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Q&A: What will Spors bring to the club?published at 14:37 1 April
14:37 1 April
Adam Blackmore BBC Radio Solent sports editor
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Throughout Tuesday, we are publishing a special Q&A with BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore. In part three, we look at boardroom changes at St Mary's.
Simon asked: What do you think Johannes Spors will bring to the club in the short and medium term? Do you get the sense he will want to bring in his own manager or do you think Ivan Juric has a chance of being at the helm for the Championship campaign next season?
Adam: Potentially, Spors could make a huge difference to the club.
There has been an unclear recruitment policy under Sport Republic so far, with, for example, Russell Martin, Darren Mowbray, Rasmus Ankersen, Phil Parsons and Henrik Kraft all involved last summer.
That cannot be right - it is just too woolly and people are not going to agree on everything.
Spors should be allowed to use his knowledge and experience to run the recruitment policy in an aligned way with clear parameters, in conjunction with a new manager.
He should be the one to choose the new manager because they have to be aligned in their philosophy and united in where they want to take the club.
Come back later for part four, where Adam will explore how Southampton look to build for the future.
Q&A: Any positives to cling to?published at 11:45 1 April
11:45 1 April
Adam Blackmore BBC Radio Solent sports editor
Image source, Getty Images
On Tuesday, we are publishing a special Q&A with BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore. In part two, we look at the positives Southampton can cling to from this season.
Noah asked: What do you think about our positives this season? Not many people are talking about them, but I think we have quite a bit of talent behind our players, only they can't display it.
Adam: It is hard to sell the positives during such a difficult season. But I think it is a good thing to do, and you are right to try to be positive.
We felt similarly forlorn after the 2023 relegation, which statistically was Saints' worst Premier League season. Twelve months later, the fans were all at Wembley having the best day out! Equally, this season could turn into something entirely more positive in the next 12 months.
Having said all that, how many positives can really be taken? Which players have improved over the course of this season? The two that stand out are of course Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes. I also think Aaron Ramsdale has been worth every penny. But do we expect any of those three to be at the club come September? All talented yes, but also the most saleable players, unfortunately.
The only other positive, I think, is the supporters, to be honest. Their resilience and fortitude shows the owners of the club they should do everything in their power to get the club on an upward trajectory for the long term because those fans deserve it. Away from home in hopeless situations, they have been magnificent.
Q&A: Do Saints need to start from scratch?published at 11:45 1 April
11:45 1 April
Adam Blackmore BBC Radio Solent sports editor
Image source, Getty Images
Here is another question posed to BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore during our special Southampton Q&A.
Ethan asked: Russell Martin possibly started this season with a naive attitude and the players were always on edge with the dangerous style of football. Ivan Juric's football and man-management style seems too much of a shift in the opposite direction. Except from a clinical nine, I believe most of the players are of enough Premier League quality.
What do you think - have the players been mismanaged or are we simply lacking threat? Now do we need a complete club culture shift and to start from scratch or otherwise?
Adam: I have answered elements of your question in my replies to Jack and David (07:48) - please have a read of them.
But to answer your question on management directly, I think the players have been mismanaged and there was a middle ground to be found in the contrasting styles of Russell and Ivan that would have helped them more on the pitch.
I also think it is not an either/or - I think the extreme styles of play that players have not been able to execute is also about the quality of the players trying to do it at the highest level.
The evidence of the season is overwhelmingly that they are, as a group, not Premier League quality, and as things have gone from bad to worse, their confidence is also shot to bits, which is a massive factor.
It will be a frustration that they have not been able to grow in the league by playing a simpler, safer style of football that they could have grown from. Saints definitely lack threat, though, and the constant failure to buy just one proven top-flight goalscorer has probably cost five managers their jobs - and counting...
As for a culture shift, that is definitely needed and should be delivered by the next manager and Johannes Spors. But starting from scratch is impossible to do player-wise, you just can't ship 30 out and 30 in, as much as agents would love it! So the club need to balance making money in the summer from sales with keeping players who want to be there and fight next season.
Then there are the players who need to go for the good of the club, and they will be the hardest ones to shift.
I did an episode of my BBC Sounds series Goin' Home With Adam And Jo this week on exactly this - the summer transfer strategy. Please feel free to have a listen.
Come back later on Tuesday for part three where Adam explores boardroom changes at St Mary's.
Q&A: Where has it gone wrong this season?published at 07:48 1 April
07:48 1 April
Adam Blackmore BBC Radio Solent sports editor
Image source, Getty Images
Throughout Tuesday, we're doing a special Q&A with BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore. In the first part, he assesses the wreckage of the 2024-25 season.
Jack asked: I would be interested in hearing a breakdown of your thoughts. Where do you think it has gone wrong? What should the club have done differently? Were we always doomed? What needs to change next season?
Adam: I do not think the club were always doomed. I think relegation was absolutely avoidable, and the relegation is a consequence of recruitment and managerial decisions.
There was a brain drain in recruitment following the departure of Jason Wilcox, and not replacing him quickly has been a factor. The summer recruitment was too much about buying potential at decent prices and hoping it would pay off. It did not.
And that has been the biggest flaw for Sport Republic - trying to outsmart the market and failing consistently to do so over three years. The squad needed to be smaller and of higher quality, not bloated and average.
Ultimately, whoever the manager is, when the team is not good enough you are always going to be up against it. As for the managers, it is pretty subjective whether you think Russell Martin's style of football would have worked over time, but if you think back to December, it was impossible for it to carry on.
There is frustration that he and Ivan Juric both tried to impose a style of football on players in very different ways but with very similar outcomes.
Image source, Getty Images
David asked: Why do you think our recent managers have not played to the players' strengths and decided to do it their way?
Adam: It is a big question to answer and one that I can only take an estimated guess on because only Martin and Juric could answer this question definitively.
Any manager has a preferred way of playing and that is generally what they trust because it has got them to the point they are at in their careers and any success they have had. I think when it starts to go wrong we all then wonder why they do not adapt.
For me, it is a failing of modern management that coaches 'stick to their principles', which are often based on wanting to deliver good analytics and stats. In my mind, that is ego-driven and not always for the betterment of the team or the club.
On the basis that I absolutely concur with what my football mentor and partner for many years Dave Merrington taught me - that a coach's job is to help his players - both Russell and Ivan have not done that. Even though they may say, justifiably, that they are trying to make the players better by teaching them to play 'their' way, the Premier League is not the place to practise something you cannot do, whether that is playing out from your own six-yard area, or trying to man-mark players all over the pitch.
There were lower-risk options that may well have led to Saints picking up more points, and gaining confidence along the way that could have helped them be better individually and give the team a hope of staying up.
Come back later on Tuesday for part two where Adam explores if there are any positives from this season…
'Hard to see where points are coming from in final nine games'published at 16:02 31 March
16:02 31 March
Ray Hunt Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
The Southampton fanbase are not really expecting too much from the run-in. If you are only searching for three more points to avoid becoming the worst team in Premier League history, then you are not really setting your sights too high.
Most of us find ourselves fixture-watching and planning from where those elusive points could possibly emanate. In truth, it is hard to see where a single point is coming from the nine games remaining. West Ham and Leicester away seem the most likely, but both came away from St Mary's with maximum points.
But then, haven't most?
It is becoming ever clearer that Tyler Dibling will be getting a summer move to remain in the Premier League next season. There are reports that a number of clubs have shown interest and if you are to believe the rumours, we have slapped a £100m price tag on the teenager.
If we are to make the most and gain a fee anywhere near that figure then it is important to give Dibling as many games as possible in the run-in, in a formation that best deploys his and Mateus Fernandes' talents. Is making sure we get the most value from our current assets all we can hope for now?
I would also like to see Ivan Juric drop the back five and play a recognised striker as the focal point. Our first point of the season and first senior goal for Dibling came by playing that system, as did our early success in the Carabao Cup, albeit against lower-league opposition.
For too many weeks now, we have been asking attacking midfielders to play that lone forward role - to no avail. It seems Juric is trying everything but the obvious. Juric's man-for-man marking becomes predictable and has left huge gaps in the middle which we are not equipped to deal with.
2023-24 accounts a 'good marker for financial life in Championship'published at 17:49 28 March
17:49 28 March
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BBC Radio Solent sports editor Adam Blackmore says Southampton's financial accounts for the year ending June 2024 are a "good marker" for what the club can expect should they immediately return to the Championship.
Saints recorded a pre-tax and interest profit of £36.4m and a post-tax profit of £5.7m, following five successive years of reporting losses.
However, this was aided by a mass exodus of players following relegation in 2023.
"They are a good marker for us to look forward to financial life in the Championship next season," said Blackmore.
"Yes, they made a net profit of £5.7m but that only happened from the fire sale of players after dropping out of the Premier League.
"That included Tino Livramento, James Ward-Prowse, Nathan Tella, Romeo Lavia for big money, Mislav Orsic and more. It was well over £100m of sales.
"The biggest problem for clubs dropping out of the Premier League is your turnover drops because of the broadcasting income. Saints' income went down over £60m from £145m to £84.8m and we can expect something similar to happen again.
"They also invested during that period in the Championship - over £4m in infrastructure including safe standing, a new fan zone, stadium wifi - and that's all in place and won't really need spending on again going forward."
'Any club paying £100m for Dibling is fanciful'published at 15:22 27 March
15:22 27 March
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BBC Sport's chief football writer Phil McNulty has been answering your questions.
The below question comes from Thursday's gossip column, which suggested Premier League clubs were being quoted upwards of £100m to sign Southampton's Tyler Dibling.
Tim asked: Phil, Tyler Dibling, £100m? Rogers was £8m from Middlesbrough 12 months ago having achieved more. Dibling is OK at dribbling but, expecting any team to pay multiples of Rogers' fee is nuts, right?
Phil answered: I really like the look of Tyler Dibling but I think the notion of any club paying £100m for the 19-year-old (no matter how talented he is) with only one season Premier League is fanciful.
He is Southampton's player, though, and it is absolutely right that they reserve the right to hold out for the highest possible price if and when he does leave Saints.
Fernandes 'becoming the ultimate Premier League midfielder'published at 14:02 27 March
14:02 27 March
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Midfielder Mateus Fernandes has been drawing the attention of plenty of clubs this season with his impressive displays for a Southampton side struggling at the bottom of the Premier League table.
"Mateus Fernandes is on people's radar because every week he plays his heart out, he is by far the best player on the football pitch from a Saints perspective," former midfielder Jo Tessem told this week's BBC Radio Solent Southampton podcast.
Tessem was full of praise for the Portugal Under-21 international, stating that he thinks the player is on a similar path to Romeo Lavia, who left St Mary's to join Chelsea after just one season in the summer of 2023.
"I said the same about Romeo Lavia," Tessem added.
"I didn't think he would stay for a season in the Championship and he didn't - leaving after a year - and he [Fernandes] is on a similar level, albeit a different type of player.
"He is becoming an ultimate Premier League midfielder and clubs are not going to let that go.
"He plays like a Premier League player. He passes like a Premier League player. He is quick like a Premier League player. He conducts himself so well in midfield."
"He is a young, English, talent and attractive to the bigger clubs," Tessem told BBC Radio Solent's Southampton FC podcast. "He belongs in the Premier League. He may be sold this summer and I think he will do well in the Premier League."
The club has reportedly put a £100m price tag on the 19-year-old forward, however Tessem says that it could suit his development to continue at St Mary's for a spell in the Championship next season.
He added: "In terms of his development he might need to take some steps, so maybe completing a full season in the Championship, where he can be very good, might be the right way for him.
"It might be the way that he doesn't want but it might be the right decision [for his career]."
FA Cup free-kicks - Ward-Prowse beats four-man wallpublished at 08:53 27 March
08:53 27 March
Media caption,
There have been many standout free-kicks in the FA Cup over the years, so BBC Sport has wound back the years and selected a few to celebrate all over again.
Former Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse could have his own free-kick montage after becoming one of the best set-piece takers in Premier League history.
But let's rewind to Tuesday, 19 January 2021 when he beat a Shrewsbury Town four-man wall to put the ball in the back of the net.
Pace, dip and power - it had too much for the visiting goalkeeper in front of an empty St Mary's during the Covid-affected season.
Fast forward to 03'00 to enjoy.
🎧 A transfer window specialpublished at 08:30 27 March
08:30 27 March
The latest episode of the Goin' Home With Adam And Jo podcast has landed.
BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore and former Saints player Jo Tessem discuss plans for the upcoming summer transfer window.
Which player needs to do more in the season run-in? What must change?published at 12:24 25 March
12:24 25 March
Ray Hunt Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Loaded questions that would be open to a multitude of answers for many Saints fans. The easy answer is everyone/everything needs to change. This goes from players, to management and right up to the ownership group.
There is a small group of players who have, and will continue to give their all for the rest of this miserable season. I think we should all assume that Kyle Walker-Peters, Aaron Ramsdale and Tyler Dibling will get their desire to stay in the Premier League next season. And they will all have deserved their moves away.
There are also players who will need to push to put themselves in the shop window.
Taylor Harwood-Bellis and Armel Bella-Kotchap will certainly feel they deserve a move, so they will need improvements. Then again, so does the whole defensive core.
The key player that stands out for me is Flynn Downes. He was a staple for Russell Martin's promotion-winning side, which led to turning his loan into a buy in the summer.
However, he has had his struggles adjusting to life in the Premier League this season and, as a result, his transfer fee came under scrutiny. There was a failed attempt at a January move that has not earned him any favours with the locals and he has since slipped out of Ivan Juric's squad.
He has had limited minutes of late, missing the Anfield trip, but did feature for the final 10 against Wolves most recently. If he has any intention of remaining a Premier League player then he will need to force his way back into Juric's plans.
For the sake of Southampton's bid to catch those 11 points, we deserve and expect Downes to be at his very best again.
Southampton, bottom of the Premier League, do not play again until 2 April when they host Crystal Palace.
Boss Lee Carsley said: "Taylor's been sent back to the club, he'll get a scan on his thigh. It seemed OK but we've said in the past we'll never take any chances with the players. As soon as there's an issue they go back to the club."
Harwood-Bellis - who scored on his senior debut against Ireland under Carsley in November - was replaced by Charlie Cresswell after 62 minutes of the defeat in Lorient.
The Young Lions - who won the tournament in 2023 under Carsley - are preparing for Euro 2025 this summer where they will face the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovenia in Slovakia.
Gossip: Spurs begin Dibling approachpublished at 07:28 24 March
Owner 'ineptitude' and 'problem bigger than managers and players'published at 12:26 20 March
12:26 20 March
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We asked you to tell us one thing - good or bad - that nobody is talking about at Southampton.
Here are some of your replies:
Corey: People always say Russell Martin was the problem - he wasn't. Juric has managed fewer games and Martin managed more games, but we did get more points under Martin. We should have kept him on until the end of the season, and then fixed the team and staff. Sport Republic needs to sort out its manager recruitment.
William: Sport Republic's ineptitude eclipses everything else and it is still managing to fly under the radar.
Jack: Sport Republic is very quickly losing the fans' support. I will start by saying it has done a great job of increasing the atmosphere pre-game, but it doesn't treat Saints like a football club. There is no communication with the fans and do I even need to explain recruitment? Some of the decisions have been indefensible and I'm concerned about the direction the club is heading. We used to have a 10-year plan under previous ownership, but right now I see a rotting club. The problem is bigger than the managers and players.
Dave: When is Ross Stewart going to be fit? We bought him as an injured player and he has only come on the pitch twice!
Geoff: With so many players arriving and leaving in short order, they have no time to develop any loyalty or affection for the club. The Lallana, Shaw and Chambers generation has never been recreated, and every smaller club is now doing what Saints did so successfully 15 years ago or more. When diehards, such as James Ward-Prowse, choose more ambitious and better-run clubs, something major has gone wrong.
Noah: Nobody seems to be talking about the positives. There have been a few good matches this season and we have quite a bit of talent behind our players.
What's the one thing nobody is talking about?published at 13:22 19 March
13:22 19 March
Southampton are doomed to relegation, with the immediate target simply being to surpass Derby County's record lowest points total in a Premier League season.
The Saints have won only one match since Ivan Juric succeeded Russell Martin in December.
But is there something else that is slipping under the radar? What is the one thing - good or bad - nobody is talking about in relation to Southampton?
'Any hope of going down with dignity?'published at 12:34 18 March
12:34 18 March
Ray Hunt Fan writer
Image source, Getty Images
Saints once again failed to stop the rot and slumped to their fifth straight Premier League defeat and ninth consecutive at St. Mary's.
In doing so, they become only the fourth team in top-flight history with that embarrassing record.
After a bold performance at Anfield playing four at the back, Ivan Juric, again tinkered with squad selection and reverted to a back five which included three full-backs, no recognised striker and Albert Gronbaek, once again, keeping warm on the bench.
All the positives from the previous fixture were seemingly ignored, at home to Wolves, who themselves aren't yet secure, and without top marksman Matheus Cunha. It feels like a huge chance has gone by.
Bizarre team selections are the norm these days. For a team who only have 21 goals to their credit, to leave focal points like Paul Onuachu and Cameron Archer on the bench to deploy five at the back is ludicrous. The team are beat before a ball has been kicked.
In-game tactics also proved peculiar. Onuachu came on at the break for Mateus Fernandes to a chorus of boos around St. Mary's. We also saw centre-half Jack Stephens try his hand upfront in the final stages. It's hard to know what Juric will do next.
The team, as a whole, didn't play too badly in parts. We've seen far worse recently. Chances were being created and Onuachu gave us hope, fifteen minutes from time when he halved the deficit. However, the fault lies with Juric for his team selection and bad tactics.
Is there any hope of going down with dignity?
We remain 18 points from safety with only nine games to play. The only solace right now is we have a fortnight off from this mess.
Martin: A broken manager inherited a broken club with broken-spirited players, then starts a winnable game with three full-backs and no strikers, then takes off the most creative player on the pitch at half time. How was it going to end any differently?
Ryan: Far too easy to play through. Wolves didn't really have to turn up to walk away with the three points and that's what hurts the most. Really hard to see where the next points will come from.
Mike: Started well but conceded two soft goals. No presence in the box and sloppy defending again. 'Not fit to wear the shirt' was the home fans' chant and how many of this lot will still be at St Mary's in the Championship?
Glenn: Absolutely horrible. This was our last chance to get over 11 points. We need to clear the squad and spend two seasons in the Championship rebuilding confidence, team spirit and relationship between the club and supporters.
Wolves fans
George: Wolves played a good game up to their second goal. They then became wasteful in attack and somewhat jittery in defence. From the moment the Saints scored their goal, victory was precarious.
Nathan: Southampton played better but couldn't win. Wolves played poorly and did win! An ugly win but it's all about points and staying up so a good day. One step closer to Premier League survival!
Nick: Great result from the lads but we made it hard for ourselves in the end. That nine point gap is massive. Cunha back in soon so surely we will stay up now.
Ken: Salvaged the season with this win, and did it without Cunha. Safe now but how about some more ambition for the future with some money to spend without selling our best players for a change.
Image source, Getty Images
