gio1saints

I understand where you’re coming from - but the last time we were in the championship and Bazunu got a bad injury McCarthy become first choice and…did brilliantly. Alex performance has not got really bad in the intervening period. He’s hardly played tbf.

George Seems a divisive signing but I’m not sure why. And it’s turned into a bit of pile in on Gavin Bazunu - who I felt had a good preseason ~ and proved why he should not be sold - and saved us points in the last home game to Wrexham. That decisions been made. The fact we still own Aaron Ramsdale is barely mentioned - yet it’s surely a big - maybe single most important - factor in the decision to borrow this guy for a year. And that Alex McCarthy is in his final year is also connected. If we didn’t still own Ramsdale it would almost certainly mean a different - and higher - profile goalie recruited. As it is we have essentially conducted a holding exercise loaning a 3rd choicer for the next 12 months. The contract situation with Aaron at end of season, and with Alex ditto may well prove interesting - and Gavin will be in his final year also ….. As it is I see no reason to get irate over the decision. I’d love us to have Ramsdale but we can’t- and SR are not going to blow big bucks to relegate Alex and Gavin to essentially cone collector and warm up buddy status - on £40k and£20k per week respectively.

There’s merit in working with a slimmed down squad. One is that it fosters greater personal responsibility and allows for more intensive one to one work with coaches ( think a classroom with 20 kids or one with 30- which is easier to teach with and to what higher standard might be possible if main teacher has more time with each of them?) and a better, tighter, team spirit. If Will is that good then with fewer in the squad his added value Manager/coaching skill will be reaped-not diluted perhaps like at present.

Can’t see the point of Charlie Taylor hanging around either. He’s not displaced Wellington or Manning from his training or playing displays and he’s not needed as a back up Centre Back. Push comes to shove Ryan Fraser can do left wingback anyhow also.

I think the “ playing the cards he’s got” excuse (though entirely valid imo) only has a limited number of weeks to go. The end of window basically. After that, and assuming he has been given the players, that excuse is redundant. I expect to see different formations post window. I do not expect fluidity or even winning from our team using them. That would be too lovely and that’s not Saintsy 😇. I do expect though to see something OTHER than the 3CB system used. The current system may have delivered great XG ~ but in real life has not delivered REAL GOALS. Keep repeating until it does ? Or Try a different way. Will that’s what you are paid to decide.

@Smirking_Saint. Think you are right. And I’d add- and pass to the forwards more often - and faster. The forwards we have are statistically very good for this level - yet so far all I see is they don’t get given the ball. Enough. Give them the ball let me see if “statistically good “ is “ actually good”- or not. But if they only get three bad position touches a half it’s putting a lot of onus on the mf and backs to score for us - and ours are the opposite of prolific.

@Convict Colony I think this is some, maybe most, but not all the issue. Passes that risk losing possession risk you losing your career in football. Some longer in the tooth professionals know this and have made a career out of not losing possession. It’s easier not to be blamed if anything goes wrong then. Of course, if your job is to knock crosses into the box unless they always hit the first man or go miles over you are given leeway. The Ryan Manning situation is quite intriguing. I felt he did what he was told and his overall “dangerous cross” rather than “dross”ratio was decent. At least one should have been a certain goal for Stewart, for example. The number of crosses was good. BUT, notably, for someone with his crossing ability, his dangerous pass or chip into a channel or find the centre forward with a long pass record is zero. This is 100% NOT because he cannot do it or see it but rather because he knows if he fucks it up he looks bad - but if he just knocks it into the box that’s his job. Career safe. IF Will Still directly told him to find the runners AND keep pumping balls into the box saying “ it’s ok it’s a numbers game I won’t blame you if it fails or we lose possession they counterattack and score because I’m confident we will score more than concede “ - then we might see it happen. Same is true from Mads on the other side. At present if true to form I think Mads is going end up doing crosses NOT dangerous passes - if my theory of current instructions and pro career protection instincts is correct. Saints Should not be waiting for a new #10 to make those dangerous passes. Last dangerous pass I saw was from Jay to Downs for his goal- Jay who had not read the instructions..it should be more than just one persons job and the FB’s are always in a perfect position to do it. Will- let them!

If he wanted a practice at a 442 or simply four at the back and perm how you like the rest this is one option ? Alex Mads. Edwards. Quarshie. Manning. Wee Man. Downes. Charles. Matsuki. Downs. Archer/Stewart.

Don’t see a formation change just personnel for this. Sadly. At least seven different starters from Saturday to include some or all of :Alex, Quarsie, Edwards, Downs, Stewart, Manning, Cam, Mads, Matsuki. NB Robinson 100% rested.

Was thinking exactly that. Really hope Will Still learns from that brutal tactical lesson he got taught. Everything Ive heard about him says he will and can so fingers crossed. Harsh lessons often the best and I have belief in his pragmatism. I don’t think he’s one for repeating something over and over again like RM was even when it’s not working.

I think its interesting with Armstrong up front alone first half we regularly punted long high balls to him. None of which he controlled. THATS the kind of ball Downs or Stewart would be more competitive with. Second half we put on two 6ft + strikers and stopped hitting the ball long. Yes Ryan put crosses in but we never went direct quickly despite our obvious height advantage. Why?? When Stoke went down to 10 men we then totally forgot about any pass over 5metres and began a football by numbers routine from the book of “how to play against ten men.” Which incidentally we are shit at. See Newcastle away last year. In retrospect we should have started the way we finished, and finished the way we started. And changed it when we saw was not working. Players played bad ✅BUT, Manager played BAD also ✅

Think your observation is correct. It’s why they don’t play them when under intense transfer speculation. Fernandes looked great in warm up but on the pitch was just off it sufficient for casual observers to conclude his performance was impacted by the speculation and he was not fully present in his head. Think that’s the last we will see him in a shirt myself.

Downs was desperately disappointing yesterday poor service or not. He looked frightened to me. What runs he attempted looked weak and unconvincing. On the ball he looked rushed and swarmed. He did not exude confidence and simply did not cope. He was never in control of the ball. It was a bad performance. We DO need a big centreforward - and it’s either him or Stewart. Nobody new is coming in until either or both are proven failures. And that will take more than one bad half of football. So, if there’s a new CF don’t expect it until the Jan window - which should be long enough to ascertain whether either of those two are worth persevering with. Or indeed Cam and Adam.

The reason they largely do that is not necessarily muscle-memory, though admittedly you’d understand if some ( Downes!) seem on autopilot playing that way. I’d say it’s more likely they are not imaginative enough to see a killer pass. And/Or not technically capable of delivering that killer ball. It’s far easier to pass it to a same shirt sideways in front of 30k fans than to do the mental gymnastics of putting the ball into a place where your same shirt can be in a position shoot/head/score - and take responsibility if the pass goes wrong. This is true. Saints fans- like all after such a defeat - ARE too reactionary - but some of the chances missed to date are going to be the same, better system, more creatives and a back four or not. For me it’s plausible that none of our players can play a killer pass to our forwards, or enough killer passes. Plausible but not really as likely as the elephant in the room; for me, it’s more likely they are simply frightened to. The consequences of a mistaken pass can lead to a goal conceded - and that fear for our players currently, is greater than the desire to win. Not losing > winning at Saints and that needs addressing.

Agree. If I was him, playing and losing to ten men, at home, against Stoke bloody City I need no further encouragement to get the hell out. You simply cannot get beaten at home by a team plays with ten men for half an hour and not expect a big dose of career introspection in your star players. Mat Fernandes does not get picked to play International football if he’s playing for a team loses at home to ten man Stoke City. He does not need his Portugal Manager to tell him that or his agent not even his barber or the guy who washes his car. If a final straw were needed - which in fairness it was not as it’s pretty clear he’s going (to me anyway) then this was it. PS : upset as we all are at the defeat- and manner of defeat more to the point - sometimes a result and performance like this are what’s needed to give everyone - obviously the fans but absolutely including SR- a reality check about this squad and its prospects. My Three word summary: Better. Players. Required.

Agree we dealt with the crosses reasonably well but putting Quarshie on was surely a no brainer. If there’s a team designed to suit Quarshies attributes it was Stoke. I’m livid a team could beat us with such a basic plan - go long lob crosses in the box : repeat.

Quarshie would have caught the fucker before he got the ball. That goal was EXACTLY why we bought him to stop happening. It was a straight foot race and Quarshie’s extra pace would have won and it would have been a draw not a loss. And he was benched instead. Fecks sake. Oh and all those 359 crosses that Stoke put into our box? And the 15 quick kicks Down the middle to isolate a CB against there quick forward? Who is the biggest fastest guy in our squad who will eat those all day? Why didn’t Still know this was a tactic and play his best player against that tactic instead of benching him? Got to go down as manager error. Stupid error too. Quarshie was born to play against Stoke ffs.

Our attack , a review. Adam Armstrong started well first 5mins- and then - well he totally disappeared. Yet again. Demand the fucking ball mate you were captain once. Bollock everyone when you don’t get given the ball. No, none of that- just acceptance that he, we, are shit. Not happy at all with the attitude. Or performance. Ross Stewart’s miss was God-awful. He had one job and a great cross from Manning to do it with - and blew it. He had one hanging cross he could have taken himself but instead let it go out for a goal kick. Sorry mate but you are there to take responsibility for scoring. Not Good Enough. I think I’ve seen Enough of The Invisible man aka Cameron Archer too. Game after game he plays or comes on, usually instead of AA - and does nothing nothing nothing. It’s like we have ten men when he’s on. He’s got as much threat as a dead sheep. Please get rid. The new guy Damion- for a big guy he looked like he was shitting his pants out there. Speed of a glacier legs of lead what happens to these guys when they get on the pitch? Can’t run can’t shoot cant jump can’t fight? Jay Robinson : Thank fuck he’s not been infected by those others-yet. THB - not his best game but nearly scored twice. Ryan and Fraser - good efforts. The rest of you - I’m very very disappointed with you. I’m not going to stop supporting you but you’d better show more bloody fight and will to win. Not this weak shit you are getting overpaid to deliver. Fucking team and manager should be apologising to supporters for that shite against a technically mediocre team who we made look like fucking Champions league contenders.

First half : Stoke aggressive and getting it forward very very quickly. We’ve defended multiple crosses. Shea has had a mare. Like the Ref. Wee man has done well. Mateus is class. Jay playing decent. Flynn best he’s played in ages. Manning has put some crosses in but we need a taller forward..rest of the team fairly average. Especially expecting more from Adam Armstrong. Our 3cb system is currently working- just. Could be anything second half but I’d say it just favours saints because these have got three yellows already and I don’t think they can keep up this pace all match. Expect late goal or goals and maybe a sending off to help us.

Have to mention Mattie looks full of beans and very up for it today if his rondo performance is any judge. Made everyone else look pedestrian. Like- this is the top top player with instant reactions and the rest of you just play at about two heartbeats slower. First time I seen this in these pre match efforts. Impressive given the noise around him. C’mon Mattie give us a goal- and 3 points!😇

Ahhh. Loves first bloom. It’s a beautiful thing @Saint_clark. Always better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all - as many Saints fans can testify to - or, as John Lennon said ( though I’m not sure he had Will Still or Saints in mind, probably it was Yoko Ono but there you go) “Love is the flower you've got to let grow." 🙏

This is a toughie. I’m normally good at these. Is it to do with sea shells and nuts? If so I think the answer is c*nts - C for the sea bit and nuts for the nuts part. It’s quite obvious when you know how to work these out.

Agree with @Midfield_General here. I think having three players from a team associated with multiple relegations would be at least one too many for the Hammers fans to stomach. Fan opinion is very strong very vocal- and still relatively influential at West Ham. I don’t think Mattie is going to do himself any favours going there. Get loadsamoney -yes-improve his career and International prospects? He spent a season with a struggling club last year in EPL how is a repeat going to do that? There’s better clubs out there for him * and he will still get paid well at Saints until they come knock on the SMS door I reckon. * Villa, Spurs or Palace for example.

There are two decent attacking mf/wingers playing for stoke, probably relatively cheap (highly regarded Sth Korean winger/player and I think German origin mf) plus the goalie of course. We will get a chance to see them today. And if Will Smallbone recovers it’s not impossible he’s involved in any deal..

Stoke staying at the usual place and Will still has just turned up outside in a taxi. He’s accompanied but uncertain who there were . I’m a little intrigued.