[Football] Are Southampton the worst Premier League team you've ever seen?

[bhafc99]

Whilst the three sides who got promoted were relegated, Luton did offer some real resistance last year and the gap didn't seem that ridiculous.

The days of “you need 35 pts or so to stay up” seem a long way away now. I’d be amazed if any of Leicester, Ipswich or Saints get anywhere near that.

 

[Mellotron]

My mate took me up the arse to see them against derby and it was 5 I seem to recall.

You can just use money to pay for tickets, you know.

 

[brighton_tom]

I watched their play off final game against Leeds, and even though Southampton won, it still seemed clear that Leeds had more in their squad that could have made the step up. So in terms of overall squad quality in the Championship last year Southampton, in my opinion, ranked at best 4th, & probably no better than the teams around 5th-7th. There were a few teams, including Southampton, that were around those last few play off spots that just didn’t look near to being Prem ready. & in the 2 transfer windows since they’ve done almost nothing to meaningfully upgrade their squad. A few loans, a few signings that aren’t real upgrades, & a well past it Adam Lallana. So no surprise at all that Southampton are this far off competing. They haven’t given themselves a chance of doing so.

 

[Simster]

The days of “you need 35 pts or so to stay up” seem a long way away now. I’d be amazed if any of Leicester, Ipswich or Saints get anywhere near that.

I agree with you in that 35 points certainly seems to need revising downwards. But actually the question is whether the worst team from Wolves, West Ham or Man Utd will get 35 points, not Ipswich, Saints or Leicester get them.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I came away yesterday thinking they probably were (and yes, I have not forgotten we contrived to draw against them earlier in the season).

Most poor sides have something in their favour. Ipswich aren't great at defending but can score goals. Wolves don't score loads but are reasonably solid at the back. Everton have survived for years by being enormously dull but a strong defensive unit, as did Palace when Pulis/ Allardyce/ Roy were in charge). Burnley were rubbish last season but could find a goal now and then, and Sheffield United (the only team I could think of who even come close to Saints) were largely useless but at least got stuck in like they cared, even if it meant nearly snapping Mitoma in half in the process.

Southampton, on the other hand, have no strikers even vaguely approaching mid table Championship quality, something resembling a supermassive black hole where a midfield should be, and a defence that wouldn't look out of place in the National league. Plus Aaron Ramsdale.

I couldn't believe how many times their centre halves (in name at least) stood twenty yards apart while we just ran past them, or knocked the ball casually through. I've not seen us stroll through defences like that since peak De Zerbi era. The funniest bit was when Bednarek went off injured and all their fans cheered sarcastically, I believe because they've been desperate to see Bella-Kotchap play, only for the new man to be even worse. And being even worse than Jan Bednarek is quite the accolade.

They'll beat Derby's record, if only because some team nearing the end of the season with nothing to play for will roll over and gift them the points, but my goodness, they are off the scale bad. I don't even see them doing well in the Championship next season, simply because they have so few players who look good enough to challenge the other top teams, and those who are (Dibling, Ramsdale) will leave anyway.

At least a supermassive black hole would attract the ball....

 

[Hove Seagull]

This year it does look like the points required to stay up will be relatively low, as it was last year with Luton 3rd from bottom on 26. Previously, though, Leicester were 18th on 34 and in 2022 Burnley on 35. Highest in the last 10 years was Newcastle on 37 in 2016. Maybe it should be changed to bottom 3 and anyone else getting fewer than 35 points, should be relegated.

 

[Hove Seagull]

This year it does look like the points required to stay up will be relatively low, as it was last year with Luton 3rd from bottom on 26. Previously, though, Leicester were 18th on 34 and in 2022 Burnley on 35. Highest in the last 10 years was Newcastle on 37 in 2016. Maybe it should be changed to bottom 3 and anyone else getting fewer than 35 points, should be relegated.

Actually, that is a silly suggestion as only one additional team would have been relegated in the last 10 years, Nottingham Forest last season. In all other 9 seasons, 17th placed teams achieved at least 35 points.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

I said in a conversation last night the clubs that come up and expect to play passing football like they were in the championship are mad.
It’s only going to end one way Established PL sides will play them off the park all day long.
It’s maybe good for the managers profile not for the clubs.

Seemed to work from the former Bumley and current Bayern Munich manager...maybe you're onto something....

That said, rather this than the turgid thuggery of the likes of Wets Brom that we endured at the Amex not so long ago.

 

[Han Solo]

I said in a conversation last night the clubs that come up and expect to play passing football like they were in the championship are mad.
It’s only going to end one way Established PL sides will play them off the park all day long.
It’s maybe good for the managers profile not for the clubs.

If a club thinks it is more important to make profit than staying up (example: Southampton), it is wise to play creative football, so you can sell more "top team-style" players and bounce up and down before the parachute payments run out. Teams that wants to stay up generally needs to play primitive football though. Bielsas Leeds is one of the few exceptions in recent years.

 

[ozzygull]

I hate the You've seen the Albion chant. We were so critical of the arrogance of other PL fans which, the season or so after we were promoted, were often heard saying things like "our fans are only here to watch the opposition team play" but now we are doing the same with that chant.

Shame i didn't think of it until too late after the game but i wish we'd sung " where were you when you were good " to their fans though

I also hate, "is this a library" when the home team are losing or playing rubbish, as if it would not be the same at any ground. It's should only be sung when the home team is playing well or their team is winning and still no noise from the home fans, then there is justification. So I didn't join in with that or the "seen the Albion" one. I really enjoyed "when the saints go marching down" though

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Actually, that is a silly suggestion as only one additional team would have been relegated in the last 10 years, Nottingham Forest last season. In all other 9 seasons, 17th placed teams achieved at least 35 points.

I'd go harder. Make the staying up target 38 points. A nice round one point per game, over the 38 game season.

 

[Wardy's twin]

That game and Cardiff 4 days later were my lowest point in the EPL, they were the 2 games which ended CH and that Brighton team is one of the worst I've seen at the Amex in the EPL. Stephens that night, FML.

Anyway, the worst oppo team I've seen at the Amex in the EPL were Swansea followed by Burnley last season (and we somehow drew 1-1)

a very low spot . I remember walking away from spurs that season when we played very negatively and Spurs fans saying what an atrocious team.......

 

[AZ Gull]

a very low spot . I remember walking away from spurs that season when we played very negatively and Spurs fans saying what an atrocious team.......

We were positively gung ho in that Spurs game compared to the Wolves game three days earlier!

 

[amexer]

I thought Leicester looked just as poor when we drew 2-2

 

[Justice]

Seemed to work from the former Bumley and current Bayern Munich manager...maybe you're onto something....

That said, rather this than the turgid thuggery of the likes of Wets Brom that we endured at the Amex not so long ago.

They provided us with our first PL win and a glimpse into what was to come from our lovely German midfielder. No complaints about West Brom over here.

 

[Light_Bulb]

I said in a conversation last night the clubs that come up and expect to play passing football like they were in the championship are mad.
It’s only going to end one way Established PL sides will play them off the park all day long.
It’s maybe good for the managers profile not for the clubs.

Which makes you realise what a good job Hughton did keeping us up...

 

[Justice]

Which makes you realise what a good job Hughton did keeping us up...

Amazing job especially the dreaded second season.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Sheffield United last season were very close to being that bad, just 5 more points than that Derby side. Only lost 1 less game over the season and let in 104 goals a Premier League record, also tied the record with that Derby side for the worse GD in PL history with -69.

Just checked and Derby Scored 20 goals all season and went on a run with out scoring in 8 games, could only cheer goals in 15 games

At least Sheff United scored a few goals

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Which makes you realise what a good job Hughton did keeping us up...

Leicester getting rid of their own Hughton in Cooper, will be the reason they go down.

 

[Silverhatch]

Should’ve stuck with the Brighton boy at the helm.