Saints (0)v(3) Swindon,post match misery...

[hypochondriac]

Not sure what to say. Everything I have been told over the past few months appears to have had a lot of substance. It gives me no pleasure but that performance was clearly influenced by Pardew's sacking. I cannot disagree with you more strongly Weston. The players have CLEARLY been affected by this. I was no huge Pardew fan but to sack him the day before the window closes when he was looking to bring in more faces is just madness. I am totally deflated by both the awful performance tonight but also by the feeling that part of me wanted us to lose. I just feel so ashamed that we have acted with no loyalty and like we are becoming a lower league Man City. The way I feel at the moment, I don't think we deserve another victory.

 

For me, supporting Southampton is about sharing an experience with other fans. About watching players who play with commitment and above themselves but above all it's about me feeling connected with the club and a feeling that "we are all in this together." For me Cortese has ruined this. It has become an "us and them" scenario with the views of supporters no longer encouraged and no longer listened to. MLT and Benali are discouraged from coming to games and the thought of that just depresses me hugely. Southampton used to be a family, a small club who punched above their weight and who had a great laugh doing it. I now feel detached from the club in the same way that I did during the end of Lowe's reign, except that this time there is nothing I can do to affect change.

 

Cortese feels that Southampton is his baby, well it's not. SFC is owned by the fans who will be here long after you have left with your ridiculous ideas which have made myself and many other supporters feel isolated and like no one cares about supporters anymore. Call me stupid but I liked the fact that the press and others clubs had a soft spot for us. I liked the fact that we never paid mega bucks for players but that we had our own home grown heroes who gave a sh*t typified by the wonderful MLT. I look at the various things which have happened this summer and I just shake my head and wonder where it all went wrong.

 

I'm not debating the rights or wrongs of these decisions, but they really have left me feeling like I am losing my club. The thought of having a smaller version of Chelsea as a club in the premiership in a few years makes me want to go down the road and support Eastleigh. I am incredibly sad tonight.

[S-Clarke]

bpsaint i truly hope you are wrong.

[Jonnyboy]

5 year plan?

 

yeah right

[kpturner]

Then suddenly despite the ptretty much same team being picked tonight following AP's sacking AM is dropped from the first 11,in fact he's not even on the bench. Don't you find that a bit odd?

TBH - no I don't really find it odd. Given Cortese's comments about the cups last year I would have thought that this game would be low on his priorities. If we wanted to influence matters he may have pushed for a weaker team tonight in order to preserve the first team for Saturday - which, if what you say is true, Martin would have been in tonights line-up instead of Jaidhi so that he remained fit for Saturday. Let's see what team is picked for Rochdale and see in AM is in the squad. If not then I may get suspicious.

[bpsaint]

TBH - no I don't really find it odd. Given Cortese's comments about the cups last year I would have thought that this game would be low on his priorities. If we wanted to influence matters he may have pushed for a weaker team tonight in order to preserve the first team for Saturday - which, if what you say is true, Martin would have been in tonights line-up instead of Jaidhi so that he remained fit for Saturday. Let's see what team is picked for Rochdale and see in AM is in the squad. If not then I may get suspicious.

 

We'll see against Rochdale yeah. I do genuinely hope I'm wrong.

Edited 31 August, 2010 by bpsaint

[kpturner]

In which case you'd expect key players like Fonte, Hammond and Lambert would have been rested to preserve them Saturday surely?

Yes I would if Cortese was actually influencing the team selection.....their inclusion (along with Jaidhi) is what makes me question it because I would have expected him to instruct Wilkins to pick a weak team - and he didn't. Read my post again - I think you missed the point.....oh - you edited it

[hypochondriac]

We'll see against Rochdale yeah. I do genuinely hope I'm wrong.

 

Did you get this from Martin's family?

[Appy]

Swindon were not worth 3-0 with their performance but i'd say we were worth a 3-0 defeat with the amount of effort and passion shown by us lot.

 

Hammond, Harding, Lambert (who i am a massive fan of) and Jaidi all need to look at themselves and the effort put in, i left at 87 mins for a number of reasons, i was told that Hammond gave up chasing back for their 3rd?

 

Swindon sure have the beating of us which doesn't bode well for the 11th, Austin is a horrible little **** and should of been sent off as well, but what a cracking player.

[bpsaint]

Did you get this from Martin's family?

 

Yes.

 

And @kpturner, you're right I missed the point you were making,hence my edited post.

[kpturner]

Lambert looks like he is wading in mud at the moment. He just isn't right at all - Swindon defence seemed to cope easily. On the plus side, I though Connolly looked pretty sharp and so did O-C. I hope Do Prado is transformed when played in CM otherwise what a disappointment!

[sfc4prem]

Let me assure you I have a strong link to the family. AM was told by everyone he was best trainer during preseason,and AP told him by the end of the season he wanted him to be a first choice centre-back. A couple of weeks later though NC told AP that he was to pick his strongest 11 from the off as he expected a winning start which meant Jaidi came in to partner Fonte.

 

Then the Leyton Orient game rolls round and AP tells AM that he is going to be on the bench for the game,but on Saturday it's Seaborne who takes his place,a decision even Seaborne is baffled by. AP takes AM to one side and tells him he is going to have to send him out on loan for reasons he can't say.

 

Following the poor performace by Jaidi against Orient AP takes the gamble to bring Martin in against Bolton,a gamble that pays off and he continues to remain in the squad against Bristol Rovers at the expense of Jaidi,but Fonte comes out a couple of days later and says what a good partnership it is turning into and singing AM's praises.

 

Then suddenly despite the ptretty much same team being picked tonight following AP's sacking AM is dropped from the first 11,in fact he's not even on the bench. Don't you find that a bit odd?

 

I don't normally like ITK posters,and refrained from posting any of this info in recent weeks,but after AP's sacking it makes it clearer to me that sole responsibilty for picking the team isn't being completely decided by the manager. Whether you choose to believe any of this is up to you.

 

I feel sick reading that post. ****ing Cortese. He can seriously **** right off. ****ing bellend. We're ****ing screwed with him in charge.

[1976_Child]

I feel sick reading that post. ****ing Cortese. He can seriously **** right off. ****ing bellend. We're ****ing screwed with him in charge.

 

NC = RL.

 

****as both.

[kchkwong]

We never had a worse results than last night at home when AP was in charge. F*** you NC. NC out!!

[Appy]

We never had a worse results than last night at home when AP was in charge. F*** you NC. NC out!!

 

We did lose 4-1 to someone at home last year, i forget who though.

[SaintBobby]

This result is a total embarrassment.

 

It might be one we can get away with, but the clock is ticking fast.

 

The results so far this season - W 2 D 1 L 2 - are not catastrophic. But they are poor. Especially given the fact that 4 of those games were at SMS.

 

I think there are also good reasons to believe that the current regime is deeply dysfunctional in a variety of ways.

 

From what I can gather, the Nick Illingsworth episode was just an embarrassment - caused largely by him.

 

But the photography ban, the late sale of season tickets, the lack of activity on the transfer market, the odd timing of AP's sacking, the utterly mad and misguided letter sent out with posted away tickets, the ticket tax, the appointment of Jordan Sibley (a highly inexperienced 23 year old, however charming) as Comms Manager....well, none of it points to a well oiled, well drilled, happy-with-itself operation.

 

I'm grateful forever to Markus and NC saving the club. But it does look to me as if we might be in cluster f u c k territory now.

 

Very much hope I'm wrong though.

[dune]

I know a lot of you are not happy, but at the end of the day it's better for us being out of that cup. I'm not at all happy about certains things at our club though although the irony is that the straw that has broken the camels back with most on here is a decision i agree with.

[Saints foreva]

LOL@ all the mongs who said we have the best team in the league during pre-season. We're a joke of a club, always have been and always will be.

[LostBoys]

Dreadful performance. Has to be better for the visit of Rochdale.

[Window Cleaner]

It was only the JPT anyway, perhaps we didn't want to progress too far eh.As long as we have a new manager by the week end and Wilkins isn't in charge of the first team by then I'm not worried at all.Wilkins is part of the problem and surely no part of the solution.Also someone needs to tell Lambert to stop sulking over whatever it is he's miffed about and start doing what he does best..scoring goals.

[SaintRobbie]

Oh dear. It feels a little like Lowe is in charge all over again.

[david in sweden]

The performance was okay, unlucky not to score. swindon got a couple of breaks but all in all, it could have gone either way

 

rather like the Plymouth and Orient games ...you mean ?

[CrickladeSaint]

What ever anybody says about players being professionals and have to brush it off and get on with it (me being one until last night) we were wrong!! That was a team that looked like they had lost a leader and didnt know what to do without him! Lambert's body language told the whole story on its own. Scheiderlin was anonymous and the defence looked like strangers half the time. The only plus side was Chamberlain who looks better every time he plays.

 

Where we go from here who knows but there needs to be decisions made quickly before the slide continues. Whats done is done but NC needs to put a new leader in place quickly, a leader who will galvinise the team again to take this once proud club forward again. Choose wisely NC or we will be still sat here in 12 months time thinking what could have been.

 

Having said that we need to get behind the TEAM Saturday and make sure we get a win. COYS

[NickG]

Martins. NC saw AP picking him as an act of defience.

 

 

that seems one of the most bizarre posts on here

[hypochondriac]

that seems one of the most bizarre posts on here

 

Why though. After quite a few posters had to eat humble pie recently I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss. He did after all say he heard it from the family.

[thorpie the sinner]

All that has happened is that we have been knocked out of the JPT! Promotion is the sole aim this season and NC will do what it takes to get that result! I have faith that the right man will be brought in and he will be allowed to make his own decisions, (any strong minded manager would demand this at interview). If we then get promotion, I think this will be a happy/happier board! Re martin, if he is good enough, the new manager will pick him, and I think he is!!

[Smirking_Saint]

We didn't look as if we were up for it and perhaps the players were a bit bewildered by the recent loss of Pardew. Certainly the crowd were very subdued apart from the idiotic chanting of Pardew's name whenever Swindon scored. That will have helped the players, wouldnt it?

 

But let's be a bit more objective about things for a change instead of slashing our wrists just yet and face a few truths, unpalateable as they might be.

 

For all the chants for Pardew, people seem to have very selective short memories and have somehow overlooked the fact that Swindon beat us twice last season under him. I would suggest that the first defeat by them was with a performance just as lacklustre as this one if I recall.

 

This was also Pardew's team. Who is to say with any real conviction that had Pardew still been in charge, we would not have lost under him? I would also suggest that the team selected was as strong as it could have been.

 

On balance in the game, we often had periods when we had more of the play and penetrated their defence more often than they threatened ours. Of the two keepers, theirs was the busier. But as often before under Pardew, a team had three chances and took them, while we had several more and failed to score.

 

A couple of other things are worthy of mention and again would not have changed had Pardew still been here. Lallana's absence if a big miss for us and Lambert somehow seems out of sorts.

 

On the plus side (there is one), the defeat makes Cortese's decision over the new manager more urgent than before the match.

 

Although it would have been nice to have won the JPT back to back, we no longer have it as a distraction.

 

The team played with more width than usual under Pardew and I for one hated the way that he restricted our play that way. I hope that we play with more width under the new manager.

 

Whoever comes in has a quality squad available to him and just needs to restore confidence and belief. If we get a top name in, that is the sort of manager who can transform a team within a short time.

 

Just as an aside, the referee and linesmen were diabolical, but that is often something one notices when things don't go well and we look for somebody to blame. But when their striker went to shoot at goal and sliced the ball out wide, the moronic officials awarding a corner really plumbed the depths of incompetance.

 

Spot on Wes

 

Made me cringe every time they started singing for Pardew

[Smirking_Saint]

Why though. After quite a few posters had to eat humble pie recently I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss. He did after all say he heard it from the family.

 

Its boll*cks.

[Wes Tender]

We never had a worse results than last night at home when AP was in charge. F*** you NC. NC out!!

 

There have been some tits suddenly appearing on the forum in the past couple of days, but you really do take the prize as the biggest.

 

On the basis of one result since Pardew's departure against a team that beat us twice last year under him, you throw your toys out of the pram. How old are you? Are you looking forward to the new term?

 

There were two teams who scored three goals against us (excluding Premiership Skates (4)) The mighty Bristol Rovers beat us 3-2 and Brighton managed to beat us 1-3 at St. Mary's. We also suffered 2-1 defeats by Colchester, Tranmere and Gillingham. I don't recall you feeling the urgent need to come on here then and call for NC's head then.

 

It has obviously totally escaped your attention that the team that played last night was the pick of Pardew's team and you will apparently have us believe that they can only function if Pardew is on the touchline shouting orders.

 

It doesn't occur to you at all that perhaps Lallana's absence, or Lambert not being fully fit are factors that might have changed the outcome, preferring instead to blame the chief executive. I expect that when things improve and we are climbing to the top of the division, you will quietly disappear as suddenly as you came. One lives in hope.

[hypochondriac]

Its boll*cks.

 

We don't know that. Isn't that what some people said about Duncan's predictions. I'm not going to be so quick to dismiss it and I await the team news on Saturday with interest.

[hypochondriac]

Wes, the body language of the players and the manner of their performance suggested to me that the sacking of Pardew had affected them. They played in a very different manner to the other games I had watched this season.

[Smirking_Saint]

We don't know that. Isn't that what some people said about Duncan's predictions. I'm not going to be so quick to dismiss it and I await the team news on Saturday with interest.

 

Some of us do know it isn't

[sidthesquid]

I mean the comment by Hornseysaintsfan.

 

First thing on here that made me laugh

[Smirking_Saint]

Wes, the body language of the players and the manner of their performance suggested to me that the sacking of Pardew had affected them. They played in a very different manner to the other games I had watched this season.

 

TBF the only player that looked completely out of sorts was Lambert, the rest tried hard but nothing came off.

 

Fonte looked 100% committed to me, Hammond was full of passion, Connelly played his heart out.

 

The only player that looked uncommitted was Rickie, and i am not reading loads into it as he has been totally out of sorts all season so far.

 

Jaidi is well past it and cost us two out of three goals tonight.

[bpsaint]

Its boll*cks.

 

If thats what you choose to believe then fair enough. We'll find out for sure when the team for Saturday is named. Let me assure you though Martin was dropped last night not rested, and the excuse given to him was,and I quote "its too high profile a game for you to play in". Considering he played against Bolton last week I ask you to play make of that what you will.

[hypochondriac]

TBF the only player that looked completely out of sorts was Lambert, the rest tried hard but nothing came off.

 

Fonte looked 100% committed to me, Hammond was full of passion, Connelly played his heart out.

 

The only player that looked uncommitted was Rickie, and i am not reading loads into it as he has been totally out of sorts all season so far.

 

Jaidi is well past it and cost us two out of three goals tonight.

 

I don't think it was lack of commitment, they just looked shell shocked. Do you really think they looked unaffected by the sacking? thinkthat was the primary reason for the performance they put in.

[Smirking_Saint]

If thats what you choose to believe then fair enough. We'll find out for sure when the team for Saturday is named. Let me assure you though Martin was dropped last night not rested, and the excuse given to him was,and I quote "its too high profile a game for you to play in". Considering he played against Bolton last week I ask you to play make of that what you will.

 

It not so much what i choose to believe but what i know is true

[Wes Tender]

Spot on Wes

 

Made me cringe every time they started singing for Pardew

 

Me too, S_S. I was in my usual seat in the Northam. If ever there was a chant of complete and utter futility, that was it. Pardew's gone, for whatever reason and no matter how loudly the Northam chant, he isn't coming back. The Northam was packed with spotty juveniles last night, the sort who aren't bright enough to think for themselves and feel the need to belong by following like sheep.

[Smirking_Saint]

I don't think it was lack of commitment, they just looked shell shocked. Do you really think they looked unaffected by the sacking? thinkthat was the primary reason for the performance they put in.

 

I can agree with that actually, thought the same myself.

 

Sorry, i thought you meant uncommitted.

[Toomer]

Just got into the office and had time to reflect on last nights game, as I said in my post last night that has to the worst team performance since the double dutch days. The team that took the field last night was more or less the side that played Rovers off the park and won 4-0 last Saturday, IMO the performance last night was that of a team ****ed off with the sacking of AP.

[Smirking_Saint]

Me too, S_S. I was in my usual seat in the Northam. If ever there was a chant of complete and utter futility, that was it. Pardew's gone, for whatever reason and no matter how loudly the Northam chant, he isn't coming back. The Northam was packed with spotty juveniles last night, the sort who aren't bright enough to think for themselves and feel the need to belong by following like sheep.

 

Yeah i noticed, a couple got thrown out TBF.

 

I do hate some of our fans at times, they were on the players backs after a matter of minutes. Then we had the 'on the pitch on the pitch' utter tards.

 

The stewards were p*ssing a few people off as per usual, with their sit down tactics. My mate nearly got kicked out as they got everyone seated and he started singing 'stand up if you love the saints'. It made me lol, but i still called him a pr*ck.

[Bucks Saint]

 

It has obviously totally escaped your attention that the team that played last night was the pick of Pardew's team and you will apparently have us believe that they can only function if Pardew is on the touchline shouting orders.

 

It doesn't occur to you at all that perhaps Lallana's absence, or Lambert not being fully fit are factors that might have changed the outcome, preferring instead to blame the chief executive. I expect that when things improve and we are climbing to the top of the division, you will quietly disappear as suddenly as you came. One lives in hope.

 

I am not calling for NC's head, but it seems to escaped your attention that more than the majority of the team are AP's buys and sacking him on Monday after a cracking win may not just be unpopular with the crowd. Just because 11 players turned up that might have played under AP (Martin apart...) does not mean that they will play their nuts off.

[Wes Tender]

Wes, the body language of the players and the manner of their performance suggested to me that the sacking of Pardew had affected them. They played in a very different manner to the other games I had watched this season.

 

We didn't look as if we were up for it and perhaps the players were a bit bewildered by the recent loss of Pardew

 

This was the first line of my post after the match. What surprises me is that these are well paid professionals and that several were captains in their former teams and should have leadership qualities. I trust that when the new guy is appointed, he will be somebody who commands respect because of what he has himself achieved and that he will tell them in their first meeting with him, that he will not tolerate a lack of commitment or a negative losing mentality. He will also say that regardless of past glories, no player is too big that he cannot be replaced if he doesn't give 100% every match. I suspect that as often happens when a new manager comes in, players lift their games to impress him. Because of the lacklustre perfomance last night, it is plain to Cortese that the new appointment needs to be put in place as soon as possible, although it is important to get the right man rather than to pick in haste.

[sidthesquid]

I think there are also good reasons to believe that the current regime is deeply dysfunctional in a variety of ways.

But the photography ban, the late sale of season tickets, the lack of activity on the transfer market, the odd timing of AP's sacking, the utterly mad and misguided letter sent out with posted away tickets, the ticket tax, the appointment of Jordan Sibley (a highly inexperienced 23 year old, however charming) as Comms Manager....well, none of it points to a well oiled, well drilled, happy-with-itself operation.QUOTE]

 

Add to that the fact that car parking has doubled in price (+ having to pay full rate for cup games rather than all in) & the fact that there was no bloody programme last night - what use is an online one during half time ffs? - all make the club less and less appealing. Strange times.

 

Also, last night's performance was woeful, not the least bit like Orient in particular. Then we were undone by bad luck and a great display of keeping, last night we were never going to score. It was about desire and effort, both of which were lacking last night. Like a Burley team at their worst. I rated Pardew highly - this team have played some of the best attacking football I have ever seen from Saints and it was his team. I thought after Saturday we were off and running, and we were, only sadly our leader is aiming us at a bloody cliff.

[Wes Tender]

I am not calling for NC's head, but it seems to escaped your attention that more than the majority of the team are AP's buys and sacking him on Monday after a cracking win may not just be unpopular with the crowd. Just because 11 players turned up that might have played under AP (Martin apart...) does not mean that they will play their nuts off.

 

So did Pardew choose them to be bought just because they would only play for him, or because he thought that they were model professionals who don't let their heads drop at the first sign of adversity?

[disconnect]

Was Hammond awful again? Probably the first who needs to be replaced IMO.

[OldNick]

I understand the ire thrown at NC but you would have thought that the players after last years experience would have been well up for the game. It reminded me of the season after we got to the cup final our lame performance at Bolton in the carling cup,aand Strachan was still our manager.

[yorkiesaint]

Think of the Jaidi/Martin issue like this. The chairman and spends loads of wonga on Jaidi, because the manager tells him its the best thing to do. For the chairman, if he is not the best player then why has the manager told him to spend all that cash on him? For the chairman, the strongest team should be the most expensive team, or else the manager has made an error. So basically Pardew was dammed if he plays Jaidi (cos he's ****e) and dammed if he plays Martin (cos he's cheaper than Jaidi by a country mile, so why the f*** are we spending all this cash on Jaidi). In this way the chairman can influence team selection without saying 'you must pick Jaidi'.

[Norm]

I don't think bp is far off the mark, with his posts. I have no idea if his post re Martin is true (no reason to doubt it) but it sits with the 'other stuff' coming out of SMS. My info is that the relationship between AP and NC was broken beyond repair. AP was not prepared to be dictated to and NC insisting his views on team selection were taken on board by AP. Then there is the rumour of the 'item' that brought things to a head last week (confirmed by a trusted poster on here). There was only going to be one winner and that was NC.

 

I think that we are going to be 'feed' some tit bits on AP during the coming days to justify the decision.

[Bucks Saint]

So did Pardew choose them to be bought just because they would only play for him, or because he thought that they were model professionals who don't let their heads drop at the first sign of adversity?

 

of course you are right in the ideal world but get real. i am not saying they deliberately played badly but its human nature that they might also be a bit shell shocked

[Liquidshokk]

Ive been trying to put my finger on what key thing was missing last night (other than some skill and commitment from the players) and it Pardews instructions being yelled across the pitch and the players interacting with him. I didnt hear a word from wilkins last night (admittedly I was in kingsland for a change - big mistake that was). Say what you like about Pardew but his presence was sorely sorely missed last night.