OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint

This is fantastic. Tonda's final miracle is to get Damion Downs to score!!

And also a match that I'm looking forward to. It's been a long time since I've genuinely been looking forward to watching us (probably West Brom play off game) play and it could be quite a season defining game. Tear Leicester apart and confidence will be sky high. Their wingers run rings around us and it'll feel we've taken a couple of steps backwards.

This is my major concern. Naturally, we won't normally have a four goal cushion to defend and I also don't want to see us doing this stuff at the back when we're one up because it will be pounced on by better teams. The old motto: Best form of defence is attack.

Agree with this. Azaz is definitely better with faster one=touch football. Fellows was going forward today. And like I've always believed, confidence is such a massive thing and today you could see a team playing with confidence. A lucky win against QPR. Beating a poor Sheff Wed and then a magic 20 minute spell. For me, that's not enough to give Tonda the job but it'll put pressure on those on the board holding out against his appointment.

Don't remember NJ's football being fast flowing. It was just chaotic. I was annoyed SR replaced Ralph and to replace him by this clown was a sign of what was to follow. Actually quite pleased for him that he is doing well at Charlton. Football needs characters/knobs like Jones but I would be laying it thick with our team that they dare lose to his team. And we won't.

As a Saints member and not a season ticket holder, I've noticed that last year I could buy usually a couple of match tickets in the "Northam Wall". And this was for premier league games. This year, the match tickets available to non-season ticket holders are mainly in the Kingsland or Chapel. Have season ticket sales increased because we were expecting to win a few games this year? Can't think there are many choice seats available for these half season tickets.

This is exactly how I see it. Spors wants Tonda; the others are saying let's not rush in to a decision like we did with Selles, so we're in this holding pattern. If we get 4-6 points from Charlton, Leicester & Millwall, we'll continue with him. Any more than that and I can see him being offered the role to the end of the season. The problem comes if we blow up against these teams because it doesn't sound like they've got anyone in line for the role.

The irony wasn't lost that Mad Nate was at The Hatters...though SR missed the clue. Let's not over-estimate the strengths of teams like Charlton. Yes, Jones has got them organised but we've got players who if played in their right positions, can run circles around them.

Don't dismiss this guy just yet. Play him in the right position and he can see a pass and create an attacking move. There were signs at Sheff Wed that he knows what he is doing. My son, brother and his kids that regularly go to games with me don't rate him, but I think play the right one- touch style and Azaz is a key player.

I agree. He has signed championship players in Fellows and Azaz that were performing well for their clubs and arguably their best players. Scienza looks a find. He was probably told Ramsdale will come back once we're promoted so don't go after a goalkeeper. He's done ok. My big criticism is his signing of Downs. Within two minutes of him being on the pitch, I straightaway (and many fans also could tell) saw another Mara which doesn't work in the championship. And he's meant to be a big fan of Tonda Eckert. It's one thing being a big fan, it's another trying to make him our full time manager - which I hope he realises isn't the time.

S-Clarke, your thoughts and analysis of the SR wrecking ball are always spot on...so who would you appoint right now? There doesn't seem to be a stand out manager available with a) the gravitas and b) the smooth talk to convince SR that they'll be the manager to turn our fortunes around.

Got the impression that Fellows was getting more forward in both the QPR and Wednesday games which is where we need him. Azaz played more forward and his best game in a Saints shirt against Wednesday. Maybe Tonda is an upgrade on Still, but Will Still set a very low bar and I got the impression Will would be good with football manager and theorising a game but was too inexperienced whereas Tonda.....ah, too inexperienced!

Not too sure that most of the players disliked him. Certainly that paragon of virtue, Charlie Austin, didn't like him, but if you asked James Ward-Prowse, Che Adams, Kyle Walker-Peters, Danny Ings etc etc they would say the sun shines out of his backside. And as I said, Oriel got on well with him too.

Fans do get a say with this club. I'm guessing SR were seriously thinking about Gary O'Neill so they put the word out and the Northam gave them the answer. Now they're struggling so find a suitable replacement so they're telling us through their media channels thar they're probably going to play for time with Tonda and will see what us fans say about it at the next games. Personally, I think they've got themselves stuck in a corner because they didn't have a Plan A or B when they got rid of Will Still. My recommendation. Ralph Hassenhutl gave Oriel Romeu his chance to re-establish himself after Mark Hughes didn't play him. Ralph and Oriel have a mutual respect for each other. These two could change our fortunes. If there is a way Ralph can be brought in as an advisor/mentor to Tonda (there's been plenty on management duos in football history),it would have my backing.

You've got a better memory than me, but when you take in to account how much was spent on the player then Downs must be up there. Think he's worse than Mara (Carillo didn't have enough games to prove his true awfulness) and that takes some doing.

Yes. I wouldn't mind if we only made one purchase in the window as long as it's a centre forward with presence. We looked a different team when Ross Stewart played a couple of games like the centre forward he was signed for.

Art imitating life!

No real knowledge, but I also think Spors wants him in. And for those saying he can't be given the job based on two wins against poor opposition (with which I agree), there is the argument that he's does everything right so far so give him more games to show his worth.

And who may that be? There's a lot of names being thrown in to the hat but none have been stand outs that the majority on here say would be a good fit.

I can well believe this. It was no coincidence Spors came on to the pitch to congratulate the players after Tonda's exciting wins!! The crowd made it perfectly clear that Gary O'Neill is a non-starter and I can't believe SR would be so insensitive as to ignore the fans. But the fans didn't make it clear that Tonda isn't ready and sadly I can SR repeating the mistake they made with Selles and see him given the job to the end of the season.

I never thought it possible....there is another keeper more shit that Baz. The Sheff Wed keeper today was on another level of awfulness.

When the crowd starting singing "If Damion scores, we're on the pitch" and he's a striker, it says it all. It also annoys me when he comes on. Not only must there be others who deserve a chance, but also he never sprints and just jogs aimlessly around the pitch. A couple of times at the end, Baz kicked the ball upfield and Downs ducked out of trying to header while Quarshie got to a couple. Attitude or aptitude, I don't know, but I never want to see this kid wearing a Saints shirt again.

The Northam made is patently clear we don't want him as our next manager. Problem is (and I didn't notice Spors come on at the end) there is a danger they'll go for Eckert and this will be a Selles-style mistake. Disappointed to see our four centre backs all on the pitch at the same time. We were playing Wednesday FFS. What's Matsuki done to be so far down the pecking order? No-one around us knew why Downes was replaced at half time with Williams, and while it's good to give the lad a run out, surely Matsuki deserves to be ahead of him.

Good memory! The fans that boo the player/manager are usually the ones from the club the player's left, so would Gary O'Neill coming to Saints concern me just because he played at Pompey? Not really. Problem is, he comes across as pretty thick and uninspiring and his record isn't that great. Hopefully Middlesbro will take him.

That's the point. I vaguely recall we always used to play 442 then one afternoon Ralph played 5 at the back against Arsenal, we won 1-0 and the formation crept in to our game. What I think our managers are missing is that fundamentally it's a formation to play against a much stronger opposition - so it's not one to be used by us in the Championship! Perhaps there should be a repetitive chant of 4-4-2 going around St Marys until management understand it's what the majority of us want.