Saint Jude

Also very unlikely that Chelsea would have sanctioned a move directly to Man Utd. At least with Saints they know they can insert a buy back clause etc, and I assume a sell on clause if we sell to anyone but Chelsea.

Finally

Looking at the positives. Diallo is starting to look like a player. Ward Prowse and Bendarek look like they should (PL Players) N’Lundulu building some confidence. Watts looks like a prospect for the future. On the other side: Valery is all over the place. He’s obviously got some talent, but sharpness and decision making seem missing. Long is past it. Stephens confirming what we already knew. Vokins doesn’t look great (but a better back up than Valery) Chauke bit hard for him to get into this.. we’ll see in the future

Don’ think it’s a coincidence that he’s not played well in last few games and overall team performance has gone a bit stagnant. We need him to get his touch and confidence back.

I don’t understand why we can’t have progress, WiFi, some comfort etc without changing the character of football. I.e. As poster above says, the catering service at St Mary’s is appalling. It all starts with the club having a customer first approach. I.e. Some stadiums seem to have nailed the whole buy your half time drinks before the game, so see no reason why Saints can’t sort this, without the need for a Champagne bar. I’d be v. happy if they put in great WiFi, but only turned it on at half time, so I can see how badly the skates are doing...

Positives from the game: - we won and are in the 4th round - we rested most of our key players with a tough run of games coming up - Smallbone took his goal really well and hopefully should have some confidence built - Vokins look pretty decent (alright he didn’t exactly have a PL player up against him) - Vokins took his goal well (albeit with a deflection) - Long took his goal well (albeit VAR disallowed).. Negatives/worries from the game - Vestergaard is truly awful. Slowed everything down, starts form the wrong shape, which means is he’s always going to be negative and pass inside. Passing awful - Danso again played out of position. He did ok.. but body language wasn’t great, and looks a bit beaten down. - JWP didn’t get rested. Played ok, but more worried about PL - Romeu looks off the pace - Che Adams looks lacking in intensity and very low in confidence, but service was shocking - Boufal looked like a petulant child from about 15 minutes in and didn’t do enough. - Smallbone didn’t do enough (other than his goal) We looked like we had changed 10 players. We struggled to break then down, play with any intensity and strolled along like it was a reserves game (maybe it was).. ..thankfully Huddersfield were truly awful, so made it comfortable.

Positives from the game: - we won and are in the 4th round - we rested most of our key players with a tough run of games coming up - Smallbone took his goal really well and hopefully should have some confidence built - Vokins look pretty decent (alright he didn’t exactly have a PL player up against him) - Vokins took his goal well (albeit with a deflection) - Long took his goal well (albeit VAR disallowed).. Negatives/worries from the game - Vestergaard is truly awful. Slowed everything down, starts form the wrong shape, which means is he’s always going to be negative and pass inside. Passing awful - Danso again played out of position. He did ok.. but body language wasn’t great, and looks a bit beaten down. - JWP didn’t get rested. Played ok, but more worried about PL - Romeu looks off the pace - Che Adams looks lacking in intensity and very low in confidence, but service was shocking - Boufal looked like a petulant child from about 15 minutes in and didn’t do enough. - Smallbone didn’t do enough (other than his goal) We looked like we had changed 10 players. We struggled to break then down, play with any intensity and strolled along like it was a reserves game (maybe it was).. ..thankfully Huddersfield were truly awful, so made it comfortable.

Jack pulled a lot of shirts last year... not sure he’ll know how to defend if VAR is checking for them. I would love Jack to step up and improve, but fear he thinks he’s better than he is and will never be more than backup. Would love it if I’m wrong though..

Surely it also depends on timing. Cheer on the team until the final whistle... then make your feelings known depending on the attitude and the result

Please let the ‘player from France’ be a goalkeeper...

Is he an upgrade on Long? Yes. He will only come if he can play striker.

I’ve only been to one other Saints game at Old Trafford. (The game where Charlie scored in the dying minutes).. so hoping to keep up my 100% record. My daughter’s first away game as well.. so hoping we pull a rabbit out of a hat.. an think that’s all we can hope for right now..

We’ll find out now.. if the players were really ‘over-coached’..be interesting to see who they bring in. If he was so good.. and the condition wasn’t ‘serious’.. why is he not just taking a break and coming back to Saints when it’s fixed..

Don’t think Walcott would come back to be a wide player, as he’s seen himself as a striker for quite a few years. He would be an upgrade on Long as our run around and not score much striker...

Agree. Boufal got nowhere near.. clear penalty... but think he should have still have given the yellow card, as the lad had both his legs together going for his triple pike, so deserves all he got there..

Agreed, I thought we played a fair bit better today BUT, same frustration about the fact we are over coached and play too much to a system. Burnley played a high defensive line in the first half, squeezed our space, and because no-one is willing to play a ball early or go direct over the top it is so easy for teams to play against us. Gabbi is looking for the inside channel ball every time, and it NEVER comes.. EVER. The only thing I would disagree with.. is that the small touches aren't just about quality, but about confidence and that is obviously so low at the moment, it's like watching England. Players are so frightened t get something wrong, they don't take a risk.. (well apart from Boufal who takes a risk all the time) Needs some un-coaching.. take a few risks.. tell them to go ours and have fun.. be creative.. they are capable.. just needs better management.

We've been sh*t, why don't we at least try something else. I'd like to see McQueen given a chance to actually get a cross in... Saint Jude in goal ( I can't be any worse than Forster) Cedric, Vvd, Hoedt,Bertrand Davis, Romeo Sadly Tadic, boufal, McQueen Gabbi Logan

Won't be long and Koeman will be back available ..and surely we should keep MP.. and get someone in to help him, which isn't Eric Black and our amazing goalkeeping coach who only seems to plan outfield player stuff...

Spent a day ths year at a celebrity golf event and the number of arrogant, agressive autograph hunters with pre-printed photos so that they could re-sell them on, who were also willing to push kids out of the way, was pretty shocking. I can understand why celebrities get fed up of signing stuff. At the time, it struck me how the selfie is more personal and much harder to sell it on... Also struck how patient and decent most people were...

Right now we need a winger to push on, get past the full back and get a cross in... personally think there's more chance of that from McQueen than Redmond..

What's McQueen been like in that role...? Given how many times Redmond turns back.. was wondering whether Sam would make an alternative?

Agree with a lot of what's been said. Whole thing was awful. My daughter wanted to go home after about 30 minutes. Players look like they think if they keep doing the same tippy tippy football in a lethargic fashion somehow magically we'll make a breakthrough. We must be so easy to come and play against. Forster looks like he has the agility of a sloth crossed with a rhino filled with Botox. Too many lightweight players doing nothing in midfield. ..but MP is starting to look like a bit a tactical dunce. I know JWP divides opinion, but don't think anyone would play him in that 'position'.. even more against a team that are really physical. Someone on here earlier suggested 442 with McQueen adding some physicality on the left, which isn't a bad shout.. Gabbi is crying out for a partner, his movement in the first half was pretty good, going inside right/inside left.. and teh ball just goes out to the wing... and then teh winger turns back and plays back to defence. Only minor positive I could grab was Cedric put in a decent shift and Hoedt look pretty decent to me.. (maybe we shoudl have sold VVD and spent the money on a creative player with some strength.

Trying to find some positives for tonight.... There were a couple of nice moves between Boufal and McQueen in the last 15 minutes of the first half. Yoshida played solidly. Yep I think that's it. It was like watching England. We look scared of making a mistake, and no movement. I know we played 3 at the back.. but no idea what formation we were playing in front of that...they all looked very confused. Forster looks like he's used botox on his whole body, so that he looks like his whole body can only move in a fixed motion... the whole thing was immensely frustrating. Wolves fans sat in Corporate hospitality laughing their heads off and making rude signals to all the Saints fans around them...

.. and me... JRod showing some glimpses of his former self and crying out for a consistent run of games.. hope I'm wrong and he comes on as a sub and scores...

There was a family behind me in the Kingsland... I had a nice chat with them at half time, explained to them that if they didn't cheer /shout etc no-one would mind too much.. they had all been over for a couple of days in London and came across really well... then when Beard Shaver scored they couldn't contain themselves... 5 minutes later the stewards had removed them from the ground...bit of a shame really.. but can understand, as probably for their own safety as a few people started getting a bit uppity...