derry

I didn't see KWP either in the training video or yesterday's gallery.

It's all very well excusing Manning because he is a left back that doesn't have to play there or even make a lung bursting effort to get back. The simple fact is we are conceding most of our goals on the left side of the goal area. That in itself is costing our chances of automatic promotion. If it's so important to leave so much space on our left why don't we do it on the right? Personally I think Manning is an appalling defender. There has been countless occasions when it is obvious to everybody that we are in trouble on our left side but still Manning who is back with the centre backs and has the opportunity to move left doesn't see the danger and isn't reacting. Even if he is on the left he usually loses the attacker. That back four was a clusterfuck selection. Splitting the two regular centre backs was stupidity. As KWP wasn't available Bree should have replaced him with Stephens on the left. Smallbone flatters to deceive. He lacks the physical determination to even tackle. Opponents waltz past him. He spends a lot of time just unloading the ball. We need to tighten up in the middle. Downes maybe came back because he had to and was obviously not at his best. Hopefully by Wednesday he'll be feeling better. Aribo or Charles are a better bet. Admttedly when we are on top Smallbone looks better, more like a flat track bully. Martin has made some real selection cock ups in the last five matches and we have dropped points as a result. Stop picking the favourites and pick the best team available. there is a little over eight weeks and eleven matches left but more likely could be fourteen.

I thought the team that started looked good. Personally I think that Manning is an extremely weak defensive link. In fact his losing the ball led to the all important first goal also leaving his left back position unoccupied when defending. Bree, Stephens and Bednarek played well. In midfield Aribo, Charles and Rothwell played well and fed the two wide men Sulemana and Edozie. Sulemana especially with his pace caused Liverpool problems. Mara had a decent game. Where it all went wrong for me was the substitutions. Up until then we were able to break out and create chances. The substitutions for me left us in a shapeless mess. Armstrong with Adams and Mara looked all at sea. From then on we were penned in. Smallbone was appalling, three of the first unloads he made went to the opposition, including his give away that led to the second goal. Once Sulemana went off we had no out ball and Armstrong who replaced him mostly passed backwards. Adams was a disgrace, on one particular occasion we had a cross coming in from the right, he was trotting towards the Liverpool goal. In that instant he needed to sprint towards the goal area to try and get on the end of it, instead he just continued trotting and was nowhere near when the ball came in although both Armstrong and Mara made the effort. His closing down was a joke at little more than a stroll and never actually closing down.

RIP Chris. Dreadfully unlucky to lose his job here. He was a decent manager and suited Saints style. He was then replaced by a square peg in a round hole kick and rush merchant.

If Downes isn't completely fit it's best not to risk him until he is. Aribo, provided he shows the same effort as he did against Hull is an improvement especially physically. The bench looks strong and it's good to see Bree back. It'll be interesting how Brooks plays from the start and if it helps Adams. I personally think Fraser is a better starter.

One of our big faults is mostly on Smallbone. Most of the time he just unloads the ball. Last night I lost count of the number of balls played out to him that he immediately passed back to the back four. A lot of the times he did that we were then pressed hard and struggling. We must have a real bunch pf passive players because I would have torn his head off figuratively speaking. Manoeuvering is one thing as there is a purpose. Smallbone is just unloading it. Together with the lightweight Rothwell we were overwhelmed. Smallbone is just acceptable with Downes or Charles but no way Rothwell.

The lineup was flawed. Manning, Rothwell give the ball away or just get caught, Edozie and Mara consequently not doing enough and shouldn't have started. Smallbone no aggression, Mara doing nothing as a starter, Both Armstrongs periphery figures. Stephens, Frazer. Adams and Aribo to replace the four that shouldn't have started. We aren't agressive enough and playing far too slow.

WTF does Martin see in Manning. Defensively possibly the worst left back in this division.

Ottery St Mary is Bill Beaney's brother. He hasn't been on here for years, more's the shame.

Smallbone and Manning are pussies when it comes to tackling and winning the ball. all they do is try to nick the ball away and mostly don't. Defensively Manning is a liability.

Still very young and has taken a season and a half to find his feet. He is doing nicely and apart from his flair and unpredictability most importantly he is a clean striker of the ball unlike Adams who is a scuffer. All of his goals have been different but again unlike Adams he understands the goal area is the place he has to make for. We've really lacked that for a long time.

It hasn't been mentioned here but Brooks actually had a part in the fifth goal as well. He blocked an attempted clearance on our right into the goalmouth to Mara who dug it out and found Edozie who was calmness personified moving it clear and blasting it into the corner. I am a critic of Manning because his defensive game leaves gaps and he gives the ball away far too many times, however all Huddersfields goals came directly from our right side when we were pulled apart and then stretched us for the first two on the back post. Manning gave a nice pass to Rothwell for his cross for our third goal. I thought technically Mara's goal was brilliant as he had to hit the ball that was slightly behind him. This is the first game for a long time we haven't dominated possession in the first half especially. We were caught out by the powerful breaks and learned a valuable lesson. Before the game I was thinking about possible complacency. We won that game by winning the second half 5-1 after surrendering the first half. I thought Bazunu was a little unsighted for the first and the second and third were unstoppable for different reasons. Time to learn a valuable lesson. For me Saints are now playing the sort of football that I like, although especially the first half the passing and movement was laborious and too slow. Five substitutions, five goals and assists all from the substitutes. What's not to like.

How can anybody think Brooks can play as he captained Bournemouth v Swansea in 5-0 win.

The official site sums CA loan up. To give him further experience and when he comes back he will be a better player. I think the outlandish final fee is viewed similarly by us as unlikely.

Years ago I was a member at Stoneham until the hills got the better of me. I used to often talk to Matt, Richard Bland and Bryn Elliott amongst others in Ian's shop. I've got to say he was always unassuming and pleasant.

Jack Stephens has a major fault in that he often gets caught out through his ball watching. On Saturday he made a poor pass but then put in a last ditch block immediately. I think the problem was the disruption of making two changes in the back four for no reason. Bednarek has played left side with THB virtually all season. Stephens is essentially a right sided player yet he came on, went left side and Bednarek changed to the right. The disruption was noticeable. Whilst Stephens has even played reasonably at left back he isn't comfortable on the left. Bednarek should have stayed left side and Stephens just slotted in on the right side. It would have allowed him to be more comfortable on his natural side.

With due respect to Che Adams, He was good until the end of the summer transfer window as soon as the window closed he was hopeless. Approaching the January window he picked up again and put himself about, got into the box and started scoring again. I wonder why that is. Personally. unless he signs the contract we should let him go and get a goalscorer in. If he's still here after the window he may well revert to hopeless again. We can't afford that.

I've read some of the criticism of Stephens. To be fair he has messed up in about three games now. His back pass to Bazunu who messed up was poor, the next game he opted not to make a safe pass to THB who was wide open, instead passed to Manning who hit a hospital ball to Fraser on the congested side which ended up us losing the ball and conceding a goal. Yesterday he messed up several passes giving the ball to Swansea on the edge of our box. He was playing on the left side, in the first game as he replaced Bednarek but when he replaced THB yesterday Bednarek moved left to right and the predominantly right sided Stephens took the left side. That made no sense to me. He doesn't look comfortable on the left maybe having to cover because Manning's regularly going missing on that side. It was a lovely display in the first half and until we made the substitutions we were comfortable. Rothwell looked all at sea trying to fit in, give him time. It's obvious we are trying to give time to those players on the edge of the team to integrate them and improve them but I think as in the case of Stephens we shouldn't make life difficult for him, unnecessarily putting him on the left. Manning on the other hand defensively is poor. We are crying out for a good class left back.

RIP Mel.

Roper volleyed at hip height approx, it didn't go very high but it went like a rocket. it was up in the top right hand corner and hit the iron net support they used in those days and went down back under the goalkeeper. I was stood level with Roper behind the dugout and can still see it now. The goalkeeper dived but couldn't reach it and was on his way down when the ball came back out. As a retired airline captain I am well aware of lift, drag and aerodynamics having studied it for a year full time.and refreshed on courses for over forty years. I also had better than 20/20 vision and I know what I saw. Personally I wouldn't be citing 'A' levels as a criteria for expertise as it's pretty much at the bottom of the knowledge window.

Stephens had a hand in the last two late goals we conceded, a sloppy pass to Bazunu and a pass to Manning who dropped Fraser in it with his poor pass, when an easy pass to THB who was wide open was ignored and then his ball watching amongst others let Sargent equalise.

A few remarks have been made about the heavy leather balls this is a myth because since 1956 at least a new plastic coated valve ball without a lace was used for Saints and all other league matches and everywhere else, sometimes orange sometimes white. It was only junior league and school football where the old leather laced ball was sometimes used. Saints used to raffle the match ball, I won an orange one once. It was called penny on the ball.

I think this is the mythical assumption that modern is stronger and quicker. I knew John Sydenham he was the quickest player I've ever seen. Ron Davies was the best header and highest jumper I've ever seen. In my very early days at the Dell in the 1950's I saw Don Roper after he had come back from Arsenal hit a flat volley from the halfway line that went in under the diving goalkeeper and was hit so hard it hit the iron stanchion at the back of the net and came back out under the still airborn goalkeeper.

It also causes another problem as the central defenders are pulled across leaving room down our right as we try to plug the gaps, Norwich's goal today. Manning bypassed and KWP ending up as the last defender. Personally I think Manning is careless, his ball to Fraser was almost impossible to do anything. I think he is an appalling defender and allowed far too much freedom by the manager. We need to bring in a proper left back now.

The back four were all involved in conceding the goal for a variety of different reasons. It started with Stephens he had an easy out ball to THB who was in acres of space to his right with KWP free outside him yet turned towards the congested area and passed to Manning who then caused the problem by pinging the ball at Fraser who tried a blind pass that hit a Norwich player between two Saints. Armstrong had the chance to take one for the team but didn't. Stephens THB and KWP were ball watching and THB let Sargent rotate off him whilst Stephens was ball watching KWP was the only one to react as he attempted to pick up Sargent but made no challenge. Sargent rolled the ball through KWP's legs and in off the post. Bazunu was nearly on the penalty spot and couldn't get down quickly enough. I felt he shouldn't have been so far out of his goal.