Saint Fan CaM

Superb game. Admit I was totally wrong about the result. Cuco was a revelation - not just the goal (which was world-class) - he owned their left side and Walcott didn't get a look in. All round fab team performance.

Anyone know of his chap? http://www.getfootballnewsfrance.com/2015/southampton-make-informal-contact-for-henri-saivet/

If the teamsheets I've seen are true, we will see Walcott up against JWP and Cedric. We will be ripped a new one down their left in this case. I would rather see Davis in front of Cedric or even dare I say it, Ramirez.

Sadly can see a loss against Arse - probably 1-4. Wet Spam we may get lucky with a draw...1-1. Norwich away probably a loss where we have 65% possession, they have a couple of attempts on goal and score from both...2-0. So 1 point from 9 and in trouble. The Board need to splash out on Remy, starting playing Mane central and put some trust in Ramirez to bring some much needed pace and creativity to the side. I don't believe the Chambers rumours and certainly don't believe Wanyama's currency is as high as some make out...he is nowhere near the level required by Arse for example.

What is this thing you call...shot on goal???

Look at the trend - the trajectory of the side since the season started. It doesn't show a good picture and it's needs arresting or we will definitely be sucked down further and with the fight being shown in these players I'm not sure I'd trust them to get us out of the mire. The spine has gone, the quality has diminished, the spirit that took through 2 divisions is long gone. Make no mistake, the club is in trouble, Koeman is under pressure and Les Reed needs to ensure there is money spent in January on some quality - hopefully perm or loan to buy, not loans (but I doubt it). Remy would be a the type of addition that would show intent and provide something we haven't got. Anything less and they're dicing with a huge amount of money gained by staying in the Prem.

I take it you've not been watching the games live? Seriously, there needs to be a shake up in the team...Koeman needs to change things to make a difference...hoping it will change will see us relegated. That's not overreacting.

0-4 to the Arse - they will show us how to play a fast passing game. We will slow down before passing the ball backwards or sideways, then losing the ball for them to counter on. It's become so predictable and lazy. Drop Pelle for Long, drop Wanyama for Reed/Romeu to pair with Clasie. Put Tadic in central behind Long. Put Ramirez or Seager on the left-wing. It cannot get any worse.

Just before Spuds scored we had 66% possession with no serious attempts on goal. They score with their first real attempt largely due to switching off in midfield and comical defending - players sauntering back rather than busting a gut to win the ball back. We are slow and predictable in attack - no simple triangulation as there's little movement and no good quality defense splitting passes. Just more of the same old cut in-field and run into a brick wall type attacking. The one chance we had in 2nd half stoppage time - we need 10 more of those in a game...one might just sneak through. Pelle is too lazy and slow in his game to be worth anything other than a 75 min start to either chase or close out a game. After improving, Wanyama is now back to his old self and making a dog's dinner of 70% of his passing game. Gazzaniga - probably better than I thought in terms of basic skill, but his command of the defence in front of him stinks - the only time he makes his feelings known are when he tells Fonte and VVD that he wants to take a goal-kick long (probably because he's scared to attempt a short pass out to defence). Tadic as a playmaker is OK, but as part of the strike force he is slow and predictable and his role in defence is almost non-existent. Romeu and Reed as CDM's please - give them some consistent game time together. Steven Davis is great chap to bring on to muster the troops when closing out a game - he is no CAM and is hardly a goal threat. Mane needs to be fed with quality balls - I think Tadic should play central and then we either play Seager or Ramirez or buy another top striker for the left. We need to massively improve (a) attacking passing and (b) threat on goal.

Thing is, I don't mind us losing a game if we've played well. But the tactics and the ability to shoot on target across the entire team is absolutely woeful. Mane is looking like a shadow of his former self - probably because he believes his own hype.

I take it all back - Gazzaniga is as good a keeper as any other keeper we have on the books - he has a very decent ability to save a game.

Can't tell you how poor this game has been for Saints - no ideas whatsoever in attack - very, very one dimensional. Really not happy with the manner in which we're playing now - most of the players look utterly knackered.

If Long is not good enough, then nor is Pelle. Fact is we will not get our £12m back for Long and there's not too many in the same price range that would do as good a job. What we need is a striker who can provide Pelle competition...a Lukaku type player for example.

I have to agree with this - it's time to be brave and start dictating the play rather than be dictated to. Palace will press hard though and if we try to play through midfield I suspect we will be found out. There is little confidence in the team at the moment.

0-2 to Palace - they're growing in confidence under Pardew. And we're not under Koeman for some reason.

We will lose this 2-0. Palace are a well oiled outfit now - Pardue has done a great job and we're on the slide.

I have only one issue with him and that his is pace - he is always the last to the ball when there's an apparent 50-50 in the offing. I remember Graeme Le Saux is the last days of his career - he had lost his pace, but his football brain made up for it by knowing how to intercept the angles and gain extra ground - it made up for that little bit of extra pace he didn't have the locker. JWP does not have that - either the pace or the brain to know how to gain an advantage. He may be 21, but he's had lots of SFC and England exposure, so you would think he would have picked up some good habits by now. The trouble is it's not technique - if it was he would be fine - it's all about having the natural gift of anticipation to steal a yard for example. On balance I'm afraid he is below the level needed to achieve the clubs' much vaunted ambition.

Cabaye and Imbula should have been definite targets IMO. But for me it's all about the pairing - Vic and Morgan were great together. Cork and Romeu or Clasie might have been good together. Every time we shipped out another little part of the side that gained back to back promotions, another chunk of team spirit got shipped out too. We are now left with a bunch of disaffected and disconnected journeymen and the academy lads who show some spirit can hardly get on the bench let alone near the 1st team. It's happened to other teams of course - Swansea etc. - but now we'll be joining the mid-lower table teams that never get a look-in at the top table of the Prem...we've missed the chance now. It will happen to Leicester too I expect once Vardy et al get their big money offers.

Just cannot believe how a team that shipped the fewest goals in the Prem has become defensively a complete joke and essentially because of one man - Caulker. But then Clasie is nowhere near Spidermans level and that has made a huge difference. Pelle is terribly inconsistent - 1/5 performances are Prem worthy and so he's not reliable enough. Not sure where we go from here...lose against Villa and things start looking very bleak.

If they score first, we are done for. If we can stick in 2 before Benteke and/or Milner get played we might stand a chance. (-:

We will lose this - they simply have a better squad and history does us few favours. Plus they have some top players coming back from injury who will need game time. Don't think there are enough players in our team who will want the cup experience enough - the passion is just not there. 1-3 to Pool.

4-0 to City. We've kind of lost the plot, big man is missing up top and they have a great squad - "no chance" is probably stating the obvious.

Heart says 2-0 Saints - head says 1-1 or they nick it 0-1. We're not great at breaking down this type of team - it'll be a tough one.

I guess everyone has the right to leave early if they wish, however being at the end of an aisle I miss a good proportion of the last part of a game because a bunch of knoobs decide to drift slowly to the exit. There are not enough exits - perhaps there should be exits at the rear of stands also so the top half can exit that way which would share out the flow.

Can see Big Sam putting a team out that will harass and bully with the intention of drawing cards out of the ref for our lads. However, if we can get Mane and Tadic the ball enough then they will terrorise their weak defence. If they set up with a flat 5 across midfield then expect loads of long balls hit to Pelle to go over the top and this will play right into their hands. To be honest, the track record at Sunderland provides a good indication of where this is going... 1-0 to them.