dronskisaint

Still not going to be very crowded though...!

In defence of the 4 for Jaidi I did say I'd give him more for exactly what you say he is good at but several times he passed to their players or to one of ours who was closely marked which nearly gave posession back to them and dangerously so when he was under no pressure. I'm a big fan but NA saw that he was knackered and misplacing simple passes so brought him off. Lallana & Lamberts' misplaced passes were mostly the lay-offs and flicks that didn't quite come off but would have put players in threatening and goalscoring positions. I forgot to put a mark for Aaaron Martin - was impressed with his contribution and would probably give a 6-7. On the Richardson comment it was based on the general impression rather than the brief cameo yesterday and I'd stand by it. I rate Butterfield as a good defender on the right of the defence but can remember Richardson putting in some killer crosses before he got injured and lost his place.

Beautifully (& accurately) put!

Was out last night so writing up with a few hours refelection. On the game overall - Colchester are a hard working side who play to their strengths...these being they are good on set pieces...they have a L1 Delap style throw in expert and are pretty direct. We took a while (an uncomfortable while) to get our heads round this but whilst it was uncomfortable I still don't recall Kelvin doing much more than catch crosses. Their directness made it difficult for us to put a foot on the ball and though we had short spells of posession for the first half hour it was in no way fluent and the little flicked passes just weren't coming off. The goal and subsequent sending off changed the pattern...I was watching what had happened to Kelvin so didn't see the push, my lad said it wasn't particularly hard but arms raised aggressively so he had to go. I did think the original transgressor should have been booked too but the ref was generally crap for both sides and credit Adkins (I read this bit!) for pointing out that he was likely to try and even things out so we played with commendable self discipline in the second half which was better in terms of the football played. It's sometimes difficult to play against ten...certainly the way Colchester play they were still a threat and we should have, in my view, played posession football to have them chasing and stretched but give them credit for making us play their game. That being said we could easily have had more...Lallana's touches that didn't quite happen bode well for future games...Ricky is still spending too much time outside the box for my liking but is feeding some beautifully paced passes through and though we could never sit back, we were in control after the second goal. Our defence does worry me though...Fonte is class but he does do a fair bit of rescuing situations of his own creation...Jaidi...hmm. I've rated the players below which will probably say more Kelvin - 6 -Wasn't actually bothered other than routine shots and crosses but still worried us with his clearances Harding - 8 - A real shift put in..his winger was pretty active but he played him well and still attacked well - if only he had a right foot as well! Jaidi -4 - For his clearance in the air or under pressure I'd give far more but his passing to day was abysmal Fonte -6 - Always gave the impression he could step up a gear and needed to more than once Butters - 6 - Solid, supported well and was generally tidy. I think FR is the more creative of our RB options but hard to drop Butterfield the way he's playing Hammond -7 - Captain's performance and good goal...was there for all his mates in the tight situations Chappers - 7 - Got better as the game went on..broke well a couple of times and showed more of the potential scorer that's in his game AOC -8- Keep thinking that he'll burn out but he terrorised their defence...in the right place and took his goal well, could have had another but for good saves. Lallana -7 - Only this score because today the final pass didn't quite make it...still the classiest player on the pitch Ricky -6- Didn't do much wrong, won a lot in the air despite the manhandling and was unlucky not to score - still playing a little deep for my liking Barny -7 -Got a battering from the Colchester defence yet still looked likely to score...put in a tremendous amount of energy...more goals to come for sure Subs N'Guessan - 4 - Still not looking the part, I want him to do well but his first touch and indecision was not good Richardson - 5 - Looked composed and good breaking forward - not really on for long enough to judge Overall not a great game but we got a clean sheet (given the marks I gave the defenders it shows that Colchester's end product wasn't really there either), three points and Lloyd James (who had more shots in this game than I can remember hin having in all his time at St Mary's) didn't score. Your ground's too big for you was the accurate chant of the day...felt we, despite being a bit sporadic, outsung them fairly easily. Ref was awful...but for both teams and at the end of the day we won and didn't lose ground against all the others. Surely Bompey and the Bummers have got to have a bad spell soon?

And edit...just read Bristol gone bust...sad if so.

:lol:I see another 100 years in the wilderness...but I'm sure they'll think that a brief spell as Tory *****es will have made that worthwhile. See the left wing of the Tory party came second...did you see that pan.....that flash?

In fairness he was good in Hi De Hi...

This...check their record, guess at an agenda...sigh!

Thus proving the 'value' of selective statistics. We have 52 points We have 45 points still to play for We have to play the two teams in pole & second position...we have games in hand over one of them sufficient to equal the total if won We have an equivalent or better goal difference than those around us We are coming in to form....we did not play badly on Tuesday - just finished badly (I wasn't there so can be shot down by those who were) We played reasonably well against Swindon but won handsomely These are largely facts, points in the bank and points to play for. I'll be at Colchester tomorrow and will see my team for the first time since last Saturday so will report back on any changes...we, the team, the manbagement should not, logically, be panicking...we're in a good position to launch the assault on the last third of the season..I think at this stage I should write fact in capital letters - but this is football!

Thanks for the update - your efforts and communication are appreciated.

Irony!!!? 'And I bet the very same people would have no compunction about us "mugging" Bournemouth for 2nd place during the last game of the season, despite them occupying that place for so much of the season.' How can finishing above a team that you have more points or a better goal difference than on the final day be construed as mugging them? It's not sense, it's not irony - it is f**king nonsense!

OK - I'm getting a little bored with this but - we're 5th, have a goal difference that is worth an extra point over most of our rivals, have games in hand over most and have yet to play Bournemouth, Charlton (twice) and Brighton ...additionally there are still 45 points to play for and our run in is not the most difficult in the league. I'm not sure what record you are claiming anyone has to justify - our destiny is still largely within our own hands and the teams around us are equally likely (with the possible exception of Brighton who have been a more consistent animal this year) to lose against lower opposition. The reason I defined as lower sector was that there are only ten points between Colchester in 7th & Tranmere in 18th...it shows the competitive nature of this league...almost anyone can beat almost anyone else. Live with it...this is the reality - you can choose to be positive or negative about it - the original question was to positive thinkers from a self-confessed pessimist...you make me think he has won a recruit!

As I said in the original my take was from a crap radio feed so I accept that anyone who was there would have a more valid take on the match as a whole (although others who were there tell a different version...) but - let me spell it out for you? The question was about whether to take positives out of a performance in which one team created 20 chances and had double the corners of the other. On a one match basis (the premise of that part of the question) would you, however disappointed in the result, not take positives from that? On the other part of your (not the OP's) question - do I think it's acceptable to drop 14 points out of 30 against teams that are in the lower sector of the league (a statistic that in itself dictates that we took a greater part than we lost)? Well it's certainly not desirable but that's not news...this division is very tight. With 15 games to go anyone down to 14th could realistically have designs on a play-off place and so the standard is not so very different between all the teams and most teams will have had poor results against others that, realistically they'd expect to beat. When we sat out the midweek and others around us experienced the same as us and lost and drew against opposition they'd expect to beat. We are not immune from being beaten but - I'd rather be playing well with a good chance of winning than playing badly ----which is why the negativity does my head in.

I appreciate positive thinking is an alien concept to you but as I think that I am covered loosely within that description let me try and put 'perspective' in to this...I'm guessing this may be hard to understand also but try and keep up? I didn't speak about being 'mugged' as it happens - only that we played far better, created more chances, corners and (from my listening to the radio only - I wasn't there) played a far more attractive style of football. That last word is quite important...football often bites you as the best team doesn't always win - it's in the nature of the game that this happens - SO - I'm philosophical about this but know that we have a better chance of winning games if we play well...we did and I will be at Colchester thinking that we're playing well and have a good chance. Now you could call this logic as against positive thinking but label as you choose. Bournemouth are where they are on merit, no more, no less - they have surprised me with their ability to keep this going despite personnel changes in the playing and managerial staff but the positive thinker would believe that we can do that too...in fact we have a better crack at it because we have strength in depth - Where are the double standards within that? To summarise then - We lost a game...we played plenty well enough to win it and have a good enough chance to carry on playing that well until every point has been decided..a positive Actually the second point re Bournemouth is too banal to type any further on. Q - If you fell in the water would you open your mouth & let yourself sink thinking that there's a chance that you're going to drown any way so let's get it over with or do you think that the land's only just there, I can swim and give myself the very best chance of clambering out & heading off to dry out? I am intrigued by the vocal depressive that seems to drive your persona..on here anyway...

I use the site for many other reasons than the matchday 'experience' and a fiver is cluck all to be honest but it does seem that when I need it most (Radio effing skatesmatch last night) it's found wanting. I still think it's a fiver well spent but if I could suggest to the owners whatever number of fivers you have to pay for your service is tantamount to standing in front of **** Turpin with your hands in the air - it is not doing what it is supposed to therefore you can claim unfit for intended purpose...not of merchantable quality - I'm sure you're well versed in the phraseology needed.

Good to read sensible (largely) perspectives from those who were there. You made a great noise too (when Saintsf*ckingplayer didn't switch me to the skates match..insult to injury or what!) and I look forward to Saturday at the utilitarian public bog stadium to see some of our chances going in...or just a lucky off the a*se deflection...I don't care as long as it's in their net.

We lost a match We had 20 shots and their keeper played the game of his 37 year life We got undone by a route one ball Sh*t happens....I'd worry if we weren't making chances,,,I worry that probably the 2 of the best strikers in this league didn't put one or two away but this is football Saints style. Mothball the thread until May!

Now farking skates match....wtf !!!!!!!!!!

His record just doesn't justify his fee or his wages...58 league goals in 273 matches mostly in the Chamionship or L1 (or 2 with Bury?). I don't know what Ricky or Barny earn but I'm guessing less than 10k a week and their goals per game in the lower leagues is far superior. He's a 3-5k a week lower league journeyman who got lucky in the Bagpuss madness era...we can do far better. Also funnier to let them keep him in my opinion.....without taking in to account his wages he's cost them around £600k per goal so far!

They've gone!

Shouldn't this thread be elsewhere? Thanks

That last sentence is just not fair - show me a post Alpine has ever made that could be deemed positive? Different areas and slants of negativity granted....

Does anyone (Thorpe Le Saint?) know if the new junction is open yet please? It looked nearly done when I went past a few weeks ago &, if I remember rightly, will almost take you in to their car park. Can confirm no pubs nearby at all!

Agree mostly but Guly didn't have a bad game at all - hit the post, narrowly wide a couple of times and some lovely touches not shown on the highlights - again, we're fortunate to have quality options available.

Getting the banks, (who are infinitely more culpable than any administration for the WORLDWIDE recession) corporations to pay the correct rate of tax in the country in which they operate would wipe out most of this deficit at a stroke. This won't happen as they are the Tory party's main source of funding so are immune...the BBC however might just point this out to the electorate and are susceptible to cuts in government funding so thereby are a likely target. I can't believe that anyone can be so economically & politically naive enough to believe that the UK government could cause this global situation on their own ...can they?