WestMidSaint

Whilst being a Saints fan presently is hard work, watching modern day football with kids is a joy. My 8 year old in particular takes it all to another level. We go to various different Prem and Championship games and everything from the fire jets at wolves to the liquidator at wba and Chelsea blows his mind. When I was young we had so little access to football, whereas now it seems he knows every player, team, match and moment of note from the last few years. It’s easy to be cynical, but when watched through his eyes the standard is better than ever and whilst it’s never going to be the match day experience of 30/40/50 years ago, I can at least take him and his sister all over without too much hassle. As far he’s concerned a career in the premier league for Chelsea or Arsenal is just around the corner and I’m not going to tell him otherwise!

This is an embarrassment of the highest order. So many who need to piss off and never come back. Their keeper never made a save in that second half. What the hell do they do in training. Anyone who thinks next year wilL be fun in the championship with a swift return is deluded

I’m not thrilled or excited about him, but when I think about it, it’s not really him per se that leaves me feeling a bit ambivalent. It’s more the realisation of where we are as a club. Whilst we’re bang up against it, we’re clearly not down and far stranger things have happened than someone in our predicament staying up given there’s a lot of games left and we’ve (hopefully) strengthened in the window. That said, any manager who is currently at a top flight club will surely be put off by the fact they could be relegated and managing a second tier team through no fault of their own. It’s a shame but we’re suddenly shopping in a different manager market to the one we’ve been in for the last decade (even though some appointments were crap). I would’ve loved Emery for instance, but even if we were looking when Villa were, I doubt he’d have chosen us. I know it’s hard, but if we fixate on the fact a manager has previously “failed” and has therefore been sacked then we aren’t going to be happy with anyone. Dyche, Howe and Benitez for instance have all failed. Whilst it’s underwhelming, I just hope we give him time. He did do well keeping Leeds up and he did have them going well earlier this season. We’ve seen what can happen to a good manager who doesn’t have goals in the team so should be able to view his time there with context. If he comes we really need to start without any prejudices and give him time. He seem like a different beast to jones so will hopefully get the time and patience we (rightly) didn’t give Jones. If we get on his back prematurely and keep up the toxicity it will only go from bad to worse. Like it or not, we will have a big part to play!

JB had no respect for our club with his comments on way to Villa so I’ve got no respect for him. Can’t wait for him to be gone and couldn’t care less what becomes of the prick

Dyche was so painfully obvious. It was the mature and sensible choice, just not very sexy. Problem is our board think they’re all so clever and above such a decision. Their arrogance, ignorance and now stubbornness has completely stitched us up. even when we do get rid of this weasel fool, who can have any confidence they’ll make a decent appointment. Complete jokers

How can Walcott get on the bench and not Orsic? Are orsic, DCC and ABK injured?

Lucky we spent all that money strengthening in January!

This is what I really don’t get…. On the one hand, you’ve got to acknowledge they’ve laid out a significant net spend. Whether the money has been spent on the right players, at the right time is questionable, though it’s beyond doubt the highest net spend we’ve ever seen. While they get credit for investing and clearly trying to right wrongs to avoid relegation, all that goes out the window with their seemingly terrible choice of manager. The appointment looks like it could completely undermine their investment and doesn’t seem to tally with an ownership that have spent heavily on transfers It’s a bit like buying a few expensive bottles of wine and then trying to serve them in a substandard glass which is cracked, leaking and not fit for purpose!!

I didn’t see it like that. Thought he had a run on the ball and has simply failed to make proper contact. I might stand corrected when I see the reply again.

If pathetic Armstrong doesn’t stumble over a simple ball it’s 1-1! if lyanco doesn’t see joelinton and then still completely fail to react! if Adams didn’t bottle it! if only we didn’t have Jones as our manager! even my wife cottoned on straight away that we can score for toffee.

I was surprised they offered him that much and that long. I can’t believe he was on anything like that at Luton. Maybe £20k (ish)??? Anyone with any savy would’ve offered him £30k, with a view to dealing at £40k if necessary for 2.5 years. It’s not like he wouldn’t have come I bet. You could even have offered some juicy bonus based on survival this year and then improved league position at the end of next season. Loading the contract with bonuses would also presumably mitigate our liability when the chancer gets the sack. It’s like they’ve not only been duped by hiring a dud, but they’ve also had their pants pulled down in the process. Mugs!

Very good listen. The bit that resonates with me is at the end when matey says he’s got to go “and that’s coming from another manager”. So often in football players/coaches/pundits shy away from criticising each other. I think it shows how bad it is that he says that. Furthermore, just think about the fact that the person saying that is someone who would be desperate not to have others speaking about him like that and will normally presumably be in the camp of “give a manager more time”. This isn’t some daft kid who doesn’t appreciate the reality of football.

3 managers is basically a guaranteed relegation. That said, if we stick with just 2 then that’s guaranteed relegation too so who knows???!!

We’ve been circling the drain for a few years now. The absolute joke of a way they’ve run our club has made us a laughing stock. Having stayed up last season despite a terrible 2nd half to the season, it was so clear what needed to be done. We’ve tried to be too smart due to chronic arrogance and have completely shot our selves in the foot. All the board had to do was follow a few obvious steps (sign a striker, premier league keeper, number 10, competent new manager) and we did none of them. We fully deserve to go down and I can’t see how it won’t happen. I think we’ll be relegated well before the end of the season. We all have fond memories of the back to back promotions, but we need to remember the route down to league 1 rather than assume it will be like the good times of coming back up. On the basis they’ve messed everything else up, I can only assume next season will be as bad in the Championship. I’d say that whilst we’re rock bottom of the league, we’re a long way from rock bottom of where we are as a club. The owners deserve every financial hardship they will be suffering. I hope it hurts them as much as they are hurting the fans

I think that summary is about right. I don’t hold any ill will towards him and will remember him well. Even though it ended badly he should be remembered as an important figure in the modern history of the club. Longest serving manager in 30 years

I want him gone and have for a while. He regularly makes decisions which support my opinion. That said, I do think we need to feel some sympathy for him. I can’t imagine he wanted the strike force he’s been given. When you look at the misses today you have to feel sorry for him. It must be so frustrating to work hard all week (as I’m sure he does) to see what few chances we do create get thrown away pathetically. if we still had Ings, or a striker of his sort of quality, then I’m sure we’d be much better off given we’re still only 4 points off 11th

I’ve watched it back and don’t like his positioning for most of the goals. Whilst the play was coming from his right and he obviously has to therefore be that side of centre-he left to much space to his left. He needed to be one or maybe even two decent sized steps to the left to cover that side of the goal.

2nd option 100%

Tough watch as we made life so much harder then it had to be by continually giving the ball away. Against a better team that could’ve been fatal. Bazunu controlled his area well dealing with high balls. The one mistake was the only error and thank God Salisu was there. Adams was an absolute Trojan again. He works so hard and deserved MOTM. Stu gave us some well needed ball carrying to relive a little pressure.

The scam is that it’s only a fiver off and you’ve still gotta pay the other £30 odd quid to watch us get bullied

On the basis he’s still there after being pathetic for so long, I’m really not optimistic about him getting his P45 any time soon. I really can’t understand anyone thinking he should stay. Anyone who thinks that is surely a Nigel Pearson ostrich! Pull the trigger ASAP you idiots

I’m worried about Bazunu. He’s not dropping terrible clangers and throwing them in, but I keep feeling he could’ve done better. I don’t rate his long kicking either. Obviously he’s very young so should improve, but for now he looks like he has a long way to go.

I find that so pathetic when he celebrates a single victory as if he’s completed some sort of major triumph

I really can’t see how there could be people who still want him here. He’s had his time and had some good spells, but surely has to do. The form has been terrible for 6 months, he shows no signs of improving players and bar a couple of promising results we seem to be on a continuing downward spiral. The board should’ve sacked him months ago and seriously messed up. The longer it goes on the more this mistake is compounded. So so so disappointing

Remind me, what was the buy back figure?