Russell Martin

[Hopper]

2 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

So, if the setup and detail isn't right, why persist playing like it for the past three games. I sat through the Forest game at St Mary's, it was clear to everyone that we were struggling and couldn't lay a glove on them, yet subs weren't introduced into we had gone one down. If you accept responsibility, aren't you then duty bound to try and rectify things at the next available opportunity? 

But you weren't talking about his tactics you were questioning his character, saying he was deflecting blame... He isnt, that was pretty clear in his words he was full of praise for the payers and took responsibility that he did not set them up tatically and that lead to errors.

Say what you want about the man; He's tactically out of his depth, he's naive, he's stubborn. and I would agree with all of that.

What he isn't doing is shirking the responsibility of it and deflecting... that was Nathan Jones.

There is clearly a lot to do but don't make stuff up just to suit your narrative.

[Midfield_General]

6 minutes ago, Bakovnetski said:

We're at home to them though next up. But we'll still get beat. And the following week by Ipswich. 

Not having any confidence we'll win a game at present. 

Oh well that's slightly better news then 😉 (thanks for the correction). 

Point still stands though - when a Toney-less Brentford can put 3 past us without really having to break sweat, United could give us a proper kicking. I wonder if a right pasting is actually what it will take for the penny to drop that something needs to change. Either reaching his own conclusion on that, or someone from the ownership having a quiet word behind the scenes. 

Edited September 2 by Midfield_General

[Dman]

9 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Underneath the bravado, he has to be very concerned - as I think most of us are - about us getting an absolute hammering by Man Utd, playing the way we are. They may not be what they were, but they still have a billion pound squad stuffed with senior internationals who are more than capable of forcing mistakes and capitalising on them. 

Three defeats on the spin, against moderate PL opposition, with only one (consolation) goal scored is a bad enough look in itself, but if we give the same gifts to United that we've been giving up to everyone else and end up on the receiving end of a pasting, then surely he has to start looking over his shoulder and worrying about how secure his job is. A heavy defeat puts him into De Boer territory. 

Unless of course, he's been given reassurances that he's SR's guy no matter what happens and will stay in charge even if we go down, which isn't out of the question, and might explain the bullishness. 

He wont be sacked, we've just given him a new deal. Terrible decision from the club. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

7 minutes ago, Hopper said:

What he isn't doing is shirking the responsibility of it and deflecting... that was Nathan Jones.

He’s doing exactly the same. Taking responsibility for players mistakes is the oldest managerial trick in the book. He’s not say his “play book” is fundamentally wrong, just that they didn’t follow it properly. He doesn’t seem capable of comprehending that his tactics are wrong, that’s not taking responsibility. 
 

Also very telling that he brings up where playing like this has got HIM in 5 years. That’s the giveaway, he’s got a massive ego.

Edited September 2 by Lord Duckhunter

[Hopper]

1 minute ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

He’s doing exactly the same. Taking responsibility for players mistakes is the oldest managerial trick in the book. He’s not say his “play book” is fundamentally wrong, just that they didn’t follow it properly. He doesn’t seem capable of comprehending that his tactics are wrong, that’s not taking responsibility. 
 

Also very telling that he brings up where playing like this has got HIM in 5 years. That’s the giveaway, he’s got a massive ego.

He literally said that the setup and detail was wrong mate almost the first sentence from the man's mouth... Seriously a few of you on here just hearing what you want to hear...

[Wade Garrett]

57 minutes ago, Hopper said:

Bang on mate. I think this is exactly it. It's a result of the players either not implementing or not being capable of implementing at this level. We saw it work well last season (for the most part) but this level of opposition are asking different questions of the defence and currently we don't have the answers.

Honestly fascinated to see what gives first; The players, the system or the coach. 

It’s never the players.

[Gloucester Saint]

2 hours ago, Highfield Saint said:

In my view in both games that Lallana has come on he has made a key difference by playing incisive passes through the lines and his movement and intent. I’d start him and see if he can give us a good 60 minutes or more 

If he can, great. Not sure how many games he will be able to start not training everyday but agree he looked a cut above in the Cardiff and Brentford games. 

[a1ex2001]

23 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Underneath the bravado, he has to be very concerned - as I think most of us are - about us getting an absolute hammering by Man Utd, playing the way we are. They may not be what they were, but they still have a billion pound squad stuffed with senior internationals who are more than capable of forcing mistakes and capitalising on them. 

Three defeats on the spin, against moderate PL opposition, with only one (consolation) goal scored is a bad enough look in itself, but if we give the same gifts to United that we've been giving up to everyone else and end up on the receiving end of a pasting, then surely he has to start looking over his shoulder and worrying about how secure his job is. A heavy defeat puts him into De Boer territory. 

Unless of course, he's been given reassurances that he's SR's guy no matter what happens and will stay in charge even if we go down, which isn't out of the question, and might explain the bullishness. 

The sad thing is we will know as soon as the lineup is announced if he has done anything with the two week break! If we lineup with 3 at the back the we know nothing has changed and Man Utd will likely absolutely thrash us.

Edited September 2 by a1ex2001

[Whitey Grandad]

Just now, Hopper said:

He literally said that the setup and detail was wrong mate almost the first sentence from the man's mouth... Seriously a few of you on here just hearing what you want to hear...

He kept talking about ‘mistakes’, not his mistake in choosing the wrong system but the players’ mistakes. These are not unforced errors even if they may appear so at the time. They are the result of pressure from the opposition over a passage of time. It’s so easy for them. Turn up the screw and then strike when there is the slightest opportunity. 
 

His system invites this pressure and what he calls mistakes will inevitably follow. Describing them as mistakes is to pass the blame onto his players whereas it’s his system that has caused them.

[Saint_clark]

15 minutes ago, Dman said:

He wont be sacked, we've just given him a new deal. Terrible decision from the club. 

Giving him a new deal after he achieved the bare minimum expected of him was ridiculous. Winning the league last year would have warranted it, he failed at that, this season should have been his chance to prove himself for one.

[notnowcato]

39 minutes ago, LeBizzier69 said:

I've always loved the fickle nature of us football fans.

Agreed. Many similar faces that publicly shat themselves on this forum last September are back, after 3 league games. 

[Kermitzasaint]

16 minutes ago, Hopper said:

But you weren't talking about his tactics you were questioning his character, saying he was deflecting blame... He isnt, that was pretty clear in his words he was full of praise for the payers and took responsibility that he did not set them up tatically and that lead to errors.

Say what you want about the man; He's tactically out of his depth, he's naive, he's stubborn. and I would agree with all of that.

What he isn't doing is shirking the responsibility of it and deflecting... that was Nathan Jones.

There is clearly a lot to do but don't make stuff up just to suit your narrative.

How many post match interviews did you check to prove your point? RM has often turned on his players when the pressure is on. Same as he gets all pissy if a journalist actually asks a hard question. 

It's also why Alfie House from the Echo acts like a love sick puppy when asking questions. He is too afraid to risk upsetting him. I'm baffled why anyone would think he is likable. 

[saintant]

23 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

So, if the setup and detail isn't right, why persist playing like it for the past three games. I sat through the Forest game at St Mary's, it was clear to everyone that we were struggling and couldn't lay a glove on them, yet subs weren't introduced into we had gone one down. If you accept responsibility, aren't you then duty bound to try and rectify things at the next available opportunity? 

I think the one thing I've noticed is that we keep hearing this is the Premier League and we'll get punished - come on, let's get real, the errors we've made would likely get punished at most levels because they are so horrendously amateurish and are being made around our goal. Let's not claim we've conceded those goals because we're playing Premier League opposition - that's nonsense.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

19 minutes ago, Hopper said:

But you weren't talking about his tactics you were questioning his character, saying he was deflecting blame... He isnt, that was pretty clear in his words he was full of praise for the payers and took responsibility that he did not set them up tatically and that lead to errors.

Say what you want about the man; He's tactically out of his depth, he's naive, he's stubborn. and I would agree with all of that.

What he isn't doing is shirking the responsibility of it and deflecting... that was Nathan Jones.

There is clearly a lot to do but don't make stuff up just to suit your narrative.

I don't have a narrative apart from wanting to see my club do well. 

[Lord Duckhunter]

15 minutes ago, Hopper said:

He literally said that the setup and detail was wrong mate almost the first sentence from the man's mouth... Seriously a few of you on here just hearing what you want to hear...

He wasn’t talking about the whole tactical set up, just that the players weren’t set up right in those particular moments. He actually said the structure wasn’t right “both times”. The implication being had they been where he wanted them to be, we wouldn’t have conceded. Therefore, it’s the players fault. 
 

That’s not taking responsibility, taking responsibility would be admitting he needs to change tactically. He’s a million miles away from admitting he’s set us up wrong and asked us to play in a manner we’re incapable of. That’s taking responsibility. 
 

 

Edited September 2 by Lord Duckhunter

[Holmes_and_Watson]

20 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

He’s doing exactly the same. Taking responsibility for players mistakes is the oldest managerial trick in the book. He’s not say his “play book” is fundamentally wrong, just that they didn’t follow it properly. He doesn’t seem capable of comprehending that his tactics are wrong, that’s not taking responsibility. 
 

Also very telling that he brings up where playing like this has got HIM in 5 years. That’s the giveaway, he’s got a massive ego.

I did get a ghost of Nathan moment, when he said that. 🙂

I almost expected a "pound for pound, I've got the highest possession stats in Europe" follow up.

 

[gio1saints]

24 minutes ago, notnowcato said:

Agreed. Many similar faces that publicly shat themselves on this forum last September are back, after 3 league games. 

It’s beyond parody. But I will try below…😂

Because quite literally it’s the same cry babies saying the same things and the same few refuting the hysteria - just in a different league. 

Just how many different ways can people say SR are bad? RM football is shite? He won’t learn? I’ve always hated him? We will never go up/ not get relegated ? Get rid of him now and get anyone else instead? His football sucks? He is an idiot arrogant whatever? 
 

All these and more views are readily available in another place apart from this forum - which quite rightly airs all types of expression for and against and from every side of the spectrum of opinions on RM. 

That other best selling ( in Hampshire) book is available on Amazon only - so for anyone interested look it up - it’s a cracking read :  “ The true Saints book of Disposable Nappy wearers”. Some of the reviews are amazing ;

” I pissed in my pants three times during the Forest match” - concerned Saint 

“ After a particularly bad back pass fannying session I too felt an issue with my back passage which necessitated a visit to the wc at Brentford” Brown trousers Saint 

“ Woe is us woe is us woe is us” - Cassandra Saint. 
 

“ Saints fans won’t win anything on cold wet midweek evening matches in Manchester without waterproof diapers” : Damp patches Saint. 
 

 

Edited September 2 by gio1saints

[Lee On Solent Saint]

2 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

It’s beyond parody. But I will try below…😂

Because quite literally it’s the same cry babies saying the same things and the same few refuting the hysteria - just in a different league. 

Just how many different ways can people say SR are bad? RM football is shite? He won’t learn? I’ve always hated him? We will never go up/ not get relegated ? Get rid of him now and get anyone else instead? His football sucks? He is an idiot arrogant whatever? 
 

All these and more views are readily available in another place apart from this forum - which quite rightly airs all types of expression for and against and from every side of the spectrum of opinions on RM. 

That other best selling ( in Hampshire) book is available on Amazon only - so for anyone interested look it up - it’s a cracking read :  “ The true Saints book of Disposable Nappy wearers”. Some of the reviews are amazing ;

” I pissed in my pants three times during the Forest match” - concerned Saint 

“ After a particularly bad back pass fannying session I too felt an issue with my back passage which necessitated a visit to the wc at Brentford” Brown trousers Saint 

“ Woe is us woe is us woe is us” - Cassandra Saint. 
 

“ Saints fans won’t win anything cold wet midweek evening matches without waterproof diapers” : Damp patches Saint. 
 

 

The term happy clapper really was invented for you.

[Wade Garrett]

25 minutes ago, notnowcato said:

Agreed. Many similar faces that publicly shat themselves on this forum last September are back, after 3 league games. 

Fucking prick.

[Wade Garrett]

4 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

It’s beyond parody. But I will try below…😂

Because quite literally it’s the same cry babies saying the same things and the same few refuting the hysteria - just in a different league. 

Just how many different ways can people say SR are bad? RM football is shite? He won’t learn? I’ve always hated him? We will never go up/ not get relegated ? Get rid of him now and get anyone else instead? His football sucks? He is an idiot arrogant whatever? 
 

All these and more views are readily available in another place apart from this forum - which quite rightly airs all types of expression for and against and from every side of the spectrum of opinions on RM. 

That other best selling ( in Hampshire) book is available on Amazon only - so for anyone interested look it up - it’s a cracking read :  “ The true Saints book of Disposable Nappy wearers”. Some of the reviews are amazing ;

” I pissed in my pants three times during the Forest match” - concerned Saint 

“ After a particularly bad back pass fannying session I too felt an issue with my back passage which necessitated a visit to the wc at Brentford” Brown trousers Saint 

“ Woe is us woe is us woe is us” - Cassandra Saint. 
 

“ Saints fans won’t win anything on cold wet midweek evening matches in Manchester without waterproof diapers” : Damp patches Saint. 
 

 

You’re a fucking wanker mush.

[a1ex2001]

4 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

It’s beyond parody. But I will try below…😂

Because quite literally it’s the same cry babies saying the same things and the same few refuting the hysteria - just in a different league. 

Just how many different ways can people say SR are bad? RM football is shite? He won’t learn? I’ve always hated him? We will never go up/ not get relegated ? Get rid of him now and get anyone else instead? His football sucks? He is an idiot arrogant whatever? 
 

All these and more views are readily available in another place apart from this forum - which quite rightly airs all types of expression for and against and from every side of the spectrum of opinions on RM. 

That other best selling ( in Hampshire) book is available on Amazon only - so for anyone interested look it up - it’s a cracking read :  “ The true Saints book of Disposable Nappy wearers”. Some of the reviews are amazing ;

” I pissed in my pants three times during the Forest match” - concerned Saint 

“ After a particularly bad back pass fannying session I too felt an issue with my back passage which necessitated a visit to the wc at Brentford” Brown trousers Saint 

“ Woe is us woe is us woe is us” - Cassandra Saint. 
 

“ Saints fans won’t win anything on cold wet midweek evening matches in Manchester without waterproof diapers” : Damp patches Saint. 
 

 

Amusingly I said after the three games in a row screw up just after the start of last season that the automatic slots were gone and that the play offs were the best we could hope for...

This season unless the penny drops very soon we will be relegated, our squad isn't good enough to make up for the goals we will concede playing this way unlike last season when it was.

[Dman]

28 minutes ago, notnowcato said:

Agreed. Many similar faces that publicly shat themselves on this forum last September are back, after 3 league games. 

Those similar faces can accept relegation, its bloody hard to survive in this leauge in your first season.

What they can't accept is 3 defeats without even landing so much as a glove and making the same silly mistakes, trying to play a way which isn't suited to newly promoted sides. As seen last season by Burnely. 

[Whitey Grandad]

24 minutes ago, saintant said:

I think the one thing I've noticed is that we keep hearing this is the Premier League and we'll get punished - come on, let's get real, the errors we've made would likely get punished at most levels because they are so horrendously amateurish and are being made around our goal. Let's not claim we've conceded those goals because we're playing Premier League opposition - that's nonsense.

Not nonsense. As I have said elsewhere, the errors result from the increased pressure in this league. There is less time and space and it causes mental overload. That’s why teams use the press.

[Raging Bull]

8 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

Fucking prick.

 

6 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

You’re a fucking wanker mush.

I do wish you’d speak your mind Wade! I’m a little unsure as to what you’re thinking 😅

[Holmes_and_Watson]

1 minute ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Not nonsense. As I have said elsewhere, the errors result from the increased pressure in this league. There is less time and space and it causes mental overload. That’s why teams use the press.

Yup. A system switched to 5 at the back, keeper who may not be as good at short passing, missing midfield not there to receive passes, switched fullbacks who aren't providing passing angles, no focal point dropping back to collect through balls, better opponents.

An increase in players getting caught out can't be a surprise.

[Forester]

57 minutes ago, Dman said:

He wont be sacked, we've just given him a new deal. Terrible decision from the club. 

If the next batch of games are a disaster, have no doubt he will be gone.  We fired Jones weeks after giving him a four year deal

[saintant]

Just now, Forester said:

If the next batch of games are a disaster, have no doubt he will be gone.  We fired Jones weeks after giving him a four year deal

Seems the owners are not learning when it comes to dishing out long contracts to those who have not demonstrated that they deserve them.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

7 minutes ago, saintant said:

Seems the owners are not learning when it comes to dishing out long contracts to those who have not demonstrated that they deserve them.

They do have form for that. Handing our new contracts to Stephens, McCarthy and Armstrong. 

[notnowcato]

23 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

Fucking prick.

As eloquent and insightful as ever. 

[derry]

Personally I don't buy bullshit. The ball rotation and resultant mistakes in our own final third have resulted in far more mistakes than the goals we've conceded. Playing out from the back is all very well provided it doesn't involve intricate ball rotation. One of the big faults with the system is that we are destroying the natural self preservation whilst endorsing the taking of stupid risks. The players are literally brainwashed that a pass is better than a clearance even if it's increasing the risk, well it bloody well isn't. A further fault is it is turning the forward players into spectators whilst midfielders are guilty of returning the ball back into our danger areas.

The message to any opponent is that it's the way we play and we accept any risk. What utter bollocks. All opponents have to do is press our defenders because they know two things, one we will eventually give them the ball and two we aren't trying to break their press because if the ball does come out the midfield may well return it into the danger area, especially Smallbone.

Anytime a defender is threatened and there isn't an out ball there should be a clearance into wide safe areas where we have players and it's their job to press and win it back. Even row ZZ is better than rotation. Even better put it out of play so it rebounds back onto the pitch as it stops a quick throw. Personally I believe in playing smart not stupid which this is especially with the level of ability in the Premier opponents.

[a1ex2001]

1 minute ago, derry said:

Personally I don't buy bullshit. The ball rotation and resultant mistakes in our own final third have resulted in far more mistakes than the goals we've conceded. Playing out from the back is all very well provided it doesn't involve intricate ball rotation. One of the big faults with the system is that we are destroying the natural self preservation whilst endorsing the taking of stupid risks. The players are literally brainwashed that a pass is better than a clearance even if it's increasing the risk, well it bloody well isn't. A further fault is it is turning the forward players into spectators whilst midfielders are guilty of returning the ball back into our danger areas.

The message to any opponent is that it's the way we play and we accept any risk. What utter bollocks. All opponents have to do is press our defenders because they know two things, one we will eventually give them the ball and two we aren't trying to break their press because if the ball does come out the midfield may well return it into the danger area, especially Smallbone.

Anytime a defender is threatened and there isn't an out ball there should be a clearance into wide safe areas where we have players and it's their job to press and win it back. Even row ZZ is better than rotation. Even better put it out of play so it rebounds back onto the pitch as it stops a quick throw. Personally I believe in playing smart not stupid which this is especially with the level of ability in the Premier opponents.

and if we are going to play it around between the backline they need to be further up the pitch so every mistake doesn't become an instant goal scoring opportunity, giving the opposition the ball in or on the edge of the box 3 or 4 times a game is going to give us a mountain we can't climb as premier league player don't miss many of those chances even the lesser team have forwards who will punish us/

[saintant]

5 minutes ago, derry said:

Personally I don't buy bullshit. The ball rotation and resultant mistakes in our own final third have resulted in far more mistakes than the goals we've conceded. Playing out from the back is all very well provided it doesn't involve intricate ball rotation. One of the big faults with the system is that we are destroying the natural self preservation whilst endorsing the taking of stupid risks. The players are literally brainwashed that a pass is better than a clearance even if it's increasing the risk, well it bloody well isn't. A further fault is it is turning the forward players into spectators whilst midfielders are guilty of returning the ball back into our danger areas.

The message to any opponent is that it's the way we play and we accept any risk. What utter bollocks. All opponents have to do is press our defenders because they know two things, one we will eventually give them the ball and two we aren't trying to break their press because if the ball does come out the midfield may well return it into the danger area, especially Smallbone.

Anytime a defender is threatened and there isn't an out ball there should be a clearance into wide safe areas where we have players and it's their job to press and win it back. Even row ZZ is better than rotation. Even better put it out of play so it rebounds back onto the pitch as it stops a quick throw. Personally I believe in playing smart not stupid which this is especially with the level of ability in the Premier opponents.

I watched Liverpool yesterday and I particularly took note of how they play out from the back. It's usually a low driven pass from the keeper at pace to a full back who is well out towards his flank. He then controls the ball and feeds a midfielder who has dropped to receive the pass and gets on the half turn - again the pass is crisp and covers some distance. It is low risk and retains possession. If avenues blocked off they were quite happy to go long from the goalkeeper. We aren't Liverpool but what they are doing doesn't require some incredible amount of talent just the ability to hit a crisp pass to your man and rely on him controlling it along with a little movement from further upfield. It's not rocket science and they are not reinventing football like our Russ seems to want to do.

[Midfield_General]

Aside from the specifics of how the players are being asked to play, surely there's a basic premise that every promoted team has to adopt at the beginning which is 'make yourself hard to beat'. 

If you can keep it tight for the first few games, not concede too many, grind out a point here and there, then little by little the confidence starts to grow and you might start to feel like you belong in this league. Then you can build from there. 

We haven't done that at all, and already some of the players who looked so confident last season - THB springs immediately to mind - look like their confidence is being hammered. And when the confidence goes, that is hard to recover from. 

Martin might be able to shrug off defeat after defeat, but I'm not sure the players will be able to. I wonder at what point they start to question him. He's walking a dangerous line. 

[sledger]

its quite obvious the way things are going,we conceded a shed load of goals in the championship playing this way but at that level could score enough to make up for it,in the premier league the gap in class is so big that to continue will result in a very dismal season.

[Midfield_General]

5 minutes ago, saintant said:

I watched Liverpool yesterday and I particularly took note of how they play out from the back. It's usually a low driven pass from the keeper at pace to a full back who is well out towards his flank. He then controls the ball and feeds a midfielder who has dropped to receive the pass and gets on the half turn - again the pass is crisp and covers some distance. It is low risk and retains possession. If avenues blocked off they were quite happy to go long from the goalkeeper. We aren't Liverpool but what they are doing doesn't require some incredible amount of talent just the ability to hit a crisp pass to your man and rely on him controlling it along with a little movement from further upfield. It's not rocket science and they are not reinventing football like our Russ seems to want to do.

Liverpool also put their foot through it numerous times yesterday, just to clear their lines when there was nothing sensible on. 

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, saintant said:

I watched Liverpool yesterday and I particularly took note of how they play out from the back. It's usually a low driven pass from the keeper at pace to a full back who is well out towards his flank. He then controls the ball and feeds a midfielder who has dropped to receive the pass and gets on the half turn - again the pass is crisp and covers some distance. It is low risk and retains possession. If avenues blocked off they were quite happy to go long from the goalkeeper. We aren't Liverpool but what they are doing doesn't require some incredible amount of talent just the ability to hit a crisp pass to your man and rely on him controlling it along with a little movement from further upfield. It's not rocket science and they are not reinventing football like our Russ seems to want to do.

This is the thing. I don’t think many posters are calling for Martin’s head right now but they are seeing points squandered - we should be sitting on 2 or 3 so far - by insane slow passing around the three centre backs for the sake of it. If that changes, the play is varied, full backs spread a bit, strikers go more centrally and points are still impossible to come by then player recruitment comes under more scrutiny, but if the pattern of play doesn’t change and the new signings in midfield aren’t prioritised alongside Downes, he will be gone very soon. 

Relegation wouldn’t and shouldn’t come as a surprise but the very least we can expect is for them to have a go eg Luton, Blackpool when they came up. 

[a1ex2001]

1 minute ago, Gloucester Saint said:

This is the thing. I don’t think many posters are calling for Martin’s head right now but they are seeing points squandered - we should be sitting on 2 or 3 so far - by insane slow passing around the three centre backs for the sake of it. If that changes, the play is varied, full backs spread a bit, strikers go more centrally and points are still impossible to come by then player recruitment comes under more scrutiny, but if the pattern of play doesn’t change and the new signings in midfield aren’t prioritised alongside Downes, he will be gone very soon. 

Relegation wouldn’t and shouldn’t come as a surprise but the very least we can expect is for them to have a go eg Luton, Blackpool when they came up. 

I'm happy to call for his head if he is unwilling or unable to change the way he sets the team up, the board should have a quick chat and ask him if he intends to persist with gifting the opposition a handful of tap ins a game and if he says yes they should show him the door.

[beatlesaint]

24 minutes ago, a1ex2001 said:

and if we are going to play it around between the backline they need to be further up the pitch so every mistake doesn't become an instant goal scoring opportunity, giving the opposition the ball in or on the edge of the box 3 or 4 times a game is going to give us a mountain we can't climb as premier league player don't miss many of those chances even the lesser team have forwards who will punish us/

Thats exactly what I've said a few times on here, ponce about near the half way line if you must, not in or on the edge of your own penalty area, thats suicide.

Edited September 2 by beatlesaint

[saintant]

8 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Aside from the specifics of how the players are being asked to play, surely there's a basic premise that every promoted team has to adopt at the beginning which is 'make yourself hard to beat'. 

If you can keep it tight for the first few games, not concede too many, grind out a point here and there, then little by little the confidence starts to grow and you might start to feel like you belong in this league. Then you can build from there. 

We haven't done that at all, and already some of the players who looked so confident last season - THB springs immediately to mind - look like their confidence is being hammered. And when the confidence goes, that is hard to recover from. 

Martin might be able to shrug off defeat after defeat, but I'm not sure the players will be able to. I wonder at what point they start to question him. He's walking a dangerous line. 

Eventually they'll feel that his system is hanging them out to dry as they are better players than it makes them look.

[Whitey Grandad]

35 minutes ago, derry said:

Personally I don't buy bullshit. The ball rotation and resultant mistakes in our own final third have resulted in far more mistakes than the goals we've conceded. Playing out from the back is all very well provided it doesn't involve intricate ball rotation. One of the big faults with the system is that we are destroying the natural self preservation whilst endorsing the taking of stupid risks. The players are literally brainwashed that a pass is better than a clearance even if it's increasing the risk, well it bloody well isn't. A further fault is it is turning the forward players into spectators whilst midfielders are guilty of returning the ball back into our danger areas.

The message to any opponent is that it's the way we play and we accept any risk. What utter bollocks. All opponents have to do is press our defenders because they know two things, one we will eventually give them the ball and two we aren't trying to break their press because if the ball does come out the midfield may well return it into the danger area, especially Smallbone.

Anytime a defender is threatened and there isn't an out ball there should be a clearance into wide safe areas where we have players and it's their job to press and win it back. Even row ZZ is better than rotation. Even better put it out of play so it rebounds back onto the pitch as it stops a quick throw. Personally I believe in playing smart not stupid which this is especially with the level of ability in the Premier opponents.

There’s an old saying. Nobody ever scored from the Royal Box.

[Toadhall Saint]

Irrespective of who is in charge this season was always going to be very very difficult to stay up. Anyone that thinks otherwise needs to give their head a good wobble. 

[gio1saints]

1 hour ago, Wade Garrett said:

Nobody disses my waterproof bed linen and gets away with it 

[tdmickey3]

Is this Notnowcato and Gio`s club

Russell Cheerleading | Facebook

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

Forest at home was disappointing, an anti-climax, we were fucking dire. Spirits were lifted at Cardiff, it was entertaining albeit against a lower side’s B-team and we could easily have lost it before the 2 late goals. But we had a striker who hit the net twice (he’s certainly starting at Brentford…), Fernandes was excellent and withdrawn early (he’s another one) and Big Les was surely starting alongside Downes. That was probably most fans thinking.

Cue Saturday and we get the same starting line-up as the Forest debacle,,,and same mistakes…knocked back before we’d even started.

RM says he won’t change the way we play, every other PL side must be saying “thank you very much, you’re making it very easy for us”. Russ may love it that the players are sticking to his principles with all this possession and passing (until pressed) and may very well dismiss fan criticism as what-do-they-know but he’s got ex-pro pundits calling out his tactics each week, can his assistant coaches not see where this is heading?

If you’ve got £40-50m players in every position you can get away with it but that rules out 75% of the PL

I like the fella, hope he changes it.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

8 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

Irrespective of who is in charge this season was always going to be very very difficult to stay up. Anyone that thinks otherwise needs to give their head a good wobble. 

But by the same token we aren't giving ourselves a chance of doing so by playing like this. We got beat by ten men, a bang average Forest team and a Brentford team who knew exactly how to play against us. 

[a1ex2001]

9 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

Irrespective of who is in charge this season was always going to be very very difficult to stay up. Anyone that thinks otherwise needs to give their head a good wobble. 

I don't think anyone thinks otherwise but if we are going to hand teams 2 goals leads it's not going to be hard it's going to be impossible!  I fully expect us to struggle this season and I wouldn't be overly surprised if we went down but at the minute we look more like we are going to be down by the end of October!

[Galway saint]

2 hours ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

He’s doing exactly the same. Taking responsibility for players mistakes is the oldest managerial trick in the book. He’s not say his “play book” is fundamentally wrong, just that they didn’t follow it properly. He doesn’t seem capable of comprehending that his tactics are wrong, that’s not taking responsibility. 
 

Also very telling that he brings up where playing like this has got HIM in 5 years. That’s the giveaway, he’s got a massive ego.

thing is though if he’s got a massive ego ( don’t know if he has) he won’t want to be a laughing stock and from the comments over the weekend by commentators and pundits ( basically anyone with half an ounce of footballing acumen), his tactical approach is not far off being shown to be a joke in this league and with this squad to the point where we are almost writing off the season after 3 games if he continues in this fashion. So I think he will change his approach if only because if he doesn’t he will look ridiculous 

[Toadhall Saint]

13 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

But by the same token we aren't giving ourselves a chance of doing so by playing like this. We got beat by ten men, a bang average Forest team and a Brentford team who knew exactly how to play against us. 

 

13 minutes ago, a1ex2001 said:

I don't think anyone thinks otherwise but if we are going to hand teams 2 goals leads it's not going to be hard it's going to be impossible!  I fully expect us to struggle this season and I wouldn't be overly surprised if we went down but at the minute we look more like we are going to be down by the end of October!

 

13 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

The answer is not to get rid of the manager after 3 games tho. 

[saintant]

33 minutes ago, Toadhall Saint said:

Irrespective of who is in charge this season was always going to be very very difficult to stay up. Anyone that thinks otherwise needs to give their head a good wobble. 

Haven't come across anyone who has said otherwise. But it doesn't mean fans can't offer their opinions of what went wrong in matches or whether different tactics would work better which is mostly what I'm reading on here.

[saintant]

26 minutes ago, TheAlehouseBrawlers said:

Forest at home was disappointing, an anti-climax, we were fucking dire. Spirits were lifted at Cardiff, it was entertaining albeit against a lower side’s B-team and we could easily have lost it before the 2 late goals. But we had a striker who hit the net twice (he’s certainly starting at Brentford…), Fernandes was excellent and withdrawn early (he’s another one) and Big Les was surely starting alongside Downes. That was probably most fans thinking.

Cue Saturday and we get the same starting line-up as the Forest debacle,,,and same mistakes…knocked back before we’d even started.

RM says he won’t change the way we play, every other PL side must be saying “thank you very much, you’re making it very easy for us”. Russ may love it that the players are sticking to his principles with all this possession and passing (until pressed) and may very well dismiss fan criticism as what-do-they-know but he’s got ex-pro pundits calling out his tactics each week, can his assistant coaches not see where this is heading?

If you’ve got £40-50m players in every position you can get away with it but that rules out 75% of the PL

I like the fella, hope he changes it.

Spot on.