sandwichsaint

'One' of the problems last night was West Brom sat very deep, 2 lines of 4 if you will. We don't have the pace out wide or the invention through the middle to unpick this system. We had loads of the ball second half but it was all sideways and backwards stuff, when we did come forward we were either knocked off it too easily, our passing was very poor and our ball retention when recieving in tight areas was poor. If that's the case we must do much better from set pieces, there were one or two really dangerous corners (one where Yoshi went close), most of them were utter gash, either too short or more commonly over hit and too high. Foster never looked comfortable but we didn't get any pressure on him all night. We need to attack, and particularly counter-attack, much more quickly, for me Lallana needs to move into the middle asap, it's JRod or Lambert, not both (has this pairing ever worked?).

Don't you get bored talking to yourself - seek help before it's too late! The most obvious double-poster on the board.

Just back from the game. Decent support but you could see tonight how low confidence/belief is. Gazza and Clyne both had decent games but hard to see a positive beyond that (obviously Ramirez coming back too but he looked well off full match fitness, hopefully he will be stronger/sharper for Saturday). Really weak in centre-mid, whats happened to Schneiderlin? Started the season really well but is his head turning towards January now? Davis yipped and yapped but to little effect, constantly gave the ball away, another that started well but is now fading. Lallana another very poor performance, he was great in the first two or three games but has offered little since, **** poor tonight offensively and defensively. TBF let's not play him wide-left anymore, he is 10 times better in field than out wide. I've seen some improvement in JRod but he was poor tonight, lightweight and lacking in any real ideas how to create scoring chances for himself or create anything for anyone else either. RL had one as well, looked slow, cumbersome, disinterested, another one for the January club?

Sensible without being hysterical. We need to win three of our November games to get back on track ... a massive ask from where we are. Looking fd to seeing Lambert and Ramirez back together tomorrow, Villa stylee, 3-1 Saints, see you there?

Thanks for posting, first time I've ever read anything like this.

Remember watching a TV series a while ago about Ajax's academy. They assessed and recruited on TIPP - Technique, Intelligence, Pace, Personality with those four factors given broadly equal weighting. Guess players need to meet basic standards in all four areas and some weaknesses can be countered by strengths in others. Not all players can be the same speed and not every player can be the quickest but there are few genuinely 'slow' players nowadays. Also clearly depends on what you are measuring etc. Surprised to see from one of our early games this season (can't remember which one it was) that our fastest player over 10yds in the game was Lambert (!), not something you would necessarily pick up from the stands. 'Your lost at International level without some sort of pace' Mick Channon, only he didn't say 'lost'.

Saw them twice in Canterbury, around 77-79, awesome live band and two great gigs. Their 'best' album is surely All Mod Cons (1978?)? One of those rare albums with just about every track a winner, can't think of a dud on there.

Bring back Jonno Quick innitt?

'banana splits' was played at the Dell in the early seventies, I can hear it now being played before a game v Leeds (when Leeds used to field 11 internationals, as featured in the programme team line-ups). I remember being in a pub on the Seven Sisters Road v Spurs (79-ish?) when they showed the video of Thriller .. it had been released on the Friday night and this was the Saturday lunchtime and the whole pub stood transfixed (if you pardon the pun) watching it; it was the 'first' video of this scale/scope/budget ever produced and nobody had ever seen anything like it. 'Come on Eileen' / Dexy's away at Sheff Weds in the cup when we drew 0-0 (83-ish?). Can't remember who we sung it for or what the words were but I seem to have a memory linking that song to that game? Don't know who did the music in the stadium four or five years ago but they regularly hit the spot with lots of Clash, Smiths, Ramones. Remember walking up to a midweek league game in either bottom Champ or first season in lge 1 and being serenaded up to my seat by White Man In Hammersmith Palais (my fave record ever), surreal; it could never happen in the PL!

No such thing as a second team, but ....... I saw a fair bit of Dover in the 90's, and followed their FA cup run all the way to Huddersfield in the 3rd round a couple of years ago. Never had a real second team but for various family/friends/geographical reasons guess I'd look for the following results in no particular order: Charlton, Gillingham,Wolves, Ipswich, Brighton, Coventry. Never been a big fan of foreign football and certainly not an England fan. Also proud to say I've never felt any man-love for a 'big team'; Saints are plenty big enough for me!

Loving the sponsor! Maybe they could do our corporate boxes too?

Empty seats my Lord, EMPTY SEATS ...

............. Boruc ............. Clyne Fonte Yoshi Fox ......Morgan ... SD ..... .............. AL ............. ...Mayuka ... RL ......... ...........J Rod ............ We are so weak at the back we might as well do what we're good at and pick a team that stands a chance of getting a 3-3! Personally I would play Gazza but it looks like we are going to stay with Boruc, time for him to put in a decent shift. If fit I would have FR at right back and move Clyne over to the left, Clyne looked v comfortable at LB and FR is a massive upgrade on the hapless Fox. If Ramirez fit he would replace Myuka ... front 3 to be fairly flexible but ideally using RL to link up with AL and the pace of JRod and Myuka. So for me it's no Hoov, no Punch, no AL on the left, not room for JWP. No 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, it's a tweaked 4-3-3 and let's take the game to them! (with the current personnel it's impossible to pick a side that looks like it could keep a clean sheet!)

Give it a rest! C

Sheff U kit looks good

OK, I have a spare for today, the usual ST holder is on a golf trip to Spain and a couple of peeps have messed me about this week. It is in block 39, good view and good atmosphere. I will be in the Alfred from 13-30 or you will need to meet me outside the ground at 14-30. Face value (£35), pm me or post contact details if interested, I will catch you here up till about 09-45 this morning, if anybody wants it after that it is definitely still available but I won't pick up your message till 12.30ish, cheers.

OK, I have a spare for tomorrow, the usual ST holder is on a golf trip to Spain and a couple of peeps have messed me about this week. It is in block 39, good view and good atmosphere. I will be in the Alfred from 13-30 or you will need to meet me outside at 14-30. Face value (£35), pm me or post contact details if interested.

I have got a spare, back of 39 if you are interested? PM me.

You still got this? .. text Josh on 07585 977513, thnx

My nipper has travelled down from Loughborough without one! Anyone that knows of a spare text him on, he will be around the ground/pubs from 13-00 ish, very reliable, he won't mess you about, thanks if you can help.

Does't look anything like tonight's idiot?

You missed M - metrosexual, if it's all right for Anders it's all right for us.

Backs to the wall for everyone. It's 1-1 now but NI have been brilliant. Davis was a decent buy for us- stick Cork and JWP in the mix and our CM looks OK. Baird CDAJFU at CH LOL (he's playing CM tonight).

Baird and Davis playing for NI, 1-0 up away in Portugal (Ronaldo and Nani etc), Roy Carrol having a blinder, u know it can't last,17 minutes to go!

VFT you have an email.