Saint86

No zorba, not true, haven't you heard? We can go down and magically the team will become top class, carry a threat, and win the title...

I know we have injuries, but that doesn't fully exclude that line up. If Selles starts another game without Alcaraz and Sulemana he shouldn't make it back home again as manager. He's not ready to deliver with this squad, if indeed ever.

Ofc, the other alternative was we had just kept Ralph and SR actually got us a good striker and some CDM cover in the summer. Its a very long way back from here now. Many years before we see players like Lavia playing for saints again. Get to watch our kids knicked off us in the lower leagues now.

Funny you should ask... http://www.goztepe.org.tr/

You have to laugh, bring tall paul on this half and now play only to his feet 🤣

70minutes to line up with the team that should have started. so poor. Edozie as well should be in the matchday squads.

This one is on selles, lined us up with a 9 man side for 50odd minutes.

Utter shit so far.

I wouldn't start him over Adams, but he carries a threat in the air which sets him apart, mara carries no specific threats and has been in poor form.

A first half where it genuinely looks like we've got 8-9 players on the pitch all playing with the belief that we're already relegated and who are just waiting for the end of the season and their summer moves. Have to come out second half and go for it. Must not lose. Theo, Ely, Mara off immediatley for Paul, Carlos, Sulemana.

Selles has a lot to answer for for this one i'm afraid. Paul, Carlos, and Sulemana should have all started this one. And given we're now in a position where we have to score, all 3 should be on immediately at half time. Mara should have been kept until 60ish minutes when Paul gets tired.

Playing like we have absolutely no belief in the final 3rd.

Mara utterly shite this game. Head's not in it at all.

tbf, West Ham are shite, so this may actually suit us.

4 players offside, two holding back defenders. Not offside and interfering in play.

We aren't beating weat ham away. So best not plan on being on here tomorrow afternoon.

I reckon 34-35 points will be enough. It may even be lower given how many teams are down there and the fact they'll take points of each other. 3wins and 2 draws takes us to 34 points. Just don't give any points to our direct rivals and I have a sneaky feeling that will be enough, albeit squeaky bum time.

Agree with all of that!

Agree except on VAR - its the officials that are the problem not the tech. I don't miss incidents like the nongoal that triggered Charlie Austin's rant, Gabbi's offside goal at Wembley (that may well have stolen only our 2nd ever cup win), or things like that Doucoure handball goal (that could well have sent us down in another season). To name but a few purely saints related shockers. I hate that the officials make terrible mistakes even with VAR - Mike Dean's VAR red card/penalty decision in the United 9-0 should never have happened, nor should villa have got away with the matty cash diving save vs saints in the 1-0 loss. But those are far smaller errors compared to the ones detailed above - and they remain fundamentally officiating errors, not the fault of the tech. Also, its surely only a matter of time until VAR is in the championship.

Not specifically aimed at you robo so i hope you don't take it that way, but i actually hate these particular fan fantasies about being relegated to so we can win. Not only do i not get it, but i also massively disagree with it. It just reads like a big fish / small pond idealism to me.... However, if you follow it to its other quite likely outcome - I.e. we fail to get promoted, the teams quality declines, and we eventually start to struggle in the championship (vs the parachute payment teams and those with owners/momentum)... what will we get? I'd guess that we'd start to lose more fans/atmosphere as the same fair weather romantic ideals resurface in line with the team struggling - this time going on about being relegated to league 1 so we can start to win again. Alternatively, we get promoted and the same fans will be moaning that we're struggling in the prem. I just can't agree with it at all. What is even the point of competing or progressing as a club if we're just going to down tools and look forward to relegation to an easier level? Notably no one was saying this when we were challenging for europe. Equally, the tougher times make the good times more memorable - even if saints' good times are more modest than those of richer clubs. Its true of nearly all fanbases bar a select lucky few (because success is relative), but if all you want to see is a successful football club all the time, i hate to break it to you but you've fallen for the wrong bloody club 😆 - a reality everyone trying to get their kids into saints must surely have considered at some point... I want to see saints at the highest level they can be at - if that means scrapping away at the bottom of the prem so be it. I enjoyed the times when we had Ostenstadt, Tessem, Kachoul, Berkovich, Tissier etc. and were constantly under pressure fighting away as underdogs 🤷‍♂️. The championship was utterly grim in comparison. The only merit i can see to ever being relegated, is a chance to rebuild, blood a new team/youngsters, reset a losing mentality, and come back stronger.

If we drew our remaining 10games we'd finish on 33 points and be in with a shout of staying up - and certainly in with a shout on the final day. Giving points to direct relegation rivals will only move the required points total upwards. Its still more important not to lose these games (away) than it is to win them. What we have to do is win the home ones - those are our must wins. Beat Palace, Bournemouth, Fulham (the absolute must win home games). That's 32 points. Then get a couple of draws out of west ham, Forrest, Brighton, Arsenal, City, Newcastle, and Liverpool. That would get us to circa 34-35 points and likely stay up. The people saying we have to beat Bournemouth, Forest, West Ham, Palace, Fulham etc. (38points), or even 6 wins (41points) to survive... Eh?!?! I don't see it. Its so tight down there, the teams will take points of each other and its quite unlikely to be that high.

Its not clear that he is fit to play - i was just querying if he is out injured! 😇

Who is out injured? Che, ABK, Bednarek, Salisu?

Wasn't that interrupted last year by the ongoing post covid logistic issues and the intermediary falling into administration? (Apparently they were owed £10M by Rangers when they went bust as well 👀). You'd like to think it will be back this season?

Yes it was weird that he didn't get on with Koeman, man basically saved his ass. Always wondered if the Everton approach made it easy to get rid of Koeman. I.e. you're not getting a new deal here at saints so you best be off mate - we all know Koeman was after the barca/netherlands job at the time. And yeah, it was a strange time that summer. Some of the best years as a saints fan in modern history - met with immediate uncertainty. I just back checked (a lot of the articles and quotes are still around). Season ticket renewals closed 30th May that summer, Lambert was sold 2nd June. You can still find quotes from Les Reed even up to the 12th June (sky sports) saying we were not intending to sell any of our other stars... Shaw 27th June Lallana 1st July Lovren 27July Chambers 28th july Must have moved quick to negotiate all those sales in a few weeks if we weren't already in negotiations 👀 Even found an article with quotes from him saying we wouldn't sell any more the following summer, obviously Morgan and co didn't that message. I honestly think that period did a lot of damage to the atmosphere at SMS and the bond between the fans and the players / chants etc. We'd had an amazing few years and had great togetherness. Then Marcus passed, cortese got ousted, poch went, and reed got the top job. We turned into a talent trading machine with seemingly no loyalty or soul - and within 2 summers we'd basically dismantled the entire team. Still, you've got to have the bad to enjoy the good - and at least Koeman kept up the momentum for another couple of years and built a cracking team with Tadic, VVD, Toby etc. Now that was a side! Anyway, massive digress although i see the jpt and the above as book ending that period! The JPT was a superb day out and what really kick started us up the leagues. Hopefully a great many of us will have those memories for a long time to come! And even better yet, hopefully we get some more success in the future - Preferably not in the lower leagues though 😆