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Birmingham City 3-4 Saints - Match Thread


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54 minutes ago, OttawaSaint said:

THB at RB...Wtf?!?!

Still flabbergasted by this. Best defender and he puts him out wide and has the fucking chuckle brothers in the center with "might as well just play with 10 men" Manning doing Manning things on the left. 

Pissed away another chance to stay in the race. 

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Just now, Saint86 said:

He says this shit every week. Fields a team with far better players, then says we've had a few chances and should have been out of sight. As if that in someway excuses the frankly appalling defensive balance to the side.

But we have been shit with Bednarek and THB in the centre over the last month, so what would you do? Hamstrung by shit players imo. 

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For about 40 mins we looked good.

It's just the absolute brain farts that are far too common, that are our downfall.

Leeds, Ipswich and Leicester all (currently) dropping points and we can't take advantage.

Brooks having his best game in a saints shirt.

Defence is an absolute bomb scare.

No idea what happens in the second half, we could easily win this 4-2 or lose 3-1 🤷

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Just now, Saint NL said:

For about 40 mins we looked good.

It's just the absolute brain farts that are far too common, that are our downfall.

Leeds, Ipswich and Leicester all (currently) dropping points and we can't take advantage.

Brooks having his best game in a saints shirt.

Defence is an absolute bomb scare.

No idea what happens in the second half, we could easily win this 4-2 or lose 3-1 🤷

Nail on head, being undone by brainfarts and deflections. We looked good that half outside of that. 

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We've played alright I think, should have at least 3 goals here given the chances and openings we've created. Controlled 90% of that.

Sadly undone by horrific defending on two occasions. Manning was tucked too narrow for the first, but where was the cover? Second goal Bednarek and Manning are too close to each other, Bednarek miss-does the header - but if Manning was a little further behind in a positional sense Stansfield wouldn't have had all that time. It's fine margins, and Manning has been pretty poor on both goals there.

Football/possession/attacking/chance creation wise - really good, as well as we've played for weeks. But that left side is just all wrong.

Still think we've got enough to get some goals here in the 2nd half, but we're making it much harder than it needs to be.

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Move Stephens to right back. 

Move THB back to central defence.

I don't care what he does with Manning as long as he doesn't reappear on the pitch after halftime.

Put Bree on at left back. Tell him to play in that position rather than drifting around to other parts of the pitch.

Consider Aribo on for Smallbone and Edozie for Stu (who isn't having one of his great days)

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Their first goal was super-lucky. Got a big deflection.  I'd argue their second pretty lucky too. Bednarek has been superb. For his header to land perfectly for them...  a mistake yes, but also unlucky.    They probably won't be as lucky second half.  I think we'll win 4-2.    And fwiw, even though our style of play can be nail-biting, it's also extremely exciting - and when it works is truly glorious.   The anti-Martin sentiment is bonkers.

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2 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

But we have been shit with Bednarek and THB in the centre over the last month, so what would you do? Hamstrung by shit players imo. 

To be fair, that has more to do with Downes being out and Smallbone playing DM.

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4 minutes ago, Saint Matty 76 said:

Created an absolute shit tonne that half, can definitely turn this one around with some better finishing and well-utilised subs 

Agreed.

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1 minute ago, coalman said:

Move Stephens to right back. 

Move THB back to central defence.

I don't care what he does with Manning as long as he doesn't reappear on the pitch after halftime.

Put Bree on at left back. Tell him to play in that position rather than drifting around to other parts of the pitch.

Consider Aribo on for Smallbone and Edozie for Stu (who isn't having one of his great days)

Stu not had a great day for a while

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We've been bad lately don't fancy our chance in any playoff! How Much of it's down to the players and how much the manager is up for debate? 

Edited by Mr X
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Approach work has been better in attack and Saints could have easily had 3. Trouble is the defence is so much all over the place that Birmingham could easily have had the same.

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Are people really blaming Manning for a goal which should have been disallowed for handball and then 1v1 which happened after Bednarek headed the ball backwards over his head?

We're done well going forward. Should have scored a couple by now. Do not deserve to be losing.

Also comments about Stephens playing - he's been good. Defended well, passed well, stepping out of defence multiple times and started attacks, ran through their midfield a few times and also received the ball and turned into space.

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2 minutes ago, coalman said:

Move Stephens to right back. 

Move THB back to central defence.

I don't care what he does with Manning as long as he doesn't reappear on the pitch after halftime.

Put Bree on at left back. Tell him to play in that position rather than drifting around to other parts of the pitch.

Consider Aribo on for Smallbone and Edozie for Stu (who isn't having one of his great days)

Or put Bree to RB, THB back to CB and stick Meghoma at LB, so you actually have players in their natural positions.

74%, 16 shots, 1 goal. Says it all

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8 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

Why? What do you want more, Saints promoted and more of Martin's football and smugness, or him gone? Genuine question. 

I want Saints to go up, but RM is such a smug, arrogant, and inflexible "tactical genius" that we would be better off reappointing Nathan Jones. This tactical approach would be calamitous in the Prem - it's been found out by Bristol City, Hull, Birmingham, and even Millwall.

Edited by badgerx16
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2 minutes ago, Wade Garrett said:

To be fair, that has more to do with Downes being out and Smallbone playing DM.

Not sure tbh, even in that scenario we should have been defending much better than we have been. 

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3 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

we have been shit with Bednarek and THB in the centre over the last month

The main reason for our 'shitness' over the last month has been our defence having a weekend midfield in front of them. Bednarek and THB seemed to do quite well in our "25 game unbeaten run" (copyright forum optimists) so maybe persevere with them on that basis rather than a much smaller sample of games in which our best midfielder was out of action...?

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Just now, The Cat said:

Are people really blaming Manning for a goal which should have been disallowed for handball and then 1v1 which happened after Bednarek headed the ball backwards over his head?

We're done well going forward. Should have scored a couple by now. Do not deserve to be losing.

Also comments about Stephens playing - he's been good. Defended well, passed well, stepping out of defence multiple times and started attacks, ran through their midfield a few times and also received the ball and turned into space.

I thought on the second goal particularly, he's too close to Bednarek. He's got to be aware of his surroundings and be in a position to respond to any sort of misplaced header, but he's kind of in no mans land there - they win the header, or if Bednarek gets it wrong (which he did) and they're away - and that's what happened. 

He just doesn't seem to have any positional awareness or sense danger, he's everywhere bar where he should be defensively. Reminds me of Oliver Bernard.

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Just now, badgerx16 said:

I want Saints to go up, but RM is such a smug, arrogant, and inflexible "tactical genius" that we would be better off reappointing Nathan Jones. This tactical approach would be calamitous in the Prwem - it's been found out by Bristol City, Hull, Birmingham, and even Millwall.

You genuinely think that? Hand on heart you think we'd be better with Nathan Jones?

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1 minute ago, Farmer Saint said:

Not sure tbh, even in that scenario we should have been defending much better than we have been. 

Sounds like we'll have to agree to differ on that 👍

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Saints woeful defensively, creating chances but not taking them; need to step up. Shouldn't be conceding two to this Birmingham team. Need a rejuvenation in the second half if we want any chance to secure the 3 points. Smallbone to go off, and Rothwell to come on too, he doesn't look good enough on the ball for me. Adams looking shaky too, but was very unlucky not to score. Brooks looks fantastic, and so does Stu so need to keep this aggression on the ball going into the second half. COYR

 

update: good fight back, ARIBO OH!

Edited by markr27
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Firstly, thanks to Convict Colony for the stream link. Bastard, another wasted afternoon! 😉

We have a left back who is left footed, I believe, but when he has the ball he continually comes inside where his body shape is all wrong and he looks like a fish out of water and what is more doubles the need for Amlodipine as my BP increases. Other teams have also identified him as a weakness.

The commentators have been talking about risk/reward strategy, but so far it mainly seems risk. Why is it that other teams' centre halves don't have the brain farts ours do?

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1 minute ago, trousers said:

The main reason for our 'shitness' over the last month has been our defence having a weekend midfield in front of them. Bednarek and THB seemed to do quite well in our "25 game unbeaten run" (copyright forum optimists) so maybe persevere with them on that basis rather than a much smaller sample of games in which our best midfielder was out of action...?

But everyone on here is blaming the losses on RM over the last month, not on the fact we have injuries? That seems to be quite a secondary thing next to RMs "bizarre" selections. 

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Just now, S-Clarke said:

I thought on the second goal particularly, he's too close to Bednarek. He's got to be aware of his surroundings and be in a position to respond to any sort of misplaced header, but he's kind of in no mans land there - they win the header, or if Bednarek gets it wrong (which he did) and they're away - and that's what happened. 

He just doesn't seem to have any positional awareness or sense danger, he's everywhere bar where he should be defensively. Reminds me of Oliver Bernard.

From where I'm stood it looked like Manning was waiting for the ball and Bednarek should leave it. He was under no pressure so could have ducked under it.

Manning's narrow positioning is what he's told to do. I don't believe he's spent all season defending like that without any of our coaches noticing and pointing this out.

I'm not exactly a fan of his but I feel that some people have decided he's shit and just pick on him for stuff that's not his fault.

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1 minute ago, Farmer Saint said:

But everyone on here is blaming the losses on RM over the last month, not on the fact we have injuries? That seems to be quite a secondary thing next to RMs "bizarre" selections. 

"Everyone"

Are you my wife? She's prone to exaggeration too... ;)

P.s. it could of course be a combination of the two... (Weakened midfield + wrong selections)

Edited by trousers
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1 minute ago, Bad Wolf said:

IMO we're very unlucky to be losing this. We've actually played okay. Much better than Hull, Bristol or Millwall.

You're right.

But now Brum can sit back and defend, and we know how that goes

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Just now, trousers said:

"Everyone"

Are you my wife? She's prone to exaggeration too... ;)

Definitely not, but she's here if you'd like me turn her over and tell her you said "hi".

 

True though - a lot of moaning fans seem to be saying this though. 

Edited by Farmer Saint
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Big Joe on for Stu please, I think we need more physicality against these. We’ve been really lazy in playing out which looks like getting us in trouble again. 
 

We’ve created enough but you can’t go hoping to win every game 4-3 and get away with it. Woeful at the back 

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3 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

You genuinely think that? Hand on heart you think we'd be better with Nathan Jones?

I think that in the Prem with RM would be as bad if he sticks to his "principles"

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All the other results going well for us too, really need to turn this around and get back to winning ways and put some pressure on those above us 

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2 minutes ago, The Cat said:

From where I'm stood it looked like Manning was waiting for the ball and Bednarek should leave it. He was under no pressure so could have ducked under it.

Manning's narrow positioning is what he's told to do. I don't believe he's spent all season defending like that without any of our coaches noticing and pointing this out.

I'm not exactly a fan of his but I feel that some people have decided he's shit and just pick on him for stuff that's not his fault.

I think there is over reaction on here from people and they make a judgement without really knowing why - it's how it is. But I personally don't rate Manning, positionally all season he has been inept. It could be how he's told to paly, which is even more alarming given that the manager should know him and his limitations more than most.

All of our problems come through that left side, they have most of the season. I don't think it's coincidental if I'm honest, teams target that space because Manning is always out of position and simply doesn't have the pace or physicality to recover. Maybe our tactics hang him out to dry a bit, but if the manager knows him more than most then it's pretty worrying.

Edited by S-Clarke
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Just now, badgerx16 said:

I think that in the Prem with RM would be as bad if he sticks to his "principles"

That wasn't the question was it? Would you prefer to have Nathan Jones in charge now than RM? 

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