Jump to content

WBA 0-0 Saints - SF 1st Leg Match Thread

SaintBobby

By SaintBobby
in The Saints

 Share

Recommended Posts

Saint NL

Saint NL

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:25, Mr X said:

What's your opinion of Ross Stewart? 

Expand  

Promising signs.

He looks like he'll pick up the ball and shoot. Exactly what we need imo.

Hard to gauge how good he was today because the players supporting him were anonymous. On another day with Fraser and Brooks looking to play him in, we could look very dangerous.

  • Like 3
Turkish

Turkish

Posted
Posted (edited)
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:23, Convict Colony said:

Play average and dont lose, that was west brom's best chance.

Now we will have a stadium of fit blue haired birds for them to ogle and be distracted by.

As an aside what saints fan dyes their hair blue ? 

Expand  

WBA won’t be able to cope with the cauldron on Bantz Friday night. The chapel kop sucking the ball into the net or roaring the boys forward. The baggies fans will be like church mice intimidated by the non stop banta in the ground and terrified of running into the DEF off it

 

Edited by Turkish
  • Like 1
  • Haha 1
saintstowin

saintstowin

Posted
Posted

It's a decent result. They have a big gap between their home and away form. Yes would have liked a bit more attacking but this is two games not one and we should be confident to get the job done having kept it to a draw today. 

  • Like 2
Holmes_and_Watson

Holmes_and_Watson

Posted
Posted

We looked exactly what we were: a side that has played in a single system for nearly the whole season, and changing it at thecend as we kept conceding and had gone on a decline.

Martin will be happy with the clean sheet. Overall, it was about level, with WBA shading it.

This system highlights some different limitations in the players.

Downes is still key. Today offering driving runs. Bednarek was vital at the back. McCarthy made some saves. He's comfortable doing that. But we kept asking for trouble by repeatedly looking for him to do Rapid passes out from the back.

Stephens was a mixed bag. Some decent moments combined with passes that got us into trouble.

Mara had a few moments where he did the right thing. But even more where he didn't.

Manning offered little protection at the back. For a side offering width and numbers in midfield, we failed to pin them back and use our own attacking skill often. Not much in the way of orchestrated attacking moves either.

We go into the second leg with home advantage and hopefully a fit Che Adams. If it's the same system, it will be a close game too.

 

  • Like 5
Patches O Houlihan

Patches O Houlihan

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:33, Turkish said:

WBA won’t be able to cope with the cauldron on Bantz Friday night. The chapel loop sucking the ball into the net or roaring the boys forward. The baggies fans will be like church mice intimidated by the non stop banta in the ground and terrified of running into the DEF off it

 

Expand  

Pre-match lights show and freebie red & white foam hands ought to provide the cherry on the top for intimidation factor.  COYR

  • Haha 1
saintant

saintant

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:34, Holmes_and_Watson said:

We looked exactly what we were: a side that has played in a single system for nearly the whole season, and changing it at thecend as we kept conceding and had gone on a decline.

Martin will be happy with the clean sheet. Overall, it was about level, with WBA shading it.

This system highlights some different limitations in the players.

Downes is still key. Today offering driving runs. Bednarek was vital at the back. McCarthy made some saves. He's comfortable doing that. But we kept asking for trouble by repeatedly looking for him to do Rapid passes out from the back.

Stephens was a mixed bag. Some decent moments combined with passes that got us into trouble.

Mara had a few moments where he did the right thing. But even more where he didn't.

Manning offered little protection at the back. For a side offering width and numbers in midfield, we failed to pin them back and use our own attacking skill often. Not much in the way of orchestrated attacking moves either.

We go into the second leg with home advantage and hopefully a fit Che Adams. If it's the same system, it will be a close game too.

 

Expand  

I was happy with that performance. It's a play-off game with a massive prize at stake so no quarter asked or given. We controlled large parts of the game which helped sustain energy to repel everything West Brom threw at us as they tried to take a lead to St Marys. It's not cut and dried but we've given ourselves a good chance to get to Wembley. These games are rarely easy so well played lads.

  • Like 6
Sheaf Saint

Sheaf Saint

Posted
Posted

Stewart was putting himself about and constantly looking for room to move into, but nobody had the nous to try and put him through - just constant recycling of the ball at the back instead.

Mara, on the other hand, just jogged about and waited for the ball to come to him. Was useless.

I'm happy enough with 0-0 going into the home leg, all things considered. But we need to be more proactive going forward if we want to win the tie. 

  • Like 7
Harry_SFC

Harry_SFC

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:42, Sheaf Saint said:

Stewart was putting himself about and constantly looking for room to move into, but nobody had the nous to try and put him through - just constant recycling of the ball at the back instead.

Mara, on the other hand, just jogged about and waited for the ball to come to him. Was useless.

I'm happy enough with 0-0 going into the home leg, all things considered. But we need to be more proactive going forward if we want to win the tie. 

Expand  

Mara has played too many games for us for my liking. Absolutely terrible player. We need to move him on ASAP.

  • Like 5
Vancouver Saint

Vancouver Saint

Posted
Posted

Well that was dull. Cagey. Nervy. We did okay and I'd definitely have taken a 0-0 after the first 15 minutes onslaught from West Brom. After that we looked comfortable and in control for long periods of the game but we are slow and ponderous going forward. We missed Stuart Armstrong's creativity and forward movement and Che Adam's industry. Jack Stephens always with a mistake in him but recovered well. McCarthy MotM for me.

We will need to be more creative and clinical at home on Friday. Good to see Ross Stewart back. At least we've got someone who is direct and willing to take a shot on goal.

  • Like 11
Patches O Houlihan

Patches O Houlihan

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:40, saintant said:

I was happy with that performance. It's a play-off game with a massive prize at stake so no quarter asked or given. We controlled large parts of the game which helped sustain energy to repel everything West Brom threw at us as they tried to take a lead to St Marys. It's not cut and dried but we've given ourselves a good chance to get to Wembley. These games are rarely easy so well played lads.

Expand  

To be fair a lot of those WBA players were subbed looking wrecked, or carrying a slight injury; a definite bonus for the Russball playing style in hot conditions. You'd fancy our players to be in better physical shape on Friday in comparison. 

Adams then Stewart, or Stewart then Adams up front in the return leg for me. Depends on Che's fitness, but Stewart looked fit, found some good positions and his shot was powerful, kept low and was on target - unusual traits for Saints strikers of recent years. 

  • Like 8
The Kraken

The Kraken

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:44, Harry_SFC said:

Mara has played too many games for us for my liking. Absolutely terrible player. We need to move him on ASAP.

Expand  

Tbf he only started 4 league games all season. 24 as sub though, 3 goals. I’m not sure what his best position is, but on todays display it’s definitely not as a centre forward.

Sulemana is even worse, 10 starts 15 subs and zero goals. 

Thats what, nearly £30m spent on two players who don’t cut it at championship level.

  • Like 3
Whitey Grandad

Whitey Grandad

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:15, RobJones1971 said:

Can’t believe the negativity here. After first 10 minutes we have controlled this game. Totally removed the impact of their crowd. Yes, there are players we all do not like and some disagree with the style of play, but every team playing away would be happy with the score and 64% possession. 
 

What are people expecting, us to batter them 5-0 with 99%!!

Expand  

Possession figures are an irrelevance.

  • Like 1
AlexLaw76

AlexLaw76

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:48, Patches O Houlihan said:

To be fair a lot of those WBA players were subbed looking wrecked, or carrying a slight injury; a definite bonus for the Russball playing style in hot conditions. You'd fancy our players to be in better physical shape on Friday in comparison. 

Adams then Stewart, or Stewart then Adams up front in the return leg for me. Depends on Che's fitness, but Stewart looked fit, found some good positions and his shot was powerful, kept low and was on target - unusual traits for Saints strikers of recent years. 

Expand  

Decent point that. Got to get to the playoff final here. WBA played very well, where we can be miles better

  • Like 3
egg

egg

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:58, Whitey Grandad said:

We shall never know, shall we?

Expand  

Indeed. I think we'd have conceded less, but scored less. One reason we've gone 3 at the back will be because Baz ain't there to move the ball about, but that has nullified our attacking threat. On balance, I reckon we'd have been nudging Ipswich if we'd use McC all season, but it's speculation, and we are where we are. 

  • Like 2
egg

egg

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:49, Whitey Grandad said:

Possession figures are an irrelevance.

Expand  

Pretty much, yes. Where they mattered today is that they ran themselves ragged pressing, and chasing the ball. O-O is the important stat. 

  • Like 2
OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint

OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:10, Saint_clark said:

What a terrible advert for the playoffs these two games have been.

Expand  

Got to agree. Dull. Lack of ambition. No-one wanting to make a mistake. First leg playoffs don't have to be that way as shown by the League 2 games. And there's no way Mara was going to score, so 0-0 looked likely from the moment of team selection.

Thought Downes was excellent. Macca was superb but other than that, there were a lot of average performances.

Definitely our advantage but we'll need to show more ambition. Fuck the 'bravery' crap, 'ambition' is the key word.

  • Like 1
Mr X

Mr X

Posted
Posted

We didn't really fully turn up today, there can be no excuse for not going for the jugular at home! 

  • Like 1
ErwinK1961

ErwinK1961

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 16:16, OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint said:

Got to agree. Dull. Lack of ambition. No-one wanting to make a mistake. First leg playoffs don't have to be that way as shown by the League 2 games. And there's no way Mara was going to score, so 0-0 looked likely from the moment of team selection.

Thought Downes was excellent. Macca was superb but other than that, there were a lot of average performances.

Definitely our advantage but we'll need to show more ambition. Fuck the 'bravery' crap, 'ambition' is the key word.

Expand  

A fair bit more at stake in these playoff games compared to league 2 matches

  • Like 1
saintant

saintant

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 16:29, Mr X said:

We didn't really fully turn up today, there can be no excuse for not going for the jugular at home! 

Expand  

We were missing our centre forward and had no adequate replacement. These games are notoriously tough. If we hadn't turned up today we'd now be 2 or 3 goals adrift going into the second leg. West Brom were never going to roll over today. We handled a very hard fought game with relatively few dangerous moments. If we'd not been on it and allowed them to take the lead the outcome could have been a different story. It was a good performance from us other than a few mistakes and we were right not to go gung-ho because that might have handed them the place at Wembley.

  • Like 5
saintant

saintant

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 16:39, Bushey Saint said:

If Che is the answer then I don’t much like the question!

Expand  

We all know he's not a clinical finisher but we are a far better side with him in the starting eleven as proved again today.

  • Like 11
Andrew Watson

Andrew Watson

Posted
Posted

Going to be very nervy unless we take control early,we certainly need to create alot more going forward. Too close to call,their away record counts for nothing in the play offs.

  • Like 1
Harry_SFC

Harry_SFC

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 16:41, saintant said:

We all know he's not a clinical finisher but we are a far better side with him in the starting eleven as proved again today.

Expand  

As has been proven every time he doesn't play. Some people just can't support the guy because he isn't a natural finisher. He's a very good championship player that has always tried his best for us. On the other hand you have guys like Mara and Sulemena who have never broken out of a jog. 

  • Like 5
Holmes_and_Watson

Holmes_and_Watson

Posted
Posted
  On 12/05/2024 at 15:48, The Kraken said:

Tbf he only started 4 league games all season. 24 as sub though, 3 goals. I’m not sure what his best position is, but on todays display it’s definitely not as a centre forward.

Sulemana is even worse, 10 starts 15 subs and zero goals. 

Thats what, nearly £30m spent on two players who don’t cut it at championship level.

Expand  

We seem to want a hard running, high intensity central player. One who drops back to create angles for others, but is also capable of knowing when to move up to support the attacks down the flanks or in stages through the middle. Oh, and a player with clinical finishing. Not only the normal stuff, but against the teams we've allowed to reset.

Quite an ask.

And I think Che has tried very hard to do his best to meet a lot of that. Gets his head down, happy to work from deep, has scored instinctive goals from preferred spots and normally puts some work in.

Mara is a low intensity forward, who would much prefer to do work in the final third. He's off the pace for anything else through a combination of lack of experience, instinctiveness, and it not being a system he's fully adjusting to.

Watching him, he can take up finisher positions. Today was on the back post for a blocked ball across the box. But he's not the player to have been there following winning it back in midfield and busting a gut to get there. He had a few good touches today, and did drop back from which we got a chance. But was missing on other occasions. Ironically, being elsewhere when a finisher was needed.

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


×
×
  • Create New...