Southampton

Southampton's start to the season has underwhelmed after a few unwanted results away from home, but "it's not all doom and gloom" says Daily Echo journalist Alfie House.

"Of the top of it, you have to say [Southampton] are slightly off pace," House told BBC Radio Solent.

"But when you consider the Spygate stuff that was still hanging over, players leaving - I'd say Taylor Harwood-Bellis was a big loss - and the squad is a little bit thin. When you consider all that, they are doing alright."

Southampton are currently five points off the top spot in the Championship in seventh place.

However, with the automatic promotion race proving to be a tight contest so far, House has every faith Saints will be in for a shout at gaining a place in the top two.

"I think being in touching distance is fine," House added.

"I think [the top two] is there for everyone at the moment. Nobody is running away with it, I think it's open for anybody to take it."

Listen to the full start of the season review above or on BBC Sounds here.

Image source, Shutterstock

Birmingham City boss Chris Davies, Southampton's Tonda Eckert, Kim Hellberg of Middlesbrough and Portsmouth head coach John Mousinho have been nominated for the Championship's Manager of the Month award for October.

Davies led Blues to four wins from their five league games last month which included a victory at West Midlands rivals West Bromwich Albion.

Southampton continued their strong start to the season in October with 13 points from their five unbeaten matches under Eckert to move into the top eight in the Championship table.

Hellberg took Middlesbrough to the top of the table last month as his side scored 14 goals in their five games which produced 13 points.

Portsmouth's October started with a derby defeat by Southampton before Mousinho's side went on a five-match unbeaten run, securing 11 points and moving into play-off contention.

The winner will be announced on Friday, 13 November.

Defender Zach Abbott says he is staying "patient and ready" at Southampton while he waits for his chance for a run in the side.

The 20-year-old centre-back has played twice for Saints in the Championship since joining on loan from Nottingham Forest in September.

He has been on Southampton's bench for eight matches and before last weekend only had one 45 minute spell of game-time since the move.

"No one's happy when they don't play as many minutes," Abbott told BBC Radio Solent.

"I think what it's really taught me is staying patient around a top group and making sure that I'm ready every single day.

"That's what the lads have been speaking to me about, it's a really good group and people give me advice every single day.

"It's not about now looking backwards at the fact that I've not played as many minutes, now I've had my opportunity I want to impress and go forward."

Abbott was called into action during Saturday's defeat by Preston after Keven Schlotterbeck was forced off with injury early on.

Boss Tonda Eckert confirmed afterwards that the German defender had dislocated his shoulder and was likely to miss some upcoming games, potentially presenting a chance for Abbott after the international break.

Southampton are seventh in the Championship table and five points off the automatic places after 15 matches.

"The facilities, the lads, the staff around, the manager, it's top here," Abbott added.

"There's a real mentality to go and win the league, I've really enjoyed it so far but obviously, as probably everyone can see, I want to play minutes and want to get on the pitch more.

"I wanted to contribute more to the team and hopefully I can do that more going forward, I just need to make sure that I'm putting in the performances so that I give the team the best chance to go and get three points every single week."

Former Bromley boss Andy Woodman joins Aaron Paul and Jobi McAnuff in the latest episode of the 72+ podcast. He lifts the lid on life after leaving Bromley and what's next for him.

They discuss the top of the Championship, with just one point separating the top five.

At the other end of the Championship, what's happening with Bristol City, who currently lie 17th in the league under former Lincoln manager Michael Skubala – and when is the right time for a manager to make the jump up?

In League Two, it's been a less than desirable start for Crawley Town who are bottom of the Football League and out of the FA Cup after being beaten by seventh-tier Wimborne – where do they go from here? Elsewhere in the FA Cup, Plymouth Parkway assistant manager Matt Godfrey drops by after their win – and with Barnet on the horizon.

And after Shrewsbury Town's new ownership is confirmed, what's next for them?

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.

We asked for your thoughts after Preston North End picked up their second win of the season against high-flying Southampton to close the gap at the bottom of the Championship.

Here are some of your comments:

North End fans

Fred: Well, none of us saw that coming! Well done lads, small light long tunnel. Great effort against a good side.

Steve: Excellent first-half performance and dogged defending second half. Well done North End! Superb goal to win it.

George: Well-deserved win with an excellent defensive performance in the second half matching a dominant first half performance.

Tim: At last. Team deserved the win overall. Looked like a Graham Alexander team.

Louisa: Hope this is the great comeback.

Image source, Shutterstock

Saints fans

Oliver: Really disappointed by the result but fair play to Preston, they were well up for it and ultimately we couldn't put away any of our plentiful chances.

Richard: Another first-half masterclass of ineptitude followed by a livelier second half which showed that our strike force just isn't up to it without Cyle Larin.

Richard H: Have said before, away seems to be a real problem. To me looks like a tactical approach issue. Low block to then counter weak teams, surely not right. You need to dominate early on like at West Ham. A more aggressive away approach is needed.

Pasha: We were poor. Finn Azaz has gone off the boil, Leo Scienza's afraid to get behind a defence, Kuryu Matsuki was all over the place and without Larin we don't have a striker. We still have no clue how to defeat a low block and unless we do soon we're not going up.

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert spoke to BBC Radio Solent after the 1-0 defeat to Preston North End.

For a written selection of his quotes, click here

Image source, Opta

Southampton will seek to close the gap at the top of the Championship table and heap more woe on rock-bottom Preston when they head to Deepdale on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

North End are effectively 10 points from safety after 14 games following Tuesday's 3-2 home defeat by Sheffield United and have taken one point from six games under Graham Alexander.

Saints are four points off the summit in seventh after a 1-1 draw at West Brom on Tuesday, though it did extend their unbeaten run to six games from which they have taken 14 points.

• Preston have won just one of their past six league games against Southampton (D1 L4), and are winless in all three at Deepdale in that run (D1 L2).

• Southampton won this exact fixture 3-1 last season – only once have they won consecutive away league games against Preston, doing so in 1928/1929.

• Preston have lost 12 of their past 15 league games (W1 D2), while this is the latest into a season (14 games) they've been bottom of the Championship table since 2010-11 (24th after 45 games).

• After failing to score in their first two league games of 2026, Southampton have now drawn a blank in just one of their past 34 – a goalless draw with Bolton last month.

• Having been involved in eight goals in his first nine Championship appearances this season (3 goals, 5 assists), Southampton's Finn Azaz hasn't scored or assisted in any of his past five.

Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert gives his thoughts after his Saints side's draw with West Brom.

For a written selection of his quotes click here.

West Brom and Southampton meet in the Championship on Tuesday night (20:00 GMT) as two of the division's in-form sides.

After suffering back-to-back defeats to Wolves and Birmingham City, the Baggies have taken 10 points from their subsequent four games while Southampton are hoping to extend a five-match unbeaten run.

• West Brom have lost seven of their past nine league games against Southampton, though both exceptions came in recent home games (3-0 in April 2021, 1-1 last season).

• Southampton have lost just one of their past six away league games against West Brom (W3 D2), going down 3-0 in April 2021 in the Premier League.

• West Brom have lost just one of their past 13 home league games (W5 D7), going down 1-0 against Birmingham City last month.

• Southampton have won their past two away league games, having failed to win any of their first four on the road this season.

• Across his time with both Preston and Southampton, Lewis Dobbin has been involved in five goals in his last seven away league starts (3 goals, 2 assist), netting what proved to be the winner at West Ham last time out.

Image source, Getty Images

We asked for your thoughts after Southampton eased past QPR with a convincing 4-1 win in the Championship on Saturday.

Saints are now unbeaten in their past five games, with four wins and a draw on that run, which has put them within three points of the automatic promotion places.

Tonda Eckert's side are also yet to suffer a league defeat at St Mary's this season (W6 D1).

Here are some of your comments:

David: A really polished performance from Saints. To be this clinical without Larin is a testament to the depth of squad. Must be favourites to finish top now.

Tony: Brilliant display, great result. Congratulations Saints, doing well without our star striker.

Stuart: It's Peretz we have to thank. He was the first to say that he was staying before the outcome of the spying thing was known. He backed the manager and most of the rest quickly followed. Great signings, Schlotterbeck and JWP. We are playing for each other, the manager and the club. The best team spirit I've seen in years.

Lee: Brutally efficient going forward, and rode their luck a little when defending. St Mary's is now a fortress, and it all bodes well for our top 2 promotion goal. COYS!

Andrew: Not in top gear and still enough to put a good QPR team away.

Peter: Was at the game! Apart from the QPR goal, Saints made their opponents look very mediocre!

Tonda Eckert spoke to BBC Radio Solent after Southampton beat QPR in the Championship.

For a written selection of his quotes click here.

Image source, Opta

Southampton and QPR will seek to showcase their Championship promotion credentials as they meet at St Mary's on Saturday (15:00 GMT).

Saints are sixth, three points outside the automatic promotion places after their 3-2 win at West Ham last Saturday, though their five game home winning streak was ended by a goalless draw against Bolton last time out at St Mary's.

QPR are level on points, two places back, after thrashing Swansea 5-0 last weekend, however the R's are winless in their past four on the road in the league.

• Southampton have won each of their past six league games against QPR, as many victories as across their prior 21 meetings with the Hoops combined.

• QPR have lost their past three away league games against Southampton, only once have they lost four in succession, doing so between 1957 and 1969.

• Southampton are unbeaten in their past 16 home league games (W12 D4), their longest since a run of 24 between December 2010 and December 2011.

• QPR have netted nine goals from set piece situations in the Championship so far this season – the joint-most of any side in the division alongside West Ham.

• Southampton have been in winning positions for 43.2% of their Championship matches so far this season – the highest percentage of any side in the competition.

Marc Webber
Final Score reporter

Image source, Press Association

This will not come as a surprise to the Southampton fans reading this, but one thing became very clear to me after supporters and players celebrated their win against West Ham on Saturday.

The supportive bond between fans and the team has been strengthened by Spygate, not weakened. To the point where it genuinely felt like the team had a twelfth and thirteenth man at times.

In a way, the scandal has just emboldened the club. It felt like a siege mentality which could be a real asset to the side as they rise from their points deduction to the play-off position they currently hold.

I have reported on many Southampton games away and at home and I have not felt a connection so empowering on performance to my recollection.

In fact, it has felt quite the reverse at times, such as the reaction of fans at Saints 0-6 Chelsea a few seasons ago.

Sure, away fans can sound loud when the London Stadium's local fans are silenced.

But it was more the energy which pulled Southampton to a fast start and through a tricky end that made me believe this could be a problem which other opponents will need to factor in as the season continues.

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

A jubilant Adam Blackmore and Jo Tessem discuss superstar James Bree and James Ward-Prowse's delight after a statement win for Southampton against West Ham United.

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

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Championship match between West Ham United and Southampton.

Here are some of your comments:

West Ham fans

Philip: Perhaps I'm losing faith in Nuno. We have the talent, but we're not keeping any shape. Too many instances of players clustered, unable to navigate each other and control the ball. We're also arriving in the box too early, making the pass too late. We need some discipline. Southampton were always in position, playing as a collective, and that will best a side of individuals all the time.

Hugh: Terrible defensive display standing off and watching for most of the first half. There is no development in tactics, it's one dimensional and teams have worked out how to counter it from the start as it doesn't change. Because the defence does not work, the team lacks confidence and it shows on the pitch.

Spencer: Another poor start to a game, more defensive mistakes and our midfield is a problem. It's unbalanced, no ball winners and was continually dissected with one simple straight ball. Far too much of a gap between the defence and the midfield. We don't play as a unit. You have to question the manager as we don't look like a well coached team and have been getting through with individual performances. I hope Nuno learns from this because more performances like that and I can see the fans turning.

Image source, Shutterstock

Southampton fans

Pablo: Much more clinical finishing from the Saints, having no offsides in the game for us which obviously they have been working on. Peretz was the man of the match with some outstanding saves.

Stephen: Intense, rugged, composed. Despite defensive pressures they stayed calm allowing purposeful attacks which carried them forward with clear attempts on goal being rewarded. The players, including the bench, did not let anything distract them from winning.

Geoff: A very professional performance without two of our best players. The spirit shown by the whole squad is a big confidence boost for the rest of the season.

Listen to Southampton head coach Tonda Eckert speaking to BBC Radio Solent after winning at West Ham United.

For a written selection of his quotes click here.