macca155

He wellied that, what a goal

Yes they did bat an eyelid, plenty of comments at the time. Particularly when Downs was brought in. Is he an oven ready to Championship striker, of course not...... yet. However, he was and is highly effective, with bags of promise. Saints had spent a lot on his development and just let him go. He banged in two hatricks for the U21 and he wasn't even tried. He was released during Still's tenure, I very much doubt Tonda would have let him go. Spilt milk no good going on about it, but it really bugs me. Having seen Channon, Moran, Shearer, and Bale come through. I'd loved to have seen another.

I think they've done well within what I suspect are pretty tight financial restraints. Saints aren't Man City so they have to gamble a bit. Not selling Ramsdale is a pain, just have to hope he is loaned out. Doors continue to close though. Tonda has to try and use our youngsters a bit, what is the point of them otherwise. Letting Ballard go was a major cock up, hopefully they won't repeat that with likes of Prince. We have to be patient though, not every youngster is Gareth Bale, most need time.

Good post and I always respect the view of those who are at the match. You see and feel so much more. Good take on the game. I thought Bragg equipped himself well, obviously JWP is being eased in, but if you sensed frustration from his fellow players, then that's worrying. I still think he's a hell of a player. We will need him this season. Bragg and Downes were battling like crazy in midfield, but we're yet again over run. Tonda needs to give them more support. I said that all last season though, so clearly wasting my breath. Definitely needs patience with the younger players. This league is frenetic, must be overwhelming for young players at first. Mubama clearly has a pedigree, he's no Downs, but Tonda needs to adapt the play to feed the ball to his feet. Good week so far, win at Lincoln and it will have been an excellent week.

Take that, we weren't at our best, and to be fair to Birmingham I thought they played well. Their full back owned Scienza tonight. Didn't lose that's important. Positives for me were another solid game from Wood. He is what he is, but you need a no nonsense defender in the Championship. Matsuki looked lively when he came on, and it was good to see JWP getting into the groove. Up front there just doesn't seem to be another option to Larin. Guess we'll have to wait until January now. Onto the next game.

Peretz is giving me the willies tonight

You are joking , he's been excellent so far

Killer time to score as well

What a header get in

Need to weather the storm here, they are bossing the midfield, but no drama they won't keep this up. Both teams look dodgy at the back, so 0 0 then

Can't get Scienza into the game atm

About time we saw young Ehibhatiomhan on the bench. He's been banging them in for the U21s. I also think Akachukwa deserves decent minutes as well. Good move from Tonda. If we do make it to the PL, some of these youngsters will need to be in the core of the team. Journey starts now to coin a phrase. JWP not starting is a surprise, I guess it's softly softly to start with

Problem is people are trigger happy for the slightest mistake. It was the same with Redmond, JWP at times, and irritatingly now Bragg. We'll need every squad player as the season progresses. Pointless slagging them off. We expect loyalty but don't give it to some players. I get the feeling that the new defender is already in some people's sights.

Good luck to him, it's a brave move, Villa are in a bit of free fall at the moment, but he's earnt it. Gave his all, you can't ask any more of a player. Interesting to see his replacement, if one arrives.

Not so sure, way too expensive to be a bench warmer at a lower table prem team. An indifferent spell at Newcastle did him no favours either. The club probably have it in hand, so no drama, but I bet it isn't straightforward.

As others have mentioned Ramsdale could end up being a problem. Nobody wants to buy him, like a 2nd hand car too many previous owners, and a Jonah to boot No doubt it will be a late loan, but if not he needs to compete with Perez. Very expensive problem to have, almost certainly put pay to a 2nd striker. We all want the squad improved but I reckon it's all about getting rid of players now.

The midfield is sorted 2 or 3 from Downes, Jander, JWP, Bragg. Nobody else in this league gets close to that. Central defence looks way better if THB stays. Just need a replacement if he goes. Perm 2 from Schlotterbeck, THB, and Wood. Stephens to fill in when or if injuries or suspensions kick in. The forward line needs thinning out. Too many similar players. However absolutely need competition for Larin. We are an injury away from a real problem there.

Totally agree, I thought he was a good ref yesterday. Allowed a bit of blood and thunder to go on, but stopped the naughty stuff early doors. Having said that he ignored Downes cleaning out a Millwall player, right in front of the Millwall fans. That was a tad lenient. Although balanced by ignoring the elbow in Scienza's face. That early card for Sykes really hampered Millwall. They were dancing on ice from then onwards.

Well that was fab, they certainly made mincemeat of Millwall. That game was won in the first 10 minutes. Both teams went toe to toe, no quarter given or asked. Big tackles and lots of intent. Although Millwall scored first, I think Manning was on an early hydration break, you could see that Saints were shifting through the gears. Well taken goals and really pleased for Fellows. Larin will wonder how on earth he doesn't have the match ball. The hatrick was on for him. It was the performance that spoke volumes, Saints at their swashbuckling best. Good 2nd half from Bragg, he is so much better further forward. JWP was a cut above, very understated, but always there. He's a cheat code in this league. West Ham were mad to let him go. New CB was very assured, makes such a difference, but for goodness sake lay off Stephens. We will need him at some point this season, pointless damming him. MoTM for me was Matsuki, put in a huge shift. Azaz was enjoying the space he created. Now rinse and repeat Tuesday

Top gagmeistering

Anyway you look at this it's a good deal. No other Championship side gets JWP for such a nominal amount. He's clearly dictated this contract and release fee He's secured the medium term future for his family, and will add experience to the side. Without a transfer fee his wages are irrelevant. If he gets back into the groove on set pieces, Saints will be cooking. Good for him, good for Saints. I expect Scienza to mug Cooper on Saturday. Buy a free kick in JWP territory, and we are off and running.

Its always interesting to see the comments after the dust has settled, as a consensus appears to build. After a performance like the the fans will deservedly apportion blame, and frankly the players can suck it up. None of them covered themselves in glory yesterday. Frankly there is a bunch of them who need to go. Bragg seems to be getting some stick but I think he was completely overrun yesterday. He's good but not that good. At the moment he is natural replacement for Downes or Jander, but not both of them and a bit of Charles all at once. How to ruin a player in one easy lesson. I thought Akachukwu looked lively and showed some nice touches under pressure. However, he was playing in the wrong position, we needed his flicks, feints, and dummies further up the pitch. That sort of thing unlocks defences. He showed a more promise than Dobbin or Mubama.

Well that was desperate, I rarely leave early, but tonight I wasn't prepared to put up with any more of that. Stephens desperate, he's 4th choice at best. Wellington crap Bree poor game Bragg overrun Dobbin ... Poor Mubama.. ineffective The set up, lack of press, and desperately slow buildup was a disgrace. I thought Wood, Fellows, and Scienza did their job, nothing more. This squad needs a serious upgrade in defence and up front. Frankly the club got what they deserved. Disgraceful pricing. Grump

I think we all knew THB was likely to be off. He's a Prem level player now and if someone like Villa come calling, well good luck to him. All we need is a decent solid centre half, who'll lead the defence. For me a decent striker to rotate with Larin is vital. Boost the squad with some of our youngsters. Every part of the club is wobbly as fuck atm. Next few months could be bleak. I'm bracing myself for it .

Very much this, and has been the case for too many years. Stephens and Yoshida were our Prem starters for a while, no surprise at what happened. I remain hopeful that Wood can step up and show more consistency.