 6 league goals have been scored by defenders (!).

I sympathise with Will Still - as he hasn't found a workable formula yet, and some of his new signings are still getting to know one other, but now that "derby hoodoo" is over, it's getting back to "normal fixtures" and we need to see some good results PDQ - if we are to make a serious challenge for a quick return to the Prem.

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