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Southampton At Middlesbrough The Preview
Friday, 22nd Sep 2023 10:27

Saints travel to the North East to take on Middlesbrough and on the face of it they are on a hiding to nothing whatever the result, if they win it is only Boro, a team rock bottom of the division and if they lose it is against Boro a team rock bottom !

Three weeks ago everything appeared to be going well for Southampton, they had started the season well despite all the transfer issues both in and out and with the transfer window closed could now really start to crack on with the job of getting promotion.

But here we are three games and three defeats later and things don't look quite so rosy.

However there is an old adage in football and that is good teams don't become bad ones overnight and for that matter vice versa, although Luton Town fans might disagree with that one, our former manager Nathan Jones at this time last year had enjoyed an average start to the season, from the first 7 games they had just won to give them a grand total of 9 points.

After 5 games Burnley had just 6 points, after 7 that had risen to 12, indeed after a dozen games were played Burnley it had risen to 19 points, but they had still not got their act together.

What does this prove ? Well firstly the Championship with a 46 game season is more than the Premier League a marathon and not a sprint, inevitably the teams that get automatic promotion often do not start well, they build up a head of steam as the season goes on.

Some will now scream at their computers that we did start well, we are now tailing off, but I would counter that in many respects and with so many ins & outs in August, we didn't really get going till September when we actually knew what our squad would be.

Russell Martin set the scene before the season, he said it would be difficult early on and that it would take time to get our system right, but we would get it right.

On Tuesday defeat to Ipswich was a blow, but although we were beaten we had taken a step forward, we had stemmed the flow of goals into our own net, of course Ipswich had chances, but in the main we dealt with them.

Good teams build from the back and by the end of the game a back four had emerged that could perhaps be a foundation, perhaps it won't be, but I am at least prepared to give them a chance to show it is.

No team should be written off only 7 games into a 46 game season, especially one that although in 13th place, is still only 2 points off a play off spot.

So the scene is set for Saints to show that they have learnt some lessons, that Russell Martin, whom I am not saying hasn't made any mistakes in his selections, can now start to move us forward.

The rot set in in the North East at Sunderland, it would be highly satisfying if we started the revival up there again this time at Middlesbrough.

But if we are to do that there is a lot of hard work to do, we are a side without confidence, on Tuesday the players felt the weight of the crowd, but up at Boro they won't have that weight on their shoulders, they can play without fear of the groans at mis placed passes.

But this is the time that Russell Martin needs to show not only the fans but the players themselves that he is the man to take us forward, the truth is whether we the fans like it or not is that the owners decided he is the man to take us forward, they opted for a brand of football when they did so and they now have to stay with the courage of their convictions in giving him the chance to get it right.

Likewise Martin is not a man to veer from his path, unlike Nathan Jones and Ruben Selles he believes in the way he likes his teams to play and he will stick to it,and unlike the aforementioned twosome, he hs to be given a fair crack of the whip.

So what does Martin need to do at the Riverside on Saturday, I think he needs to do this.

In goal Gavin Bazunu, he has his critics, but he is a good keeper who has been thrown to the wolves by his defence on numerous occasions, but he can play the ball with his feet and that is key, he is a better keeper than some would have you believe, when the defence is sorted we will see a strong keeper emerge.

The full backs get some stick for their defensive abilities, but in this formation they are not full backs but wing backs, they are going to get caught up field, what the issue is, is not their pushing forward but our inability to cover them.

So in the centre of defence Jan Bednarek's return will be welcome, he is not a man to storm up the field or to try and play passes that are a little above his pay grade, he will hopefully bring a little steel at the back and some hoof at times.

Taylor Harwood Bellis can play football and he will benefit from being in a stable back four as he was at Burnley last season.

It is the midfield that we need to sort out, if the full backs push on we need a holding two, that on Saturday should be Ryan Charles and usually Flynn Downes, but assuming he is still out then it is Will Smallbone.

They have to sit and hold and cover the centre of defence with only one of them pushing forward at any one time to support attacks.

In front of them Joe Aribo is not the man, Charly Alcatraz may well be, a free role behind the strikers may see him flourish. But being away from home perhaps Stuart Armstrong may also be an option although these days he doesn't seem to be able to play 90 minutes.

That leaves us with two central strikers, Adam Armstrong and Che Adams.

Alternatively we could for a more conventional 4-4-2 with Alcatraz, Sulemana or Edozie supplementing the front two.

One thing we do have is plenty of options, if we go for my original formation that would leave Sulemana, Edozie, Fraser, Holgate, Stuart Armstrong, Aribo, Amo-Ameyaw & Sekou Mara on the bench, although that is top heavy with attacking players so I would expect James Bree to come in for one of the last two.

This is one of those potential pivotal moments in a season, one when we see our team put in a performance and prove the doubters wrong, yes it could also be another defeat, but if it is we lick our wounds and go again.

The last thing we needed after the debacles against Sunderland & Leicester was a home game, so I think this will suit us well, yes Boro will be looking to get their first win of the season and yes it always seem to be games like this that we stick to our script and not ours, but we have nothing to fear other than the fear that we have given ourselves.

Ipswich felt like a horrible defeat, but it was the situation of being three defeats in a row that made it feel a lot worse than it was, I am not trying to make out we were playing well against the Tractor Boys, but we matched them for long periods and they are a side just a point off the top.

We were fragile and they were full of confidence and at the top of their game, our job was firstly not to leak goals and secondly to score them in that order.

That being the case we took small steps forward, steadied the ship and we can now start to move forward again, anyone who expected us to win well against Ipswich after the previous two games was being a little optimistic.

Football managers build teams slowly but surely and it might not seem like it but on Tuesday we did move forward, not in terms of points but in terms of starting to regain confidence and put two bad defeats behind us, now we have to move forward again at Middlesbrough.


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Farlow added 12:45 - Sep 22
We never took a step forward it was rubbish the system does not work.This Doughnut needs to pick the best players not his toadies.What concerns me most is the movement off the ball
is non existent.Ipswich were far better to watch than us because they were more positive
and direct.
2

davenbennett added 12:47 - Sep 22
I have been saying all season, the problem is not Martin. He was brought in by Sports Republic to play a certain way. The transfer window was chaotic. JWP wasn't allowed to play by WH, when still a Saints player. We didn't get Downes in to replace. Either play JWP or get Downes in before goes. Holgate is a disaster! 5th choice Everton CB in their worst back line in 50 years. Is he any better than C-C or Lyanco?Then 2 CBs get Injured. Have to play CMF as CB. Then 2 MF get Injured. Have to play ARIBO! Then bring in crocked forward. But, major is is SR assisting we play tippy tappy crappy football. They bring in ex Man City Wilcox. And other backroom staff. Also ex MC players. They want Saints to play like MC. They also use data to make decisions. But it just doesn't work! And it never will. It is a great ambition to want to play like MC. Just a bit mental! So, Martin going won't change a thing. SR won't change. So we are totally screwed. Avoiding relegation is best we can now hope for. We are not going to see the PL for many years.
1

I_would added 13:03 - Sep 22
I see the clown in the DE today handing off the blame to his bosses, the fans and the players. He's got full backing to not only play carp but to SLOW DOWN the carp. THE PLAYERS ARE RUNNING ABOUT TOO MUCH APPARENTLY!

You couldn't make it up. We're screwed, Hello league One.
0

Avior added 13:10 - Sep 22
Nick . I agree witha lot of what you say but RM has to temper his ideology with a dose of pragmatism and reality so we dont start every game with a 2 goal disadvantage. On the subject of SR, whilst agree the jury is very much out and they have made some very poor decisions, there is no point in bleating about them because they do own the club and they are not going anywhere. The prevoius post mentioned that data doesn't work. That is nonsense. The two massive overachievers in the PL are Brighton and Brentford. The common theme is that they are both owned and run by gambling geniuses who have huge data analytics behind them. Their budgets are little different to ours. Man City, who have the best transfer track record in the PL by miles, also employ a lot of data techniques on both transfers and monitoring players. I could never work out why Pep sold us Lavia, he is so good and such a Pep type of player. Could he be that they had spotted something with his physique? Currently out for 6 weeks again.
7

WestSussexSaint added 13:46 - Sep 22
There is no doubt that a good start is needed against Middlesbrough. If we can score first not only does it give confidence to us but shatters Boro’s equally fragile confidence. I also think RMs game style works best when we are not having to chase the game.

Finally, I am really hoping for a positive performance and result on Saturday for two reasons: 1) it should help give a positive atmosphere at SMS next week against Leeds- I firmly believe that our fan base is not helping the players at the moment so a bit of positivity going into the game may actually deliver a better performance and result next week too! 2) hopefully it will dampen down some of the ridiculous comments that I have read on this site in recent weeks. Everyone is entitled to an opinion but some of the comments do an injustice to the term “supporter”.
4

JoeEgg added 13:52 - Sep 22
Even with the average squad we have we will beat a few Championship teams. Brighton, Brentford , West Ham and even Fulham on the other hand have chosen different routes for clubs with limited resources. They have experienced managers, players with track records at a hgh level and they play to their strengths. They will never be able to play the Man City way so they have chosen to give Man City and others somethng to think about and adopt different but very effective tactics.
Nick thinks we have the quality to recover and challenge for promotion; just as he backed us time and time again, to avoid relegation last year. He will always want to see the positive - even when in truth I'm not sure that there really is any! The Middlesborough game will be won by the side that gets lucky on the day and will add little to the overall picture; We have chosen the wrong route to go down and we are stuck with it.
4

DellBoyWally added 14:16 - Sep 22
Good points Joe.
The major difference between us and Man C (besides player quality) is that they ATTACK from the back line, not tippy tappy then pass to a marked midfielder for the pass to be intercepted or the player robbed. The majority of goals conceded come that way.
We've fluked 7 points so far and a win at Middlesbrough won't prove anything except they're worse than us. Next week against Leeds in all likelihood will be another disaster unless there are major changes in tactics and implementation.
3

SaintPaulVW added 14:37 - Sep 22
I can't see RM suddenly deciding to jack it all in and get the players to kick it long at the first sign of danger. We used to do that last year and just invited pressure back on us which was awful to watch.

However we need to be more effective with our time in possession. Pinging in endless crosses to opposition heads is just pointless.

In possession, off the ball movement is the big thing that will improve us. This will vary and speed up the passing and should minimise the risk of losing the ball in a press or mis timed pass.

More games with a settled team is also going to help. As long as we are top half at Xmas we will still be in the mix so I'm not going to panic now.

I can see a tight game against Boro. After a definite improved performance against Ipswich, hopefully we can get something from it although we are often a team that breaks streaks for other sides.

COYR

2

Bowlercow added 18:23 - Sep 22
I can be patient Russ but only if you select the obviously best players in their best positions
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE start with Stu Armstrong Alcaraz and Charles as the middle 3 They finished the game last Tuesday and we looked much more adept with them on the field
5

Boris1977 added 21:20 - Sep 22
Agree with the above comments on the whole. We're stuck with these owners and their flaws so no point moaning during the game.

However, if RM wants to take the pressure off the players and reduce the amount of involuntary groans at the countless misplaced passes and wasted dead end balls he needs to play the talent rather than the mediocre nodding dogs.

3 PTS tomorrow - COYRs
2

SanMarco added 23:06 - Sep 22
I hope the Saints put on a show for those making the long, long journey. I hope also that RM learns to be pragmatic. I hate watching teams who can't do it trying to play out from the back. What exactly is the point??

It is important we get at least a point and (please!!) get a clean sheet. It is a long season and we need to stay in touch with the top six - and to do that these are the games we have to get something from.
2


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