Saints 0-2 Fulham - Saints Relegated

[Cabrone]

Absolutely no surprise and deserved.

This club needs to find it's mojo and fast otherwise we'll be playing Pompey in a league 1 derby season 24/25.

New manager would be first on my list, someone who actually wants to win rather than avoid defeat.

We are going to need very careful management if we are to have any chance in the championship but I have no faith in the current mob.

[Charlie Mealings]

I've found it difficult to pick a reason how we got to this place. So I wrote about all of them, every opportunity we had to get off the 'Pompey Highway' since Ings left.

 

Some exits were huge, others trivial. Was funny, sad and long to write. Hope it helps:

 

https://www.statemarys.com/p/11-exits-on-the-pompey-highway

[derry]

Today was a disgrace. No shape, no organisation and no spirit. Walcott was anonymous. KWP never tried to get back. AMN was hopeless and the two centre backs were isolated. Armstrong and Alcaraz did their best. Onuachu was unsupported. Either play him and get the ball into him or leave him out. JWP and Lavia were all over the place. We never played as a team so Fulham pulled us all over the place..

Selles was hopeless again, Armstrong and Elyounoussi, give me a break, they shouldn't even be in the squad.

The only hope is a clearout. The good news is a 40% relegation wages cut. JWP, Lavia, KWP, ABK, Salisu, Adams, A.Armstrong, Aribo etc will raise a good amount to rebuild. Bring back Tella and Smallbone, Look at the B team for anybody that is ready such as Ballard. Look at the players we've had out on loan for suitability. Bring in good strong pacy experienced players that have strong characters and above all bring in a big picture manager that knows how to set up balanced teams immediately.

 

[Sheaf Saint]

23 minutes ago, Galway saint said:

You wonder at what level that team today would be competitive ? Clearly not premier league but I am not sure it’s even championship quality. Perhaps mid table league one but having watched Peterborough last night think they’d murder us in terms of pace and power. We are such a weak and insipid team. We’ve become a joke really.

I work with a dedicated Lincoln City fan who follows them all over the country. His comment after their trip to SMS was "I've seen much better teams in L1".

[charliemiller]

Rebuild come back stronger

As much as its heartbreaking I honestly think we need a reset , so many lazy bad attitude players and bad attitudes that have been allowed to manifest in the club .

The standards that are set in stone are what you get day in and day .........and the standards have slipped way below the Cortese era and are not conducive to staying in the premiership .

 

RESET and COME BACK STRONGER , WE ARE SAINTS , WE MARCH ON !!!! 

[Give it to Ron]

With 1 minute added time at end of first half we get a free kick in their half, do we send up defenders put the ball in box to try and score no we take it short and pass back to keeper.

Just summed up the last few months toothless, pointless, shambles and clueless 

[Saint Billy]

2 minutes ago, charliemiller said:

Rebuild come back stronger

As much as its heartbreaking I honestly think we need a reset , so many lazy bad attitude players and bad attitudes that have been allowed to manifest in the club .

The standards that are set in stone are what you get day in and day .........and the standards have slipped way below the Cortese era and are not conducive to staying in the premiership .

 

RESET and COME BACK STRONGER , WE ARE SAINTS , WE MARCH ON !!!! 

I agree with your comments but SR have not demonstrated at all that they have the brains or the armoury to sort this mess out.

We are rightfully blaming the manager/s and the players but ultimately the buck stops at SR’s doorstep.

[ally_uk]

Bunch of bottle jobs get the majority of these excuse of footballers out our club! 

If we sign that Maitland Niles geezer I'm supporting Eastleigh....

Had enough of this bollacks 🤣

 

[bangkoksaint]

Having read the Athletic article the club should reimburse all STH’s. Absolutely awful indictment of our club.

[adrian lord]

The Sports Republic custody of the club has been an absolute disaster so far.
 

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

10 minutes ago, charliemiller said:

Rebuild come back stronger

As much as its heartbreaking I honestly think we need a reset , so many lazy bad attitude players and bad attitudes that have been allowed to manifest in the club .

The standards that are set in stone are what you get day in and day .........and the standards have slipped way below the Cortese era and are not conducive to staying in the premiership .

 

RESET and COME BACK STRONGER , WE ARE SAINTS , WE MARCH ON !!!! 

Was it Barry Fry at Peterborough who put the whole team up for sale? Maybe it's old fashioned thinking but when you pay someone £1m+ a year, don't you expect them to at least try? This shower gave up over a month ago. I'd like to get rid of practically all of them (Alcaraz, Sulemana excused), but how do you rebuild? Get rid of the lot all at once? Or do you find a new manager, a couple of strikers and an attacking midfielder and keep the others?

At least following Southampton isn't boring? This summer and who leaves and who comes in is going to be very interesting.

 

[Baird of the land]

Fortunately i was busy with other things today and wasn't subjected to another awful Saints defeat.

Flabbergated when i saw the starting lineup contained AMN (who was despicably bad in the game versus Forest). Typical saints this season in rewarding failure.

Edited 13 May, 2023 by Baird of the land

[BranfootsLoveChild]

Now we are officially relegated, which players apart from JWP, do you think will leave? I think that even if we keep alot of this squad we will struggle to come straight back up. I heard a Saints player on the radio earlier (not sure who) saying the team have given their all.....at that point I actually said,  out loud in the car on my own...."Fuck off". And turned the radio off! The club is rotten from top to bottom. 

Edited 13 May, 2023 by BranfootsLoveChild

[JRM]

1 hour ago, warsash saint said:

I walked around to the tunnel at end of game to shout some abuse at the players .... got told by some silly old tart in row behind to sit down so so could see & applaud the players off!!

Sums our sorry fan base up!

Should have just stood directly in front of her shouting boo for as long as possible 

[Whitey Grandad]

17 minutes ago, ally_uk said:

Bunch of bottle jobs get the majority of these excuse of footballers out our club! 

If we sign that Maitland Niles geezer I'm supporting Eastleigh....

Had enough of this bollacks 🤣

 

He’d probably do well at Eastleigh.

[Noodles34]

I see our number one (or Number 10) fan was there today, fuck me, one sinking ship to another, shame the Titanic wasn’t in dock today. 

[SNSUN]

Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance.

 

5 stages of grief. Do they apply here? Anger sure, I'm not sure how we bargain. Depression will come. I just hope we can make some good decisions this summer and then acceptance will come.

 

I'm so numb by this relegation unlike in 2005. The players (mostly) are a bunch of bottlers, the management have been utterly shite to a man and we've been subjected to crap for most of the season. It's hard to list who to blame because the list would be too long. I do believe Ralph should have gone in the summer. Jones though was a shocking decision to replace him and Selles? It just seemed like we were chucking in the towel when we had something still to play for. 

 

We need a good clear out in the summer but most importantly, number one, we need a good managerial appointment. Someone the players we have left respect. With the likes of Ankersen in charge I remain apprehensive.

 

[Noodles34]

Today, no emotion, no pressure, no ‘what if’, just thought I’d sit down and watch the platers today and the tactics they were obviously told to implement. 

Why is McCarthy in goal? Baz has a lot of haters of course, I’m not one of them but clearly he was thrown in at the deep end. I think he’ll do alright in the CL, and if the club are keeping him, then he should be back playing, when there’s nothing to lose.  
Janny was alright and would be good down a league for sure, but he’ll get taken by another lower PL team and he’ll go. 
Lyanco will do a decent job for us and stay. 
KWP was probably out best player aside from Lavia, but he’ll get a West Ham or Villa. 
AMN - don’t really need to say anything on that. 
JWP, just the backward passes, he looks up and then looks back or sideways. I think he is a decent player, not top 6 or 7 but will be a better and more productive player with better players around him but I think he might just bottle it and stay for a season.  Because that is what he lacks, bottle to try and play that pass, it’s his nature. 
Lavia is absolute class and yeah, he’s off, which is  a shame cause he could learn so much, like Morgan did and come back even better but it’s the PL, he won’t want to miss it. 
Stu has always been a good forceful midfielder and he tried today but there’s something missing about his game now, been a while and. Think he will head back north. 
Walcott, he tries but his best days are well gone. But he would probably be alright down a league and his experience with other players would be very beneficial so I hope he stays, but he’s going to have to take a big payslip drop and we’ll see what really matters. That said, not sure who would actually take him. 
Tall Paul, feel for him, but if we play the way we do next season ten what’s the point of him.? He scored loads in the Belgian league, so there is a player and goal scorer there for sure and it could emerge down a league but a few crosses into the box might help.

Chary, if he stays, will be  one of the best players in the league next season, I hope he means what he says because he could be the difference. 
 

Djnepo, maybe in the championship, a bit like Tella, maybe. 
Mo, oh god, the worst player i have ever seen ( in respect of the amount of games he plays) in our colours. I am not even sure what he would bring to a conference league team. Hopefully Spurs buy him 

Mara? Don’t know, really don’t.

Armstrong, scored in this league plenty, might do it again. 
 

If anyone else came on, sorry, but I’d gone by then. 
 

Che will get another PL team and Bella Mr Glass will go and hopefully Salisu will fuck off too, Adam Blackmore pulling no punches on that one. 
 

But one thing I saw today was how shit we are and it’s not just the players, it’s the way we play and that comes from Rueben Selles, clueless and like JWP, a bottler. 
Quite happy to see Steven Gerrard next season to be honest. A player that can attract players, has respect and knows how to win. 

 

Edited 13 May, 2023 by Noodles34

[St Steve]

 

[harvey]

15 minutes ago, Noodles34 said:

Today, no emotion, no pressure, no ‘what if’, just thought I’d sit down and watch the platers today and the tactics they were obviously told to implement. 

Why is McCarthy in goal? Baz has a lot of haters of course, I’m not one of them but clearly he was thrown in at the deep end. I think he’ll do alright in the CL, and if the club are keeping him, then he should be back playing, when there’s nothing to lose.  
Janny was alright and would be good down a league for sure, but he’ll get taken by another lower PL team and he’ll go. 
Lyanco will do a decent job for us and stay. 
KWP was probably out best player aside from Lavia, but he’ll get a West Ham or Villa. 
AMN - don’t really need to say anything on that. 
JWP, just the backward passes, he looks up and then looks back or sideways. I think he is a decent player, not top 6 or 7 but will be a better and more productive player with better players around him but I think he might just bottle it and stay for a season.  Because that is what he lacks, bottle to try and play that pass, it’s his nature. 
Lavia is absolute class and yeah, he’s off, which is  a shame cause he could learn so much, like Morgan did and come back even better but it’s the PL, he won’t want to miss it. 
Stu has always been a good forceful midfielder and he tried today but there’s something missing about his game now, been a while and. Think he will head back north. 
Walcott, he tries but his best days are well gone. But he would probably be alright down a league and his experience with other players would be very beneficial so I hope he stays, but he’s going to have to take a big payslip drop and we’ll see what really matters. That said, not sure who would actually take him. 
Tall Paul, feel for him, but if we play the way we do next season ten what’s the point of him.? He scored loads in the Belgian league, so there is a player and goal scorer there for sure and it could emerge down a league but a few crosses into the box might help.

Chary, if he stays, will be  one of the best players in the league next season, I hope he means what he says because he could be the difference. 
 

Djnepo, maybe in the championship, a bit like Tella, maybe. 
Mo, oh god, the worst player i have ever seen ( in respect of the amount of games he plays) in our colours. I am not even sure what he would bring to a conference league team. Hopefully Spurs buy him 

Mara? Don’t know, really don’t.

Armstrong, scored in this league plenty, might do it again. 
 

If anyone else came on, sorry, but I’d gone by then. 
 

Che will get another PL team and Bella Mr Glass will go and hopefully Salisu will fuck off too, Adam Blackmore pulling no punches on that one. 
 

But one thing I saw today was how shit we are and it’s not just the players, it’s the way we play and that comes from Rueben Selles, clueless and like JWP, a bottler. 
Quite happy to see Steven Gerrard next season to be honest. A player that can attract players, has respect and knows how to win. 

 

Agree with all of that! 👍

[Chez]

First game I haven't watched all season as was playing cricket. We lost. I got a duck. Great days. So, can anyone tell me how Onuachu played? Is there a 20 goal championship striker in there?

[Ekelund]

7 minutes ago, Chez said:

First game I haven't watched all season as was playing cricket. We lost. I got a duck. Great days. So, can anyone tell me how Onuachu played? Is there a 20 goal championship striker in there?

Unfortunately mate about as much chance as you opening the batting next week

[woodsaint1]

2 hours ago, The Kraken said:

Here’s our form since the end of october, an absolutely disgusting run.

From last March would be even more abysmal

[Boris Karloff]

Genuine question. What was Mccarthy doing for the second goal? He clearly anticipated the header going in the far corner. As it happened he ended up diving out of the way of the ball. 

What would make him think the header would go in the far corner? Is it better to guess or just make yourself as big as possible? If anyone who knows more about goalkeeping than me could enlighten me I'd much appreciate it. 

[StrangelyBrown]

I can't believe how little I care about our relegation; we've dropped from a league where in the absolute best case we might be able to finish 7th or 8th and we'll never be able to compete financially with the big boys. Last time I was gutted, this time I couldn't give a shit. Roll on next year's rebuild and hopefully a season with more wins than losses.

[harvey]

1 minute ago, Boris Karloff said:

Genuine question. What was Mccarthy doing for the second goal? He clearly anticipated the header going in the far corner. As it happened he ended up diving out of the way of the ball. 

What would make him think the header would go in the far corner? Is it better to guess or just make yourself as big as possible? If anyone who knows more about goalkeeping than me could enlighten me I'd much appreciate it. 

Do you know what, that's exactly what I thought at the time tbh.

[The Cat]

26 minutes ago, Chez said:

First game I haven't watched all season as was playing cricket. We lost. I got a duck. Great days. So, can anyone tell me how Onuachu played? Is there a 20 goal championship striker in there?

He was pretty bad. Didn't have much of the ball but when he did he gave it away cheaply including a couple of terrible passes that went straight out of play and one weird hoik that went straight in the air and was gobbled up by their midfield.

Got on the end of one cross in the second half but headed a few yard over.

Was knackered not long after half time and jeered by quite a few when he came off.

[Thereisonlyonemickychannon]

We are going to struggle with this management, directors and shite players. 

[woodsaint1]

Glad its finally happened and we can now draw a line under it. Gave up watching games after the Wolves defeat. The writing was definitely on the wall then, if not many months before that and I just couldnt endure any more horrid football from a shower of shite team. A completely different feeling to 04/05 and a big part of me is glad its happened because those players/management/board deserve relegation. The piss poor quality of those around us allowed us to get to 36 games - it should have been much earlier.

The Athletic article makes for painful reading too. Probably the worst saints team in my lifetime (and I thought the Poortvliet/Wotte days would never be beaten). Would be delighted to see the back of 75% of them. Can accept poor quality, but a lack of fight/effort/organisation is an absolute disgrace. 

[Give it to Ron]

4 minutes ago, The Cat said:

He was pretty bad. Didn't have much of the ball but when he did he gave it away cheaply including a couple of terrible passes that went straight out of play and one weird hoik that went straight in the air and was gobbled up by their midfield.

Got on the end of one cross in the second half but headed a few yard over.

Was knackered not long after half time and jeered by quite a few when he came off.

I saw a different Paul to you he won his fair share of headers for someone allegedly that can’t head the ball.He tried to link it up but when the nearest person to you is 20 yards away is it a surprise they go astray?

How many chances did we create for him and play to his strengths yet he was playing on his own inside our half so deep.

He isn’t the most energetic or any pace at all but he could useful under the right manager.

[The Cat]

Just now, Give it to Ron said:

I saw a different Paul to you he won his fair share of headers for someone allegedly that can’t head the ball.He tried to link it up but when the nearest person to you is 20 yards away is it a surprise they go astray?

How many chances did we create for him and play to his strengths yet he was playing on his own inside our half so deep.

He isn’t the most energetic or any pace at all but he could useful under the right manager.

Agree about us not playing to his strengths. It's maddening that we don't just chuck a load of crosses in the area for him to use his height advantage.

Yes he had no support, but he should be able to pass 20 yards to a teammate especially when not under pressure.

Maybe he'll come good in the Championship but he's just doesn't look like a top flight player and his lack of fitness and ability to play more than an hour is a distinct worry. 

[gallaghert366@yahoo.com]

How many chances did we create for him and play to his strengths 

 

 

What are his strengths?

[Give it to Ron]

Just now, gallaghert366@yahoo.com said:

How many chances did we create for him and play to his strengths 

 

 

What are his strengths?

Playing in the area between the posts certainly not 40-50 yards from goal with no-one near him

[The Kraken]

25 minutes ago, StrangelyBrown said:

I can't believe how little I care about our relegation; we've dropped from a league where in the absolute best case we might be able to finish 7th or 8th and we'll never be able to compete financially with the big boys. Last time I was gutted, this time I couldn't give a shit. Roll on next year's rebuild and hopefully a season with more wins than losses.

Same. Maybe I’ve been resigned to it for so long. Maybe I just don’t feel much of an attachment to the current bunch of overpaid chancers. 2005 felt like a kick in the teeth, it seemed like a big thing. This doesn’t feel like anything, I’m almost glad that the prats we’ve got playing for us have dropped down a division and hopefully dropped down in wages. And maybe the obnoxious bunch that are running the club have reached some sort of reality about how useless they are.

p

[Give it to Ron]

2 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Agree about us not playing to his strengths. It's maddening that we don't just chuck a load of crosses in the area for him to use his height advantage.

Yes he had no support, but he should be able to pass 20 yards to a teammate especially when not under pressure.

Maybe he'll come good in the Championship but he's just doesn't look like a top flight player and his lack of fitness and ability to play more than an hour is a distinct worry. 

Did we have anyone out there today that could pass it 10 yards let alone 20. Although we are masters at back to Bednarek the play maker 🙂

Lavia lost it more than I have ever seen him today.

[The Cat]

Just now, The Kraken said:

Same. Maybe I’ve been resigned to it for so long. Maybe I just don’t feel much of an attachment to the current bunch of overpaid chancers. 2005 felt like a kick in the teeth, it seemed like a big thing. This doesn’t feel like anything, I’m almost glad that the prats we’ve got playing for us have dropped down a division and hopefully dropped down in wages. And maybe the obnoxious bunch that are running the club have reached some sort of reality about how useless they are.

p

The Athletic article claims they have a 40% wage reduction built in for relegation.

Like you I've been resigned to it for so long that I felt little emotion today when it was mathematically confirmed.

[Hatch]

We could be in the same league as Wrexham next season after next 

Edited 13 May, 2023 by Hatch

[kentsaints]

The club is diseased , terrible at every level , board , management, recruitment  , players,  even the kit is a disgrace 

[Chez]

14 minutes ago, gallaghert366@yahoo.com said:

How many chances did we create for him and play to his strengths 

 

 

What are his strengths?

Tapping in unmissable chances from 5 yards? Maybe, one day we'll create one.

[S-Clarke]

1 minute ago, kentsaints said:

The club is diseased , terrible at every level , board , management, recruitment  , players,  even the kit is a disgrace 

You missed out the diseased pitch.

[Give it to Ron]

4 minutes ago, Chez said:

Tapping in unmissable chances from 5 yards? Maybe, one day we'll create one.

Better than Che then he can’t from a foot

[OttawaSaint]

I'm at the laughing about how shit we've been and from car crash to car crash.

Lose a load of games 1-0, then when we do bag 3 goals we didn't win any of them. 

50% of our points came from Chelsea and Leicester (2 other teams in utter turmoil)

50% of our points with RH at the helm.

Bring back a rusty Bednarek and let him stumble and wobble around missing tackles and scoring own goals.

Buy £60-70M at in Jan and only 1 of those actually contributed a damn thing.

Looks like 34ish points to stay up, should have been rather easy to do with a bit of graft and invention and we go on an 11 game winless streak!

 

 

Edited 13 May, 2023 by OttawaSaint

[Kingsbridge Saint]

All those missed chances earlier in the season by Che, cost us in the end. Time for him to move on. 

Any one else spot that pass today to Walcott when instead of collecting on the half turn and moving in to space, he passed it 40 yards backwards over the touchline? Time for him to move on too.

Relegation by a distance has been nailed on for quite some time now. 

Selles absolutely has to go, preferably fired from a cannon.

Championship campaign will need a new manager that believes in two strikers, the two said strikers, a new central midfielder that can act as captain, a new centre half and some pace for the midfield.

We have three years of parachute payments - next season will be much harder than we think. Plan to get back up in year 2 or 3.

Last two games let JWP pick the side, play 4-4-2 and just give the players some freedom to play. Can't do any worse than Selles and his awful awful tactics.

[STEVEADAMS]

7 hours ago, warsash saint said:

I walked around to the tunnel at end of game to shout some abuse at the players .... got told by some silly old tart in row behind to sit down so so could see & applaud the players off!!

Sums our sorry fan base up!

What else happened at the end players etc and fan reaction, I’m in Australia 

Edited 14 May, 2023 by STEVEADAMS
Corrrection

[GarrettIvo]

5 hours ago, The Cat said:

Agree about us not playing to his strengths. It's maddening that we don't just chuck a load of crosses in the area for him to use his height advantage.

Yes he had no support, but he should be able to pass 20 yards to a teammate especially when not under pressure.

Maybe he'll come good in the Championship but he's just doesn't look like a top flight player and his lack of fitness and ability to play more than an hour is a distinct worry. 

I am yet to watch any vision of the game, but I reckon our tallest attacking threat should rarely need to to be in a position where he's forced to pass the ball 20 yards to anyone. He should mostly be marauding defenders in and around the six yard box, and getting on the end of crosses we clearly aren't able to put in.

[Cascadia Saint]

11 hours ago, SambaMaverick said:

https://archive.ph/WLTvG

This should work pal

That article explains it all. In vivid detail. Bunch of c*nts.

[JRM]

13 hours ago, Turkish said:

Compare this with AC Milan fans letting the players know what they think , Chapel Ultras should have summoned them over 

 

[SotonianWill]

9 hours ago, gallaghert366@yahoo.com said:

How many chances did we create for him and play to his strengths 

 

 

What are his strengths?

One I can remember, header over the bar.

He did well holding up the ball. Problem is when you have 2-3 players swarming you and you have to hold the ball for an age as no other f*cker can be arsed to support you. Overall how many shots did we even have this game? Like every other game JWP and his cb pairing decided to pass it round themselves in a boring pattern of useless play for 90mins. even on FT we passed back to Mccarthy. 

[Chez]

4 hours ago, GarrettIvo said:

I am yet to watch any vision of the game, but I reckon our tallest attacking threat should rarely need to to be in a position where he's forced to pass the ball 20 yards to anyone. He should mostly be marauding defenders in and around the six yard box, and getting on the end of crosses we clearly aren't able to put in.

That's all very well, but firstly, we have to be able to work the ball up the pitch to get in positions to cross the ball - that's not been easy for us. We have numerous players who cant cross the ball. And if his only participation is to hang around the six yard box, it means we are effectively playing with ten for most of the game. 

[Charlie Wayman]

11 hours ago, StrangelyBrown said:

I can't believe how little I care about our relegation; we've dropped from a league where in the absolute best case we might be able to finish 7th or 8th and we'll never be able to compete financially with the big boys. Last time I was gutted, this time I couldn't give a shit. Roll on next year's rebuild and hopefully a season with more wins than losses.

You're twenty years older so a lot more sanguine about these things and life in general…. been there, done that!