Saint Fan CaM

Yes, well I guess I saw it coming too, but such is devotion to your club I thought I'd give it one season. I didn't expect miracles - didn't expect anything more than a lower league position to be fair - but I certainly did not expect to be presented with the dross we've been witnessing for the better part of the season. I have always championed a need to stability, but Lowe's policy and strategic deployment is so awfully flawed (and has been for so many years).

Well today sealed it for me - I will not be renewing my ST next season. In fact, I'll not be attending any more games at SMS until Lowe goes for good. As I've said before, I couldn't give a stuff about his background, what he looks like etc. He has FAILED this club not once but TWICE now! And I've had a gutful of attending games hopeful of change and leaving utterly miserable. At 49 years old, I do not need to spend any more of my life and money on something that makes me miserable, however much I love my footie. JP should either resign or be sacked and take his rubbish coaching staff with him. Get in Paul Ince - he'll know how to sort out the squad - we've got some decent players, they just need a strong guiding hand and some form of a clue about how to play proper football.

1-2 - Earnshaw will ruin our day - he always does.

Don't give a monkeys toss about other team results - just what we achieve. We must be masters of our own destiny. Hence my third point - other teams near us in the table will be changing things around to improve - JP does not seem capable of making any kind of sustained improvement to the team despite having some talented youngsters and some reasonable older heads. Why? Because he's useless as a manager/tactician. There is huge risk to these young players futures by rushing them back before they've had a chance to mend properly - I hope Holmes really is as fit as they say. Anyway, this does nothing to offset my feeling that we're not good enough as the main problem at the moment is the coach not the players.

On the current form across the start to the season, I would say there is every likelyhood we will be relegated. There are some significant factors... 1. Better players leaving in Jan firesale. 2. Jan not knowing what the hell to do to improve the tactics. 3. And perhaps most importantly, other teams are working hard to change things round to suit conditions because their managers understand the CCC...ours thinks that wearing a silly hat before taking a jolly courtesy of Flybe, will endear him to the fans and save the day. Utter, utter prat - has no idea.

I have absolutely no faith in this team winning any match on that list. Many others feel that way and THAT'S why so many fans are staying away - I would hazard a guess that its a large majority actually. I don't stay away before anyone suggests it - I have an ST - but I don't enjoy games any longer because I've lost hope that my team will win.

Its true - the current batch are overhyped. But there is the simple fact that the Academy staff that produced Theo, Bale and Jones are not presiding over the lads now playing. In fact, if I was a parent of one the current youth team players I would have some strong reservations about the competency of the coaches now - why? Well just look at the results... very poor by any standards and certainly not good enough for CCC level.

Whichever way you cut the Saints cake, things are going to get worse and I have a grave expectation that Lowe is preparing the club for L1, just like he prepared us for CCC - err, didn't he? Anyway, Euell has been a key player - losing him is just one more nail in the coffin (unless losing him means keeping one of Rasiak, Saga or John, but I don't think so).

No - the guy is way over his head and sinking further. Failed experiment once again by Lowe is a complete joke. Ask yourself whether on this seasons display would JP get another job in the league (any division) - I really don't think so?

Not sure really - starting to ask myself some searching questions...(just as Davis once again performs miracles in goal).

Its not over yet - that is, it will probably end up 4-2. What a load of rubbish. How can anyone support a failure like this club has become? There is nothing left to support or hope for.

I would be very careful what you wish for - mark my words and look back at history...since when has Lowe replaced a sold player with a player thats remotely better?! I think the answer is very close to a big fat NEVER! If we lose Surman or Lallana, the side WILL be weaker for it. Not only that, frankly when a player that supposedly is Saints through and through starts to look elsewhere for his fat pay cheque, it makes even more sense why so many supporters are walking away - no loyalty can be expected from any part of the game now.

Sorry to say Jan, but in very simple terms what do you expect of a team of boys that have some skill, but week after week they see the system you are expecting them to play fail time after time after time. Football is a competitive game - winning breeds motivation to win again. Losing (or drawing) can become a habit. We're habitual losers playing this system.

HANG ON JUST A F***ING MINUTE!!! So this new coach started working for free just after the Reading game. And it improved us?!? RIIIIIGHT!!!! And now he's been given a full contract. For crying out loud, the management of the club in terms of managerial/coaching appointments takes a new plunge downwards - you just could not make this sh*t up! Incidentally - did anyone notice Lowe, Gorre and JP talking on the pitch before the game started? It was quite clear to me that Lowe was talking to Gorre and blanking JP - I think JP's number is up in the not too distant future...seems he's out of Lowe's favour.

Well I agree that JP's decision making is poor and that Euell should be in the starting line-up. And yes, I have stated from day one that he is not good enough to be manager. BUT, how you can score Rudi LOWER than DMG after last nights performance beggars belief!!!! LOL!!! Rudi was one of our better players last night - didn't you see the 3-4 world class last minute tackles he made in front of goal?! And DMG has to be one of the worst strikers EVER to wear a Saints shirt....and I thought Ormarod was poor!

How very, very disappointing. JP is not learning from mistakes made - Lowe is not providing the support needed. Can only see a loss on the cards tonight I'm afraid and it might be a big one at that. Hate to feel dispondent and negative, but SFC are making it very easy at the moment....

There are many things I love about Saints - even at the moment. I don't hate Lowe - I just don't agree with some of his strategic decisions. I don't think JP is useless - I just think he's not good enough to be manager (i.e...good coach). What I do dislike intensely about SFC is the inherent inability to learn from mistakes. Like the seemingly eternal problem of killing off games that they have dominated for 75 minutes. Like not playing tippy-tappy football sideways and backwards until the opposition figure out the game plan. Like not playing the best players in the best positions. Like making crazy subsitutions that end up losing a game. Like not getting a corner kick beyond the first man or rarely hitting the target from a free-kick on goal. Many of these things should surely be rectified in training? So why are we still waiting to see improvements? There are surely only two answers - 1. the players are not good enough or professional enough, OR 2. the coaching/management is sub-standard in some way. Whatever the answer and whatever our level of support, these issues need to change, otherwise more and more supporters will drift away and the club will die.

Simple fact of the matter is that if we were to field BWP with Euell up front consistently, we would be scoring many more goals and would not be talking once again about losing/drawing a game we dominated. Putting a lone kid up front is a recipe for disaster, as is placing a midget who is not match fit at CM when defending a 1-0 lead with 15 mins to play. Patterson looks a better prospect than Robertson and McG, BUT...he is not ready yet.

The team worked really hard today and played some great football - BUT... 1. JP is out of his depth - good coach, rubbish manager. Should not persist with striker pairings and formations at home that fail time and time again. Why oh why was Euell not on the bench - he should be played up front? Why oh why did JP take off McGoldrick (10 mins AFTER he should have come off) and replace him with the smallest player in the CCC when we needed a big tough guy to come in and shore things up when we were 1-0 up? No, the prat was so dazzled by the passing football (backwards) that he forgot he had Wotton on the bench! 2. JP needs a manager to make match decisions for him - let him carry on coaching. Perhaps Wotte is that man? Let's face it, whatever he said at half-time must have been as inspiring as a wet fart in a crowded lift. Once again, thanks to our esteemed coach's tactics, the team are turned over by what can only be described as a poor team. 3. McGoldrick and Robertson are rubbish. And McGoldrick is also one of the laziest players I think I have ever seen - he is NOT working for his team mates and should be dropped.

Personally, as an ST holder I would have preferred the option of a 2nd ticket or a £5 discount for my loyalty. Now that would have been a great way for the club to say thanks, but sell tickets AND keep bums on seats.

I would say this is going to be the non-event of the year. The LoWilde Consortuim will rule the roost for many a month I would expect - well until we're relegated anyways.

I take it you didn't support the team in 1976 then? The thing with the FA Cup is there's always a chance and the club desperately needs its supporters to SUPPORT it right now. I too suspect we'll be whipped, but frankly if you cannot muster the hope that we might play well and get a result, why bother going to any games? Let's face it, its all we've got left now...

I know what you mean - especially as they almost certainly insist on SMS prices to be raised SKY high....after all, they can't have anyone watch their precious team for a pittance now can they?!

A win is the only result I would wish for. However, ahem...I think we're going to get taken apart quite frankly, so this thread does seem to be a tad pointless to me. Still we can all dream I s'pose....

DMG has proven himself to be totally ineffectual as a striker and should be dropped to the reserves if for no other reason but to make him hungry to score again. I would try a different approach and have BWP up front with Euell supporting him in the slot. I think they could really make the difference. Failing that Euell and Patterson up front. Euell is the only striker at the moment that understands how to break into the box at speed and create problems for the opposing defence - the kids need to learn from his example.