derry

Jack Stephens has a major fault in that he often gets caught out through his ball watching. On Saturday he made a poor pass but then put in a last ditch block immediately. I think the problem was the disruption of making two changes in the back four for no reason. Bednarek has played left side with THB virtually all season. Stephens is essentially a right sided player yet he came on, went left side and Bednarek changed to the right. The disruption was noticeable. Whilst Stephens has even played reasonably at left back he isn't comfortable on the left. Bednarek should have stayed left side and Stephens just slotted in on the right side. It would have allowed him to be more comfortable on his natural side.

With due respect to Che Adams, He was good until the end of the summer transfer window as soon as the window closed he was hopeless. Approaching the January window he picked up again and put himself about, got into the box and started scoring again. I wonder why that is. Personally. unless he signs the contract we should let him go and get a goalscorer in. If he's still here after the window he may well revert to hopeless again. We can't afford that.

I've read some of the criticism of Stephens. To be fair he has messed up in about three games now. His back pass to Bazunu who messed up was poor, the next game he opted not to make a safe pass to THB who was wide open, instead passed to Manning who hit a hospital ball to Fraser on the congested side which ended up us losing the ball and conceding a goal. Yesterday he messed up several passes giving the ball to Swansea on the edge of our box. He was playing on the left side, in the first game as he replaced Bednarek but when he replaced THB yesterday Bednarek moved left to right and the predominantly right sided Stephens took the left side. That made no sense to me. He doesn't look comfortable on the left maybe having to cover because Manning's regularly going missing on that side. It was a lovely display in the first half and until we made the substitutions we were comfortable. Rothwell looked all at sea trying to fit in, give him time. It's obvious we are trying to give time to those players on the edge of the team to integrate them and improve them but I think as in the case of Stephens we shouldn't make life difficult for him, unnecessarily putting him on the left. Manning on the other hand defensively is poor. We are crying out for a good class left back.

RIP Mel.

Roper volleyed at hip height approx, it didn't go very high but it went like a rocket. it was up in the top right hand corner and hit the iron net support they used in those days and went down back under the goalkeeper. I was stood level with Roper behind the dugout and can still see it now. The goalkeeper dived but couldn't reach it and was on his way down when the ball came back out. As a retired airline captain I am well aware of lift, drag and aerodynamics having studied it for a year full time.and refreshed on courses for over forty years. I also had better than 20/20 vision and I know what I saw. Personally I wouldn't be citing 'A' levels as a criteria for expertise as it's pretty much at the bottom of the knowledge window.

Stephens had a hand in the last two late goals we conceded, a sloppy pass to Bazunu and a pass to Manning who dropped Fraser in it with his poor pass, when an easy pass to THB who was wide open was ignored and then his ball watching amongst others let Sargent equalise.

A few remarks have been made about the heavy leather balls this is a myth because since 1956 at least a new plastic coated valve ball without a lace was used for Saints and all other league matches and everywhere else, sometimes orange sometimes white. It was only junior league and school football where the old leather laced ball was sometimes used. Saints used to raffle the match ball, I won an orange one once. It was called penny on the ball.

I think this is the mythical assumption that modern is stronger and quicker. I knew John Sydenham he was the quickest player I've ever seen. Ron Davies was the best header and highest jumper I've ever seen. In my very early days at the Dell in the 1950's I saw Don Roper after he had come back from Arsenal hit a flat volley from the halfway line that went in under the diving goalkeeper and was hit so hard it hit the iron stanchion at the back of the net and came back out under the still airborn goalkeeper.

It also causes another problem as the central defenders are pulled across leaving room down our right as we try to plug the gaps, Norwich's goal today. Manning bypassed and KWP ending up as the last defender. Personally I think Manning is careless, his ball to Fraser was almost impossible to do anything. I think he is an appalling defender and allowed far too much freedom by the manager. We need to bring in a proper left back now.

The back four were all involved in conceding the goal for a variety of different reasons. It started with Stephens he had an easy out ball to THB who was in acres of space to his right with KWP free outside him yet turned towards the congested area and passed to Manning who then caused the problem by pinging the ball at Fraser who tried a blind pass that hit a Norwich player between two Saints. Armstrong had the chance to take one for the team but didn't. Stephens THB and KWP were ball watching and THB let Sargent rotate off him whilst Stephens was ball watching KWP was the only one to react as he attempted to pick up Sargent but made no challenge. Sargent rolled the ball through KWP's legs and in off the post. Bazunu was nearly on the penalty spot and couldn't get down quickly enough. I felt he shouldn't have been so far out of his goal.

The transfer window is nearly open and the offered contract still unsigned. He scored three goals before the summer window closed and then after when he played he was hopeless. Now the window opens he his alive again and scoring. Yesterday he did something good strikers do, he went into the goal area then dropped out losing his marker and made a great run to score after Harwood-Bellis's brilliant through ball. We are now going to benefit from the added performance until he goes or the window closes. If he's still here after it closes another slump??? Personally I think we should unload him for whatever we can get. Moviesky and Shankland would be useful replacements.

Of all the goalkeepers I've seen in this league he is easily the best when it comes to fitting in to the way we play especially sweeping behind the back four. As our defensive record has improved the better he has been. Manning is a much bigger weakness and McCarthy is totally unsuited to the way we play. For me it was a stupid mistake. Personally I'd put some of the responsibility on the manager because there is a reluctance with all the players to accept that sometimes putting a foot through the ball is the real solution.

I'll keep my powder dry on my criticism of Manning's positional play. Leicester and Sunderland murdered us on the break due to the acreage wide left unattended. I can see Leicester, Leeds, Ipswich and especially Sunderland because of their early season success attacking that area on the break. We'll see in due course how good a tactic it is. I just think it's the way he plays and Martin lets him. Did anybody really expect Stephens to overlap and with KWP in front of him why would he? I think that Manning is a poor defender. We were better defensively with Bree at left back.

The biggest thing for me, he hasn't solved the problem of Manning drifting into the middle and gifting our left side to the opposition. That in itself has cost us goals and points. He needs to sort that out because as the season progresses it is a weakness that will be exploited by the better teams. Now that we are appearing to close the gap on Ipswich we can't afford his weakness. Bree or KWP are fine but his apparent preference for his ex Swansea player is worrying.

Leeds penalty 1-1

Who was the questionable £20m left back because Manning was out of contract at Swansea and came on a Free transfer.

Apart from Adams standing watching outside the box while others were busting a gut, missing a dolly of a chance and playing like a lumbering lumberjack. Several players, S.Armstrong, Smallbone, KWP, THB, and Manning gifted the ball to the opposition when under no pressure. We've got to stop that. It was a really good result down to hard work and another flick on to the far post by AA and well finished by THB. I thought Bazunu had a very sound game and contributed to another clean sheet.

Solent said this morning that Stewart had aggravated the previous injury. Martin said to be fair rather than giving endless bulletins the club feel that it's better to write this season off and give him a full pre season next year. However if he is fit earlier before the end of the season that would be a bonus.

I think the next four games will have an interesting effect on the league tables and be a good guide what our chances are for the rest of the season.

The changes made a difference. Downes ran the middle the fullbacks gave us solidity. The substitutions were positive and worked well at the end. Nice to see little Edozie poach the goal from a corner, very slick,

I don't give a damn whether he is really a pretty poor attacker or midfielder he is primarily a defender and a piss poor one at that. Even worse he gives the ball away when under no pressure and gets caught in possession. His biggest weakness is he's unable to use his right foot probably because he doesn't trust himself. He is so one footed he is predictable therefore easy to catch on the ball.

Paine O'Brien Reeves Mulgrew Sydenham. Paine O'Brien Davies Melia Sydenham Paine Channon Davies Burnside Sydenham Those forward lines scored around a hundred goals a season and conceded around sixty. This football lacks the forwards and even if we had them the players behind them ignore penetrative runs and pass sideways counting passes. No wonder we're snatching at chances outnumbered up front.

I thought he had, but it was S Armstrong to Fraser who crossed short, flicked on by A Armstrong and finished by Edozie.

no replays on Sky red button.