Forester

I looked ever so closely at your reply, but somehow could not see you respond to the bits about having to manage without the 30 goals of Pelle and Mane as well as missing Austin and VVD for half a season. So go on, talk me through the possible relationship between fewer points and missing Pelle and Mane, you can do it!

This is a joke post from you given you were one of the morons who called for Puel out. He finished 8th, a cup final that Hughes hasn’t managed at, faced a fifty game season, missed out on 30 goals from a sold Pelle and Mane and then had Austin and VVD out for half the season. When will you wake up ad smell the coffee?

The one positive is that I didn’t have this down on my list of the 14 points we need to survive, which I still think can come from wins against Stoke, Newcastle, Swansea and Bournemouth along with draws at Burnley and Wet Spam. Also, after an awful Hoedt error again (remember Bournemouth), I thought we looked the better side for much of the first half wasting three great chances. Second half was a throw the towel in performance I am afraid and was up there with Spurs Boxing Day where we did the same. Very worrying. As others have said these next five league games and West Brom will decide our season and overall I don’t think today will have done either way. I think Hoedt is too casual for this standard of football right now and I would recall Yoshida to play alongside Stephens. That partnership looked quite good after VVD injury last season.

Have had years of doing that with both daughters, although not needed anymore for oldest! Only ever had a problem at Nottm Forest (the game we thought we were going out of business)when an officious steward demanded they get off chair but had no solution to how they could see over standing adults! I am sure you will keep an arm around them in case flip the top of the chair!

Answer is no, Puel is flying at Leicester.....!

Really enjoyable away trip. Always close matches at the Hawthorns with us usually looking the better team but not always winning. Today I thought the result flattered WBA who looked long ball merchants, and once we got our goal we passed them off the field. Excellent performances from McCarthy, Bertrand, JWP and Lemina. Big improvements in second half from Boufal and Tadic. While still finding his feet I thought that Guido looked promising and gave us another type of pass that we have missed since Pelle. Three other observations: - Regis tribute was excellent, and the musical scene with scarves in the air, including Saints fans, was pretty moving - While both have their good individual moments, Hoedt and Stephens are a long way short of what we have been used to through the Lovren, Fonte, Alderweirald, VVD era in terms of defending aerial balls in our box. Can this be coached? I think so as look at the job Potch did with Lovren who has looked a donkey at Liverpool. - while for the most part our fans were excellent, we had some moronic shouts of “sacked in the morning” after about 20 mins of the game. Regardless of your view, why try to turn a game toxic with over an hour to go?

Just to be clear, these aren’t predictions. I will be delighted if this is how it pans out, I was simply setting out what the most realistic route to safety is.

With so many teams struggling for points I would be amazed if 40 is needed to stay up, but clearly need to target that. So 17 from 13 games. I think that would need to be 5 wins, 2 draws and 6 defeats. We must now target the following, accepting there are usually some freak results either way: Wins: WBA, Stoke, Newcastle, Swansea and Bournemouth Draws: Burnley and Wet Spam Defeats: Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Leicester, Everton and Man City Not only do I think this is the most likely route to staying up, it is also important that we do not lose to any of the sides around us. As frustrating as draws are, they do have the advantage of keeping teams in the mix and not starting to escape

Could be a lot worse, must back our chances of getting at least a replay. Am there this Saturday, but will be out of the country for the cup weekend. What is overseas coverage typically like of FA cup matches? I know all Premier League games are live but unsure about the cups

Made me laugh!

I heard a lot of moaning after they end of the game while leaving the stadium, and there seems a lot of negativity on this thread. As someone very critical of MP during first half of season here are a few comments to balance some of the stuff on here: - we won, and deservedly so. We should have been at least two goals clear by half time, hit the bar second half and wasted further opportunities and none of that is MP’s fault. Predictably Watford went direct late on and that was the only threat - unlike previous occasions where has been outsmarted by other managers, his decision to bring on Maya was imaginative. Now it may be negative, or cautious, but it at least showed he learned from the away game. I think Cedric and Pied are too small as half of a back four when team starts like Watford hoof it up to Okaka and co. - I thought there were some really excellent performances from both centre backs, Cedric, Romeu and Tadic first half. - He prioritised winning the game to build confidence, picked a good side and should be applauded for that. - finally we are in the last 16, and that is one defeat in six in all competitions. It isn’t unrealistic to go from no wins since November to playing champagne football overnight but I for one enjoyed watching us win and am please for MP and the players. Now we need at least 4 points from Brighton and WBA to make it an excellent week. Let’s be positive

I can tell you that the dome is nowhere near houses and the poster who shared this is, at best, poorly briefed...

May rest a couple of midfielders as it’s start of a huge week, but would play a strong team. As bad as things look we have actually lost one in five in all competitions and this is a very winnable game. Bring in Long, Boufal and Davis for Gabbi, Tadic and Lemina. Possibly rest both fullbacks as we need them bombing on in the next two games, and Yoshi May come back. So maximum six changes albeit good players coming in.

Good point against a decent side. Mostly all positives today, Bertrand the pick of some very good performances. We have closed the gap this weekend on Brighton, Newcastle, Udders and Watford and in the second half of the season have already picked up points against Manure and Spurs while our rivals have yet to play them in most cases. I hope now all the “play Gabbi” brigade see that he is a shadow of the player he was and wants away. In absence of any signings Long would come straight back in my side. I wanted 7 points from Watford, Spurs, Brighton and WBA. 8 would be fab, but think we need to target 6 with a win and draw minimum from Brighton and WBA. I wat to see us ahead of the “points per game” curve sooner rather than later

We agree! Well put

James on most topics I have you down as one of the sensible posters but it’s very weird that you dig out the Spurs result last season as some sort of evidence that Puel is crap. The facts are 8th, a cup final via glorious away wins at Liverpool and Arsenal, and he took over a Leicester team that finished below us last season, were below us this season and they are now 7th. Last season he had no Wanyama and crucially Pelle and Mane. Then no Austin and VVD for half a season. Can’t work out why this doesn’t speak for itself. It’s a shame if we can’t be seen to admit it was a huge error to fire him

Puel now taken Leicester up to 7th having been below us when appointed. Looks odds on for two top 8 finishes and at least one cup final including managing us without Pelle, Mane and Wanyama. Sure does look a great decision to buckle to complaints about insufficient entertainment at home and some upset players after a fifty match season. Crikey, after all we are flying now aren’t we?

Yes you must be right. I mean I would hate to see us finish this season 8th and in a cup final. What a shambles tha would be

I am as frustrated as everyone else but situation is too serious. We can’t make home games toxic. Boo after final whistle if it’s poor by all means but not during game

I agree. Pelle and Lambert always gave us an outlet ball from Defence when pressed, or a diagonal cross to edge of area for knock down. It’s part of football and at no time with them in our team would we have been branded long ball merchants

Worry not, I have had the poster behind them translated and apparently it says “Nathan Redmond is sh*t”

WBA’s next home game is us and I am sure there will be some big tributes. Hopefully Saints fans can show some class as, per comments above, he really did make an impact that helped many others to follow.

I said we needed seven points from the four games that started with Watford, and with our run in I still think that is the ask. So now six points from these next three games against Spurs, Brighton and WBA. Stranger things have happened but the most I can see is a point which puts huge pressure on those next two fixtures.

An excellent post, and reflected the conversation we were having at the time. When Deeney and Okaka came on to go direct and we have a third centre back on the bench and our most gifted attacking player to capitalise on the extra space MP did nothing. He seems a nice guy, sets us up well from the start and usually picks a lineup that reads sensibly. But he has a MASSIVE weakness in in-game management and at this level he gets outwitted by the quality of opposing managers. Examples over recent weeks include Wagner, Hodgson and Silva. Earlier in the season Dyche did the same

Firstly the positives. I said before the game that we must not lose and allow Watford to go 8 points clear and start to look safe. This was first of four games where I think we need seven points, so we now need six from next three games. We looked quick and positive first half, credit to Long for his role in both goals, and good finishes by JWP. Then the negatives. Again second half MP is out manoeuvred by a Premier League manager. This is a consistent theme. I felt we should have replaced a tiring Cedric with Bednarek to help Hoedt and Stephens counter Okaka and Deeney when they came on. Nothing. Then as Tadic and JWP struggled to regain the ball on rare counter attack I felt we needed Boufal. Nothing. We look soft against physical sides in centre back positions. We were the far end and it was hard to see the handball but in all honesty we hardly had a kick second half and Watford deserved their point. One last thing, that was the most insanely overcrowded concourse at half time. No one could move. Bloody dangerous