This wasn't a bad performance in terms of domination and chances created, but it was a terrible one in terms of the way we were set up and once again a raft of strange selections & poor substitutions left us all over the place.

When the team news came through before the game the reaction from most fans was baffling, Will Still had switched back to a back 3 with wingbacks, but the two wingbacks were Elias Jelert with around 18 minutes to his name since his arrival at the end of August and Welington who had not played since limping out of the defeat to Stoke City two months ago.

This was that was not the only strange thing about these two selections, in simple terms both are traditional full backs in playing style, rather than wing backs, yes Welington has a marauding style, but he isn't a wing back.

Neither Jelert or Welington had particularly bad games, but their were players that deserved to be in the team ahead of them.

Will Still was not short of options in this position, he could have played Leo Scienza who seemed to be playing in front of Welington, he could have played Ryan Fraser, perhaps the most consistent of our performers this season aside from Shea Charles who was on the bench, he could have played Tom Fellows, he could have played Jay Robinson, in fact he could have played any of these in front of two players who in essence have played no Championship football for us in the last two months.

This stank of an air of desperation from Will Still, he doesn't know his best team and he keeps chopping and changing in order to try and find a winning formula.

I honestly couldn't quite work out our starting formation and come the last 20 minutes I couldn't see any sort of pattern to where our midfielders & attackers were meant to be playing or any sort of game plan.

The fact that we had a decent go in the final 20 minutes to try and win the game, was down to those on the pitch being professional and to be blunt far better quality than the opposition, than Will Still's tactics.

In his post match interview Still said:

"I couldn't be happier with the way the team's played. I think that's probably one of our best performances of the season.

"We have totally controlled, dominated, and created so many chances. I am really proud of what the team has shown today.

"We performed to a level that we want to perform at. I know that sounds stupid because we are missing a goal, but you can't do much more than what we have done."

There is some truth in this, we did indeed dominate the game, the stats were very impressive apart from the one that counted, goals scored !

But if Still couldn't be happier with the way the team played then he is in a minority in those in attendance at St Mary's, we dominated through rolling up our sleeves and battling, in spite of Still's baffling tactics, not because of them.

Yes we missed some sitters, hit some posts and at times produced a save or two from the keeper, but Swansea were well drilled and organised and we were not.

Still's next comments were actually quite offensive to Southampton supporters:

"I think the fans understand where this is going. Those who really understand football know how good that first half was but also the second half. We have hit the post twice and I don't think Al [McCarthy] has had a save to make.

"We have an XG over three and with an XG of over three, we should be scoring four or five goals."

He is basically saying that if you don't think I am great and my team was brilliant then you don't know anything about football, it is arrogance in the extreme, to follow that up with an XG quotation over 3 is naïve, the only stat that counts when you are in our position is the one that on this occasion read 0-0, supporters don's stand in pubs before and after the game discussing XG's.

I have not spoken to one supporter who actually knows where this is going, I speak to a few who are willing to give him more time, but that is due more to the fact that they feel that we have sacked so many managers in the past 3 years, we don't want another on the CV, no one can actually pinpoint where we are going.

Yes we should have won this game and we should have won it well, but it was not an impressive performance, at times it was disjointed you could not see any pattern in the play, you looked at the bench and you saw players on it that have performed this season and performed well, Ryan Fraser, Jay Robinson, Flynn Downs, Tom Fellows, Ryan Manning, even Finn Azaz who has not been given the chance to find the form that he has at his previous clubs in this division.

Whilst I would not say all could have started, certainly all of them had more of a claim to be in the starting line up than some of those on the pitch.

I see a team that is lacking in confidence, that has no pattern in it's play, no identity, Will Still says it is playing with fear and he is right in that respect, you could see that they were scared to try and play the killer ball or pass at times, that is bred by the fact that they know the manager will drop them, you don't get much of a rung in games in this side under Still, one mistake or one bad half and you are out.

The players are confused by the formation, they don't know where they are supposed to be on the pitch at times, I remember one pass by Ronnie Edwards who under pressure on the touchline, played the ball up the line into space, but there was no one there, it looked a poor pass, but the reality is that when your full back has the ball in that position that is his only outlet, the attacking players & wide men know that and would normally be looking for that ball, not on this occasion, there was just no one near there to close down the Swansea left back.

The truth is Still is not backing his own judgement, he does not know his best players, his best line up, his best formation indeed his best team, Russell Martin was under fire in some quarters two years ago, but you knew what you were going to get from his side and we went on a long unbeaten run because we played to a pattern, everyone knew the job they had to do.

I would suspect that most of this team in their own minds were unsure whether they would actually be playing or not, at the moment I would say that there were only 5 or 6 players who before the team was announced were sure that they would be in it, in fact there might have been one or two more who thought that, but got a nasty shock come the team announcement.

That is not a settled side and it is settled sides that win games.

The last 10-20 minutes in most of our games this season have been a shambles, sometimes it works as it did against Wrexham, but in all the other games including this one it hasn't.

We haven't lost many games because as I keep saying we have a good squad, the issue isn't the players, it is the manager who has created an atmosphere of indecision and a lack of confidence, the players themselves will know that things are not right.

We could have sneaked a goal that would have won this game, but that would only have papered over the cracks.

As most regular readers will know, I am usually an advocate of giving managers & players time, but in this case I really cannot see a way forward, I see a manager who does not know what to do next, he cannot back his own judgement and have faith in himself, so how does he expect the players and indeed the supporters to do that.

Of course I have not played the game at the level that Will Still has, but I'm probably not far off it and there are probably quite a few Saints supporters that could say that, certainly in England, so Still is right I could not see how good the first half was or indeed the second, I just saw a lot of good players running around not really knowing what the pattern of play really was.

As it stands looking at results Will Still is getting just one thing right, yes the fans do know where this is going and not in a positive way !

All Photos Via Reuters

SaintEPW added 11:22 - Oct 19 Disagree. This was an excellent performance in the context of a wholly brand new set of players - in one of the most physically competitive and physically challenging leagues in the world. I must be seeing a different game to the one you saw. We are not the same Southampton any more. The world changed and we have missed a few boats. It will take time to get back. Your expectations are unrealistic. Will Still has a new group of players - often with limited experience. They dominated a decent and very aggressive Swansea team for much of the game. Yes. A goal should have been scored. It was not. That's it. Not the end of the world as your report seems to indicate. The team is going in a positive direction. The players are getting a hang of the approach. Agree. The subs did not work. Does that mean that these players should not get their chance.

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SaintEPW added 11:27 - Oct 19 One more comment - I remember the Swansea game from last year with the Martin approach. Frustrating possession play not leading to attacks Risky Defensive possession also. yesterday we saw an assertive positive defence. Tackling and heading with precision. Holding the ball to bring Swansea onto us - then our attacking passing was decisive and set up attacks quickly. Many many more attacks. More direct play in opposition half.

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felly1 added 11:39 - Oct 19 I'm sorry but's thats a garbage report. I'm as frustrated and disappointed as everyone else but if you can't see that was all about two moments where Archer and Jander missed open goals . They both go in and its happy days. Still cannot be blamed for players missing golden opportunities.
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kingolaf added 11:40 - Oct 19 Agreed Nick. He has to go, totally clueless. The board need to stop appointing managers on the strength of an interview and PowerPoint presentation and look at their history. This was another left-field appointment by a board that always try and make themselves look clever and revolutionary. They are a circus of clowns. Crowds will continue to dwindle with Still in charge. Out of his depth completely.

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WestSussexSaint added 11:48 - Oct 19 Nick. Totally disagree with your assertion that it was entirely down to Will Still that we didn’t win this game. The manager sets the formation, tactics and selects the players against the opposition to give his players the best chance to execute. In terms of approach play and creating chances the performance was superb. Ultimately though the players have to execute on those chances and they didn’t. That’s not the manager’s fault. He is not out there kicking the ball. As for the chopping and changing players, I agree this doesn’t help find a settled side but the performances and results of individuals haven’t merited players retaining players. We fans would soon complain if he kept playing the same XI and the results were the same. What did you keep saying last season? The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things and expecting a different outcome. I applaud Still’s determination to find solutions. We though he had done so with Ross Stewart and the team was starting to settle and gel but then cruel injury luck robbed Still of that so he had to find another solution. Yesterday’s performance was good but the lack of goals is what is focused on. I would be far more concerned if our XI wasn’t above 3. In the whole I think Still has shown enough to warrant our support. The players need to do their jobs and understand if they don’t they cannot expect to have long runs in the side.

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derry added 11:51 - Oct 19 The team selection was an unbalanced mess. On the left a full back and a winger, three centre backs but on the right just a full back. Armstrong started there but soon drifted into the middle with Archer. The two midfielders were fine. Scienza was really imposing in the first half. Unfortunately Armstrong and Archer squandered numerous opportunities by snatching at chances. The lack of balance was the worst thing. We buy two good wingers and only select one. We buy a 10 and play Armstrong and Archer. Still is a theoretical coach we need a manager. Until Still grasps the importance of balance this won't improve because this team was set up not to lose rather than to win. Quoting XG figures is losing the plot for me. Dispense with three centre backs play a back four with both wingers and give Azaz a run with one of Armstrong, Archer or Robinson up front. Set up to win not avoid defeat.

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DorsetIan added 11:52 - Oct 19 I saw the game like this too, Nick. We had a great 10 minute spell at the end of the first half because of 1 player Scienza and then we had one great chance in the second half where it was easier to score. But apart from that, I agree that we didn't seem to know what we were doing. Simple question. How is that we have bought two of the top performing Championship players of last year, and we're struggling how to fit them into the team? Likewise, what are Aribo and Edozie doing out in the cold? All the useless managers we have had in the last few years have talked a great game right up to the moment they were sacked. Right path, success just around the corner, all that b0ll0cks. We shouldn't pay any notice to what Will Still has to say about the performance.

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WestSussexSaint added 11:54 - Oct 19 King Olaf. So you agree with Nick that chopping and changing the players is an issue and yet you are calling for a change of manager barely a quarter of the season gone. Recent experience would suggest chopping and changing the manager isn’t a way to success either.
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SaintPaulVW added 12:04 - Oct 19 Usually I agree with a lot of your report but not today. Played Stewart for 3 games, he got injured - what was Still doing overplaying players!. Rotate players to give a large squad playing time, manager doesn't know what his best side is!. Damned if he does damned if he doesn't. Manager voices an opinion based on facts- it's insulting. You then set out an opinion on why he personally is wrong. Can't see the insult myself isn't it just an opinion like yours? New manager, new squad, unbeaten in 4. Where do you think these runs come from? The side is taking shape, McCarthy, Charles, Armstrong, Jander now possibly Scienza now look starters, Stephens and Bazunu are on the bench- something that some supporters have been crying out for and now it's happened, 'Still doesn't know what his best side is' lol. Yesterday, aside from Still running on and converting from one yard out, given the performance, I am not too sure how he could have set the team up better. COYR - tough game next

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underweststand added 12:31 - Oct 19 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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davidargyll added 12:37 - Oct 19 Four comments: 1. Clearly you cannot hope to score if crosses rain in but there’s no one in middle to put them into the net. My goodness how we miss Ross Stewart, not to mention Danny Ings etc. That said, I seem to recall an informed comment made at the beginning of the season that we have five, yes FIVE, forwards so we don’t need another one. Hmmm. Not such a shrewd observation with the benefit of hindsight… 2. My seat is just over the tunnel so I watched Will Still quite a lot of the match. And if body language is anything to go by, animated he was not! More like a sad resignation of his own failings. 3. I do find it bizarre for many to say our inability to score is 100% down to the players. Yes they certainly don’t help themselves, but I do not think it is all their fault. The manager’s job is to lay out a plan - tactics, team make-up, positioning etc - that will overcome such shortcomings, and if it doesn’t work TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT AND NOT TO LOOK ALL SORRY FOR HIMSELF as he seemed to do on Saturday. 4. At his post match interview, Still said that we played the best he’d ever seen but had no luck. What rubbish. Playing badly and winning is fine. Playing well and not winning against a decidedly poor team like Swansea is not “playing well”, IT IS PLAYING BADLY BECAUSE WE DID NOT SCORE. Period. 5. But…despite all my criticisms, I note that currently we have GF at 11 and GA 11 and we sit 16th. West Brom (11 and 11 as well) and Millwall (11 and 13!) sit 5th and 6th. So on that basis, yes there is definite room for improvement, but maybe we are not quite as bad as our recent performances would suggest.

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saintmark1976 added 13:02 - Oct 19 I’m not going to add to Nicks conclusion other than to say that his eternally optimistic outlook appears to be fraying at the edges. If so, who can blame him for being frustrated, after all we have won only four league games in the last forty eight attempts.Two more non winning outings and the win ratio will be just 8%. I believe a figure unheard of in my time of watching the Saints over 60 odd years. At the end of the day as many before me have said “ Football is a result driven business” and what cannot be argued with is that currently, for whatever reasons we are not getting the results befitting a club that spent £50 million in the last window playing in the second tier of English football with the quality of players that the manager has to choose from. That’s why this coming week is so important. If we beat Bristol City and Blackburn then we are back in the hunt with an outside chance of automatic promotion and a good opportunity of getting in to the playoff positions.Anything less and we can look forward to seven months of mid table mediocrity with the season effectively over before the clocks have gone back. Over to you Mr Still and your players….

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halftimeorange added 13:04 - Oct 19 I have to say that yesterday, despite our inability to score, I felt that I had been entertained and I haven't felt like that for a long time. Will Still found a way to open up the Swansea defence, time and time again. The players really put in a shift but, you can't lay the blame for no goals at Still's door. Obviously, Scienza looks to be a real find and Jelert and Jander looked promising. Still built his reputation on chopping and changing to suit the type of opposition faced and I wouldn't relish having to operate with a squad laden with new faces, under-performing old guard and the loss of my preferred centre forward. The guy needs time, not a fickle support constantly criticising his experiments.

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landsdownsaint added 13:12 - Oct 19 While I agree with some of your points , I can’t help but thinking he’s on the verge of a massive breakthrough regards results / performances. We could’ve made a far better manager appointment than WS but our board think they always know better , most descent manager would know there selections by now especially with what he’s got , it’s just going to take longer with WS . We was pretty good yesterday , some good individual performances , I hope WS is listening to Lallana , I should imagine Lallana is amazing on the training pitch especially with the technical players … perhaps their lies the problem?

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131153 added 13:14 - Oct 19 Sorry Nick can’t agree with your verdict at all. This was the best performance so far this season. Just watched the 15 minutes highlights on Sky the editors didn’t manage to find any Swansea highlights until the header at the end of the game. I thought at the time the Archer missed chance was very difficult to score from more than 1 or 2 times out of 10. Thought at the time the Armstrong missed chance was terrible but when shown by the camera at the side it came quickly from behind a player and at thigh height. So not easy. The chance near the end of the game after cleverly getting a touch past the keeper to see it run across the goal line and then bobble over his desperate dive was just pure bad luck. All in all it gave me hope we can put a decent run together and challenge to get promoted. Can’t get my head round you changing over the International break from giving our manager fair chance to him being a complete inexperienced novice.

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Bowlercow added 13:27 - Oct 19 I take it from your published opinions that you were one of the non fans who booed at the end That team,that performance including the subs was outstanding in all aspects other than taking their chancesggʻ Not one player scored less than a 7 and Scienza and Jelander were worth nines.We all wanted to keep Fernandez and criticised SR for letting him go. Now we have seen his replacement do we feel the same Probably not Nick you claim that the majority are of the same opinion as yourself.Read these comments and check out the thumbs up and down

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Boris1977 added 13:35 - Oct 19 Very frustrating being a saints fan with the amount of money spent) available and yet cannot beat very average but well organised teams. This championship division looks weaker than the one we left last year but we're in the bottom half of the table a quarter of the way through. It's hard to gauge if progress is being made in part because of the churn within the selection process and the defensive formations - 5 at the back and 1 upfront against Swansea at home? As for the injury to the only potential regular goalscorer in the team. Not exactly unexpected was it. Things could of course be worse and changing the manager isn't the answer because sports direct will replace this one with another obscure choice. We're not going up this season which isn't such a bad thing but once the parachute payments run low sports directs transfer policy will be fascinating to observe. COYRs

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DoctorSleep added 13:54 - Oct 19 You forgot to mention Stephens - your 'favourite' player :-)
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bryanK added 14:03 - Oct 19 It is clear to me you want this manager sacked. Your comments are negative and whilst I was disappointed in the result had we won 4-0 which on the balance of play would have been a fair reflection of dominance. You can not legislate for players missing chances. Just read the Swansea Manager view “We got away with it” which sums things up. I remember the 5-0 drubbing at Sunderland in Russell Martin’s early reign did we clamour as you appear to be against Still? We are not the force we were and if you were old enough to remember the dark 3rd Division days and gates of less than 5 figures you might have a point. Get real.

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SanMarco added 14:05 - Oct 19 It is certainly unusual for Nick to turn on a manager this quickly. I think that a lot of the negativity is an accumulation of frustrations over a number of years and with SR more than anything. Sunderland came up through the play offs just like us and have already beaten our total from last season. That, like most of our other frustrations, is obviously nothing to do with Still. Let's face it the magic manager/leader who will cure all fans' ills is a very rare beast in football - just look at politics, there is always a leader in the wings waiting to lead us to the sunlit uplands and when they get in they are always useless. As for the game, I thought we showed some promising signs and played reasonably well once we got going. I won't be still saying that in December if we are drawing 0-0 with teams as poor as Swansea were yesterday. The games up to the next (YET ANOTHER) international break really are vital. Yesterday was arguably the first game this season where we got less than we should have. Bristol City are a better side than Swansea so let's see on Tuesday. Oh, and he should have them out there today doing open-goal practice....

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templarinexile added 14:17 - Oct 19 So once again, the calls (from some) are for the manager's head. I wonder what the message would be if one of the many "unmissable" chances had gone in?
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kevleykeegle added 14:36 - Oct 19 Quote‘I see a team lacking in confidence…’. Really? They played with real confidence yesterday but were lacking the end product which, as many have mentioned, will come. For the first time in years, under Still’s stewardship, we look like a team that is progressing.
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ItchenNorth added 14:37 - Oct 19 I completely disagree with this assessment of where we are. This is a rebuild. We need a striker, we need better players. We need a couple more transfer windows and if that means we stay in The Championship another season, so be it. There is no point limping to another promotion. By in large the new signings are improvements. Scienza, good, Jander, good, Fellows good, Jelert good. The defence is looking better. We have a better balance in midfield. Will Still needs time. As they say 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. It's the clubs that need to keep stepping up, as we rebuild. They HAVE to find Will Still a striker that will not just score in this league, but can go with us to the Premier League and score.

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Farlow added 15:04 - Oct 19 I find your comments about the 2full backs absurd they were both excellent and they are both wing backs but they can defend unlike Manning.Armstrong is way past his best and Archer doesnt convince.We shuld play Downs as hes the only one of any size and we need to give him a chance before deciding if hes no good. Also the shape is better with a target man it gives more options for crossers

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highfield49 added 15:27 - Oct 19 Nothing much I can add to the bulk of the comments posted Nick but clearly most of us have taken a lot more positives from the game than you. So, are you expecting Still to stick with the same starting line up or alter the formation for the games this week? In my view the defence looked as good as it has ever been in recent years, please don't tell me that Stephens and Bednarek are a loss to the team! The midfield is evolving but Charles is looking better and better every game. The loss of Stewart up front, again, was probably critical in not winning yesterday. Work in progress but getting closer and closer to a run of results that will, hopefully, lift us to the top places, anyone writing off the season already is being ridiculously negative.

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