Tommy Mulgrew

I use Proton. The free version, which I have, used to give a choice of the Netherlands, USA or Japan as a free location but now gives only the former. It is good and I recommend it.

Does the new Sky deal mean that SaintsPlay streams for UK audiences stop but remain for foreign audiences? If so, a VPN will come in handy for those unable to attend our matches (assuming we stay in the Championship). Asking for a friend. 😉

Manning and Stephens both start; Bednarek remains on the bench; Bree joins him; we keep a clean sheet; Downes rested; Smallone at 6; Shea starts; Big Joe plays only one half; Brooks, Sulemana and Edozie have plenty of end product; Sully scores; Adams scores with his left (no, not foot, be realistic) arm; we get a penalty and, with both Armstrongs off the field, Bazunu fires it into the top right corner; he saves Watford’s penalty after THB punches their CF; we win 3:0; the top three drop more points; we play with real pace going forwards at least three times in each half; I am glad; all in front of four faces from our recent past (do Prado, Rickie, Nigel and Kevin -think about it -); RM is speechless in the after-match interview. At my age any fuck is a glad fuck, not a sad one. I wake up.

Stop it. At least until after Saturday, when we play … Watford. 🤐

Leicester v Saints and Leeds v Saints are going to be terribly boring if all they say is true. A bit like what we say on here, not all that seems to be so really is so. I am looking forward to the former game, less so to the latter. Who can tell what the future might bring? Think positive!

David: “I am in my sixth decade as a Saints fan…”. A mere stripling, then. I’ll now pretend to be Strangely Brown: the unbeaten run was not unimpressive, it was undeniably impressive but some posters questioned the slow, laborious and sideways and backwards nature of almost all of our play, wanting a more-than-once-in-a-blue-moon quick and incisive way to the opposition’s goal, especially in injury time when we were chasing a winner or an equaliser, and the tendency of our usual left-back (and, less often, right-back) to play invariably in the middle of the pitch, thus gifting acres of space for the opposition winger/full-back to run uninterrupted into our penalty area; simply put, saw things that could easily be done to make us more difficult to play against, but RM was not to be moved from what seemed his preferred way of playing. It now seems he, too, is fed-up with a lack of pace going forward and with too many timid backward passes in stead of through/over the top balls for attackers to run on to. Here’s hoping for a positive response from the team tonight and thereafter. I am forever an optimist, despite following Saints for longer than DavidinSweden’s lifespan.

Nike one!

RM had talks with Brighton during the international break according to Football Transfers. https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/tag/exclusive-newsnow/exclusive-transfer-news-brighton-russell-martin-roberto-de-zerbi-jacque-talbot Could explain a few recent things, including his strange comments earlier today.

Death by a thousand passes so far, with us just as likely to die as Blackburn.

Which is why I and several others have consistently called him out for insisting that our FBs, especially Manning, play close to the middle of the pitch instead of marking their wingers and closing the latter down thus preventing unhurried crosses onto our penalty area.

The save from Salah v Liverpool last year. I think it was voted the EPL save of the week/month. It showed he had anticipation, speed and bravery in racing out towards the edge of our penalty area to smother the shot, knowing he would probably get one or two boots in his face.

No; sorry that I did not express myself more clearly: the THB at RB problem was before the Ipswich game.

When on song we are great to watch and that applies as much to our usual slick but not-getting-anywhere-fast passing game as to yesterday’s unusual quick, incisive passing-led goals. The trouble is that we do the former 99% of the time and the latter 1% of the time. And we do the former 99% of the time in our half and our penalty area. Inevitably we lose the ball sometimes and, instead of our DMs and defenders setting themselves in a solid defensive formation, our fullbacks play tucked into the middle of the pitch, leaving huge gaps that opponents’ wingers and fullbacks can exploit. Most goals we concede come from that; yesterday we saw two examples of it (maybe even three - I can’t remember enough of the build-up to the second goal) and the Middlesbrough game was similar. Even in our unbeaten run we exhibited the same weakness but managed to outscore most teams or at least get a draw. Now we face better opponents who are fired up to achieve promotion or avoid relegation our frailty is exposed more starkly. If we stop gifting space in No-Mannings Land and on the RHS as well, we shall be more difficult to score against, even with Stephens playing. Unless RM sorts out our defensive shape we won’t succeed in our efforts to get back to the EPL. What is needed is for our DOF to emphasise that as an imperative or else… . Oh we seem not to have a DOF! The Board should let rip at RM in no uncertain terms. I agree dropping KWP was disastrous and playing THB out of position was wrong. And the other points above about strange subbing decisions. But IMO the main problem is the wrong defensive shape. The rigid adherence to our way of setting up and style of play makes it worse. The red and white future is not looking as bright at present as it should do with our squad of players, who are easily good enough to achieve promotion.

No mention of his goalkeeping heroics for us, against Newcastle IIRC. https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/dexter-blackstock-the-ex-southampton-man-now-making-serious-money/

Yes, and we have discussed it at length on here before. The trouble is that we seem to suffer the defensive disadvantages of that system, especially on our left-hand side, without gaining any of the advantages. Some would say that other teams do the opposite. I could not possibly comment.

Blimey, legs almost as spindly as Peter Crouch’s.

Christophe will no doubt be devastated but probably not surprised. We could send one or two to VFC in return. Perhaps they need an Irish left-back! 😉

Cup-tied.

I see only one “sad fucker” on this forum.

Noke; you?

You did say “best players”, right?

Does anyone know what he is doing at present? He does not seem to play many games. He went out on loan a couple of times and I remember that he did well at Carlisle and seemed to have been well regarded by the manager and fans. But I have not heard much of him this season. He has the physicality needed for a reasonable cb and his background suggests that he should be skilful enough to play competently for a Championship side now or in future. He’s gone off my radar so I do not know how he is getting on now. If he does go, I wish him a good and long career at a progressive club.

A mixed day for our recent and not so recent leavers: Reading score 4 and win easily😀; Eastleigh concede 4 and lose easily 😩; Charlton draw 1:1🫤. Pompey win 1:0 and remain top of their league😭; Tranmere win 1:0 at Wrexham 😃. 😆

But Bree or Stephens would be an upgrade on Manning. Arguably, Meghoma would, too. (We have seen the truth of those statements earlier this season when those three players played at LB instead of Manning.). We could play either of those replacements depending on the strengths of the opposition. And I bet we would do better than if we did not. But, regrettably, I doubt that RM would agree. Unless RM sees sense, our promotion hopes will remain unfulfilled. IMO, of course.

I agree with you, WG, but that is not the way that our manager wants the team to do it. KM’s first instinct is to control the ball and run with it but he did not even manage to get full control of it because two opponents were on him so quickly. Perhaps he would have yanked it had he done so, perhaps not.