Newcastle 3-2 Saints - Match Thread

[jabei]

11 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

Can we finally put to bed the myth of underperforming at St Mary’s because of negative fans? They’ve been playing in empty stadiums for a year and it’s the same gutless, feeble bunch of bottle jobs as ever.

Nope...can't put that to bed because we were really good until Christmas. How would a full St Marys react to Redmond next time out after today?

[Matthew Le God]

1 minute ago, stknowle said:

It was all so slow and ponderous, just sideways passes in front of a defence given time to organise and relax. Ridiculous against 10 and then 9 men. 

The large amount standing water on the pitch made it difficult for it to be anything other than that.

[Chez]

2 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I can't show any sympathy towards Redmond. I have no time for the guy.

Yeah, I can tell, but blaming him for all our ills is wrong. We don't have a great winger at the club. We have workman like players like Armstrong and Walcott, wildcard, but generally poor in Djenepo, and Redmond, who when on sing is a decent player, but isn't on song anywhere near often enough

[trousers]

1 minute ago, Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd said:

Anyone want to place a bet on where the next points are going to come from? 

Anyone want to place a bet that your post rate will go right back down again when we rediscover our form...?

[Turkish]

1 minute ago, Teddeer said:

Think Ings knows he is going in the summer and not busting a gut because that could risk him picking up an injury. Don't be surprised to see him continue to coast through games and, without the high energy, he is no use.

It’s not that he wasn’t busting a gut, he was trying but he was shit. Bad touches, wrong choices, poor finishing. He was still tracking back and putting effort it but like everyone else a shadow of what they were 3 months ago

[Vancouver Saint]

My birthday today. Thanks for nothing Saints. That was worse than the 9-0 for me. Slow, ponderous build-up and after hitting the post we never looked like scoring against 9 men. Not enough subs not quick enough and wrong ones. So many bad performances. All I was asking for was to get off this bloody 29 point mark.. Ralph, that was a terrible result.

[Toussaint]

Just now, Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd said:

Anyone want to place a bet on where the next points are going to come from? 

I actually looked at the rest of the season and couldn’t se many, 8 or 9, that was before today. Luckily the bottom three are so far adrift 

[Micky]

1 minute ago, Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd said:

Anyone want to place a bet on where the next points are going to come from? 

Team bus speeding home from Newcastle.

[st alex]

4 minutes ago, Dusic said:

Redmond wasn't very good but he wasn't the reason we lost the game.

The biggest factor was the McCarthy mistake when we had got back into the game. He is sometimes too careless. That was a big moment.

Tactics when they went to nine were questionable, but we aren't a team setup to just bang balls into the box, that isnt how we score goals.

At the start of the game our passing out of defence was awful, Vestergaard and Romeu were off the pace and Stephens got targetted playing at RB.

If you concede 3 away from home you aren't going to get points very often.

We are clearly in a bad moment, but it will turn.

I think Redmond and Bertrand can take equal blame for the 'Mcarthy mistake', Redmond didn't need to play the ball back to him when we were on the attack and Bertrand could always have taken a better touch.

We really need to learn how to score when and to adapt when our Plan A is not working. We've got good hight in the team. The delivery into the box was awful today.

It was terrible conditions, but it was the same for both teams. I wonder if we do all our training in the dome, if so we need to get out and train in the pissing rain because the conditions need to mimic real life.

[Roo1976]

Fucking  way too slow  moving the ball around yet again today, and for an awful long time now. Fuck for all our quick pressing our distribution is so ponderously slow, agree that Bertrand and Redmond couldnt deliver a bloody ball ,do you think Utd would have been as bad as we were ?....what do they practice because it cant be movement off the ball, because it wasnt happening. We are in the shit and anyone who thinks not  is blinkered in red and white eyes. Wheres the next point let alone 3 coming from?..Still cracking free kick once again from JWP........

[Chez]

Just now, Matthew Le God said:

The large amount standing water on the pitch made it difficult for it to be anything other than that.

I agree with you. Fucking nightmare when you have extra men and want to pass it quickly to take advantage. Same for both sides, but it really didn't help us.

[SFC-TID!]

Awful. Awful. Awful. 
 

Tippy, tappy, sideways dross. 
 

Our crossing and final ball are poor, our thought process is frazzled.

Ings doesn’t look fit to me and Adams couldn’t hit a barn door. 
 

Changes for Wolves is a must, Salisu, Forster and Djenepo all need to start.

Also, Ralph needs to learn to make changes, everyone could see Redmond was struggling. 
 

Unbelievable. 

[Lighthouse]

2 minutes ago, Sidney Fudpucker the 3rd said:

Anyone want to place a bet on where the next points are going to come from? 

I genuinely don't see us getting to 40 points this season. 35 would be a miracle at this rate.

A win and three draws in 16 games would be a miracle? The bottom three will struggle to get where we are now, let alone 40 points. 

[Toussaint]

2 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

The large amount standing water on the pitch made it difficult for it to be anything other than that.

We are like that on perfect pitches 

[Captain Jack]

Not sure I get the criticism of Bertrand. He at least was pushing forward and was getting his crosses in from wide. But we weren't getting it out wide as much as we should. Redmond was rubbish though. The fault was in the tactics, or lack of them. We didn't need so many players behind the ball. Redmond is capable of taking players on and getting to the byline. Frustrating that he doesn't do it. You just know he is going to get the ball, run a few yards then stop and go backwards. So predictable. Easy for defenders that have watched him and know how he plays.

[stknowle]

2 minutes ago, FairWeather said:

I’m frustrated but I don’t think it’s as dreadful as most on here seem to think.

Yes you should be able to beat 9 men, but the pitch was dreadful making passing hard. We were unlucky when Ings hit the post too. Redmond was ineffective, but we lost because of the defensive errors more than anything else.

 

Ings shot unlucky (and MASSIVELY annoying) agreed but we were fucking useless apart from that and that isn't fucking good enough against 10 and then 9 men. 

[Convict Colony]

1 minute ago, Vancouver Saint said:

My birthday today. Thanks for nothing Saints. That was worse than the 9-0 for me. Slow, ponderous build-up and after hitting the post we never looked like scoring against 9 men. Not enough subs not quick enough and wrong ones. So many bad performances. All I was asking for was to get off this bloody 29 point mark.. Ralph, that was a terrible result.

Happy brithday anyway, at least you live in Vancouver, i've been to worse places.

[qwertyell]

Appalling. Worst result of the season. Indefensible.

When we go down to ten men, there's a shrug of the shoulders by the manager and the players and a cowardly acceptance that it's game over, nothing we can do. 9-0 incoming.

And our fans cringingly laud the manager and beg for him to stay - it can't possibly be his fault. No, it's Mike Dean. It's people being mean about us on Talksport. It's the chairman. It's the previous chairman. It's the return of that voodoo curse that we thought we'd gotten rid of when we first moved into St Mary's.

And yet when we get to play AGAINST ten men (or even nine), mysteriously, teams are somehow able to not concede nine goals per game. Or even one. We've played a combined 80 minutes against Arsenal and Newcastle this season with at least a man extra and created absolutely fuck all. In fact, we've played even worse with a numeric advantage - slower, more aimless, more timid, uninspired.

One sub, the manager threw on. One. He made about as little effort as possible to change the course of the game, tactically. Because that's what he always does, no matter the match situation. Hasenhuttl is curiously both a decent fit as manager for us, and simultaneously the most overrated manager we've ever had. He's plan A or bust. The puddles in centre circle today had more depth than Ralph's superficial approach to football.

"They're tired - it's hard work, this high pressing lark." Sure. A proper manager would then adapt to the challenges of a cramped schedule. Pep Guardiola has transformed Man City's form by making them run less, making the ball do the work. It's the only way when you're playing every three days. You can't keep bashing away at the same failing plan as it yields ever diminishing returns and simply wash your hands of the consequences: "That's just how we play." It's patently obvious that the Ralph Way is not sustainable over the course of a whole season. We were in free-fall last year when Lockdown came and bailed us out, allowing our squad a long rest and reset.

I wonder what Djenepo thinks, stuck on the bench as a creative wildcard, but can't even get on the park against nine men, while we keep two holding midfielders in place. What a fucking farce.

Five defeats in a row. Chelsea next, so that'll be six. I've said it before - where are the next points coming from? I'm already keeping an eye on Fulham and West Brom's results to make sure they're not clawing back ground. I think we'll probably be okay on 36 points, but who are we getting 7 points from and when? How many players would they have to be down to? Eight?

Indefensible. One of the shittest performances, individually and collectively, you'll ever see. And we've got no-one to blame. The ref was okay. The luck was on our side. I suppose there was a female co-commentator, so she'll absorb some of the deflected opprobrium.

We might scrape to a survival total this season, but the future looks horrific. We'll potentially lose Ings, Vestergaard, Bertrand, Prowse and still not cover our huge debts enough to afford to replace any of them. Time to start ringing the alarm bells, folks. This is a sick club.

 

 

Edited 6 February, 2021 by qwertyell

[Chez]

1 minute ago, Turkish said:

It’s not that he wasn’t busting a gut, he was trying but he was shit. Bad touches, wrong choices, poor finishing. He was still tracking back and putting effort it but like everyone else a shadow of what they were 3 months ago

Lost his mojo. He was flying. He isn't as sharp after the injury and everything falls away (touch etc.) when that is the case.  The idea he isn't trying is bollocks. I saw the cunt Quashie give up at QPR just before he got his move. I know when someone cant be arsed any more.

[CWD]

What I can’t get my head around is the fact we’ve made pacy, dynamic, attacking fullbacks our most important tactic, when we’ve only got one of them in the squad. KWP is so vital to how we play but you can’t rest everything on one RB. Bertrand is a good fullback but he was being asked to do the lions share of attacking today and he’s just not that sort of player.
 

oh and Jesus we’re so SLOW. Without Armstrong, we just don’t have anyone in CM or the 10s who will just fucking RUN forward. That game was there to be won after the free kick but it was like we just played for the -1 goal difference. Just create some fucking chances and stop congratulating yourself for winning a corner, it was pathetic.

[kitch]

9 minutes ago, Chez said:

Minamino scored a lovely goal, but did absolutely nothing in the second half. Just got in the way.

It was the fella's first game, to be fair!

[Convict Colony]

Yeah i dont think betrand was outstanding by any stretch of the imagination but at least he was putting in crosses, looked like he was working hard and basically been consistent as he has been this season.

 

Maybe he's feeling it in his legs with how ralph wants full backs to play in this system, KWP a lot younger and i think his output shows.

[sydney_saint]

11 minutes ago, Chez said:

Amen. Way OTT.  He has been out of the side quite a while.  Little wonder his confidence has been dented a bit. Djenepo has ben shit. Walcott gone off the boil in last few weeks, yet Redmond gets one game and its all his fault we created little.

Its been going back wayyy longer then today. It's way more likely that his one decent season in a saints shirt was a purple patch, given how mediocre he has been since and before.Look at his record. It's dreadful considering how many matches he's played. And if you dig deeper most of his goals and assists have come when the team is already winning. 

He was an integral reason why we didn't get a point today. Newcastle gave him half the pitch and instead focused on defending our left and centre. With that much space, with that much time, a senior player like him should be doing far far better. I wouldn't start him again until he has earned it. Get him to come off the bench and change the game

[sydney_saint]

4 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Appalling. Worst result of the season. Indefensible.

When we go down to ten men, there's a shrug of the shoulders by the manager and the players and a cowardly acceptance that it's game over, nothing we can do. 9-0 incoming.

And our fans cringingly laud the manager and beg for him to stay - it can't possibly be his fault. No, it's Mike Dean. It's people being mean about us on Talksport. It's the chairman. It's the previous chairman. It's the return of that voodoo curse that we thought we'd gotten rid of when we first moved into St Mary's.

And yet when we get to play AGAINST ten men (or even nine), mysteriously, teams are somehow able to not concede nine goals per game. Or even one. We've played a combined 80 minutes against Arsenal and Newcastle this season with at least a man extra and created absolutely fuck all. In fact, we've played even worse with a numeric advantage - slower, more aimless, more timid, uninspired.

One sub, the manager threw on. One. He made about as little effort as possible to change the course of the game, tactically. Because that's what he always does, no matter the match situation. Hasenhuttl is curiously both a decent fit as manager for us, and simultaneously the most overrated manager we've ever had. He's plan A or bust. The puddles in centre circle today had more depth than Ralph's superficial approach to football.

"They're tired - it's hard work, this high pressing lark." Sure. A proper manager would then adapt to the challenges of a cramped schedule. Pep Guardiola has transformed Man City's form by making them run less, making the ball do the work. It's the only way when you're playing every three days. You can't keep bashing away at the same failing plan as it yields ever diminishing returns and simply wash your hands of the consequences: "That's just how we play." It's patently obvious that the Ralph Way is not sustainable over the course of a whole season. We were in free-fall last year when Lockdown came and bailed us out, allowing our squad a long rest and reset.

I wonder what Djenepo thinks, stuck on the bench as a creative wildcard, but can't even get on the park against nine men, while we keep two holding midfielders in place. What a fucking farce.

Five defeats in a row. Chelsea next, so that'll be six. I've said it before - where are the next points coming from? I'm already keeping an eye on Fulham and West Brom's results to make sure they're not clawing back ground. I think we'll probably be okay on 36 points, but who are we getting 7 points from and when? How many players would they have to be down to? Eight?

Indefensible. One of the shittest performances, individually and collectively, you'll ever see. And we've got no-one to blame. The ref was okay. The luck was on our side. I suppose there was a female co-commentator, so she'll absorb some of the deflected opprobrium.

We might scrape to a survival total this season, but the future looks horrific. We'll potentially lose Ings, Vestergaard, Bertrand, Prowse and still not cover our huge debts enough to afford to replace any of them. Time to start ringing the alarm bells, folks. This is a sick club.

 

 

Pretty sure we won't lose ings now. Why would a big club take a punt on him at his age and form? Ironically he has played his way out of a move when trying to play into one

[Micky]

2 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

A win and three draws in 16 games would be a miracle? The bottom three will struggle to get where we are now, let alone 40 points. 

I reckon 36 - 38, will do it this season which we should limp to, but given our early season promise,  the implosion that we have managed to achieve since then, is spectacular to say the least. 

[RedWillie]

That was a totally uninspiring sh*t show. Redmond was diabolical,  bertie not much better. Too late with subs 

[Fan The Flames]

Have we got immune to losing 9 nil, that people now think a 3-2 defeat away to Newcastle is worse. It's not.

[westmidlandsaint]

I don't normally single out individual players however; 

 

McCarthy is solid but not a spectacular #1 - we could do/need better

Stephens ok as a back up but not for a run of games - I hope Salisu turns out to be what the club hope

Redmond had his day. Crossing is abysmal. 

Ings needs to make his mind up on whether he is going to sign a new contract or not hasnt seemed the same player in last few months

Today again was another sign that loaning Valery out is just mind boggling 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[DT]

21 minutes ago, whelk said:

Agree whilst Redmond was shit so was Bertrand

Bertrand had an off day. Redmond never has an on one 

[Matthew Le God]

8 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Appalling. Worst result of the season.

That was clearly the Man Utd game.

Sure not beating 10 then 9 men today is disappointing but that occasionally happens and you can't break a team down. Losing 9-0 should be an extremely rare event for any professional team.

Edited 6 February, 2021 by Matthew Le God

[markr27]

Redmond was struggling - we could all see it from our TV screens and I'm sure he was getting frustrated with himself.
He probably suspected he was going to be hooked off every minute, and gradually got worse and worse as the game went on trying to do something to keep him on.

In some ways, Schar going off injured made it worse for the side.

[Chez]

2 minutes ago, kitch said:

It was the fella's first game, to be fair!

fair point.

I think I am just trying to dilute some of blame (and hatred) from Redmond by pointing out that others didn't excel. Check out the first goal and look for Stephens. Woeful positioning and no effort to get back, all be it it would have made no difference. Bednarek sells himself too. Got to win that or were are dead. He was a tad unlucky with the own goal, but sort your feet out mate. He was also lucky not to get a red when done by Almiron. Redmond gets a lot of stick, but Ings had a shocker. What did Adams do? JWP passing in the last ten minutes was terrible...the lost goes on. 

To be fair a lot of this happens every week, we are not world beaters, but when you win you forget all the shit play. 

[Golac's Cunning Stunts]

Ralph is being shown up for what he is - a one trick pony. He's not able to adapt to situations at all. When Newcastle lose a man Bruce takes a striker off, puts a defender on and all men behind the ball. Not rocket science is it? All this talk about lack of investment. Well Newcastle haven't had any yet it doesn't lead them to a 9-0 defeat does it? Blame squarely with Ralph. He's also too nice. Needs to show some bollocks. Two highly embarrassing shows in 2 games. 13 goals shipped in 3 games. 

[BotleySaint]

5 league defeats in a row for the first time since 1998. It's relegation form. Our good start may well save us, but the rot is well and truly set in. Ralph has to find a way to stop us losing. Players look devoid of confidence. 

[Roo1976]

On 02/02/2021 at 22:26, JRM said:

We will 100% lose at Newcastle on Saturday I'm afraid mate, this squad is fucked mentally and physically.  We'll stay up but will struggle to get to 40 points. Absolute fucking shambles from top down. Appalling mismanagement over a number of years. 

mmmm , someone has a crystal ball.

[OttawaSaint]

During the games it feels like one of those utterly predictable horror movies.

You can see it coming a mile away. The keeper cock up to piss away all our momentum, the hitting posts and off the line stuff when we should be scoring. The not changing anything but giving it to Iggy Pop Redmond (I am the passenger...).

Only thing I got wrong was Newcastle not making it 4-2 at the end. 

Next couple of games are early ones here. Might have a lie in instead.

Edited 6 February, 2021 by OttawaSaint

[Appy]

14 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

The large amount standing water on the pitch made it difficult for it to be anything other than that.

No excuse at all, adapt to conditions. 

[Matthew Le God]

Today was pretty inept, on the bright side, Kyle Walker-Peters returning will make a big difference. Not having an attacking right-back alters the style of play and build-up. It is limiting Saints as an attacking force and hindering the high press down the right side.

Edited 6 February, 2021 by Matthew Le God

[Lord Duckhunter]

The modern cliché is “no plan B”, but in our case it absolutely applies. Look at the 3rd goal, seconds left but the keeper has to keep playing  the same way. Why? We weren’t going to draw them out, beat their press and create an overload out wide. Just hoof it up field, hear the whistle, pick your stuff out of the net, and trot off 2-1 down.
 

Against 9, we’re still going down the middle, before pass to wide man, who switches it inside to CM who knocks it back to centre half, who knocks to full back. All little triangles, round and round, getting fucking nowhere. Why not try something else. Instead of knocking in corners, where their 8 & keeper battle with our 8, why don’t we threaten to take a short one, they can bring 2 out to stop it or we can do them 2 against 1. Why knock knock a long ball occasionally and pick up the second ball. Why not get a centre half over lapping like Sheffield Utd do. They had zero attacking threat. We didn’t move them round at all. They could just sit there 2  banks of 4 whilst we passed it in front of them.

Personally, I’d have chucked Vesty up top with Adams, Ings in the 10. Bertrand & Bednarek as defenders, with Redmond & Djneppo as advanced full backs. Why on Earth he’s playing OR & 2 centre halves against 9 is beyond me. 

Edited 6 February, 2021 by Lord Duckhunter

[OttawaSaint]

3 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

That was clearly the Man Utd game.

Sure not beating 10 then 9 men today is disappointing but that occasionally happens and you can't break a team down. Losing 9-0 should be an extremely rare event for any professional team.

Thanks very much for your insightful post.

[Ekelund]

13 minutes ago, st alex said:

I think Redmond and Bertrand can take equal blame for the 'Mcarthy mistake', Redmond didn't need to play the ball back to him when we were on the attack and Bertrand could always have taken a better touch.

We really need to learn how to score when and to adapt when our Plan A is not working. We've got good hight in the team. The delivery into the box was awful today.

It was terrible conditions, but it was the same for both teams. I wonder if we do all our training in the dome, if so we need to get out and train in the pissing rain because the conditions need to mimic real life.

He was on Bertrands first touch. Could've gone in firmer for sure but there was no option for a first touch which is why he instinctively tried to get it out wide first time. 

Shite game management and pass from the keeper was to blame. Shouldve just gone long at that point

[Appy]

Was more annoyed by today’s game than Tuesday’s. 
 

Can remember three or four occasions in the last few seasons we’ve struggled when a team goes a man down. 

[stknowle]

15 minutes ago, Matthew Le God said:

The large amount standing water on the pitch made it difficult for it to be anything other than that.

There were large amounts of standing water on the pitch when we conceded our goals (particularly the third). Why was that so difficult for us to cope with Matthew, and with 11 men on the pitch?

[Matthew Le God]

1 minute ago, Appy said:

No excuse at all, adapt to conditions. 

They tried by putting on a big centre forward, playing Redmond as a right back and putting Vestergaard up front. There is only so much you can do in such conditions. It is hard to pass on the floor as ball holds up in standing water, going longer is the alternative but has its own issues.

[Convict Colony]

 

3 minutes ago, Roo1976 said:

mmmm , someone has a crystal ball.

Hahaha wasnt me i said this was a certain win for us but i did also say the japanese messi would bang in goals for fun for us, goal no.1 today.

[captainchris]

6 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Appalling. Worst result of the season. Indefensible.

When we go down to ten men, there's a shrug of the shoulders by the manager and the players and a cowardly acceptance that it's game over, nothing we can do. 9-0 incoming.

And our fans cringingly laud the manager and beg for him to stay - it can't possibly be his fault. No, it's Mike Dean. It's people being mean about us on Talksport. It's the chairman. It's the previous chairman. It's the return of that voodoo curse that we thought we'd gotten rid of when we first moved into St Mary's.

And yet when we get to play AGAINST ten men (or even nine), mysteriously, teams are somehow able to not concede nine goals per game. Or even one. We've played a combined 80 minutes against Arsenal and Newcastle this season with at least a man extra and created absolutely fuck all. In fact, we've played even worse with a numeric advantage - slower, more aimless, more timid, uninspired.

One sub, the manager threw on. One. He made about as little effort as possible to change the course of the game, tactically. Because that's what he always does, no matter the match situation. Hasenhuttl is curiously both a decent fit as manager for us, and simultaneously the most overrated manager we've ever had. He's plan A or bust. The puddles in centre circle today had more depth than Ralph's superficial approach to football.

"They're tired - it's hard work, this high pressing lark." Sure. A proper manager would then adapt to the challenges of a cramped schedule. Pep Guardiola has transformed Man City's form by making them run less, making the ball do the work. It's the only way when you're playing every three days. You can't keep bashing away at the same failing plan as it yields ever diminishing returns and simply wash your hands of the consequences: "That's just how we play." It's patently obvious that the Ralph Way is not sustainable over the course of a whole season. We were in free-fall last year when Lockdown came and bailed us out, allowing our squad a long rest and reset.

I wonder what Djenepo thinks, stuck on the bench as a creative wildcard, but can't even get on the park against nine men, while we keep two holding midfielders in place. What a fucking farce.

Five defeats in a row. Chelsea next, so that'll be six. I've said it before - where are the next points coming from? I'm already keeping an eye on Fulham and West Brom's results to make sure they're not clawing back ground. I think we'll probably be okay on 36 points, but who are we getting 7 points from and when? How many players would they have to be down to? Eight?

Indefensible. One of the shittest performances, individually and collectively, you'll ever see. And we've got no-one to blame. The ref was okay. The luck was on our side. I suppose there was a female co-commentator, so she'll absorb some of the deflected opprobrium.

We might scrape to a survival total this season, but the future looks horrific. We'll potentially lose Ings, Vestergaard, Bertrand, Prowse and still not cover our huge debts enough to afford to replace any of them. Time to start ringing the alarm bells, folks. This is a sick club.

 

 

Lots of sense in this post. Ralph is indeed overrated by many fans. In many ways similar to Bednerek who has always been caught out and redeemed the situation with a last gasp tackle only to lauded for his ‘effort’ 

Applauding Ralph after two 9.0s is ridiculous, begging him to stay is also nauseating. Some fans attitude to losing mirrors the malaise and losing attitude with the club generally where second best will do.
If you want to be successful it won’t do...

 

[verlaine1979]

Redmond is a real propaganda footballer. He tries very hard to never lose the ball, and I don't think it's out of a devotion to possession. He knows his limitations (he's got no pace over more than the first yard) so he tries his very best to avoid that weakness ever being on show by never taking anyone on.

 

[OttawaSaint]

1 minute ago, Matthew Le God said:

They tried by putting on a big centre forward, playing Redmond as a right back and putting Vestergaard up front. There is only so much you can do in such conditions. It is hard to pass on the floor as ball holds up in standing water, going longer is the alternative but has its own issues.

And yet other teams adapt and score against us all the time. 

Excuses, excuses. 

[sydney_saint]

1 minute ago, Chez said:

fair point.

I think I am just trying to dilute some of blame (and hatred) from Redmond by pointing out that others didn't excel. Check out the first goal and look for Stephens. Woeful positioning and no effort to get back, all be it it would have made no difference. Bednarek sells himself too. Got to win that or were are dead. He was a tad unlucky with the own goal, but sort your feet out mate. He was also lucky not to get a red when done by Almiron. Redmond gets a lot of stick, but Ings had a shocker. What did Adams do? JWP passing in the last ten minutes was terrible...the lost goes on. 

To be fair a lot of this happens every week, we are not world beaters, but when you win you forget all the shit play. 

The difference is a lot of those players have credit in the bank. JWP has been one of our best performers this season, scored a cracker today, tried to lead the team forward and a couple of passes fell short on a waterlogged pitch. Bertrand wasn't good today yet still got an assist and got some decent balls into the box. Stephens was diabolical and getting plenty of stick for it. And bednarek I think most people recognise has just had the week from hell. 

Redmond on the other has been living rent free in this side for far too long. Newcastle even recognised this and gave him space. The reality is with Redmond, who is nearly 27, is that it isnt just a confidence crisis. He just isn't good enough, and one purple patch a few years ago doesn't change that

[jabei]

12 minutes ago, Fan The Flames said:

Have we got immune to losing 9 nil, that people now think a 3-2 defeat away to Newcastle is worse. It's not.

I think it is...Utd are a good team and we had a lot going against us.

We had a virtually full strength team out today and Newcastle are most definitely not a good team.