derry

Nearly all the lower centre tickets are long gone. In the corners all right. I could have got two this morning but three of us have only one game so I will get all of them in the morning.

Another high possession defeat. The possession in the first half was slow and negative and struggled to get out of our half. Playing seven players in a backwards and sideways comfort zone doesn't cut it because the three forwards play without support from behind and end up either losing the ball in the face of a massed defence or pass it back again. Our best results have come when we have the least possession. the obsession with no object keep ball is a nonsense. We need Romeu in front of the back four but with at the most one of the negative pass it around midfielders but add Boufale plus Redmond or Sims on the right and Gabbiadini on the left with Long or Rodriguez up front. Rodriguez can score and given the right service so can Long, 3 in the last 5. I'd like to see McQueen tried beside Romeu now we no longer need to rotate and leave out the lightweight midfielders. If Tadic is going to play it needs to be on the left. Discipline lost us the match last night, It looked like Bertrand was on his own to cope with the break whilst Soares made a big effort to get back off the right as did Yoshida but nobody else was in sight. If the centre backs are up then we need at least two to hold the half way line. As long as they aren't square one can attack the breaker whilst the other gets goal side. The goal side position is important as it stops the man taking the breaker being the last man as Bertrand was last night. It allows the defender to take out the attacker and only give a foul away as early as possible maybe with a yellow at the worst. Bertrand had plenty of time to take out the attacker last night but I guess the fact he was the last man even though the player probably early on wasn't a goal scoring chance. I personally think he might have stopped the player, given away a free kick but ended up with a yellow if he had done it early enough.

Some lessons for modern day footballers. The way the headers attacked the crosses rather than standing underneath. Painey's crosses and through balls right on the money, Channon getting across defenders.

Just heard Puel on Sky and to say he said three weeks would need digital interpretation it sounded more like few than three. I see the OS said three but he mumbles and it could have been anything.

I paid good money to watch a badly set up, unbalanced team, masquerading as a Saints team. I don't expect to win all the time but I don't expect the team to just go through the motions. People paid up to £500k total on Saturday to watch that tripe. They at least deserve better. Still by going to all the home matches I am at least guaranteed first choice for a cup final ticket.

No we didn't, we played three weakened teams with Premier team names. Sunderland and CP already poor teams rotated in reserves and were even worse, Arsenal were the weakest team they have fielded for a long time, on a par with the team we fielded on Saturday. What was unforgiveable was the abject surrender any self respecting lower league team would have been ashamed of. We could have given it a better go than we did the other night. I can forgive the players selected not being good enough but not the lack of fight. They were beaten before they went out. I paid good money to go and I didn't like what I saw. I have been watching Saints for over 60 years and I know crap selection when I see it. The team lacked shape and fight. I have seen plenty of disappointments in those years and have no great expectations except to do as well as we can. In 1960 Saints won promotion played over 50 games, quite a few on crap heavy mud heap pitches not beautifully manicured lawns and used 16 players. We have been rotating since the start of the season and the players with few exceptions haven't each played anything like the number of games we have played. We have made over 200 changes in 36 games, only Forster 31, VVD 30, Romeu 28, and Redmond 26 have started in over half. All the other players have started in about half or less of those games. That is in over five months hardly a recipe for fatigue.

The team didn't give it a go, they should have got stuck in. pressed hard and made it difficult and try and rattle Arsenal. What really ****ed me off was the fact whatever the team selection the team played the slow backwards and sideways passing, backed off, no pressing and were pulled apart.

FFS we got a free pass to the semi finals, two weakened crap teams, A weak Arsenal team then two stubborn displays against Liverpool. Utd played about seven regular first teamers tonight, only one youngster, have played as many matches as us and will now have a lot more to play and got the result to give them even more matches. I know they have a big squad but they kept their core and it showed. It was with disbelief that I heard Isgrove announced, he was out of his depth against an abysmal Sunderland, was anonymous the other night against Arsenal U23s as was Gardos and should be packing a suitcase not playing in the Cup.

Tonight was a disgrace.

I was at the match. The team selection was a bloody disgrace and disrespectful to the fans who were paying to watch a mismatched, shapeless awful gutless performance. On the bright side, tonight showed that Isgrove isn't good enough, Reed's limitations were obvious, Clasie was a poor buy, Martina should be on his way and when VVD is fit or a CB brought in Stephens could cover right back. Young Lewis was from his confidence point of view hopelessly exposed. Gardos has a long way to go. If Puel was going to do this in the fourth round, why didn't he send this team to Norwich, it would have saved us two crap matches and the need for rotation, everybody could have had a rest. Tonight was pointless.

It was called hand ball for a reason the ball hit him just below the shoulder, any referee that gave that would be slaughtered. Great result my head said MOM Romeu or Yoshida, but my heart said Jack Stephens for his courage in keeping calm in such an important game. JWP and Davis have often been poor together but tonight they both had a good game. The two banks with no room between the lines playing on the break, keeping the shape was excellent. Dispensing with playing the ball around slowly and getting it forward quickly has revolutionised our game and we look so much better for it.

Davis and JWP up to now have been abysmal when playing together. I hope that they can turn it around and both put in a performance. Best of luck to Jack Stephens, I hope he has a good game and takes a step forward whatever the result.

Picture of VVD on Saints site leaving the ground with a calf length protective light boot/

Two of the big differences were Tadic and Redmond swopping onto their natural sides and the two flank midfielders making forward runs especially Hojbjerg even though he needs shooting practice.

Yoshida was outstanding, followed closely by romeu and Soares. The midfield was the key, hojbjerg started to get forward more which gave us momentum up front even though he was off target with his shooting. JWP had his best game for a long time helped by his shot going in and being more positive so less sideways and backwards. Rodriguez is showing good signs of coming back to form and worked hard, Tadic on his left at last was better, Redmond missed a sitter early on, needed to head the ball down but was better on the right but not much of a threat, The team played at a better tempo but later on played too many short balls to opponents when the ball needed was up the channels behind the static Morgan and Huth with Leicester pressing and leaving them exposed. Stephens did everything he needed but it must have been difficult with the high balls and the low sun late on.

Gardos was pretty ordinary in the U23s against Arsenal. An international at that level should look outstanding but I was surprised that he was playing at the same level as everybody else.

We're not judging him on his earning power. A six year contract says more abut Reed than it does about JWP.

We'll just back off until we are in our own penalty area and try and break or pinch a goal from a set piece.

There are lots of bright people around but that doesn't mean they are bright footballers. He isn't.

What a load of dross. WTF was Long doing in the left back position and stuck out wide. Three negative defensive midfielders against a makeshift Norwich team parking the bus. Martina and the midfield had countless opportunities to play the forwards through but ignored them and checked out. His crosses were poor. The team selection dictated the pattern, it turned out as toothless as expected except for us scoring, not that I wasn't relieved I didn't have to spend extra time waiting for penalties. Long was offside too often but he made some runs and the pass didn't arrive. I've got my ticket for more of the same against Arsenal but this time we'll be the team parking the bus.

More red top rubbish. If Schneiderlin couldn't get a game at MU how do you think JWP would fare? He lacks pace for starters and doesn't score regularly. If we weren't rotating he wouldn't get a game here either.

Yes but didn't stand out as an established international playing with kids should.

No Premier team has tried to buy him.

The transmission wasn't great, kept pausing and repeating commentary. The performance was tepid, slow and a bit weak. I only saw the second half but the Saints midfield looked like an open door. Arsenal just walked through for the goals. We had one up front, slow build up no real penetration. what is it with Saints? Nobody seems to want to take a defender on. As soon as somebody appears in front the ball goes sideways then backwards or backwards. No running the channels and quick balls. Isgrove has gone backwards since Barnsley.

I have a season ticket and go to all home matches. The one advantage of being there is seeing what the camera doesn't see, the overall picture and what players are doing off the ball which gives me a view, both good and bad, on certain player's play that if I only watched on TV I wouldn't see.. When it comes to issues involving the ball the camera and the replays give a view that cannot be replicated at the ground. One look and it's over, be distracted and you've missed it. Using replays the camera misses nothing. The more important the issue the more time it gets.