washsaint

Watching the Spurs-Ipswich game it is everything Saints are not. Attacking with intent at pace, excellent defending (so far) from Ipswich and players not afraid to have a shot or try something different. Compare that to the soporific brand of football Martin has implemented and it is no surprise we are so awful. We have no attacking threat, our sideways, backwards passing gives the opposition all the time in the world to reset and it seems only Dibling will take on his man and have a shot from outside the box. Most of our players are barely Championship quality and this brand of football is so turgid to watch. What a thoroughly depressing season. I'd rather we went down all guns blazing as opposed to the timid, pathetic approach that is being employed.

I posted this on the Ugly and a couple of days later it is truer than ever. Seeing imbeciles like Jimmy Kimmel nearly in tears, thinking anyone gives a s**t about what he thinks about the election is beyond amusing. Likewise the left in the US cannot see the irony: shouting from the rooftops that they are pro-women and then supporting men taking part in women's sports under the label 'transgender'. Oh, how funny it has been seeing the liberal elites all throw tantrums over the election results here in the US. Americans do not like being told how to think, what to support or being labeled 'fascists' because they have a different view to the person assigning this label. Likewise Americans, by their very nature, are quite conservative. The whole transgender nonsense (allowing men into womens sports) did not sit well (as the election shows) with the silent majority all while the shameless left patted themselves on the back and continued to hide the obvious: Biden's mental capacities severely diminished. In the years following 2016 Americans did very well from the Trump presidency until COVID. If Trump is a 'fascist' then why did his share of the black community, Jewish community and Latino community soar? I did not vote for Trump (nor Harris) but can understand why a lot of people did.

Wow, really shows what a weak squad we have. Very uninspiring but probably the best we could put out (with the exception of Fraser)

Have you whining babies not figured out yet?......this squad is not (a couple of players apart, and I don;t count KWP in that couple of players) a Premiership quality squad. This season was always going to be a mighty struggle - you can't legislate for stupid errors like Downes made yesterday (there's a reason he was not a starter at WHU). Most of our squad is a strong Championship squad but it is not (Ramsdale, Fernandes, Dibling aside) a Premiership squad.

While getting promoted was obviously massive anyone else feel the Premier League is overhyped, dull as dishwater and completely uncompetitive? Even leaving aside Saints results this season, most games are dull as dishwater. Villa Utd was awful and most teams outside the top 4 or 5 are set up to simply avoid defeat. Take Forest against Chelsea today. The games are not as entertaining as the Championship and the Championship is such a competitive league that games are far more entertaining. Not going to miss the Premiership at all next season after our inevitable relegation.

For all the talk about our signings in the summer, most were head scratching: Archer - never done it at Villa or Sheff Utd and looked very poor for Saints so far Fraser - was a great squad player last season but nowhere near Prem quality BBD - looks absolutely bloody terrible Lesley - tried to replicate the Lavia signing but he is a fraction of the player Lavia was. Nowhere near Prem quality yet THB - yet to show he is a Prem player yet but plenty of time on his side Downes - yet to show he is a Prem player Cornet - why? He makes BBD look like Pele Taylor - solid but not great Which really means Ramsdale, Fernandes (who looks like a real prospect) and Lallana as looking like they are Prem quality. And then we have Stewart, AA and Tall Paul as our lethal, score for fun strikers if we ever decide to play with strikers.

This no strikers approach really has legs. Pump the ball up into their half with no-one in their half......pure genius. This has been beyond embarrassing and is, in many ways, worse than the 9-0s under Ralph.

Goal should never have stood - the ball was miles from the foul spot and still moving. But what is that bloody lineup he's put out there? No striker and why sign COrnet? He looks as useless as AA and BBD.

Because we have Dibling and Fernandes.........

No-ones turning on him but Sugawara is better defensively and still threatening moving forward. Whether KWP plays LB or RB he leaves us open defensively: looks great going forward but leaves us wide open at the back.

You have no idea what you are talking about. KWP, while looking good going forward, offers very little defensively. Saints looked better yesterday with him out of the side.

I hope he turns into a Pelle type of signing. Relatively unheralded, unproven at the top level but comes good. Certainly he offers us more than Archer, AA and BBD up top (if match fit and stays fit)

REckon that's a line up screaming 'sack me'. How else can get Wood get a start and such a mediocre front line. Surely to god, TP, ABK and SAA were worth a start ahead of this motley crew who are garbage.

What an utter shite looking lineup. Very disappointing that SAA not starting and ABK is out in the cold: a far better CB than any of the others we have.

I agree with @tisspahars - if we stay up this year that's an unexpected bonus. If we go down we get to experience a thoroughly entertaining season in the Championship (yes, financially we need to be in the Prem but the Championship is more entertaining, more fun to watch, etc.). We truly need to sort out our attacking play.....scoring once in 4 games and never really looking like scoring is the biggest concern. Any mistakes at the back are magnified as we are so short of ideas up front. AA, BBD and CA are all powder puff and not Premiership players so difficult to see where the goals are coming from. Bring ABK back into the fold (easily our best defender) and I think we'll look more solid at the back.

If that were STephens and not THB, he would be getting pelters. Terrible defending playing him on like that. This side has no fight and no attacking threat.

Nope, ABK should be starting before both of them

Well, at least that is Stephens out for the next 3 games......

Very disappointing......would have expected some fight from Saints but there has been nothing. Bereft of ideas and confidence. I simply do not see how we have any chance of staying up this season....we have literally no attacking threat. Today the only threat was from an 18 year old making his first start.

Unfortunately, could not agree more. When an 18 year old kid is our best player by a country mile we have real issues (no matter how good Dibling is). We look bereft of ideas up front (DIbling aside) and ARcher is like a little boy lost (yet another panic signing: clearly not good enough). BBD has been hopeless and KWP is showing why no decent side was in for him. Game over - no way Saints score 1 let alone 2.

ABK should be starting. Far better than our starting CBs and THB (who has been s***e this season). Archer needs to come off at HT - utterly gash and no movement up top. The bright spot has been Dibling - but he won't be here next season in the Championship (no way Saints are staying up: no-one looks like scoring and the defending is pathetic).

What utter nonsense! So Stephens is at fault for the strikers not hitting the target? He's responsible for a weak midfield or players losing their man? Talk about scapegoating....... Should he be in the side, that's a different question but to blame him for all our problems is beyond ridiculous.

What a shame he went to Chelsea, you've got to think he would be in the 1st team here right now. Just signed a new contract at Chelsea and got a hat trick against Middlesbrough in the U21 game after getting 16 last season.

ALready miles better than Edozie who really looks clueless once he's done his step overs. For me, him and Dibling start on Saturday. No fear from them, direct and some of Dibling's mazy runs were a thing of beauty.

As others have said, seems like a very odd signing as we have plenty of midfielders and is very unproven. I imagine Charles not being in the squad yesterday means he's off. I'd be sad to see Alcaraz go as he looked great when he came on and, unlike most of the team, offered a real attacking threat by running at players and trying killer passes. Stand by my comment yesterday that if we don't have a new GK in by the next game it will be criminal. McCarthy was never the answer.