derry

About time we signed a proper defender why stop at one.

This afternoon I had a log in problem Contacted the Admin on Saintsplayer. Sorted in five minutes, now working perfectly again.

👍🤞

If you're talking about Wes Morgan, he genuinely attacked the ball and won a lot. Don't expect Vestergaard to play that way because he won't he'll stand and watch. Best of luck.

My memory may be playing tricks but I for some reason I remember Ardiles wearing 2 for Argentina and running the games from midfield.

I have my own view on what makes a good defensive centre back the most vital defensive position in any team. Vestergaard had only one asset for me and was basically deficient in the others. He mostly could control the ball and hit an accurate crossfield pass. Defensively he was a liability without two other centre backs to cover him. Pacewise he was a cart horse without the agility to turn quickly. No acceleration to speak of. His marking was laughable, wrong positionally so neither marked or was in a position to simultaneously see the mark and the ball which is essential. For his height he rarely won aerial challenges under pressure while flattering to deceive often heading the ball away whilst unchallenged. Often he was too late and too slow in last ditch challenges which often ended up with the ball in our net. When he did get forward out of position and we lost the ball he left us high and dry at the back never getting back. Personally I was holding my breath that he wouldn't go. I think maybe the management were so obliging to Leicester because they also saw the opportunity to plug a major hole in our defence. Hopefully we'll get somebody in that can genuinely attack the aerial balls and be swift and smart enough to improve our defending. As for Leicester! We'll see.

Reported as signed subject to medical but with Saints permission already training with Leicester so he can be available for saturday.

Or even Nat.🙂

Vestergaard wants a new challenge! I presume it's because he is mostly too slow to make challenges as he makes a passable impression of a lamp post. I've lost count of the times the ball is stuck in our net and he hasn't moved just watching. Playing against quick forwards he is like a carthorse in the Derby. As for going forward, if we lose the ball we usually are left exposed as he can't get back and usually makes no effort. If we can find a mug to buy him that would be great. Use the money to buy a quick, hard man defender.

I've been with SaintsPlayer for about three years. They are now a proper IPTV channel using two IPTV streams and connections to smart tv. They have extensive coverage on movies, series, all sports. £70 a year for one connection to all your devices or £120 for two devices at one time. Also shorter term connections. Pay by bank transfer. If there is a problem they have sorted it quickly. I'm very satisfied. They have all 92 clubs on live in league sections. If a stream is buffering there are alternatives plus direct connections to tv stations worldwide showing games. I often use Supersport for example. Worth a look at their website.

Kevin Keegan and Ron Davies. I've not seen a player in the world that could match Ron in the air ever. Modern players Gareth Bale and VVD.

Ings was a good player. At £20m or less it was better to keep him in my opinion however for the reported £30m ish it became a different ball game and a chance to buy two decent players at least and added to the available funds another couple which would give the team more resilience and the ability to ride out injuries.

Vestergaard's biggest weaknesses are to be painfully slow and switching off. I don't buy into his going forward because when we lose the ball he is so slow, he is out of the game defensively, can't get back, causing a big hole in our defence with Bednarek exposed, KWP up the field often ending up in a goal conceded. Vestergaard needs to cover Bednarek and vice versa. I think he is a massive weakness and the sooner we find a mug the better we'll be. We can then use some of the money to find another Salisu mobile type of centre back.

I think we should keep Ings until his contract runs out unless in the absence of offers from top clubs or injury he signs the contract solving the problem. Ings is more use to the club playing for us than playing for some other club. He is ambitious, treading water will end any chance of international call ups. He will need to be playing well and scoring goals, That means to me we will get value albeit costing us 80% of any possible fee. Risking relegation for £16m doesn't add up. We should buy a replacement now and bed him in. With the £100m+ we wasted on a collection of expensive players that weren't good enough or didn't fit in was expensive. Another season from Ings is cheap in comparison.

He is reported to have signed a six month contract. Well done Saints.

He was one of the reasons we were able consolidate in the first division after promotion. One of my favourites playing behind our great forwards. RIP.

I wonder somehow if we aren't missing a trick. Years ago not only did the likes of Liverpool and Manchester Utd buy ready to play players they bought in young not yet ready but good young players from the lower divisions. For example Ray Clements and Kevin Keegan who didn't play immediately in the first team but came through quite quickly. Our purchase of ready made players for multi million fees has been very hit and miss in the last few years, It seems it's either that or the academy which also isn't producing as it used to. Maybe we should add another tier of two or three players from the lower divisions every year and if some of them step up to the challenge it would help the squad. After all we brought through some pretty decent players from division one who performed well in the Premier league. Watching the playoffs I've seen players that at that level look almost too good. For example if anyone is watching today, I've been watching a 25 years old left wing back several times in FA cup games and the playoffs. Ryan Haynes, he looks pretty competent but it is difficult to see on TV. If anybody knows him or is watching I'd be interested in any opinions.

Never mind McCarthy's lack of shot stopping, his in possession play is just totally incompetent. What manager in his right mind would allow him to do that. It led directly to the first goal, that and outnumbered at the back. Diallo spectating, just the back three and KWP managing to get back. Redmond is brainless stood offside for ten seconds until he noticed, moved onside but was offside when he received the ball, air shot defending then not bothering to defend. Our defensive organisation is non-existent. Vestergaard doing a great impression of a lamp post

Harry Kane and Son suckered our centre backs second game of the season. Leeds suckered us at Elland Road, and again tonight. Just three examples of Kamikaze defending. Our defenders might and it's a very big might get a couple of goals a season between them. They are employed as defenders. Vestergaard and Stephens carrying the ball forward just opens us up at the back. JWP was the only Saints player back for the second goal against three Leeds players. Defence is too important to allow them to showboat. Until we organise and become a disciplined team we are going to continue to be also rans just happy not to be relegated. Ralph needs to get a grip. We probably wouldn't have conceded if we had been disciplined at the back.

Stephens has had this problem for years. He has been at fault on numerous occasions for losing his mark while ball watching. His body position is a major issue. A marker not only needs to see his mark he needs to be goal side and have a view of the ball. on these occasions Stephens focusses on the ball.

I was hoping you'd give your opinion. What's your take on the rule. I've checked McCarthy's position and the ball was gone towards McCarthy before Vardy collided with Vestergaard. The collision was as much Vardy's actions as Vestergaard's momentum. I'd go so far as to say I can't see how it could be a foul, more an accidental collision.

As I remember it Armstrong rolled a pass to Vestergaard who took his eye off the ball, meanwhile Vardy was probably about 10 yards away as soon as he saw Vestergaard miss the ball he sprinted hard at right angles to Vestergaard's position from the ball, Vestergaard stretched to knock the ball away but Vardy's pace took him into the path of Vestergaard's momentum. It was an accident not a foul. Neither the referee or Jon Moss took into consideration Vardy's part in the incident. He wasn't tackled he didn't have the ball, Vestergaard had already moved it out of his path. I haven't checked how close Macarthy was, but I assume he was reacting and moving out. The referees got this wrong. Even if they thought it was a foul, the fact Vestergaard played the ball before colliding with the inrushing Vardy who wasn't in possession of the ball should mean a maximum yellow card, I may be wrong but I understood that the red card in those circumstances was only if the player in possession was fouled without any contact with the ball. The nasty streak in me remembered Vardy going into the back of Van Dyck's achilles and the damage he did. I didn't wish him well and was disappointed he ran it off. I was hoping that he was getting a dose of his own medicine, still living in hope. Dirty little bastard.

Personally I'd love us to win the cup. Secondly not if we were relegated. With the ownership we have, to be relegated could be terminal. There is a suspicion from me that the assets would be stripped and the relegation payments used to assist the owners to balance the falling value of the club. If we want to be in a position to even compete in cup competitions we need to have a competitive team in the Premier League together with the income it generates. Falling out of the league could open a trap door. I'm working on the premise "Be careful what you wish for".

One of the critical faults in Saint's game is the almost 100% ingrained habit that when a forward run into space is made instead of playing the player in, the player in possession ignores the run and recycles backwards and sideways. As time goes on that leads to less runs and sometimes no runs because what's the point, as the ball isn't going to come. Added to that as the players know the ball is going sideways nobody tries to decoy a marker to create an opening for the runner. We are completely one dimensional. Bednarek is a game killer, he is frightened to play forward. Today in the first half he played a few forward balls. Nothing in the second half. Ralph needs to reset completely starting tomorrow. His original statement was win the ball and get it forward quickly, if lost, gang up and win it back quickly. Now just get back to that. Brighton must have been delighted with our ball recycling giving them all the time in the world to mass their defence. FFS we scored our goal from a cross Dunk wasn't able to deal with. After they scored we should have been bombarding their penalty area with crosses, quick forward balls and runs. In injury time we were still recycling the ball across our back four.

That game looked like we were a team turning up expecting to pick up an easy three points and getting their pants pulled down by a side giving everything then not able to adjust. Passing the ball along the back line just helped Brighton consolidate and play on the break.