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Comment | Burnley Chasing Southampton Defender
at 09:28:13
Played well for us the last time we were in the Championship but poorly since then.
Let's face it , less CB's, less ability to play 5 at the back. Possibly, a win win. |
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Comment | Southampton V Sheffield United The Verdict
at 15:06:10
There really aren't that many sides that can play with a back 5. You need specialist players to do it in particular very fast aggressive wing backs. We don't have that.
A back 4 is completely familiar to all players. They all know their roles inside out and that adds extra confidence from not having to worry too much about your team mates going out of position.
Superficially I think coaches are attracted to it because in transition the wing backs go up the pitch and that in theory creates an extra attacker. However a) we don't have specialist wingbacks who can put that amount of coverage in and b) our CB's and CDM's never radiate confidence that they know their own roles, which leads to the inevitable howlers
The sooner this failed experiment is cancelled the better.
Now we have shown we can win with a back 4, let's stick with that.
COYR |
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Comment | Southampton V Hull City The Verdict
at 14:48:12
Really don't understand why we started with 5 at the back at home against a Hull side who were suffering a major injury crisis.
Ralph tried 3 CB's and gave up. You are just keeping a weaker player on the pitch at the expense of a better one.
At this point radical surgery is needed and I would play the U21's in any position if the senior team player regularly underperforms - THB, Manning, Downes should be dropped ASAP. Jander and Azaz have gone off the boil and Fellows needs to start further up the pitch.
Why we still cannot pass the ball ahead of players in transition, rather than behind them so they have to stop and turn towards our goal, just escapes me.
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Comment | Southampton Make First Signing Of The Summer Transfer Window
at 10:05:04
Let's face it regularly switching between 2 keepers because they've made consistent howlers is just daft.
Something has to change. It's only a loan, if it doesn't work out there's every possibility that Ramsdale will be back next year.
Agreed that someone with Championship experience would be better but just got to hope that Spors with his German connections has found another Jander.
COYR |
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Comment | Daily Echo Hint At Player Power Issues In Southampton Squad
at 13:20:14
Even a B team with a few academy players should be strong enough to put up a good showing in the Championship.
As manager, Tonda needs to be backed to make the changes he wants to and to implement the system he wants.After all, it's his head on the results block.
THB and Downes really aren't a patch on the players they were 2 seasons ago. Manning was good last year but has gone downhill this year. No idea why Stephens was offered a 3 year contract unless it was dirt cheap.
Also I really cannot think of another team that has to regularly rotate goalkeepers due to each one giving poor performances. This needs to be resolved ASAP.
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Comment | Southampton V Millwall The Verdict
at 00:58:22
I would like to add a slight bit of positivity.
It was a very forgettable game. However we weren't hanging on for a point. Overall we were as good as or better than Millwall. Millwall are one of the better teams in the league.
Agree that there are issues that need sorting out but, midway through the season, we aren't in that bad a place
COYR |
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Comment | Two Key Areas That Southampton Need To Sort Out In The Transfer Window
at 11:13:54
Agree that Downes needs to go out on loan to really see what we have got. Pointless giving him 5 or 10 minutes here and there.
The problem with 30 year old experienced prem league CB's will be wages. Plus remember Stephens would fit slap bang into this criteria! If the right player is available this would be a good move although it would break the SR recruitment model. Personally I think 4 at the back with and extra CM would seem a better shout.
My personal view is that Baz was at fault for one of the last 3 goals. His positioning seems regularly off when dealing with balls knocked across goal. Near post he's good and pointblank saves he's great. I just wonder if because of McCarthys repeated near post howlers he's either favouring or being coached to get too close to the near post? Probably a bit harsh.
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Comment | Southampton At Birmingham City The Verdict
at 18:11:30
The Oxford game was bad. However I felt a lot better about last night's game. The positives to take out of last night's game were the rejigging of the squad to be able to finish better in the second half and the team improving when subs were made.
The goal we let in was just a disaster, although Bazunu wasn't at fault. Agree that change needed in defence to bring an additional midfielder on, whether that's shifting one of the CBs to CDM or just dropping one. Bring Bree back over Xmas.
Not in a bad place, but unless there is a major improvement in defence, going up to the prem would be another suicide mission. |
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Comment | Southampton V Oxford The Verdict
at 11:50:46
Can't fault Bazunu for the first goal but the second was yet another far post howler. McCarthy is weak on the near post and Baz is weak on the far post. So it goes.
Agree on the defence; Bring Bree back at Xmas. I accept that Tonda didn't want to change a winning team but in the data driven world of football, teams have now learned how to play against us. I really won't understand the reasoning if Edwards remains out in the cold.
COYR
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Comment | Southampton V Coventry City The Preview
at 11:23:19
Agree. Tonda has brought back the enjoyment in watching Saints. He's a young coach who is learning on the job, so there are going to be matches where things don't go right. A manager can't do much about a missed penalty and a handball goal.
Hoping to see a good performance against the league leaders, who are having a bit of a wobble atm. Win, lose or draw, that would be a great start to the Xmas period.
COYR
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Comment | Another Ex Southampton Hero Linked For Return To St Mary's
at 13:13:14
If money was what was driving him then he made the right move by any other criteria moving looks a bad decision.
Not sure where he would fit in now, as mentioned above we have 4 good CDM's and he's way too slow to be a wingback. He was a master at just passing the ball straight back to the person who passed it to him as well.
Sorry but I think that ship sailed 2 years ago. |
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Comment | Southampton Lining Up January Move For Premier League Goalkeeper
at 13:48:15
Are we forgetting Ramsdale?
I wasn't aware the Newcastle loan had a commitment to buy. He doesn't seem to be doing that well so he'll probably be back on the books next year.
Certainly replacing McCarthy is going to need to happen at some point. |
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Comment | Southampton At Norwich City The Preview
at 15:11:29
Subs are a tricky one. Ralph used to keep the same team on even when we were well ahead and we ended up with lots of injuries. Admittedly it was a much smaller squad. I would imagine that with the performance data available today there is a bit more going into substitutions than just instinct. |
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Comment | Southampton V West Bromwich Albion The Verdict
at 08:24:06
PS a midweek game will usually have a lower crowd and people leaving early because of the joys of car parks, work the next day, kids bed times. It's not just complacency and prawn sandwiches. |
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Comment | Southampton V West Bromwich Albion The Verdict
at 08:13:49
After a slowish start, we put together some great moves to be well ahead at half time. Great poacher's goal from Armstrong, second goal out of nothing in 2 games.
Second half, completely forgettable we just seemed to stop playing again. I accept WBA came back into it but Tonda needs to find a way to keep us holding the ball rather than just inviting pressure onto us. Thought Archer again was our best outlet once Arma came off.
Odd game, a good win ended up feeling like we just got away with it. Great to see us in the playoffs places, if only briefly, for now.
COYR
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Comment | How Tonda Eckert Has Changed Saints Fans Opinion On Recruitment Policy
at 13:00:45
One of the best things about TE is that he's just tweaked what wasn't working. He hasn't ripped it all up and imposed his 'philosophy' with the inherent delay in everyone getting up to speed.
Some players may take longer to adapt to a new side and some may need a bit more time to get used to the physical nature of the Championship. It's not always the case that a player hits the ground running at a new club.
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