derry

That is total hogwash and just an excuse. Soares and VVD are the only new players playing anywhere regularly. I make an exception of the goalkeeper. Juanmi, Clasie ( until recently), Martina, Romeu have appeared intermittently at best. The same old, same old, none scoring, slow, passing midfielders Davis, Wanyama, JWP have featured regularly. We need aggression and high tempo dynamic pressing and runners to get into the box, together with movement up front. Pelle is too slow, plays with his head down and doesn't dart about at all and is easy to mark as he has been worked out. From Long, Mane, Tadic, Seager, until January, then FFS get Austin in, cheaper in the long run. Place money will make up the cost because he will get goals, and if he does so will others. From Clasie, Romeu, Reed and Wanyama (only if he changes his attitude. If wanyama wants to play as one defensive midfielder he has to stop wandering all over the place and play in front of the back four releasing the other midfielders to join the attack.

A lot of common sense in here.

Players go on runs at the front and up the sides but they are ignored and the ball goes sideways and backwards so the runs stop, where we are, Clasie looks like a forward passer, Romeu gets it but the others need clearing out.

Nobody knows how he'll do or Reed for that matter, however we do know there are a few that aren't performing and that's a fact. Stupidity is doing the same thing time after time and expecting a different outcome. Time for change, system and or personnel.

We now turn the ball over regularly, yesterday Davis and Wanyama passing to the opposition in their half led to two goals. Graham Souness today slaughtered Swansea for 651 passes, 94% short, 89% accuracy and 2 shots on target and no goals. He said the great Liverpool teams believed in possession but were exhorted by the coaches to always have the aim of going forward.

Reed has tenacity and energy and he doesn't bottle tackles, we need that. I'm fed up with players that don't go in where it hurts.

To be fair to the lad he had a stormer against Everton last year when we won at home and Morgan and Wanyama were out. I'd take him any time for his tempo and tenacity. JWP and Davis are lucky to be manager's favourite picks but don't hold a candle to this lad when it comes to giving 100%. The manager's favourites, Wanyama Vice Capt, Pelle, JWP, Davis, are way below par for the Premier.

I think Clasie is a decent player but more than that he gives everything and for a featherweight has heavyweight courage that some others would do well to copy.

Davis and JWP, keep the ball, pass it back or at best sideways and slow everything which allows opponents to condense into a ten man block with little space behind. We then pass it around and eventually lump it up towards Pelle with nobody hunting the breaking ball.

More teams are playing aggressively with two strikers and two banks of four, old fashioned but who wouldn't change places with 4-4-2 Leicester. Today Swansea are playing a diamond four and two up front, West Ham 4-1-4-1. Bournemouth and Watford 4-4-2. We could too as our formations aren't working. Mane Clasie, Romeu Tadic with Long and Pelle the more I think about it the better it looks.

Liverpool 66% possession lose 0-3. Liverpool 12 shots 4/5 on target. Watford 34% possession win 3-0, 6 shots, 5 on target 3 goals. Last week we had more possession lost, numerous other occasions we have lost with lots of possession. Pace, Aggression, get the ball up front through the defence and hunt it down, press and harry to get the ball and get it up front. 200 passes in our own half is just a waste of time, it's not how much of the ball you have it's what you do with it when you get it. We play too slowly and shoot poorly. Sort it out.

Pick the same back four, work on their awareness this week especially Soares and VVD. Pick a midfield and attack that will tear into Arsenal and harry them to death. Clasie, Romeu, Reed (If Wanyama can't be trusted) Mane, Long +1, From Tadic, Seager, Pelle. Only Koeman knows but Davis and JWP won't harry Arsenal to death or win the ball.

Koeman needs to sort it out. Bizarre team selections and tactics that don't deliver don't help. Bertrand looked pretty angry at the Liverpool three at the back debacle and hasn't been the same since. Wanyama, VVD for all his talent, Davis are a lot of the time strolling but always picked. We cannot afford to play players that are not brave enough or giving everything because the others will react and that causes problems.

Fonte unusually last week called for signings in January. That looks like the better players aren't convinced at the team selections. May be Ron's favourites not delivering is coming home to roost and there is division in the dressing room. Bertrand certainly doesn't look happy and Koeman was having a non smiling chat with him in training last Thursday. If some of the players are giving less than 100% that will quickly cause friction. Unless Koeman gets 18 players out every match giving 100% we will continue to struggle. So leave anybody out who is coasting because it affects the players that give everything.

Watch him when he is a substitute, during the half time kick around, the ball never touches his left foot and even if he is hitting a shot at the empty goal, mostly missing, it is a right footed side foot. If he had smashed the ball by putting his foot through it yesterday and put it on target Lloris wouldn't have got near it.

He is very static and never makes a run on the off chance, often spectating waiting for the perfect pass and has obviously never heard of taking his marker for a walk to create openings for runners (Mane mostly). Austin on the other hand gets a lot of his goals by being on the move in the box and first to the ball.

Soares was again facing the wrong way and let Dele Alli in behind him. He needs to learn how to face the play, that's the coaches job and by the looks of it, if our shooting (side footing, eg Mane and JWP not for the first time yesterday.) is anything to go by there is precious little of that. One day a Saints player will hit a shot that will break the back of the net by putting his foot through the ball but probably not in my lifetime. When was the last time JWP used his left foot to shoot?

Unlike some on here I've never rated him as I think he is a bottler. He nearly makes tackles but not quite, he nearly closes down but is just too late, he will always avoid a hard tackle unless he can nip in from the side and tip the ball away. He made two good passes yesterday but mostly stayed out of the action and spoilt it by giving the ball away for the first goal but worse tracked back and when Soares was caught on the wrong side of Kane had the chance to make a crunching tackle on his strong foot and pulled out and let him go. He has often partly tracked players but let them go because he didn't have the determination to stick with it. He is an expert at playing meaningless sideways and backward passes when not under pressure, but under pressure bottles it and just mostly unloads, often to a worse placed colleague or like yesterday to an opponent. I will be glad when he has gone somewhere else.

It may be time to promote Reed and Seager to the bench. For me Davis and JWP are a problem with lots of nothing. Wanyama is ill disciplined and isn't holding but all over the place not shielding the back four, he needs reining in. One last chance could be holding alongside Romeu with Clasie in the Davis role then if Pelle is picked (although I'd drop him and on reflection play Mane up the middle) with a choice of Mane, Juanmi, Tadic and Long.

I watched him for QPR the other night, his movement and runs were very clever and he was a threat all night in the box with exceptional finishes for his two goals. A better finisher than anybody in this club.

I didn't try to absolve the defence but the back four is the least of our problems. When a team is in possession in the opponents half and prematurely loses the ball to a quick counter attacking side the defence will often be out of position. Abysmal was Davis giving the ball away, Clasie, Fonte then VVD were naïve, Kane needed to be obstructed early on but all the tacklers didn't stay on their feet so missed their chance. The midfield and attack were the real problem with the exception of Clasie who looked a decent player.

Losing the ball in the middle of the field opened us up and for the second Bertrand wasn't even in his position as he was caught forward and didn't get back. The back four is the least of our problems, midfield and up front is a cluster**** which then exposes the defence when the ball is turned over as it was time and again today.

The back five were basically ok. The midfield is a cluster****. Davis is hopeless, he can't tackle, unlike Clasie he makes mostly backwards passes or if pressured just unloads the ball sometimes to an opponent or a poorly placed colleague. He is an ever open door which we cannot afford. Wanyama needs leaving out until he can be sold. We won't get much for him the way he is playing and anyway why would Spurs replace Dier with him. Clasie looks the real deal, shame he was replaced by 'Square Ball', still trying to side foot his shots, that worked, nearly gave a third goal away fiddling around at the back. Maybe it's time to change, Clasie and Romeu with Tadic (It's too late for Ramirez) and Juanmi, Long and Mane up front. It sure as hell will have a lot more fire, pace and enthusiasm. Up front was another cluster****, Pelle hasn't a clue what's around him, he plays with his head down and spends far too much time digging the ball out from under his feet.He is just an easily marked big lump, for the amount of possession he had he did nothing. In the short term leave him out. Make Austin an offer he can't refuse. Pelle has been found out. As has the way we play. If we can get good prices for him and Wanyama move them on. We could then go for a goalscorer, a strong midfielder, and a right back. Won't happen though. A slide down the table is happening so there needs to be change. Fonte is calling for new faces, that tells me he sees the weaknesses and that him and others aren't happy with the team.

One of the biggest downers for me and I've supported Saints Since the middle fifties is listening to Solent on the way in, hearing the team announced and can see straight away that it won't work. JWP and Davis in midfield together, Yoshida at right back, three at the back with only two forwards, Kelvin Davis in goal for example, or worse still a combination. How many times have we failed to score or dropped points with those selections? Too many, wake up Ronald. High tempo, get the ball up front quickly and support the strikers.

I'm not talking about Tadic not making chances, I'm talking about Tadic not scoring enough. I included Long because he is Pelle's deputy especially as we play only two forwards who may score. We need a forward like Austin that is lethal in the box and others to lend a hand rather than strolling up outside the box. Against Villa we had five shots out of twenty three on target and a couple of those were more like pass backs a disgraceful statistic and how much slow possession? In the end a well taken scrambled goal from a corner by Romeu.