Saint Fan CaM

There’s no understanding of how to lay off a ball to get a shot off outside the pen area. It’s always trying to go around the outside.

Manning and Lallana on - let’s settle for a 2-1 loss shall we? 🤔😞

Our free kicks and corners are…well, shit.

Bedders needs to come off for ABK. Ah, Bedders is Capt! Plus we’ve used all subs?

Palace players just falling over like fairies.

3-1 incoming.

Saintsplayer lost coverage. 😞

Fernandez gets a booking and so misses the next game. Not a foul. Other end. Ref does it again.

Good goal from Eze - everything we don’t have.

Les on for Aribo - good job.

I’d be subbing Bedders (card waiting to happen) and Wood (poor game). Put Les on to man mark Mateta. Get Archer on for AA.

Utterly shit corner.

Foul on Rambo - VAR fuck us again.

Mist coming in. Just our luck that we’re looking good but the game will be called off!!!

Brilliant goal from Tyler - all KWP though.

Wood is getting overrun - weak midfield.

Commentators saying it’s an ‘adventurous’ midfield! 😂😂😂

What a shithole Selhurst Park is.

Assuming we’ll be pressing them further up the pitch IF they’re able to get a foot in then Fernandez and Aribo MIGHT be able to contain Palace. I fear however that this game will be lost by half-time. AA has been selected to run around a lot and spearhead the press - it’s certainly not to help score goals. 2-0 Palace.

Yeah I think with this potentially being his 300th EPL game plus IJ’s comments about him helping, reckon we’ll see him play but that might be off the bench. Big Less seems to be in favour so reckon it might be Lallana starting and Aribo or possibly Downes replacing him at 60-70 mins.

Sabbath. Nothing else matters.

My feeling is there are others more likely to be shown the window (door) before TP and Big Les exit, who as you say have actually shown they offer something. For example Cornet, Sulemana and one of the many LB’s we have could go first. I also reckon Dibling will go if a sizeable offer comes in - the sacrificial lamb to the survival cause.

Just need a top striker and defensive midfielder. Should be loads of options thrusting themselves forward for the opportunity to shine with the worst performing team in EPL history (potentially).

Seriously? Think you’ve been asleep since 1982 - there are so many variations on formation, but five at the back is not some modern fail safe solution…in fact it’s starting to show its age IMO. So far no-one has expressed a preference as to who they would chose as our two best CB’s in a back four, so I guess everyone is happy with that formation. 🤔

Thinking on the last game and our ‘new’ style of play, it’s apparent to me that 5 at the back could be damaging our ability to boss midfield and support any form of attack. For example, when we’re around the opposition box and a loose ball comes out to the edge of the area or beyond, sometimes there’s a big gaping hole with no-one available to re-cycle it back in the mixer or better still run onto the ball and shoot. 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 seems to be a more sensible option to address the above, but of course it does beg two questions… 1. Will that formation leave our defence too exposed, given the quality of player available? 2. Which of the five defenders do you drop - it’s likely to be a CB rather than a LB or RB? Contenders for the two slots for me would be THB, Wood, Bednarek and possibly ABK (can he be registered in January’s window?). First choice if pushed would be THB and Wood. First choice full backs would be KWP and one of either Suga, Taylor, Bree or Manning - they’re all as mundane as each other. Lastly, with this system you need an enforcer at DCM to lie relatively deep and I’m not sure that’s Downes, let alone Aribo or Smallbone. Big Les is a good option now we’re rid of Russball, but I’d argue he’s more a box-to-box midfielder. We need a decent loanee DCM enforcer in the window. Thoughts?