Southampton

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Coventry City boss Frank Lampard has won his second successive Championship manager of the month award.

The Sky Blues boss oversaw maximum points with five successive wins in November with his side currently five points clear at the top of the table.

Lampard said: "We got some fantastic results throughout November and I would like to thank all the players, staff and everyone involved for their continued hard work.

"We have a great togetherness and team spirit here and we're all looking forward to the busy Christmas period and continuing our hard work."

Birmingham's Chris Davies, Tonda Eckert of Southampton and Derby boss John Eustace were also nominated for the award.

Coventry at the double again

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Once again Coventry have cause for a double celebration with striker Ellis Simms being named the player of the month, following hot on the heels of team-mate Brandon Thomas-Asante claiming the award in October.

The 24-year-old scored five goals in his three starts in November including a brace in each of the victories over Middlesbrough and Charlton, taking his tally to eight in all competitions so far this season.

"This was only possible because of my team-mates and the staff pushing standards every day," said Simms.

"Individual awards come from team performances, and the results we've had make this extra special.

"I'll take the confidence from it and keep giving everything for the club and the fans."

Simms beat strikers Carlton Morris (Derby) and Joe Gelhardt (Hull City) plus Birmingham full-back Alex Cochrane to the award.

Norwich City will be looking to boost their Championship survival hopes when they welcome an in-form Southampton on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

The Canaries are five points adrift of safety and have just one win in their past 16 matches, but have improved since head coach Philippe Clement took over, with that victory and two draws from his first five league games in charge (L2).

The Saints have won six of their past seven (L1) under Tonda Eckert, climbing from 21st to ninth and are now just within a point of the play-off places.

• Norwich City have won just one of their past six league games against Southampton (D2 L3), a 2-1 win in November 2021.

• Southampton have won one of their past six league visits to Norwich (D2 L3), a 3-0 win in June 2020 in the Premier League.

• Norwich ended an eight game winless league run at Carrow Road with a 3-1 win over QPR in November. They last secured consecutive home league wins in January this year.

• Southampton are on a run of 20 away league games without a clean sheet, last registering one in a 0-0 draw at Fulham in December 2024. They last had a longer stretch without a shutout on the road between March 2009 and February 2010 (21) – which was ended by a 2-0 win at Carrow Road against Norwich.

• Southampton's Adam Armstrong has had a hand in four goals in his three league games against Norwich for the Saints (3 goals, 1 assist), assisting (November 2021) and scoring (January 2024) in his two games at Carrow Road in that run.

Southampton technical director Johannes Spors does not expect the club to be "extremely active" in the January transfer window following a busy summer of recruitment.

Saints were 21st and three points above the relegation zone when Will Still was sacked on 3 November after three straight defeats and just two wins from the opening 13 matches (D6 L5).

But they have won six of their seven games since then under Tonda Eckert, who was rewarded with the permanent head coach role on 5 December, and now sit ninth - just one point behind the play-off spots.

Southampton conducted 37 transfers in and out of the club in the wake of Premier League relegation, a squad churn that Spors has claimed contributed to Still's downfall.

"To be clear, we will not be a team in January that is extremely active in the market because we did all these changes in the summer and now it's more to support the stability," Spors told BBC South Today.

"We will have eyes and ears open but I also wanted Tonda's opinion, it's extremely important for this.

"Sometimes when you come in, you're very clear in what you see but in another three or four weeks, you might see things differently.

"So, I just wanted to make sure that Tonda has enough time to really have an opinion on every decision we have to take.

"We didn't speak about that [transfers] too much. After the Norwich and Coventry game, around that time of the year is a good moment to sit down and go more into detail."

Spors was questioned over whether they would be looking to add a goalkeeper as a priority, but the German said he "does not want to point to one specific position".

"The goalkeeper position in general, we have George Long who is here on loan, Alex McCarthy has a running out contract, I'm very happy that Gavin [Bazunu] is now again the number one and playing," Spors added.

"But it is a group where we have to look into this just because of the contract situations but nothing yet is specifically a target."

Listen to the full interview with Spors on BBC Sounds.

"I don't want to get carried away with managers because I've seen that it can change very quickly and all of a sudden you can have someone different through the door.

"But I'm fully behind Tonda now in the last couple of days."

BBC Radio Solent's Jono Holmes is joined by The Daily Echo's senior Southampton reporter Alfie House to discuss a close call against West Bromwich Albion that gave new boss Tonda Eckert a sixth win in seven games.

They are also joined by BBC Norfolk Sport's Rob Butler to fill them in on what to expect from a struggling Norwich City on Saturday (12:30 GMT).

Listen to the full episode of Saints Social and more Southampton content on BBC Sounds.

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Southampton midfielder Cameron Bragg has extended his contract until the summer of 2027.

The 20-year-old Scotland Under-21 international broke into Saints' first team earlier this season and has made four Championship appearances, including two starts.

The academy graduate, who has been at St Mary's since he was eight, has also played twice in the Carabao Cup this season.

"The extension to Cameron's contract and his emergence into the first team is great testament to everything he commits to his ongoing development," Southampton's director of group talent strategy Andy Goldie told the club website., external

"He is the ultimate professional and a fantastic role model for the young talent coming through at Staplewood.

"It has made it that little bit sweeter, being a lifelong Saints fan himself, to see his trajectory in recent weeks, and I'm sure he'll continue to grab the opportunities that come his way over the next 18 months."

"It's embarrassing, they should not be getting games [abandoned] when no other games are getting cancelled.

"I think the fact that they were leading both [matches] compounds what is already a really bad situation."

Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff are joined by Peterborough Sports boss Phil Brown to discuss troubling pitch problems for Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park and Southampton making it official with boss Tonda Eckert handing him a contract until 2027.

Listen to the full episode of 72+ and more on BBC Sounds.

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Coventry City boss Frank Lampard, Birmingham's Chris Davies, Tonda Eckert of Southampton and Derby head coach John Eustace have been nominated for the Championship's manager of the month award for November.

The Sky Blues continue to lead the way at the top of the table and took a maximum 15 points from their five games last month, scoring 14 goals along the way, and Lampard will be looking to take the award for the second successive month.

In fact, Coventry will be hoping to make it a double once again with striker Ellis Simms among the nominees for the player of the month with team-mate Brandon Thomas-Asante having won it in October.

Birmingham managed 10 points under Davies while Eckert's four-match winning streak went a long way to helping him secure the Southampton job on a permanent basis.

Derby followed their strong finish to October by winning four of their games in November to earn Eustace his nomination.

Elsewhere in the player of the month category, there is recognition for strikers Carlton Morris (Derby) and Joe Gelhardt (Hull City), while Birmingham full-back Alex Cochrane is also in the running. The winners will be announced on Friday, 12 December.

"The system, the tactics, the way the players are behaving on the pitch - it's working."

BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore and former Saints midfielder Jo Tessem discuss six wins out of seven games for Southampton under new boss Tonda Eckert after holding out against a feisty comeback from West Bromwich Albion.

Listen to the full episode of Goin' Home and more Southampton content on BBC Sounds.

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Southampton manager Tonda Eckert thanked the Saints fans for helping them get over the line in their 3-2 win over West Brom.

Southampton were cruising 3-0 up at half-time thanks to goals from Leo Scienza and an Adam Armstrong double before the Baggies fought back and Eckert felt the home support was key.

Eckert told BBC Radio Solent: "I think the second half showed what an energy St Mary's can create for us and I take that as a positive.

"I'm trying to look at the result more positive as it's the Championship and there are no easy games.

"Both goals came from dead-ball situations and we need to defend them better, but we won the game and take three points.

"The first half was excellent and we came out strong. In the second half the game became more difficult when they scored and we just had to bring the game over the line, which we did."

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The FA Cup third round draw was made on Monday evening, with all 24 Championship clubs entering at this stage of the competition.

Ties will take place between Thursday, 8 January and Monday, 12 January.

These are the ties involving Championship clubs:

• Cambridge United v Birmingham City

• Hull City v Blackburn Rovers

• Bristol City v Watford

• Charlton Athletic v Chelsea

• Stoke City v Coventry

• Derby County v Leeds United

• Ipswich Town v Blackpool

• Cheltenham Town v Leicester City

• Fulham v Middlesbrough

• Burnley v Millwall

• Norwich City v Walsall

• MK Dons v Oxford United

• Portsmouth v Arsenal

• Preston North End v Wigan Athletic

• West Ham United v Queens Park Rangers

• Sheffield United v Mansfield Town

• Sheffield Wednesday v Brentford

• Doncaster Rovers v Southampton

• Swansea City v West Bromwich Albion

• Wrexham v Nottingham Forest

You can see the full draw here.

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Southampton will continue their push for the Championship play-off places when struggling West Bromwich Albion visit St Mary's on Tuesday (19:45 GMT).

Saturday's 3-1 home win over Birmingham was a fifth in six matches under Tonda Eckert, a run during which they have scored 18 goals, and took Saints up to 11th, just three points behind sixth-placed Stoke.

The Baggies are two points and five places below them after Saturday's 3-1 defeat at QPR which was a sixth straight away defeat for Ryan Mason's men.

• Southampton have won six of their past seven league games against West Brom, with the exception being a 3-0 loss at the Hawthorns in the Premier League in April 2021.

• West Brom have won just two of their past 25 away league games against Southampton (D8 L15), with both victories coming in the Premier League (3-0 in April 2013, 2-1 in December 2016).

• Southampton have won three of their four midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) Championship matches this season, losing the other 3-1 at Bristol City in October.

• West Brom have won just one of their past eight midweek (Tues, Weds, Thurs) Championship games (D2 L5), winning 1-0 at Norwich in October.

• In all competitions, Adam Armstrong has been involved in four goals in his four home games against West Bromwich Albion (3 goals, 1 assist), scoring twice in Southampton's 3-1 win in the Championship play-off semi-final in May 2024.

Rewatch BBC Radio Solent's live edition of Goin' Home With Adam And Jo after Southampton's big win over Birmingham City on Saturday.

Adam Blackmore and former Saints midfielder Jo Tessem discuss all the talking points after what was a stylish 3-1 victory for Tonda Eckert's side.

Click here for more Southampton FC content on BBC Sounds.

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New Southampton boss Tonda Eckert said that he told his team to not "underestimate" their win over Birmingham City on Saturday.

Adam Armstrong scored twice and Finn Azaz netted as the Saints beat the Blues 3-1 at St Mary's to move up to 11th in the Championship table.

Eckert has now won five of his six games in charge since becoming interim first-team head coach, with Saturday's victory his first as permanent boss.

"I said to the boys to not underestimate this win today because it was not an easy one," he told the media after the game.

"We needed to defend well especially in a game like today, if we want to make the next step we need to get the clean sheet too which means we have some work to do.

(On the job) "I knew that I wanted to do everything that I can for this football club from the very first day, I will do my best to put this football club where it belongs."

Southampton are return to Championship action on Tuesday when they host West Bromwich Albion at St Mary's.

Can Southampton pick up their winning ways when they welcome Birmingham City to St Mary's on Saturday (15:00 GMT)?

The Saints saw their high-scoring four match winning streak come to an end with a dramatic 3-2 loss to Millwall, leaving them five points adrift of the top six.

While for the Blues, the play-off spots are in sight. Just one point separates them and sixth placed Bristol City but winning away from home has proven tricky.

The West Midlands side have only picked up eight of their 28 points on the road (W2 D2) and will need to sort out their away form if they want to continue the challenge for promotion.

• There have been 19 goals scored in the last four league meetings between Southampton and Birmingham at St Mary's Stadium, with Saints scoring 12 and conceding seven (W3 L1).

• Birmingham have won just one of their last nine away league games against Southampton (D2 L6), beating them 2-1 in the Championship in August 2008.

• Southampton have scored 15 goals in their last five league games, one more than they had in their previous 17 combined. Saints are looking to score 2+ goals in six consecutive league games for the first time since between April and August 2011.

• Just 29% of Birmingham's league points this season have been won in away games (8/28). Only Watford (25%) have won a lower share on the road than the Blues.

• Southampton have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the Championship this season (15), losing 3-2 against Millwall despite scoring first last time out.

"I think what is good about the defeat is that if they were going to appoint him [Tonda Eckert], you don't necessarily do it off the back of the defeat but you've now got a three-game week to see what he's made of."

BBC Radio Solent's Jono Holmes and Tom Murray are joined by former Southampton defender Dan Harding as they look at the Saints' upcoming games after a first loss for interim boss Tonda Eckert and whether it has impacted the German's chances of getting the job permanently.

Listen to the full episode of Saints Social and more Southampton content on BBC Sounds.