After another abysmal night in the pouring rain at St Marys Stadium, there is little positive to reflect on. The pathetic fallacy of the day is real.
After midweek fixtures not falling in the Saints’ favour, what was a game of “must win to climb towards safety” had developed into a game of “must win to stay in contention”. After a heartbreaking season, fans were clinging to the final strings of hope that the football Gods would be on their side. Unfortunately no prayers could have helped the South Coast side as the Cherries arrived and within minutes of play it was clear which team was hunting and which were the prey.
The starting eleven for Southampton was one full of controversy, leaving many fans doubting Selles’ aims and intentions. If ever there was a game where the team in red and white needed to score it was this, however for many fans it felt Selles had selected a side whose strengths lay at the opposite end of the pitch. The bold decision was made to swap out this season’s favoured goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and give the more experienced hands of Alex McCarthy a game between the sticks – a desicion that I felt ultimately haunted the side. The lack of cohesion at the back was evident and the saints were lucky to escape a few deadly opportunities for Bournemouth which appeared through blunderous passes and lack of communication, and poor rushed descions (hindered greatly by the weather).
Bournemouth’s press suffocated Southampton’s midfield, with the home side unable to find a pass out from the back. The majority of the first half was spent making sideways passes around the box between Bednarek, Caleta-Car and McCarthy. The terrible conditions didn’t help, however at the hands of Alcaraz (a stand out player for the saints despite their woeful performances of late) and Walcott (the senior player’s pace proving a threat to the Bournemouth defence) the saints had the first shot on target. They came close, but the side was shot shy – a loaded gun with no trigger.
Half time came and players were booed off the pitch by frustrated fans, 45 minutes of opportunity feeling wasted.
Something had to change and with noone looking likely to create or score, it needed to be a change with attacking intent.
The opposite came, with Perraud forced off to injury just before the break, Maitland Niles replaced him, arguably damaging attacking hopes. Despite being out of a contract with Arsenal in the summer, and playing to earn one with the club, many fans were frustrated by his work rate and effort. He seemed uninterested at times and complacent with the poor performance.
Half time also saw the loss of club captain James Ward Prowse due to illness, his successor… Lyanco… The team had shifted to a back 5. This bemused fans, audible confusion echoed in the stadium. After being equal at the break why line up yet more defensively?
At the 50 minute mark Bournemouth inevitably scored, the heads of the saints players dropped and what was a loaded gun ready to fire lay slack in the hands of Selles. Opportunity once again completely wasted.
60 minutes in. Saints 0 – Bournemouth 1. Still the saints had neither bark nor bite, until they did. On came Che Adams, returning from injury alongside Stuart Armstrong. Immediately the side posed more threat. I’ve said it before and will say it again but Adams is the best centre forward option Southampton have, his goal scoring may not be abundant however he occupies defence, presses with intensity and generates space for players like Alcaraz and Walcott to move into. Sulemana was subbed on later too, also generating opportunity.
In the 88th minute hearts stopped. Silence at St Marys. Then an eruption of noise. Che Adams. Goal. The dream that seemed dead had been resuscitated in a fractional moment of hope.
Saints players ran quickly back into position, chaffing at the bit to go again, one final push. Then that dreaded purple sign lit up the screens. “VAR: possible offside”. The moment it’s presence loomed over the stadium, everyone knew what was coming. Goal disallowed.
And just like that, the dream ended for good, dragged to the grave by the goal early in the second half from Bournemouth’s Marcus Travanier. The final whistle blew and the few remaining fans at St Marys walked out the stadium, little to no applause for the performance, and everyone went home, dissopointed but unfortunately not surprised.
This game was unfortunately a brief overview of the Saints’ season – a deflated and flat performance full of wasted opportunity and chance. Surviving relegation, while mathematically possible, doesn’t feel realistically viable. I stand by it when I say this side has potential, however poor appointment and recruitment and ill-spent investment has largely made this season feel like a kamikaze display. We have a team of promising youngsters, and not good enough seniors. The leadership is flat, there is a lack of ambition, lack of plan, and lack of application in regard to any prospect of resolution. In games where all we have needed is to score, we have set up to avoid conceeding. In games where we have needed to run and attack teams on the forefront, we have parked the bus and stood resolute as stone at the back. In games where we have needed a spark, all we have had is blandness.
A complete rebrand and regroup is needed if this side want to resurrect from the death bed they have made for themselves. The club needs to start again, a clean slate, from board down to players, and we have to look to next season with hopes and goals. Better choices have to be made with choices of manager, and they need to be supported over the summer with transfers that fit their plan. The manager is the sun of your football club, everything else orbits around it. There is a greater screaming longing for stronger managerial presence than ever at this southern club. A plea for help to stop a cosmic collision that results in crashing and burning and further hardship.
Next season we must dream big. A football team with no aspiration, is a football team setting up to fail. The narrative must change.
Poppy Deabill (@pdeabill_football)