VectisSaint

Not forgetting Stewart

Huge clanger from Stephens today, absolute shocker, although in the end he was the one who finally cleared the danger. Was on the pitch today cos RM protected Taylor who was on a yellow. We were already looking shaky before Stephens came on, we did our old trick of retreating into our cocky, defensive, knock it around at the back shell, though to be fair credit to Swansea who changed things very effectively at half time after being completely and utterly outclassed in the first half. I'm not a fan of Stephens replacing Taylor, because we lose so much when Taylor goes, particularly going forward, again today his long or lofted passes across or over the defenders are quite brilliant. Jan doesn't have that to the same extent so Stephens on for Bedders isn't such a problem. Still for you Jack haters, he hasn't played in a losing team so far this season, so even an almighty clanger like today actually makes no difference, and remember we did concede while Taylor/Jan were in the centre (though it was offside and handball).

Not that anyone actually said our away form did not need to improve. Simply that it is already as good as it has ever been in the club's history and it is better over the last 9 games than anyone else in the League, so expecting it to improve is asking a lot. But today definitely a 'must win'. Here's hoping. Looks like our best team available again today.

There is currently an Aribo sized gap to be filled. Otherwise Meghoma.

Clearly you don't understand the concept of 'form', and I ain't gonna waste my time explaining it to you. If you had bothered to read my post, and in context, you would have seen I was talking about the last 9 away games. That's form, usually based on last 6, 8,.10.games (or 9) not on all results of the season. We are the best on form based on the last 9 games, no it's or buts, and wins doesn't come into it, we have the most points of the top 4/5.teams (I haven't checked possibly Watford are better but who cares about Watford). Leicester have same number of points as us, but Ipswich, Leeds and WBA are well behind us. Of course it would be better if we had won more, but it's frankly unlikely given we have never done better before in our history, 9 away games without defeat is fecking brilliant form, but no you think we're poor and should do better. Hopefully we win in Saturday and Leicester smash Ipswich, then we'll be second and automatic promotion is firmly in our hands. As I said, we have all of the top teams away before end of season, they are the critical games that we have to avoid defeat in. Leicester are gone, which is a shame because I really wanted to win this bloody league this time, but ignore them and concentrate on 2nd place is what we need to focus on now. That and avoiding having to get anything from the last game of the season.

You know Ipswich have already gotten worse, that is why we have caught them. They have Leicester away this weekend. Football doesn't work in the linear way you seem to think. The outcome of the league this season is likely to hinge on the big matches, i.e. our away games at Leicester, Ipswich, WBA and Leeds. Those are the games that we very likely will have to win or at least not lose. We will lose some more games this season, but hopefully not too many, form is temporary, but so will the others. I think this Saturday is a massively important one for us, a win will put us above Ipswich at least temporarily and pile the pressure on them to get something at Leicester. [End of my posts for the day]

Why? It isn't quite simple at all. Our away form is the best in the League, only Leicester have equal points away from home in the same period as our unbeaten away streak (9 games) and they have lost 2 of those (to be fair I haven't checked any lower teams records, but they are all a long way behind, so probably won't impact top 2). Ipswich and Leeds are well behind. We have to play all three away from home, it is more likely the results of those games that will determine whether we go up automatically or not. Of course we could do with winning a larger proportion of our away games, but i don't think people are yet appreciating how good a run this team is on, unbeaten in 19, wins in all of our last 9 (or is it 10) home games, and 17 points (unbeaten) in our last 9 away games. It doesn't get any better than this (well hopefully it does of course). We won't overhaul Leicester unless something spectacular happens to them, but we are on track for automatic promotion based on form.

We have already equalled our club best ever unbeaten away record (1949 and 1984) but apparently that form is 'not great'. Some people have unrealistically high expectations. Agree it would have been good to win one or more of the ones we drew but I think what we have achieved is pretty damn good and has never been bettered not even by our star teams (1984) or managers Koeman/Lawrie Mac) of the past.

Don't think it will make much if any difference. Having the away supporters exiting via Melbourne St and their coaches parked there won't preclude home supporters using that road to get back to Docks/Chapel/Ocean Village etc. I used to frequently exit past the buses in Britannia Road, we weren't usually diverted away from the area, maybe for high risk matches, but we don't play the Skates very often. There are for sure a relatively small number of people who might choose to go round the stadium and down Marine Parade to avoid mingling with the visitors, but in the end if they feel that is a big problem they have the option to relocate.

There is no way this would have got this far without already having buy-in from the police. They are and always have been the reason for where the away fans are located. The Kings land/Chapel corner is the only viable option and will allow for the simple entry and exit of away coaches, although it will mean some disruption to the routes Home fans take into the ground, i.e. those coming from St Mary's and docks, who will presumably be diverted down Britannia Road. No doubt in my mind that the police have already been consulted and are on board.

Now I can post again I can explain, in your pre ious post you were referring to League appearances (before that you were talking all competitions). Both Stu and Jan currently sit on 176 League appearances, so can't get to 200 this season. Of course they can get to 200 in all comps in about a month, but that isn't what you were talking about in the post that I replied to. Personally I think 200 league appearances is a decent milestone.

You're quite correct. In fact it looks like 19 home league wins on the trot, latter part of 2010/11 (L1) and start of 2011/12 (Champ). So, unless someone comes up with something better 19 seems to be the record for consecutive home league wins, twice. A ways to go for that one.

They've both got a way to go to get to 200 League appearance, don't think they can achieve that this season, even if we were to play in the play-off final (if that counts as a League game).

It looks like we went 19 league wins at home on the trot in Southern League days, 1894 to 1897. Ended by a 1-1 draw with Spurs. There may be later runs of home wins but I doubt none as long as that. Of course 9 includes the FA Cup. In Football League days the season we went 19 unbeaten we didn't get past 6 home wins in succession. That season was part of our longest unbeaten home run in the League, 31 in total, a long way to go (Jan 21 to Aug 22). Avoid defeat at Swansea and that will be a record unbeaten away run, currently the record is 9 in 1949-50 and 1977-78, so already equal. My source (Saints, A Complete Record) only goes to 1987. I can't think of many times we went unbeaten away after that, indeed winning away was often an unexpected treat.

Reasonably sure avoiding defeat will also be a new all time record for unbeaten away matches.

Only seems to have been credited with 2 assists, not the one for Adams, though I can't see why, unless the defender touched it before it got to Che.

Not all time League we don't. 24 is the all time record for league matches unbeaten. You're on about the record in the Football League. Try to keep up. 😵‍💫

Just found out the sad news that Mel Blyth has passed away. Great player for us and of course part of the 'Class of 76'. RIP Mel.

One day, maybe, but not tomorrow.

Would agree that THB is the best central defender, but he is clearly going to be a class act and will not be with us for long. Disagree about Stephens, what he is bringing to the team is a desire to get forward quickly and make incisive, perhaps a little riskier forward passes. The pass to Alcaraz that led to the Mara goal being a case in point. He made several passes of that ilk against Walsall, and also in previous games. We do seem to have developed this aspect of our game in the last 2 or 3 matches, where before we messed around with it at the back, we now take some risks in getting balls forward from the CBs into the midfield/forwards, and Stephens has been central to this (THB has been doing as well). My hunch is that this is why Martin prefers Stephens over Bednarek, Bedders has been excellent this season defensively, but he is not so good in the area of making incisive passes and playing out with pace from the back. We have looked so much better recently, now that there is pace, and the ball is being moved far more quickly, Meghoma was excellent on Saturday playing out and running with the ball at pace and making good passes to Fraser especially. Personally I wouldn't be averse to playing Meghoma in preference to Manning, who is poor defensively and ponderous on the ball, sadly I am pretty sure Martin will stick with Manning.

Duncan has rightly pointed out on Twitter this morning that this is not the all time unbeaten run record. For League games (Southern League) the record is 24, set from the end of season 1895-6 (4 games) and throughout the 1896/7 season (20 games). The record for "all competitions" (League and FA Cup) would appear to be 21, that run ended in Feb 1897 when we lost to Newton Heath in a 2nd round replay in February. The record I referred to of 9 away games unbeaten I now realise must refer to Football League only and must also have been beaten in 1896-1897 given that we remained unbeaten in all league matches in that season (10 games) and presumably 2 at the end of the 1895/96 season, so record would be 12. Actually the last 4 games in 95/96 were all at home (strange) so the record appears to be 10. So we have a few more games to go unbeaten to break our all time records for unbeaten runs and for Duncan to literally rewrite the history books.

Incidentally, I believe we have already equalled our record unbeaten away run. Avoid defeat at Swansea and it will be a new record. We last went 9 unbeaten away in 1977/78 (promotion season) and before that in 1949/50.

No need for a poll for MotM today.

Alcaraz is having a mare. He should be bossing this, he has the ability, but just doing nothing, giving the ball away.

His first season in charge, or the first half a season he was in charge?