Forester

Before replying to this, can I sat that i would give Hughes until Boxing Day match when we will have played everyone once and would not be pulling the trigger just yet. However Saint Billy calls Big Sam a “failure”. You may not like him, but lets examine the facts of his PL career: - took Bolton to Europe in consecutive seasons - was sacked early in Newcastle, who went on to be relegated - took Wet Spam up and kept them in PL for two seasons - took over at doomed Sunderland and kept them up. Took the England job - took over at doomed Palace and kept them up. Resigned in the summer - took over at Everton who looked the worst PL team ever to visit St Marys facing relation and finished 8th This sort of sloppy comment reminds me of people who still say Puel was a failure. We finished 8th and a cup final. Just look at us now?

Sorry meant to say “on Boxing Day”

What a ludicrous comment to make. In WGS’s last season (he resigned at the turn of the new year from memory) we were 4th in the Premier League driving up to play Fulham at QPR’s ground. How on earth is 4th in the Premier League “awful”??? Blimey you must have thought Puel was a disaster finishing 8th and a cup final!

A nine hour round trip to see your team beat 6-1 is pretty tough. Only consolation is a good stadium to visit and a truly outstanding team on view. First the positives ...and bizarrely there were some, and that is in the second half we genuinely created some chances and played at times some good attacking stuff. We stretched them at times with pace and if we had more clinical finishing would have scored three goals which should always be enough to win a game. In that sense 6-1 is cruel. However, the first 15 mins was as unacceptable as Wet Spam or Newcastle away last year. Awful body language, inability to get a challenge in and I feared after 3-0 down it could become an absolute rugby score. Hate to dig individuals out but our international full backs aren’t delivering I am afraid. No competition for places with Credric but I would drop one of my favourite players of recent years and that is Bertrand. His commitment in that awaful opening period was a disgrace. I would not pull the trigger on Hughes just yet, would like to see where we are at halfway stage with eight more games needing us to have 13 more points. That looks a tough ask right now though

The only three games I have missed in league and cup this season have all finished 0-0! Blimey! So am going on MOTD and catching up with family that were there. Looked like we had more than enough chances to win and ridiculous number of shots, albeit too few on target. Only positive, which is a real one rather than a synthetic one I think, is that I said a few weeks back when we were regularly shipping 2 or 3 goals a match that we would get nowhere until we start chalking up clean sheets. We are doing that and am sure if this continues we will pick up points. Fine margins in football, Brighton have just won three games 1-0 on the spin. I maintain that for a team that finished 17th with less than 40 points something like 12th is reasonable progress and I still think Hughes will achieve that this season. One thing that hasn’t been discussed much is that we have decent depth to our squad, in fact one of the problems is that there is not much difference between our first and second choice 11. Be interesting to see how some of the other mid table teams fare as the injuries and suspensions kick in during the winter. Wolves made their first change in any match yesterday for example!

Some folk need to grow a pair and calm down. Hughes did great job in keeping us up against the odds when it looked too late. We should as an absolute minimum wait until we have played everyone once to get some proper perspective. A team finishing 17th that then the next season finishes say 12th is decent progress. We are yet to play any of the relegation candidates. If we don’t win either of our next two home games then that will be concerning but I think we will. The key is to target 20 points at the halfway mark, so 14 more from the next 10 games. Then push on from there. Yesterday is a decent point, can remember us being badly beaten down there under Koeman to a much weaker Bournemouth team.

I agree. I have offered a view on here before that there are three categories: - supporters, who get on the road to watch the team (fully accepting some cant afford to) - followers, who don’t but want the best for the team - customers, who believe its the same as any other transaction. They will walk away of the product doesn’t meet their needs and have no more affiliation it seems than one washing powered brand versus another one. The Premier League, which in many ways is fab, has encouraged a growth in the latter. And of course online there is the mixture of trolls and closet Pompey fans on here for a wind up which taker up disproportionate air time

Anyone who expected us to dominate possession today was a fool, and while we starte too deeply to be fair we were in the game and should have taken the lead from Ings. I thought Hughes showed imagination to change formation at halftime and we were much better, still not as good as an excellent Chelsea team and again Bertie should have scored. Unfortunately we are second best in both penalty areas most weeks, not general play but where it matters, and there seems a real concentration problem for some.

McCarthy Stephens, Hoedt, Bednarek Cedric, Lemina, Hoj, Bertrand Ings, Gabri, Redmond

I thought both JWP and Davis played well at Brighton. Feels like an end of an era with Davis, but JWP is paying price of Hughes wanting just two in midfield i think. I think I would have him in ahead of Moi right now, but per my previous comment reckon we will go 3-4-3 Saturday and Moi drop out in favour of extra centre back perhaps

That is my 6th visit to Everton and first win! Or does it count as a second draw? Either way a more enjoyable finish than the last draw back in May! Having scanned the match thread the negativity is bizarre. Other than a 15 mins spell midway through first half and then a late desperate flurry I thought Everton were second best throughout. Positives for me: - Bednarek and Stephens. Both put in numerous good challenges both in air and on ground, and look more agile and comfortable on the ball than either Yoshida or Vest. Yoshida to me looked the most vulnerable of the three (despite me being a fan of his) - we look much more comfortable with three at the back. If we are only wanting to play two not three in the centre of midfield (see below) the third centre back makes us much more secure. Felt more like a 3-4-3 yesterday than 3-5-2 - Hoj and Lemina were outstanding first and second halves respectively. Lemina on form is awesome. I noticed he started in his lethargic looking mode, but as the game continued he got better and better. I wonder if he is one of those confidence animals that struggles when things go against him and us. - we looked a real threat all night long. Gab I huffed and puffed first half without success but looked very good second half before being subbed. - Gunn is a star in the making. So all in all that is two good wins away to PL opposition in this competition. Hopefully puts smiles on faces

Gunn Stephens, Bednarek, Yoshi, Targett Romeu, JWP, Davis, Armstrong Gabbi, Gallagher

We always head to Stanley Park. Not cheap but supervised, safe and not far to walk

You are wasting your breath Lord D. The Puel out brigade will never ever accept your arguments, and most of them never saw away games anyway. They just spat their dummies out because of some boring end of season fixtures including a bizarre three home games in May at the end of a 50 game season. Meanwhile Puel took over at Leicester when they were below us last year, they finished 9th and we nearly went down. And this season? Not exactly imploding up there is it. To many fans, Saints losing Pelle, Mane, Wanyama before Puel took over and VVD for half a season is simply small detail that can be brushed away in the face of a totally unacceptable return of 8th in the Premier League and a cup final reached by failing to concede a single goal to all PL opposition. Shocking under performance

Clearly a tough fixture but when you watch the three goals its symbolic of our decline over last year or so. Under Puel we beat them twice, failed to concede a goal in four games against them and two of them without VVD. Ore broadly if you look at when Saints area top half side its built on a strong defence. Under Strachan, it was Svensson and Claus. Under Potch it was Loren and Fonte, with Wanyama in front. Under Koeman it was Fonte and Toby, then Fonte and VVD again with Wanyama in front. And despite people’s criticisms, we were very well organised defensively under Puel. For teams like us to be in the top half that is the key lesson to draw. We have to get back to being hard to beat and right now we are too easy. 9 goals in 5 league games, including a clean sheet, makes it very difficult to win matches. I would bring back the Yoshi and Stephens pairing that did well when VVD got injured under Puel.

1. Camara v Norwich 2. Austin at Old Trafford 3. Higgingbottom at Palace (we thought that gave us a real chance of staying up, only to listen to WBA get a result while on coach home) 4. Fonte at the Withdean 5. Ruddock pen v Newcastle

He was awful at Brighton

On the coach home and enjoyed that second half. Looked disjointed first half but unsurprising given number of changes. Second half thought David and JWP ran things, with Sam and Redmond in particular adding attacking verve. Fullback made Redmond go onto his left foot, and rather than come back inside he whipped in perfect left footed cross and if you give that service to Austin he thrives. Positives for me were Yoshida, Bednarek, JWP, Romeu, Davis and the 3 subs. Disappointed by Stephens, Targett and in particular Armostrong who looked some way short

You missed the crucial win over Bournemouth then that helped us stay up?

Very sensible post

Yet again some bizarre over reactions on here, in particular I don’t buy that Hughes picked the wrong team, or that we didn’t play well in the first half. They were loudly applauded off at half time, rightly, for a high energy and positive first 45 mins where we should have been ahead. I do agree however with the criticism of substitutions, and when we went down to 10 men for me we should have sacrificed a striker particularly given the total inability of Austin to influence a game outside of the penalty area. Positives from today include our best 45 mins in terms of playing style so far under Hughes, and the performances of Redmond and Lamina (who was excellent defensively as well as offensively today). Way too early to hit the panic button.

My fifth trip to Goodson and still not seen us win. A quick read of this thread feels unduly negative, have seen us more comprehensively beaten up there under Poch, Koeman and Adkins who are lauded on here as beyond criticism. Positives for me we’re Redmond, Ings and Ward Prowse. Thought Lemina was better than some away games in recent times. I reckon Everton have spent about £150 million on their front 4 in the last 12 months. Great free kick routine, and had Ings had put away the rebound from Cedric shot then could have been a very different day. Fine margins. Lastly, while the gamble to play three strikers near the end didn’t work out, let’s not slag off Hughes for giving it a good go. Had we have scored we could have taken one off and reinforced midfield.

On holiday and missed this one, so thanks for the good balanced posts from most. Would just offer one thought and that is to avoid a “never play 3 at the back” or “we must play 4 at the back” etc set of black and white statements. Good managers recognise that there can be a time and place for all formations and if you play a team with two out and out strikers three at the back can work well. Clearly today wasn’t one of those but it doesn’t mean you banish a particular formation for ever more. Hughes I think is tactically flexible, as was Koeman, and I think that is a good thing

Blimey not often I agree with Glasgow but that is the three I have down for relegation too

Well I did one and pleased about this. If he can stay fit he works hard and scores goals. If not then we don’t pursue option to buy. What’s not to like?