Pamplemousse

You have to feel sorry for Puel. The board have cocked up big time.

It will be three from the current bottom 6. Bournemouth are below us and I rank their chances of going down very, very slim.

I really, really want to play them next season. 12 years and counting since we last beat them

I think serious questions must be asked of the recruitment department. Les Reed's future should be under threat IMO, two transfer windows he has messed up. We have an excellent manager, he needs to be backed.

I would also take Adkins back. Our most successful manager, popular with the fans, good attacking football. I still am optimistic that Puel will turn it around. But losing VVD is a massive issue. Anyhow, I've said all that needs to be said tonight. I hope others will calm down a bit and look at things more rationally. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/soccer-predictions/ According to this, we only have a 3% chance of relegation. The bottom three will be made up of three teams who are currently in the bottom 6.

It's always the same faces - batman, alpine, they can't wait to post as soon as we lose, but if we win, you rarely see them. It is, quite frankly, embarrassing and pretty sad. I'll be here whether we win, lose, or draw.

In the second half, we did create chances. Should've put one of them away at least and made a game of it. Gabbiadini looks like a good player. Defensively though, I am worried. I think we need to put Bertrand in there and go McQueen at LB for Sunderland.

In all honesty, I wouldn't label all fans like that. There are certain individuals though who are relishing in our supposed demise.

He got them further in the Champions League then any other manager has ever managed to do for them. If you asked Saints fan for their opinion on Adkins, it would be positive. Ask Reading fans or Sheff Utd fans, and it would be negative. He's been successful in France, and has a good reputation for developing young players. He'll come good for us, if the board can get their fingers out of their arses and back him in the transfer window.

Yup, I have done. I believe that the board largely are to blame for not signing a striker in the summer and then not signing a defender last month. We've got good attacking options, but defensively, now that VVD is injured, we look fragile in that department.

Well we've lost so many games, so you really want the same XI to start?

You lose the argument when you start accusing people of being skates.

Most are so negative anyway. If we won 4-0 they'd still be moaning. People like alpine, batman et al have views which can be safely ignored. We could be winning the league and they'd still be upset.

Coming from you, I'll take that as a compliment.

Puel is not the issue. Some of you lot need to get your heads round the fact that we won't be sacking him any time soon.

Oh dear. Look how happy you are that we've lost and that I was wrong. If we had won, you would've gone AWOL, along with all the bed wetters. You really are sad and pathetic. Grow up.

What would you have done differently then? As I said, before the match, people were pretty happy with the team. After that, it's up to the players to perform.

I don't think there is too much wrong with the tactics or the players picked. If you go back and look through the pre-match threads, people generally have been pretty happy with the team selections. Ironically, I'd say when people seem to think before the match that Puel has got it wrong, we end up winning.

Why ignore the two Liverpool wins? They don't fit into your theory? Why are you deliberately ignoring them? As I said, it's quite pathetic from your point of view (and others) that you are so happy.

Personally, I think he's been hindered. Firstly, by the Europa League, which historically has always had an effect on teams. Secondly, by the board's failure to a) not sign an additional striker in the summer and b) not sign a defender in January Nevertheless, with this squad, and particularly with the attacking options we've got, we shouldn't be relegated, and I don't think we will. We're only 4 points away from 9th - plenty of time to turn this around. We do need to win at Sunderland though. The team is lacking in confidence obviously and we need to get a good result going into the cup final.

It's a shame that people seem quite happy because they've been proven correct. You sad, sad people.

Nothing to do with Puel IMO - board's failure to sign a defender has cost us. I doubt any manager would do much better. Can't blame the manager for players making individual errors.

Indeed. I overestimated Stephens. I'm afraid that experiment has failed. Put Bertrand in at CB and McQueen at LB. We'll be doing more attacking than defending at Sunderland I imagine.

For those who really think we will go down... Bournemouth are in freefall, as are Leicester, Middlesbrough can't score for toffee, Palace aren't much better, Sunderland are woeful, Hull will probably struggle too. WE WILL NOT BE GOING DOWN THIS SEASON. END OF STORY.

The way I see it is that we have a very good manager, he has shown that this season. But the ineptitude of Les Reed and the recruitment department has let him down massively. We won't be going down this season, so let's just calm down.