Saint Fan CaM

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Don’t really know where to start…it was so poor. I do believe I called this result (but can’t be arsed to check). For a start as soon as I saw Grimsby we’re going with a 3-4-2-1 formation I knew they were going to pack midfield to stifle the game…with us in a narrow 4-2-2-2 their tactic worked. Selles did nothing to change things around when it was obvious a L2 team was able to press a Prem team consistently well and stop us playing. A couple of accurate long balls over the top behind their high line in the first half would have given them something to think about, but no, we dallied around as usual. Fair play to Grimsby - they looked fitter and wanted it more. Selles also got it wrong making so many changes to the starting line up…should have switched players around after the game had been put to bed. Players I thought were particularly poor - DCC, Orsic, Djenepo, Armstrong, Mara, Aribo, Lyanco. The rest of the team were nothing special - Walcott, Perraud, KWP, JWP, Lavia, Alcarez, McCarthy, nipper. Honestly, if this is the standard of football we can look forward to in the Championship (relegation is an absolute certainty), I fear for our place in league 1 the following season because I watch better teams in those lower divisions. There’s a distinct lack of creativity, teamwork and attacking prowess and I suspect it’s partially the players and partially the manner in which they’re being told to play. Fair play to the Grimsby fans who travelled to support their team, but I mightily peeved that our ‘home end’ supporters are turfed out to accommodate oppo fans…the atmosphere for Saints fans once again was truly awful. We may have as well have played at their ground. But I’m mostly amazed that I managed to get my thoughts written without resorting to expletives. Night night.

4-1-2-3 would suit the players available to us I think. Think Bazunu needs a break, but they're too scared to do this - might impact the investment for a sale. I'd have Caballero despite his age. The fullbacks should be KWP and Perraud - good players in their proper positions. CB's ideally should be DCC and either ABK or Salisu. The latter two don't hold enough experience together. Then Lavia in the CDM role, but important that he doesn't sit too deep when we're in possession. Ahead of him is JWP and Alcarez with the licence to push forward as required. Top three for me would be Sully, Tall Paul or Che, Edozie or Adam Armstrong. Mara and Orsic on the bench - not ready for a start yet. The key to any of this working is how the team moves as a unit in terms of pressing or attacking - must be as one. And when we're in possession, make as many one touch quick passes as possible by ensuring there are always at least two other players within 10 yards open to a pass. Oh yeah and don't dally with the ball and certainly don't attempt kamikaze passes across the backline or via the GK!

There we go - fixed it for you. 😘 🤣

Oh dear, if Aribo gets selected we're effectively giving them an extra man. To be fair Walcott and AMN should be fine against a league 2 team - but we all know that's not how the FA Cup works. I just hope whoever is on the pitch gives a damned good account of themselves - fearless and composed, making Grimsby look like the lower league team rather than the other way around, as we've sadly seen too many times.

Here’s a horrible thought. What if we lose tomorrow in the Cup game - will that destroy what little confidence is left? We seem so fragile at the moment I can honestly see things turning really sour midway in the first half.

With all respect to JWP I don’t think he’d get an offer from a top of the table club unless it’s to sit on the bench and see out his career. Just don’t think he offers enough to be considered a starter in a top team. I personally hope he continues to be loyal to Saints - kids nowadays have little enough to be proud of in terms of legacy and having footballing hero’s.

I just missed out on the delight of the Kingsland padded seats being right on the gangway of block 32. And yes, I think there’s every chance of getting a ticket to any match I fancy going to in the future…nice to be able to pick and choose.

Mmm…not surprised to be honest. I really got very little joy from my ST last season what with moved match times and disappointment in performances and results. So when the choice of renewing presented itself with the pressing energy/fuel costs coming just as I retired, it was a very easy decision to give it up after so many years. In some respects, given I’d waited so long to get what for me was a perfect seat, I’m still surprised how much I don’t miss going…the atmosphere became generally shit (one of my last home games I had to suffer a pissed Pool supporter giving it large two seats in front of me and the Steward doing nothing), the football from Saints was (is) painfully poor, having to pander to Sky etc.. Now I can watch any game from the comfort of anywhere with a decent Leffe beer and snacks, while commiserating with you lot….happy days!

Would the club attempt to hold them to their contracts, assuming the contract allows the club to hold them? This in the expectation that we can return quickly as part of a ‘master plan’ project and building for the future? To be honest, outside of Lavia, I’m not sure we’d have Prem teams beating our door down for many of our players when they’ve been part of a very poor relegated team.

Exactly…not so well. Tino was played to the point of exhaustion though by Ralph when we had KWP getting splinters and that eventually nobbled him as his body was clearly not ready. Thing is, I’m not sure it’s just about cost of players…there are some excellent players in ‘lesser’ Prem teams that cost less than £10m…even less than £5m. We’re looking in the wrong places? I get the impression that Saints recruitment strategy insists going for future value in youth and relying on good coaching, rather than ensuring the pre-requisite level of quality is ever present in the 1st team. Lowe tried this strategy but failed because the funds were not there and eventually the collective quality of the team reduced until it broke. Guess what - Semmens and his Board have allowed the same to happen, albeit with better funding. You could argue therefore that they’ve fucked up even more royally than Rupes!

It’s not really horseshit though is it? The GD is not that far behind other bottom 8 teams. However it’s clear our problem largely lies game by game with our lack of potency in front of goal. It cannot be ignored because all the while we are creating chance in our final third, the opposing team has fewer opportunities to create themselves. Who was it that said the best form of defence is attack? They were right!

It’s a combination of how we’re setup, the lack of creativity in attack, slow pace of attack, the inability to attack as a unit, the lack of guile and movement to get into decent positions, the lack of accuracy in passing, the lack of shooting on target without the ball going directly at the GK. It’s been like this for ages…Ings often masked the issue by coming deep to distribute the ball forward or actually try to take on defenders and create a shooting chance for himself. Even the worst sides in the league seem to get these basics right to a certain extent - except us.

Well, the result of Lowes tenure was to take us down, put us into administration and almost lose the entire club. Rasmus is doing a great job to emulate the first bit, but thankfully SR will save us from it going further tits up despite him.

Gotta be a windup.

Big changes to the things we’ve been doing for almost three seasons really (I know some of the players have not been here that long). You’re right though and the distressing thing is there’s very little chance we’ll see those things corrected. Everything points to us limping home still rooted to the bottom.

Having got a ticket for the game I’d be delighted to see what this line up can achieve, even if it is against a lower league team. Having said that, I’m under no illusion that Grimsby have the advantage of a consistent side that know each other’s games and will play like it’s the final. Indeed sadly it wouldn’t surprise me to see us lose 1-2 after going in 1-0 up at half-time. We shall see.

His Agent/Contract? No, you can tell that for some reason he is regarded as some kind of leader…Selles kept talking to him on the sidelines. Why not talk to your Captain? Don’t begin to understand what the issue is, but there’s some weird relationship management going on.

An interesting question. You could be forgiven for thinking that certain players went all out to get Selles the job…they love him after all. Come Friday, job done, everyone’s happy and content that a nice, amenable coach is the one picking the team…so no need to bust a gut anymore. Perhaps waiting until AFTER the Leeds game to appoint him may have been a better option?

This. It’s what we all feared…he is not the Messiah, better than Jones for sure, but not capable of getting this shower of shite team to play Prem level football. To be fair to the guy, I don’t think there’s a Manager out there who could do much better with the tools at his disposal.

Hate to rain on your parade, but all the signs clearly point to relegation. We are the worst team in the league…sad but true.

Don’t do it to yourself…there’s NOTHING to suggest to me that this team have what it takes to win the required games to stay up. It would take an unprecedented turn in form, bearing in mind we’ve spunked away our most winnable games now. Look at the fixture list and tell me which 6-7 games we might win…it’s grim.

Absolutely - if you look at the number of goals conceded this season versus the number scored and it’s clear (to me) that the reason for our relegation will be primarily due to our inability to mount sustained pressure on the opposition’s goal and subsequent lack of goals. Our attacking moves are so easy to predict and counter it’s laughable.

Absolutely this. Drains whatever glimmer of hope there might be left. We don’t score goals and don’t keep clean sheets in the main, so we don’t win games. I don’t think we’ll win another game this season.

Agree with this balanced view. Take away his free kicks and you could say the the same about JWP if we’re being brutally honest.