saintstowin

Thanks for the video. Fun times. What a difference. The same players looking utterly lost this season. Some lovely finishing from quite a few different players. With a bit of luck we can get going again next season.

So, so bad. Too much to list all the badness. However, the space. The space. I've never seen anything like it. At this level, maybe at any level of professional football, going clean through or almost clean through the middle should be the most rare of occurrences. It happens every few minutes. Make it stop. All of it. Please.

I've only seen the Newcastle game in person during the IJ time. In that game, and highlights of others, the space for opposition players in the middle third of the pitch is quite incredible. It stands out as highly unusual in all my football watching, Saints and otherwise. I don't think this is all on him, because the rot had set in, and RM's last game featured this for example. But it's a sad indictment of the complete lack of confidence and leadership which leads to awful organisation on the pitch. I say with confidence that you could watch the vast majority of games of football - league games, cup games with lower league against better opponents etc, and you will not see one team jog into such empty parts of the pitch to do what they want. And stopping that was what I hoped for in a new manager.

I think there's general agreement about AA's level. Not PL, yes Champ including goals, assists and misses. Next season we'll be in the division where he has success. I hope he stays. All this planning ahead for after our next promotion is a bit too much whatiffery. I think we'll need players we can rely on next season and AA is right up there.

I sat through Dogman the movie this afternoon and at the time thought I'd drawn the short straw.

The Newcastle love-in is reaching Liverpool levels. 5-live actually stopped talking so we could all listen to the pre-match music. And this morning there was a fan interview and the broadcaster mentioned destiny, lifetime ambition, incredible achievement - but then quietly had to mention they did actually get to Wembley in the same competition 2 years ago.

What a win! Great efforts all round. On the highlights (just before they broke and Ugochukwu and Ramsdale combined to keep them out) Harwood-Bellis had bombed forward like an attacking midfielder and had to sprint 90 yards back. Bednarek was in the box to score against Newcastle from open play. I don't know if they are told to get forward because there are 3 of them, or they are just going a bit mad due to the season they're having. There's a positional balance to be found somewhere, but it might take a while.

Really enjoyed the first half and then I was a traitor and went to BBC1 with the family. I'm going to be positive. We looked like a team and really took the game to them. There were gaps which I imagine increased in the 2nd half and our sub options are very limited. Maybe one of the later things a new manager learns about their squad is who can impact/steady a game off the bench. I saw players trying hard and actually being inventive.

Who needs a striker? 🙂

THB getting a mention on various player threads. I believe there's a very decent player in there but his current level isn't high enough to stand out as a calming, positionally aware CD amongst the panic that is our defending. That's not entirely on him. But he gets involved where not needed (Villa, Brentford). Probably because he is caught up in it all, wants to do well etc. But he needs to focus on his main role, marking and being in the right place. The other thing which I believe is a factor is his fitness, he looks overweight for an elite level sportsman. Definitely chunkier then last season. That is a worry if it's related to application and taking fitness seriously. He's not alone in looking several yards off the fitness required in the PL.

What a mess. The lack of confidence, effort and ability is toxic. It's amazing how people who have played the game for years can look so totally inept at aspects such as marking and tracking runs - which don't actually require any footballing skills - just common sense and effort. I could have followed Mbuemo after he passed to Wissa and jogged up the pitch to score their 2nd. I don't think many disagree that SR are terrible custodians on a variety of levels. Or that RM was out of his depth like most of the players. This has led us here. I hope Juric tells some home truths, I hope he is able to organise a semi-competitive squad and find a system that doesn't lead to humiliation every week, I hope players find pride. I think that is about the best we can hope for in the short-term.

I believe drawing is better than losing. But not lots of ambition or confidence, understandable. We've got to work out how to involve strikers. I think Archer had a touch about half an hour after he came on.

Very basic intensity has been lacking in most games. We dominated last season so rarely needed to fight. And seemingly we were coached to hang on to the ball (and take it relatively easy) which meant the running and hassling and aggression became secondary, if that. This lack of hunger has seeped into our character at a time when we desperately needed it, because quality wasn't going to win us games in the PL. Sadly the message/belief that we're better than we are has affected the way we play. Too relaxed. But my hope is that within a few games and training sessions the fight will be coached back into us. Good response tonight.

I would prefer a good appointment (to state the obvious) and one that we want to be here next season wherever we end up. I'm not sold on the idea of an experienced PL manager on a short term basis just incase we can stay up. Get it correct now, give everyone some optimism and even if we're 10 points adrift at the end, I want to have shown some organisation and fight led by someone we can have faith in. Not more summer change. Rohl appeals.

Well, thoroughly enjoyed his first season and despite his shortcomings RM got us promoted and really came good at the end of the campaign with fantastic football memories made. I'm not going to hate him. Clearly out of his depth tactically in the PL with warning signs last season too. The gap is too big between the divisions and he did not help us bridge it in any way.

I need booze

I thought for Arsenal's 2nd goal that Havertz was (possibly) offside and slid in to try to score from the cross, missed the ball and Troussard tapped it in. If he was off he was as or more interfering than Arma. Not that I think it should have been disallowed, but not a mention.

I don't normally post mid match but this is so slow, so bad, so devoid of any promise, shape, or anything that looks like we'll be competitive. Not good.

TP's skiilz very enjoyable but (as others have mentioned) he didn't receive the ball at the end of the pitch he's meant to be at. I'm not a get it in the mixer at every opportunity fan, but occasionally would be nice, especially with a big fella up there. We just don't know how to. There was an early fk near halfway that (ofcourse) Stephens stood over. He looked like he wanted to play it towards the box maybe, but this is currently the antithesis of how we're coached. Back the ball went, about five yards, possession handed over within a few seconds.

I haven't seen all his performances in full, he's looked as good as anyone in our defence and can clearly go forward well when I've seen him. I don't understand playing non-specialist players at the expense of and in the position of the likes of Sugawara and Taylor. They must be a better option and the approach won't do their confidence any good.

Good stuff when quick and incisive. Usual bad stuff when doing what current Saints do, especially near our own goal. All 3 unearned goals the most frustrating (and sadly expected) thing, as usual. Mccarthy clearly will be rusty. Why instruct him to play stupid passes, the opposite of when he came in late last season. And Fraser by no means terrible, but an international fullback was available. Odd. And Downes, what?!

The bigger picture is change is needed. But in this match we were done by VAR and then lack of VAR. The first one is simply bizarre, a few Wolves fans wanted a FK (does that alert VAR?) but at worst it's a 50 50. It's embarrassing how refs never stick to their decision especially as the high bar is clearly rubbish. And then not one but two fouls. And don't tell me VAR isn't influenced by a home team scoring a screamer because I won't believe you. We are bad but getting an equaliser in a game where the home fans are ready to turn would have changed things.

I know it's not a scientific analysis but I honestly think the name Archer was mentioned once by the commentary team and that was in relation to how isolated he was rather than when he was involved. This is not a criticism of him but the system.

2nd half sounded terrible. Lots of things we know being pointed out by the commentators. Worst start in our history now, not just since football was invented in 1992. Says it all.

2nd half sounded terrible. Lots of things we know being pointed out by the commentators. Worst start in our history now, not just since football was invented in 1992. Says it all.