Stoke v Saints Match Thread

We were 2 inches away from winning - J-Rod's miss and the keeper's block of Bertrand's shot. disappointing perhaps, but not a disaster, and one point more than we started with. ( How many people would have taken a draw before kick-off ? ).

I would have scored if i was on the pitch.... WTF saints, just so unbalanced the goals should be on the halfway line because of all the sideways passes

We are rapidly turning ourselves into a laughing stock

****ing ridiculous. Ran out of ideas after 70 minutes, boufal should have shot and I have no idea how Rodriguez did not put that away, 2 open goals he's missed in 2 games.

Puel is shyte

Bournemouth are going to rip us a new one at the weekend

We are rapidly turning ourselves into a laughing stock

Constant pressure from us for about 70 minutes, a striker missing an open goal from a yard out (for the second time in two games), barely conceded a shot to Stoke, crossing balls directly out of play yet again. But it's the manager's fault...

We created chances, forced their keeper to make saves, all whilst playing against a team whose ONLY objective was to not concede.

 

The result is not a disaster as some are trying to make out.

We had one more shot on goal than them....

Puel is shyte

 

Bournemouth are going to rip us a new one at the weekend

You have said that about several teams and are always wrong... carry on

We are rapidly turning ourselves into a laughing stock

There's drivel and there is drivel.

Said it before and I'll say it again... How can the board think that this is progress? Puel is one of the most uninspiring managers we've ever had. Boring!

We created chances, forced their keeper to make saves, all whilst playing against a team whose ONLY objective was to not concede.

 

The result is not a disaster as some are trying to make out.

Of course it's not a disaster, but we didn't create enough chances or force enough good saves in the circumstances. If we'd had the chances we did away at a top team, when they were attacking more than we attacked them, then it might be acceptable. This was attack v defence for over an hour and defence never looked like losing.

Oh well only 19 more 0-0 draws for safety.

No they're not - we will probably muster a lucky 1-0 win as we usually do.

The manager is rubbish.

We were 2 inches away from winning - J-Rod's miss and the keeper's block of Bertrand's shot. disappointing perhaps, but not a disaster, and one point more than we started with. ( How many people would have taken a draw before kick-off ? ).

I'm not sure how many times we can keep telling ourselves this...

The manager is rubbish.

One post but would have been none if we had won ...

Have to say I think Ward-Prowse is one of the most ineffective players I have seen. What exactly does he bring to the team? Fecked if I know. Can someone tell me? He can't cross except from a dead ball, he can't shoot, he can't tackle, he can't play a defense splitting pass (unless it's our defense), he can't really do much of what you'd expect from a professional fotballer. Redmond is the same....runs around a lot being a bit of a nuisance, but that's it..nothing else, no final ball, no end product, no goals. Long is much the same at too.....Jeez, that was so frustrating. Should we get Gallagher back from loan? He really couldn't do any worse.

Trouble is we keep lobbing balls into the box and there's no one there, if we're going to play like that then surely you need a target man, Benteke would have been the answer. Martina never seems to take his man on, just gets it onto his right foot and lobs it in, Cedric when he plays at least has pace and tries to beat his man before crossing. I hope he was injured today and not dropped because the last few games he's been excellent.

Hopefully the board do something about our striking options in the transfer window, hopefully when we get that sorted Puel will be able to get the rest of the team firing

I don't know what Puel is training but the play clearly lacks fluidity, the players look like decent players who have no understanding between each other and very little team spirit, there's no real togetherness. I don't think the players believe in Puel as they did Koeman, that's not to say Puel should be gone or whatever but whatever they're training away from the games it clearly isn't in the way of getting the best out of our players, our players ALWAYS look for safe options, if there's a pass there's no movement after it and if there is it's only one person doing it, meaning we're so easy to mark as we're predictable and one paced. Our ambition to get the ball down the flanks doesn't work as we have no aerial presence, we'll splutter our way to a mid-table finish. Our defence is excellent but without Fonte and VVD that could change very quickly.

Agree with all of this, though I don't doubt the spirit in the dressing room.

You make an interesting point about movement - you'll often see a decent run not picked out, or someone pulling a defender out of position and no one stepping into the space. Is that a problem that's come up through (understandable) lack of a regular XI?

Shane Long would have scored that J-Rod chance. As much as I want the lad to succeed, how many more oppertunities will he get? Not to bothered about the result tonight, but a win would have got us to 7th. ANOTHER reaction needed on Sunday now.

Shane Long would have scored that J-Rod chance. As much as I want the lad to succeed, how many more oppertunities will he get? Not to bothered about the result tonight, but a win would have got us to 7th. ANOTHER reaction needed on Sunday now.

Long's had 20 games to prove that but hasn't.

The manager is rubbish.

You did see JY miss the easiest chance he'll get all season didn't you??? Is that his fault #n0bhead

I'm not saying their defence is impenetrable, just that losing an attacking player doesn't make any difference to how easy it is to score against a team intent on defending a point.

getting Bambi (Gallagher) from Blackburn will cost us money, so that not going to happen, we are tighter than spuds, and we ain't j##s either. Looks like we are going to have a chinese owner....

I am getting so ****ed off with this style of play. We never get enough bodies in the box, our crossing is average at best. If you offered me Koeman back tomorrow i would snap your ****ing arm off!

not brilliant but we're still ninth! i remember the old day when "Saints don't really start playing till after christmas!" bit of a private joke.....but i don't think we need to s@?t the bed quite yet!

Well a point away at Stoke is no bad thing, that is the positive I have managed to crowbar from this result.

Shane Long would have scored that J-Rod chance. As much as I want the lad to succeed, how many more oppertunities will he get? Not to bothered about the result tonight, but a win would have got us to 7th. ANOTHER reaction needed on Sunday now.

I'm kind of hoping that as long as Rodriguez keeps getting into the box and close to those chances he'll soon slot one away, I'd be more worried if he got no where near the ball and was left flapping 5 yards away as the ball is crossed, just one off his ass will hopefully get him going. Problem is with so few striking options it really puts the pressure on him, he needs game time to get back his sharpness but with no one else scoring we need him to step up.

Agree with all of this, though I don't doubt the spirit in the dressing room.

 

You make an interesting point about movement - you'll often see a decent run not picked out, or someone pulling a defender out of position and no one stepping into the space. Is that a problem that's come up through (understandable) lack of a regular XI?

Yep

Positives - 1 point

Negatives, just about everything else. Pathetic.

On the positive side, we didn't lose and Anthony Taylor is xxit for someone else.

Yep

Seems that way to me too. Shame that even out of the Europa League we'll struggle to settle until after the Christmas fixtures/League Cup semis.

I remember right at the start of the season we weren't gelling, then went on a decent run. Can MLG or someone look and see if the team selection was stable when that good run came about? I can't be bothered.

The manager is rubbish.

Why is the manager rubbish when the players cannot score goals surely the players should be doing better.

Jay Rod is on about 50k a week but may have cost us a place in the Euro League and two points tonight

Why is the manager rubbish when the players cannot score goals surely the players should be doing better.

It's the managers job to ensure the players do better. We know they're capable of it!

(Not that I agree that Puel is 'rubbish', just that he needs to improve)

trousers I think you need counselling - your obsession with desperately trying to find a positive is becoming a bit nauseous. Why don't you try and just let your true feelings come out without spinning? Genuine question.

Double this!

Trouble is we keep lobbing balls into the box and there's no one there, if we're going to play like that then surely you need a target man, Benteke would have been the answer. Martina never seems to take his man on, just gets it onto his right foot and lobs it in, Cedric when he plays at least has pace and tries to beat his man before crossing. I hope he was injured today and not dropped because the last few games he's been excellent.

 

Hopefully the board do something about our striking options in the transfer window, hopefully when we get that sorted Puel will be able to get the rest of the team firing

Here we go again, Cuco bashing for the sake of it. He put in half a dozen excellent crosses. The taters here on NBC said as much and were puzzled why he was taken off. Our attacking threat from the right disappeared when he went off.

Give credit to Stoke, they defended well. We would've won with a decent front man. I'm not sure if it's been mentioned yet, but I think we need to bring in a quality striker.

46 posts from ALWAYS_SFC on this match thread

2 were about the game

We were **** tonight, we have been **** all season, why we appointed this clown I have only one idea - he was cheap

Look at his old team NICE now top of the league and plaudits galore for there style of football - and they lost 3 of there best players after Puel left!!! Puel is a joke

Just in from the game.

Sending off looked nasty, but we were a long way from it.

Clearly changed the game & we were pretty predictable thereafter. There were some really poor performances. Redmond, Ward Prowse, Jay Rod & Long in particular.

Redmond is so easy to defend against. Simply show him left because all he can do is stand on that leg. Ward Prowse free kick was embarrassing. Long looks short of confidence. I was supporting Jay Rod on Sunday, but the miss tonight was awful. Long wouldn't have got there, but it was easier to score. As soon as he missed the whole teams heads went down.

Getting fed up saying this, but we move the ball to slowly to hurt anyone.

Corners were total rubbish.

Special mention for the referee who decided to not award anything to us after the sending off. How Ward Prowse got booked for boot up when Whelans head was a foot off the ground was beyond me.

Stoke did what they had too. Got bodies behind the ball & wasted as much time as possible. Pretty niggly nasty team as ever. Joe Allen dived at every opportunity too.

Very disappointing & starting to get worried about Mr Puel & his tactics.

So 21 points from 15. Not exactly relegation form is it? Reckon this is a work in progress. Too many with HoTS

(Hard of Thinking Syndrome) Expecting better in what was always going to be a transitional season was always a big and somewhat realistic ask. If you extrapolate the points so for across the season then around 50 will be OK. Not as many as I would like, but I an' t always get what I want.

I am as disappointed as most after watching the game as we should have had three points but what is more sickening is the negative posters who keep coming on with the doom and gloom "Puel should go", "Reed is no good" etc etc. We are stretched as a squad as we have been battling on many fronts and have been unlucky with injuries. Do you doom mongers really think that as internet warriors you will have one iota of a chance of influencing a multi billion company ? I have been supporting my team for over fifty years and never boo the team, never leave early and give them all my support. Can the boo boys go somewhere else as they have ruined this forum. Oh yes I do have rose tinted glasses and yes follow the team through thick and thin and am happy to be led by the nose following the management of the Saints. But the last few years have not seemed too bad compared to some of the forty I have followed the team before that. I am sure I will be informed of the error of my ways but I am off to bed after a tiring day at work and will probably set up my own forum tomorrow with only me as a member so I can leave all the cr*p posted on hear behind. Goodnight.

So 21 points from 15.

 

always going to be a transitional season.

We've played 16

Why was it always going to be a transitional season? 14 of the 18 in the squad (9 from 11 that started) we're here last season?

We are dull as dishwater under Puel - that isn't about to change, just ask a few Nice fans

So 21 points from 15. Not exactly relegation form is it? Reckon this is a work in progress. Too many with HoTS

(Hard of Thinking Syndrome) Expecting better in what was always going to be a transitional season was always a big and somewhat realistic ask. If you extrapolate the points so for across the season then around 50 will be OK. Not as many as I would like, but I an' t always get what I want.

For me it's not the results that are dissapointing. It's the boring, negative, lifeless football we play that ****s me off. unfortunatly I can't see that it's anyone else fault than the manager.

I actually like Puel, I think he's a real classy bloke with the right intentions (I.e youth policy) and I really want him to succeed.

I'll give him until February (once we've got a striker who can score from 4 yards), if things don't improve then maybe it's time for him to go.

trousers I think you need counselling - your obsession with desperately trying to find a positive is becoming a bit nauseous. Why don't you try and just let your true feelings come out without spinning? Genuine question.

We've played 16

 

Why was it always going to be a transitional season? 14 of the 18 in the squad (9 from 11 that started) we're here last season?

Did you really expect year on year improvement ad infinitum? If so then you are bigger clown than I thought. BTW I've got you on ignore so responses to my posts are unwelcome as I can see them. Mind you I suppose getting a reaction will be excuse enough to crack one off!

How we are playing is no worse than how we were playing last December. I'd say arguably we were worse 12 months ago.

46 posts from ALWAYS_SFC on this match thread

 

2 were about the game

Wrong. Try again!

How we are playing is no worse than how we were playing last December. I'd say arguably we were worse 12 months ago.

Yeah but we've been playing this way most of the season, whereas last season December was a blip.

First game this season I haven't watched in full. Got the score right but was surprised by the red card. Other than that same old and very predictable result. The only question highlights can't answer is were we 'good' or 'bad' at 'possession football' tonight? A point is a point I guess either way...

just back from the game. would have taken 0 - 0 at the start but we were totally dominant. just no way of scoring goals. genuine concern now. thought it was a blip but it seems a bit more.

thought the ref had a good game though.