Jack

If WBA can find one the crowd will get nervy again. Still praying for 2-2

Get one here Leicester could fall apart. Coughing up so many chances

Weird side Cardiff, they’ve lost 4 of the last 6 after winning 4 on the spin. Beat Ipswich at home on the end of that run, but they’ve lost their last 2 home games (Sunderland and Hull)

Un-fucking-changed, please Russ. *Fully expecting Stephens back in.

Really good first half, on the front foot and looking to play forward a lot quicker than normal. Wondering if it’s because we didn’t have the option of using our sweeper keeper to play triangles on the edge of our box? Maybe it’s just because Preston were garbage

Whooosh

Not that Russ would ever consider 4-4-2, it’s far too basic a concept for such an advanced tactician

We were talking about this in the pub last night. Adams and Arma up top would be really effective IMO and we’ve got wingers who could surely play that role. But I’m not sure who you’d put next to Downes in the middle to keep it tight enough and cover the ground, we don’t really have a second obvious CM

For me Stephens has the better highlights reel, lots of last ditch challenges etc, but I think a lot of it only comes from not reading the game as well and less effective positioning, putting himself in that situation in the first place

Weird game. Fair play to them for keeping going but we’re a fucking shambles at the back and have 6 points from 2 with the help of three handball goals. I still truly believe that breaking the THB/Janny B partnership is doing more harm than good, even if Captain Jack is putting in reasonable performances, we’re shipping shit loads of goals and look a mess defensively. Very Saintsy performance, start well but get figured out really quickly and then struggle

If we win all 6 then I’d say there’s a decent chance. There’s almost zero chance we’re going to win all 6

I thought Aribo’s MOTM was justified. He’s one of the very few who will pick up the ball and drive forward rather than playing safe. He really gave them something to think about and started lots of good moves. I worried when him and Adams went off - sacrificing that physicality

Yeah that performance should earn him a place in the kids team for the rest of the season at least

And Russ said in his presser that only those who are committed and going to run, will get in the side 🤡

Would happily never see Mara play again after that cameo. Just on the pitch but jogging about and not giving a fuck. As soon as he came on, he had the ball at feet with miles of space ahead of him to drive into, but nothing. No desire to close down either, get rid asap

Weird game. Will take the result but it was a very Saintsy performance. Should’ve really killed it off but did our best to gift them a way back in. So many times our final ball was the wrong one, chipped floaty nonsense rather than picking someone out or a cross/shot to nobody. Really likes Big Joe’s performance, always looking forward and unpredictable. Him, KWP and Arma caused havoc down the left first half and I thought we should’ve tried to target their LB more in the 2nd half as he was on a booking from early on.

Russell’s ridiculous obsession with having Stephens on the pitch at all costs will be the one we look back at and say it’s cost us a shot at auto promotion

Outcome isn’t important really, so long as we remain top of the possession and bravery tables

We’ve scored plenty of goals this season, our problem has been keeping them out the other end. If we knew how to keep a clean sheet and close out a tight game we’d still easily be mixing it at the top, despite the missed chances

Can’t see us winning this based on recent performances, Cov are a good side

I don’t think it’s entitlement, I think it’s just clear that we’ve got a superior squad to the opposition most weeks but still often makes a complete balls of it with the same mistakes. It’s out of frustration, we should be doing better than we are with the resources available and how the games have played out

I don’t know what the question is but the answer certainly isn’t Stephens roaming from left back into central midfield and getting in the way. He’s created a problem that didn’t exist. Russ thinks he’s clever but he’s really hurting us. Square pegs in round holes again and more dropped points against inferior opposition. It’s not even surprising that every game there’s a new experiment gone wrong but it’s fucking ridiculous. He’ll get a shot at taking us up via the playoffs but I don’t want to watch us do all this again next season with inferior players

90 seconds left and we’re still going backwards and sideways instead of getting it in the box. Absolutely fucking dreadful. The whole system and mentality stinks and that’s on Russ

Stephens just getting in the way when he wanders into midfield. Absolute nonsense

Absolute garbage. We slow it down far too much to ever trouble their defence and look a threat