Winnersaint

We’ve got a better squad than either of those. If Burnley, SU and Luton were in EPL this year we’d stay up. Sadly we’ve been promoted from a brutal Championship into a very strong EPL. We have had no chance since the first ball was kicked this season.

RM overthought it. He’s guilty of that as charged.

Perspective and all that. We were never going to be competitive this season. Getting cross about will change fuck all.

There may well be plenty more things in life to be infuriated and depressed about than Saints losing at Bompey.

The thing that amazes me is that anyone thought it was going to be better.

Players have lost it. No confidence in the system, and many know they’re neither good enough or experienced enough at this level.

We’re just not very good, are we?

I said a few weeks back their £40m fella would break his duck against us. Gotta happen.

We're probably the only EPL team that's made them like world beaters.

United are atrocious. Ten Hag for the chop.

Reports suggest that it’s like we play just with better players

I think Bournemouth is crucial for RM. With a potential free hit the following game against Arsenal if SR were going to look at things differently (not saying they should, but there are press rumblings) then with the second international break it could be an opportune moment to make a switch.

Nothing better than a draw, probable defeat. I've always thought we were capable of giving the certain teams a game at home, you know, the likes of; Fulham, Palace, Bournemouth, Brentford, Forest, Leicester, Ipswich, Everton and possibly West Ham. Win your home games against those and there's 24 points in the bag even if you lose one at home. Failure to beat Forest and Ipswich has already knackered that and even now I feel we are already needing snookers, so we'll need to pick up away points also. Never been our strength.

I agree, once RM does get a team playing as a cohesive unit as last seen season from October onwards it works, however I think you are right in your assumption that there is insufficient time to allow this to happen in this brutal league.

I don't begrudge him that after sticking around last season.

I think this is not far off the mark. It begs the question why? Its not like we're a Huddersfield, Burnley, Blackpool, Luton, Sheffield Utd, Bournemouth even, we do have pedigree in this league. This league is all about scoring goals and having 2/3 of Sheffield Utd's relegated forward line isn't going to get you very far.

Off grid for next 30 mins or so. Expect to come back to find we've played with ten men for the last 20 and lost 2-1 with the winner coming in the last minute.😂

Perhaps, but the point I'm making is that its almost certainly a facet of Russball which at this level we may have not adapted to. Either that or the players are erring on the side caution and not being 'brave' enough, to coin a phrase.

Alan Ball never had the legs back in the day but he always knew where to be, at the right time and invariably picked the right pass without running his legs off.

Not sure why that should be a surprise. Departure notwithstanding he was a very very good player for us in his first spell.

Interesting comment in WHU v Chelsea game re Maresca who emphasises possession first and foremost but leaves it to the players to take responsibility to get it forward if there is an obvious opening.

How long before the first........ Fuck! or FFS! of the afternoon?

I'm sure we can if we try. However ever hopeful.

No. I think having KWP playing at left wing back made us unbalanced. I don't think he's been as bad as people seem to be implying. Combined well in first half last week with BBD but let down by the latter, providing scant support when Utd had the ball. I would hazard a guess that Sugawara was bought as a KWP replacement in the event of him being sold in the summer window and that has left us with a problem because he's still here and KWP is more versatile than Sugawara.

Enjoyed the discussion as ever.