max_saints

With the table starting to shape up nicely for us and a couple of winnable home games ahead, can we now safely say that earlier talks of a relegation battle at the end of the season were premature and we will hopefully start to see the light at the end of the tunnel after the next few games. Or is it equally premature to say that things are starting to look up for us? For me, I'm feeling really positive especially after being unbeaten for three games in a row. The defense looks really settled and the team playing with confidence all around. IMO, we should be able to win our next three home games against Norwich, Reading and Sunderland plus one of Fulham or Stoke away (two draws would suit me fine too) and that should set us up looking really comfortable with half the season gone and a January transfer window to perhaps strengthen the team. One point to note is that while Reading and Sunderland have a game in hand, it means they'll be playing each other and with the both of them down there with us, any result in that game would be beneficial for us (of course a draw would be best) so I don't see that game in hand being a crucial factor. Anyone else feels the same or think we'll still be stuck in bottom 3 with half the season to go?

btw I have to add that Newcastle were really poor today even with all the absentees, never looked like scoring let alone winning the game. they are on a very poor run of form and it's not like theyve been playing the likes of city and united. if this slump continues, they're going to get dragged into a relegation scrap and it's not like they can change the manager, pardew's got 8 years on his contract ffs!

2 bloody nil! could have been more, hitting the woodwork three times and a dubiously disallowed goal! finally a clean sheet and look at how much it meant to yoshi and gazza at the end of the game! they were celebrating like they won a cup! very pleasing to say for sure that the defense and perhaps the whole team looks so settled! let's keep the run going and get as far away from the bottom 3 as we can!

super save!! Ramirez goes down far too easily in the box..

why people write stuff like this before the end of the game, i will never understand

Newcastle's record away against us: 2004/05: Won 2-1 OG, Carr 2003/04: Drew 3-3 Ameobi, Bowyer, Ambrose 2002/03: Drew 1-1 Bellamy 2001/02: Lost 1-3 Shearer 2000/01: Lost 0-2 No scorer 1999/00: Lost 2-4 Shearer, Speed 1998/99: Lost 1-2 Hamann 1997/98: Lost 1-2 Lee 1996/97: Drew 2-2 Ferdinand, Clark 1995/96: Lost 0-1 No scorer 1994/95: Lost 1-3 Kitson 1993/94: Lost 1-2 Cole 1988/89: Lost 0-1 No scorer 1987/88: Drew 1-1 O'Neill 1986/87: Lost 1-4 A.Thomas 1985/86: Drew 1-1 Beardsley 1984/85: Lost 0-1 No scorer 1973/74: Lost 1-3 Macdonald 1972/73: Drew 1-1 Barrowclough Wouldn't mind a win/draw. really need to go on a really good run with the upcoming games to get over our poor start to the season, i predict an unchanged line-up again. coyr!

this cannot be good for us... with hughes at qpr we could at least be certain that one of the relegation spots was taken already..

mayuka from jan to feb. hopefully he'll be fit by then and ready to grab his chance during this two months to either break into the starting line up or more realistically, a place in the matchday squad.

given that they have 3 wins more than us, one of which was against us as you have mentioned, conceded less goals and have a better goal difference than us... I fail to see any stat which shows that they are not better than us.

think we need to hire some extras and plant them among the opposition fans every game and boo him at every touch. that will force him to feel like he has something to prove every game and get him to score to 'silence the opposition fans' every game. sounds like a plan?

making a statement that there are too many gaps in our defense

lol, this list is just.. lol

is this the latest challenge on the fm13 challenge mode? no deal until i know the identities of these two mysterious defenders in this shady deal. imo upson and warnock for ramirez is not worth it at all

maybe spurs might loan us Hugo lloris heh heh

to be fair, I think gazza was only following orders. one thing I've noticed from our keepers this season is that they rarely boot the ball up the field but instead build play from the back by passing to the defenders. it's not only gazza but the other two were doing this as well and I always felt it was a calamity waiting to happen and gazza was just unfortunate it fell on him. if anything, whoever is instructing them to do this should be blamed. on the issue of NA, I felt the team he put out today was solid and probably the best we can offer. however I feel NA is lacking in his ability to affect the course of the game in terms of substitutions. he just does not have the Midas touch that top managers have where inspired subs can totally change the course of the game from a losing position to a winning one. often his subs are simply like for like especially in the left back position and I just find this uninspiring. the only minor exception that could be made is probably the spurs game when he brought on mayuka and went from 442 to 433/4231.

lack of mental willpower from the players to see through games which I feel stemmed from the Manchester games. to be in a winning position and so close to winning only to get nothing out of it has dented their confidence and make them doubt their ability to maintain leads in a game. everytime we take the lead the players just start having this niggling doubt that they're going to lose it and start making silly errors. in a way, it's a complete contrast with teams high in confidence like Man Utd who even when behind they just know they can and will come back and win the game. hopefully we embark on a good run and start picking up points then confidence will pick up and the players will start trusting their ability to see out games.

that team that started has to start every game from here on. we are nearly getting there in terms of our shape. to be fair Swansea barely came to our half in the second 45, it is very unfortunate that the backline could not keep their concentration. enough with the chopping and changing already we are getting out of our slump soon I can feel it. no point changing managers, rafa Benitez or guardiola is not going to effect individual errors unless they're going to be out there playing in goal or defense. get a run going without losing and the confidence will start growing in the players and hopefully that will help cut out their individual erros. on a side note i felt shaw looked pretty good at left back

we really do not need to change keepers again, it's unsettling the whole defense..

this. zonal moderating don't work ffs they need to be man-marking Miltonroader07!

how the hell did we beat villa 4-1?! the days of the Manchester games where we were in there with a fighting chance seem so far away. sigh... what is there to say about the team today.. they were all sh!te. no positives to be taken. at. all. west brom barely got out of 2nd gear, stroll in the park for them.

What I think it'll be: Bench: Gazza, Jos, Ramirez, Cork, Punch, Jrod, Reeves Don't think ramirez and cork will go straight into the starting lineup after coming back from injuries, probably come on after an hour played with the scores hopefully still level. Very tough game away, with WBA having finished top half past 2 seasons (correct me if i'm wrong) Logically it would be a simple 2-0, 3-1 WBA win but seeing as they're on a back of two losses and our players should be up for it having seen the team gone bottom, let's hope we sneak a draw, coyr! Prediction: West Brom 2-2 Saints (Lukkaku, Odemwingie, Lambert, Schneiderlin)

3/10 for the flashes of what we can do (leading against city and united, 2nd half against spurs etc) and the good win over villa. other than that, not tight in midfield, wide players not tracking back to help our already helpless full backs, and inexperience plus unfamiliarity at the back. possible solutions: sacrificing an attacking player and playing with a tighter midfield 3, drilling into the heads of the wide players to track back, decide on a back 5 and stick with it! only then will the back 5 become more familiar with each other, learn how the other plays and cover for each other if necessary. also, think a lot of people might be placing too much hope on us getting decent reinforcements in come January. don't get me wrong, I would be happy to get in a decent LB and CB but it's not going to be easy and I fear this forum is going to go into a bigger meltdown than it already is with every day that passes with no one coming in. we are going to have to pay above fair value and there are no guarantees the players that come in will make immediate impact.

to do what? keep Chaplow and de ridder company on the bench?

rubbish reason to comfort ourselves and blind us from the fact that we're simply not playing well enough. when the likes of wigan and west ham can get a win and a draw against spurs and city respectively, we should be looking at other reasons instead i.e not being tight enough in midfield and inexperienced defending.

[video=youtube_share;s5ID15mv0gA] :lol: