Well that went as well as expected. The only positives being that we didn’t concede in the 1st or 45th minute.
Considering how high Ipswich are pressing us, we haven’t played through the lines once.
Really struggling to see the benefits of playing this way. Not exactly creating lots of clear cut chances and are incredibly easy to play against because there’s no surprises and we’ll eventually fuck ourselves over. You can talk about individual mistakes costing us but it’s this ridiculous style that breeds those mistakes.
Man City have world class players in every position and even they don’t play with such risk at the back.
He wants patience but I don’t think he’s going to get much more of it.
Did anyone actually think we would get back in to it?
The risk isn’t providing ANY reward.
Man for man we have an automatic promotion squad. But this way of playing is crucifying us unnecessarily. We are literally our own worst enemy.
The joke of it is that the aim is to get promoted and then ‘thrive’ in the Premier League. Can you imagine playing this way against Premier League forwards?
He doesn’t know how to construct a midfield with any balance or cohesion. The Adam Armstrong in midfield experiment should be over as far as I’m concerned. It doesn’t work. Play him upfront in a 2 (not going to happen), on the left at a push or not at all. Smallbone is not a 6.
But Martin already has his favourites and has already demonstrated unrelenting loyalty to them.
The fact that Adam Armstrong is our captain right now speaks volumes. No leaders.
Next up, Middlesbrough. A team in desperate search of their first win of the season. You know the rest.
Looking more and more as though we have a manager with one tactic only and no brain or flexibility to change.
And his response to being found out is to blame the players and to pick the ones he believes can execute his style, or maybe the ones who won’t question. Result is our best players on the bench and others out of position. The midfield last night was ridiculous.
We were warned he’s stubborn. This can only end badly.
Southampton manager Russell Martin told BBC Radio Solent:
"We had the biggest chance of the game with Shea and were punished for a mistake, not much in it.
"They’ve come and got the goal and then defended really well. If Shea scores it’s a different game.
"The lads gave everything, they tried, it’s not for lack of that we just don’t deal with disappointment very well.
"As a group there’s still so much scar tissue from last season especially here, especially at St Mary’s and I just said to them unfortunately at the moment our season is being defined by how we respond to disappointments and in those moments they need to be braver than ever.
“The only way we’ll get through is by living moments like that and learning. We’re giving teams a goal start at the minute and it makes it so difficult.”
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