🚨 Our first interview with group technical director Johannes Spors, after speaking at Staplewood today! (more soon) 🔻 Assuming ultimate responsibility. 🔻 Ivan Juric and manager future. 🔻 Summer recruitment and sales. 🔻 Championship and promotion. #SaintsFC www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/249990...

There's no point having a lot of money if you don't have the revenue to spend it within PSR rules. And you can deduct infrastructure and development costs from PSR so in the meantime, this is a really good way for Sport Republic to invest and encourage growth. Hopefully, they can deliver. #SaintsFC

Club keen to diversify revenue streams and make St Mary’s Waterfront a premier entertainment destination on South Coast. With Squad Cost Ratio Rules etc, belief is long-term increase in revenue will directly impact competitiveness of football club. #SaintsFC

🚨 Big news. Saints and City Council have signed an MOU to explore redevelopment of St Mary's Waterfront. 🔻 Seen by club as big long-term step. 🔻 Expand stadium/surrounding areas. 🔻 + Leisure, residential, public spaces. 🔻 Enhance transport and infrastructure. #SaintsFC

Southampton have offered Tyler Dibling a new contract. Russell Martin hinted Dibling's agent is the reason he has not signed new terms. Martin insisted the deal offered to Dibling is "really good" for an 18 yo. Full story w/@alfiehouse.bsky.social #SaintsFC www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/247913...

UEFA Conference League brace for Kazeem Olaigbe. Throwback. #SaintsFC

Saints face Spurs at a decent time. While Postecoglou's got no defenders left, Martin is buoyed by the return of three key men in three different areas of the pitch. High line potentially means Archer/Armstrong can be a threat and the focus in training has been attack. #SaintsFC

Adam Lallana back in the squad on Sunday. #SaintsFC

Alex McCarthy is available again. Aaron Ramsdale "very close" the boss added. #SaintsFC

Russell Martin: "We got praised for winning the play-off final with a different plan. It wasn't a different plan, we just scored early and then emotion took over. It wasn't a different plan, it was just a different feeling." #SaintsFC

Russell Martin growing more animated: "If people see what is not their version of the game, they are quick to criticise. But you really need to understand Plan A. If Jamie Carragher sat down with Ange Postecoglou and really understood it, maybe it would be different." #SaintsFC

Russell Martin: "I get criticised for being stubborn but we adapt approach and personnel but we can't deviate too far from that otherwise we become nothing. But Plan A and Plan B don't need to be miles apart, everyone has a vision and there is no right or wrong." #SaintsFC

Russell Martin on Ange Postecoglou: "When I see him in the media, I see a man with conviction and someone who does not compromise on his values and I admire him a lot. It has got him to managing in the Champions League." #SaintsFC

Russell Martin on Paul Onuachu: "He gives us something different to the rest of the squad and the rest of the league actually. The timing of his injury was unfortunate because he was in a really good place." #SaintsFC

Russell Martin is here. Jan Bednarek and Paul Onuachu are back for the weekend. Sounds like Aaron Ramsdale is not. #SaintsFC

Russell Martin's press conference ahead of the Spurs match is currently scheduled for 1:30pm on Thursday. #SaintsFC

Aston Villa bought Jhon Duran for £15million in the same window that Saints paid £40million for Kamaldeen Sulemana and Paul Onuachu. #SaintsFC

🍻 Southampton's 'The Dell' pub at St Mary's is opening this Sunday with the first spaces now able to be booked. Open from 9am to 11pm Monday-Saturday and from 10am-9pm on Sundays. Season ticket holders get 10% off all food and drink. #SaintsFC

No Southampton games picked for TV coverage in February in the latest round of announcements. #SaintsFC

Russell Martin is currently still in charge and the expectancy is that he will be for Sunday, Staplewood is quiet because Sunday/Monday have been days off this year. All back in tomorrow so if that changes it would only be down to conversations they've had together. Obviously, never 100%. #SaintsFC

Russell Martin hoping to have Jan Bednarek and Aaron Ramsdale back next Sunday. Bednarek is an expectation. #SaintsFC

Russell Martin: "It's another mistake and not a shot on target is madness really, for how many times we stole the ball in the first half. We just give teams a lead too many times and for such poor goals." #SaintsFC

Positives are it's another close game and they looked alright for 15 minutes. Negatives are it should have been much more than one by the end and we could have been here all night without Saints scoring. Against a mean defence like that, the attackers don't look good. #SaintsFC

FT: Aston Villa 1-0 Saints #SaintsFC

Villa could have had six goals in added time. How it's only 1-0, I have no idea. #SaintsFC

Nathan Wood again to deny Ollie Watkins one-on-one. Best five minutes of his life, I'm certain. #SaintsFC

Into five minutes of added time. 1-0. #SaintsFC

Wood's just made a second goal-saving block in as many minutes, denying Watkins who had beaten Lumley. #SaintsFC

Wood denies Barkley a certain goal. Watkins square pass across to the midfielder for an open goal tap-in but the Saints man gets in to block the shot. #SaintsFC

Lumley's given away two corners from dropping the ball out of play today. Not ideal. #SaintsFC

Brereton Diaz on for the booked Downes. 78'. #SaintsFC

Amo-Ameyaw's first action is to beat his man and dip a dangerous ball in between the defensive line and the goalkeeper. Martinez gets there first. #SaintsFC

Sam's on for Cameron Archer. Come on, lad. Just under 20 minutes to make a big impact. #SaintsFC

Sam Amo-Ameyaw is ready to come on. #SaintsFC

Saints have a rare chance after an extended spell of Villa pressure as Dibling breaks half the length of the pitch to feed in Archer. Archer's coming into the box on his left foot and his eventual scuffed shot is easily blocked. Still 1-0 after 67 minutes. #SaintsFC

Watkins, Barkley, Digne and Philogene on for Villa. Duran, Maatsen, Tielemans and Bailey off. #SaintsFC

Game looks a little different since the break, slightly improved. Saints are the side dominating the ball and most of it is the front two thirds. Villa happy to sit back a little and trust they can defend their box. So far working for them. Still 1-0. #SaintsFC

Saints will be frustrated with how little they have done after turning the ball over in the Villa half. Three times they have won the ball back in a dangerous position but it's either a lack of quality or urgency that costs them a one-on-one with the goalkeeper. #SaintsFC

Cam Archer is getting some treatment and a concussion test on the pitch here as all the players leave at half-time. Looks okay as he walks off but took a knee to the back of the head. Hopefully, he's alright. #SaintsFC

HT: Aston Villa 1-0 Saints First 15 minutes were decent, some urgency and a couple half chances. Then a calamity goes unpunished, Duran gets the opener very shortly after and it's been all Villa since - and very boring. Very boring indeed. #SaintsFC

Judging by the lack of sound (the wind is by far the loudest thing) pretty much everyone inside Villa Park is bored. #SaintsFC

Harwood-Bellis gathers a long ball forward under pressure but the original target Duran steals it straight back off him, runs through and fires Villa ahead. 1-0 to the hosts after 25 minutes played. #SaintsFC

Goal. 1-0. Duran scores the opener. #SaintsFC

Why do they keep doing it? Lumley has just passed it straight to Kamara in the box and there's a couple of shots blocked with the goal gaping. So lucky. #SaintsFC

Saints have had a couple half chances today. Manning and Archer with goalward efforts both blocked, the away end in good voice while the home fans are starting to get frustrated. 0-0 after 17 minutes. #SaintsFC

Aston Villa appeals for a penalty waved away. Lumley is nearly late to Duran but nothing is given, he got a vital touch. Good goalkeeping. 0-0. #SaintsFC

Saints seemed to have changed the way they defend corners, temporarily at least. It was not all 10 outfielders in the box this time, Archer and Armstrong stood on the halfway line ready to counter. #SaintsFC

Armstrong captain today with no Stephens. #SaintsFC

Bednarek not involved for Saints today. Wood keeps his place. 10/11 for my prediction, not bad. Ugochukwu not in the squad at all. The three suspended all return straight to the lineup. Aribo unlucky. #SaintsFC

Saints were unbeaten in six consecutive away league games against Aston Villa between 2013 and 2020 but have lost their last two visits here by an aggregate score of 5-0. Those two are the only visits I've made, too. #SaintsFC