The Southampton Way is the Problem not the Players/Coach - Discuss

Some of us are busy earning money to pay bills.

… and Pelle :lou_sad:

:joy: … so @modboy isn’t @goatboy afterall

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Pay Bill’s what exactly? Cosmetic analplasty?

:lou_wink_2:

Poch has got a plan B. He’s called Gazzaniga.

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If players are getting chances and missing them it is not the system that is missing the chances it is the players, that’s obvious.

We don’t appear to have an identity when we play, or if we do ie wing play with balls sliding in from angles then we’re barking up the wrong tree with what quality we have, Tadic and Redmond?

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So once again yesterday we set up in 4 - 2 - 3 - 1 and once again failed to provide any signs that we are a cohesive unit.

I read all those “mantra’s” you know stuff like Repeating the same thing over again and expecting a different result is a definition of insanity. But surely a run of what 8, 9, 10 games now? pretty much the same results?

We as fans all questioned JWP’s selection as #10. We as fans all questioned Steve Davis being picked as a DM.

What is NOT being answered is WHY? - Yeah we are ALL DISAPPOINTED BLAH BLAH, LEARN LESSONS, BLAH BLAH BUT WE DON’T.

Now my point when I opened this thread was not to critique MP (or Puel for that matter), it was to raise the question WHY?

Is Steve Davis so inexperienced and “quiet/shy” that he doesn’t turn round and say “But I’m not very good in that role boss”.

Would any of us enter a Sprinter into a Grand National? Surely not.

When we are short 1 DM (Lemina - Jet Lag/Long Trip, yes I understand that) WHY would you put our only proven AM into a DM role?

The ONLY possible answer is that the club have decided that the SYSTEM is EVERYTHING. Not MP, THE CLUB.

Why else line up 4 - 2- 3 fucking 1? Why not line up 4 - 1 - 4 - 1 or (pray every Saints Fan everywhere - Four Four Fucking Two) at home.

SURELY The Manager must be allowed to put Round Pegs in round holes. Because JWP will NEVER be a #10 and it was Embarrassing to watch Gabbi have to point to tell him where he should be during the 1st half.

Either MP is even more clueless than Claude, OR something in the club is forcing him to play “The Southampton Way”

Yesterday was more than a poor defeat, poor performance. It was players clearly out of position and it simply MUST NOT CONTINUE.

Something is wrong. I think someone is trying to force a “Game Plan / Play Book” mentality on our team

I am very worried now. Not meltdown worried but I think we are losing our Soul on that pitch.

The old dilemma : abandon arguably the best most versatile system because the players are not able to deliver it or coach the players to deliver it which takes longer?

My preference is for the latter because it eventually gives you succession, but currently what re really lack is the ‘general’ playing as one of the ‘2’ to provide a combination of direction and creativity.

I say sell VVD to the twats in red for 80mil, and spunk 100mil on Toni Kroos - you know it makes sense! :joy:

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I’m with you on a lot of this Phil, you have to wonder.

As much as I like Les Reed, he did write the book on coaching and tactics for the FA back in the day and look where its got England. I’d like to think he doesn’t get too involved in ‘on the pitch’ footballing matters but when you keep seeing the same broken, unadventurous game plan, with out of form players still getting picked week after week regardless, it seems strange that 2 managers now, haven’t tried something different.

Not read the article but the headline caught my eye

I chuckled at people questioning why we let JayRod go.

The truth is we could have played Jimmy Greaves, Dixie Dean and Ian Rush up front against Watford, but if you never give them the ball they won’t manage a shot between them.

Surely we just need to use a system where we find Gabbiadini and Austin some space and service?

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Nail on head. Gabbi (and Austin) have shown they can score goals if given the right service. Our one goal from open play this season came when Redmond found Gabbi running into space (ok he was only up against Fonte but it still worked).

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I posted a stat from the Fail in the Match Thread earlier - Gabbi touched the ball 10 times while he was on the pitch - of those were kick offs.

To be honest Messi/Suarez/Ibra wouldn’t be able to score for us with that type of support.

Are we no longer fit enough to press? Watford pressed us all game and strangled us to death.

Is that only an “Away Team Thing” now?

We haven’t got a system of any kind yet. It will be interesting to see what system we develop.

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We do look massively inhibited for some reason.

Has the game moved on from this system? Chelsea won the league with a 3-5-2 and many other teams have adopted it on and off at times. Before them, Leicester won the league with a 4-4-2. Are we stuck in the past and now too easy to predict and play against? Fuck knows.

I think it is time to give Shane Long a few games in the side from the left hand side. Assuming we will stick with the same sort of set up. We need somebody to stretch the game, press the opposition and generally work his bollox off. Shane used to be that man, so give him a chance to do it again. He works hard enough to be able to track back and cover. It will give us another option of being more direct and over the top. I’m not talking hoof and hope here but what it does do is make the opposition think, and gives us the chance of conjuring up a counter attack.

I think we are enduring a fairly rare case of almost ALL of our attacking midfielders being dreadfully off form at the same time. Can Tadic only play with a big target man showing for the ball with his back to goal?

A few years ago Steven Davis used to lead the press high up the field, nowadays he is much deeper and less influential. Perhaps it is the game plan which has changed but perhaps he is getting older and they don’t think he has it in him anymore? Hence why he keeps getting played in a defensive role. Too good to be out of the team, especially as he is the captain, so they find somewhere to accommodate him. I am only speculating but he doesn’t look right there for me. He is a very influential player and for whatever reason we aren’t getting the best out of him. Not a single goal from him last season. He usually gets at least 2 or 3.

You all know my current views on Tadic and Redmond so best move along.

It is still too early to know/see what Pellegrino wants from this side in terms of style of play. I am pretty damn sure it wasn’t what was produced on Saturday.

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http://www.skysports.com/share/11031332

Interesting read regarding Big Sam’s philosophy.

His point about playing the first pass forward is, in my opinion, exactly what has been behind Saints’ struggle to score goals in the last 12 months. Too often it goes back to a centre back, then a full back and then to Romeu before we look forward. By which point the opposition are organised back in their shape we have to break down the entire side to make progress.

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I have a problem with systems. Well, just sticking to one system. Assess the squad and find a way of playing that uses the strengths of that squad. Choose a plan B using the same criteria. If you really have to go with one particular system, get the players in who can play to that system and shift those who cant out. For the younger players starting out, coach them to play in a variety of systems so that when they are ready for 1st team football they can adapt.

Simples.

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And Les would argue that is why we didn’t sign X,Y and Z players we all raved about in the window - they didn’t FIT the system or they had Osvaldoesque mental issues…

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Yeah this may work

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The Southampton way is code for buy early on stats and sell for more later, fuck the fans as this is all about money, our success is players we have for 10 years going for a profit after a couple of good seasons, the locals lap it up, good little locals that they are, fuck that for a blueprint.