Fuck me that season really was a game of two halves.
After all of the memes about 2020 being a globally shit year, I can only surmise that Southampton Football Club thought “we’ll see your 2020 and raise you 2021”.
Since the turn of the year it has been a fucking chore watching this bunch and I know I’m not alone in being delighted that it’s finally over. The club needs to take a breath and hit the reset button because if that continues in to next season we are going to be relegated by Christmas.
It’s going to be a massively important summer for us, both in the transfer market and also on the training pitch.
We need to find a shoe string budget replacement for Bertrand who has been an excellent and steady player for us over the years. Whilst he has not been at his best this year, particularly going forward, I do wonder whether he has been held back by Ralph’s tactics. Tactics which seemingly want KWP bombing on to Vestergaard diagonals, meaning that Bertrand has sat back. There’s a line in his leaving message which certainly makes me think there is substance to that.
With him leaving and us already being bereft of options at full back then I think it safe to say we need at least two full backs this summer. An out and out left back and maybe somebody like Brandon Williams who can play both right and left.
We also need to improve our wingers/number 10s because Redmond and Djenepo managed 3 league goals between them which is truly woeful. Theo got 3 and Armstrong got 4, which surprised me because in my head he had a couple more than that. I for one won’t be clambering for a Minamino return next season. The fact he’s played the last few games and contributed nothing seemingly confirms the rumours that the more he plays, the less we have to pay the scousers. He started playing again once our league position was secured…
Then there’s upfront. If Ings does leave I for one will be investing in some fresh new plastic sheets because we are going to be in quite a pickle. Especially as we’ve just proudly secured a club record 68 goals conceded.
Anyway, here’s some stats at a glance so that we can reflect and then put this bed this shit show of a season to bed once and for all.
Put it to be?? We should double-tap it, make sure it doesn’t come back.
The club have to sort themselves out in the summer break, hopefully this means that the rumours of a new owner are true and it is someone that actually invests in the squad.
Also Covid is fading so the squad may get their state of the art recovery facilities back.
I do feel that Ralph lost interest at the turn of the season, it was like a we beat Liverpool our job here is done moment.
One thing is for sure, if we carry on like this next season we will be in the same league as Bournemouth in the 22/23 season!!
Sorry I don’t agree that Ralph has lost interest. He has been less effective for sure. We can criticise a lack of plan B or C, definitely. We can criticise some team selections and subs too.
But read or watch his interviews after yesterday. There was a man who cares. He was fuming and made it clear that there will be big changes. Many players have let him down, some (not just Redmond) badly, to the extent that they will likely not play again.
The only people I feel certain will start games next season, after yesterday and recent weeks, are below. It assumes investment and a number of new arrivals.
KWP
JWP
Armstrong
Romeu
Ings - if still here
Adams
Tella
Forster
The case for the rest is debatable, at least for some, or no chance at all, for several. We need a lot of help
Its been a weird season for us and others - and ironically I believe the lack of crowds early on helped us. We coped better as we tend to be more anxious in front of them, whereas other took a while to adjust… then our injuries, loss of form at key times and our frailties came back to haunt us… BUT…
Is nearly all games for periods we dominated and showed what we are capable of… but we have struggled to do that for more than 30-40 minutes, that is also part of our problem.
I dont think its all doom and gloom, but fans do like to feel sorry for themselves and wallow the self pity so fill your boots!
When we play like shit and lose, I tend to just remain myself of why I support Saints and not City or Barcelona or Bayern… because they just stuck when I was a kid… and in the last 45 years of supporting, we have pretty much always been shit, with the odd few seasons in the 80s being the exception. Truth is, its now always about the money… who we can attract, who we can keep and how deep a squad is to cope with injuries an suspensions, and we are skint, so what do we expect?
McCarthy I am less sure about and yesterday may have sealed the doubts Ralph already had - i.e. he will go. But as with others, we need a replacement who is better, or will become better.
Saints. Summed up by the idiots on Twitter demanding we spend millions on a whole new squad who THEN rant at “money grabbing Saints” for the idea of charging more money for padded seats to help get the money to buy players.
I think one of my highlights of the season was Mou’s sacking, not because I particularly dislike the bloke, but because of the timing.
Potless Spurs are less than a week away from a cup final and actually have a manager that treats the league cup seriously, as we Saints fans have discovered to our cost.
All they had to do was placate him for a week and they’ll probably win something. But they sack him.
so fill your boots!