Chez

it isn't. You are overthinking things. There is no obligation to play anyone. He picked those players because he thought that was his best team to win that game. His comments relate to playing four at the back, which some senior players prefer, and the tactics, such as hitting the target man early over a short passing game, again, which some senior players prefer.

He can dribble, he has great confidence to go for things (and keep going for things), but often there just isn't the space and at best we get the foul. Physically he's very lightweight, but he doesn't have electric pace to make up for that. I lie watching him, he tries to make things happen, but the question `where is the end product?' is a fair one. He'll get his season int he championship soon enough.

who you taking about, because we were in the top flight under Sturrock.

I think a lot of managers don't have a clue. Even ones you think do, actually have just fallen into a great situation. This situation obviously wasn't that, with us being shit for a long time, and that calls for something a little bit special - actual genuine managerial ability. Not sure he has that. I think he has three league games left. 3 wins in ten and that's OK, the owner will live with that, but 1 win and 9 defeats in ten is proof that you dont have the answers.

In his defence, some of these players simply are not doing what they are paid a shit load to do. Some of them struggle to control a football and pass it to one of ours. 16 new players in two windows and is there one of those that has seriously improved us? Maybe Lavia over Romeu - although not hugely. Possibly ABK, when not injured.

Mara up the middle against Newcastle is the best striker performance I've seen from us all season apart from Che against Bournemouth. I missed the Blackpool game, but even if Mara wasn't great, why did we drop him straight away in the replay AND play Armstrong up front with Che instead? No consistency. Mara up the middle and Armstrong out wide was one of the few things that looked to be working, even if ti was for a short period. With Tall Pal, I don't suppose we will see that again, maybe ever.

don't worry about it, we have Onuachu now and we can play two up top. Can't wait to watch our two centre midfielders getting overrun like the good old days

I'd like to front foot drive him back to Luton.

He must have said it a thousand times since he joined: "aggressive and on the front foot", but what does that actually mean? If it's just a press high, then I don't believe it's possible at this level with 5 at the back, if it's something else, like kicking people and running forwards a lot, what? They are just words, but what's the actual tactics, positions, things etc. that contribute towards `it'.

Ely was the one supposedly about to get a new contract.

I'm imagining something more along the lines of a channel 5, with Jones doing the Rogers' envelope trick and other all sorted bollocks in training.

wonder who will be our Jack Rodwell and bleeding us dry on £70k a week in League 1.

why don't these owners insert "if you lose lots of games of football and we sack you, you don't get a pay off" into the small print?

I'd of thought we would have moved onto the "lets not kid ourselves, we are bottom of the league for a reason" 'we need to turn things around and quickly" "this is going to be a fight right until the end of the season" etc etc.

The difference being, when it was bad in the championship, the fans just didn't turn up. It's 14 years almost to the day when we lost at home to Sheffield United 1-2, midweek and just 13,257 ( I doubt it was that many if truth be told) of us attended and if you think there weren't a few unhappy fans at the end when Jamie Ward scored in the 90th minute, you are kidding yourself.

Blimey. Is he saying he actually wants to play long ball football, but because players want to pass it and the fans expect to see passing football he has not got players to smash it long more?

Walcott is the Saintsweb boo boy. I wouldn't try and defend him too hard, you'll have a pile on on your hands. He came on, his pace almost lead to a goal. That's about it. Contrast the posts about him with those about Perraud, who gets a complete pass every week because he `gives us balance'. Here's what he did today. first half: crap cross, a sloppy pass that put us in trouble, a total miss kick sliced hoof that went backwards into our box almost allowing them score, dropped miles too deep and kept the left winger onside, lost a header dual, a horrible poor sliced/hacked clearance ten yards straight up in the air (because he hasn't got a right foot), a decent clearance/pass ten yards forward to Che, a decent corner/cross that was cleared by the first man, piss poor attempt to win a header from a long throw, although his shirt may have bene pulled to be fair. Two attempted clearances blocked, no time so not his fault. Turned his back and ducked under a cross. Pathetic, possibly bottled??? tackle on touchline with the ricochet going straight to their midfielder subsequently leading to their second goal. When they scored, he was still jogging back and barely reached our own box. Nice little turn inside. Over hit a long ball straight through to keeper. second half: completed a simple five yard pass, short pass that put Soulamana in trouble, no pressure on Mbuemo and then didn't track his run, outpaced Mbuemo to prevent counter attack, nice work, overhit a simple one-two with ball lost, very good half volley shot which was well saved, misplaced a simple pass, overlapped and decent cross, second chipped cross was behind striker, got too tight and winger turned him (opponent wasn't found, so he got away with it), simple short pass completed, doesn't track back, at all, for about 30 seconds, luckily the three or four battles between striker and CB were all won by us, marks no one at the free kick - stands at back with hand in the air for ten second asking for offside and makes no effort to get goal side and help out as Mbeumo almost scores, completes a simple five yard pass...and another. And we wonder why we are going down. The side is full of Championship quality players, led by a championship manager. And Perraud wasn't even the worst, Diallo was a disgrace today. If he was fined every time he gave the ball away, he'd owe the club money every week. What a horrible performance from us. Reminded me of the utter shit show at their place last season, under Ralph. All that money spent and we are just as bad, maybe worse.

Brentford should have scored the open goal chance in the first two minutes. It could have been more goals.

I didn't want to say it on the transfer thread, as everyone was soooo excited, but I thought he looked quite poor in his highlight videos and not a Prem player. If this game is anything to go by, he's barely a championship player. Can you get jet lag on the Eurostar?

Tall Paul has not won a single header since he came on and we have hit it long in the air to him a lot. He looks slow. A couple of nice passes. Zero impact. Actually, we looked worse with him up front. Sulamana looks quick, decent touch and will offer a threat, but don't ask him to track back.

who could do worse?

I'm no JWP fan boy, but he has ran his heart out. Only one that looks like they give a fuck.

Mee has won every single header against Tall Paul so far.

another formation 4-4-2

If Diallo comes out for the second half, I give up.