Saints 1 Cardiff City 2 post match dissection

[saintwbu]

PEH giving yet another interview. Interviews completed today: 1 - Pass completed today: 0

[SuperSAINT]

The home form is the most concerning thing.

 

We used to be really good in games after a week of training, but that's Palace & Cardiff (both similar sides) that we've really struggled against after a long build-up.

[verlaine1979]

Was he sold against the manager's will, then?

 

Because I think Ralph made a decision to chose Long over him, which is why Gabbi was sold.

 

I suspect RH was told Gabbi wouldn't be staying when he joined, as he was one of very few saleable assets in the squad. We kept Long because we had to.

[Crab Lungs]

PEH giving yet another interview. Interviews completed today: 1 - Pass completed today: 0

 

Lol, apparently our next superstar along with JWP.

 

What a squad full of gamechangers we have.

[Dalek2003]

Who should we sell when we go down?

[striker]

Yes, it's absolutely baffling why the manager chose not to select a player who we sold to Sampdoria a few weeks ago.

 

Don't be dense. Ralph selected Long, leading to Gabbi leaving and almost Austin. You know thats what I meant. Ralph made the decision that running around aimlessly with is more important that scoring actual goals and making meaningful runs.

[CB Fry]

I suspect RH was told Gabbi wouldn't be staying when he joined, as he was one of very few saleable assets in the squad. We kept Long because we had to.

If Hasenhutl had wanted Gabbiadini to stay ha'd be here and playing.

[Saint_Tony]

Awful. 3 winnable games I thought we may get a few points from. The gamble in the transfer window has backfired completely. Way too many players in the squad now who will barely be good enough for the Championship.

 

Think a few got a bit overexcited in the last few weeks. So many posters not even considering relegation. Well make no ****ing mistake, we are well and truly in a huge battle to survive now.

 

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[Crab Lungs]

Who should we sell when we go down?

 

 

Well probably have to sell to buy anyway with this bunch of absolute sh1t****s running the club

[supersonic]

Awful. 3 winnable games I thought we may get a few points from. The gamble in the transfer window has backfired completely. Way too many players in the squad now who will barely be good enough for the Championship.

 

Think a few got a bit overexcited in the last few weeks. So many posters not even considering relegation. Well make no ****ing mistake, we are well and truly in a huge battle to survive now.

 

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100% this.

[SaintRobbie]

100% going down. Club has been destroyed by a selling Boardroom. No way you can strip out so much quality and stay up.

[verlaine1979]

If Hasenhutl had wanted Gabbiadini to stay ha'd be here and playing.

 

Tell that to our penniless Chinese owner.

[saints-cris]

Dreadful. Really dreadful result that. We’ve managed to undo some great work from the last month or so in the last week or two. 4 points blown in the last week against teams around us in stoppage time.

 

Horrible.

[SNSUN]

This is a huge game lost but let's get some perspective: still winnable games to come. It's obvious that Hasenhuttl was banking on us just staying up and little more this season - well Huddersfield are down, and it's looking like Fulham will join them, so really anyone up to Palace is in a relegation battle. Our performances do need to improve though or it could well be us for the third spot. We'll lose to Arsenal IMO, but the Fulham game is now MASSIVE.

 

Safety is the only important thing for the rest of this season - ignore mid-table, I think that's beyond us now, but safety would at least mean we can go into the summer transfer window ready to cut the dead wood out of this team and sign players more to Hasenhuttl's image.

[LGTL]

Haven’t thought it all season, but genuinely think we’ll go now.

[CWD]

Wow. Only we could score a last minute equaliser then fall apart completely. Wouldn’t happen to any other team.

 

Long has his strengths but he offers NOTHING as a lone striker against a team set up to frustrate. Redmond tried his best but we missed Armstrong for a bit of added creativity. And why was JWP constantly so deep?

 

We’ve managed to lose a must not lose game. Even last year we would’ve got a draw.

 

Pathetic really. It feels like what happened to Swansea last year. They picked up a few decent results when Carvalhal came in but then looked dreadful until the end of the season. The pressure is really on for the next few games.

[Dusic]

We had Shane Long starting and our three subs were Charlie Austin, Moi Anonymous and Sam Gallagher.

 

None of those players are PL quality.

[hasper57saint]

The manager should take the blame he has allowed his players(his selection ) to **** around instead of attacking what is one of the leagues worst side .I believe we should have won this game, we have the players but not the manger to force them forward and win the game he seem happy sitting back and throwing points aways evey game One of the most gutless performance by Manager and team I seen in 50 years of watching Saints. We are the pitts we would not frighten an under 8 teams with are complacency and laziness on the ball the little guys and girls i watch every week of all ability have at least the will to compete .This lot and their manager should hang their heads in shame total tozzers

This. Ralph has to take full responsibility for this non-performance.

[Greenridge]

This. Ralph has to take full responsibility for this non-performance.

 

Maybe the players will have a 20 minute video for Ralph to watch in Tenerife with his good and bad points.

[Micky]

We had Shane Long starting and our three subs were Charlie Austin, Moi Anonymous and Sam Gallagher.

 

None of those players are PL quality.

Just that alone shows you how little quality we have. None of those players were ever going to have any impact in this situation. Feel for Ralph because with the rubbish we've got, the bench is not going to help him at all.

 

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[LGTL]

Honestly is anyone else absolutely fuming?? Haven’t been this annoyed in years.

[Crab Lungs]

Honestly is anyone else absolutely fuming?? Haven’t been this annoyed in years.

 

Yes.

 

 

And as I was watching it, I was wondering if anyone felt as annoyed as me. I’m glad I have company. Still not particularly calmed down yet either

[trousers]

100% going down. Club has been destroyed by a selling Boardroom. No way you can strip out so much quality and stay up.

Good to see you back on the forum Robbie. Been missing you since you last posted on 3rd December.... Edited 9 February, 2019 by trousers

[Roo1976]

Honestly is anyone else absolutely fuming?? Haven’t been this annoyed in years.

 

Abso*******lootly me.

[Convict Colony]

Reckon there will be some last minute editing on the **** you've done badly for the Tenerife retreat. Could be the most horrific video long has ever seen.

 

Anyway as soon as we pencil in 3 easy points we seem to feck it up but then nick something from harder ones.

 

Problems I saw today was the over elaboration and the slowing down of play just as we got to their box. Thought Valery played well, like what benerak did everyone else gets a [emoji2369]

[Saint IQ]

Why can't my club be run like Wolves, Brighton or even Bournemouth.

 

Takeover stinks to high heaven

 

Gao out!

[HarvSFC]

Fingers need to be pointed towards the ownership again (how many times have we said that in the last couple of years?). Can't spend a penny in the January transfer window, but lets splash out on flights to Tenerife, where accommodation and training facilities will also need to be paid for alongside plenty of other things. Even Cardiff, who haven't received any Premier League money as of yet would have had a new £15m striker in their ranks alongside Leandro Bacuna and Oumar Niasse today. How did Che Adams get on today? Or, was he just another name like Mepham, Walcott, Mawson and even Paul Mitchell fed to the media? We've left ourselves depending on the worst striker in the league in Shane Long to keep us up.

 

Hasenhuttl has also got to learn and quickly in this ruthless league. He's had his manager bounce, but now he needs to sort it out. Koeman was versatile with the 3/5 at the back formation, seemed to know when to play it and when not to and more often than not he got it right. Yet, Ralph plays it every week, meaning we pick up just two points from a run of fixtures against Crystal Palace at home, Burnley away and Cardiff at home. Just not good enough. Recent weeks has been like watching a Puel/Pellegrino team with the meaningless passing in the centre circle allowing the other side's defence to regroup. Not quite as bad as a Hughes one just yet though.

[CanadaSaint]

Whoever would have thought that we'd be left pinning our hopes on 18 year-old Obafemi?

[Jonnyboy]

Absolute sickener but we can still stay up.

 

If it wasn't for the late goal and we'd got a draw people would be a lot more positive on here.

[Lighthouse]

F**k this bunch of gutless no-hopers. Seriously, just throwing every game away in injury time. They can't even hold on to a 1-1 draw at home to f**king Cardiff. Hate to say it but Ralph got it wrong today too, Cardiff at home and our attacking options are Redmond and Long. Fair enough if Armstrong is injured but Redmond is literally the only threat of any kind in that team.

 

Long - That's one of the worst displays I've ever seen from a striker. His runs were badly timed, wrong direction and he looked on a different planet to the rest of the team. Half the time he isn't even running any more and I lost count of the number of times he just fell over under the lightest touch.

 

Stephens - So what's the excuse this time for switching off completely and giving them a goal on a plate in stoppage time? There wasn't a Saints player in the same postcode as that pass.

 

Gao - When we're watching League 1 players on Premier League wages play Championship football next season, I hope the shilling and thrupence we saved on Cedric and Gabbi's wages is worth it I really do.

 

F**k off Saints, honestly. I can't remember the last time I was so angry at a performance/result. It's the same abject sh*te every week and they just never learn, from the owner right down to the players.

[manji]

Does anyone remember one of the quotes when RH started ? I think it was by Krueger. Hasenhuttl is here long term even if we get relegated.

[SaintAndy14]

Things that we did wrong today:

 

Pre-match: RH setting us up the way he did when it was obvious that Cardiff would sit deep and play for a point. Long starting was never going to work as his strength is running in-behind/channels and they weren't going to give us any space. Austin should have started for movement in the box.

 

During the match: Pretty much everything! Passy-pass-pass - we played into their hands by trying to pass the ball into the goal thru 11 players. Did RB or Valery put a single ball into the box? PEH was woeful - several opportunities to shoot, yet lost the ball or tried yet another pass thru a brick wall. RH made changes too late as it was clear early doors that what we were doing was not effective.

 

Garbage from Saints today. RH has had his first real stinker and hopefully it doesn't cost us come the end of the season.

[Micky]

Whoever would have thought that we'd be left pinning our hopes on 18 year-old Obafemi?

The kids won't get us out of this, and to be fair they shouldn't have to, it's not their mess.

Either way the likes of Oberfemi and Gallagher don't have enough experience or quality to turn this around with her games w now have left.

 

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[madge]

Well that was absolute garbage and possibly one the most gutless performances over the last few years. The honeymoon period is well and truly over.

I am amazed long is starting. A striker who just can’t score, can’t hold up and ball and falls over instead of attempting to be strong. Ings was always going to be a risky acquisition due to his injury record but to have long as your go to striker is an absolute delusional decision. When you are in a relegation battle you need players who may only get one chance and I wouldn’t trust long whatsoever. Why Ralph picks him is anyone’s guess.

Our club has been run shockingly. It isn’t ever going to improve whilst gao is our owner. He obviously isn’t going to invest anything in the team. He needs to go, he’s had a very easy ride this far.

Finally what was that from elynoussi? I can’t even be bothered to spell his name right. Just garbage without a football brain. How did he end up on the pitch. This is how low our club has fallen. Incompetence all over. So ****ed off right now.

[Micky]

Absolute sickener but we can still stay up.

 

If it wasn't for the late goal and we'd got a draw people would be a lot more positive on here.

The elephant in the room is that we didn't get a point. For a home side, we were crap.

 

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[SaintAndy14]

Well that was absolute garbage and possibly one the most gutless performances over the last few years. The honeymoon period is well and truly over.

I am amazed long is starting. A striker who just can’t score, can’t hold up and ball and falls over instead of attempting to be strong. Ings was always going to be a risky acquisition due to his injury record but to have long as your go to striker is an absolute delusional decision. When you are in a relegation battle you need players who may only get one chance and I wouldn’t trust long whatsoever. Why Ralph picks him is anyone’s guess.

Our club has been run shockingly. It isn’t ever going to improve whilst gao is our owner. He obviously isn’t going to invest anything in the team. He needs to go, he’s had a very easy ride this far.

Finally what was that from elynoussi? I can’t even be bothered to spell his name right. Just garbage without a football brain. How did he end up on the pitch. This is how low our club has fallen. Incompetence all over. So ****ed off right now.

 

I think we put more effort into trying to spell his stupid name than he does on the pitch. I get the whole 'some players need time to adapt' thing, but if I started a job abroad and was still stinking after 7 months then I'd expect to be on my last chance/sacked. He looks atrocious.

[Crab Lungs]

 

F**k off Saints, honestly. I can't remember the last time I was so angry at a performance/result. It's the same abject sh*te every week and they just never learn, from the owner right down to the players.

 

 

That's me, you and LGTL who are genuinely furious. If we can get twenty or so more we could have a mob. I'm up for a row with these useless pr1cks up the top now.

[Gastronaut]

God what an annoying game. Really irritating. Looked to me like Ralph went with the extra man at the back at home because he was worried by return of Ryan and Hoj. And at times they did play like they'd only just met in the dressing room.

[Lighthouse]

That's me, you and LGTL who are genuinely furious. If we can get twenty or so more we could have a mob. I'm up for a row with these useless pr1cks up the top now.

 

I've got some stuff in the shed; no torches to burn but I think there's a scythe and a couple of forks if you're up for it?

[CB Fry]

Tell that to our penniless Chinese owner.

So we recruit a high-profile top manager on a decent wage and to much fanfare. In his very first window we immediately sell a striker that was central to his plans completely against his will.

 

That's what you are saying? You really sure about that?

 

Because Gabbiadini himself doesn't seem to think that.

[CanadaSaint]

The kids won't get us out of this, and to be fair they shouldn't have to, it's not their mess.

Either way the likes of Oberfemi and Gallagher don't have enough experience or quality to turn this around with her games w now have left.

 

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I agree with you, but if it's a choice between Obafemi and Long I'd go with the kid every time.

 

I actually thought we played reasonably well today until we hit the final third - again.

 

There's nobody to get on the end of an early ball, and nobody looking to play one.

 

That back row will continue to leak stupid giveaways until Yoshida's back in it. He won't make us solid but he's a much better reader than any of the others.

 

FWIW I think Armstrong was a big miss today - he has an ability to be more direct in the final third, and to take a decent crack every now and then.

[Whitey Grandad]

That's me, you and LGTL who are genuinely furious. If we can get twenty or so more we could have a mob. I'm up for a row with these useless pr1cks up the top now.

I’m in. I’ve got a walking stick somewhere that I can wave and probably some full tins of Horlick that I can throw.

[Lighthouse]

So we recruit a high-profile top manager on a decent wage and to much fanfare. In his very first window we immediately sell a striker that was central to his plans completely against his will.

 

That's what you are saying? You really sure about that?

 

Because Gabbiadini himself doesn't seem to think that.

 

I have no doubt that Gabbi wanted to leave and that he, "doesn't really suit Ralph's style," but frig me, why would you sell him and leave us with the garbage we've got now. If we'd kept him and played him regularly, he'd probably get a mediocre 5 or 6 goals by the end of the season. Instead we're left with Long and Austin doing pitiful impersonations of a professional footballer.

[Halo Stickman]

There’s been plenty of depressing times supporting this club these past few years and tonight is right down there with the lowest of them. Having to wait two weeks for our next fixture doesn’t help; nor does studying our remaining fixtures. Pessimistic and fed up.

[Batman]

I have no doubt that Gabbi wanted to leave and that he, "doesn't really suit Ralph's style," but frig me, why would you sell him and leave us with the garbage we've got now. If we'd kept him and played him regularly, he'd probably get a mediocre 5 or 6 goals by the end of the season. Instead we're left with Long and Austin doing pitiful impersonations of a professional footballer.

 

But he was deadwood

Before you infract me again, that was what so many people said on here.

 

According to the cheer leaders here, we are fine with the size of the squad and should be proud that slattery made his first start and Valery making the right hand side his own

[badgerx16]

Gabbi my have wanted to go, but not replacing him was criminal neglect.

[CB Fry]

Gabbi my have wanted to go, but not replacing him was criminal neglect.

He wanted to go because he wasn't going to get any game time under this manager.

 

It would have been easier to keep Gabbiadini - for scenarios exactly like today - then to flog him and hope for the best, i.e. Ings never being injured and/or pulling a replacement out of the bag.

 

Whether people like it or not, this was a decision made by our manager. Shane Long was chosen ahead of Gabbiadini.

Edited 9 February, 2019 by CB Fry

[Crab Lungs]

I've got some stuff in the shed; no torches to burn but I think there's a scythe and a couple of forks if you're up for it?

 

Bring them. Defo.

[Wes Tender]

I thought that the essence of the style of play that Hasenhuttl promised to bring, would be the high pressing game, players hunting in packs to dispossess the opposition high up the park, pressurising their defence into mistakes which we could punish. In short, the style of play that Pochettino brought us, which was fairly new to the PL at the time and taught to him as a disciple of Bielsa, who is currently revitalising Leeds. But even under Pochettino in his pomp here, there were teams who stifled his game plan by parking the bus throughout the match and then hoped to hit us with a sucker punch against the run of play from a set piece or the ball over the top. Neil Warnock is another wily old bird like Dyche last week, capable of a strategy to frustrate creative passing teams by allowing them to keep possession until they get to the last third of the pitch, and then closing the space down. The only realistic way to score against a defence like that is from set pieces, incisive defence splitting through balls, or shots from distance. Without Ings, or the likes of players like Tadic or Gabbiandini, we lacked the guile to create the defence splitting passes, or the players capable of anticipating when they might be created. On more than one occasion, the ball was slipped through and nobody was there, and it went out of play to groans of dismay from the stands. Tippy tappy dribbling in the box by Redmond or J W-P was ineffective, as they didn't have the space. Too often we were afraid to shoot from the edge of the box, and set piece balls into the box were ably defended.

 

As it should have been clear to Hasenhuttl that Cardiff would sit back and invite us to break them down, did we need the three central defenders? The extra player either in the midfield or up top would have given us more chance of winning the balls in the midfield and then breaking more quickly into their box. As it was, by the time we broke forward, their defence was packed. I'm afraid to say that this was like watching any typical game against the likes of West Brom or Stoke under Puel, the Clown or Hughes. After a bright start, as the match progressed, the sideways and backwards passes and throw ins became more and more frequent.

 

By half time, it looked already like a bore draw, neither side looking capable of scoring. But having scored first, Cardiff were even more likely to close up shop, waste time and frustrate us. Thankfully we equalised through Stephens and with enough time to go for it and maybe even gain all three points, except there are few teams out there at the moment less capable of defending at the end of a match. Stephens giveth and Stephens taketh away once more, giving them possession sloppily from which they went forward to score the winner. Their chances of breaching our defence had been increased by Hasenhuttl taking of Vestergaard and the excellent Valery (although he might have been carrying a knock). Once again, we conceded right at the death late in injury time, and the fans streamed towards the exit before the final whistle, deflated and dejected by a sub-standard performance against a really poor Cardiff, who had done the double over us.

 

There was some reason for optimism before the match when it was clear that we had Bertrand back, also Yoshida and Hojbjerg, but Armstrong was a big miss, as was Ings, so we lacked firepower up top. Long has if anything become a worse player recently. If he is incapable of scoring goals, at least he used to offer an outlet for the ball over the top, or 100% nuisance effort. Recently he has offered very little of either. As for Elyounoussi, what exactly does he bring to the team at all? Tadic would have brought something really positive and inventive and we miss him badly. I wouldn't be bothered if Elyounoussi never played another minute for us. Valery was good today, as was Bertrand and Redmond. The defence was generally OK, but the balance of the team was wrong, too many at the back, not enough in midfield or up top.

 

Having decided that we could ship out Gabbiadini and Cedric in the January transfer window and not replace them at all, we now look desperately short up top with Ings out, and potentially weak if we have injuries to Valery/Bertrand/Targett. We will at least have Yoshida, Armstrong and Lemina to add to the choices.

 

I still think that we have enough to keep us up, but it is typical of us to not capitalise against the teams around us and then to perform against the better teams. It is disappointing that Hasenhuttl got it wrong today, but I believe he will have learned from it and will make the adjustments so that we don't make the same mistakes again so easily. So they're off to a sunshine break at Tenerife. If it was me, I would have told them that the break there was a reward for if they played well, giving 100%, and that sorry lads, you didn't, so you're not going.

[Katalinic]

Absolutely horrific performance all round (you come to expect it from our defence) including Ralph. I fear that the equally horrific transfer window is going to come back and bite us. If we stay up then a mass clear out is required, this squad is mentally and physically fragile, just awful. Hopefully the complete charlatan that owns us will sell up and **** off too.