We’re playing away at Southampton and history is being made.
From Paris to Southampton; a week in the life. After playing what’s probably the best team in Europe right now we’re stopping off on the way home at what’s not the worst, because there’s bound to be a parks team somewhere they could beat, but certainly one of them.
It takes a lot to do worse than Villa in 2015-16, but this Southampton team are looking good to manage it. Already the earliest club to get relegated, they need to lose their last seven matches to break the all-time points low and it would be remiss of them not to take the opportunity. After all, it’s not that hard to get relegated – three clubs manage it every season – but to break a record while you’re doing it is the least you could go for. Southampton have been a bit disappointing in the Club in Crisis stakes. There’s been the obligatory two sacked managers but there’s been no mass walkouts, no record defeats (at home it’s 9-0. Just saying) and there hasn’t been a season ticket/card/app thrown at the bench by a middle-aged fat bloke in a baseball cap. We can put those last two right on Saturday afternoon.
That apart, what can you say about Southampton that’s ever been said before? This is a club that put the ‘non’ into nondescript. Their interim manager (it used to be called caretaker) has done the job twice already this season and he could do with a shave. They’ve got Cameron Archer and he’ll probably be sold at the end of the season, although not to us for a change. They’ve also got James Bree and Jan Bednarek. If you remember them, well done. The best way of summing up Southampton this season is that you can say those two play for them, rather than they’re in the squad. Seven more straight defeats to break the record. At the final whistle it’ll be six.
