Saints 1-2 Wolves - Match Thread

[CB Fry]

7 hours ago, Lone ranger said:

( just watching the fabulously entertaining Notts Forest. Look how they are doing with an average attendance 2000 lower than us.)

Odd comment. They just have a slightly smaller stadium than us. On every measure Forest are a club comparable in size to us, if anything with potential to be bigger as they are in a bigger city. And the small fact they've won the league and the European Cup, twice.

[eurosaint]

Are there any links to what he said about Fernandes??

[Holmes_and_Watson]

56 minutes ago, eurosaint said:

Are there any links to what he said about Fernandes??

The ball was in the air that day
The sky was very clear, Fernandes
Three points were there for you and me
But you missed the header, Fernandes

Oh wait, that was Abba's view of the game...

here we are...

"I think he will be a great player, and this is the moment that I expected today a little bit more of him, but it's normal for a guy who is 20 years old."

[ApprenticeBillionaire]

1 hour ago, CB Fry said:

Odd comment. They just have a slightly smaller stadium than us. On every measure Forest are a club comparable in size to us, if anything with potential to be bigger as they are in a bigger city. And the small fact they've won the league and the European Cup, twice.

They also pretty much bought an entirely new squad last summer.

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

The groans were pretty much universal with the squad announcement and he was clearly reverting back to his shambolic defensive formation even after improvement with a 4 at Anfield.

We started brightly with a bit more attacking intent but getting in decent situations out wide with no striker ain't creating too many actual chances. Having said that, we had 2 very score-able opportunities early on. Their first effort that somehow Ramsdale let past him killed the game instantly.

Best part of the day, having a pint at halftime outside the KIngsland in the warm sunshine. It was that good many didn't go back in and plenty more just fucked off with news of their second. There was a constant flow of fans disappearing over the train bridge. Bad times.

[Give it to Ron]

13 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

I don’t know what clauses he has in his contract and neither do you. Maybe we get to chop him for less/free in the summer if we go down but if we sack him now we have to pay off the rest of his contract, who knows. We had the whole farce of not appointing Martin until a month into the summer window because of the whole PL/Championship compensation clauses in his contract, I don’t know what we’ve agreed with Juric.

One thing’s for sure, we aren’t going to save money sacking yet another manager with 9 games to go. It’s not going to make any difference on the pitch and I can’t see Rusk/Lallana being anything other than a downgrade. So in short, there’s no point.

How can it be a downgrade on yesterday? No striker in a game we could win, 2 right backs doing nothing as no outlet, our best midfielder out of position and then subbed and scapegoated? 
Free headers with 5 at back and forwards just running and never closed down despite doing well with 4 at Liverpool. The players clearly not playing for him just how can it be a downgrade where and what?

[lambtiss]

40 minutes ago, TheAlehouseBrawlers said:

The groans were pretty much universal with the squad announcement and he was clearly reverting back to his shambolic defensive formation even after improvement with a 4 at Anfield.

...

Those groans were echoed in the pub I was in before the match. The first 20 minutes summed up our season. A bright start, we were on top, plenty of possession. But then the missed opportunities that other PL teams have been taking against us (a striker might have helped a little) and the inevitable sucker punch with Wolves scoring from their first attack, a classic simple cross and an even simpler header for a completely unmarked centre forward.

He was about 6'10 ... not difficult to miss ffs..

I hadn't even taken my seat for the 2nd as I was still finishing my pint in the concourse, on hindsight I should have stayed there.

[Jack]

That was lost at 13:45, again. Left when the 2nd went in to go and watch the egg chasing, that’s how bad it’s got. 
 

Absolute shambles of a performance and a club. 

[Viking Saint]

17 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

Do you think sacking managers every six to eight games is a good way to run a football club?

No, but it wouldn't be necessary if just once we actually employed a decent one 

[gio1saints]

16 hours ago, S-Clarke said:

I'd say the obvious alternative was to start with a fucking proper striker to start with, then maybe he wouldn't have to flap around in the 90th min.

Very Cute answer - I do not think anyone would disagree- I know I was shaking my head when I saw the team pre kick off. 

I was surprised we took Mateus off for TP - who wasn’t? If the tactic was to take off our most creative offensive mf player replace him with a big guy up front I would have thought the instructions would be go long every opportunity?

Instead, we did nothing much.

Indeed when Flynn came on we actually had a rewind back to Russball for a while- coincidentally our most possession and best period of the game but let’s not dwell on that - so putting on another big guy up front t in injury tine when we’ve not really tried all that much to get the ball to TP first opportunity we have was pretty much doomed - but if the players had just hoofed it forward and gone all out blitz it might have worked. Too many just don’t have the stomach for the fight anymore. 

[Give it to Ron]

13 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

Very Cute answer - I do not think anyone would disagree- I know I was shaking my head when I saw the team pre kick off. 

I was surprised we took Mateus off for TP - who wasn’t? If the tactic was to take off our most creative offensive mf player replace him with a big guy up front I would have thought the instructions would be go long every opportunity?

Instead, we did nothing much.

Indeed when Flynn came on we actually had a rewind back to Russball for a while- coincidentally our most possession and best period of the game but let’s not dwell on that - so putting on another big guy up front t in injury tine when we’ve not really tried all that much to get the ball to TP first opportunity we have was pretty much doomed - but if the players had just hoofed it forward and gone all out blitz it might have worked. Too many just don’t have the stomach for the fight anymore. 

I wasn’t bothered about the Stephens for Aribo sub that’s just one centre half for another 🙂 

Taking off Fernandez was pathetic 

[Lighthouse]

2 hours ago, Give it to Ron said:

How can it be a downgrade on yesterday? No striker in a game we could win, 2 right backs doing nothing as no outlet, our best midfielder out of position and then subbed and scapegoated? 
Free headers with 5 at back and forwards just running and never closed down despite doing well with 4 at Liverpool. The players clearly not playing for him just how can it be a downgrade where and what?

1-4, 0-5, 0-7, 1-8… take your pick.

People got everything they wanted in games like Brentford. Tall Paul up front, a big physical presence leading the line, Les and Sully finally being given a chance in their favoured positions, Lallana coming on late with all his experience to help see out the game. What happened, we lost 0-5 to a team who had something like 2.0 points away all season.

Sure Juric is trying weird stuff and it’s not getting us anywhere but he did the obvious conventional stuff when he first came in and it was no less of a disaster. Stockport County’s manager from the National League isn’t going to be an improvement.

[Harry_SFC]

5 hours ago, eurosaint said:

Are there any links to what he said about Fernandes??

I'd get it a bit more if he genuinely was poor/not trying. But he always gives his all and he was one of our better players yesterday. It's very worrying if he thought Fernandes was the issue.

Edited 17 hours ago by Harry_SFC

[Give it to Ron]

1 minute ago, Lighthouse said:

1-4, 0-5, 0-7, 1-8… take your pick.

People got everything they wanted in games like Brentford. Tall Paul up front, a big physical presence leading the line, Les and Sully finally being given a chance in their favoured positions, Lallana coming on late with all his experience to help see out the game. What happened, we lost 0-5 to a team who had something like 2.0 points away all season.

Sure Juric is trying weird stuff and it’s not getting us anywhere but he did the obvious conventional stuff when he first came in and it was no less of a disaster. Stockport County’s manager from the National League isn’t going to be an improvement.

Weird stuff? I thought I had seen it all with Martins 60 yard apart strikers but 2 right backs with no outlet playing best chance of a goal out of position then scapegoating is a different level.  Sacking Martin wasn’t wrong replacing him with Juric and his batshit ideas is.

Gronbaek starts at Liverpool yet dropped - we play well with 4 at back yet reverts to a mad formation . 

Lallana signing is just another example of stupid recruitment has anyone seen Wee Man is he hiding?

Its a terrible squad managed by bat shit management owned by people that want to re-invent what’s wrong being normal and doing things sensible?

[BranfootsLoveChild]

Why is Juric making Fernandez the scapegoat every game? He puts in alot of effort, unlike most of the others. Juric hasn't got a fucking clue. Can we not forfeit the remaing games, lose them all 5-0 and get a fine. That would be ok with me. And, if Juric wants me, I'm 49 and fat, but could still do better job than those overpaid fuckers.

 

[Saint Fan CaM]

Don’t want to be a harbinger of doom, but I am concerned that Spors is another SR apologist and whatever he does to the squad / management in the summer will result in more of the same shitshow because it’s the SR way. Someone, somewhere (W-Ankerson?) in the SR fold is pulling the strings and basically instructing the club to work in a particular way. Unless Dragan is countering that in some way and Spors is his own man, our hopes for the summer are going to be dashed on day one of the new season. Fingers crossed I’m wrong.

[Disco Stu]

Just now, Saint Fan CaM said:

Don’t want to be a harbinger of doom, but I am concerned that Spors is another SR apologist and whatever he does to the squad / management in the summer will result in more of the same shitshow because it’s the SR way. Someone, somewhere (W-Ankerson?) in the SR fold is pulling the strings and basically instructing the club to work in a particular way. Unless Dragan is countering that in some way and Spors is his own man, our hopes for the summer are going to be dashed on day one of the new season. Fingers crossed I’m wrong.

Almost certainly.

[CylonKing]

There's no urgency in anything we do. We take an age to take throw ins, we never cross into the box even when we have the tallest player in the league in there. We lose the ball so easily and still rather pass back and sideways instead of forwards. It's ridiculous, when you're needing a goal and your playing around at the back. You're never going to score in your own penalty area. So disappointing.

[Wade Garrett]

1 hour ago, Lighthouse said:

1-4, 0-5, 0-7, 1-8… take your pick.

People got everything they wanted in games like Brentford. Tall Paul up front, a big physical presence leading the line, Les and Sully finally being given a chance in their favoured positions, Lallana coming on late with all his experience to help see out the game. What happened, we lost 0-5 to a team who had something like 2.0 points away all season.

Sure Juric is trying weird stuff and it’s not getting us anywhere but he did the obvious conventional stuff when he first came in and it was no less of a disaster. Stockport County’s manager from the National League isn’t going to be an improvement.

Do you actually go to games?

You talk absolute shite.

[Mr X]

1 hour ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

Don’t want to be a harbinger of doom, but I am concerned that Spors is another SR apologist and whatever he does to the squad / management in the summer will result in more of the same shitshow because it’s the SR way. Someone, somewhere (W-Ankerson?) in the SR fold is pulling the strings and basically instructing the club to work in a particular way. Unless Dragan is countering that in some way and Spors is his own man, our hopes for the summer are going to be dashed on day one of the new season. Fingers crossed I’m wrong.

There's no way they are going to employ anyone that's going to tell them the truth that they haven't a clue on the football operations side and that they need to change the whole structure and ethos of the club..... Spors will be just another yes man that tells them they are great and if they just persist with their "revolutionary ideas"  it will be all be a success! 

[Badger]

I'd like to describe yesterday's performance as shocking. Except that it wasn't, it's exactly what we've come to expect, pathetic and all over the place in defence, and pitiful up front offering little threat against poor opposition who with the right line up were there for the taking.

Plus yesterday we had the extra feature of Ramsdale doing a 'bazunu' impression for their first goal.  

[Badger]

Throw in some bizarre substitutions as well yesterday, taking off our most capable player at HT. Jack Stephens caused me to scratch my head at the time, but on reflection can be less effective than Archer ?

Edited 15 hours ago by Badger

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

2 hours ago, CylonKing said:

There's no urgency in anything we do. We take an age to take throw ins, we never cross into the box even when we have the tallest player in the league in there. We lose the ball so easily and still rather pass back and sideways instead of forwards. It's ridiculous, when you're needing a goal and your playing around at the back. You're never going to score in your own penalty area. So disappointing.

Yes, that's really annoying. It used to be KWP now Manning takes equally long. Watching Sheff Utd this afternoon, we could do a lot worse that train up a 'Robinson' - someone who can bullet a throw in to the penalty area, especially with TP there to nod them on.

[OneMrsWallace]

22 hours ago, macca155 said:

That game was lost by Juric or at least made significantly harder.

Reverting back to his abysmal defensive formation was inexcusable.

Dibling and Sugawara just got in each other's way. Dibling came alive when Sugawara went off. Mainly because he could play wide and that's were he is effective.

I assume Fernades was injured. He needed to be replaced by Downes and let Joe play further forward. Take off a defender at that point as well.

Stephens up front was the crowning glory.

Get rid of him and just start the rebuild.

I reckon he knows he's out the door at the end of the season. That decision about Stephens had all the hallmarks of "I'm just going to take the piss now whilst earning very nicely doing it thanks"

[SouSaint]

There will have to be a pretty big reduction for me to renew my season ticket next season, personally I think it's the least Sport Republic could do after the absolute shit-show they've served up this year. It'll no doubt be a freeze at best though. 

[Lighthouse]

2 hours ago, Wade Garrett said:

Do you actually go to games?

You talk absolute shite.

At least my sh*te is consistent, so I must be getting plenty of fibre. Five games ago, everyone was saying I was ‘beyond help’ if I couldn’t see how Juric was a ‘night and day improvement on Martin’. 

[64saint]

3 hours ago, BranfootsLoveChild said:

 And, if Juric wants me, I'm 49 and fat, but could still do better job than those overpaid fuckers.

 

I'm 69 with a dodgy hip , perhaps we could form a partnership up front, couldn't be worse 🤣

[ApprenticeBillionaire]

28 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

At least my sh*te is consistent, so I must be getting plenty of fibre. Five games ago, everyone was saying I was ‘beyond help’ if I couldn’t see how Juric was a ‘night and day improvement on Martin’. 

The fact you're a moderator saves you.

If you weren't, you'd be getting rinsed on a daily basis with what you post.

[trousers]

34 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

At least my sh*te is consistent, so I must be getting plenty of fibre. Five games ago, everyone was saying I was ‘beyond help’ if I couldn’t see how Juric was a ‘night and day improvement on Martin’. 

There were signs in the first month or so of his tenure that he would be more capable of getting a tune out of these players in the PL than Martin did. It's only been the last month or so that it's become obvious that he too has traits which undermine our chances of grinding out results from games. So, there was a period of time where it wasn't unreasonable to sense that Juric was an improvement on Martin this season (not a very high bar, admittedly). Obviously, with hindsight, it turns out they're both as "dog shite" as eachother, especially when it comes to shooting ourselves in the foot....

Edited 13 hours ago by trousers

[Wade Garrett]

55 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

At least my sh*te is consistent, so I must be getting plenty of fibre. Five games ago, everyone was saying I was ‘beyond help’ if I couldn’t see how Juric was a ‘night and day improvement on Martin’. 

You must eat more fibre than a racehorse.

[Doctoroncall]

52 minutes ago, trousers said:

There were signs in the first month or so of his tenure that he would be more capable of getting a tune out of these players in the PL than Martin did. It's only been the last month or so that it's become obvious that he too has traits which undermine our chances of grinding out results from games. So, there was a period of time where it wasn't unreasonable to sense that Juric was an improvement on Martin this season (not a very high bar, admittedly). Obviously, with hindsight, it turns out they're both as "dog shite" as eachother, especially when it comes to shooting ourselves in the foot....

I’m assuming that most people (like myself) were expecting Juric to build on the team set up used for the Liverpool game as a realisation of how to best use the players at the club. Yet he reverts back to tried and failed set up… unfathomable!

[davefizzy14]

57 minutes ago, Doctoroncall said:

I’m assuming that most people (like myself) were expecting Juric to build on the team set up used for the Liverpool game as a realisation of how to best use the players at the club. Yet he reverts back to tried and failed set up… unfathomable!

Absolutely this. Jurić got it totally wrong yesterday and then defended his decisions. Utterly baffling.

Edited 11 hours ago by davefizzy14

[Chez]

1 hour ago, trousers said:

There were signs in the first month or so of his tenure that he would be more capable of getting a tune out of these players in the PL than Martin did. It's only been the last month or so that it's become obvious that he too has traits which undermine our chances of grinding out results from games. So, there was a period of time where it wasn't unreasonable to sense that Juric was an improvement on Martin this season (not a very high bar, admittedly). Obviously, with hindsight, it turns out they're both as "dog shite" as eachother, especially when it comes to shooting ourselves in the foot....

not sure where you get this `month' honeymoon period from. imo, we had 45 minutes against west ham, when we played with intensity, got the ball wide and crossed early/first time to create problems for west ham.... and then since then it's been same old shit. five at the back cluelessness, far too many individual mistakes, two many huge gaps down the middle, an overpowered midfield, slow build up play, a disjointed side and complete lack of attacking threat.

[Farmer Saint]

On 15/03/2025 at 17:23, CB Fry said:

It's just stayed the same.

Your boy Martin was just as shit with his own hand picked team, a full pre season and players signed up to his system, his process.

Juric had none of that - he inherited a sack of shit not of his making.

We can lose every single game for the rest of the season but even if we do, that doesn't change the fact that Russell Martin was fucking shit.

Hook, line & sinker 🤣🤣🤣

[East Kent Saint]

4 hours ago, OneMrsWallace said:

I reckon he knows he's out the door at the end of the season. That decision about Stephens had all the hallmarks of "I'm just going to take the piss now whilst earning very nicely doing it thanks"

I don’t think that’s the first time Stephens has been thrown on up front near the end of a match , can’t remember who was manager but the result was the same 😀

[Dark Munster]

7 hours ago, Mr X said:

There's no way they are going to employ anyone that's going to tell them the truth that they haven't a clue on the football operations side and that they need to change the whole structure and ethos of the club..... Spors will be just another yes man that tells them they are great and if they just persist with their "revolutionary ideas"  it will be all be a success! 

If Ankersen is still in charge I would agree. His astronomically-sized ego wouldn't have it any other way. Spors would be another yes-man for that chancer, just like Wilcox was.

But reports are that Dragan has lost all patience with this Ankersen-inspired shit, with him kicking over chairs and demanding that Ankersen and the rest of the SR clowns sack RM at half time against Spurs. It points to Dragan having had enough and bringing in Spors to take control of all footballing matters, and not to be subservient to Ankersen.

At least that is what I hope is true.

[Whitey Grandad]

5 hours ago, trousers said:

There were signs in the first month or so of his tenure that he would be more capable of getting a tune out of these players in the PL than Martin did. It's only been the last month or so that it's become obvious that he too has traits which undermine our chances of grinding out results from games. So, there was a period of time where it wasn't unreasonable to sense that Juric was an improvement on Martin this season (not a very high bar, admittedly). Obviously, with hindsight, it turns out they're both as "dog shite" as eachother, especially when it comes to shooting ourselves in the foot....

Different dog, same shite.

[Saint_clark]

The bizarre thing with Juric is every so often he puts a team out that looks dangerous moving the ball quickly and getting it forward well, then he dicks about with it either with crazy subs or from one game to the next abandoning the system that looked good. 

It's probably too far gone for him now but I still maintain I have seen glimpses of a good side under him. Part of me wonders whether he doesn't want to be kept on next summer and is just happy collecting the pay for 6 months before going back home to the continent. 

[Saint Fan CaM]

3 hours ago, Saint_clark said:

The bizarre thing with Juric is every so often he puts a team out that looks dangerous moving the ball quickly and getting it forward well, then he dicks about with it either with crazy subs or from one game to the next abandoning the system that looked good. 

It's probably too far gone for him now but I still maintain I have seen glimpses of a good side under him. Part of me wonders whether he doesn't want to be kept on next summer and is just happy collecting the pay for 6 months before going back home to the continent. 

I think he knows his days are numbered and that he’s lost the dressing room. His rant over Fernandes was tantamount to a “please sack me” call. When you think about the similarities between the tactics and formations with Jones, Martin and now Juric, I would hazard a guess there’s a higher strategic pressure from Group telling these Managers to operate in a particular way. Isn’t that the way Groups tend to work in general?