 | News
Comment | Southampton V Bristol City The Verdict
at 19:02:41
These late-goal wins suggest we've a deeper bench than everyone else. They also suggest we're fitter than everyone else. I'm reminded of the Gordon Strachan days when he'd run Saints silly in preseason, then we'd grind out league results based almost on fitness alone. While everyone else was speculating on Tonda's fate this summer, he was clearly using the time to quietly put plans in place for a successful season. Or so it appears thus far (not to jinx us here, of course). |
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Comment | Southampton At Birmingham City The Verdict
at 17:57:25
They pressed high and jammed the midfield, which amplified Transfer Deadline Day jitters (as I think they were more settled than we were—and of course had the benefit of playing at home). This one could have gone either way, and ended about right. I sometimes wonder, though, if games ought be played on deadline day, as there's just too much going on and squads need time to adjust. I'dve settled for a draw from the out; we'll get max points at Lincoln. |
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Comment | Leo Scienza In High Demand as Tottenham Hotspur Linked
at 20:01:24
I'd hate to see him go. But given his career trajectory through the ranks at some fairly obscure sides, and given how much he's given to us, i can't see denying him his dream—especially if it nets us a handsome payout. |
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Comment | Ross Stewart Shows That Saints Players Will Put Their Own Interests Before Morals
at 01:39:46
Saints fans' conviction that we were wronged by Spygate (a conviction that's only partially true, I think), can't be extended into player loyalty—especially to veteran players who are looking out for their futures and know they're one bad tackle or misstep away from career-compromising injury. Like everyone else here, I'd prefer that Ross stay. But he's off to his first World Cup and his future is very much in the balance. (And he has to do it in my stupid effing country, which I wouldn't wish on anyone these days!) So good on him for keeping his options open. If he sticks with us, so much the better. |
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Comment | Southampton 26/27 Home Shirt Leaked
at 17:29:06
I'm happy with this one. I like the stripes back and front, though. But I realize it can occasion accessibility issues for supporters/viewers with vision challenges. (I've begun to become one, sadly, with my increasingly deteriorating vision!) |
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Comment | A Thank You To Tonda Eckert
at 17:25:18
I can see the Saints faithful lining up behind Eckert, and that any negative comment about him elicits some strong negative response. But the truth of the matter is that we'll never really know if he is indeed a good manager until he can get positive results by (1) managing without a coteries of spies; and/or (2) England finally getting in line and tolerating spying; and/or (3) Saints' brass consults with him more regularly and clearly. I guess I'm OK him staying on for now (or at least I'm saying as much to don the flame vest here). But for me it's back to square one: Can he manage as successfully as managers that don't consult spies. It's quite possible that he can't. And when that is clear, Saints had better get someone in place that can ASAP. |
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Comment | Now Spygate Has Calmed Down Where Do Tonda Eckert And Southampton Stand
at 17:35:17
At this point I'm up for anything. But we'll know pretty soon what Tonda is made of, once players start departing and the season starts. If we keep him—and I'm not keen on it—we'll need to be prepared to make a stay/go decision before the end of the calendar year. Remember, we were relegation fodder not all that long ago, and now we're starting with four fewer points than everyone else. |
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Comment | EFL Decision Still Leaves Unanswered Questions In All Areas Of The Report
at 06:12:07
To put all this in perspective, I need only look to my own university—where, as is the case in many American universities, administration is always increasingly disinterested in education, to the extent that it's a matter of finding warm bodies to fill roles. It's really similar to what's happened with Eckert.
Here's how it works, in the case of an important office about which upper admin could care less:
(1) When its director quits, promote the associate director but don't raise her wages.
(2) When _that_ director leaves, promote the assistant director without raising her pay.
(3) When _she_ leaves, leave the office empty. Thus admin save money and effort, and the office lies dormant—for three years!
The moral of this sort of story is that organizations whose administrators are out of touch with what really matters and only chasing/saving Pounds/Dollars are ripe for exploitation—often from the very people who are exploited. They want to succeed, pad their resumes, and look good regardless of the way they do it.
It's clear to me now that Eckert spied on every team we played while he was in charge. In some ways, he was trying to game the system in the only ways that might might right the ship. Eckert's mistake was he got too greedy and reproduced the way he himself was treated (a bump in title with no bump in pay). When you try to get by with whomever's around and don't mind the cupboard, this is exactly what happens.
So, as for me, it's Eckert out and Sports Republic out. Eckert has abused his position, his interns, his team, and the fans. He has to go as far away as possible (maybe on a Mars mission). Sport Republic has stood by and let all this happen; they've amply demonstrated that they are unfit to run a football team.
It's just not good enough. We supporters deserve so much more. |
| News
Comment | Southampton Expelled From Championship Play Off Final
at 00:44:39
In a 7 March 2026 _Guardian_ interview, just before the Man City semifinal, Eckert said of his time interning for the German national team: "[T]he German team tried not only [to research] tactically but to have a deep dive into the cultures of the nations they would come up against. That would mean going to, say, Ghana to understand the instruments they play, to understand how they grow up playing on the streets, what it means for the DNA of the team, and I was involved in that process." He also said of the win against Fulham that playing them requires "grasp[ing] Fulham a little bit. Where is Fulham located in London? What is the atmosphere in the stadium? What do the fans expect? How do they deal with pressure? Is it enough if they win or do they also need to play nice football? Is it a hostile environment? I believe the more you understand that about a club and a nation, and for a nation even more so, I think it helps you know how to approach a game.” (See https://www.theguardian.com/fo I admired his comments, but also felt they were a little naive and suspicious. Well, today we know what he means by all that (and must wonder who stood behind a tree and pressed play on his phone at Craven Cottage). Eckert's success lies in intrusion and espionage. And, as a recent intern himself, he's part of a coterie of similar spies. Who knows how far it goes? Is it just part of secret footballing culture that, to get a leg up, young aspiring managers resort to subterfuge? He must be fired immediately.
I've been ashamed a lot as a Saints fan during my thirty-six years of fandom. But this really and truly takes the cake. I'd enumerate the pitfalls it presents us going forward, but saintmark1976 has done so. This whole thing is f*cked up, and i'm going to have to reevaluate before supporting Saints again. The only silver lining i can see presently is that i have two months to figure it out. |
| News
Comment | Breaking News ChampionshIp Play Off Final May Be Postponed
at 00:26:53
We all see how this will play out, right? If we're banned from the final, and/or if we're docked points, our best players' departures are all but confirmed and Eckert will scarper off to the Bundesliga unscathed to a vastly superior job. (If this was his idea, he has to go—the further away the better.) We the fans have the most to lose here, and i don't take the prospect of being branded a villain lightly. My thirty-six years of Saints fandom may be set to take the greatest hit yet. |
| News
Comment | Southampton At Middlesbrough The Play Off Verdict
at 18:47:26
This game felt like a carbon copy of the City match, the difference being that millions of pounds of quality put them over the top. It was all about maintaining shape and waiting out chances. (I'm unsure how spying would help in such a game plan.) Kudos to our midfield for weathering storms and masterminding counterattacks; Jander was everywhere! As for the punishment that awaits us for Spygate 2.0, the alleged offence happened _after_ playoff ties were set. So if there's any point deduction it'd have to be for next year. We're probably looking at a massive fine, and left to consider if it was worth it. |
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Comment | Southampton At Preston North End The Verdict
at 00:20:02
It's not often I'd admit this, but the 2026 Saints have shown us that sometimes you can indeed add by subtracting. What a difference the departure of Armstrong has made! It's opened up the side and indeed the pitch for much more adventure and much greater results. |
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Comment | Southampton V Ipswich Town The Verdict
at 16:24:44
Both sides looked quite tired—especially in the final twenty minutes, when the game was particularly wide open.
An intriguing side note: Here in the US, on Paramount+, somehow we were treated to Ian Darke's commentating. For the most part, he did well to suppress his Pompey-supporting self—until Ipswich's equalizer, about which he got a bit exuberant. For that one brief moment it felt as if we were facing TWO opponents. :-) |
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Comment | Southampton V Oxford United The Verdict
at 18:17:45
The Charles goal was something special. But the perfectly weighted THB ball to Fellows en route to the first goal was just as much so! |
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Comment | Southampton V Norwich The Verdict
at 17:26:00
I thought that Downes had to come off as he'dve eventually earned a second yellow. Fortunately we had adequate midfield cover on the bench. Mind you, i'm not displeased with Downes for putting himself about (despite getting drawn in to scrapes, which Norwich were clearly banking on). He's upped his physicality over the years, and if he can control it that's a big plus for our midfield. |
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Comment | Southampton V Leicester City The FA Cup Preview
at 14:56:39
Given the congestion in the Championship table and so many clubs' potential for the playoff spots, I wouldn't be surprised to see everyone in our division passing on the FA Cup. |
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Comment | Southampton At Leicester City The Verdict
at 19:00:20
Agreed entirely, Bowlercow. How a club can go from EPL champions to League One fodder (if not winding up) is beyond me. There has to be better stewardship of clubs' finances and the stability of the Football League. |
| News
Comment | Southampton At Leicester City The Verdict
at 16:00:56
We _had_ to break the Leicester Curse, and we did! Foxes, though, are on the brink, and I can't let this flying feeling pass without also acknowledging their dire situation. Hopefully someone helps get that great club financially stable. It wasn't all that long ago that we were in the same position, and to have _two_ Championship clubs now facing administration is a bad look for our league. |
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