OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint

Likely that both will play tomorrow and also likely that our interim manager will stick with five at the back, so the two midfielders will have a lot to do - I'll be watching especially to see who has the most impact. That stated, here's hoping they both have great games!

I'm expecting Scienza to be fit and Downs only to come on as sub - though preferably not come on at all! Also, not convinced yet by Jander. Not too sure what he adds to midfield though Downes is starting to look good again. 2-0 Saints.

Yes, came away from the ground thinking good to have a win but nothing much has changed but in reality this could be a season defining win. The spectre of a relegation battle is looking less likely and that takes the pressure off and confidence can't be measured by Xg or any other statistic. Win again against Sheff Wed and we could be on a charge up the table.

Spors knows Eckhart well. He was General Manager at Genoa when Eckhart was Assistant Manager. I believe they also have the RB Leipzig connection. It wouldn't surprise me if we beat Wednesday and Eckhart is offered longer as interim manager. What concerns me is his substitutions at QPR were up there with Will Still's level of crapness and could so easily have backfired.

I find it quite amusing. When THB makes a mistake, he gets mad with himself - and usually finds a few others to blame in the process. Not so Downs. He's quite blissfully unaware about his level of crapness. He did a brilliant chest down to a QPR player to create a charge at our defence. He was pushed off the ball so easily when even Archer would have held that up. And yet he gets up and carries on looking for places to hide on the pitch. If we carry on playing him, trust me you'll look up the word ineffective in Webster's Thesaurus and see: feeble, impotent, useless, inept, Downs...

Really liked their effort and Fellows had a better game when he was going forward. Once again, we sat back and invited pressure and there was no release. It's trendy (and not just Saints) for everyone to be in the penalty area defending corners, but surely you can leave a player up near half way and another between the penalty area and half way. Then there is a release and target for counter attack. Boy, that was a very long twenty minutes at the end. Excellent view behind the goal, really on top of it all, but the concourse is chaotic.

A lot of names are being touted as being able to sort out our shower of players. Wasn't Juric also meant to be the tough guy to sort them out?

Challinor is often mentioned. So far, he's managed Flyde, Hartlepool and Stockport. Don't deny he's done a great job at Stockport but taking him on would represent quite a risk. Need someone who is strong but also diplomatic. He'll need to gain Solak's trust to push aside the other morons in SR that run the club by statistics and on the basis of trading players.

Ralph is but as I mentioned a week ago, he was manager at Leipzig when Spors was a scout. Perhaps Spors has reached out to him again. What is really the stuff of nightmares is that RM is the bookmakers' favourite!!

Ralph was at the Bristol City game. Perhaps he wasn't just seeing his mate. Personally, I'd have him back in a heartbeat. You need a strong manager, and if he says I will come back but on my terms, there's hope.

Frank Lampard's Red and White Army has a ring to it 😉

They bought him Downs. To think they thought that powder puff was going to score us 20+ goals in a season is concerning in itself, but to buy a replica Sekou Mara and repeat the same mistake is really unforgiveable. That stated, Still's tactics and the apparent lack of confidence on the pitch are what's really letting us down.

67 shots on goal in the last 3 games and 2 goals scored. How many chances do you want us to create!? Did we create another 23 chances this game? Fuck statistics, fuck Xg. I'm starting to think we're just frankly a bit shit.

Who wants mid table obscurity? Either we chase for promotion or we have to escape relegation. We need an interest. But we do need a cohesive "You don't know what you're doing" chant...because he really doesn't have a clue and SR need to know...and I don't concur with these views that he is ordered to play a certain system.

I don't know. When you bring in a new manager, surely he then has the discretion to use the tactics he thinks will win games. Are you saying SR are telling him that he has to play three full backs with the wing backs? Didn't Will Still say he wanted wingers so SR bought him wingers? And yet he stays with 5 at the back but we can all see it's not working. Sorry, Will, I really wanted you to work out because I think you are the most genuine manager we've had since Ralph, but you don't have Ralph's charisma and more important his tactical nous.

We are. And on reflection, it's quite sad that SR are presiding over this decline and not doing anything about it. I am looking forward to being at Lotus Road on Wednesday. Either we'll have a new manager or lots on anger directed at these misfits. And fwiw, I think Wood is one of the few that cares.

When you say it like that, it suggests we're continually peppering the opposition goals with shots and chances. It's this obsession with statistics. At the games, it doesn't feel like that. Yes, AA's misses at Blackburn were standout - both were chances on the break - but when the opposition camps in, we seem very pedestrian and unable to break them down and create proper opportunities.

Actions speak louder than words. The article quotes Still as saying: "Let's push and be positive". Well, let's push Will. Let's be positive Will. Let's create loads of chances where even our strikers will knock in one or two. And let's stop be negative with having 5 at the back!

This makes a lot of sense. Some players need more closely 'managing' than others and similarly there will be those where everything's like water off a duck's back and others that get affected by criticism and need bigging up. Of course, it could also be that he's a disruptive influence and wants out.

Yes we all know we have shit strikers, so we have to create more chances. We can't give AA a couple of chances in a match and expect him to put one away every game. Similarly, Archer can't be expected to score on the one chance he gets. The team is set up too negatively. Our attack is vertically challenged so we have to play to their strengths. Whip crosses in along the ground, shoot from outside the penalty area and follow up on the rebounds.

So does Spors fall in to either of these categories? Is he considered good enough to be enticed elsewhere? Leo Scienza looks to be his best find. Can't argue with Azaz and Fellows being brought in from other Championship contenders, but his main fishing is in the leagues he knows best and I would question whether they're as physical as the Championship. And he targeted our major weakness early by finding a striker but how can you find someone so bad?

I have only dredged this thread up because I am curious at to what is really happening with this lad. Last time in the Championship, he was one of, if not the stand out players. Can't believe he's in a huff just because his old manager friend is no longer with us. With Charles injured, surely we can bring this guy back in to the fold. He is a sideways man but that's a frame of mind which can be changed and he got himself around the pitch a lot before.

Tall yes but there's no real muscle there. Downs is particualrly flyweight. Absolutely no presence whatsoever. Whereas that Bristol City sub last week seemed to brush our defence aside every time he had the ball.

Absolutely this. What I've seen with Matsuki's cameos, he looks a tidy player but he can't replace the likes of Fellows or Azaz...though he could have been on the bench at Blackburn! What I don't understand is why our recruiters didn't bring in any muscle. They'll all the same ilk. Matsuki & Downs are particularly lightweight.

His substitutions have been consistently poor all season. But what I don't get is surely there are coaches and players at the club that should be advising him to try four at the back and what substitutions could work. If the entire fanbase is screaming wtf are you doing (which most of us are) surely the players and coaches must be too