Why no heart or fight?

[wild-saint]

I can accept when our team gets beat by a better side but I’m utterly gobsmacked that our team has capitulated before a ball was kicked.

 

I just don’t understand why there seems to be so little fight and heart being shown to dig our way out of trouble.

 

The team looks to be full of players resigned to our fate and frankly not really bothered. It’s as if they all have the belief that if the worst happens they will be sold to other clubs and get Shiney new contracts, sign on fees and a new challenge.

 

Where has it all gone wrong? Yes, Reed has much to answer for but surely he can’t be to blame for the lethargy of the players during games.

[Micky]

I think you've answered your own question there. The players will get new contracts at different clubs, we will offload any and all quality and keep what little we can afford. Hughes commented on the amount of talent that he had inherited when he took over, and that is true, unfortunately that talent has no fight, guts or balls. Players do just give up when a club goes bad, you see it with at least one relegated club nearly every year, and right now we are bad to the core.

 

I would be amazed if we got anywhere near to surviving this year, the players are going through the motions, but irrespective of any club hype, they're gone.

 

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[70's Mike]

Since Fonte left , none of the senior old guard, who knew bad times, remain.NO leadership on pitch, at training hence no fight

We have a squad of cheque book players now who care nothing about the club

[adrian lord]

They know that it’s all over, both collectively as a team, and their careers as individuals.

 

None are playing for the shirt apart from maybe McCarthy. The team are a mix of ageing, crocked journeymen, and disgruntled wannabe big time Charlies who realise that they have been left on the shelf in the race for a Big Six move. A toxic cocktail of bitterness and no motivation, leading to relegation is the inevitable result.

 

No manager on earth could rectify the situation without mass sackings.

 

 

 

 

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[Pilchards]

Our last three first half performances have been dire.

Wigan smashed us and so have Newcastle 3 goals and West Ham.

 

Eating too much pre match curries? hangovers? can’t compete against a team that throw everything at us?

Think we need to set up the team to be more solid and then try to step it up second half when you bring the runners, Long and Sims perhaps?

[OldNick]

Having a rookie centre half on 48k a week seems to take the fight out. Life is too comfy, why risk breaking your leg in a tackle when you are made for life.

Listening to the radio the other night when a player who knew about MP's training said that fitness was not what he was interested in , it would be all technical stuff.

We are unfit and don't seem to have players with fight.

Fans seem t think PEH is better than Romeu and Davis which seems odd to me. Tadic and Boufal are showboaters and our forwards are profligate. Tough times, and Reeds arrogance that he is some coaching god has come home to roost.

I have said all along the black box can spew out as much info as it likes, but it is who is assessing that makes the difference

[Badger]

.

I have said all along the black box can spew out as much info as it likes, but it is who is assessing that makes the difference

 

The problem is multiplied by the person who ends up conducting the transfer negotiations to get deals done...

[OldNick]

The problem is multiplied by the person who ends up conducting the transfer negotiations to get deals done...

true, they may have their own agenda who they want to sign

[ally_uk]

To many players with tricks and no end product...... Weak mentalties. I would drop the under performers and play the youth. Hesketh, sims, mcqueen. Least they will be prepared for next season in the championship....

[obelisk]

I'll say it again. Saints players don't look fit or strong enough for the Premiership and life in the Championship will be even worse for a team that bottles 50-50 challenges.

[beatlesaint]

I'll say it again. Saints players don't look fit or strong enough for the Premiership and life in the Championship will be even worse for a team that bottles 50-50 challenges.

 

Hughes alluded to the fitness issue in an interview after the match yesterday.

[beatlesaint]

Since Fonte left , none of the senior old guard, who knew bad times, remain.NO leadership on pitch, at training hence no fight

We have a squad of cheque book players now who care nothing about the club

 

Well there is Kelvin Davis. Wasn’t he supposed to take players by the throat and pin them to the wall if they weren’t up to scratch ?

 

Maybe he can’t find a long enough wall....

[Saint Billy]

We are basically copying the Sunderland way.

[DT]

Well there is Kelvin Davis. Wasn’t he supposed to take players by the throat and pin them to the wall if they weren’t up to scratch ?

 

Maybe he can’t find a long enough wall....

 

He can't get out of the six yard box on the training ground. Some things never change.

 

 

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[Heisenberg]

The team resembles our management n ownership.

 

No ambition, no cares.... Just here to get paid

 

699 days since we last beat a top 6 side in the league.... The fight left this club along time ago

[SFC Forever]

First thing we need is muscle and then players played that are willing to scrap. No team has ever done well consistently without fighters in their teams. Look at Man City now. Plenty of top quality talented players but also a team that knows how to scrap.

We have no muscle or leaders in our team and for that we can blame the last few managers that we have had. Not just Pellegrino.

[Viking Saint]

Does anyone genuinely know whether there are relegation release clauses or financial reductions in the players contracts?

[vectraman]

Another criticism I have levelled at our squad is lack of pace.

We must have had the slowest starting 11 in premier league history on the field yesterday. Our recruitment had been negligent to say the least. Nothing done to plug the attacking midfielder hole that we can all see but Les Reed could not.

[Micky]

Does anyone genuinely know whether there are relegation release clauses or financial reductions in the players contracts?

That would've taken vision, foresight and good negotiation skills. I doubt it.

 

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Edited 1 April, 2018 by Micky

[5string]

We replaced a midfield of Schneiderlein & Wanyama with [initially] JWP & Romeu. Spot the difference.

Ok, so we also got Lemina & Hojbjerg. Hmm, still not there.

 

In defence... no need to say anything, except "Clyne vs Cedric" or "VvD + Fonte vs Hoedt + Stephens". Imbalanced equations, there.

 

Attack? Pelle, Mane, JRod replaced by Austin, Gabbiadini and, er, Carrillo(?!).

 

Is it really so hard to see where it's all gone bad? These are just examples, of which I'm sure there are many more. Our recruitment after selling good players has been sub-standard. We've not replaced like-for-like, instead going for 'potential'. We're a Premier League club Ffs! We shouldn't be buying 'potential', we should be getting 'ready-made'.

The players we've sold had heart and fight, if not all the time, then at least some of the time. Their replacements (maybe except Austin) haven't.

 

Too late now.

[kyle04]

At the moment the team are a shambles. No motivation, arguing on the pitch and a criminal lack of fitness. Few professional footballers are going to share the same passion for a club as any fan, thats a fact of life, but you'd at least expect some degree of professional pride. We don't even see that from most of our squad. I think MH must be in shock right now. This is gonna take 2 seasons or more to turn around so I am resigned to relegation and a tough next season in a very difficult Championship, playing the likes of Preston and Ipswich in a half empty St Marys.......

[ashnats]

We replaced a midfield of Schneiderlein & Wanyama with [initially] JWP & Romeu. Spot the difference.

Ok, so we also got Lemina & Hojbjerg. Hmm, still not there.

 

In defence... no need to say anything, except "Clyne vs Cedric" or "VvD + Fonte vs Hoedt + Stephens". Imbalanced equations, there.

 

Attack? Pelle, Mane, JRod replaced by Austin, Gabbiadini and, er, Carrillo(?!).

 

Is it really so hard to see where it's all gone bad? These are just examples, of which I'm sure there are many more. Our recruitment after selling good players has been sub-standard. We've not replaced like-for-like, instead going for 'potential'. We're a Premier League club Ffs! We shouldn't be buying 'potential', we should be getting 'ready-made'.

The players we've sold had heart and fight, if not all the time, then at least some of the time. Their replacements (maybe except Austin) haven't.

 

Too late now.

 

Clyne, as in “injured” clyne? Rather have Cedric playing than someone who is “injured”...

[musesaint]

There are still the games and the potential points to save us. But is isn’t going to happen because the players simply lack the balls and the leadership to save themselves.

 

Saints have been in worse relegation scraps before. The difference now is that we seem to have few if any players who give a shi*te about the club they are playing for. For many of them relegation is the best way to secure a swift exit from a long contract they can’t otherwise escape.

 

Dark Days. We are going down.

[S-Clarke]

Unfortunately the squad that has been built lacks three crucial elements.

 

1 - Pace

2 - Strength

3 - Desire and leadership.

 

The fact remains that individually we have some good, talented international players, but the way the squad has been assembled is all wrong and is lacking those crucial elements in key positions - which means it's impossible to see the best of our talented players. It's a sorry state of affairs. Not sure why we tried so hard to keep Wilson, he's been in charge of this cluster****.

[Dellman]

Most of the players are preparing their next move, its only the fans that stay and carry on

[SW5 SAINT]

The team resembles our management n ownership.

 

No ambition, no cares.... Just here to get paid

 

699 days since we last beat a top 6 side in the league.... The fight left this club along time ago

 

It will be many years before we beat another........

[sambosa75]

Does anyone genuinely know whether there are relegation release clauses or financial reductions in the players contracts?

 

25% apparently...

[BARCELONASAINT]

I have no idea if the second half got better or not as i turned the game off after the 3rd goal. The American commentary team couldn't believe how gutless we were and i was absolutely ashamed to be a Saints fan.

 

I won't be sorry to see any of that starting 11 **** off at the end off the season the spineless bastards!.....with maybe the exception of the keeper.

 

There is no way on gods earth i am wasting my money by buying a semi final ticket only to watch us get stuffed!

[saint1977]

Unfortunately the squad that has been built lacks three crucial elements.

 

1 - Pace

2 - Strength

3 - Desire and leadership.

 

The fact remains that individually we have some good, talented international players, but the way the squad has been assembled is all wrong and is lacking those crucial elements in key positions - which means it's impossible to see the best of our talented players. It's a sorry state of affairs. Not sure why we tried so hard to keep Wilson, he's been in charge of this cluster****.

 

As someone who grew up watching Danny Wallace and Steve Moran (pace), Jimmy Case (strength), Steve Williams and David Armstrong (desire and leadership), this sums up the state of the club. Get Reed and Wilson out before the end of season. Pardew isn’t having fun as manager at WBA but he’d enjoy being a DoF and rebuilding in the Championship as long as we aren’t asset stripped. He was excellent in the transfer market for us and could work well with a younger manager. He’d understand our heritage of watching pacy wingers and full backs like Danny and Rodney Wallace, Theo, Bridge, Bale etc.

[Batman]

Tadic is easily the last player needed for the "fight"

He will be a shoe-in still

[Saints Warrior]

Is it really that difficult to change from boring football to say a Burnley type of positive football. These are people who play football for a living for years. Let's hope the players realise what the FA cup is all about and put on a good performance. The Premier league is a franchise and has nothing to do with football as I understand it. Prem just gets teams obsessed with paying over odds for very average players and just short term thinking by sacking anyone any good for Prem safety. Ive seen fans fall a sleep due to boring football at st Mary's so just imagine trying to create boring football on the pitch. The players have lost the skill to be inventive. Even Wimbledon style football would give us a chance as the ball spends more time in oppositions half so why was that not deployed at West Ham. The players have been brain washed unlike 1984 which was a great entertaing Saints side.

[SuperSAINT]

The clubs policy is to sign a load of young and high potential stepping stone players. They don't care for our club. Their agents would have been instructed to find them new clubs in the summer. This is why I'm looking forward to the championship. Time to build a team that care. Players that care aren't making the starting line up. Hughes has probably figured this out recently.

 

Do you trust the people in charge to sign the right players though?

 

I can see Les thinking the relegated U23's are good enough for the championship.

[Dusic]

Unfortunately the squad that has been built lacks three crucial elements.

 

1 - Pace

2 - Strength

3 - Desire and leadership.

 

The fact remains that individually we have some good, talented international players, but the way the squad has been assembled is all wrong and is lacking those crucial elements in key positions - which means it's impossible to see the best of our talented players. It's a sorry state of affairs. Not sure why we tried so hard to keep Wilson, he's been in charge of this cluster****.

Accurate summary.

 

Compare our team now to the Pochettino and Koeman sides and in those 3 areas we are so behind what we were then.

[saintwbu]

We’re ****. I know it’s cliche but we need some ****ing passion and some ****ing pace. Yoshida, Long, Austin, Romeu and think what you want about him, Ward-Prowse, will all give everything they’ve got, they should be the first names on the team sheet with McCarthy every week. Tadic, Cedric and Redmond should be nowhere near it. Throw in Sims for excitement and we might actually get somewhere.

[qwertyell]

The clubs policy is to sign a load of young and high potential stepping stone players. They don't care for our club. Their agents would have been instructed to find them new clubs in the summer. This is why I'm looking forward to the championship. Time to build a team that care. Players that care aren't making the starting line up. Hughes has probably figured this out recently.

This, in droves.

 

When you're signing players on the promise that they can leave as soon as possible, what kind of committment do you expect?

 

When the chips are down and it's time to roll up your sleeves and show how much you care about the club, the folly of signing huge numbers of mercenaries who were planning their exit before the ink on their contracts even dried is laid bare.

 

They don't give a damn. They're not calling team meetings to sort things out - they're calling their agents to arrange their escape from the stricken vessel.

 

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[St_Tel49]

Most of the players are preparing their next move, its only the fans that stay and carry on

 

They won't attract many purchasers playing like they are at the moment. If they want to go - let them. If they haven't the fight to keep us in the Premiership then they won't have the fight to get us out of the Championship

[cellone]

Villa.

[Adkins' Bus]

The clubs policy is to sign a load of young and high potential stepping stone players. They don't care for our club. Their agents would have been instructed to find them new clubs in the summer. This is why I'm looking forward to the championship. Time to build a team that care. Players that care aren't making the starting line up. Hughes has probably figured this out recently.

 

This is a big part of the problem. Many of the players we have bought believe they are destined for greater things than us, especially having seen previous players take the step. They believe they are too good to go down and therefore think they can play their way out of trouble rather than fighting. Many of them are also completely deluded. I am amazed when the likes of Cedric and tadic get linked with top European clubs, surely that is just agent talk?! Cedric, hoedt, tadic, boufal, Redmond all fall in to this category. Although if Tadic would accept that he is only a left winger then that would help his cause.

[lordswoodsaints]

Does anyone genuinely know whether there are relegation release clauses or financial reductions in the players contracts?

Yes, that is a mainstay in every contract.

This needs to change, I suggest that every contract has a clause that reads ‘should a club get relegated then you will have to stay for at least 1 more full season on reduced wages to try and get the club promoted again’ this should sort out the problem of players in relegation threatened teams from not giving a **** and not trying to play their way out of trouble.

Money is the god to these people.

[beatlesaint]

I think the whole mentality of the players and their lack of fight was summed up in a quote from Tadic after the West Ham game when he said “2-0 down after fifteen minutes the game is over”.

 

Never mind the remaining 75 minutes to fight back then....

[manzo]

Is it really that difficult to change from boring football to say a Burnley type of positive football.

 

I'm sorry, what?!? An ultra-defensive side that hope that they can nick a goal or keep it 0-0 until about the 70th minute, when they bring on another forward.

 

That's what you want us to emulate?

[Micky]

I'm sorry, what?!? An ultra-defensive side that hope that they can nick a goal or keep it 0-0 until about the 70th minute, when they bring on another forward.

 

That's what you want us to emulate?

Frightening isn't it. I was at the Burnley game at SMS this season and knew exactly what was going to happen as the game wore on. But I actually felt sorry for their fans having to watch that every week. One of the worst (most boring and negative) sides I have watched all season without a doubt.

 

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