Winnersaint

I said a few weeks back their £40m fella would break his duck against us. Gotta happen.

We're probably the only EPL team that's made them like world beaters.

United are atrocious. Ten Hag for the chop.

Reports suggest that it’s like we play just with better players

I think Bournemouth is crucial for RM. With a potential free hit the following game against Arsenal if SR were going to look at things differently (not saying they should, but there are press rumblings) then with the second international break it could be an opportune moment to make a switch.

Nothing better than a draw, probable defeat. I've always thought we were capable of giving the certain teams a game at home, you know, the likes of; Fulham, Palace, Bournemouth, Brentford, Forest, Leicester, Ipswich, Everton and possibly West Ham. Win your home games against those and there's 24 points in the bag even if you lose one at home. Failure to beat Forest and Ipswich has already knackered that and even now I feel we are already needing snookers, so we'll need to pick up away points also. Never been our strength.

I agree, once RM does get a team playing as a cohesive unit as last seen season from October onwards it works, however I think you are right in your assumption that there is insufficient time to allow this to happen in this brutal league.

I don't begrudge him that after sticking around last season.

I think this is not far off the mark. It begs the question why? Its not like we're a Huddersfield, Burnley, Blackpool, Luton, Sheffield Utd, Bournemouth even, we do have pedigree in this league. This league is all about scoring goals and having 2/3 of Sheffield Utd's relegated forward line isn't going to get you very far.

Off grid for next 30 mins or so. Expect to come back to find we've played with ten men for the last 20 and lost 2-1 with the winner coming in the last minute.😂

Perhaps, but the point I'm making is that its almost certainly a facet of Russball which at this level we may have not adapted to. Either that or the players are erring on the side caution and not being 'brave' enough, to coin a phrase.

Alan Ball never had the legs back in the day but he always knew where to be, at the right time and invariably picked the right pass without running his legs off.

Not sure why that should be a surprise. Departure notwithstanding he was a very very good player for us in his first spell.

Interesting comment in WHU v Chelsea game re Maresca who emphasises possession first and foremost but leaves it to the players to take responsibility to get it forward if there is an obvious opening.

How long before the first........ Fuck! or FFS! of the afternoon?

I'm sure we can if we try. However ever hopeful.

No. I think having KWP playing at left wing back made us unbalanced. I don't think he's been as bad as people seem to be implying. Combined well in first half last week with BBD but let down by the latter, providing scant support when Utd had the ball. I would hazard a guess that Sugawara was bought as a KWP replacement in the event of him being sold in the summer window and that has left us with a problem because he's still here and KWP is more versatile than Sugawara.

Enjoyed the discussion as ever.

I've not seen any team this weekend that looks as least competitive in this league as we do. Cant see us beating Bournemouth on the evidence of last night for example. You just know their £40 million striker will open his account against us. Let that sink in, Bournemouth have a £40 million striker and we have fucking Sheffield Utd's failed forward line from last season. Wolves look streets ahead of where we are. Everton can at least score as long as DCL stays fit, even if they do chuck away two goal leads for fun. I couldn't see us going to Villa and doing what they did last evening. As a support base we blithely assumed we'd pick up points v Forest and Brentford, two of the so called 'weaker' teams. The former won at Anfield and the latter gave City a game by all accounts yesterday. We are so far out of our depth both in terms of players, their experience and the experience, or lack thereof the manager. We really did look like a plucky lower league team playing Man U in the cup yesterday. Throw the kitchen sink at them in the first 30mins knowing that there would be only one outcome if we didn't score whilst doing so. We'll likely win a few games, but not many. To put it in perspective in 22/23 during Ralph's last few months in charge prior to the World Cup we had 12 points in the first 13 games, 7 from the first 4, we're nowhere near that level of competitiveness this season. So I'll take the odd bright moment this season when and if they come and try to be as positive as possible. I don't get the embarrassment emotion that some express on here when it comes to Saints. It is what it is.

Summed us up in a nutshell.

Nearly a third, yet again Stephens is the issue.

There’s a hammering underway here.

Same thing again put someone on the edge of the box at corners.

Good save there

Well there we go