Southampton

Image source, Rex Features

Southampton manager Will Still believes his side 'gifted' goals away against Hull City following their 3-1 loss on Saturday.

Adam Armstrong's stoppage-time strike was just a mere consolation for Saints with Kyle Joseph, John Lundstram and Oli McBurnie netting prior for the hosts.

Still has led the freshly-relegated former Premier League club to just one win so far this season having taken over in the summer.

"I'm really disappointed," said the 32-year-old to BBC Radio Solent. "I think we've worked incredibly hard on things out of possession, I think we've worked hard on things in possession.

"I think for large parts of that game we were totally in control, but we've just gifted three goals away.

"As long as we're defending like that we're not going to go anywhere. I'll take it on me, I'll take it as my responsibility and we just need to get on with things."

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Southampton winger Ryan Fraser said that his side have to "start turning draws into wins".

Saints have won just one game this campaign, drawing three matches and losing one.

They are 15th in the Championship, with head coach Will Still starting to come under some pressure from fans to deliver results.

"We need to start turning draws into wins which will be a good feeling when we start doing that," Fraser told BBC Radio Solent.

"Some of the goals we have scored have been really good but then the general play in those games has been quite poor in the way we have conceded.

"Once we get that balance of not conceding and being able to get the key goal, that could be the platform for us to kick on as a group.

"We will click into position, we need to as soon as possible but we have a lot of new players and we're all learning everyday."

Fraser has played in all five of Southampton's league games this season as well as Saints' two EFL Cup matches.

Showcasing his versatility, he has played on both wings as well as centrally under new boss Still.

"I've been happy playing different positions and learning," Fraser added.

"I've really enjoyed it so far and hopefully we can start winning, get the result we need and get a good feeling back."

Ray Hunt
Fan writer

Image source, Rex Features

And the winner for the biggest anti-climax goes to…..

It was the most hotly-anticipated south coast derby for 14 years, the last time the fierce rivals met. This one, however, failed to deliver on the hype and they played out a drab and disappointing 0-0 draw.

The first half saw Saints register just one shot on target, which led Will Still to admit: "We wasted everyone's time".

Portsmouth, arguably, were the better side and managed seven shots. The closest, when Andre Dozzell smashed Gavin Bazunu's bar from just outside the box.

Saints picked up their efforts slightly in the second half. Cameron Archer finally got the home fans off their seats when he rounded the keeper, but left himself too much to do and was easily hooked away with no red shirts coming to his aid.

The game had a combined 20 shots on goal with both managing just one on target each. Fans will have to wait for the return fixture at Fratton Park at the end of January to claim those bragging rights on the south coast.

If we try to focus on the positives, Still switched his formation to a flat back four, something the fans had been calling for after new additions were made in the summer window.

Debutant Tom Fellows started and we saw two further debuts from Caspar Jander and Leo Scienza from the bench. No complaints over Still's selections.

Defensively, we looked solid. Jack Stephens and Taylor Harwood-Bellis kept Colby Bishop and Conor Chaplin quiet and limited their chances.

Unfortunately, the bad outweighs the good - a lack of intensity and creativity moving forward and movement on the ball was wasteful. Plenty of work is needed in preparation for Hull this weekend.

The new signings still need time to gel and with no international distractions for a full week of training, hopefully Still will keep things the same in terms of formation and personnel. No fresh injury concerns for the trip to Hull City. Hopefully something sticks.

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Southampton go in search of their first Championship win since the opening day of the season when they head to Hull City on Saturday (15:00 BST).

Saints have drawn three and lost one of their four fixtures since beating Wrexham in dramatic fashion, but are still one point and five places better off than the Tigers before their meeting at the MKM.

City salvaged a point at Swansea last time out but the 2-2 draw meant they had conceded 11 goals in their past four games, which earned them four points.

• Hull City won their last league meeting with Southampton in February 2024 but haven't won back-to-back matches against the Saints since the 1950-51 second tier campaign (4-1 home, 3-2 away).

• Southampton have won four of their last five away league visits to Hull City (L1), winning 2-1 in their most recent trip in 2023-24.

• Only Wrexham's Championship matches (164) have seen more shots than Hull's games (150 – 69 for, 81 against).

• The Tigers have conceded two or more goals in each of their last four league games, having not done so in any 16 games beforehand.

• Southampton have won just two of their last 33 league matches (D8 L23), drawing each of their last two. The Saints last drew three in a row in August/September 2021 (four consecutively).

• Hull City striker Oli McBurnie could make his 250th appearance in the top four tiers of English football. He has, however, never scored in five previous outings vs Southampton, only facing Bristol City (7) more times without scoring among current Championship clubs.

"The build-up was fierce and furious, the fact it's been such a long time since the two sides have met in the league, you would hope that absence would make them fly into each other, but it didn't bubble over in the way we know it can do.

"Even though there is some frustration at the end from Saints fans, broadly it's a decent enough point, but there are many things to work on."

Jono Holmes is joined by former Saints midfielder David Prutton on Saints Social to look back at the South Coast Derby and analyse the season so far.

South Today's Lewis Coombes also joins Jono to decide their top 10 most memorable Saints matches of the century.

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

"The one thing I don't want to do is to start pointing fingers at the manager.

"We've been in a position now where we've changed managers so many times that I don't know who managed us last year and I think we need to come back to a little bit of stability... maybe we need to suck in some of this negativity that comes."

BBC Radio Solent's Adam Blackmore and former Saints midfielder Jo Tessem discuss a frustrating derby day against Portsmouth and why fans need to keep their patience as Southampton rebuild under new boss Will Still.

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

Image source, Rex Features

Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu claimed his side "wasted" the first half of their game against Portsmouth.

The travelling Blues started the game well and appeared to look the stronger side after 45 minutes with Andre Dozzell striking the crossbar.

Saints were much improved in the second half and threatened in attack but were unable to find a breakthrough goal.

"We wasted away the first 45 minutes and let them control the game a bit too much," Bazunu told BBC Radio Solent.

"We should have been the ones to put our foot down and we did in the second half but the first half was wasted in my opinion.

"Defensively we were solid and we defended well but the disappointment came from not having the bravery on the ball to get our creative players in good positions."

There was only one shot on target from each side, with neither really testing either goalkeeper.

The result meant a first league clean sheet for Southampton of the season and a first for Bazunu since April 2024.

Adam Blackmore
BBC Radio Solent sports editor

Image source, Getty Images

Such has been the diverging fortunes of these two clubs for so long now, that when someone asks me what these south coast derbies are like, I have to really think hard to remember.

The League Cup tie six years ago when there was two leagues between them was a shoo-in for Saints.

Although fans would have revelled in the win, it was a million miles from how both sets of supporters will feel now the derby is back as a level-playing field, home and away, a proper match-up this season.

And going back 13 years to the last league meetings it felt like Pompey enjoyed the moral high ground despite two draws.

Saints were on their way up and Pompey were heading down the leagues following their well-publicised huge financial problems.

So from a Saints perspective, the derbies in 2011-12 were ultimately flat and frustrating, even if they atmosphere at both games was electric.

From my time working on the south coast, the Hampshire derby peaked in 2005 when Harry Redknapp took Saints back to Fratton Park just months after jumping ship from the blue to the red half of Hampshire.

I doubt very much that occasion - the atmosphere, the animosity, the noise, the high levels of security, the bubble, the hype, the Saints coach journey - will be matched very often, if at all in my lifetime again.

I will certainly never forget it.

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton defender Jack Stephens has said he has spoken to some of his team-mates about the importance of Saints' rivalry with Portsmouth before Sunday's derby (12:00 BST) - the first league meeting between the clubs for 13 years.

Stephens told BBC Radio Solent: "I've only been involved as a player in one other South Coast derby so I'm really looking forward to this one.

"I'm hoping the fans can get behind us, which I'm sure they will be, because it's a big game for the club and the city. Hopefully we can get those three points."

He continued: "I think because it's been so long, there hasn't been much to see of it so for players that aren't used to it, they're not actually aware of how big the rivalry is.

"You see some of the other rivalries that happen quite often, you get a feel for it, but with this one it hasn't happened for a long time.

"I've explained to a few of them how big it is. We haven't prepared any differently for this one, which I think is the right way to go about it."

The two sides have met just once in the past decade, with Saints winning 4-0 at Fratton Park in a League Cup tie in 2019.

Stephens revealed some of the methods that the club have used to emphasise the size of the occasion, adding: "We've got Matt Le Tissier and Francis Benali coming in to speak to us, so that'll be massive for the group, and it'll be really good to see them. They can give their experiences and what they've been through with the club.

"I think they've been in a few (derbies) themselves so it'll be good for everyone, but especially the new lads that have come in to really get a feel for it."

On the prospect of leading Saints out against Portsmouth as club captain, Stephens said: "It's another proud moment. I've always said that leading the team out is the proudest moment of my career every time I do it.

"Obviously this one is going to be extra special because it's a local derby, a derby that hasn't happened in a long time, so there's a lot of excitement for me personally.

"I'm trying to keep calm and keep everyone else calm and hopefully we get the right result."

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton boss Will Still has provided his players with a history lesson as they prepare for the south coast derby against Portsmouth.

Saints have not faced Pompey in the league for over a decade with the last meeting coming in 2012 and resulting in a 2-2 draw.

Sunday's hosts did win 4-0 at Fratton Park in 2019 with goalkeeper Alex McCarthy captain Jack Stephens the only players from that squad still at the club.

"I think with the help of the club and the people at the club, we've set up various things so that the players understand what it means," Still told BBC Radio Solent.

"We've got ex-players coming in and we've got people coming to paint the picture of what this is and what it means to everyone, but also to the newcomers in the club and in the league."

Saints have seen a large turnover in players throughout the summer, with nine new players to integrate into the squad and 13 players departing.

Following Premier League relegation they have made an inconsistent start to life back in the Championship with

"I think we're putting the right things in the right place to make sure everyone gets it, because it means more to the club, it means more to the supporters, but it's got to mean more to us as a team as well," Still added.

"We can't just accept conceding goals, we can't just accept that we draw games that's not the standard that we want to work to, we want to stop conceding these poor goals that we've conceded in the first couple of games."

Listen to the full interview and more on BBC Sounds.

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Southampton welcome Portsmouth on Sunday (12:00 BST) for the first South Coast derby in a league fixture in over a decade.

The Saints may have been a Premier League side a few months ago but it's Portsmouth who have got off to the better start in the Championship this season.

Pompey have lost just one of their opening four games (W2 D1) to see themselves in eighth place, putting them one point off the top six and five away from league leaders Middlesbrough.

While Southampton's re-entry to the second-tier hasn't gone as smoothly as they would have liked.

Similarly, they have also only lost one of their first four league encounters but have equally only won one to see them trailing their neighbouring rivals by two points.

• This is the first league meeting between Southampton and Portsmouth since a pair of draws between the two in 2011-12 in the Championship.

• Portsmouth's only league win away to Southampton in their last eight trips came in January 1988 in the top-flight (2-0), with Pompey losing on four of the other seven occasions (D3).

• Southampton have lost two of their last three home league games in the Championship (W1), as many as in their prior 18 matches (W14 D2).

• Portsmouth have lost only one of their last nine league games (W4 D4), while they've picked up as many points on the road in their previous four matches (8 – W2 D2) as in their prior 19 matches (8 – W2 D2 L15).

• Portsmouth have attempted the most shots from fast breaks in the Championship this season (6), while only Sheffield United (8) have faced more shots from fast breaks so far this season than Southampton (7).

Ray Hunt
Fan writer

Image source, PA Media

The most anticipated fixture of the season is looming. Two sides, separated by 19 miles along the M27, with fans who obsess over their local team. It's the Battle of the South Coast. I'm talking, of course, about Southampton v Portsmouth. It's a source of excitement, nerves and anxiety, which usually results in chaos.

It's a unique derby in the sense that it rarely happens. This is the first league meeting between the clubs since April 2012 - and will be the 72nd between them - with both sides seemingly missing each other on the way to success and contrasting financial downfalls.

In this case, Saints are coming off their worst season in history, and Portsmouth are on the rise having survived their first season back in the Championship in 12 years, with two games to spare.

This feels, for the first time in a long time, like they are relative equals. Which only adds more fuel to the fire.

In fact, Portsmouth have started brighter. Two points better off and five places higher. They've enjoyed a successful summer transfer window, and are just beginning to see the fruits of that, picking up four points in their past two games and remaining undefeated on their travels so far.

Saints are trying to readjust after their disastrous 2024-25 Premier League season, with a new manager in Will Still and a whole host of new additions to integrate, with the hope they can fill the void left by the outgoing Mateus Fernandes and Tyler Dibling. Do the new recruits truly understand what this fixture means for the locals?

This is a game that sets the nerves jangling from the start of the week. Come matchday, we'll all be in knots. The history, the passion, the hatred. Who wants it more? Who will get bragging rights in the office on Monday morning? One thing is certain, you can throw all form out the window and treat this like a cup final.

I'm still confident Southampton come out on top. What a way for Still and the new signings to start their careers on the south coast; a win against the old enemy would etch themselves into the annals of history.

You can hear more from Ray on the In That Number podcast., external

"It's really a one-off game. I think form goes out the window and, however Will sets the team up, it'll be the responsibility of the fans to create the atmosphere that'll help the players on the pitch."

BBC Radio Solent's Jono Holmes and Rob Sills are joined by former Saints striker James Beattie to preview the upcoming South Coast derby against Portsmouth on Sunday (12:00 BST) - and why Beattie has it marked as the fiercest derby across his English footballing career.

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