derry

I see we've employed another bloody analyst. Does nobody believe their eyes any more. What's wrong with us. Simply too much possession, the God of Stupidity. Most of that inflated possession is short passing in our own half. All that does is buy the opposition the time to form their defence, get plenty of players back and have enough bodies to block the bulk of our efforts. Every match its the same. Manning on Saturday made the most decisive pass of his season a perfect through ball to McBurnie for Hull's first goal. Our defenders stand in their zones and although we outnumber the forwards we are cut apart time after time because nobody is attacking the ball whether on the ground or crosses, Wood trying to grapple an opponent who just jumps and heads the ball in. Too many centre backs, nobody taking responsibility. Full backs who play like wingers don't defend and leave acres of space behind them. Three centre backs who haven't a clue about playing together or attacking crosses. Yet the analytics tell a different story, loads of chances created etc. The analytics bring in Downs etc, Ekhert quotes them as if we were too good to lose, Total Bollocks. The best football, is maximum effort, high tempo, constant pressure, quick breaks. We are the opposite and getting the results our play is deserving.

That was another unmitigated disaster. There is a solution. Clear out the coaching staff, Bring in a traditional 4-4-2 manager who hates playing out from the back and demands high tempo and work rate. Manning's incessant back passing and inability to defend is doing my head in. Wood had to pass forward once the third centre back was removed. Harwood-Bellis also looked better in a two. Use our wingers and get in a big robust centre forward. Stewart did well for his goal, sadly every time I see him on the pitch I wonder how long he'll last.

RIP Martin. I gave him a hard time playing aginst Tauntons. Some years later I was killing a bit of time and went into Greentrees in London Rd for a tea. The place was nearly empty at the time, Martin was sitting in the window seats. He recognised me and we started chatting so I sat down with him. The first thing he said to me was "You gave me an awful kicking when you played against Tauntons, I remember that well, I recognised you as soon as you walked in" We sat and chatted for about an hour before I had to leave. He came over as a really nice genuine person. He was a great player.

Time after time we played short passes out from the back, we then either lost the ball or gave it away or worse still passed it back and lost it in our own half. Playing that way is garbage. The smartarse that advocates this is transparently an idiot. Playing this way deprives the forwards of the ball and if we do look like breaking, guarantees that we are outnumbered up front. If Ekhert really wants to know why we are so vulnerable he only has to look at the back five? Three centre backs and no leadership with most of the time non-existent full backs, a lightweight midfield outnumbered and two wingers mostly playing anywhere but, plus a lone small target man against teams given the time to consolidate in numbers because of our slow play.

The real problem is the three centre backs. I think Wood passed the ball forward once. Stephens is a ball watcher. Harwood-Bellis is our best centre back. Personally I think there is a team there if it allowed to play and the manager stops taking the best players off after an hour. In my opinion we need to play a back four. I'd go with Quarshie and THB as centre backs. Jelert at right back with possibly Welington at left back. Manning is a poor defender. Fellows on the right and Scienza on the left. Two up front. Downes, Jander, Bragg, Charles, Matzuki gives us two decent midfielders. We really need to bring in a robust centre forward but in the meantime two from Armstrong, Azaz, Robinson. Stop messing about after an hour. I remember under Ted Bates a promotion winning team on rough old pitches, mud etc I think at least 8 players played every minute of 52 games a couple more played 50 games and only 16 players were used. We should play our best team and only make necessary changes, not changes for the sake of it.

Yet again another garbage display with the back three passing sideways ably abetted by nearly everybody else who passed it back to them. Birmingham just got their whole team into defence which meant when, more often if the ball got into the final third we were outnumbered and blocked snatching at shots. I don't think Wood made anything other than sideways ten yard passes all game. The first five games were entirely different with less possession which is purely a count of passes, most of ours in our final third. I don't buy this possession crap. We have the players to destroy teams but are neutering them. Coventry v Ipswich last night was as different as chalk from cheese. We are saddled with a defensively non existent left back, three ball watching centre backs and a midget up front. We need a physical centre forward for the others to play off and trade it off by playing four at the back. I quite like Armstrong from Bristol City for dynamism and putting defenders under pressure. That creates space and panic for the others to exploit. also allows the ball to be played forward.

As a schoolboy in January 1960 third division Saints were playing first division Manchester City at Maine Rd in the third round of the FA Cup, a big deal in those days. A special train to Manchester and back was laid on for Saints supporters, it was packed. On arrival at Manchester all the Saints supporters en masse marched around central manchester singing, to the hotel Saints were staying at. They all came out onto a balcony to salute the supporters. What an atmosphere. Eventually we arrived at the massive Maine Road stadium. The match kicked off against City full of internationals. Cliff Huxford pulled a muscle early on but with no substitutes in those days it was either carry on or go off. He limped through the match and played a stormer. As did the whole team. In the finest individual display I've ever seen, Terry Paine tore City to pieces, four goals for Derek Reeves and one for George O'Brien against the great Bert Trautmann saw Saints win 5-1, what a day it was.

We have established several patterns. We are now predictable. The first half hour, slick movement and breaks maybe score three goals. the next 15 mins more possession based preserve the lead and get to half time. All through the first half there was a common thread, pass the ball around at the back then slowly move forward and lose the ball before we reach half way. For all our possession most of the passes were in our own half and mostly the centre backs. Manning is a massive problem as he habitually passes back which in itself feeds the problem. He is hopeless defensively and often out of position not getting back. The second half we play passively for 15 minutes then take our best attackers off. That makes us even more passive whilst we lose the ball more having lost our outlets. The opposition know how we play and then press us. We then make more changes that only make the situation worse so for the last 20 minutes they are pretty much camped in our half. Last night we could have lost that game. WBA forward completely messed up an open goal header by heading straight to Bazunu, anywhere else it was an easy chance then just before the end a low cross from the left was stepped over and left the right winger an easy chance but he fluffed it and fired into the Chapel. We survived a succession of corners and as at QPR were hanging on at the end. The second WBA goal was a blatant obstruction of Bazunu and should have been disallowed however well before that our team should have been into the referee and aggressively marked the WBA players before the ball came back into play. We have to stop this pattern or it is going to cost us against the better teams. Admittedly getting the injured players back may help but we have to be more combative in the second half. Backing off and putting numbers behind the ball just doesn't cut it especially having taken Scienza, Azaz, Armstrong, Fellows etc off leaving us with little attacking threat.

Aribo was abysmal. Slow, not committed and going through the motions. Personally I've never liked Aribo because he is so embarrassingly left footed he can only turn one way, that together with his lack of pace and mobility it astounds me that we are paying him over £3.5m a year. He should be shelved now and got rid of in January even if a contribution is required to transfer him. His performance hurt us yesterday If Tonda thinks otherwise he is deluded. Enough to cast serious doubts regarding his promotion. Yesterday's result was unfortunate. Personally Stephen's went missing at the last goal, Manning's poor positioning facing the wrong way contributed. That goal spoilt an otherwise decent result in the circumstances.

For the first time in a long time I like the way we are playing. I see a manager who knows his players, is playing them in their natural positions and gelling the way they play thereby getting the best out of them and especially achieving more than the sum of the parts. Something no manager has done since Koeman and at times Hasenhuttl. All in three weeks. If he has done nothing else he has put us in a position to strike out for the top with 29 games left. He deserves the opportunity and should get to decide who he wants to work with. If the chemistry is there then let it be.

A hard bitten experienced manager. Rodgers looks like the closest to that for me.

I think Rodgers actually played for Newport IOW before he blagged the coaching job at Chelsea which really gave him a start. Also at Reading so the area is known to him.

Money talks! Rodgers has a very good record and his teams play attacking football. He might be an arrogant prick but football managers in the main appear to be. It needs somebody with a strong personality and a good record.

As a schoolboy I watched Saints in the old Div 3S, then Div3, Div2, Div1, FA Cup Winners, Premier League then up and down. They're still my team.

McCarthy is awful and Charles is out for a couple of months. I named only those that were fit. Thirdly Bazunu is a more accurate kicker of the ball and could target the 6'5" Quarshie. McCarthy struggles to keep it on the pitch.