Southampton

We asked for your thoughts after Southampton and Bolton played out a goalless draw at St Mary's on Saturday.

Here are some of your comments:

Saints fans

Rod: We need a creative midfielder and a clever striker. We cannot aim for the play-offs. Top two must be our mission. January window will be our last chance to put things right.

Tony: Saints squandered too many chances in front of goal. Yes, there was a good penalty shout. Saints played good football, with long spells in total control, but they need to look at how many off-sides they gave away. They must be disappointed not to get all three points.

Anthony: There is always one game like this in a season. Apart from the awful finishing everything else was OK.

Bolton fans

Phil: It's all about staying up this season so a point away at Southampton is a great result.

Chris: Always hated going to clubs where managers and fans patted us on the head saying we deserved something when walking off with three points, far rather they were upset with the officials for not giving them the win. Bolton are putting noses out of joint and long may it continue.

John: Brilliant defensive display, the team is improving every week. Four points from the last two away games against Wolves and Southampton.

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Southapton head coach Tonda Eckert gives his reaction after Southampton's 0-0 draw with Bolton Wanderers.

Click here for a written selection of his quotes.

Southampton and Bolton Wanderers meet in a league game on Saturday (15:00 BST) for the first time since April 2005 when both clubs were in the Premier League.

Since then Saints have been down to League One and back to the top flight while Bolton dropped into League Two for a season in 2020-21.

• Southampton are winless in seven league meetings with Bolton (D5 L2), with this their first since a 1-1 draw in the Premier League in April 2005.

• Bolton have won both of their past two league visits to Southampton (most recently 2-1 in August 2004), the only time they have won two in a row away to the Saints.

• Southampton have spent 41.9% of their Championship matches this season in the lead – the highest percentage in the competition at present.

• Bolton have won three of their past four league games (L1), as many victories as across their prior 16 matches beforehand combined.

• Of the 645 players across the EFL this season to contest 50+ duels, Bolton's Chris Forino-Joseph currently possesses the strongest duel success rate among them all (79.3%).

A new episode of BBC Radio Solent's Goin' Home podcast is now available.

The boys celebrate and break down the win at Norwich after tinkering Tonda returns, Jander impresses and Saints win on the road at long last.

Listen above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Aaron Paul, Jobi McAnuff and Tommy Smith are joined by former Hornets midfielder Tom Ince to chat about Watford, with the club in the Championship relegation zone after 10 games.

What's it like amid the constant turnover of managers in the dugout? Will they buck the trend and stick with Alessio Dionisi?

Plus, hear from Jon Rudkin, Leicester City's chief football officer, on the situation the club currently finds itself in. Will Leicester stick with Russell Martin, or do they need to make a change to ensure success?

And Tommy gives his opinion on Spygate after Southampton boss Tonda Eckert was handed a suspended six-week ban for his part in the spying scandal.

Listen to the full episode above or on BBC Sounds here - and don't forget to subscribe to get each episode into your My Sounds feed.

Southampton moved into the Championship play-off places with a 1-0 win at Norwich City on Wednesday night.

For the Canaries it was a fourth successive defeat and leaves them outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

Here is what some of the fans of both sides made of the game and their team's performance:

Norwich City fans

Peter - Looks like it is going to be a relegation battle. Far too many players walking around the field out of position. The players look lost and it's only going to get worse.

Rob - Not going to name names but some players aren't putting in a shift each game. Defenders ball watching, forwards lacking quality and we miss Kenny McLean. If every player put in the same shift as Pelle Mattson we'd be OK.

Edd - It's just tiny margins, that's all, and we keep slipping the wrong side at the moment but, give Philippe Clement time as we will regret letting him go. Just give it time, still very early in the season right now.

Andy - Clement needs to get the team back to how they played last season. They are far better than they are playing now.

Rob R - It's happening again like last season.

Jas - Not sure what's happened to Norwich. Obviously the injury to Mohamed Toure is bad news, but I don't understand why Jovon Makama doesn't start, unless he's still unfit. Desperately need a win and some confidence back. Not feeling too optimistic.

Image source, Shutterstock

Southampton fans

Stuart - Great win for Saints. We needed to improve our away performances and start picking up points to stay in contention for promotion.

Jon - Not pretty with key players rested but what a great squad the club has assembled with hopefully still some young talent to come through. Daniel Peretz in goal and the defence look assured.

Jeremy - Southampton are clearly outright promotion candidates. But for their four-point deduction they would be sitting in third place just three points off the current leaders.

Rob B - An excellent three points earned with determination and hard work while maybe not hitting the heights this team is capable of. Tonda Eckert was brave in his team selection and the players responded. He really is very good at the wheel!

Pete - We have a good blend of experienced and younger players and now look like a side that knows what it takes to be successful. Dreading promotion back to the Premier League, last time was easily the most demoralising season I can remember and my first game at The Dell was in 1967.

Lee - Thought Zach Abbott, on loan from Nottingham Forest, made an excellent debut for Saints. Slotted right in to our back four, made some intelligent runs, looking entirely at home. Based on that performance I'd snap him up in a heartbeat.

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert hopes midfielder Flynn Downes will recover quickly from an ankle injury suffered in Wednesday's win at Norwich City.

The 27-year-old picked up a knock in the early stages at Carrow Road, but briefly played on before being replaced by Caspar Jander on 22 minutes.

"He said 'strap me up and I'll play on Saturday'," Eckert said when asked about Downes.

"Let's see. I hope it's not too serious. I think it's the outside ligament on the ankle. I'm hoping to have him back quickly.

"Medical team is not happy with me, because [Jander's] minutes were capped today and I put him on after 20 minutes. He almost scored towards the end, had cramps. I don't know how he does that."

Eckert made four changes to the team that beat Portsmouth on Sunday as Zach Abbott, on loan from Nottingham Forest, made his first start and Kuryu Matsuki, Lewis Dobbin and Sam Edozie also came in.

And the German coach was full of praise for his squad after Matsuki's goal sealed their first away win in the league this season .

"It's not the first time we have made changes," he said. "It's 46 games in the league and the reality is we need every single [player].

"There's been reasons why we haven't picked up a win on the road so far, so there were a couple of considerations for the game today.

"Energy from the start was very good and then we had an early substitution. We made another two substitutions at half-time and that leaves you with only two slots.

"It's good to know that you can trust every single one who comes on and every single one who starts because that's the only way for us to go for the ambitions we have this year. A couple of players have stepped up today and that's very important."

Norwich City will look to stem a three-match losing streak and create some distance from the bottom three when they host Southampton on Wednesday (19:45 BST).

It won't be an easy task though, with Southampton jubilant following a 1-0 derby day victory over Portsmouth on Sunday despite going down to 10 men when Cam Bragg was sent off at the end of the first half.

It leaves the Saints just one point short of the play-off positions going into the midweek games but they still have five to make up on the automatic promotion spots.

• Norwich have only lost one of their last seven home league games against Southampton (W4 D2), going down 0-3 in the Premier League in June 2020.

• Southampton have only lost two of their last eight league matches against Norwich (W4 D2), winning 1-0 most recently in March.

• Norwich lost their last Championship game at Carrow Road 3-4 to Bolton, but are yet to lose two in a row at home in 2026.

• Southampton have failed to win their first four away games of a season outside of the Premier League for the first time since 2009-10 in League One (first 5).

• Against no side has Southampton's Finn Azaz scored more goals in his English league career than against Norwich (4).

We asked for your thoughts after Southampton's 1-0 south coast derby win over Portsmouth in the Championship on Sunday.

Here are some of your comments:

Southampton fans

Robert: Gritty not pretty. Great to get a clean sheet. It's a long season in the EFL so don't want to get carried away. Pompey sliced through our right side with ease. Still got work to do to tighten up defensively.

Bob: Why do we never do things the easy way? We had the first half under control yet seemed to ride our luck a bit in the second. Flynn Downes had a solid game and Azaz was class.

Ian: Excellent, gutsy performance from Saints. Finn Azaz well-deserved man of the match.

Saint John: True gritty performance from the boys as it had to be... bitter experience tells us that one goal conceded when down to 10 is swiftly followed by a second. No complaints regarding referee decisions against us but I thought the ref was extraordinarily lenient at times against Pompey.

John: Hard battle, lucky to win. Portsmouth need to learn where the net is. But I will take any win over our rivals any day.

Jim83: As a Southampton fan I thought it was a poor choice to have Bragg on ahead of better players in a game like this. His inexperience cost him. The referee was genuinely poor for both teams. Portsmouth should have had more cards dished out. Azaz was lucky to not have been sent off for his retaliation tackle but how many times was he, Larin and Scienza pulled back by their shirts!

Richard: Saints coped with the 10-man disadvantage very adequately. They looked well organised, which may be a credit to manager Tonda Eckert.

Image source, Shutterstock

Portsmouth fans

Andy: Pompey were disappointing in the opposition box. Always seemed to want too much time or another touch or made the wrong decision. Feel we are going to struggle if we don't fix this quickly. Played some decent football though at times.

Paulo: We never looked like scoring. Even if we had been there all day we wouldn't have scored. Same problem we have had for two seasons. Yet another long season ahead battling against relegation. Not good enough Mous…

Grant: The team looked weak across the park. Not capitalising on the extra man will cost the team. Relegation fodder this year!

Graham: Far too slow. Lucky Saints only had 10 men.

Glenn: Always in with a chance but poor decision-making and lack of confidence in attack ultimately cost us. Never really looked like scoring.

Gary: I thought we played very well in the first half, especially down the left side and looked good in the final third. Adams covered so much ground but I can't see why we insist on playing too much football at the back. For me our keeper sees far too much of the ball. It's too risky in my opinion. There's still a lot of positives about the season going forward. PUP.

Image source, Getty Images

Southampton defender James Bree said that he had "a feeling" he would score in Sunday's South Coast derby win against Portsmouth.

Saints took the lead in the first half thanks to the full-back's darting run into the box that was spotted by Finn Azaz.

Bree then took a touch from a looping pass before using the instep of his left boot to slot the ball into the back of the net, running off in celebration.

It was his first goal of the season and sixth since joining Southampton in 2023 from Luton Town.

"We were joking about it earlier in the week as to who was going to score," Bree told BBC Radio Solent.

"I stuck my name into the hat and sometimes you just get a little feeling and I was in the right place at the right time.

"I'm buzzing to get the goal but it was a massive win and huge to get a clean sheet which is something that we've been speaking about this week."

After Bree's goal, Southampton were able to hold on for victory despite being reduced to 10 men when Cameron Bragg was shown a second yellow card just before the break.

The victory moved Tonda Eckert's side up to 11th in the Championship table having started the season on minus four points.

The derby was Saints' first match since finding out head coach Eckert had been handed a suspended six-week ban and fined £28,000 by the FA for his role in the Spygate scandal.

Bree added it was a relief to him and his team-mates that the German coach was not handed a more severe punishment that could have threatened his job.

"The news about the gaffer was so positive for all of us," he added.

"We had a meeting as a team after and said that we've started the season okay but we have so many levels to now go up.

"Today (Sunday) is a good start and if we can keep growing and building momentum, especially away from home then it'll be massive for all of us."

Saints, who are yet to win away from home in the Championship this season, travel to Norwich City on Wednesday.

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert speaking to BBC Radio Solent after beating Portsmouth in the south coast derby.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here.

Image source, Shutterstock

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert has confirmed that Caspar Jander, Cyle Larin and Daniel Peretz will all be fit for Sunday's south coast derby against Portsmouth.

Jander has not played yet this season due to injury while Larin and Peretz returned to the club early following minor issues over the international break.

Twenty-three-year-old midfielder Jander picked up an injury in pre-season against Eastleigh and has struggled to get back to fitness but according to Eckert, he finally looks ready to be reintegrated into the side.

"We had big spaces today, a long match prep. And he looked very good," Eckert said.

"Daniel also trained and will be playing on Sunday, [Cyle] Larin looks sharp and ready to go for Sunday.

"He's not even been at this football club for a year but everyone can see what an impact he has had already, I'm so grateful to have him."

Larin joined Saints initially on loan in February this year before making that move permanent in June.

He has since scored 17 goals in 32 appearances, with seven of those coming this campaign.

Jander has played 43 times and scored twice since signing for Southampton in the summer of 2025 from German side FC Nuremberg.

We asked you for your thoughts on the FA's decision to hand Southampton boss Tonda Eckert a six-week suspended ban for his role in Spygate.

Here is a selection of what you had to say:

David: The club spied and got punished very severely. The club should then be looking at the individuals and punishing them, the FA should never have got involved.

Andy: It's a disgrace, another example of how pathetic the FA really are. This is blatant cheating and admitted as such by the guilty person yet he is free to continue in his job as though nothing has happened.

It's irrelevant what punishment the club have received, this is about a professional person who cheated and has got away with it thanks to the feeble bodies of the FA.

Martin: Club have been punished enough - Tonda is an employee of the club, the club should be allowed to decide if and how they discipline their own employee. The FA dealt with the club, their involvement ends there.

Image source, Shutterstock

Michael: I was initially all for seeing heads roll over this debacle but now feel that the club and fans have already been punished enough, so the suspended ban feels right.

The club took a calculated risk on retaining the manager, and now, hopefully, will see him prosper and succeed here rather than elsewhere.

David: I accept that Tonda made a huge error. We may never know exactly what transpired in the hearings and exactly what evidence was assessed.

Yes, Southampton should have been punished to set an example to all clubs in the future. I do feel that this was far too harsh. Losing the opportunity for promotion was probably fair but to deduct four points for this season too is really excessive.

I feel the FA independent panel took all that into account in deciding to give Tonda a suspended penalty and a relatively small fine.

As a loyal Saints supporter for many years, the whole episode made me feel very uncomfortable.

I do understand how many opposition club supporters, owners and managers might feel that the punishment was too light but just think how they would feel if it was their own club.

In life it is always a good idea to give second chances for "most" people's offences, especially if they make a sincere apology.

So, lessons learnt and let's all move on.

72+ EFL podcast host and former Reading and Watford winger Jobi McAnuff feels Tonda Eckert "got off very, very lightly" after being handed a six-week suspended ban for his role in Spygate.

Southampton have already been heavily punished after being found guilty of spying, suffering expulsion from last season's Championship play-off final and taking a four point penalty into their new campaign.

Have the club been punished enough? Or should Eckert have faced a bigger consequence individually?

Have your say on Tonda Eckert's suspended ban here and come back later to see a handful of your responses.

Fresh from boss Tonda Eckert being given the all-clear to continue as Southampton boss after the Spygate affair, Saints are hoping to maintain their 100% home record in the Championship with a fifth successive victory.

South coast rivals Portsmouth make the short journey along the M27 on Sunday (12:00 BST) on a three-game unbeaten run.

• The last four league encounters between Southampton and Portsmouth have all been drawn, with Pompey the last team to win in this fixture in a 4-1 victory at Fratton Park in April 2005.

• Portsmouth have won one of their past nine league visits to Southampton (D4 L4), winning 2-0 in the top-flight in January 1988 under Alan Ball.

• Southampton have scored 15 goals in just four home league games this season – it is the most by a Championship side in their first four home games since Reading scored 16 in 2008-09.

• This is only Portsmouth's third league game on a Sunday in the past two seasons, with the previous two both against Southampton (D2). Pompey have won just four of their past 32 league games on Sundays (D11 L17).

• Southampton's Cyle Larin has scored 11 goals in 14 Championship appearances at St Mary's, scoring a goal every 81 minutes. Since 2004-05, the only player to play 750+ minutes at one stadium and have a better minutes per goal ratio is Dwight Gayle at St James' Park (one every 72 mins).