lambtiss

Totally agree with @SW11_Saint Eckhart has done well,but to put in perspective he has only had 2 matches, against weak opposition, has definitely benefited from a post Still bounce in terms of player motivation and the defence still looks at sixes and sevens. Also, I have read elsewhere that he was probably brought to the club as a potential successor to Will Still. So, let's stick to that plan. He has certainly done nothing to harm his chances. Great to see him trust the youngsters too, with a solid debut from Williams

I have a real issue with this Bazunu is good with his feet propaganda that the club promotes. 1) The main requirement of a goalkeeper is that he stops the ball going in the net. Something he is not very good at. 2) Is his kicking that great? I don't see him pinging 40 yard passes out to a winger in space. He did kick a long punt straight down the middle today to nobody. Building from the back usually means a 5 yard pass to a centre back or full back, not hard? 3) Do we have a team that is good at playing out from the back? No.We have players like Stephens and Wood who are not brilliant playmakers, just typical centre backs. When we play out from the back we do it very slowly, without the penetrating pass to an attacker or to a midfielder who spins and bursts into space. So, by the time we get into an attacking position, the opposition has 11 men behind the ball Rant over. Bazunu is a failed experiment, let's move on.

Tonda has had the luck that Still didn't get all season

I hope you are wrong Willo but, unfortunately, I think you are probably right, and my optimism will be crushed yet again by these charlatans in control of our club.

I've been thinking about the Return of Romeu and maybe I am reading more into this because of my love for the club and optimism that we can turn a corner. Hopefully, this move is more than just a desperate act from SR and is an acknowledgement that a successful club needs more than just a few talented youngsters, identified by stats, with potential but little experience. I hope that it is a sign that SR has finally recognised that you need some old, been there, done that, leaders on the pitch. A recognition that we need those types, not just to marshal the troops on the pitch and pick heads up when things go awry, but to set an example off the pitch on how to train, how to keep fit and generally how to conduct oneself as a sportsman and as a club representative. This is much about CHARACTER for me, as it is about playing ability. I hope that, rather than Romeu being a one-off to get us out of a hole, there are more leaders on the way through the spine of the team. Men who will rally the team on and off the pitch. Fingers crossed.

Brilliant point @Saint Fan CaM. I think he has the makings of a brilliant coach in the future ....

Probably worth remembering that was after getting us relegated from the Premiership, and after squandering a massive amount of money. Followed by the 2nd-worst performance in the PL by any side and a 2nd relegation in 3 seasons. Followed by a 2nd season in the Championship, in which after almost a third of the season we are in 21st place. Perhaps, you could recall other stats such as, 7 managers in 3 and a 1/3 seasons, 4 wins in 50+ matches and possessing a league position below Bournemouth, Brighton, Portsmouth and Oxford United. Yes, they fully deserve our trust.

And the only song they've got, was copied from us

Or just turn up

12th minute straight after they've scored a screamer, so that we can go 6 at the back.

Give him the captain's armband now

Now that his master has been relieved of his duties, they are probably having long walks together on the beach, hand in hand, talking about how unfair it is that nobody understands them.

Sports Republic (think they) know best.

I don't believe anyone is saying we should have bought McBurnie per se. What people do seem to be saying is that we needed an experienced target man to lead and link the attacking play, much as Che Adams did in our last Championship campaign. McBurnie fits that profile but better options have been mentioned on this forum (Sergeant, Moore, Morris, Kone and others). What we actually got was a youth who has no experience in the Championship, no experience in this country and very little senior experience anywhere. So, I don't think it takes much imagination to expect any of the other players mentioned to have performed better than the one now languishing on the bench. Sure, people would have belly ached about McBurnie, Moore etc (probably not Sergeant or Morris). But, that would have subsided as soon as they saw how these players hit the ground running.

But that isn't what WE are paid to do. HE is, and he isn't doing a good job.

At least the team's use of grammar should improve

Floor? Luxury

True, but the main position in which we needed strengthening was central striker. He failed miserably on this.

Harsh. Ross Stewart was a figure of fun because of his fitness record ( the Loch Ness Drogba) not because he has no experience and no apparent football ability.

Those errors are so frustrating, I agree, but hopefully, those errors should reduce if someone has clear responsibility and with a stronger midfield, the defence should have to deal with fewer "exposed" situations. Many teams cope perfectly well with a back 4, as Saints have in the past. If the CBs really are that bad that they can't play in a back 4 then we need to sell them and get a CB who can, in my opinion.

Rubbish, in my opinion. Our best form in the Championship came when we had 2 centre-backs in a back 4 (Bednarek and THB). In fact, our problems started under RM when he tried to shoehorn Jack into a back 5 in January. We have 5 CBs at the club, one of whom starred in that long unbeaten run. If we can't get a decent pairing out of them, then the fault lies with the manager and coaching staff rather than the players, in my opinion. The other advantages of 4 at the back, which can make for a more solid setup, are that everyone clearly knows their role (which is abundantly not clear at the moment), and the team can play another defensive-minded midfielder to prevent us being cut open or outnumbered in midfield as currently happens

Presumably, he's not referring to these statistics.

The fans, especially those who travelled to the match

Or Sargent, or Morris, or Kone, or McBurnie or kept Onuachu .... .. But then none of these would have met the main criteria ... .. Potential resale value. Downs met this criterion but is inferior as a striker to all of these and probably most, if not all, central strikers in this league.

Get Gerrard, simply because I'd like to see him headbutt Lampard when we play Coventry.