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Saints 1 West Brom 2 Reaction


Mr X

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I blame the players, not the manager.

 

It doesn't work like that. He picks the team, he prepares the team, he gives them direction, instructions and the motivation to go out and play for the shirt. Yes, occasionally he can do all those things and for whatever reason it doesn't happen but it's not a one-off we're talking about.

 

First thing he needs to do is cut down on this 'rotation' obsession. If you've got 25 great players like a City or a Chelsea then by all means but when you're putting players like Martina out on the pitch it doesn't stack-up. Change a few who need a rest but give the players a chance to play together and get some understanding going on. Players have got different players alongside them week in week out. No wonder there's a lack of cohesion and understanding.

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So frustrating to watch, plenty of the ball but no troubling them in the attacking third.

 

Boufal looks good with the ball but nobody goes to help him and then tries to beat 2 or 3 players each time.

 

So many times we had just one in the box.

 

Worrying for me is the way we are playing and how poor we are up front.

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It doesn't work like that. He picks the team, he prepares the team, he gives them direction, instructions and the motivation to go out and play for the shirt. Yes, occasionally he can do all those things and for whatever reason it doesn't happen but it's not a one-off we're talking about.

 

First thing he needs to do is cut down on this 'rotation' obsession. If you've got 25 great players like a City or a Chelsea then by all means but when you're putting players like Martina out on the pitch it doesn't stack-up. Change a few who need a rest but give the players a chance to play together and get some understanding going on. Players have got different players alongside them week in week out. No wonder there's a lack of cohesion and understanding.

 

Nail on the head!!!

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I do think think another manager could do much better. The heart and soul gets ripped out season after season without adequate replacement. Caught up with us now.

 

This is the nub of the problem for me. Puel may not be the right Manager for SFC, but losing Mane, Wanyama, Pelle etc and seeing players like Martina, Redmond, J-Rod, Long and dare I say JWP running around the pitch makes you realise how short in quality we have become.

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He made the right changes, especially taking off Martina.

 

Our midfield had nothing at all going forward. In the first half we had 3 good crosses in the box with no midfield runners.

 

2nd Half it took Davies 3 touches to decide to pass the ball to Long, by whch time he had 3 players on him.

 

Poor ref, Kanu had to go for a smack on the head, although we need to learn to be more cynical in these situations.

 

Defending for both goals was awful, and the keeping was too slow. However, sarcasm when he clears the ball or comes for a cross is not on. Anyone doing this should have someone over their shoulder at work all week shouting "Your ****" every time you make a typo.

 

We need an attacking midfield option and a forward who can win the ball his back to goal.

 

Forster's a professional football player playing in a public environment. This is very different as he performs in a situation where he is going to receive criticism and he should both expect it and be able to deal with it. If he cannot, it is surprising he made it as far as he has in competitive sport and he himself should know when he has not held himself up to the highest standard and should work to correct this. If he can/will not he should resign. As he is also (apparently) not only a top sportsman but one of the best of the best, he really should be able to demonstrate consistently that he deserves that title. This is not to say that there should not be debate about whether he should (or not) have saved a certain shot, for example, but that he should be able to do well what would be considered the basic skill of the sport and his position e.g. come to collect the ball, kick it where he wants it to go and so forth. That's just to reply to your rather inane comment about whether or not Forster should not be criticised.

 

As for the football (I think there was some) while I would have thought that CP should be given until the end of his 2nd year to see how well he can do overall (the signs are against him at present) I do think that we should take a page out of our ex-chairman's book and look at the now-available Rowett. That's simply because I consider that there is (or may be) better options out there and being aware that these things tend to spiral downwards I think that it is very likely that things will get worse and CP, for whatever traits he possesses, will be unable to arrest that and might perhaps contribute to it.

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I too voted for Puel to remain, but I'm now beginning to tire. As Batman alluded to in the match thread, Koeman was supposedly a couple of games away from the boot this time last year, at a time when he was on the same number of points, had conceded the same number of goals, but had scored seven more. In Puel's defence, Koeman had better attacking options, but his tactics hardly endear him...perhaps he's just being pragmatic though...which runs it's own risks since you're either boring and winning, or boring and losing, the latter being a toxic combination. I just wish he'd change formation from time to time, when 4-3-3 isn't working. Play with two strikers (if we're going to continue being cross-obsessed). Play with four attack minded players. 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 3-4-3, 3-5-2...there's so much variety, but such little exploration of it.

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If we get relegated it will be even harder to explain.

 

OK, As always, there is a lot of debate about opinions whether negative or positive.

 

I would like to remind everyone of the old adage that opinions are like, shall we say anuses? The adage says that opinions are like anuses, everyone has one.

 

This adage is remiss in that it neglects to note that while everyone does indeed possess at least one opinion and at least one anus, nobody wants to be exposed to either more than once. We've seen it and we get it!!!

 

I don't want to have anyone's opinion rammed down my throat every day just as much as I would tire of looking at their anus every day.

 

Rant over, mic dropped.

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Utter, utter, utter garbage and 2 shots on goal in 2 games.

 

I voted for Puel to remain but seriously think he is not able to get us playing the way we should be playing or motivating this shower of s***e.

 

We are devoid of ideas and seem obsessed with playing to the wings to put in crosses that we never win. We are predictable, slow, dull and crap.

 

b

 

This. What was our half-time talk?...have some more Benzadril, move slow, be predictable, don't bother taking shots...oh and take crap corners!

 

Wrong team selection strategy. We play B-team against supposed lower opposition. We've proven our A-team can't match the top six and our B-team isn't good enough against the rest...so why not try playing our A-team against lower opposition?

 

Hope that wasn't Virgil's last game for us. That sending off will have him not playing for us at just the wrong time. Jeez. What a terrible game.

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I do think think another manager could do much better. The heart and soul gets ripped out season after season without adequate replacement. Caught up with us now.

 

Yep , its now coming home to roost, just like it is for Swansea who have followed the same " astute" path.

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OK, As always, there is a lot of debate about opinions whether negative or positive.

 

I would like to remind everyone of the old adage that opinions are like, shall we say anuses? The adage says that opinions are like anuses, everyone has one.

 

This adage is remiss in that it neglects to note that while everyone does indeed possess at least one opinion and at least one anus, nobody wants to be exposed to either more than once. We've seen it and we get it!!!

 

I don't want to have anyone's opinion rammed down my throat every day just as much as I would tire of looking at their anus every day.

 

Rant over, mic dropped.

 

But how many anuses have opinions ?

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Some of you are really clueless. We will not be sacking Puel anytime soon. Our key players didn't perform on Wednesday and were dreadful in the second half.

 

Tactically, we were set up fine. We were well on top in the first half, and they got lucky.

 

Second half was dreadful, and I blame the players, not the manager.

 

 

so, apart from 2 players ( Mane and Pelle ) we have all of a sudden got a rubbish team? get real, Its the managers selection / Tactics that are to blame, funny how you say first half was good 2nd was rubbish is cause WBA changed formation and tactics and Puel did nothing.

 

Manager needs to go.

 

Would RK have us playing better football? Dam sure he would, Would MP have us playing better football? OFC he would!!!! its the manager!!!!!!!!

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So f**king ugly to realize that your team is nothing but mediocre. All our players are championship standard at best( except vvd and boufal), meaning we clearly could be relegated were it not for the very few (vvd) players we have. Success of past seasons IMO came about as a result of better management and a few more quality players( mane, Pele, nivea, spiderman, Vic, clyne). Now we're low on a) quality players both in midfield and attack

B) we have a poor, uninspiring manager who looks to be a poor, poor man's Wenger.

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I voted for stay for Puel, How much time will he get? does he deserve time?

 

Me too. But today I had no doubt that it's time for him to go. No passion. No ideas. So much sideways passing it was like watching windscreen wipers. Awful.

 

Something is wrong in the club. The players didn't look at all bothered from the moment they went behind

 

Dire and depressing.

 

New manager needed...soon

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Just 3 games ago we outplayed Bournemouth due to our rotation by all accounts. Amazing how short the highs can be and how we turn very quickly.

 

Against Everton we will have Fonte back and our first choice fullbacks. Martina has always been a weakness and maybe we need to bring in cover for Soares. We draw a blue line underek.r.james@btconnect.com this and move on.

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awful. really crap! the real shock from last few seasons is how toothless we are going forward. it is such dross. mane and pelle such huge losses.

 

Puel I dunno. He is hard to have any feeling towards. and the big question for those who want him out, who would you replace him with?

 

De Boer - could be scarred from his time at Inter but that club is a car crash at present anyway.

Rowett - would be my choice, can at least communicate like a normal human being, I get the impression Puel sounds like Ian Branfoot on Prozac even in his native language. Is available and would be cheap which is the main criteria. Did well at Birmingham and a victim of internal politics.

Watson - would still be a short-term improvement and seems close to the players. Might restore Fraser's confidence. He's carrying the Northam Stand can for a useless manager and feel sorry for him.

Jaidi - respected and again, might get us a couple of wins to get us over the 30 point margin whilst we take a medium-term look for the right candidate

Pardew - doubt it, damaged goods and didn't have a good 2016 to put it mildly. Shame as good in the transfer market which is an area Les Reed is failing in.

Hodgson - not my favourite but would get us to safety on a deal until June and an improvement on this joker

No chance of attracting Howe and Hughton failed with negative football at Norwich although working miracles at Brighton.

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Not sure what's wrong, but clearly something isn't right. Are the players happy playing to Puel's system? I don't think they are. Too much stop, look back or sideways for a player to pass to. Never forwards as we don't have runners making forward breaks. We are not direct or incisive at all. We seem to want to win the possession statistics rather than the game. Comes to something when we are at home and WBA are actually a better team than us. I think the Premier League is a bit too much for Puel and his brand of play is not working.

 

Forster - he has no confidence at the moment (fans sarcastically cheering doesn't help). Felt he could have done better for both goals today 5

Martina - Got into great positions but utter crap crossing 5

Yoshida - Both goals came form his area of the pitch 4

VvD - Looked out of sorts today. Transfer talk getting t him? Harsh sending off 4

McQueen - meh 5

PEH - Okay 6

Tadic - not good 5

Davis - okayish 6

Boufal - crap show pony who tries to take on 2 or 3 opposition invariably losing possession 4

RO - Probably our best player today 6.5

Long - Good goal. Nothing much else 6

JRod - meh 5

JWP - Flatters (always) 5

Sims - didn't do much 5

 

Puel - No plan B, Plan A is sh!t 3 How long will he last if this carries on?

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So f**king ugly to realize that your team is nothing but mediocre. All our players are championship standard at best( except vvd and boufal), meaning we clearly could be relegated were it not for the very few (vvd) players we have. Success of past seasons IMO came about as a result of better management and a few more quality players( mane, Pele, nivea, spiderman, Vic, clyne). Now we're low on a) quality players both in midfield and attack

B) we have a poor, uninspiring manager who looks to be a poor, poor man's Wenger.

 

lol are team is far from rubbish, the way we are playing how ever is rubbish, one of the best defences in the league for the past 3 seasons and now the yare rubbish? Scoring quite freely last season, season before and before that and before that, but now cant manage more than 1 shot at goal?

 

It all points to the manager.

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Not sure what's wrong, but clearly something isn't right. Are the players happy playing to Puel's system? I don't think they are. Too much stop, look back or sideways for a player to pass to. Never forwards as we don't have runners making forward breaks. We are not direct or incisive at all. We seem to want to win the possession statistics rather than the game. Comes to something when we are at home and WBA are actually a better team than us. I think the Premier League is a bit too much for Puel and his brand of play is not working.

 

Forster - he has no confidence at the moment (fans sarcastically cheering doesn't help). Felt he could have done better for both goals today 5

Martina - Got into great positions but utter crap crossing 5

Yoshida - Both goals came form his area of the pitch 4

VvD - Looked out of sorts today. Transfer talk getting t him? Harsh sending off 4

McQueen - meh 5

PEH - Okay 6

Tadic - not good 5

Davis - okayish 6

Boufal - crap show pony who tries to take on 2 or 3 opposition invariably losing possession 4

RO - Probably our best player today 6.5

Long - Good goal. Nothing much else 6

JRod - meh 5

JWP - Flatters (always) 5

Sims - didn't do much 5

 

Puel - No plan B, Plan A is sh!t 3 How long will he last if this carries on?

 

Fans sarcastically cheering Forster are an absolute joke, proper c**ts behaviour.

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A small amount of rotation can work. However, Puel gets it totally wrong by making lots of changes for every game. It's not clever and it doesn't work. How does he expect the team to find any consistency? How are they meant to get used to playing together? How are individual players supposed to get match fit and play to their best? Sorry but his rotation policy is complete and utter nonsense.

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Just 3 games ago we outplayed Bournemouth due to our rotation by all accounts. Amazing how short the highs can be and how we turn very quickly.

 

Against Everton we will have Fonte back and our first choice fullbacks. Martina has always been a weakness and maybe we need to bring in cover for Soares. We draw a blue line underek.r.james@btconnect.com this and move on.

 

Where were Cedric and Bertrand, Puel has to go we just lost to an absolutely shockingly bad team. We need a settled side that knows each other's jobs and strengths. To lose to a pub team managed by a dinosaur like Pulis is heartbreaking

 

I think you do WBA and Pulis a disservice. Show some respect for others.

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Is there anyone on this site who can explain what Clueless P is trying to do with these tatics ,it appears he has lack of experience in this league . The player with the exceptional of adding another striker are good enough, if not better than most of the teams around us the pace of our game is to slow and allows other teams to defend with two blocks of 4 this is a French way of playing not suited to our league look at Arsenal. Unless our Clueless adapts we will have more of this rubbish .He will be kept on because he is a yes man to the board. What other manager would not be knocking the door for money from the board for a half decent striker

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My observations although not worth much:

 

Has he lost the dressing room? I'd say 50:50 judging by the team's response

 

He has lost 75 per cent of fans at a guess

 

Boufal is exciting but both he and Tadic want far more time than they're going to get.

 

Virgil is fatigued. I'm sure he doesn't that second yellow otherwise. He didn't get into midfield at all today. Is this instruction from CP, lack of trust in Yoshida or tiredness?

 

There is no movement up front. We desperately need a big man upfront at least as an option to hold the ball up.

 

Forster's confidence is **** to pieces, not helped by a few idiots jeering and jittering. He should've at least made a half convincing attempt at getting closer to the second today though it was a quality strike.

 

Hojberg needs more time to bed in and in general the team is needing too many touches and too much time.

 

How much time wasting from Foster dies the ref want to allow before booking him?!?

 

We were done by a much more physical, streetwise team who have mugged us. Not interested in playing any football but a nightmare to play against.

 

We only looked like remotely like scoring once Sims was on to provide a bit of space with his running.

 

It looks like being a long and worrying second half to season. I don't think we will go down judging by where we are or anything but it doesn't look like being not being very pretty.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Long has just said we have now got to go to Everton and get 3 points he's having a laugh. No desire no idea Puel set's the team up and the game plan never been one to call for a managers head but I am starting to think that way.

 

IF by the end of January we're falling down the league and out of both cups (having already exited Europe) I think it will be Puel who takes the bullet (but not till the end of the season). Not sure that is fair but that's the way it goes. I blame the board for a shocking lack of foresight and investment last summer. Europe+injuries+ suspensions+matches coming thick and fast always stretch even the top teams at this time of the year; and there was a good chance this might cause a perfect storm without a larger squad of more experienced players. I guess they thought the academy players could dig us out and fill in the gaps. Big risk strategy that. Will they be proved right? Like Trousers, I think we will only know end of January; but I'm not hopeful.

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Where were Cedric and Bertrand, Puel has to go we just lost to an absolutely shockingly bad team. We need a settled side that knows each other's jobs and strengths. To lose to a pub team managed by a dinosaur like Pulis is heartbreaking
likely thought 3 games in 6 days was too much and they will play against Everton.

 

I thought the Starting XI was spot on considering schedule and availability. Just didn't work out.

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It doesn't work like that. He picks the team, he prepares the team, he gives them direction, instructions and the motivation to go out and play for the shirt. Yes, occasionally he can do all those things and for whatever reason it doesn't happen but it's not a one-off we're talking about.

 

First thing he needs to do is cut down on this 'rotation' obsession. If you've got 25 great players like a City or a Chelsea then by all means but when you're putting players like Martina out on the pitch it doesn't stack-up. Change a few who need a rest but give the players a chance to play together and get some understanding going on. Players have got different players alongside them week in week out. No wonder there's a lack of cohesion and understanding.

 

I agree with what you are saying but the main reason I think is the sheer number of games we have had to play plus the games that our internationals have had to play as well has caused the problem

 

There has been little time for preparation and full recovery other PL clubs have struggled when they have been in the Europa Cup

 

We have four games in what ten days or so it is not easy to have the same team out is it.

 

Lets hope things improve next season when we will not be in Europe and will only lose VVD in the summer I know he is a very good player but players like Wanyama Mane and Pelle are much more difficult to replace than a CB and perhaps we can add to the squad instead of just replacing players.

 

The team in my opinion is light weight and lacks a top class striker is young but will improve but is inconsistent but that is the story of SFC over the last 50 years or so.

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I dont care if you were born in southampton, live in Southampton, remember us nearly going out of business, accepting we are a small club, being in the same position last season etc bloody etc, we are and have been playing utterly sh*t dull dull football.

 

People deserve more for their hard earned cash, especially those that shelled out to go away and watch the dross we served up in europe. There is a goal at both ends of the pitch and if our guys are not capable putting the ball near or in them or that the manager prefers swinging it from side to side, they at least deserve some flak from us on here.

 

For the manager to state that we do not need new players in this window is mind boggling to say the least, but on reflection will it bloody matter anyway if he still gets them to play the same old insipid way.

Edited by Saint Billy
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I agree with what you are saying but the main reason I think is the sheer number of games we have had to play plus the games that our internationals have had to play as well has caused the problem

 

There has been little time for preparation and full recovery other PL clubs have struggled when they have been in the Europa Cup

 

We have four games in what ten days or so it is not easy to have the same team out is it.

 

Lets hope things improve next season when we will not be in Europe and will only lose VVD in the summer I know he is a very good player but players like Wanyama Mane and Pelle are much more difficult to replace than a CB and perhaps we can add to the squad instead of just replacing players.

 

The team in my opinion is light weight and lacks a top class striker is young but will improve but is inconsistent but that is the story of SFC over the last 50 years or so.

 

do you honestly believe we will only lose VvD?

Fonte, Bertrand, Romeu, Tadic?

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My observations although not worth much:

 

Has he lost the dressing room? I'd say 50:50 judging by the team's response

 

He has lost 75 per cent of fans at a guess

 

Boufal is exciting but both he and Tadic want far more time than they're going to get.

 

Virgil is fatigued. I'm sure he doesn't that second yellow otherwise. He didn't get into midfield at all today. Is this instruction from CP, lack of trust in Yoshida or tiredness?

 

There is no movement up front. We desperately need a big man upfront at least as an option to hold the ball up.

 

Forster's confidence is **** to pieces, not helped by a few idiots jeering and jittering. He should've at least made a half convincing attempt at getting closer to the second today though it was a quality strike.

 

Hojberg needs more time to bed in and in general the team is needing too many touches and too much time.

 

How much time wasting from Foster dies the ref want to allow before booking him?!?

 

We were done by a much more physical, streetwise team who have mugged us. Not interested in playing any football but a nightmare to play against.

 

We only looked like remotely like scoring once Sims was on to provide a bit of space with his running.

 

It looks like being a long and worrying second half to season. I don't think we will go down judging by where we are or anything but it doesn't look like being not being very pretty.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Brilliant post and hits nail on head for me. Agree on idiots jeering Fraser, the guy is clearly short of confidence and fans don't want to appear unreasonable by turning on Puel so he's taking the brunt. Not fair - direct the bile at Puel and Les Reed instead. Fraser's confidence will pick up once we've got a new manager, which IMO will happen after a couple of hammerings by Everton/Liverpool and a cup exit at Carrow. Even Les Reed won't be so pig-headed, egotistical and arrogant that he could ignore that. Puel deserves what he gets for the negative tactics, no efforts to connect to fanbase and destroying Nathan Redmond's confidence with those moronic Henry references in the summer. He's a just a corporate nodding dog and will get his payoff, he doesn't give a toss about SFC. I'd rather have Rowett who would give a toss.

 

Feel sorry for VVD. PEH has done OK but needs more bedding in time, Reed's comments in the summer about the best midfield options in the PL look on a par with Branfoot's delusions about Speedie and Dixon out-scoring Shearer.

 

Agree that we won't go down - Sunderland, Hull and Swansea really are the pits, especially if Defoe goes to W Ham and Pickford injured. But this could be 2003/4 leading to another 2004/5 again next season without a major sort-out on and off the pitch in the summer.

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Brilliant post and hits nail on head for me. Agree on idiots jeering Fraser, the guy is clearly short of confidence and fans don't want to appear unreasonable by turning on Puel so he's taking the brunt. Not fair - direct the bile at Puel and Les Reed instead. Fraser's confidence will pick up once we've got a new manager, which IMO will happen after a couple of hammerings by Everton/Liverpool and a cup exit at Carrow. Even Les Reed won't be so pig-headed, egotistical and arrogant that he could ignore that. Puel deserves what he gets for the negative tactics, no efforts to connect to fanbase and destroying Nathan Redmond's confidence with those moronic Henry references in the summer. He's a just a corporate nodding dog and will get his payoff, he doesn't give a toss about SFC. I'd rather have Rowett who would give a toss.

 

Feel sorry for VVD. PEH has done OK but needs more bedding in time, Reed's comments in the summer about the best midfield options in the PL look on a par with Branfoot's delusions about Speedie and Dixon out-scoring Shearer.

 

Agree that we won't go down - Sunderland, Hull and Swansea really are the pits, especially if Defoe goes to W Ham and Pickford injured. But this could be 2003/4 leading to another 2004/5 again next season without a major sort-out on and off the pitch in the summer.

 

If we had appointed Hoddle in 2004 we would have stayed up. If we replace Puel let's not go for a League 1 turnip head.

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lol are team is far from rubbish, the way we are playing how ever is rubbish, one of the best defences in the league for the past 3 seasons and now the yare rubbish? Scoring quite freely last season, season before and before that and before that, but now cant manage more than 1 shot at goal?

It all points to the manager.

 

We scored freely BECAUSE of the quality players who departed, mane pelle nivea. I mean redmond "henry" wasn't even supposed to be a starter when bought, now he's undroppable for puel. Tadic and boufal, I think are proper replacements for nivea and mane, the latter tho still debatable. Other than those two big vic, sneiderlin, pelle haven't been replaced by similar quality, we struggle in midfield BC our mids are pint sized and far from skillful, and we struggle offensively BC our forwards are again pint sized and in the case of long are hopeless at finishing.

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Something is amiss. WBA were woeful and we aren't as bad as that. I've heard from more then one decent source that the players don't think much of him. Lost the dressing room? Not sure it's that bad just yet but time will tell. We move the ball slowly, are utterly dull and boring to watch and love to play pointless passes in front of their back 4.

 

Oh and the people sarcastically cheering Forster are absolute ****s, and a few in 42 took great exception to us telling them so.

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Puel has lost the players. They are just not responding to his game plan and style of playing. I swore that I wouldn't watch today but I did. I can't stand the constant moving the ball to the halfway line then about turn and playing backwards instead of moving forward. My blood boiled when Mc Queen made a beautiful ball up field only for 4 players to about turn and send it back to him. What is this all about.? It was predictable Puel would wait and wait till it was too late then make all the wrong substitutions. . Really abysmal afternoon

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