Watford 1-1 Saints - Match Thread

[Miltonaggro]

If our second team can blow out the candles in the wind tomorrow, Maidstone at home would be rather nice next round. Particulary as they purloined our song today! Oh when the Stones, ffs 🎶 

[the saint in winchester]

A warning as to what can happen if you don't go to win it provided by Ipswich and Leeds this afternoon.

It's a dilemma - do we play first team and go out to win it? Or hold back, rest the luminaries and accept the consequences?

Based on results today and the next round draw, I would probably play full strength, try to get 3 up and then rest players.

But the decision will have been taken already, the players chosen and notified.

 

[SNSUN]

Tricky fixture. Obviously a loss is a bad result as we'd be out the competition (duh) but really with automatic promotion in our midst it wouldn't actually be a terrible result long term, it would just end our unbeaten run - rather in the cup than in the league. What we don't want ideally is the draw and a replay. We're good enough to win but it does depend on what side we put out. Tough to guess the line up but you'd think perhaps Lumley, Charles, Holgate, Stephens, Rothwell, Charly and Mara would be involved and hopefully SAA, Dibling and Meghoma would get game time.

[Chris cooper]

Road works on the m3 at after jct 5 to jct 3 .. if ya driving I’d go A3 to m25 

[kwsaint]

6 hours ago, Chris cooper said:

Road works on the m3 at after jct 5 to jct 3 .. if ya driving I’d go A3 to m25 

Got stuck in them on Tuesday morning. Absolute nightmare.

[ChristopheVAFC]

Hello everyone.

I wish you and your team a good match.

I'll be keeping a close eye on your results from Valenciennes.

Go Saints!

[AlexLaw76]

44 minutes ago, ChristopheVAFC said:

Hello everyone.

I wish you and your team a good match.

I'll be keeping a close eye on your results from Valenciennes.

Go Saints!

Love and light 

[eurosaint]

7 hours ago, Chris cooper said:

Road works on the m3 at after jct 5 to jct 3 .. if ya driving I’d go A3 to m25 

I was on that stretch yesterday and it was fine...

Being a Sunday I would think that it should be ok today as well 🤞

[BARCELONASAINT]

I never want us to lose a game, even when we had that idiot Jones as manager and another defeat might have got him sacked earlier, i just can't want us to lose.

However that said i honestly want us 110% focussed on automatic promotion and therefore would not be too upset if we play a similar side against Watford as we did in the last round. If we lose then everything is all about those two automatic promotion spots with no distractions.

 

[waylander]

It is 2 out of 4 lanes closed around J4 on the M3 northbound

Edited 28 January, 2024 by waylander

[Chris cooper]

14 minutes ago, waylander said:

It is 2 out of 4 lanes closed around J4 on the M3 northbound

Animals on m25 now ffs 🤦‍♂️ 

[adrian lord]

Only rest players that really need to be rested, I'd say. 

[die Mannyschaft]

17 hours ago, the saint in winchester said:

A warning as to what can happen if you don't go to win it provided by Ipswich and Leeds this afternoon.

It's a dilemma - do we play first team and go out to win it? Or hold back, rest the luminaries and accept the consequences?

Based on results today and the next round draw, I would probably play full strength, try to get 3 up and then rest players.

But the decision will have been taken already, the players chosen and notified.

 

Got more chance of promotion by auto or play off even if it takes 5 years but a FA cup final is once or twice in a life time so should be looking to win thus game. Can't see the point in turning up if you have already decided its not worth playing the game.  'Winchester Saints' .

[Fabrice29]

1 hour ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

I never want us to lose a game, even when we had that idiot Jones as manager and another defeat might have got him sacked earlier, i just can't want us to lose.

However that said i honestly want us 110% focussed on automatic promotion and therefore would not be too upset if we play a similar side against Watford as we did in the last round. If we lose then everything is all about those two automatic promotion spots with no distractions.

 

Opinions like this make me laugh. Living in some weird reality that losing a specific game won't affect them but completely forgetting that if we lose this game today, that'll be 90 minutes of watching us lose. 90 minutes of watching us mis place passes, concede a goal or two or three, miss chances, bad tactics, bad substitutions, bad performances and all these things will contribute to a good vibe being lost. You won't be okay with it, you'll have issues with the quality of our squad, strikers, defence or whatever else contributes to the defeat. 

I'll happily eat my words if we lose today, keeper and defence makes mistakes playing out from the back, our strikers miss a hatful of chances and rotated midfield goes missing and you come on here and say it's all fine and there's no cause for concern.

[trousers]

15 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

Opinions like this make me laugh. Living in some weird reality that losing a specific game won't affect them but completely forgetting that if we lose this game today, that'll be 90 minutes of watching us lose. 90 minutes of watching us mis place passes, concede a goal or two or three, miss chances, bad tactics, bad substitutions, bad performances and all these things will contribute to a good vibe being lost. You won't be okay with it, you'll have issues with the quality of our squad, strikers, defence or whatever else contributes to the defeat. 

I'll happily eat my words if we lose today, keeper and defence makes mistakes playing out from the back, our strikers miss a hatful of chances and rotated midfield goes missing and you come on here and say it's all fine and there's no cause for concern.

It's almost like it's not possible to play well but still lose...

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, Chris cooper said:

Animals on m25 now ffs 🤦‍♂️ 

They should never be allowed to drive 

[Toadhall Saint]

6 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

They should never be allowed to drive 

I blame the Portsmouth licensing dept.

[davefizzy14]

Hopefully we can get through to the fifth round with a 2-0 victory- Alcaraz and Adam Armstrong to score 😊 COYR 

[EssEffCee]

Most likely a bit late for this but have an adult ticket available for this for a tenner if anyone still in soton wants it.

[E_H_Saints]

I'd be disappointed if we didn't go for this.  I realise we have to rotate however we have a week to prepare or the Rotherham match who are bottom of the league. What other favourable circumstances do you need in order to go for a cup win.  It would be different if we were playing Wednesday.

[The Cat]

Traffic was fine. Got to the pub just in time to see England wrap up a historic test match win. 

[miserableoldgit]

19 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Traffic was fine. Got to the pub just in time to see England wrap up a historic test match win. 

In the pub car park?? 😵😊

[31cc]

7 minutes ago, miserableoldgit said:

In the pub car park?? 😵😊

Jumpers for wickets, isn't it? Marvellous.

[suewhistle]

36 minutes ago, The Cat said:

Traffic was fine. Got to the pub just in time to see England wrap up a historic test match win. 

Blimey, I thought you were taking the piss!

[Master Bates]

No one playing 

[The Kraken]

 

[miserableoldgit]

Hmmmm....

[Sarisbury Saint]

We’re not taking it seriously then.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

2 minutes ago, miserableoldgit said:

Hmmmm....

Bench is stronger than the starting eleven!

[The Kraken]

 

[The Cat]

So pleased that Dibling gets a start.

[Dusic]

Was always going to be this type of selection, similar to the last round.

Volume of games in Feb is already high, and next round is midweek so even if we get through today I think he would go with similar again.

Great for Dibling and Meghoma. If they don't start these kind of games they never will, and then would be pushing to leave...

 

[Midfield_General]

Is Hoedt normally their captain? Can't think of any player less well-suited. 

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

Just now, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Bench is stronger than the starting eleven!

Interesting that Dibling is now ahead of Sam AA in the pecking order.

Ketchup Che (believe it was Ralph who called him ketchup - you squeeze the bottle and nothing comes out and then it all comes out at once) has his last chance to impress before the window closes. Don't like JS and Holgate playing together. Hopefully Watford will put out their 'B' team too

[Fabrice29]

Reliable stream available on Bet365 I believe btw.

[egg]

4 minutes ago, Sarisbury Saint said:

We’re not taking it seriously then.

We're taking the league seriously. As we should. 

[The Cat]

2 minutes ago, OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint said:

Interesting that Dibling is now ahead of Sam AA in the pecking order.

Ketchup Che (believe it was Ralph who called him ketchup - you squeeze the bottle and nothing comes out and then it all comes out at once) has his last chance to impress before the window closes. Don't like JS and Holgate playing together. Hopefully Watford will put out their 'B' team too

Dibling looks more of an all round player than SAA. It's no surprise to me at all that he's overtaken him.

[GrumpyYorkshireSaint]

Bit of a mixed bag on the team selection, nice to see some of the younger ones in the team and some fringe players though.  Can't see it on TV anywhere and dodgy streams never quite take for me so stuck in the office with a Scouser having to watch his team and listen to the Klopp saga.

[whelk]

Bookies show the game live although might need to have bet on the game 

[tdmickey3]

Sensible team selection, we have no chance of winning the trophy anyway, promotion is far more important 

[Saint_clark]

Only part I'd say is seriously understrength is CM. Would have liked to have seen one of Smallbone or Downes alongside Rothwell with them swapping at or just after halftime. 

[VectisSaint]

Looks very much as predicted, perhaps with the bonus of Dibling starting. There's not much wrong with that team, especially given who is on the bench. Realistically we are missing Gav and Downes, Lumley showed before he is a decent backup, Meghoma potentially better than Manning. We will miss creativity of KWP and Adam Armstrong's workrate. Time for Charley to actually do something and show what he is really about.

[davefizzy14]

Excited to see Dibling start 😊

[JRM]

16 minutes ago, Sarisbury Saint said:

We’re not taking it seriously then.

The line up, the assistant manager taking the press conference, we couldn't send a stronger signal pre match that we don't really fancy it. 

[JRM]

3 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

Only part I'd say is seriously understrength is CM. Would have liked to have seen one of Smallbone or Downes alongside Rothwell with them swapping at or just after halftime. 

Shea Charles needs to step up there today and avoid an early booking 

[davefizzy14]

Hoping Carlos gets a goal today too 😊

[obelisk]

22 minutes ago, Sarisbury Saint said:

We’re not taking it seriously then.

Saving ourselves for the Wembley play-off final in May?

[Totton Saint]

31 minutes ago, Fabrice29 said:

Reliable stream available on Bet365 I believe btw.

When I click the site it says blocked by an extension - try removing the extension from your computer. Anyone know how to do this please?

[saintant]

2 minutes ago, Totton Saint said:

When I click the site it says blocked by an extension - try removing the extension from your computer. Anyone know how to do this please?

I believe you need a funded account with them?

[Tommy Mulgrew]

You probably have an ad blocker.  If so, turn it off.