Southampton 1 - 1 Leyton Orient - Post match reaction

[Goalie66]

I read peoples' views on here with interest and don't usually comment. It is clear to me that we have not replaced Waigo or Antonio (Not sure what to make of Chamberlain yet) and unless we do I have a feeling that opposition teams will ride their luck just like Plymouth and Orient did today. Pardew is an excellent judge of a footballer and must have recognised that we need different strikers or wingers (I thought Barnard was superb today) by which I mean either/or someone with more pace or some one with more height. Puncheon did some great stuff today but he can't really be a right winger and take some one on the outside when he is totally left footed. So I question what he is doing there. His free kick deliveries were poor mostly. We are ponderous going forward and it gives the opposition time to get back in numbers. Lallana is he only midfielder who I could describe as creative, has the ability to beat an opponent. Morgan needs to try to emulate Lallana, I am sure he has it in him.

 

I am a huge supporter of Pardew and I'm sure he isn't daft. If the players he wants don't arrive, the results will continue to falter as they are doing and he will either throw in the towel or be sacked.

 

Good summary but I would add that neither Hammond or Sneirderlin are moving forward to support the attack and we did very few overlaps. The weakness is in our midfield and in particular Hammond who drifts without any clear vision of how to adjust to a game. Today we had far too many players behind the ball and were not pushing up to play in their half , particularly in the second half. That said with any luck we could have won by foour goals. No need to panic yet and I think we will find it easier away from home

[JackFrost]

as soon as the pundit on SSN said "we had started like an express train" just after describing the goal it was the kiss of death. Our attacking is too lethargic.

[CanadaSaint]

It's all very well people saying that these are "early days" but it looks and sounds like we're exhibiting exactly the same failings as last year, but now we don't even have the "impact subs" we had then.

 

The failure to address known weaknesses (squad and tactical), the inability to break down defensive teams, the tendency to sacrifice width too early in attacks, the over-passing in meaningless spaces, the absence of a credible "Plan B", the tendency to be out-coached at half time, and the inability to reverse the hoofing trend when it appears are problems this year, just as they were last year.

 

Something else worries me. We have brought in a succession of players who were well-regarded by the fans of the club they were leaving, but their games have gone downhill as soon as they arrived here. If we don't get Jaidi out of there, playing alongside him will take Fonte's game down the toilet as well.

 

These characteristics are, to me, indicative of managerial weakness. And when people like Weston and Derry feel it's time for a change, I'm convinced it is.

[Clifford Nelson]

Puncheon did some great stuff today but he can't really be a right winger and take some one on the outside when he is totally left footed. QUOTE]

 

Puncheon is playing on the right because Lallana is playing on the left. From there he can come on the inside and score a lot of goals. It's difficult to argue with that. Whilst we normally would be a bit unbalanced, because of Lallana, we now have no width at all. I feel that Puncheon was the wrong buy at the time. We had both Waigo and Antonio, both right footed, who would have done a better job.

[scotty]

I read peoples' views on here with interest and don't usually comment. It is clear to me that we have not replaced Waigo or Antonio (Not sure what to make of Chamberlain yet) and unless we do I have a feeling that opposition teams will ride their luck just like Plymouth and Orient did today. Pardew is an excellent judge of a footballer and must have recognised that we need different strikers or wingers (I thought Barnard was superb today) by which I mean either/or someone with more pace or some one with more height. Puncheon did some great stuff today but he can't really be a right winger and take some one on the outside when he is totally left footed. So I question what he is doing there. His free kick deliveries were poor mostly. We are ponderous going forward and it gives the opposition time to get back in numbers. Lallana is he only midfielder who I could describe as creative, has the ability to beat an opponent. Morgan needs to try to emulate Lallana, I am sure he has it in him.

 

I am a huge supporter of Pardew and I'm sure he isn't daft. If the players he wants don't arrive, the results will continue to falter as they are doing and he will either throw in the towel or be sacked.

 

Good post. I'm positive about Alex OC myself, but I wonder if theres an element of "dont know much about him so dont know how to play him", a bit like the honeymoon period a team gets with a new manager. He seems like a terrific prospect tho.

[hypochondriac]

In fairness the options on the bench this year are cack! Its the one major difference IMO from last seasons squad in that we currently have no real Plan B. I would however have wanted OXO on a bit earlier as he looked pretty decent from teh couple of games Ive seen of him.

 

Well if we aren't going to use our options on the bench, we might as well not bother naming a subs bench!

[saint_stevo]

Lambert looked off the pace today, understandably, yet we sub barnard and leave him on!? Wtf

[Red]

I think the answer lies here:

 

http://www.saintsfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10280~2128146,00.html

 

Kelvin talking about RL and his return for today's game, particularly,

 

".... we will keep looking to supply him ....", which I take to imply we will hoof it to Lambert (ok maybe not just hoof it), but just look for RL all the time! KD is the club captain and a senior pro so his lead will come from AP, but surely he, AP and the rest of the management team must realise we are not a one man team????

 

What happens if RL is injured, has an off day, does not score? .... well I think the evidence is there for all to see. Yes RL is probably our best player and when on song will win a lot of games for us, but we have a hugely talented team and should have the opposition in knots about who to mark etc. - instead they put two men on Ricky, and job done !

 

This is solely a tactics issue, and therefore largely AP's issue - surely he must see that? I don't want him out, but he needs to show he has the tactical knowhow to win with the best team in the league by far - if not how will we ever cope in the higher leagues, assuming he can get us there.

 

And finally, no two games is not too soon (if you ignore the pre season and end to last season that is), it's like saying we can always win the game late on - which we rarely do!

[rocknrollman no2]

Nothing of any quality in midfield,nothing on the wings and we got a lucky goal.

Sorry but today,like the Plymouth game left us looking very poor.

We have had a settled preseason and we have known for months what positions need filling,yet we still only have 1 point out of two games.

This is not promotion form,in fact its relegation form and who cares its only the second game of the season.

We have dropped 5 points already.

Again not good enough.

[saint michael]

the disappointing thing is that AP looked lost on how to change things to make a difference today. 12 players gone 3 in and no real game changers on the bench (connolly could be admitted). Expectation is greater and seems to be taking its toll. IF we are to move on we need to be able to put sides like LO away but didn't really belive we could even though hitting the bar may have hidden may have given the result we alla wanted.

 

time and tide... good luck Alan

[beatlesaint]

Desperately need an impact player to come off the bench.

Antonio unused sub again for Reading today and now most of their players are regaining fitness thats how its gonna stay.

Getup to Reading, offer them a reasonable fee and get him back here FFS

[Clifford Nelson]

It's all very well people saying that these are "early days" but it looks and sounds like we're exhibiting exactly the same failings as last year, but now we don't even have the "impact subs" we had then.

 

The failure to address known weaknesses (squad and tactical), the inability to break down defensive teams, the tendency to sacrifice width too early in attacks, the over-passing in meaningless spaces, the absence of a credible "Plan B", the tendency to be out-coached at half time, and the inability to reverse the hoofing trend when it appears are problems this year, just as they were last year.

 

Something else worries me. We have brought in a succession of players who were well-regarded by the fans of the club they were leaving, but their games have gone downhill as soon as they arrived here. If we don't get Jaidi out of there, playing alongside him will take Fonte's game down the toilet as well.

 

These characteristics are, to me, indicative of managerial weakness. And when people like Weston and Derry feel it's time for a change, I'm convinced it is.

 

Your observations are excellent. Our problems, just as you say, are not new, but remains there from last season, whilst they should have been ironed out by now. The loss of Waigo and Antonio only makes it worse. It is time for a change.

[Smalls]

Sorry but I actually think we are less effective this season than last we have no longer any real genuine pace and without Antonio and Papa we don't have that something different I'm starting to think NC is not backing Alan which will mean only one thing a new manager before Xmas

[Charlie Wayman]

You'd have to say on balance this was a woeful performance from players who are supposed to be the envy of this league, truth is we are just not good enough to win this league or gain promotion despite all the pre-season hype and bookies nonsensical odds. The only lad who acquitted himself well today was Lee Barnard and typical of Pardew no prizes for guessing who got taken off? Not his poster boy of course nor that cretin Puncheon.

 

We struggled just like this last August, then it was blamed on the 10 points deficit being a 'mountain to climb'. What are the excuses going to be this time?

 

Now if I was Cortese, I'd be clicking on 'Contacts" this evening.

 

I remember Third Division football from the fifties and sixties and this is just like those days when you realise how difficult it will be to escape from it.

[hypochondriac]

Sorry but I actually think we are less effective this season than last we have no longer any real genuine pace and without Antonio and Papa we don't have that something different I'm starting to think NC is not backing Alan which will mean only one thing a new manager before Xmas

 

I agree that we are less effective. We are so easy to defend against.

[Clifford Nelson]

AP has frequently said something about that we are looking for another couple of players, but today in the Solent interview he said, when asked, that he had no comments to make. This is different from previously, so what has happened. Has he been told that he has to live with what he's got? In another ten days we will know.

[Saint_clark]

AP has frequently said something about that we are looking for another couple of players, but today in the Solent interview he said, when asked, that he had no comments to make. This is different from previously, so what has happened. Has he been told that he has to live with what he's got? In another ten days we will know.

 

 

For a while now he's been saying "I think commenting on transfers will only hurt myself and the club, so i'm not going to". It's nothing new.

[Junction 9]

They say the bookies are rarely wrong but to have us as odds on champions seems ridiculous watching us play. I'd be happy with 6th right now, this is far from a great team.

[Stubby]

We have one of the best squads in the division, if not the best. We have enough ability to retain possession and play good football. We can play through midfield and Puncheon and Lallana are talented players who can play down the wings. Chamberlaine, too, has talent. He also has pace. But today we gave possession away cheaply time after time (again). Jaidi was most at fault in this. He kept hitting it long and I can't remember it working once. It seems to me that what we need is not new players but the discipline and confidence to play properly and not just keep lumping it forward.

[Seaford Saint]

Good summary but I would add that neither Hammond or Sneirderlin are moving forward to support the attack and we did very few overlaps. The weakness is in our midfield and in particular Hammond who drifts without any clear vision of how to adjust to a game. Today we had far too many players behind the ball and were not pushing up to play in their half , particularly in the second half. That said with any luck we could have won by foour goals. No need to panic yet and I think we will find it easier away from home

 

Puncheon did some great stuff today but he can't really be a right winger and take some one on the outside when he is totally left footed. QUOTE]

 

Puncheon is playing on the right because Lallana is playing on the left. From there he can come on the inside and score a lot of goals. It's difficult to argue with that. Whilst we normally would be a bit unbalanced, because of Lallana, we now have no width at all. I feel that Puncheon was the wrong buy at the time. We had both Waigo and Antonio, both right footed, who would have done a better job.

 

Puncheon was ineffective for large parts of the game when trying to take on their left back. He is nearly always going to cut inside. I am not sure its the correct us of his talents. As the guy next to me said. When Puncheon takes free kicks on the right with his left foot the ball is always curled in going towards the goalkeeper. A right footed player would potentially have more success because he would curl the ball away from the goalkeeper.

 

There is also something not right with our midfield....its on the slow side and our defenders have an easier time hoofing it than they do passing it to a midfielder. The ball when it was passed to the midfield ended up soming back to the defence a lot more than it should have done. This was not because we were playing possession footy waiting for a decent opportunity but because the midfielders weren't comfortable enough on the ball and were often closed down because they were unable to pass their way out of trouble.

 

As for Chamberain, its a big ask for a lad just turned 17 to turn it on against grown men. Its not impossible, but I tend to think he might want at least another year at this level before he gets comfortable.

[Red]

We have one of the best squads in the division, if not the best. We have enough ability to retain possession and play good football. We can play through midfield and Puncheon and Lallana are talented players who can play down the wings. Chamberlaine, too, has talent. He also has pace. But today we gave possession away cheaply time after time (again). Jaidi was most at fault in this. He kept hitting it long and I can't remember it working once. It seems to me that what we need is not new players but the discipline and confidence to play properly and not just keep lumping it forward.

 

but's that's what they have been told to do !!!! (see my earlier post)

[70's Mike]

We have one of the best squads in the division, if not the best. We have enough ability to retain possession and play good football. We can play through midfield and Puncheon and Lallana are talented players who can play down the wings. Chamberlaine, too, has talent. He also has pace. But today we gave possession away cheaply time after time (again). Jaidi was most at fault in this. He kept hitting it long and I can't remember it working once. It seems to me that what we need is not new players but the discipline and confidence to play properly and not just keep lumping it forward.

 

thing is football is a team game and having the "best" squad, something i am not convinced off, means nothing if the component parts are not working together and you need all the right components not 3 or 4 the same

[Cirensaint]

After the first 20mins we were totally one dimensional. Orient stuck two brutes on Lambert, meaning that he dropped deeper and deeper to try and drag them out and create space, but we carried on pumping aimless long balls to where Lambert should have been. Puncheon was dreadful, everytime the ball went to him any momentum in our attack was lost, his speed of thought is lethargic at best. Jaidi is a spent force, I dont recall him winning a header in which he was challenged and his distribution was as bad as I have seen from any player at any level in a very long time. Hammond looked totally unfit again, he is supposed to be our midfield terrier, but looks more like a lost kitten. And then we come to the manager.....everyone could see that things werent working out as early as half time but no change of any description (tactical or personnel) took place until the 80th minute. Very similar to the Plymouth where again the changes came far too late to have any real impact on a game that it was blatantly obvious we were not going to win from a long time out. Solutions........wide players who actually give us width, pass the ball(dont just lump it), more pace in the team and a midfielder who can actually cover some ground and get in where it hurts and finally a manager who has the plums to do something when things arent going so well.

[John Smith]

would you say weston saint is a pompey fan in disguise..?

 

FFS, no. Come on, get a grip. Not you, but others opn here are absolutely slamming Jaidi! Jaidi is a great defender for this league. We started off without him last season and when he came in we got better. Seriously, people need to wake up a smell the league we are in. We NEED the likes of Jaidi in this team, it allows us to have the likes of Fonte beside him. If we didn;t have have Jaidi in this team, that aerial assault we crumbled to in the Championship, would be nothing compared to the blitz we'd experiance in this league if teams got a whiff that we couldn;t cope. Yes martin looks like he may be really good, but seriously, he would be better in the Championship, and getting prep'd for the Prem than getting a roasting in this league. So what if Jaidi hoofs it sometimes, no it isn't all the time, he is a man mounting and I bet if you ask Rickie Lambert he would tell you he fears Jaidi more than any other defender in this league!

 

However, Schneiderlan worried me today, at least twice he ignored a lovely little lay off to Fonte who was busting to get forward and break that middle of the park monotony. And like Plymouth, where we failed was in the middle of the park. Not because Hammond or Schneiderlan aren't good enough, but because they are sometimes too negative. For those castegating Hammond today and asking what he does, well him and Morgan dominate that central area, very very little comes direct and through the middle, that's what they do, they prevent the defence from becoming exposed, that's what they are good at. However, what they aren;t good at is recognising opportunities to burst through themselves or a backward pass as a positive thing, ie, let one of the CB's take a run into one of the gaps.

 

My MOM - Barnard, did everything but score, was superb, alive, darting all over the place, didn;t stop working and I really wanted for him to score. lallana lacked a pre season but was unplayable at some points. Puncheon, lost a yard of pace this seaon from the end of last, I'm witholding judgement as I think he'll regain it, but he needs a better understanding of running down a col de sac! Butterfield, did nothing wrong, was positive and worked hard, same as Harding. Lambert did what he does and will get better as we get going. No way was KD at fault for that goal.

 

And so, whre as I can understand some of the negative comments, or the dissapointment of the result, as with the Plymouth game, I really must say, that as supporters, this forum sucks! Yes we need a creative midfielder, but doesn't every team, they are the ones that cost all that money other than forwards! We need a Gerrard or a Lampard, a kaka or a Zidan. We need a Matt Le Tiss! But these players are hard to find and they must fit into the team. But, as I said to my dad on the way back from the ground, "it really sticks out that we have nobody that can split the defence with a pass". I mean, how often do we see a one on one at SMS? How many times do you see the ball over the CB and FB and our wingers running onto it? This is what Saints miss, and barnard or Connolly would eat those passes up all day long! Imagine a ball over the full back, Puncheon to the line, whip it in Barnard or lampard hurling themselves at it with pace, bursting the net!

 

But, we need to give up with all this negativity. What we are missing, more than anything is heart, desire, passion! I'm not blaming the crowd, not blaming AP, but like AP said in the post match interview, the team need to raise their game 'collectively'! This was obvious in the Plymouth game, less so today, but the team need to pull it together, we know they can do it, they gave us a taster last season, BUT, they need to realize us fans expect, AP expects, NC expects, the team need to sort it out, they are nearly great, but at the moment they are doing enough, and honestly, we should have 6 points from 6. However, this would be false economy, they need a bit of a kick, and this has hopefully done this, they need to want it more, and we will be champions. If they don;t want it anough, they already have admitted defeat. Only champions act like Champions!

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

My ratings for Saints v Leyton Orient (1-1) :

 

K Davis 6 - His kicking has improved from the Plymouth game somewhat (it could hardly be worse) and only moderately busy here .

D Butterfield 7 - I thought he had a good game without being particularly eye catching . Looks very comfortable at this level .

J Fonte 7 - Had a real mans job on his hands today up against some very physical 'O's forwards - he coped with them well enough .

R Jaidi 4 - Seabourne must be near death if this player is still starting ahead of him . As poor a performance as I've seen from a experienced SFC defender for some time .

D Harding 6.5 - Good defending but couldn't get forward very much for lack of left side cover behind (Jaidi) or in front (Lallana)

J Puncheon 5 - Is this player really 'all that' ? He has all the ability to beat his man and get into the box for sure - where he then rapidly runs out of talent & ideas .

M Schinderlin 5 - A good technical footballer in pretty poor form at the moment .

D Hammond 4.5 - As out of sorts as Spiderman but without the same level of ability .

A Lallana 7.5 - Talented & athletic , not at is very best today but still class . Not really a wide player .

L Barnard 7.5 MOTM - A real grafter and desperately unlucky not to have 2 or 3 goals today . I have no idea why he was subbed .

R Lambert 7 - An excellent target man but he had to go back looking for the ball too much here .

 

Substitutes :

D Connolly 4 - So anonymous I forgot he was there .

A Chamberlain 7 - One really bright spot from a dull game . A promising youngster by the look of it .

Summary :

After a moving tribute to Markus the team started the game like they really meant business . Our early pressure got its reward when a Lambert free kick was deflected in (off Jaidi ?) and we were deservedly ahead . Unfortunately it didn't last as some sloppy defending let Orient equalize from a corner . After that we kind of lost our way again and although we were the better team I thought , its hard to truthfully claim that Orient weren't fair value for their point . Waking away from SMS the game felt (to me) like a defeat rather than a draw .

 

With so many central players just not performing properly anymore (Schinderlin/Hammond/Jaidi) we just don't have enough to break down teams that come to St Marys to defend - and we can't blame it all on the lack of Lambert and/or Lallana this time . We need to give the manager more quality players to select from, and he needs to get more from what he has - or we could be playing catch-up again all season .

 

One to watch . The young Orient keeper Jamie Jones is as good a shot stopper as I've seen for quite a while - he needs to work on his kicking but he could go far .

Edited 21 August, 2010 by CHAPEL END CHARLIE

[VectisSaint]

can i clear up the Harding miss....i was sat in front of it and he was offside anyway. Flag was up and would not have counted

No excuse, doubt he knew it, should have hit the target. The lineo was crap anyway, had no idea what he was doing.

[for_heaven's_Saint]

Puncheon- awful, looked completely disinterested.

 

Jaidi- awful, distribution terrible, no pace and even losing a fair few headers now.

 

Thought Hammond was pretty poor too.

 

Not a good enough performance, no confidence and no cutting edge. Think Lambert should have come off for Connolly, not Barnard.

[for_heaven's_Saint]

No excuse, doubt he knew it, should have hit the target. The lineo was crap anyway, had no idea what he was doing.

 

No, the flag was up for a foul on Oxlade-Chamberlain before he put the cross in.

 

Edit: was meant to be quoting the quote you quoted!

[saintjay77]

What is the problem ? You can't just pretend that one of our best managers (supported statistically), was turned down a second time for a Wurzel from League 1.

 

He did well while he was with us but ditched us at a crucial time. In the end it probably did worse for his career cause ive not seen him doing as well since yet we went onto the FA Cup final.

He would have probably been a better choice than who ever else it was we got (its in the past so cant remember and cant be bothered to find out) but it would also probably have been better if I didnt spend so much money out last night. Too late to worry about it now so its old newssssssssssss.

[VectisSaint]

My ratings for Saints v Leyton Orient (1-1) :

 

D Connolly 4 - So anonymous I forgot he was there .

.

Strange really, he was actually working very hard trying to make things happen, but other players don't seem to be able to see what he is trying to do and it ends up with DC looking a bit daft. His footballing brain is actually light years ahead of just about anyone else out there. BUt in the end bringing him on with 7 minutes left is utter stupidity, he needs to start or at least to get 20.

[sadoldgit]

FFS, no. Come on, get a grip. Not you, but others opn here are absolutely slamming Jaidi! Jaidi is a great defender for this league. We started off without him last season and when he came in we got better. Seriously, people need to wake up a smell the league we are in. We NEED the likes of Jaidi in this team, it allows us to have the likes of Fonte beside him. If we didn;t have have Jaidi in this team, that aerial assault we crumbled to in the Championship, would be nothing compared to the blitz we'd experiance in this league if teams got a whiff that we couldn;t cope. Yes martin looks like he may be really good, but seriously, he would be better in the Championship, and getting prep'd for the Prem than getting a roasting in this league. So what if Jaidi hoofs it sometimes, no it isn't all the time, he is a man mounting and I bet if you ask Rickie Lambert he would tell you he fears Jaidi more than any other defender in this league!

 

However, Schneiderlan worried me today, at least twice he ignored a lovely little lay off to Fonte who was busting to get forward and break that middle of the park monotony. And like Plymouth, where we failed was in the middle of the park. Not because Hammond or Schneiderlan aren't good enough, but because they are sometimes too negative. For those castegating Hammond today and asking what he does, well him and Morgan dominate that central area, very very little comes direct and through the middle, that's what they do, they prevent the defence from becoming exposed, that's what they are good at. However, what they aren;t good at is recognising opportunities to burst through themselves or a backward pass as a positive thing, ie, let one of the CB's take a run into one of the gaps.

 

My MOM - Barnard, did everything but score, was superb, alive, darting all over the place, didn;t stop working and I really wanted for him to score. lallana lacked a pre season but was unplayable at some points. Puncheon, lost a yard of pace this seaon from the end of last, I'm witholding judgement as I think he'll regain it, but he needs a better understanding of running down a col de sac! Butterfield, did nothing wrong, was positive and worked hard, same as Harding. Lambert did what he does and will get better as we get going. No way was KD at fault for that goal.

 

And so, whre as I can understand some of the negative comments, or the dissapointment of the result, as with the Plymouth game, I really must say, that as supporters, this forum sucks! Yes we need a creative midfielder, but doesn't every team, they are the ones that cost all that money other than forwards! We need a Gerrard or a Lampard, a kaka or a Zidan. We need a Matt Le Tiss! But these players are hard to find and they must fit into the team. But, as I said to my dad on the way back from the ground, "it really sticks out that we have nobody that can split the defence with a pass". I mean, how often do we see a one on one at SMS? How many times do you see the ball over the CB and FB and our wingers running onto it? This is what Saints miss, and barnard or Connolly would eat those passes up all day long! Imagine a ball over the full back, Puncheon to the line, whip it in Barnard or lampard hurling themselves at it with pace, bursting the net!

 

But, we need to give up with all this negativity. What we are missing, more than anything is heart, desire, passion! I'm not blaming the crowd, not blaming AP, but like AP said in the post match interview, the team need to raise their game 'collectively'! This was obvious in the Plymouth game, less so today, but the team need to pull it together, we know they can do it, they gave us a taster last season, BUT, they need to realize us fans expect, AP expects, NC expects, the team need to sort it out, they are nearly great, but at the moment they are doing enough, and honestly, we should have 6 points from 6. However, this would be false economy, they need a bit of a kick, and this has hopefully done this, they need to want it more, and we will be champions. If they don;t want it anough, they already have admitted defeat. Only champions act like Champions!

 

Post of the day.

[LostBoys]

I counted clear 11 chances and we only scored once we should have been 6 up by half time. Their goal was woeful. Some of the balls played into the box for Rickie were terrible. It can only get better.

[SNSUN]

We are woefully short of luck. Barnard could've had a hattrick today. We did make chances, but not enough and not incisive enough. Two or three attacking signings are beyond a necessity.

 

Thought Alex O-C showed good technique when he came on, apart from spooning our last shot over the bar.

[Rasiak-9-]

The whole shape and organisation of the team is poor at the moment and it is seriously costing us.

 

Lambert needs to stay in the god damn middle and Punch and Lallana need to stay on their respective wings. All great players, but the team is unbalanced and loses its shape very quickly, we get desperate and lump it long and of course can't create anything at all.

 

Schneiderlin looks disinterested and Hammond just doesn't seem good enough at the moment. A change of formation, if not personnel might be an idea.

[Saints Warrior]

Saints are too predictable now and by second half teams have worked out just defend and sit back, wait for us to give the ball away of run out of side to side, back, forward, back, to keeper, back to side to side, forward a bit, oh lets go back then side again. We are playing some strange kind of possesion keep then lose ball training plan. No midfield today, awful wastefull crosses, and suspect defending. We cant afford to waste chances at this level....5 in first 8 mins, 4 in second half..almost 2 open goals missed!!!

 

AP must get some attacking game plan sorted and get a few players to replace Papa and Antonio otherwise 3/1 to avoid relegation not promotion.

[Ruffo]

Not getting at anyone here but just an observation. I hope none of the players read this site. With there nerves and confidence already taking a battering given the start to the season, after ready the comments and thoughts on here they would be suicidal!

[NickG]

Worth remembering tho..

 

hit post twice

their keeper was probably mom

3 or 4 other very near misses.

[rooney]

We left the match saying what we did in July, that we need pacey wingers, a strong tackling midfielder and cover for Rickie. AP said he left Rickie on for height in the box, but he was poor today as was Jaidi and Hammond.Agree with most that Barnard was MOM.

In the last 30 mins, I just could not see us getting a goal as we ran out of ideas. Oh for Papa & Antonio to come on and turn the game! I feel very grumpy tonight.

[alpine_saint]

Doesnt seem much point in me posting.

 

Looking at the thread, it seems finally quite a few people are getting message, though the obvious diehards are still clinging on.

 

Not much longer now for AP, methinks..

[Professor]

On the debate re Jaidi, the Solent commentary was also critical of him. Its true he did make a difference at the beginning of last season, but he was fading towards the end and he's another year older now. He'll be 35 later this month so sadly, but realistically, he must be nearing the end of his career.

[NickG]

think he has been poor in both league games - although know some rated him against Plymouth

[SFKA South Woodford]

After the first 20mins we were totally one dimensional. Orient stuck two brutes on Lambert, meaning that he dropped deeper and deeper to try and drag them out and create space, but we carried on pumping aimless long balls to where Lambert should have been. Puncheon was dreadful, everytime the ball went to him any momentum in our attack was lost, his speed of thought is lethargic at best. Jaidi is a spent force, I dont recall him winning a header in which he was challenged and his distribution was as bad as I have seen from any player at any level in a very long time. Hammond looked totally unfit again, he is supposed to be our midfield terrier, but looks more like a lost kitten. And then we come to the manager.....everyone could see that things werent working out as early as half time but no change of any description (tactical or personnel) took place until the 80th minute. Very similar to the Plymouth where again the changes came far too late to have any real impact on a game that it was blatantly obvious we were not going to win from a long time out. Solutions........wide players who actually give us width, pass the ball(dont just lump it), more pace in the team and a midfielder who can actually cover some ground and get in where it hurts and finally a manager who has the plums to do something when things arent going so well.

 

Very good summing up of the performance there.

 

Would add though that anyone who still thinks that Puncheon is better than Papa or Antonio, really does need their head examined! The guy has a yellow streak down his back, and is a charlie big b*llocks, who thinks he's much better than he is! I seriously think he has a mental problem. If you watch him, he looks up and rather than head to where the space is, he runs toward a group of opposition players and attempts to beat them all twice. So many times today he could have whipped the ball in early and caused a panic in the Orient box, but he decided to hang on to the ball instead. I'd call him the black 'Fernandes' but that would be an injustice to Fabrice, who had more skill in his little finger than Puncheon does in his whole body. Finally if anyone thinks he's unpredictable 'just like tiss' he is, he doesn't even know what he's going to do! I used to think that Wotton was the worst player in the first team squad, but Puncheon has stolen his crown!

 

These two games have shown that we sorely miss Papa and Antonio, and that the squad seriously lacks depth, something that a few of us have been calling for an addressing of, since the last season ended. We need four players now, a replacement for when Rickie isn't fit, a replacement for Hammond full stop and two wingers (preferably with one of them who can also play through the middle, like Papa) Pardew has had three months to bring in new players and has had a full pre season and still hasn't been able to address weaknesses and get better performances from his players, the buck stops with him and I can't see much more time elapsing before Cortese loads his gun. Today was a shocking performance especially in front of Markus' family, who you would have thought that they would all have given a committed performance for, to show their appreciation of the great man.

 

To those that say don't worry we are better off than we were last season, no we are not, last season we had a stronger squad and weren't expected to come higher than mid table and therefore not picking up points early doors was not a problem. This season we are 6 and 8 points behind our promotion rivals after two games, yes we have a game in hand, but how many of them did we actually win last season with a stronger squad? We need points and now and although he either doesn't seem to care or doesn't realise it Pardew needs them more than anyone.

 

Lastly, have to say well done to the Northam for the backing that they gave the team today, was non stop for most of the second half. So what if some booing occurred after the game, the team can't complain that they weren't well supported during the game and after the backing that was given, they had every right to boo the teams lack of a response!

[Saint Matty 76]

The official site says "775 away", I barely thought there were 100.

[dubai_phil]

Doesnt seem much point in me posting.

 

Looking at the thread, it seems finally quite a few people are getting message, though the obvious diehards are still clinging on.

 

Not much longer now for AP, methinks..

 

Not many more days to see if he and the others really do respond to the bleedin obvious IMHO.

 

A test of nerve. We all know what we need (as does the club)

 

The next 9 days will tell us a great deal about the rest of the season and who will be running us (ok time zone 10 for you lot)

[Freemantle Saint]

Doesnt seem much point in me posting.

 

Looking at the thread, it seems finally quite a few people are getting message, though the obvious diehards are still clinging on.

 

Not much longer now for AP, methinks..

 

yes 2 games much too long.

 

what next sack him and give the next guy 45 minutes?

 

what a cretin

[Saint Matty 76]

The official site says "775 away", I barely thought there were 100.

 

Well maybe 100 is way to small, but I didn't think they brought that many down and certainly didn't make too much noise apart from after the goal and the last few minutes.

[SuperMikey]

775 away!? Whereabouts were they? Thought it was a pretty poor following considering they're only in London...

[Albert Tatlock]

So what club(im assuming)would you two loan him to then??

[Bailey]

I can't believe some of what I'm reading on here tonight!

 

I completely agree with Pards, I thought first-half was the best we've played under his management. We knocked the ball around superbly for the first 15 minutes, and we were patient in our build-up. But for their keeper being in fine form, we could have gone in at the break 2 or 3 goals ahead.

 

It's a shame we conceded a sloppy goal at a set-piece, but that shouldn't have had any bearing on the game in truth. Overall, we were by far the better side and if we continue to play like that this season, we'll go up, f'sure.

 

Puncheon was very frustrating today, although I understand why Pards sticks by him. He's a player that will do nothing for 89 minutes other than disappoint, but then in one moment he can win you a game.

 

I think Barnard should get a special mention too. On another day, he could have had a hat-trick. His effort that rattled the post was superb, and his performance deserved a goal or two. Feel sorry that he was subbed too but we would have been a bit lightweight up top had Lambert come off.

 

I do think people need to take a step back and stop over-reacting. Yes, our start to the season hasn't been ideal, but there is a LOOOONG way to go. Lets see where we are after 10 games or so, then will be the time to raise some questions if we're still some way off the top spots.

 

On the whole, I thoroughly enjoyed today's game and if we play like that next Saturday, Bristol Rovers will struggle to get anything from the game.

[st alex]

Is Puncheon getting worse or what?

 

Yes after a couple of good season's he's remembered he's a non-league player