SFC Forever

If all are fit Davis,Murty,Trotman,Thomas,Harding,James,Hammond,Schneiderlin, Mellis,Saga,Lambert Subs,Bart,Perry,Gobern,Thomson,Gillett,Rasiak,Paterson I was going to put Thomson down to start but I am not convinced by him yet and he appears a bit lightweight. Could be a useful act as sub though if needed.

Being in the position that we find ourselves we have to be patient. AP will not find it easy to get the players he wants and we will probably have to wait until January to get the men he wants for longevity.The signings so far seem to be working out so now we need to unload some of our chaff. We have far to many players(?) on our books that will hopefully never be required to play for us. I will be watching closely on Saturday to see what side he puts out against Brentford. Hammond I expect to play but will the PNE youngster. Trotman has gained a few admirers so far but he may need a week to get used to our system. One in which we can actually stop conceding at corners and free kicks would be nice. My main concern with AP's selections so far has been the reliance on Wotton. I am still left wondering whether he sees something that we don't. Maybe in training.

I must agree. The youngster is well fancied at pNE and has done really well for Oldham. Having come in to the team when needed through injuries and done well I reckon he should be capable of doing it for us as well. After all we are now at the same level as that in which he has played. This could as said above be one of those, do well and we will sign you deals. Would be good if it was because of his age. Young enough to give us ten plus years if it works out. Failing that, if he does well for the 6 months it gives AP time to get another in as his replacement.

Kelvin did make some good saves last night but none where has had to go full length and fly through the air tipping the ball round the post etc. Nothing that I would have thought Bart couldn't make. The optimism of Ron could actually be on course if we can only get a CB and a big mobile hard as nuts one that tells all forwards to keep clear or else.

Was he a vocal captain, able to motivate and lead the troops by his own performances? Interesting noe for you all :- Lambert was in rovers team in openning day defeat. they seem to know how to win now.

I agree. We are all supporters of a dysfunctional team that has shown glimpses of improvement. We still have a heck of a way to go and it may take a while but I believe we will reach heaven in a few years. However we will not make it with a team like ours is right now and we all know it needs changing. The beauty of the game is that there is more than one way to do this. that is why we have so many different views. Until I am proved wrong I would not allow players like Wotton anywhere near the first team unless he was the only player available.

A good win tomorrow night will help My line up would be:- Davis, James-Perry-Thomas-Harding,Thomson-Mellis-Gillett-Gobern,Lambert-Paterson Subs:- Bart,Lancashire,Thomson,Holmes,Rasiak,Lallana,Wotton

I have never heard Wotton booed but that doesn't mean he should play. If he is the best option available we need at least three midfielder as well as the 2 CB's

Surely the manager simply has to say defend first. Anything else comes after. At least then we are better prepared. I thought the whole idea of training was to teach the players how to play. When we attack we are too slow to attack as a single unit so a clearance is likely to fall in the spaces we have left. This is glaringly obvious at times as we see game after game. Oscar should know enough to be able to cover the back if he overlaps as should any midfield player. Christ it is simple logic but we are blatantly unable to do so. Main reason I feel is the total lack of speed in the team. This seems to make the defence jittery and scared to get caught. The midfield has no great pace either and don't track back which highlights the defensive frailty. Our priority has either to be clean sheets or to score more than the other team. We can't have it both ways. Until we have recruited some fleetfooted muscular types we are stuck with what we have. Myself I would like to see AP bring in a CB and a holding midfielder so that we can have a chance of defending our goal. Then with a player like Lambert we are always likely to pinch a goal. So in my book Oscar and James should now both be able to do the job. If they can't it is either a mental defecit or simply because we are just not good enough. I hope Fish is back soon because we looked better with him and Harding working together. Oscar I would give a chance. I would also stress the importance of covering runs and the possibility of a breakout by opponents. It can't always be down to a loss of concentration that causes us so many problems. It might also be worth a chance and going with a 4-3-3 framework to help the midfield concentrate on our defence and keep a presence in the middle of the park. You may disagree but we need to do something different and do it soon.

Great. Had a good chuckle +1

Wotton last season did something I haven't seen from a Saints player all my life. We were attacking watford and th ball was lumped forward and over him. He just stood watching the ball as the watford wingback ran 30/40 yards passing him and collecting the ball. He only had about 5 yards to go and at worst he could have tackled the player. From that day I have watched as he shouts and waves his arms but does very little constructive. If you rate him KP you watch a different game to the rest of us. You and others say he gives his all in every game. All I can say to that, 'Is that his all aint good enough'.

Wotton wouldn't win a race against a statue. He is so slow he always appears to go backwards.

The main reason there are so many faint hearts on here was that saturday was a reproduction of last seasons performances. Without Kelvin we would have been 2 down in no time and facing a Norwich type of score. We have no spine at all in our team and AP is obviously finding it hard to find players that will improve our side so late in the transfer window. So far we have seen 4 players brought in. Murty is probably going to do ok. Harding on Saturdays showing will struggle at times but so do quality defenders in the Premier League. Perry is now slower than last year and seems to be shrinking as we are playing sides filled with height and strength. Town also had some speed and we just are not equipped for that. Thomas is an accident waiting to happen. Apart from the penalty he is not positionally aware and for a man of his size can get brushed aside at times. A lot to do with timing as well as strength. The midfield is the same as last season, woeful.Wotton could/can make a snail look jet propelled. He stands there shouting and waving his arms frantically but does nothing to help the team actually as far as playing goes. James can cross as we saw against Millwall and Northampton. However he does not have the speed to worry defences. Lallana should be playing for a powder puff girls side because he will just not put himself anywhere near a hard tackle. Unles it is a late tackle and then he gets booked. Schneiderlin looks as though he is the only player in midfield who can rgularly find one of our team when passing. For him though we have the same physical liability. Too weak by far to make his mark on a game at this level unless given time. Rasiak will probably go very soon so we need a replacement. Please let that player have some pace and size. Lambert is not the fastest player on the planet so needs the ball passed/crossed to him in a way that he can then do something with the ball. Like smash it into the net or lay it off for someone else. Fish will be back soon and what is the problem with Gillett? He may not be the best passer in the book but at least he is quicker than Wotton. We are in desperate need of players that can bully other teams in the way we have been getting bullied in recent times. For me, that means 2 big no nonsence CB's and 2 big strong midfielders. Add another forward, striker/wingman, and we will have the basic qualities necessary for this league. In time we will surely get them but till we do we know we are going to struggle. Only hope that we have is that we now have a goalscoring striker and a manager that speaks sence. He has seen how poor we are and I trust he will repair the damage of the last few years but it will take time. Like some I am hoping to see improvement as the season progresses but I don't expect it to be swift. Like most of our team.

I think we could win a few at home if the support stays solidly behind the team. Away we could struggle while waiting for the reinforcements to arrive. We desperately need some spine and we need it now.

Trying to buy/loan players at such a late stage is proving to be a very very difficult task. Money is not the answer unless we are totally prepared to pay way over the odds.AP has brought in 3 players that appear to be good signings and one that we hope will be. I know Murty was here before AP but AP is the one who signed him up. AP has also stated over and over again that we need more players to come in. We are probably being turned down on a regular basis by clubs and players. Who can blame a player from wishing to stay put, rather than join the mess we have. I wouldn't. To start blaming AP at such a short time of residence is not in my mind deserved. He has tried to bring people in and will keep on trying. At the same time we are trying to unload some players. We will probably have a lot more luck in the January window when AP has finally decided what is wheat and what is chaf. Give him time but please someone tell him to dump Wotton.

We'll all sing if wotton doesn't play wotton doesn't play,wotton doesn't play we'll all cheer when wotton doesn't play wotton's gone away, wotton's left hoorah! We need a song short and sweet for the world to know how we feel about him. Gillett is not necessarily the answer but he is a bit quicker. He would also need help to battle for the right for us to play.

Why don't we just buy his contract back and get shot. would be a lot safer imo.

The only reason Wotton starts a game is that due to his slowness AP would not have the time to use him as a sub. If the board was shown with his number on it the game would be over before he got a kick. I am 62 and approximately 4 stone over my fighting weight. I have arthritis in both ankles and Emphasema which means I don't run very far any more. I would still fancy my chances against him though. Listening as the game unfolded brought back the memory of last season. The strikers need to be given the ball in a way that gives them a chance. Apart from once which led to our goal there weren't many occasions that happened. The defence can't be expected to challenge two marauding backs, a midfield and the strikers who had some pace on there own. Our biggest weakness has been our lily livered lightweight midfield. If they think that there is the slightest chance of injury they disappear from a tackle. Avoid is not strong enough. Yes we need 2 CB's and 2 maybe 3 midfielders. We may be able to pick up a couple of those which will help but we are in for a longwinter. AP will try to get some in but time is tight and we will then have to wait till the new year before he can really do anything. I have 2 ST's for the first time at sMS and fully expect us to struggle if we don't bring some players in soon. Huddersfield played us off of the park and they had plenty of youngsters in there team. Wotton must not be played and whoever plays must be given a chance to adapt to the league. Gobern shapes with promise and so does McClaggon. Fish will become an automatic choice when fit and Gillett is a poor mans Alan Ball. He snaps at other players and is likely to get himself booked for over the top tackles but we don't have much choice do we. All in all I am dreading Swindon as it is my first away game for a longtime. Play like today and we will be turned over with ease. The only slight grain of hope is that last season after some really poor performances we managed to improve and sometimes get a result. Hopefully we will be able to do the same.

Hopefully not. Just reading these posts one can remember some of his goals. I have a video which shows some and my 5yo is always watching them and shouting. He like me never tires from watching them.

we had worked that one out.

True but only after a few weeks when we have started climbing up the league

I think if the majority of us were to phone to cancel the problem would get sorted a lot quicker. I also seem to be having trouble . Now though I do have it on one of my computors to a point. Not as expected and the commentary is dire,(being polite). Added to that is the loss of normal radio which I occasionally listened to whilst on here and other sites. the other still refuses to play the player even if I reload all the programmes and use my id. Have also contacted the club who tell you to contact the media people themselves.

exactly. If he could score a few and gel with Rickie he could easily be top scorer in this division.

To be honest it was a major filip to the team and us when RL dived to head home the opener.

I bought my first st's for me and my 10 yo daughter and found the view behind the goal perfect. Lots of people standing at or near the top seemed to be regulars. My first try at the Family end and there was some singing and shouting but without the usual abuse. Kelvin signed a few shirts andeverybody was happy enough at the end of the game. My 5 yo was taken and he also enjoyed the game. Being so close to the goal also helped him shout as the ball went in. Alpine your girl should enjoy herself especially when she sees that there are a lot of other kids there. One thing my 5yo nipper enjoys is the resplendant array of Saints shirts on display. He has seen me in red and white,yellow,white and the blue. Seeing so many shirts on display really gives him a buzz.