Oldandtired

Sorry to see Charley go, one of the few players at the club who had the potential to do something exciting. Look, we’re doing well blah blah but it’s nice to see a genuine flash of inspiration now and then which I believe he has that capability to provide.

What’s with the obsession with midfielders? Surely there are more pressing needs than another one?

Would it be fair to say that the point of the family stand is to be a bit of an oasis away from the more raucous, perhaps to the youngest fans overwhelmingly so, atmosphere of the Northam end? I get why they’re doing it and don’t disagree with it, but perhaps think that the siting of the family area will take some thinking about.

I know there’s all sorts of machinations and intrigue around transfers these days but I was wondering why we haven’t apparently tried to sign Fraser on a permanent deal yet. IMO he’s certainly shown enough to be an asset to the club. Anyone know anything?

That was so good! St. Mary’s days are something to savour currently, great football, great crowds, great atmosphere. I thought the whole team was excellent, what pleases me is how they work together as a unit, always looking for the ball, always looking for the killer pass. If I had to pick MoM it would be two, AA for his work rate and runs (not always picked up) off the ball, and for his all round football brain. The other would be Smallbone, thought that today was his most positive game I’ve seen, I’ve thought that in the past he was a bit too fond of the backwards pass, today, in my opinion, he was the complete opposite, always looking to go forward. If there was a negative for me (of course there had to be one) it was that as far as I could make out we didn’t win one first ball off of the many corners we had, so I had hoped we would vary it a tad. However in a day of so many good things that is perhaps nitpicking.

I don't doubt this is a superb signing.... for the future. TBH I'd like to see the signings that are going to help us here and now to perhaps make the difference in the push for promotion .

Yep, some bloke called Lambert...

We need to find out what Lumley's Achilles heel is...Baz's left hand side, McCarthy's near post, Lumley's...?

After having watched every home match this season live and a few of the streams for the away games what has started to concern me is the amount of space given to opposing teams on their right, our left. I don't think it is necessarily the fault of the players picked to play at left back for instance but they do seem to give the opposing teams an enormous amount of space to attack on that side.

Ok, question to those waiting to pounce on GB. Name one keeper, now and in the past, average or great,who hasn't made the occasional howler. I'll wait.... Waiting.... No,I thought not.

Very pleased with the win but for me the game just underlined the fact that we must get a halfway decent injury free new striker in January.

Just curious, what's happened to him! Haven't seen him mentioned or anything for awhile now, is he injured, dead,, emigrated, retired, what have you?

It could well be imaginationbut I think the difference was that Bree’s corner was almost driven in rather than lofted, which seem to be the trademark of Mannings corners. They just give the defence time to think about what they’re going do and react, corners don’t seem to have given us the advantages they should have done.

I enjoyed that. I always think that players need game time and remain convinced that the likes of Edozie, Aribo and Mara will provide us with plenty of entertainment if given that. Tbh, without the penalty miss and some top class saves from their keeper it could have been 7, all in all a very satisfying watch.

Point of the game is not to be top of the stats when it comes to number of passes 10 yards either side of the halfway line it's to be top of the stats for banging the bag of wind into that funny little rectangular thing with the net behind it. The current manager does not seem to be able to grasp that and so I fear will condemn us, as has been said above, to become that mediocre championship team at best or even a slide down into the next league below us waving to the neighbours as they pass us on the way up.

Papering over the cracks, which are massive.

GB beaten to his left again, and for me anyway quite a soft one he should have stopped. I really do think he is significantly weaker on that side.

After just watching the latest var fiasco in the Palace v Liverpool game….PL? No thanks.

At the moment i'd rather see Mara come on as sub than Adams who's just not doing it and has not been for a while. He's the one I'd move on.

After the last few weeks when VAR has been the main talking point in a lot of high profile games, well, that is one reason I don’t miss the prem. I honestly think because maybe teams are quite evenly matched, and the pressure not to lose is more intense a lot of the football I’ve watched on tv has been frankly turgid and boring. I’ll admit that for the first time in many years I’m watching live football at St. Mary’s having bought a season ticket (really good value for us old people this season) so perhaps that is a factor but I just find it more exciting, more flowing and veryinvolving in the championship. For or against, good or bad, a goal is a goal, offside is offside, you can celebrate or vent immediately without it being diluted by the interminable wait to see if the player’s big toe was offside. Also, being someone who remembers when a tackle could be full blooded, such a change to see refs seemingly letting perhaps more robust play go unchallenged. Will I celebrate if we go up? Of course, but I will fondly remember the enjoyment I’m getting being in this league.

I, along with others, can andprobably will pontificate on the minutiae of this game. But the bottom line is I enjoyed it and that's what I pay my money for.

Just imagine, we're playing that badly yet still 5th... So according to your assessment of the way we're playing atm if we play even half way decently we should walk this league.

Can’t afford stake, spent it all on a season ticket……😎

It sounds like what you have in common with RM is to be happy with achieving a mid table finish as long as you are top of the number of 5 yard backwards passes table. How can one enjoy the principles etc. when those criteria aren’t delivering consistent enough results. If/ when they do start delivering those results and we are in a better position in the table then I’ll enjoy them…at the moment they are patently not good enough and do not do justice to the talent of the squad.

RM does not have a planB. I wonder if the board have a plan B when we reach the new year and are still wallowing in the depths of the Championship. They have proved they are not dynamic owners, seemingly not doing a lot to arrest the slide into mediocrity. We have a squad that is more than capable of doing well, you can see that in all too rare flashes so far, when they play a more simple, dare I say direct, style of football and yet I feel, as do most I think, we are being hamstrung by RM’s wannabe Barcelona/Man City tactics. Despite what I’ve said above about the squad they are not at that level and neither is the manager. Surely someone at board level must see what is going on and has to turn round to the manager and say it’s not good enough? Still a long way to go but one would hope that it’s not enough to wander through games, a win here and there, draw a few, get slaughtered now and then, finish up 14th and pat ourselves on the back that we made more passes than anyone else in the league? (Unfortunately as I write this I’m reminded that this manager’s previous triumphs were 10th and 15th in this league so as I said before it could be said that he is performing to his level) I’m sorry, but something has to give before we become lost in the dross of the also rans who inhabit the lower echelons of the EFL.