for_heaven's_Saint

Usually when a team gets a new manager, there’s a bit of guess work as to how they’ll set up, what style the manager will choose to play with the players they have at their disposal etc. This helps the ‘new manager bounce’, a bit like when a player like Dibling breaks through and defenders don’t know his game so find it difficult to defend against. Martin is so dogmatic and inflexible in his tactics and system that the Motherwell and Dundee managers will have known exactly how to play against them. Just watch more or less any Saints/ Swansea/ MK Dons footage and you’ll know what you’re getting.

Totally. I get that they probably wanted to include a couple of more modern players on there but don’t think Lallana deserves it. There’s probably a couple of players from that double promotion team I’d have ahead of him. Ted Bates would’ve made the most sense and everyone should know who he is owing to the statue.

Yes, technically we were losing in the 90th minute and drawing at 90 minutes 😅

Only seen a photo but I think it’s: Lambert, Kevin Keegan, Mick Channon, Le Tissier, Terry Paine, Lallana and Shilton?

Probably because Still himself said he’d want to play a back 4 when he arrived. FWIW I agree with the decision to go 3/5. Gives us options up the wings.

Agreed. I thought the only time Fraser looked decent in preseason was when we went 5 at the back against Brighton and he had a bit more room to roam.

Not only did he ask it but Blackmore had just said there was only 10 minutes left. Absolute moron.

‘Can you explain PSR to me?’ is possibly one of the worst questions at a fans forum ever. Just Google it mate and let someone ask something about Saints.

Would love it if someone could ask about this and whether it is possible to reduce the away end and give it to home fans if needed, like you could in the Northam.

My thoughts exactly!

I’ve never been a fan of us playing 3/5 at the back but if we want to get the best out of our best full backs (Sugawara and Welington) I feel like we might need to play them as attacking wing backs. That formation also allows for Edwards to play and allows Charles to get forward more. If Fernandes doesn’t play, maybe something like: Bazunu; Sugawara, Edwards, Stephens, Quarshie, Welington; Charles, Downes, Robinson, Downs, AA Obviously, against Wrexham at home you’d want it to be much more of a back 3 than a 5.

One of my favourite away games. That team that won 5-2 would batter our current lot.

Tbf not that comparable. Rooney came through their academy and by the time he was Dibling’s age he was at United.

I guess one way to look at it is that the likes of Robinson, Welington and Sugawara played 90 minutes today, just split over the 2 games. That's more than Manning or Bree got.

This is much, much better.

Penalty for nothing- will take it. Blackmore did say it was a last minute ref change and that he was from the IOW...

Robinson goal, albeit big deflection. He's got to be a starter.

Poor from Quarshie- stood off and let Minteh do exactly the same thing he did for the first goal.

Archer offers absolutely nothing on the wig. Needs to be up the middle or not in the team.

Certainly doesn't help. But what also doesn't help is that we are constantly looking to go direct down the line to our wide players, which is easy to play against. I'd like to see us play through the middle, which would then make space for the wide men and give them more chance to pick a decent cross.

I've watched nearly all of the pre-season friendlies and I still couldn't really tell you what our attacking style is supposed to be. There's been no discernible patterns of attacking play for me. IMO we have looked best when we've played up the middle, through the central midfield, but we seem very reluctant to do that.

Quarshie injured now ffs

Not to mention the consistency of keeping a proven top manager.

He (Sugawara) was an unused sub vs Espanyol and only came on half way through the second half in the game vs Castillon. I took that as a suggestion he might be one of the players that Still is going to exclude from the eventual squad…

Private jet to Newcastle is ridiculous. Not as if there’s a massive rush.