eurosaint

The major downside was exactly as it has been all season ! Complete inability to take our chances ! We had 20 shots with 10 on target which were mostly powderpuff efforts so the main crack is not being papered over, it is there for all to see ! General play is normally better than the opposition but our ratio of goals to chances created is abysmal ! Would love to sign an experienced striker in this window but somehow I doubt that it will happen !

Fair points from most of the guys who were there but some silly comments from a few who weren't ! Positives for me were that McQ, Stephens, Sims and Lewis got some game time and didn't let themselves down ! Poor as a spectacle but overall satisfactory as we progress to the next round !

Utter nonsense, only one team was looking to win - 20 shots versus their 3 Last 20 mins was like the siege of the Mafeking ! Sure, we don't put away our chances but we did deserve to win !

Only one team looking to win this, Norwich played about 6 at the back for most of the match ! McQ MoM, Sims and Stephens did well. JWP, Clasie and Yosh competent ! Almost everyone stayed till the end, don't understand some of the previous comments! Bring on the Gooners !

Incredible that some still consider that money earnt is directly related to energy levels ! Strange IMHO !

Thank you for your supportive comment ! I tried hard to be reasonable and objective but am not in the least surprised to note that Alpines contribution incited around 8 more responses than mine ! Funny old game, eh

Please don't allow the facts to interfere with Alpine's agenda ! That's not how things work around here, being miserable has been turned into an art form

IMO being ambitious does not entail being constantly critical ! In my business experience, the best way to improve under-performers was to encourage, support, coach and cajole NOT to nitpick, criticise, slag them off and threaten the sack ! All companies experience ups and downs and tend to show their strength and quality when working together during the difficult times. I believe that no team/group can function effectively if individuals are being constantly undermined, unity is the key and this will be much more easily achieved in an atmosphere of optimism and togetherness ! Inflammatory behaviour (as witnessed regularly on here) does not help in the slightest ! Whilst I realise that this is a discussion forum and expect both negative and positive views (perfectly healthy) the non-stop vitriol from some posters drags the discussion to a lower level and does not improve the debate ! So my point is that you can be both ambitious and hopeful without resorting to denigrating anyone in authority in and around our club, instead support at all levels will be more beneficial to all ! Ps. well done on expressing your regret for the LOL Puel comment, it shows that you have some humility !

Great post !

For the sake of perspective, when I discuss forum behaviour with non Saints friends it seems that the others are just the same ! From Man U to Reading (and beyond) you'll find Alpine_blue, Dalek.red and Heisentoffee ! It seems that the net brings out the warrior behind the keyboard - just look at Twitter, tells you everything

I get very p!ssed off when these guys use the term LOL when we concede a goal, it's just like an away fan in the home end jumping up in front of you when the opposition score ! Fair enough to criticise the club if you perceive that things are not being properly managed but to start threads day after day slagging off the owner, the DoF, the manager, his assistant, the goalkeeping coach and specified players is surely beyond reasonable and implies that there is an agenda behind it ! In summary, I mostly agree with Duncan's original post but dispute that the 'clappers' are the main culprits ! All IMHO, Dave

Can beat Hull (H) Have beaten Burnley (H) Can beat Palace (H) Very doable, particularly if we sign a striker but even if we don't with 9 home games left I'm sure that we can survive with something to spare !

Why is that funny for you ? Proper fans are disappointed not laughing out loud

Orient have equalised in their big cup final

But at least you will be happy, eh ?

Like a piece that any Skate would write ! Shall we take that as an admission then ?

I've bought a ticket directly opposite where I normally sit, same block, same row, same seat but in the Itchen rather than the Kingsland ! Not ideal as I won't see my friends etc. but I can live with it as I understand the reasoning ! Right now there are seats galore available, so best to do it soon otherwise (as happened to me last time) you'll end up with a crappy seat somewhere you really don't fancy !

My award goes to the perennially incompetent Lee Mason and his equally useless linesmen at the Emirates earlier this season ! Having missed a blatant foul on Long, he went on to ignore a head injury to Koscielny who was in any case interfering with play in front of Forster, before giving a penalty against us whilst Giroud was pulling Fonte's shirt ! That is basically 4 mistakes in the space of about a minute and critically in the last moment of the match ! Verging on the corrupt, that one ! Grrrr......

With a heavy heart and against my better judgement, I voted OUT ! Normally I would opt for stability BUT from the very beginning I have never been able to understand what Claude is on about and I'd be surprised if the players do either (I realise that his English is limited but I don't that is the main issue) ! He reminds me of a former French colleague who also talked gibberish and although unintentional it caused serious disharmony within the working group! I've no idea whether he has lost the dressing room but if he has then I'd cut and run !

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38491151 This has been said before but clearly many do not believe it, it is not 'fitness' per se that is the problem but rather intensity and concentration ! Note that we have started well in each of the last 3 games but finished badly, penalties and red cards have come more readily than before (intensity and concentration) ! Wenger is whinging about recovery time, Allardyce has called for the 'fixtures guy' to be sacked, Klopp and Guardiola both refused to discuss performance because of player fatigue. All of their teams have had more recovery time than Saints (see attached table) so do we choose to ignore the experienced experts and blame only our manager and players ? Whilst I personally do not consider this to be the only factor, I don't think that we should discount it completely !

Wrong forum mate, the idea here is that you slag off every team selection that the manager makes (without any knowledge of fitness etc..) and then in the (unlikely today, I confess) event that we get a result you just say that "i'm happy to be proved wrong" and move on, simples !

From the Alpine snow to the Heisen berg, from Bournemouth to Glasgow and all the other weird and wonderful places in which you may abide, I would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and festive greetings from me on the IoW and my family in Surrey, Belgium and Cape Town ! We truly are an international group of (sometimes) like-minded people ! Enjoy

I know that he is improving but this might just be too much for him

Venting frustrations is one thing but if we go behind after 6 minutes of a match and a ('so called' supporter) posts - LOL PUEL That to me is pretty much the same as an away fan in the home end jumping up and baiting those around him ! Sadly, many (including me) rise to the bait are are then pronounced to be 'happy clappers' whichI do not consider to be the case ! It is plain for all to see that the usual suspects are more than just voicing frustration but are deliberately seeking attention ! All IMHO of course !

LOL Heisenberg