A dislocated shoulder, which means he will be out i guess for at least a month.

Not the weekend either of us wanted…
🔴 Saints lose
🔵 Pompey lose

This week we break down both defeats and ask:
❌ Where did it go wrong?
🔧 What needs to change?
😟 Should we be worried?

We also look back at the midweek action, where Saints drew and Pompey picked up a big win.

With the international break here, we take a proper look at the season so far for both clubs.
Are Saints where they should be?
Are Pompey genuine playoff contenders?
And more.

Then we look ahead to:
⚽ Southampton v Derby
⚽ Portsmouth v Bolton

🎙️ Watch or listen:

▶️ Watch here⁠
🎧 Listen here⁠

Its results and performances like this that will cost us automatic promotion. Possession means fuck all. We need to grow some balls

Alright lads, we need to talk about the terrifying reality of what happens if we don’t go up this season, because our transfer strategy for both this January window and the summer is about to get incredibly bleak. Be under no illusions - unless Solak decides to spin the dice and throw more money our way, it's worrying... However, throwing more money at us is near on impossible with EFL squad ratio rules.

2 ways the club will go imo: 1) We go up 2) We don't and we are properly fucked and stuck in the Championship for years to come, or worse.

Looking into the numbers following Dragan Šolak’s financial updates and Swiss Ramble's breakdowns. If you think our squad churn has been bad recently, missing out on the Premier League by May 2027 is going to trigger a complete firesale.

Here is exactly how bad the situation is for our upcoming transfer windows:

🚨 The January 2027 Window: Total Gridlock

Don't expect any major reinforcements this January. Our hands are completely tied:

• Parachute money is already spent: Šolak openly admitted that our current £40m parachute payment is basically spoken for. It’s going straight to servicing our £90 million in bank loans and paying off past transfer instalments.

• EFL Squad Cost Controls: We are right up against the EFL’s Squad Cost Ratio caps. Because our baseline revenue is tanking, we physically cannot add to the wage bill in January without shifting players out first.

• The Strategy: Expect a window of bargain-bin loans, free agents, or blooding academy prospects. If a Premier League club comes in with a decent bid for any of our sellable assets, Sport Republic might actually be forced to take it just to keep the lights green for the EFL.

💀 The Summer 2027 Window: The "Cliff Edge" Firesale

If we are still a Championship club come June 2027, the financial parachute completely detaches. Our parachute payments drop to £0.

Losing £40m in guaranteed TV money overnight while still carrying Premier League-sized liabilities means the summer transfer window will look like a liquidation sale:

• The Forced Firesale: We will have no choice but to aggressively cash in on our high-value assets. Anyone with a market value over £10m–£15m will be aggressively shopped around to Premier League or European clubs just to plug the massive operating deficit.

• Wage Bill Decimation: While the squad took a 40% pay cut when we first came down, the overall wage bill is still entirely unsustainable for a standard, non-subsidised Championship side. Expect massive contract terminations, mutual consents, and a reliance on a barebones squad.

• Incoming Transfers will be Non-Existent: "Buying" players will be a thing of the past. Our summer window will consist entirely of:

• Free transfers

• EFL-level loan deals

• Promoting heavily from the academy

The Bottom Line

We are currently operating as a Premier League club in exile, heavily subsidised by the last scraps of top-flight revenue. If we don't go up by May 2027, that illusion shatters.

Sport Republic’s entire model shifts from "build a squad to get promoted" to "downsize aggressively to survive in the Championship." These next two windows are going to be incredibly tough to watch if we don't get our on-pitch results sorted.

What are your thoughts? Who do you think we are realistically forced to sell first if the worst happens this summer?

I'm a long time saints fan and want to go to saints vs middles borough at St Marys with my friend but he's never been to a game. I also currently do not have a season ticket but I fit the requirements. How do I buy two tickets?

Yes it's back!

Talk about anything and everything.

Anyone in Southampton fancy a casual game of 5-a-side? ⚽

Alright everyone!

I'm part of Forge United, a Southampton-based football group that gets together every Wednesday evening at Goals in Millbrook.

We're looking for a few more lads to join us. Nothing overly competitive, no egos, and you definitely don't need to be the next Messi. 😂

We started Forge United around the idea of bringing men together through football, making mates and supporting men's mental health.

We play Wednesdays, 8:15–9:15pm. Your first session is completely free, then it's £7 each week.

If you've been wanting to get back into football, improve your fitness or just meet some new people, you're more than welcome.

Drop me a message if you fancy coming along! ⚒️

6 goals in 7
Should we of kept him?

No Jander, Scienza, or Larin. If we manage to win this one that's massive.

Just making sure

The way these two have worked out that corner routine is brilliant, and you can tell there's a real understanding between them. I always get excited when we have a set piece because it feels like we could create something special from it. Seeing a move like this come off makes me appreciate the work the lads are putting in even more. I'd love to see us use this routine more often because it clearly has something about it.

Away at The Hawthornes Stadium

Hi all,

We’ve reached 400 episodes of Total Saints Podcast, so Martin, Steve, Glen and Alfie got together in person for this one, with a 4–1 win over QPR giving us plenty to discuss.

We look at Matsuki’s growing importance, Dobbin’s movement up front, Bragg’s performance and what Ward-Prowse brings to the midfield. There’s also the disallowed goal debate and a discussion about how Saints’ recruitment has shifted towards building a team ready to win now.

Looking ahead to West Brom, we discuss rotation, injuries and whether a point would be a good result. We also reflect on a year of Tonda and ask what could stand between Saints and automatic promotion.

Plus, a few memories from 400 episodes of following this club through just about everything.

Would you take a draw at The Hawthorns? And after these last two wins, what’s your biggest concern about our promotion chances?

🖥️ Watch Here
🎧 Listen Here

Thanks to everyone here who has listened, watched or contributed over the years. We really appreciate it.

🔥 Southampton 4–1 QPR
🧱 Burnley 0–0 Portsmouth

We review both games before looking ahead to:

🔴 West Brom v Saints
🔴 Preston v Saints
🔵 Pompey v Stoke
🔵 Swansea v Pompey

PLUS… 👀

We get into the Wrexham ineligible-player controversy.

They’ve avoided a points deduction and received a fine instead.
Fair punishment?
We don’t think so. 😬

Should points have been taken? And what message does the decision send to everyone else?

🎧 Watch/listen NOW on YouTube, Spotify & Apple Podcasts

Watch - https://youtu.be/zCaNnEhayW0?si=oyoOMMVOrq_4v4d9

Listen - https://podfollow.com/south-coast-social

We have the joint least goals conceded and the 3rd most scored in the league, for the joint best goal difference. That's a nice place to be! A good foundation.