SWLondon Saint

This is it - the keeper always has the best view since he can see all the defenders and the oppo. As a defender you feel so much more confident when the keeper is vocal and helps you out and I think we're seeing that now.

Been in meetings all morning and come on here hoping to see some news at least, what are our lot doing?! Anyways, this Larin link does seem very 'Championship reality' - sas fact is if he had a better track record or was in top form he'd be looking for a move to one of the bigger leagues - PL, Series A, La liga or Bundesliga 1. Anyone who comes in is pretty much guaranteed to be either less well known, out of form or a young gamble...

Yeah, I mean it's obvious this is their plan, he's had little to no impact in the PL ever. I'd say around £10 mill is fair enough for both sides, just the question as always is whether we replace him with anyone decent or Downs MK2...

A hat trick to win the Europa League definitely seems like something to most people I'd say...?

That's fair enough, I just expect young players to have too much energy rather than loping around trying to conserve energy though. Look at their teenager who came on, he ran around like a headless chicken but also had a good chance and created another. That's what you want from youngsters imo.

Fair play to Downes, he put in a shift today. Also +bonus points for scoring a shit scrappy goal of the sort we usually concede 👏🏼

Fine for him to have a chance but I thought he was poor, he could have been way more aggressive and energetic running up front. He closed down less than Stewart and was always dropping back onto a midfielder instead of being on the CBs. Why is it literally only Stewart who seems to understand if your number 9 drops into midfield you drop the whole team backwards? He's the only one of our forwards who keeps up on the last defender.

Welington is surprisingly good in the air despite his size, he won a lot of long balls from Stoke and most importantly always competes. Him and Bree just make a world of difference on the flanks, they get in tight and don't let the wingers turn and run at us. To be fair when Jelert came back it looked like he has the same idea. Those 3 are actual full backs though unlike Fellows who should never have been put there or Manning who should also never be played there.

And the whole team looks so much more comfortable with 4-2-3-1, why the hell were we ever playing the back 3?

Leo doesn't look on it today, tired / injured? Still working hard but looks a step slow. Matsuki time imo, he has more of an end product than JRob.

If this is true can't imagine we'd say no, 10 mill+ is a lot of money in the champ. Get a journeyman big and physical striker who can lead the line and push the defenders back and our AM options are decent with Leo, Azaz and Fellows then Matsuki and JRob off the bench.

I'm with you on his movement, Stewart is way better at creating a threat from crosses and even Archer who scored a good goal just by getting ahead of the defender against Brum I think. @coalman said a lot of the stuff I wish I could've explained as well about xG - the thing that gets me, is for example with that 1st chance on Sunday - what xG doesn't and can't look at is how much better the chance would have been if he'd taken it earlier as lots have said. Or how about if someone takes a really low % shot from a bizarre angle but it deflects in off a defender? That's gonna look to the stats like he's a brilliant finisher as he beat the xG by so much but anyone who sees it knows it's bollocks. I bet the clubs who are making the data work for them like B'muff aren't using x -effing- G as their main guide.

Oh, so that's how they managed to build the second worst team in Premier League history. Utter c***s.

If we lose the next 2 our form since mid December will have been so bad I'm not sure they'll have much choice. But if SR finally stop being twats and get someone with experience in, they have to back them to ditch any of the squad they don't want, implement discipline and so on. Otherwise we'll be back here again in 2 months.

Literally all the other clubs in the Champ are busy strengthening, loaning out, and we're busy doing....f*** all? SR decided since their last January window was shit they'd go for the same again by doing sweet FA? Just depressing....

Yep. I'm not unsympathetic to him, given the current slump it's more and more clear our toxic players are the problem, but that was the clear 'losing the plot' moment. Only explanation is he just panicked, thought maybe if he brings the chief shit stirrer on he can calm the pot - but obviously a total failure. I'd have had more respect for him if after he dropped THB and Stephens if he'd just bombed them, Downes, Manning and Baz out of the squad entirely, played 4-2-3-1 with youngsters on the bench and lived with the consequences, even if he'd gotten the sack after they all went crying to the board.

The only thing I can think of is extreme commitment bias on SRs part. They don't want to 'lose money' by shipping out players on the cheap / free. But it's a complete false economy as you end up with this toxic situation with the Martin FanClub undermining the manager and f***ing things up for both him and any new players. Trying to get back the money you spent is actually costing them money in the bigger picture but they can't see the wood for the trees.

Maybe, but that wasn't happening and he'd clearly lost the plot. In his defence I would say he did seem to know what the problem was but I guess he was undermined by 'good bloke' Cap'n Jack and his cronies who clearly WERE the players who went to the board and said we don't trust the manager as was leaked early in the season. He dropped them and they did him over by going on strike basically. And either he didn't know how to get rid of them or he wasn't allowed to exert authority and kick them down to the U21s. Can't see any other explanation.

We were actually lucky to win 1-2 at theirs under Still so am expecting a revenge win for them, especially as we're so f***ing predictable these days.

Err, absolutely not. Has Martin's stint at Rangers shown you nothing? He's a busted flush still playing his Pep tribute act best hits when even Pep has changed to have more direct options. Not saying he was the answer, but Juric at least saw the problem - unfit players, ridiculously slack training - and bombed out a couple of what now looks like the toxic mates club in Downes and Manning. You could see what he was trying to do when we beat Ipswich at theirs, but for whatever reason he couldn't make it stick.

😂 Pretty much sums it up. The disallowed goal and then penalty award looked absolutely nailed on dodgy as f*** though. The goal should never have been disallowed, they were both pushing each other only the Moroccan defender decided to dive rather than head the ball.

The game changes. We are currently playing Russball - the problem is towards the end of the last Champ season, teams had started to figure out how to play against it, in the Prem we got absolutely destroyed as all the managers knew how to play against it, and now we're back here and it doesn't take a genius to just look at how better teams have done it and everyone has a great template of how to beat us.

I can't believe Solak is happy with the former best asset of the group being run into the ground like this. Even Wankersen can't spin the fact that literally every decision made at Saints the last few years has been complete and utter shit. I live in hope he realises enough is enough and fires the twat and anyone else who has had any responsibility in the manager farce of the last 3 years.

Yep. I'm not sure we'll see any improvement until the toxic group of players is given the boot. I reckon we'd have been better off ditching THB, Wood, Stephens and Manning and keeping Bree, Charlie Taylor and Edwards tbh.

Did he say this?! They may FEEL more comfortable with 3 CB but surely anyone can see they are complete CRAP at actually playing it? The way 1 or 2 of them are always standing marking no-one? Everyone waiting for someone else to challenge for a header on a cross giving away any number of free headers? The way long balls to oppo strikers always seem to end with the 2nd ball dropping to one of their midfielders because our 2 other CBs are 10 yards deeper than the challenger? Sock puppet Tonda toy of a manager. FFS