Southampton

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BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore believes people should "hold fire a little bit" before criticising Southampton's start to the Premier League season, with Russell Martin's side only picking up one point from their first six fixtures.

Speaking on the Saints and Sinners podcast, Blackmore said: "I'm not feeling jaded by the start. It wasn't that long ago when we were all at Wembley having the most brilliant day out.

"We have only had six competitive games since then, but the world seems to have changed. This was always the danger. I have been saying it since last season: 'Wait until we get into the Premier League and everyone will be moaning again because we won't be able to win matches'.

"It is tough, so I think everyone just needs to hold fire a little bit."

Instead, Blackmore questioned the club's summer "transfer strategy", adding: "Ultimately, we know what Russell Martin is about but I want to see if he can grow and develop. Can he adapt his philosophy on the game?

"I think he has done that at times, such as in the play-offs and at the start of this season, and in spells of games they have been very good.

"But they just haven't got enough quality in the final third to win Premier League matches very often - and I know the owners say they have spent a lot of money.

"I don't like the transfer strategy of getting a £6m player here, a £15m player there and an £11m player there. I would say: 'Go and get a £35m player, who can win you a game, and then come back to me'.

"I would rather a smaller squad with better quality."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

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Southampton’s 24 Premier League away games against Arsenal is the most one side has visited another without ever winning in the competition’s history (drawn eight, lost 16).

Matt Le Tissier scored exactly 100 Premier League goals for Southampton, but can you name the four other players who have netted more than 40 times for the Saints?

Answer will be revealed at 17:00 BST

Ciara Fleming
BBC Sport researcher

Southampton boss Russell Martin has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Arsenal (kick-off 15:00 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• On if he feels pressure given Saints have won none of their first six games: "No one is happy that we haven’t won yet, myself more than anyone. The owners probably feel as frustrated as we do but also they have been so supportive and they want to work through things the same way as last year. The lines of communication are open and honest and I really enjoy being here."

• On outside noise: "I don’t own a tin hat. We have enough noise in our own minds as managers, trying to pick the right team, trying to give out the right information [to players], watching the opposition, managing and balancing all of that."

• He continued: "The opinions that matter are the ones of my bosses and the owners and the people at the club, those that I work alongside every day. As long as I am aware what they feel and we are all working together, everything else is just noise and irrelevant to my position."

• On Arsenal: "What Mikel and his coaching staff have done with that team is incredible - building the identity and feeling of the club - but they had some bumps in the road to get there. They are a real testament to perseverance, patience and clarity and what those can bring you. It is a really good example for us."

• On how Saints will approach the trip to title contenders: "We have an idea of how we can try and hurt Arsenal, as always. We want to go there and try and be the team that we want to be, but there are moments where we are going to have to dig in and defend properly and be resilient. We have to find some joy in the tough moments."

• He gave his opinion on the additional two-match suspension for defender Jack Stephens: "The Premier League and the FA have drawn a line in the sand, so I think as long as everyone is treated the same then we have to accept that it is what it is. Jack has accepted that he made an mistake and asked for an in-person hearing so that he could apologise."

• He added: "We will be watching now as a club to make sure that everyone is treated in the same way and if it is then we have to accept it and move on."

• He will be choosing from the same pool of players as against Bournemouth: "Will Smallbone is not quite back yet and Kamaldeen [Sulemana] is the same. Hopefully, after the international break they will be available. Everyone else is pretty much the same."

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If Southampton continue to play the way they have done so far this season then they could be another Burnley.

I mean that in the sense that they have won promotion and become stubborn in the way that they want to play.

Monday's defeat to Bournemouth was the first time that we have heard Russell Martin speak about his team's attitude and mentality. Normally, he takes responsibility for the way his team is playing, but instead he criticised their effort.

There is a sense of frustration around the team.

As a player, when you are continually losing in a style that the manager wants to play, it can become a rut of accepting defeat.

Looking at the squad, their calibre of player is probably still more suited to the Championship. The leap to the Premier League is massive but you have to find a way.

Ipswich still want to play possession-based football and be aggressive in the press, but they have been adaptive in their style. They are doing that to try and get results.

Southampton are a little bit too stubborn and are too high risk when they play out from the back. They are getting punished for it. You can get away with it more in the Championship because you create more chances than you do in the Premier League.

You do question where their goals are going to come from this season. It is OK having lots of possession but you need to punish teams with that and Southampton are not.

They were also reliant on Adam Armstrong in the Championship to get their goals but we saw a few years back that he was not a prolific forward in the Premier League.

Unless something changes, then it does feel like the writing is on the wall. They have to adapt their style of play a little bit sooner rather than later if they want to start picking up results.

Vincent Kompany left it too late last season and Burnley went down.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

Southampton manager Russell Martin is at an increasing risk of losing his job, following his side's poor start to the season. (Mirror), external

Want more news? Read Thursday's full gossip column

The latest episode of BBC Radio Solent's Saints and Sinners podcast is available to listen to now.

On this week's show, Tom Deacon and Adam Blackmore discuss whether Jack Stevens' ban was justified and reflect on the defeat by Bournemouth on Monday night.

They are also joined by former boxer and Gunners fan John Ryder as they look forward to the Saints' trip to Emirates Stadium on Saturday.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Adam Blackmore
BBC Radio Solent sports editor

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I have just received my first random email from a betting company with a list of potential new Southampton managers and their odds to replace Russell Martin. My first thought was 'blimey, they’re quick off the mark' and then I thought 'maybe I’m old and slow and believe every manager needs time and should get time'.

I prefer being old and slow and 25 years watching football for a living has taught me that rarely does a constant revolving door of managers benefit a club long-term. But I’m not the one who’s spent the money. I’m not Dragan Solak. I’m not a Serbian media mogul who bought a club in the Premier League and watched it self-implode and nose-dive into the Championship ignominiously. I’ve not spent £200m to see my club gloriously return to the top-flight at Wembley, and I’ve not then spent a good chunk of change in the transfer window having got my Premier League revenue back, only to see my team with no wins in six and swept aside by the American-owned club down the road.

But hang on a minute. Surely Sports Republic are building a multi-club business with Southampton as the figure-head club? A business with a playing style and academy ethos all based on a sustainable model of development, playing a way that improves players and adds value to great finds around the world, thanks to a wide network of scouting resources. I thought the appointment of Russell Martin by Sport Republic was exactly because of the way he played, as approved of by former (and briefly) director of football Jason Wilcox.

So what happens when the principles get blurred by pressure, by results, and by money? Will Saints' ownership hold their nerve and let Russell play the season out in the hope that they will come good in the end, even if the end is relegation? The last time Saints were under pressure in the Premier League Ralph Hassenhuttl was sacked in November 2022, only for Sport Republic to make a series of awful decisions that accelerated their relegation. And the legacy of those decisions are impacting Martin now. The bloated squad he has doesn’t help him. Paul Onuachu and Kamaldeen Sulemana are two of Southampton’s most expensive buys ever. They are still at the club, but you wouldn’t know it if you didn’t look closely.

Southampton have bought some very good young talent this summer, but you don’t win anything with kids, right? We can however hope they can win a game or two. But their policy of buying mid-ranged priced players who have plenty of potential upside is a business strategy that the manager has bought into and agreed to work with, not a strategy he devised for his own benefit. And if he is the right man to improve those players and earn the club some money when they sell them, does that come before staying in the Premier League?

Or is it on Martin to find a way to win games by moving away from his and the club’s principles to make sure they stay up? Isn’t the biggest principle in sport to win? Southampton has a great tradition for developing talent and want to do it again. But will fans be patient? Will Solak agree to that, as he watches his Premier League revenue streams float off into the distance?

Two of Southampton’s next three games are away to Arsenal and Manchester City. Good luck with that. The other three before the November international break are against Leicester, Everton and Wolves. Success in those games could dictate whether Saints take a break from their principles or not. They hired Martin because of his footballing principles – they aligned with those of the club. He is still playing with them. Is that naïve or authentic? Vincent Kompany stuck to his way and Burnley stuck with him last season. He ended up at Bayern Munich, they ended up in the Championship.

However much I admire Russell for having principles, history tells us the principle of money and owners always win in the end. So let’s hope he can adapt, learn, keep improving the team and getting results because if he can’t then I fear for him during that November international break. Remember remember…..just ask Ralph.

Listen to live commentary of every Saints game on BBC Radio Solent, and download and subscribe to Goin' Home With Adam and Jo on BBC Sounds to get all the post-match thoughts that matter

Ray Hunt
Fan writer

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We’re six games into the season and Saints sit 19th, with five losses from our opening six to equal the worst start since 1998-99. The latest, a 3-1 humbling at Bournemouth, and with away trips to Arsenal and Manchester City before October is finished, things look bleak.

Following the collapse on Monday night, questions will be asked on the future of Russell Martin. The dismal record is one thing, but in fact, it’s the manner of the defeat, with the lack of fight and how quickly things can turn sour. Bournemouth had the points secured inside 40 minutes as we continue to leak goals at an alarming rate with just three scored ourselves, two of which, mere consolations.

Martin’s team selection and system change were also hot on the agenda. Adam Lallana, who leads the team in assists, was benched. Last season’s top-scorer Adam Armstrong and arguably our best defender Kyle Walker-Peters remain sidelined. The latter is reported to have snubbed a contract extension.

Martin named a very attacking bench consisting on five forwards but no recognised striker from the off. With goals hard to come by, this seemed unusual.

Martin gave a very candid and honest post-match interview in which he felt “hurt by the response to conceding” and took responsibility for not making adjustments sooner.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis also took some of the blame for the way they conceded the first. He said: “It was a quick free kick. I kind of turned my back and he’s done that. That’s what happens in the Premier League.”

The response in the second half was better but it was damage limitation by that point.

Will Martin get the time to turn things around before it’s too late? Is it time for a fresh approach and a new vision? In my honest opinion, this group of players and the system under this manager hasn’t been working. It’s not going to be good enough at this level.

Find more from Ray Hunt at the In that Number podcast, external

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Former Southampton player Jo Tessem tells the Goin' Home With Adam And Jo podcast that he wants Paul Onuachu to start in the Saints' next match against Arsenal: "Look at Bournemouth [on Monday], what did they do when they won the ball? They crossed the ball into the box and had someone there. It's classic, I think you need it.

"I don't want my striker in my own half of the pitch. I want a target man, I want someone who will stay [high up the pitch] and not come short. I think that's the wrong way.

"You've got to go more direct and get the ball where you create problems. We just need a threat up there."

BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore added: "I think that's about the work they [Bournemouth] do, not having a big striker. As soon as they get into the area, they bomb into the box to meet the ball. Their work rate is phenomenal. Their identity is there to see."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

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Former Southampton striker Charlie Austin says Russell Martin "needs to make changes" because the Premier League is a different level to the Championship and "you get punished" for mistakes week-in-week-out.

"It has been a tough start for the Saints, but it also shows the gap between the Football League and the Premier League," Austin told BBC Radio 5 Live. "What you can get away with in the Championship, you can't in the Premier League as you just get punished.

"There is so much difference in the quality and I understand they want to play a style of football but if that doesn't come off in the top flight then it doesn't matter who you play as they will be stronger.

"The way it has gone so far is not ideal but I can see why Russell Martin was so disappointed in the performance against Bournemouth. They just weren't very good. They weren't even passing the ball so it didn't look like Southampton. They need to make changes, but Martin could also be stubborn and say he is going to continue that style of play. My worry is that.

"They also need a striker. You look at the team and you do wonder who is going to get them 15 Premier League goals. Other than Tyler Dibling, who is still young, I don't see anyone else."

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Tom Parker, from the Saints FC Podcast, does not believe Russell Martin "knows what he should be doing" and needs to change his style and principles now if they are to push to stay in the Premier League.

Reflecting on Monday's 3-1 defeat to Bournemouth, Parker told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We have averaged 60% possession across all of our games in the Premier League so far, so I felt pretty confident ahead of last night.

"I thought Russell Martin was starting to learn from the mistakes he has made and finally starting to piece together a team. But that performance showed that is not the case at all.

"He made a number of bizarre decisions in the team line up and way we played. We nullified our two best players of the season so far, Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes, and brought in players who are not up to the needed standard of quality.

"We had a very strong five or six minutes and then we completely fell to pieces.

"I don't think Martin knows what they should be doing? Kyle Walker-Peters is our best player so he needs to be playing. We just completely lack structure.

"Martin is famous for not sacrificing on his principles but something needs to give now. It is one point from six games with Manchester City and Arsenal next. Where do we start to pick up points?"

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We asked for your thoughts after Southampton were beaten 3-1 by Bournemouth on Monday.

Here are some of your comments:

Simon: I have been a Saints fan for over 50 years, and the first half was possibly the worst display I’ve ever seen. Russell Martin has been sticking to his playing out from the back style. This is fine when not being pressed, but unfortunately this team do not have the composure or skill to execute this. On this form, relegation beckons!

Keith: Another truly shocking performance. Our possession-style football is just completely ineffective. The only team it hurts at this level is ourselves. All of our forwards are simply not good enough. I cannot see Martin surviving but also I can't see any other manager turning this team around. It's looking very much now like a long, depressing season.

Ray: As soon as the first goal went in we just went to pieces and Bournemouth took complete control. After the interval Saints did play better but it was like watching a team with little idea. I think the manager either needs to change his thoughts or the club need to change him.

John: Not good enough. Martin has to go... talk of Graham Potter coming in but I'm not sure Harry Potter could save us.

Michael: Bournemouth better all over the pitch. Saints better second half but that was only because Bournemouth took their foot of the gas. Back to the Championship where we belong.

Bob: Utterly useless. How can we play with no strikers but have five on our bench? Ridiculous! Ben Brereton Diaz should never touch the pitch again either.

Carl: Love Southampton, love RM. But this is the Premier League and is cut-throat. Clearly the philosophy isn't working and I can't see it working in the very near or distant future. Time for him to go I'm afraid - before it's too late. He will always be a Saints legend for what he has done for the club.

Peter: Sad.

Dan George
BBC Sport journalist

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Southampton midfielder Flynn Downes said the performance at Bournemouth on Monday was "not acceptable".

Saints were well beaten by their south coast rivals, losing 3-1 to Andoni Iraola's side.

"We let everyone down. There was no belief, a lack of fight and no commitment," said Downes.

"We have to look at ourselves. We've got to liven up quick."

Russell Martin's side are yet to win a league game this season, only picking up a point in a draw with Ipswich Town, and are 19th in the table.

Saints did have more possession than the Cherries on Monday, but only registered three shots on target.

One of the talking points around the game for Southampton was at how Martin opted to set up without a recognised striker, with five of his centre-forwards on the bench.

The starting forward line at times involved Tyler Dibling and Mateus Fernandes, who are more known for playing out wide and in midfield respectively, operating through the middle.

Martin introduced Ross Stewart and Ben Brereton Diaz at half-time, before eventually also bringing on Cameron Archer in an attempt to trigger a comeback.

"I just wanted an aggressive bench," Martin said.

"We need to win a game and we need to score more goals. That was pretty self-explanatory."

However, Downes felt the system of play was not the most pressing issue.

"You can talk about tactics all you want," he added.

"If you're not going to earn the right to play and fight then you have no chance in this league.

"The fans deserve to see commitment at this level every week. There is no other option."

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Southampton boss Russel Martin after Southampton's 3-1 defeat at Bournemouth on Monday: "We started the game really well, but there was a spell where we stopped doing the stuff we worked on. They then score and the response from us was outrageously poor.

"There's so much stuff that I've seen that really surprised and hurt me. The lack of aggression, fight, courage, intensity. There was too much self-preservation, feeling sorry for ourselves and poor body language.

"I didn't recognise our team. I didn't like a lot of what I saw, and I was hurt by the lack of spirit and fight.

"You always choose how you respond to certain moments and obviously I haven't given some of them enough belief.

"In the second half, they [the substitutes] showed that. They came on and made the right choice by fighting and being good team-mates. It was actually a good [second-half performance] but it's irrelevant when you're 3-0 down.

"It's all learning. They'll either learn from it or they won't. We have an incredible challenge on Saturday [at Arsenal], so we'll see what choice they make."

Did you know?

• With just one point from six games, this is Southampton's joint worst start to a league campaign (also one point in 1998-99 in the top flight).

• Saints striker Ben Brereton Diaz has now played 20 Premier League games without being on the winning side (D5 L15), the most of any player in the history of the competition.

Listen to all the reaction on Goin' Home With Adam And Jo on BBC Sounds

Steve Sutcliffe
BBC Sport journalist

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Southampton's defeat ensured their joint worst ever start to a league campaign and on this evidence it is hard to see how they can arrest their dismal form.

With just one point collected from a possible 18, a trip to title hopefuls Arsenal awaits at the weekend and there are serious issues for manager Russell Martin to address at both ends of the pitch.

Not only have his side managed a meagre three goals this term - the lowest in the Premier League - only Everton and Wolves have conceded more than the 12 goals Saints have shipped to date.

In a recurring theme this term they caused their own downfall with some charitable defending and by putting themselves under pressure attempting to play out from the back.

Taylor Harwood-Bellis was caught on his heels for Bournemouth's opener but even worse that several of his team-mates were not even facing play or alive to the possibility of a quickly-taken free-kick.

The visitors were also far too passive for Bournemouth's second and third goals and in truth were deservedly beaten for the way they collapsed in 10-minute period before half time.

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Come back to this page on Tuesday to find a selection of your replies

Follow reaction and read the match report

Chris Sutton is making predictions for all 380 Premier League matches this season, against a variety of guests.

For week six, he takes on Maximo Park singer Paul Smith, whose latest album, Stream Of Life, is out on Friday.

Bournemouth host Southampton at 20:00 on Monday.

Sutton's prediction: 2-0

I can't see past Bournemouth here. I actually think they carry a threat, even when they were being hammered in the first half against Liverpool.

I just feel like they will have too much firepower for Southampton, who were desperately unlucky not to hold on and beat Ipswich last week.

Saints are another team who desperately need that first win, but they are not getting it here.

Paul's prediction: It is hard to back against a Bournemouth home win. Again it feels like they are one of those sides like Brentford who play some good stuff and they are not necessarily rewarded for it. 2-0

Read the full predictions and have your say here