vectraman

Fab performance Saints and an exceptional point. Well played, tactically spot on Ralph, let’s get our first win now against Wolves next week. Come on Saints 😀

Enjoyed the game, our defence played very well - McCarthy was also faultless. JWP, Redmond, Moi all pretty anonymous the whole match. Broja looked a real handful when he came on - please start him next match! watching from the family centre it struck me that our defenders would be looking up to pass the ball out and our entire midfield and forwards were not making any runs, no movement at all. Just no one to play the ball out to. Throughout the whole game we were just stood there, shocking lack of movement everywhere. No idea why. Livramento is so full of running when he’s on the ball, some of our other players need to follow his lead. Good point, could have been three if Redmond took an early shot, and Broja had some luck near the end. Encouraging Saints.

I love Djenepo’s unpredictability, he can beat a player, just needs more end result - decent cross or a shot. There is a decent player in there, but understand why he is not a popular starting choice.

Good performance undone by lack of concentration in places. Before the game a point would have been a good outcome, should have won it though, almost lost it, got the deserved point - credit JWP for a cool head under pressure with the pen. still conceding too many goals - 6 in 3 games now, we haven’t solved the too easy to score against problem yet…

Exactly as you say 👍

Twat. We all have opinions, you are a gobby nob.

The response depends on the game and opposition. If we are 1 up and clearly on top then no, of course I wouldn’t want us to shut up shop. But away at Everton where we were definitely not on top or looking likely to score more, we definitely do need this conservative approach. Playing a high pressing game against decent teams will always leave you stretched at the back if they break against you. Why invite a quick break when you can play difficult to beat? Poch had us playing great football, but he had a far better quality selection of players to choose from than Ralph has. We are playing with distinctly poor and fragile players all over the pitch. Really not much quality in our side, really not much leadership on the pitch or from the sidelines. Got to play to your strengths, not the weaknesses, and our defence is a massive weakness sadly.

We have thrown away more points from winning positions than any other team - a table we are top of! But why? We are too nice, too soft, too easy to get through. We have no game plan (or if we do, it’s well hidden). We get in front - great. Then we just carry on as before, get weary, make errors, concede. Once one goes in, more are sure to follow. Why though? Ralph I’m afraid has to take the criticism for this. We don’t evolve to the situation going on on the pitch. Nothing. No response, no tactical changes, no personnel changes until it is too late to matter. Everton at half time. Should have been obvious we are going to come under pressure? We do nothing. We should get another CB on - Everton’s style is get crosses in for DCL to attack. Make it hard for them. Go 5 4 1. Leave Armstrong up front, drop deeper, make it difficult for them to play through you, make it hard for DCL - man mark him. Play horrible shit football - waste time, niggly fouls, stop the flow of the game, take ages with throw ins, get the crowd angry at our slow play, get the keeper to take his time with goal kicks, play it long - don’t piss about at the back trying to play it out, we are crap at it and don’t have the right players to do it. We concede so many goals by us giving the ball away at the back… teams know we try and play out so they press us and we give them the ball in dangerous areas. I’ve lost count of how many times watching us I utter the “stop pissing around at the back” phrase. yeah it’s the hip way to play football - if you’re City or Barcelona or another top team who have players comfortable on the ball at the back, but we don’t, so if we are 1-0 up, don’t do it. Play for the 1-0 win. Win ugly. Win Burnley style. Bore the crowd, get them on your backs, foul them, but above all be hard to beat. Take some yellow cards, let them know you mean business and you won’t be a walkover… Not us. Soft as shit, soft nice underbelly, no beast in CM to get amongst it and give the fragile defence some cover. Won’t win fans for pretty. But it may help win points. Go play ugly, play dirty, play to bloody well be difficult to beat. Over to you Ralph - get rid of the nice Saints and get us being horrible nasty bastards who run the clock down, piss the opposition off and get us the points.

I think we will go with 5 at the back, Armstrong on his own up front and 4 trying to stop them playing through our midfield. Forster in goal please! Better performance, ultimately 3-1 loss.

Well fingers crossed it all works out, else we will be going to AA. (Alcoholics Anonymous)!

17th. Watford, Newcastle and Norwich just slightly more shit than we are. We struggle to stop conceding goals, teams know we want to play out from the back and simply pressure us into giving them the ball in and around our penalty area. Neither of our keepers are comfortable on the ball, we keep giving soft self inflicted goals away. Our central defenders still can’t read the game (why would they, they are the same as last season). I am regularly told off for uttering my usual Saints watching phrase “ffs stop pissing about at the back with it”.

He’d be as awful as Solanke or Ibe have been. Eg useless waste of money.

Totally and utterly agree. Abraham would be a great upgrade on Ings - taller, quicker, younger. Won’t happen, but the happy clappers on here thinking it’s their own money that’s being spent amuse me… If we were a wealthier club, the saddos on here would be extolling it as a great deal. We should aim high, everyone heart on heart knows he would be an upgrade, but no, the saints web rules say he’s crap because he’s expensive.

Good luck to him. Decent money for him, we now need to spend it very wisely on a striker. A decent defensive midfielder would also not go amiss…

Definitely, and a leader and upgrade on all we have at cb. We need to get experience in and forget this young and for the future crap, with a mythical resale value nonsense. Need to change our tunnel vision strategy and get a bit of guile and experience in our side. Still think we need a big and nasty dm in to protect our glass defence and goalkeeper too, part of the reason we conceded so many goals last season…

Has Harry Kane forgotten how to run? It’s cringeworthy watching him plod about. Get him off and get someone on who at least puts the effort in. But Southgate won’t do that will he? could do with Bamford up front to give us a focal point. Shame he didn’t make the squad 😬

I agree, but hope we are both wrong. Surely we aren’t playing for penalties…….😮😬 My god football fans are retards - why boo the German national anthem 🤦‍♂️

Sounds like they’ll be going the way of Fulham - lots of new players doesn’t always make for a good team….

I’m with you. all the UK teams and Ireland I want to do well. Rather cheer them along than a bunch I’ve no affinity for. * gotta love the underdogs - which the Brits & Ireland are 👍 Don’t get the hatred and animosity 🤷‍♂️

Finally, Kane off. Jogged about for 70 odd minutes doing absolutely nothing. Clearly trying to drive his price down. Che Adams lively, but thankfully can’t shoot. Good solid Saints player 🤣🤣

Wtf Southgate?! You take one of our few good players off in a team full of mediocrity. Glad Grealish is on but ffs you take Foden off. Get Rice off. We don’t need 2 Cdm’s against Scotland 🤦‍♂️

What, in 45 minutes, has Harry Kane done? Totally and utterly anonymous.

Winners: France Runners Up: Belgium Scotland get knocked out at: group Wales get knocked out at: group England get knocked out at: quarter finals Dark Horse (Furthest a team gets excluding England, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, Portugal): Denmark Top Goalscorer: Mbappe UEFA Best Player: De Bruyne UEFA Best Young Player: Foden

Exactly this. Get the big men up, get the crosses into the box. Us? Fart about in midfield and pass it about in our own half and lose it. Baffling. Just go route one, we are losing for God's sake 😡

I'd be annoyed if my Under 13's passed across our own box like Adams did. What on earth was he thinking, that really is an elementary mistake. Poor Ralph - how do you account for that in your planning for the game?!