Tommy Mulgrew

We already have one. He has played the last couple of games. He is out of contract soon but could sign a new one on reduced wages. He is certainly good enough for a promotion-chasing Championship side and is used to being 1st, 2nd or even 3rd choice. If we do not go up, he represent a low-risk solution to one of our problems. A higher risk, but still one worth considering, is that fella in Turkey’s second division who has kept plenty of clean sheets for Goztepe. Both would cost no signing-on fee. I expect we shall do neither and go for another teenager, though. 👼

That was terrible and demonstrated that RM, who is supposed to be a good coach, does not have what it takes to succeed in this division. He has a rigid style of play and sticks to it even when it is not working. He encourages defenders to stand off attackers and invite crosses and runs into our box. He encourages slow, ponderous play everywhere on the pitch even when we are aggressively pressed. Our press is OK but nothing more and certainly nothing like as effective as Leicester’s. We gave the ball away too many times as a result of being pressed effectively, with players closing down ours and our favoured passing channels; and then stood off them as they attacked our goal with pace and accuracy. He encourages possession to the exclusion of everything else, resulting in sideways and backwards passing instead of moving forward at pace. Having two shots and none on target is a disgrace. He insists on playing one way only even when faced with a CB with the turning circle of an oil tanker; why did we not try to run Vestergaard ragged? If he really thinks that we put on a good show, he is deluded. We were well beaten by a far better team that was well coached to play against us and all our flaws. Outthought and outplayed. A miserable evening. One that we could see coming but did not believe would be as demoralising as it turned out to be. Truly pathetic.

I went, almost always, in the Milton from the early 1960s. Surely we had both the Milton and the Archers ends. Or don’t those two count as ends? Not trying to be funny or anything; just puzzled by the comment. Although, I suppose having both ends is not quite the same as having one single end; problem solved. Perhaps I should not have bothered.

I have not read this on here so I do not know whether many posters will know: The Times interviewed Duncan last week and used his responses in an article on the pros and cons of promotion for teams like us, Norwich, WBA, Leeds, etc. It did not really cover much new ground that has not been seen in a few threads on here. When asked whether he wanted Saints to be promoted, Duncan gave the only logical answer: yes but he would not cry if we were not. The article appeared in the Sports section of the newspaper on Saturday. Paywall for those looking online.

It’s not that we are a one-man team; the problem is that, in Downes’s absence, the manager prefers to play without a direct replacement for him (I.e. Charles) and selects Smallbone or Rothwell instead, neither of whom has a clue how to play as a 6, or even Stephens, who does but cannot. As a result, even a team that cannot otherwise score and had 12 absent injured waltzed through our midfield and penalty area and scored twice in a game in which we missed about a dozen decent chances. Most of us could see it but, for reasons unknown, Martin either cannot or chooses to turn a blind eye. Again and again and again. POH, above, has the right idea.

Probably not for Ireland, though, unless it is that Kelleher Ireland keeper from Liverhampton; he would do for our first-choice keeper (not that we would ever get him).

I am not aware how pre-match injuries and subs work but could the reason Macca started be this: Baz got injured in the warm-up; if Lumley replaced him we would have no keeper cover on the bench (Macca could not be added to the bench so soon before kickoff); if, by some dispensation that I know nothing about and with PNE’s agreement, Macca replaces Baz, we still have Lumley on the bench. That, plus Macca’s better pedigree, makes the decision a no-brainer. It worked well, anyway.

He played well but did not have much defending to do, the weakest part of his game - sadly for a defender - but he did well going forward. I did not like the way he launched himself high into the air and the PNE penalty area when one of their defenders clipped his heel; he should have stayed in his feet and done something constructive with the ball. Who knows, we might have scored.

He has not played in the Championship at all this season until now; so, last season. We played really well today, especially in the first half. A real team performance. Second half, not so well although we did not give PNE a sniff of a goal; 0.07 XG says it all. Many on here have lauded our 2nd half game management but Ipswich have a GD that is just two goals better than ours. I just hope that we do not regret not trying harder to get a fourth or even fifth goal. Onwards and upwards on Saturday!

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Swansea and Blackburn were in 2023; I’ll give you Wednesday, though. (I said “year” not “season”). Most of our wins seem to be by one or two goals except for those you mention and I merely wanted to say that I’d prefer a convincing and comprehensive victory to avoid too stressful a second half of the game. 4:0 and 5:0 are indeed comfortable, thnx.

Not merely the half-way line. It is even worse further back towards our goal. Better not to do it at all (ie regardless of the score) unless you want to take the piss out of the opposition in the dying embers of the game; and I do not especially like to see anyone do that. Or, for that matter, take the ball into the corner and try to stay there. Far better to pass around the team (minus goalkeeper) with purpose and keep the opposition pinned back in defence of their goal. Anyway, as for the Preston game, we should be positive from the beginning and try to improve our goal difference. It might just make a difference. And it would be good to win comfortably for once this year. Bednarek to start and Charles on the bench, along with Brooks and Rothwell.

The Leicester forum and the Leeds forum are interesting reads and the content is much the same as on here but with a lot of venom from many posters directed towards the manager; only a few on here imo want to get rid of RM regardless of what happens in the next few weeks. I did not see a poster with the same or similar degree of sanctimonious sermonising as the one we have on here; he or she seems to be truly unique. The feeling on both sites was that we will beat Leeds and Leicester. I was pleasantly surprised that Patrick Bumford gets a lot of stick from Leeds fans for being interested more in falling over to get a free kick or a penalty than in scoring and that Leicester fans do not seem to think that the repulsive Vardy is odds on to score against us. Both sets of fans reckon that their sides will contest the play-offs and not win promotion. People on here and on there need to cheer up.

I use Proton. The free version, which I have, used to give a choice of the Netherlands, USA or Japan as a free location but now gives only the former. It is good and I recommend it.

Does the new Sky deal mean that SaintsPlay streams for UK audiences stop but remain for foreign audiences? If so, a VPN will come in handy for those unable to attend our matches (assuming we stay in the Championship). Asking for a friend. 😉