Verwood Saint

Standard of officials - very poor indeed

You're right of course but I had nearly 8 mins in a blissful dream state...

Just to get properly back on topic - are there any serious football options for a new manager out there atm? Appreciate that's not what SR want but maybe, just maybe Dragan will come to his senses after another couple of humiliations...

That's an interesting observation given that it appears so much recruitment is based on data these days. The fact that the player is not part of a successful team is just not relevant is it. (TBF our approach to recruiting players on the same basis has it's successes even in the SR era - Matty F would be a good example as far as WHU fans are concerned. Appreciate we have far more misses than hits these days but nonetheless they turn a profit for SR don't they!)

I know who my money would be in a physical league like the Championship!

Why? Flash and pan come to mind! Everything SR do is reactive and short term despite the pretence of developing some sort of master plan. They are not serious people. Dragan needs to properly get a grip and appoint a genuine football professional, if he can attract one. That, or get out…

Very poor today

Got what we deserved - awful performance for the most part - normal service resumed today I'm afraid...

We've gone back to way too much passing around the back haven't we. Got to mix it up as we are so predictable and slow. THB and Manning are putting us under so much pressure with poor play. That said we have created enough to have scored too.

We are simply awful aren’t we! We get worse game by game. This team selection / formation offer so little going forward. Manning to Stephens to Wood, to THB to Baz and repeat. Variation every now and then when THB passes to Fellows but only when each is running back towards our goal with a player in his shorts - back towards THB as his only option and repeat… And even with all those defenders we manage to make QPR look dangerous with a masterclass in ball watching and no one actually getting anywhere near the player with the ball. I simply don’t understand how the ‘management’ can’t see this!

Want to have rethink now?

Sorry, I saw a fair few of those and the individual quality today is way below in my opinion. Appreciate the conditions are awful too but it’s like kick and rush under 10’s stuff. Simply no composure anywhere.

We are just so bad today at literally every level from team selection on! Obviously take any sort of win but I don’t think I have ever seen a worse level of football in 55+ years.

Not sure I can recall all the options now but Steve Cooper or Sean Dyche would be a couple of examples. Both have loads of experience at both Championship and EPL levels and also know what a well run football club looks like. Appreciate their football 'styles' are not the most attractive but they know how to win matches, get teams promoted and stay in the EPL. I think both would also find ways to give our team a proper backbone again, something we have been missing for a number of seasons. Being an established, stable EPL team again would create the opportunity to attract a more high profile manager and players too. That all looks a long way away now doesn't it!

Hard to disagree with this observation - although no doubt all genuine Saints fans wish him well. For me the real question remains - just why were SR / Dragon prepared to take this level of risk when there were clearly much 'safer' choices available to them, especially given the horrendous failure of the previous season and the inevitable harm done to players, staff and fans. Assuming Will is 'still' in post at Christmas - SR / Dragon must buy a decent centre forward wherever we are in the league!