washsaint

We are dross....decent ball in the box and not one player attacking it. Wish we had gotten Howe in the summer - at least the football would have been entertaining and attack minded rather than this slow ponderous unadventurous crap being served up under Puel.

Yoshi having an absolute mare....

Excellent strike by WBA - no stopping that. Mix up from Yoshi and VVD - not their finest games to put it mildly. Our defence was the one area that saved us from being in a relegation battle but even that is weak now. We are a poor, poor side and will miss Boufal big time.

Bit more cutting edge 2nd half and we should win this. Need to get more bodies in the box from open play though. WBA very very fortunate to be level. Having seen numerous replays on NBC of their goal, Yoshi was turned too easily and Forster was way too slow to get down and did not actually stretch out - if he did he would have saved it. Seemed like he was on his heels (again) which is why he was slow to get down. We also need our full backs to offer more threat going forward.

I think once McCarthy gets fit Forsters place could/should be in serious jeopardy. Not blaming him for the goal but perhaps should have got a hand to it. He just seems to have stopped making saves. Boufal was excellent but from open play we look toothless.

That should have been a 2nd yellow.

FFS....what bloody awful defending again.

Ha Ha Ha ....... shows what I know (nothing)! Great header from Long

We sit so deep that even when we have the chance of a break (Hoj) there is not a single Saints player anywhere near the play - they are all sat back. Tadic has been woeful so far and I would bring Sims on for him at HT

Pretty awful game so far. WBA happy to sit back and stifle us and, Boufal apart, we don't have the quality to cause them any issues in areas that really matter.

For once, I would agree with Shurlock. Boufal is a class apart and as well as having a silky touch works hard too.

Really Ottawa? You happy that 3 times now we have pulled decent balls back into dangerous areas and we have 1 , at most 2, players in the box and no-one attacking those decent pull backs? Its glaringly obvious this is a real weakness yet it is the same every single game. We are playing pretty well until the final third - propaganda football as WGS used to say.

And again - just 2 players in the box when a decent cross comes in. When are we going to actually attack with purpose?

Just not enough numbers in the box.

We just don't have any attacking threat at all....very predictable and no cutting edge.

Tadic very, very poor so far

Once again we are in a dangerous position and we only have 1 player in the box and then long plays it behind Boufal. We have to get more bodies forward.

I would be amazed at this. We have enough non-scoring forwards without paying good money for another one. he has 3 goals in 17 this season (I am guessing mainly a sub for Napoli which again would raise the question of why we would even be interested). Reckon this must be his agent trying to drum up some interest in him.

While not ready to throw in the towel on Puel yet, many of the performances this season have been unacceptable. Gutless, defensive rubbish. I would much rather we threw caution to the wind and attacked with numbers (we have the players to do this) than try and eke out 1-0 wins, 0-0 draws, etc. There is no doubt we need an AMC - although you could argue Boufal could do this as I personally think he looks dangerous just behind the forward. I think he is wasted out on the wing where he is isolated with little support. As Turkish has said over on the UI we should go back to a 4-2-3-1 formation and get numbers forward to support attacks. Our midfield is too lightweight and I would argue players like Hojberg need a run of games to get into rhythm as opposed to being rotated almost every game. Rotation, while maybe necessary during busy periods, seems to be affecting the fluency (or lack of) of our play. Hopefully 3 points against WBA and a much improved performance although no doubt there will be 5 or 6 changes again.

Sorry, but you could have Costa up front for us and it would make no difference. We don't get enough players forward and whoever plays up front is isolated. We have Boufal and Tadic who are real talents but seem obsessed with crop circles (shades of Fabrice Fernandes) and we are too defensive to get numbers forward. We put crosses in and most times we have 1 or sometimes 2 or 3 players in the box. Compare that to Spurs tonight who would consistently have 5 or 6 players in the box when the ball came in.

Spot on. And that is what makes us so dull - 11 men behind the ball and wait for a counter. We looked really good pressing and attacking and then, as you say, decided to sit really deep and invite Spurs on to us. Madness, utter madness. Not quite sure how, with all this bloody rotation, Redmond (who has been abysmal) seems to start every game.

yes we are in the semis of the LC and 8th in the Prem. But, my god - the style of football we have been subjected to this season (couple of games aside) has been truly awful. Dull, boring and no threat to the opposition. Like playing for a 0 - 0 against Hapoel (home and away). I am truly bored to tears watching Saints this season. Really don't know if Puel is the man for us or not. His style of play and defensive setup has us so predictable and certainly no fun to watch. I hope 2nd half of the season he has an epiphany and looks to play a far more expansive attacking brand of football

I certainly hope there is a reaction on Saturday. This is simply not good enough. Yet again, no attacking threat and a dull, boring, insipid style of play after 15 minutes of high energy where we, for once, actually looked dangerous. I am so 'meh' about Puel and his dull, boring style of play. No threat at all.

OMG......Long has looked like a pub player since he came on.

What a shame.....we were great for 10-15 minutes and have been absolute rubbish since. Puel doesn't half like to play a very conservative style......poor Jay had 0 service all night and no-one getting forward to support him. I really despise this 'style' of football and runs counter to what we have typically been about. Getting 11 behind the ball and having no drive to get forward makes for awful viewing. Yet it was totally different against Bournemouth. Why?