macca155

Good post agree with that. It was exactly the same in the Wolves game as fitness levels dropped (natural with pressing game), Saints came under pressure in midfield and dropped deeper. That gave a very good attack chance to do their thing. Armstrong is a good player and his twinkle toes make goals, but like Lallana I think he is a 60 minute player, Diallo seems to have a bit about him and looks like he would shore up the midfield, for me that was a natural substitution in both games. I personally think we missed Redmond, I know he isn't everyone's choice but he links well with Bertrand and crucially does give the ball occasionally, when Bertie does a lung busting run past him. Bertrand isn't getting any younger and was knackered by the end of the game, Saints need to rely on his experience rather than fitness if he is to stay. It wasn't that bad a performance, but the worrying collapse towards the end of the game needs to be addressed. Teams work us out just as they worked out Everton, a good manager adapts and reboots. The opposition isn't just going to sit there and let us press and harry them throughout the game. They will spend the week working out a strategy to neutralise our tactics. The next two fixtures give us a good chance to get the campaign up and running again. As supporters we need to manage our expectations a little, it was fabulous being top of the table but Saints just don't have the squad to maintain that sort of form .... yet. However we are showing decent Europa cup form and that should be the goal. With Leicester's form finishing 6th , means finishing above Man Utd, Arsenal, Everton, Wolves, and Aston Villa. Considering our EPL form in recent years that would be quite something.

They would be better off playing the game at somewhere like Eastleigh. Still 2000 fans but easier to generate some sort of atmosphere. 2000 at St Mary's will be a bit weird. 20% would be more sensible.

I think I agree with the OP. Losing Ings would be serious (very), but Saints do have cover there. Adams Walcott and two keen youngsters is reasonable cover. Long is a support player rather than a goal scorer, but adds to the dimension. In comparison cover for Bertie is Vokins. We all have high hopes for him but Bruce will be targeting that area on Friday. Its the one area that Saints don't have cover.... blast

doesn't he

Walcott looks nervous and not use to our style of play, he needs to close down more. That should mean he scores now

Bednarek nutmegged!!

He's gone early there, could be a double mention this week

Not outclassed just outplayed (by div 2 side) they'll be better days you know the form

OMG this is terrible 0 2 now, they just walked through us

sod it

classic early season cup tie, give them time to settle down and hopefully class will tell. We have got some .... surely

Spurs bench looks pretty tasty. If they don't want them I'm sure Saints could use a couple. How Holberg play in front of Sissoko is beyond me.

Also according to the article, Saints predominantly rely on set pieces. Possibly not the most accurate article. However it will almost certainly cause ripples on Twitter.

Totally agree, Saints are well rid of LD Sports. To say they lacked substance is an understatement. However worth noting that £15,000,000 is no trifling amount. Not far off income from season tickets. I suspect our view on dodgy sponsors would soften if faced with a doubling of season ticket prices. Not a good time to be looking for new sponsors. I doubt there are many legitimate companies looking to spend that sort of money, at the moment. However Saints remain a decent brand so hopefully someone will step in.

4.25 mins 1st mention

PEH had a poor first half but when he moved to his normal position we improved. He had a number of scoring opportunities, whilst he didn't score he did get into those positions which is half the job. On another day one would have gone in. He was part of the reason Brighton were pushed back in the 2nd half, he did his job but I agree it is time for a good servant to move on. Vesty is not prem standard, take the hit and offload, easy to slate him but he is young and centre halves develop later. His confidence is shot at Saints, he needs to reboot elsewhere. I thought Vokins played well and Smallbone needs time to develop, as fans we need to be patient with the youngsters. They aren't all Bale or Walcott, they need time to develop their game. I thought Adams did ok, seemed to be involved in a lot of link up play. Ings sets the bar high for strikers, sadly I suspect the vultures will be circling.

Tatters on a spread bet for 9 0 mentions. I reckon between 5 to 7

6 point gap to Burnley with 3 games to go. So 11th it is at best. Play some fringe players build for the next season, which we are pretty much in anyway.

Obviously we all want him to stay. If a big club want him, and can offer CL football then frankly he deserves it. I'm not sure there is an opening yet at a suitable club, but things change. I doubt it is all about money for Danny, although that's a factor, he'll want to test himself against the best in the world. He only signed a 3 year contract in 2019. So 2 years to go. No way will the club allow his contract to wither. Either he signs an extensio, or they sell for an obscene amount. That will be the story next year. Best scenario is that we keep him for another year. However with Euros and WC coming up he'll want to keep his profile high. I've come to terms with players moving on, it's their job. Still hurts though. I doubt he has any great emotional attachment to Saints. The club let him go in 2008. And hasn't he made that decision look foolish.

Excellent performance all round. Have to be careful not to go overboard as Watford were weakened and a bit all over the place. City, Everton, and Utd next. Not expecting much from that lot. However could ask no more. As someone posted earlier Ings is in imperious form. There will be serious money for him, if there is a gap in a suitable team. Has to be a top 6 side, and unless Kane is sold I can't see the other sides being interested. He says hopefully. I think JWP is a more likely target. He really is crucial to us now. Good thing it's a short transfer window.

Good post, I saw the team sheet, as I stood in the hail waiting to be searched, and knew Saints would struggle. Take Ings, Redmond, or Djneppo out of the side and clearly our attack is severely blunted. With a decidedly average performance from McCarthy, Bendarek, Bertrand, Boufel, and Holberg, the omens weren't good. However personally I don't think the performance wasn't that bad, just emphasised how thin the squad is and how vulnerable the defence is. Ralph cannot magic up a top 7 side with that squad. We all know it, and safety this year is the best we can hope for. I would have played Stephens at right back and brought in Vestergaard. Maybe Adams for Obafemi. The only motivation being to match WHU physically, and hope they messed up. Other than that what other options did Ralph have. Teams give Saints the ball now as they don't seem to be able to do a thing with it. Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

"Possibly with Romeu instead of Smallbone for this one.' Big mistake IMO. Whilst I hold Romeu in the highest regard as a pro, he just seems of the pace at the moment. Quicker to the foul than the ball these days. Smallbone made a big impact, start with him with Romeu to come on when his legs tire. I would also play Dansu or Stephen's at right back, as we need to counteract their bullying style. Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

He's a good pro looking to develop his career. Good luck to him, he gives his all in every game. Cannot ask more than that. We cannot expect lifelong loyalty from players, when the club wouldn't hesitate to dump them (and fans turn on them) if their form dropped. We've had good value from him. Happy if he stays but not a disaster if he leaves. Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

I took a school trip to see the ground being built and this was something we were told. Seats and leg room an inch smaller, resulting in a few thousand extra seats. Somebody more informed will probably debunk this theory, but it does seem a classic Lowe trick, and St Mary's is definitely more cramped. Or I'm getting fatter [emoji50] Sent from my SM-G960F using Tapatalk

I agree with a couple of Posters on SON, I've always admired him and thought him honourable, the diving and brandishing a card was ridiculous. However the penalty whilst very soft was legit. We all have to remember that the quality of Son's dive was irrelevant, Gunn moved his hands towards Son after he had gone past, I think he was trying to bring him down as it was obvious he would score, in the end he brushed his knee and as that showed up on VAR the rest is history. Ali's killer pass was the undoing of Saints. Their reserves were better than ours, Romeu was lost for the 2nd game in a row, they spun off him at ease and it put our defence under a lot of pressure. On reflection putting JWP at right back destroys our midfield, Stephens filled in there without too much of a problem and we would have had a more dynamic midfield as a result. Taking off Boufel was the wrong move, Armstrong struggled to get into the game and Boufel was causing them a lot of problems. Disappointing to lose but we can't be too downhearted at surviving games against the Champions league finalists relatively unscathed (the bar is set at 9 - 0). The season should kick on from here for Saints and I'm looking forward to the West Ham game particularly.