OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint

Apparently they were playing their three goals at half time. I recall they showed their nine goals on their big screen in our next meeting up there which we then went and won. They really know how to motivate the opposition! If they're similarly showing their past successes against other teams, given their current position in the league, they might want to give that idea a rest.

Exactly, so try to keep the same team. Peretz stays in goal since McCarthy is apparently having surgery. Save Stewart and if Welington has a tight hamstring, then he can't be risked, but otherwise put out the best team. Start with Larin. Start with Matsuki (he was good against Leicester) and play a back 4. We're starting to feel comfortable with this formation.

That's just saved our season. Charles and Stewart were brilliant when they came on. Please Tonda, no experiments from now on. Play the strongest team from the start.

I take it all back!!

Had a real chance to push towards the play-offs today, but these players don't let us have nice things!

Baz, is that you Baz behind the Peretz mask?

Kept the back 4 which is important. Surprised about Archer getting the nod but presumably managing Loch Ness's minutes.

Sunday morning and looking at the league table and wishing us up the league! Watford three points has kept us right in it. Get something from Leicester and then the next five matches are three home games (Charlton, QPR & Norwich} and away to Sheff Wed & West Brom. That's an invitation to get right in the mix. Bringing Bree straight back in to the team a couple of games ago was inspired and Wellington was my MOTM. Having two full backs stopping the crosses has made such a difference. Add a goalkeeper who makes saves and those three clean sheets are a major reason for our change of fortunes. Up front, want to see more intent and more speed. The build up is still too slow.

Yes, best team on the pitch and pleased to see Sam Edozie on the bench. Is Robinson injured because I'd like to see Sam come on for a few minutes today?

That's about the size of it. Problem with the selling football club model is that eventually you'll run out of quality players to sell which is where we're at. Sad really but we're heading towards being just another ex-premier league club like Stoke, QPR, Leicester, WBA etc - teams that I used to think of as steady Division 1 teams. At some point, we have to build the spine which includes a competent centre forward. If Spors genuinely thought Downs was going to be our answer (when he'd already seen looky-likey Mara had been a disaster) that questions his judgement.

If he does a job similar to Che did and can not only be in the right place in the penalty area but also lay off a ball, then his loan will prove worthwhile. Like most on here, I'm not expecting much and on paper the loan deal is all pretty uninspiring, but this is the market Spors knows so hopefully he's seen something in him. Still think we should be scouting the lower leagues in this country. The physicality of the Championship has proved more than a match for signings like Mara and Downs and just because Larin looks stronger, it'll be interesting to see how he copes with being pushed around and having the odd lump kicked out of him.

I, for one, am really pleased to see AA out the door. All this top scoring nonsense. His misses at Blackburn and Portsmouth arguably lost us six points and with those points we'd be knocking on the door of the play off places. And in the Sheff Utd & Stoke games we looked better without him. Let's see what Larin does. Won't be any worse than AA.

When taking a not particularly well struck penalty and a couple of average passes are on your highlights reel, it doesn't bode well...but let's give him a chance. He's also going to have the support of the Saints wonder coaches to get him up to speed. Ah.....

Hopefully the Mateta shenanigans won't stop the move

This could be worryingly correct. Don't have a problem with losing AA and Archer but Stewart needs to be managed as he will come off after 60 minutes each game. Sadly Okeyunle, judging from Stoke, looks too far out of touch. His languid 'jog' was all wrong. Come on. You're in the first team for quite a few minutes so run around like a fucking madman possessed. He got in the wrong positions. His touch, when he got the ball, was awful. There was nothing to suggest he's a suitable sub. While we still have a chance of the playoffs, we need to make a sensible loan signing up front.

Not an easy train ride to get there. Today, we drove and parked right outside the ground today in the Holiday Inn car park which wasn't that clever as it took ages to get out. So, yes, there's better longer distance aways but today's team performance made it all worthwhile. Downes was excellent. Bree was so good I'm not sure it's the same guy that left to go out on loan. In fact, the whole back 4 is confident playing as a back 4. Fellow's runs were penetrating and Ross up front creates a solid presence. We didn't miss AA or Archer one iota. Finn Azaz also had a good game. Atmosphere was also better than usual. We can make those play-offs...

Nope, a win here and momentum is regained. I'm not shlepping up to Stoke to see a mid-table borefest. I'm expecting us to pepper their goal because if they've got Baz's understudy in goal, it'll be like shooting in to an empty net. Betting on another Charlton. 1-4 to us.

Yes, Azaz and Matsuki had just about run their course today, so accept Fellows and Charles coming on (would have preferred to see Stewart on at this time) - and you don't know in advance in advance that Charles going to be an effective sub. He was well off the pace last time. To start, I would have put Fellows on for Matsuki (who was playing on the wing today so a like for like). Charles comes on 10 minutes later for Azaz - but when Scienza gets injured he comes on then. And Stewart comes on for a few minutes. Robinson isn't adding much nowadays so why bring him on at all?

With the subs, I would have spread them out for a start. Four changes in 10 minutes affected our flow. And I would like to have seen Fellows and Scienza on together, though appreciate Scienza got an injury so had to go off when he did.

He actually had a strong subs bench today but used them badly. Hopefully he's stumbled upon a solid Back 4 being our best option. Bree straight in was a gamble but worked well. Matsuki was ok. Don't know is Scienza was struggling when the first subs were made but we lost the initiative with the subs. I'm betting Tonda will be with us at the start of next season, so let's hope he stumbles across a few more winning formulas because he's learning on the job.

Back four again worked well. THB and Stephens very solid and Bree was excellent. In fact, I remember him with much blonder hair and not so tall. Was that really Bree playing? In the end, disappointed we didn't get all three points from being 1-0 up because that play off place has more or less slipped away. Scienza is becoming a legend. He was getting it in the neck from those morons all the first half, so great to see his celebration.

This is a season defining game. Win this and we look up the table and think it's possible to still make the play off places. Tonda's forgiven for his recent poor performances and confidence is sky high. Lose and...nope, not worth thinking about. Sounds like it'll be a draw.

This is what I find difficult to understand. His 'safe' options and 'safe' players are the cause of us to slipping away from any chance of play off places. It's there for everyone to see and yesterday was a classic example. A solid four at the back and players in midfield works. THB looked relatively assured, Wellington actually looked good and with Stewart up front we had a focal point and created many good chances. When we reverted to a back 5 at the end, it all went to hell and a handcart. I also found it odd when Manning was congratulating himself for making a block. It was like an epiphany. Sadly, he reverted to type after that and didn't stop any more crosses 😒

Yes, I said this a few games ago. Reminds me of the chant: "When you're sat in row Z and you're on the head, it's....Tom Fellows". Someone needs to spend an hour with him running with the ball and then shooting the ball along the ground. As you say, he thrashes at it but you can still power the ball a foot off the ground. Pleased that Blackmore questioned Tonda on why he hasn't done a back 4 earlier. Hopefully the penny has dropped because in those last five minutes we surrendered the midfield and were overrun. Didn't help that our subs were Manning and Wood.

SR, please take note. You bring in a centre forward who can hold up the ball, lay off passes and shoot once in a while and we look a much better team. Ross isn't a magician but he strengthens our team.