saintant

We know what works so why don't we just carry on doing it!!!!

Why do we do this. Attack, attack, attack. We can't defend so get the fucking ball up the other end of the pitch.

It's because we stop what worked and drop deep. No need for it.

How we playing seeing as Sky present me with about two seconds content before picture freezes again, rinse and repeat.

Fucking Sky shit!!!!

Need to manage the second half because WBA have to go for it so will leave gaps. Stop the fannying around and get the ball forward at pace and they won't live with us. Get Scienza and Fellows with chalk on their boots and we'll finish the job.

Let's hope Sky sort the problem for second half. Typical, if we were losing 3-0 there'd be no problem with the stream!!!

Sky stream is crap!!!!

The wind is forecast to drop a fair bit so shouldn't be a problem but I know what you mean - we never seem to play well in adverse conditions.

We should win but, as Saints fans, we are rarely confident even when on a good run. A loss or draw would be disappointing but not too damaging to our top six aspirations. Another win and we travel to Carrow Road full of confidence. Think we'll need Scienza and Fellows to be right on their game tonight. More early goals for us please.

A tough test you clearly believe is beyond us 🙂

It is quite staggering to watch what Bazunu does from behind the goal - he's stood still then I'm expecting him to take a step or two to his left but he steps the other way so all his weight is on the wrong side making a fast spring to his left impossible.

BBC weather showing winds easing and rain stopping by kick off - hope they're right for a change.

The Pitchside Unseen video on the Official site is even more damning - it's shot from behind the goal and as Grey moves infield and shapes to shoot into the far corner Bazunu takes a couple of side steps in completely the wrong direction making any chance of a save all but impossible.

Wolves still without a win and some tough fixtures coming up. They face Arsenal, Liverpool and Man Utd away before the end of the year. Brentford at home is a must win for them because the longer they go without a win the harder it's going to become. Could they be the first Premier league side to win no matches in a season?

Didn't pick up that vibe to be honest. He was asked about dropping Stephens for Quarshie against Leicester but explained it was to combat the pace of their front three - not sure WBA are as quick up front.

Yeah, we've been through some shit of late so it is great to feel positive again and enjoy watching us play.

Can Tonda complete a clean sweep of 3 wins this week? Last time he missed out due to an under par performance at Millwall without Leo. We've beaten Brum and West Brom plus Norwich look like games we should win but upsets often happen. If he does get the two victories that will make an incredible 7 wins out of 8 and have us right back in the mix for a top six place. Top 2 by the end of the season seems too much of a mountain to climb but there are lots more points up for grabs so never say never. Let's crack on with another two wins this week.

You'd think it could be corrected or at least improved upon. However, if Bazunu hasn't grasped the positional aspect of goalkeeping by now it is unlikely he ever will. The Gray shot may well have gone in even if he'd been positioned correctly and shuffling across - if this had been the case we'd all be saying no keeper saves that. It's largely what goes before his dive that is wrong and causes many to question him particularly on shots from range.

I'm not sure why he is so close to his near post. Gray has cut in from the left and Bazunu should already have been shuffling across towards his left post. He's left most of the goal for Gray to aim at.

This is my point and his poor positioning often makes it look as though he had no chance to save a shot so he is cut some slack. He's often reactive rather than proactive. It's relatively small things but positioning and being proactive are vital in the skill set of a good keeper.

It will be interesting to see how Tonda treats FA Cup matches. I think our strongest team could give most sides a game especially at St Marys. However, I suspect we'll field a weakened side now that we are beginning to close in on the promotion chasing pack.

Agree. He'd be more inclined to be a constant ball recycler and he was never great at tackling or closing down so not for me.

Yeah it's a tricky balance and, as you rightly point out, Tonda tends to make quite early substitutions which weaken our offensive options. Maybe we need some additions in January that will address this issue and give us more of an attacking threat off the bench. Or perhaps there's a player or two he knows from the U21s. I'm not sure we'll ever be a side that can close out games by defending because it inevitably leads to us being pinned in our own half and panic setting in. Attack is the better option but we need the personnel to maintain a forward threat until the final whistle. I believe good tactics can play a part because gaps should open up for us when opponents are chasing the game. Can't say I'm ever comfortable or confident when we drop deep to protect what we have.

Yes and much credit to Tonda for the way he's set us up to get the maximum out of our flair players. I always believed they would prove good signings but it's taken a new coach to assess how they should be utilised and to make things tick. The football recently is some of the best we've produced in ages. Because things have been so bad it is hard to make yourself believe it's not going to suddenly go pear shaped again but I'm beginning to let my guard down and hope we are truly at the start of a golden period under Eckert.