Chez

15,000 went walkies on Wednesday.

Can I ask why do you prefer this team to last? Can I also ask if should we continue to win 1, draw 1 and lose 4 games in every 6, will that preference still continue? Also are you going to be happy paying £380 a pop to watch us in League 1 next season?

Difficult to judge as Blackstock has played a fair few more CCC games than the other two. McGolrick is a year or so younger so that should be taken into account. None really excite me as only Blackstock dribbles the ball and he never seems to do so at pace. Lets hope McGoldrick improves greatly as we have three more years of him.

I don't see a solution, but the club should have known their `customer' much better. Any fool knows that once the supporter stops going every week, pretty soon you struggle to get them back at all. Over the last three years the club should have done absolutely everything in their power to keep ever single supporter happy. Closing the Itchen corner has ****ed off many many fans. Only a few ST holders asked for their money back, but how many non season ticket holders are not coming to games because of it? The club may have saved a few quid this season, but if someone doesn't come back this season they might never return. How much is that going to cost the club over the next ten years especially if we don't make it back to the Premiership? I classify myself as `mug fan' but this decision ****ed me off so much even I felt like calling it a day. I didn't, but now I have a long season of watching football without the matchday experience I hanker for.

Wotton is the worst offender. He is extremely limited and never good enough to play CM at this level.

agree fully with that.

does the lack of cover explain why he passed to the opposition all night? You need to make your mind up, do you want to pay to see professional football or pay to see young players learn to play the game. If it is the latter then may I suggest the reserves - you can save yourself a few bob. Personaly I pay to see CCC standard football, not to sit and have to make excuses every week cos the poor lads are young. Pah.

"come to see United, you only come to see united"

4 defats in 6 league games and just one win is the flip side of that stat. The fact that we are playing almost to our full potential IMO and still looking miles from good enough is my concern. We lack quality in every single department.

I don't think he did.

I have to say giving Lallana a free role enables him to shine but unless he dominates the game from that position we effectively are a man down. If we are going to continue with this formation lets play Lallana on the left, Peckard or whoever in the middle and Dyer on the right. That will enable us to play Gillett, Schneiderlin and Surman in the middle. If we are going to stick as we are then: Davis Cork Perry Svensson Mills Schnerlin Surman Gillett Dyer Peckard Lallana

it was 15k by the way, but I agree that it is embaressing to see more empty seats than full. I'd like to think that Lowe et al would reward the 13,500 `hard core' saints fans should we ever make it back to the big time, but will they ****. I have to say the decision to keep the family centre corner open is just laughable. There were about 25 fans in that secition last night and probably less than 1000 in the Chapel. That whole end should have become the family section. Overall the atmosphere in the ground is poor. Closing the Itchen corner was a big mistake and totally ruined my `match day experience'.

Both opponents had bad days at the office.

amazed at this post. BWP looked excellent when he came on. He immediately got involved, worked hard and made things happen. Are you just another of these people that have preconceived ideas about players - perhaps ideas that are not even your own - and even if the performance of the player totally contradicts `your opinion' you still refuse to acknoweldge that they played well?

I said before the season started that there are not three sides worse than us in this division so 21st would do me fine.

Dyer clearly relied on his pace in the youth team but that is not enough at this level. I'm not going to write him off just yet. Playing a totally one footed player on the wrong wing is always going to force him inside. I doubt he could kick the ball 50 yards with his left foot if he tried. I don't think there is a player in the league with less strength. The formation (which I think causes us problems) is ideal for him and he florished at Burnley when asked to play as a winger. But he needs to be on the right. McGolrick and John are a total waste of space at right midfield so get Dyer in the right position.

I agree with the original post and have said from the first game that he looks poor in that position. He lacks pace and he doesn't have a clue positionally. I have to say for a central midfielder I am surprised at how bad his distribution is. Anything he hit over ten yards went straight to the opposition last night, either intercepted or overhit. How John is meant to control a ball at pace at head height is beyond me. I suggested Wotton and Perry in the centre with Cork on the right and I stand by that. When fit I'd rather Thomas than James. Last nights performance was not down to James but he certainly didn't help. I don't feel sorry for any professional footballer.

perhaps maybe just maybe Jan felt that Perry had not performed well enough and felt Lancashire and Cork deserved their starts.

Can I point out that even the great Dario Gradi couldn't keep Crewe up for ever - and he certainly knew about playing youngsters. If the quality is not there, as it wasn't in the 05/06 season, it doesn't matter how good the manager is you just go down. We look like we have a little more than that Crewe side (Lallana for starters) but we must ensure heads don't go down and we actually get what we deserve out of games.

Its hard to evaluate the side when you are down to ten men for an hour, but the fact we got back into the game showed the positives of a passing game. What a ****ing goal, one of the best I have seen for years. But yet again the shortcomings of our lack of quality showed up. It's not youth that is the problem, no one has a problem playing Lallana, the problem is we do not have enough top class players throughout the side (young or old). I think some minor tinkering could help improve things though: James is not a fullback. His positional play needs to improve massively (and no doubt it will in time) as he has zero pace. Either play Cork there or get a fullback on loan. McGoldrick is not good enough to lead the line on his own. He is tricky, but he lacks raw pace and doesn't have the strength required. IMO he doesn't bust a gut to get in the six yard box. He is just not a threat. Either play him with somneone else or play JOhn. Gillett has not been good enough. His first touch is constantly poor and he is not getting hold of the game. Perhaps he needs more time to settle in. I wonder if Pulis will be better? Why take Schneiderling off to play McGoldrick in midfield - he is **** there. In fact why is he being taken off full stop, we go to pieces after he goes off. The side lacks height everywhere and add to this we do not have ball winners at full back either. Not sure how to solve this one.

Perry has been pretty average to be honest and his lack of height causes us all kinds of problems. Those problems didn't seem to have been solved as we still looked very vunerable to the crossed ball.

spent the entire evening in London thinking Niemi had scored at Fulham. Even now I still prefer to think that is what happened. Still makes me smile the feeling I got from those marvelous last 8 minutes...the guy is a legend despite his Fratton **** up.

All Lowe is doing is cutting the wage bill back as far as possible (because quite frankly it had got out of control) whilst at the same time ensuring there are enough players to fill a team sheet. If he could he would have sold BWP, Thomas, Skacel and Davies but obviously there were no takers. Every player we have signed is a gamble because we simply do not have the funds to buy tried and trusted.I would imagine Barclays are more than happy with this approach.

Jan is not going to say he thinks the club has signed a few duffers is he? I make it 11 signings by the way. Killer - looks a long long way from his best days. Struggling to win headers, lacking pace and sharpness. Certainly hasn't forgot how to foul. Can only play once a week. He will be a good signing is his current fitness is not his top level of fitness. Perry - lacks pace, offers decent positional play, has struggled in the air and gets stuck in. Fairly happy though feel him and Svenesson together are nto a great partnership. Wotton - looks very average to me (not seen a lot to be fair though). Not particulary mobile and lacks guile. Need to see more. Schneiderlin - very composed on theball, decent first touch, two feet, can he tackle though? Decent start but needs to keep improving. Holmes - decent left foot, willing to have a go at the fullback and get the byeline (yippee). Only downside is that he lacks real pace but he has done well to date. Forecast - How good can he be if he is 3rd choice? Dyer - usual quick but no end product stuff so far and worrying that he has not made the bench in some games. Cork - decent prospect and offers cover at fullback and CB. Is he any good in either position? Too early to access. Pekhart - lots of goals in the youth team, but then again McGoldrick did the same. We wait and see. Tony Pulis - injured Romain Gasmi - broken foot! It is very important to take into consideration that we had zero transfer funds available and were offering peanuts in wages when you look at the signings. I'd like another ten games to make my mind up that they have been decent signings.

is it because once again we are forced to play the full 90 minutes plus additional time every week rather than the maximum of 60 that Skacel can offer? Seriously we kept him wrapped in cotton wool as we attempted to sell him. When the deal to Ipswich dissappeared he went into the reserves and promptly got injured. Once "fit" he will go back into the reserves to get his match fitness up and then he will have a chance of making the first team. Unless of course we loan him out should someone be interested.