Forester

Spot on

A very astute summary

I agree. I enjoyed many good away trips watching Puel's side, 4 at Sunderland 4 at Watford, 3 at Wet Spam, wins at WBA, Boro, good draws at Man City and Scousehampton. The there was the great cup run with wins at Arsenal and Liverpool. We fired him because we didn't score enough goals at home including three home games in a dead end month of May. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree, what is undisputabke surely is that Puel was left short with failure to replace Pelle and Mane, and then had VVD and Austin injured for half the season. He also had two games a week with Europa and League Cup action. MP has week in, week out uninterrupted coaching time following the shambles against Wolves Reserves and he has a fully fit squad with the additions of Wesley and Lamina. I cannot figure out how some people can't see that he has a much easier deck of cards to play than poor Puel.

Well another long day, enjoyable game but hugely disappointing to take nothing against a team that are less talented albeit well organised. My thoughts: - Forster finished last season well and has started this one well too. It looks like he has his confidence and fitness back after being poor for two thirds of last season - VVD looked very good. Shame about the pen, but I expected him to look more rusty than he did - Our defensive set up in open play, and possession of the ball is very good and I wouldn't swap our back line and holding midfielders for any other. The problem as we know is the final third - I thought Boufal improved us when he came on - I have said many times that Pelle, after Lambert, gave us a completely different dimension to our play. I accept Mane was a special player who is hard to replace. But you can see in the closing stages of both the Man Utd and Stoke games that when we send a centre back upfront and hit some diagonal balls we see a different type of threat. We badly miss a tall target man. In the absence of one, teams are happy for us to play the ball around in front of them and can defend deeply. Until this is corrected we will dominate possession Look sold defensively but struggle to score. - Finally I continue to disagree that sacking Puel wasn't either justified or has improved us

Lots of positives, but concerns too. The main positive for me, following the horrors of Wolves and Watford, is that MP is starting to have an impact on style of play and I thought we were very good second half. The crowd appreciated the players' efforts after the game and Jose has been very complimentary about us. Even Redmond performed second half! The concern, as is obvious, is that for the second consecutive season we have not replaced Pelle and Mane with anything like similar players. Both Redmond and Gabby are sensible acquisitions but neither are the target man that was Pelle or the raw pace that was Mane. The latter I accept is harder to replace, but we lack someone to hold the ball up and be an outlet ball who can create chances by knock on headers a la Lambert and Pelle. As such I can't really see us scoring more than 40 or so goals this season which was the fundamental reason that Puel was sacked, so it would seem. I am very happy with the other departments but we really need a target man (doesn't need to be prolific, but can create chances too) and a goalscoring attacking midfielder. Until this happens we will continue to struggle for goals.

I know it's picking at old scabs, but this is why I just cannot understand why many folk think Puel was a failure. Cup final reached by consecutive clean sheets against PL opponents, 8th and all WITHOUT Pelle and Mane. Then throw in losing VVD and Austine each for half a season and before Lamina and Hoedt joined....

I know it's picking at old scabs, but this is why I just cannot understand why many folk think Puel was a failure. Cup final reached by consecutive clean sheets against PL opponents, 8th and all WITHOUT Pelle and Mane. Then throw in losing VVD and Austine each for half a season and before Lamina and Hoedt joined....

Really pleased for everyone, fans, players and MP. Yes three points are important but above all I think we needed to see a return of a clear tactical plan and pattern of play and today delivered on that for me. Having (deservedly) been subject to much criticism for recent performances MP made good decisions today. Lamina makes a big difference, imaginative to include Long who opened up space for others and basically inspires people with his workate. And a good bit of tactical and man management to bring on VVD for the last few minutes I thought to help deal with balls into our box but also feel part of a happy day. Cute. Credit to Tadic for his workrate, and hopefully we have seen the return to the position that Davis has caused so many teams problems under RK and Poch which is as a number 10 making things happen up the field. He is not a holding midfielder.

Absolutely agree with thus. Let's see the impact of no League Cup or European football and uninterrupted midweek coaching from the guy. So far it has looked all over the place and I am expecting to see structure and a discernible pattern to our play irrespective of esukts. It's the absence of this so far that has frightened the life out of me I terms of mp

Its rare that I have missed a game over recent years but I can't make this one, and will try to do the "avoid the score and watch in play back" trick but have a bad feeling I will not get away without hearing it anyway! I would stick with the back five, albeit strongly consider dropping Fraser for any further errors before Xmas. Lamina back for JWP and thereby releasing Davis to play further forward. Up front I would give Redmond one more game, as on his day he remains a real threat particularly away, but play Long instead of Boufal. Am expecting MP to demonstrate that he is able to effectively prepare the team, without interruptions through the week, and intervene during the game either in terms of formation or subs if needed. In short, earn his money as I have yet to see him do so other than halftime at Udders.

This perfectly sums up my opinion too

Have you watched the five games so far? And reflected on patter of play, progress made through the five games and quality of opponents?

This is my concern. It's not just the results, in fact it's definitely not the results as disappointing as they are. It's a discernible pattern of play, a clear tactical plan. He currently looks out of his depth. With no Euro or League cup football he now has week after week of uninterrupted coaching time with a fully fit squad including three additions to Puel's squad. Let's see what he is made of

Saint Fred can you please engage with the obvious point that Puel also faced six games in Europe and an unblemished run all the way to Wembley where we were, in the day, hugely unlucky not to win. So he had a dozen games more than Poch or Pellegrino will face. As I have said separately, given no league cup or European football, a significant uplift is expected by MP who now, following the Wolves debacle, has total focus throughout the week on coaching with no distractions. And a fully fit squad with three more additions than Puel had. Only the most biased judge would not expect an uplift with that hugely helpful backdrop....let's see what MP is made of.

Spot on

As I said on another thread, that was as poor a performance of aimless long ball football as I have seen since Branfoot days. Only the away defeat to Midget Land gets close. We have sacked a manager who produces some boring but usually undefeated displays at home, and some hood displays away, took us to Wembley without conceding a goal and finished eight. We all understand why, some will agree and others like me disagree. However what is clear is that this manager has made an awful start. We have won once in five games, stoppage time penalty against ten men, been outplayed by Wolves Reserves, outclassed by ten men in the second half against Wet Spam, outclassed in first half by Udders and outclassed throughout by Watford today. MP is being paid big bucks, we paid compensation to poor Puel, and MP has days and days now of no midweek football to distract from his coaching skills. Massive uplift is expected on last season with a dozen or so fewer matches to navigate. Only if you were not at the five games so far can you be unconcerned. We are yet to play anyone who finished above us last season. Unless there is huge change we will be in a relegation battle. I hope he turns it around, and he has a fully fit squad to do so with. But the early signs are very worrying. I could see what Puel was doing, not always popular but it was clear. This season so far is all over the shop

I am not turning on the manager. Yet. But I am holding him accountable for one of the worst Saints performances I have seen since Branfoot days in terms of playing style. Much of today was aimlessly hoofing the ball forward and surrendering possession. I have much bigger concerns though having been at all five games so far, and having been at something like forty games last season. There was a pattern and purpose to Puel. Frequently dull at home, but not always. Generally good away. So far this season we have won one game of the five against ten men through a stoppage time penalty. We were outplayed in second half by 10 man Wet Spam, outplayed by Wolves reserves, outplayed first half by Udders and bullied all game today. We are yet to face anyone who finished below us, and have used up three home games already. I can see no pattern or plan, lower levels of workrate and a disturbing inability to change anything. I have supported every manager since and including Pardew and if you check my posts history you will see I am usually a "happy clapper". But this is truly dire to watch, and we are in a relation battle unless there are fundamental changes to the way we are approaching games. The manager has been brought in on big money, we have paid compensation to get rid of a manager who took us to Wembley unbeaten and finished eight with approximately a dozen more games to play than MP has to face now. He now has week in week out uninterrupted coaching time. Let's see what he is made of.

I agree. Gabbi's off the ball movement is intelligent and I think that Romeo, Lamina and Davis are our best bets to fed this. For Watford game I would drop Tadic in favour of Long. Watford will try and create a hurried match and Long's pace will be handy. Tadic has been poor so far in my opinion. So 4-2-3-1 with Redmond, Long and Davis supporting Gabbi. No other changes and would tell Yoshi and Stephens that they have possession of the shirt and should keep on bagging clean sheets.

A good day out albeit lucky to have escaped from an awful first half where we should have been out of the game had Udders been more clinical. We won't survive against better opposition. Encouragingly, as I was very unimpressed by him against Wet Spam and Wolves, MP improved us second half and the substitutions were imaginative and effective with us finishing strongly. A few other observations: - Lamina has shown me enough in both games to feel that he will prove a superb signing. Another Wanyama with more technically - Both Bertrand and Cedric so far this season look either tired from the summer, distracted by speculation or both - I worry that Davis, a favourite player of mine in recent seasons, is starting to look a little over the hill - Having sent out Sam on loan I hope we are bringing in another striker this week, as we are cutting it very fine given Austin injury track record

An absolute example to other professionals. We are lucky to have him and he is finally appreciated by most fans getting a few songs these days!

I hope that people notice though that rather than just noise and usual negativity from the normal suspects there are a number of what I would call thoughtful posters who's views I respect that are unusually angry about a real shambles, with the coach in the dock after that. Not only is it one less cup final and European place up for grabs it will have a big impact on squad players who may now be brought in for a one off game after months of no first team football. We remember the damage that did to Maya a few years ago.....I haven't been seen pi**ed off after a Saints game for many years

I am a consistent supporter of the last five managers, and was not in the Puel out camp. These are very early days for the manager and it will take a few weeks to form any real judgement. However... ...the second half against Wet Spam and last night were seriously worrying. We went backwards against ten men, were fortunate to get out of jail in stoppage time and last night was awful. I didn't blame MP for the changes, which were fewer than Wolves made, or the ambition to try a different formation against a side we should comfortably beat. However the lack of interventions and urgency just after halftime when we started the second half in awful mode is a concern to me. It was obvious we were losing control of the game to Wolves and to leave the big changes until the last 15 mins or so when we changed personnel and formation was poor. With no European football and playing once a week until Xmas I expect significant improvement as a result of his uninterrupted coaching during the weeks ahead. He has a significantly easier hand of cards to play than poor Claude did last year. Am making the trip up north Saturday and let's hope we are all smiling afterwards because that was a horror show last night if you were there.

We must surely have a replacement lined up. Three strikers, with one injury prone, won't cut it. Get Sam back next summer when it will probably be time to move Long on

I think this is right with possible change of Targett for McQueen. I don't get the negativity from some fans about the changes. These are vital players in our squad who should be itching to prove a point. And rotating helped get us to Wembley last year. I am all for it. Be interesting to see what Wolves do as they have spent big on promotion bid...

I agree with all of this. I think Fraser has started the season well looking fitter and more proactive. Did well Saturday and very unlucky that they were quicker to react to second ball than our defenders