OneMrsWallace

I just don't understand what Tonda is sending them out to do. Millwall aside we've looked clueless in the other games. Unless we can get back to the brave football we saw in the second half of last season, we will struggle for top 8. So disappointing.

Welcome - but wait till Stephens makes his first howler 🤣

We seem to regularly get bullied first 20 minutes away from home and we then struggle to find a rhythm. Plus Brum had three around Azaz when the ball was played to him which meant we lost possession too often. Tonda needs to find solutions for these challenges. Still think we'll win it.

After smashing Millwall I was hoping for more but a point is ok. Without the four point deduction we would be 7th tonight I think, so we're doing ok. Need to win on Saturday though, no excuses.

We've been very average so far. Not aggressive enough all around the pitch. Plenty of time to win it though.

Don't worry about the striker conundrum. DD will decide this really is his home, fuck up every defence from Portsmouth to Preston, score 30 goals by Christmas, win us the league title with an overhead from the half way line and then we'll sell him to the morons at Chelsea for £150m. That's not happening is it.

Last time I was there a few years ago I had to pay some little pricks to 'watch my car' They did a good job TBF 😅

AI is just a road that goes to Scotland. Knows fuck all.

Was going to ask if it was injury or tactical. Sounds like the former.

I'll be getting the maple syrup out tonight. I might use it on pancakes as well as the other half.

Great to have the old Wade back. We'll shove the binoculars so far up their ass they'll be to see through them.

I'd like to see them call on him when they've got injuries and suspensions though 😉

Are we talking about the horseman of the apocalypse?

So typical of us. Many teams would press on, get the second, maybe a third as their kids panicked and kill the game. Not us. Such a massive change for the worse from second half of last season.

Stephens confidence is at zero now. No place for him in the team. I'd love to think we'll buy two CBs but we won't. Get the THB money in asap and start buying players FFS.

Yup. Show us the money Celtic/anyone else interested. Sale only, no more pissing around with loans.

Yet again, this TBH and THB stuff is really screwing up my dyslexia. I'll be fine once he's gone 😄

I checked at 88mins - equally surprised! Replace Charles and THB with decent signings and we can really kick on.

Spot on. I can only offer this thought. I met with Rupert Lowe and Andrew Cowan not too long after Theo Walcott went to Arsenal. I asked them what we did to try and keep him. I wasn't a fan of Lowe but on this occasion I think he gave a genuine answer. They offered a very strong financial package to persuade him to stay at a club where he would play regularly first team football and learn his craft. But his agent (I think that was Walcott senior) was determined he moved on and eventually they just had to accept there was nothing more they could do. It's been this way for generations. Martin Chivers, Steve Williams, Mark Wright, Danny and Rod Wallace, Alan Shearer, Theo, Lallana etc etc. But you know what? We survived. We're Saints. We will always be the Saints. And whoever plays for us this season, we get behind them, win, draw, lose. COYR.

Reminded me of RMs opening day PL match playing with 'no striker' and BBD/Armstrong out wide. Don't be clever is the lesson, just set up to the squad's strengths. Hopefully this isn't repeated against Stoke.

He's going to be in Burnley. As soon as he's playing in the freezing rain on a Tuesday nigh he'll think..."and I could have been in the warmth in Southampton" 😄

Play like we did in the 2nd half on Sunday for 90 mins v Stoke and we win comfortably. Oh, and take our chances. Team can change but urgency and positivity 'in play' needs to be spot on.

If THB goes I don't think more reliance on Stephens is good so we'd need to strengthen, maybe even two CBs in.He can play well but he's really poor when being forced to run towards his own box. No defender likes that but the good ones can cope with quick thinking and good positional sense. He has neither. And as you say, there's always a howler somewhere, it's just that sometimes he gets away with it.

Agree but for me Stephens is the problem. Second half they went defensive to hold on, we're on the front foot and he has to do less defending. When we're under longer spells of pressure, he can't cope and makes mistakes. Hope THB stays. If not, we need two CBs in to make sure Stephens is fourth choice. Although TBF, everyone's mentality first half was crap.

Totally agree. Weird pre-season matches didn't help. I'm guessing our coaches thought we were match fit but now they're in a real match, surely they can see we've fallen short. Needs addressing fast, extra sessions etc. Having said that, Stephens has dropped the team in the proverbial and nobody planned for two terrible defensive errors.