david in sweden

another see-saw game that began with us getting two goals before HT whilst hardly breaking into a sweat. Two well-taken chances for Sunderland (both should have been preventable), but once again sloppy ball control from Saints let us down. If we get promoted we will look back on several games that made the difference during the season. Adam A's 97th min penalty home to Norwich, Che Adams 94th min. winner at Plymouth. Fraser's late winner at Hull, and "Bazunu's goal" at Preston, Joe Aribo's 96th minute goal at Brum, but surely Joe Rothwell has become our talismatic " super-sub " after yesterday's late performance. His previous two goal tally turned the game when we were 0-2 down v. Huddersfield, and helped us take all 3 points. Looking at Joe's shots to goals stats. he must rank amongst the best in the squad (?) .. and although I don't see him as a 90 minute player every game, he must surely be a candidate as alternative front man to Che Adams . With only 10 games left we have seen that his ability to take half-chances is amazing and that ability may well make the difference to our final position at the end of the season. Older heads may recall some former "unlikely heroes" whose late-season contributions were quite memorable in past seasons. Tony Funnell, Micky Evans, Marian Pahars, Billy Sharp and Manolo Gabbiadini all made the difference in some precarious times - long past.

both Claus and Jo Tessem were excellent players, but in the same way that not all good players make good managers not every former player make a good commentator, that is an art in itself. Many of we oldies recall the master radio man - Kenneth Wolstenholme who was simply the best and we knew it. His secret was - the commentator should never get in the way of the game.- He said much in a few sentences, but even Adam Blackmore can go over the top when rattling on with a juicy story whilst the play goes from end to end - and he's even missed goals. I think Dean Hammond makes a good partner for Ian Wilding on Saints Play. They don't get in each others way, and as an ex-player Dean knows what's important to say whilst the game is ongoing.

Typical ! ..you can never rely on lawyers ....ask Donald Trump.

As the summer window will include incoming and outgoing players, here are a few thoughts of my own... There are several established names who will be out of contract, Alex McCarthy (overpaid and underemployed). Stuart Armstrong (surely must keep him) Three players who will seems like "new signings" ;(subject to fitness) Dom Ballard, Ross Stewart and Juan Larios... are already bought and paid for. Loan players unlikely to return (unless we have a change of heart) include; Lyanco(?), Caleta-Car, Onuacho, Perraud, Bella-Kotchap, Mateus Lis and even Alcaraz (subject to good spell at Juventus). His transfer would generate a lot of much-needed cash. Younger players I'd be sad to see depart include Jake Vokins and Lewis Payne ( presently doing well at Newport County) .. Those on loan who we should buy; Harwood-Bellis, Brooks and Downes. (absolutely). Fraser (despite his age ) and maybe even Rothwell ..(?) but knowing Saints' reputation for secretive dealing ; there are certain to be an indeterminate number of others on Jason Wilcox' "special list". I'm sure everyone has their own list, but it's not we who will be making the deals that matter.

Only Donald Trump's accountants could make it look better than it is. We were carrying a loss from the previous season ...then spent well over 100 million during the season we were relegated, yet still went down. Last summer we sold players for more than 180 million, and spent less than 30 mill. on new names in the summer window. Not all of these transactions would have fallen into the same financial year...... BUT (not in the calendar year) As several have pointed out the parachute payments have not been included, so unless we spend another 100 million in the summer window... we may show a good profit in next financial year.

In some respects the same might be said of Livramento . Young players who " look good at U21 level " .. get a REAL shock when they come up against top class pro's at the highest level, and the stress on " young bodies " that are still developing quickly becomes a telling factor. It was obvious that even after a good " half season " with Saints, Broja's tough physique took it's toll with knocks and injuries, (same with ABK). Like LIvramento.. Lavia looked good.. for a while, but young talents need time to adjust to "the man's game " and find their place in a good side. Getting in young talent is positive, but cannot be relied on to show up make the difference single-handedly especially in a mediocre side. We've better this season, with Downes and Harwood-Bellis, but Shea Charles will look back on this season as the start of a steep learning curve, and even after last season, I remain unconvinced about Mara and Edozie as regular starters ... if / when we get back to the Prem. In retrospect, the deals for Lavia and LIvramento were very good business at the time, and if Alvarez stays with a very good Juventus side permanently, it will be a win-win situation....for a player who was still finding his feet in the Championship and spent too much time on our bench.

you have an argument there Chez, but the fact remains that all sides have a good run once in a while, but it's consistency that is vital. Despite those 20 plus league games without defeat ...we still didn't manage to nail down a spot in the top two, and the 3 defeats in 4 games has proven our vulnerability when using Russball tactics. We finally got the result, but made hard work of it, but we have seen that every team that plays with tough defenders can easily " wipe out " our lightweight attack, and get away with it . The ref. was very kind to Brum on several occasions. The red card was deserved, and I was relieved to see Will Smallbone getting up afterwards and was able to play on. In the end , it was 3 points, well-deserved but these type of last-minute finishes plays havoc with my blood pressure.

Last week I wrote that the Millwall game was a " must win " - (although it's an expression that I normally despise) especially against a side who were down amongst " the dead men " but Millwall came prepared and got their reward. The real culprit in Saints' horrible reversal of form must be Huddersfield who came prepared and despite losing, showed just how to score goals against us. Since when Bristol City and Hull have applied the same formula with equal success. Birmingham haven't had a brilliant season, and they are typical of a mediocre, mid-table Championship side, and if we can't beat them ...we will end up looking little better than they are now. Whatever the obvious success of " Russball " , it needs a massive re-think if we are to retain a promotion challenge this season, and avoid fixtures against Pompey next season.

WOW !....really ?.. what position did you play that day?

I think that many managers might feel the same, especially as Klopp's teams have won more trophies than most clubs could only dream of ..... ...

81% is the highest possession stat. this season, most of it was in/around the centre circle, and our 13 corners led to just 1 goal. Re-think required here Russell......

It always sounds dramatic to talk about a "must-win games" but this is a really important match for several reasons, ....not least because after Leeds win last night there is a yawning gap opening up for the top two sides that just one win won't bridge quickly. We need to get back to the formula that got us convincing results. Millwall are floating amongst " the dead men" at the bottom, and our recent performances against the likes of Rotherham and Huddersfield left a lot to be desired, and we must get back to " promotion form " and PDQ.

..thinking back the same might be said of Edozie in his early days, but he has improved although not to the extent that he can be an automatic starter. There are few people on this site ...who voiced similar opinions, and worse... about Sadio Mane before he got established in the side.

Sulemana has been out for a while and he didn't seem to have adapted to Russball methods in early season, but he has some quality and I think we need to see exactly where When he can be most effective. Not sure that he's right as starting player, but like Mara and Edozie he could be a big impact player after HT in games.

Hull have got their second wind since New Year and looked very strong - and they didn't tire near the end as many opponents have done before. They were the better side and deserved the points, but I thought that the result was more than just disappointing for Saints - but more alarming. YES- We had previously missed Ché Adams presence, and midfield isn't the same without Downes, who is almost telepathic with Smallbone, but Downes' injury (30 minutes into the Watford replay), we've tried to paper over the cracks in midfield, but without any success. Without Adam A. in a strike role, the forward line is weak with just Mara and Edozie, who have been most effective as subs. coming on after HT. The so-called turning point was not the roughly-fought win over West Brom. (who didn't play well), BUT the moment in the first half v. Huddersfield when they went two goals up and we looked beaten. Everyone will remember Saints scoring 5 goals in the second half, when Huddersfield were out on their feet at 3-3, and those two extra Saints goals merely put the icing on a cake, which by then - was ours for the taking. In that moment , it wasn't only Saints fans who celebrated, but also those teams we have yet to play, who suddenly saw a way to overcome us. Last night's result may be another sort of turning point. It used up our "spare fixture" and we slumped to 4th. place. Although we have some " easier fixtures on paper " , our remaining games include away games at; Leicester, Ipswich and the last game of the season ....at Leeds. All season I've seen the Leeds match as a deal-breaker. The winner may get an automatic spot, and " the rest " will fight it out in the play-offs. If we fail to beat Millwall, the Cup match at Anfield may end up being the turning of our season, because any more defeats before the end of March will leave us beyond the Point of No Return.

...on his current form, he would be cheap at the price, but would have a job getting into the England squad whilst Southgate is still in charge.

Those idiots above ...will be first to cheer when Prowsey beats Beckham's record. He's still getting good rating every game, and maybe they should remember that he cost a lot less than some of the other disasters WHam have signed of late, and who have contributed much less.

perhaps he was pi**ed at the handling he had, and having to play at that level.? Watched highlights of a couple of U23 games he's played more recently and he looked pretty good there. For a player who has gone through the Academy with distinction, now he's ended up with the shi**y end of the stick. Bad luck, or bad timing?

Much the same comment about KWP (who plays every game anyway) . Manning is not the best LB we've ever had and like KWP looks better on the attack. There are times when we all forget that Kyle is essentially picked as a RB... (again not the best we've ever had in that role), but the whole stadium reacts when he goes forward and suddenly becomes a very good right winger, but in terms of (horses for courses)... Bree is more of a natural defender. (No direct criticism of any of the above intended).. but as long as we are winning there is no panic about dropping (anyone) in particular from the squad. My oft-quoted phrase is .... " everyone looks good in a winning side ", (and even Whitey Grandad and I aren't old enough to recall the old club record). Manning will stay out his contract with RM for sure, but with Perraud (presently on loan at Nice) still on the books, and Lavia still to come on line, there will be some head-scratching over the LB role next season, but I fear that one casualty maybe Jake Vokins. A much underrated " leftie" who can play anywhere.

there seems to be need for a... " I couldn't get out of the way " category, regardless of where the arm is when the ball strikes it. ...." handball type" incidents less than 6-8 feet from the kicker travel so quickly there is no time to get out of the way regardless of the arm's position. but we've all seen them given, and worse " the kicker" can deliberately play the ball onto the defenders arm and then claim a penalty. Throw-ins and corner kicks are won in this manner in almost every game.

....not to belittle a handsome return to winning form, but it seemed to be a fairly b*g-standard away win, (the like of which we've seen a few times this season). The return of Stuart Armstrong showed a step-up in midfield quality, and Will Smallbone.. " doing a Prowsey " ..by turning up all over the pitch in every position. Ryan Fraser doing .what only he can do, getting a goal out of almost nothing, and David Brooks stealing a goal with our wish to sign him permanently in the summer. Bazunu had a quiet night ....until he brought off a breathtaking late save to deny Albion even a late consolation goal. The rest of the crew put in a shift and it was another 3 points in the bag. Tuesday night is the " spare game " we have because of the Watford Cup tie, but it's a vital one to win and try again to put some space between Leeds and ourselves.

think that Nathan's luck maybe changing. Of course he was a " new boy" in the Leverkusen squad in the Autumn and their existing team was ... (and still is ) ...unbeaten in the Bundesliga, so he was on the bench for most games. Those Euro games I watched saw him getting game time and he recently started ...and scored twice ....in a League game, and at the weekend he laid on a great assist, and was unlucky not to score himself. However, the one factor I noted (but had forgotten) was the incredible pace he can generate. He could easily match anyone we have on the books at present and easily outpaces defenders when he has the ball at his feet. I'm pleased that he has finally got some recognition after an uneven start, but it must be hard to get into a side that is so successful, and their fans must be rejoicing every week they stay above Bayern ..

As long as I've been watching football... (more than 60 years now).. hitting the woodwork doesn't count for anything, neither do missed chances in front of goal, ignored penalty shouts or goal-line clearances. They are merely pointless statistics we use to try and comfort ourselves for the fact that we finished the game ...pointless. Whether we play well, or badly and just get lucky, scoring one goal more than the opposition is the only manner of getting all 3 points. Last night we failed on several counts, but at least the continuation of the record number of games is no longer a burden to worry about. We must get back to square one and start counting.....

What a way to LOSE a record ! It almost seemed as though we surrendered after their first goal and didn't even go down fighting. In all honesty, I thought Huddersfield were tougher opponents, and we were so poor that we almost made City look good. SORRY Russell... but wrong start side. Without Downes we needed a proper midfielder, maybe Stuart A. should have started?. I know RM wants to give everyone game time but Charles had used up his before the half hour and should have been subbed earlier. Saints made too many poor passes and scarcely won any second balls, and we looked all at sea from the off. Rightly or wrongly...the back line seems to pick itself every week, but both the midfield (and strike force) looked like strangers to each other. Bednarek looked a little below par, and Harwood-Bellis wasn't as sharp as usual...... and sadly Manning was more of a burden than a help. Rothwell was never going to score again, but at least he put in a good shift, and Smallbone kept looking for Flynn Downes all evening. KWP was a one-man strike force on his own, but he's supposed to be our RB, and Bristol's biggest threat came from their left winger. Brooks looks good every time he has the ball, but what is his best role ? For all his trickery Edozie always fluffed the final pass into the box. At present Mara is most effective as an impact player, but even that was missing last night. Adam A. did his share but had few real chances. I suppose it's good to see Sulemana back at last, but he made little impression and KWP looked better than he did out on the right.. We can only hope that this was "a blip" , because West Brom. will be stronger opposition on Friday and we mustn't get caught out again.

I wasn't convinced at the start of the season, when Mara was only getting 15 min. sub appearances, but has looked better in the League Cup games. Now he's got some goals, he'll be high on confidence and hopefully get a few more important goals. I wouldn't change the start side, but continue putting him on after the break when the likes of Mara, Edozie and Dibling can run tiring defences ragged. Dibling's run leading to Mara's goal v .Watford was cut short by a very crude body check that might have got a yellow card (or worse) had we not scored from the move itself. These lads are all lightweights and a full 90 minute game can leave them open to more violent tackles and potential injury. Older players can take a knock and recover quicker, but young bodies can't take heavy punishment (as happened to Edozie some weeks ago).