Daft Kerplunk

Just seen a foreign type chappie talking closely with someone in the Master Builder in West end, didn't look closely at him,both very sharply dressed. White Bentley parked outside, reg no 110 BP. Anybody with those initials we could be interested in?

BP = Bradley (Wright) Phillips

Decent piece on the Echo drawing parallels with where we are and where we were in 2003. Doesn't mention that after we missed the opportunity to develop, we got relegated not long after but let's hope that is one similarity too far and we actually avoid it by building seriously now and becoming less of a 'showcase' club and more of a team with players who want to be here for the long term.

http://m.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/14172280.COMMENT__Are_Saints_at_a_crossroads_/?ref=mr&lp=4

Sam Byram seems like the right sort of deal for us

Victor played well against Arsenal but they are one of the teams he wants to go to. He will go in the summer, who he goes to depends on how well he plays for the rest of the season but he's already auditioned well for his 'probable' preferred choice.

ffs going to loose now

We might lose due to loose defending or finishing

Another assist, another nail in the coffin for this daft thread

The new Ramirez?

Hardly, Ramirez was a big marquee signing made by Cortese. Juanmi is a squad member

This is totally relevant but unfortunately not everyone can distinguish between the levels of energy used at different levels of football.

Jesus, does there need to be two threads where some fans continue to moan about the fee paid for Shane Long?

The commitment was key today, we didn't give up and RK has clearly had words in the dressing room to make the players wake up. Significantly more effort today, and if we can keep that up, the results will improve, plus as fans, that's all we want. The fans responded to the effort today as well, still too many unnecessary wary leavers (these are the games where you need to stay and show your appreciation) but singing at the end and for those of us there at the end, you can imagine the players appreciated the fact that we clapped and sang them off.

Top effort, keep it up and regardless of the results, we will know you are putting in the effort we need to see.

Saints 4 Saintsweb Forum Intelligentsia 0

 

Lol

No you're wrong. Sell Long to reinvest. Cuco Martina is the worst player ever to pull on a Saints shirt. Clasie is terrible.

What surprises me the most about the current lack of decent youth is our failure to capitalise on our reputation. Every parent of decent youth players should have been queuing at our door over the last few seasons trying to get their son onto the fabled "conveyor," yet this doesn't seem to have happened at all.

I should imagine the u14s and down to u8s are very good, but definitely not good enough for the first team just yet

Ha ha, time for Motson to put down the microphone I think. It was the only entertaining bit of the MOTD highlights though, the rest needed to have a viewing warning beforehand!

He was **** as usual.

Was the best player for us. From a playing football point of view

I always love how some of the lads like Reed appear to be the golden choice to make things better. Reed must have gone backwards and isn't even starring in the 21s. Doesn't that say all you need to know. Maybe he will work out but clearly from the fact these lads aren't being picked is down to the fact that they aren't impacting the 21s or impressing in training enough. I can't imagine they'd be ignored if they were doing the business in a business like football.

In danger of wasting his talent. Why would Spurs sign him when they have Dembele, Dier and Alli? Was probably scrubbed off the target list today after a number of disappointing appearances

Worried

Really there should be no criticism of Clasie today, he was one of our only bright players today. First time ball is pretty much always to feet or the right space even if on the first touch, looks to move the ball quickly and forward. Anytime a player actually created space he found them. He won tackles as well. If height prevents you being a good player in some people's eyes, thank goodness you've never had to suffer watching Iniesta or Xavi bossing a midfield! Clasie alongside Schneiderlin would have been simply class.

Wanyama however is the enforcer was pony and that's an actual problem.

Still wondering if he will get a Christmas bonus...recruitment largely to blame for current position IMO.

 

Although I guess they are working to a restricted budgetn in mitigation.

 

Would be interesting to know how Wilson compares to Mitchell in the opinion of someone who has dealt with both.

I would imagine that his job is far more long term, kind of involving academy prospects as much as anything. Also, scouting and recruitment will make suggestions, not the actual appointments. Was soares only supposed to be back up for Clyne for example?

Also, pretty sure that the scouting department recommends 5 or 6 players and then these need to be approached, have terms agreed then signed.

Ultimately, first team transfers success or failure responsibility falls on those who have to agree a contract with an agent and player.

I thought our formation worked quite well in containing them, but our 'wing' backs weren't attacking enough, they were no different to playing in a back 4. Could have been different had Davis' header gone in.

 

We weren't abysmal, but just not quite good enough. Unfortunately that gets punished in the PL. Worryingly I think it's more of a whole-team (or manager?) issue than one or two underperforming. I thought Romeu was our best outfield player (though apparently he lost Cabaye for the goal?) Bertrand was woeful, worst player on the pitch. Mane made the wrong decision every time in the last 20 mins. Wanyama is not the same player, Davis is decent but doesn't possess the creativity or individual ability to be the only link between defence & attack.

 

Thought the support was pretty good, shame about the morons who thought it would be funny to set off a flare and start chucking bottles and barrels around at half time...

I think maybe Bertrand's head has been turned by being in the England squad. It has happened before to our players after all. Wanyama is definitely going backwards.

There are a couple of things that worry me. When we still got some OK results, we weren't really playing that well and now we are in a bit of a slump.

Perhaps there is more than a bit of complacency when it comes to our transfers, with it assumed that we will always replace departing players with better. We only did that for one season, it's not like it has been something that has happened consistently over a number of years. Like players do, maybe the transfer committee believe their own hype a little too much.

And with the transfers out, the one thing you cannot replicate easily when bringing in new players is team spirit and in a couple of matches this year, it has been noticeable that this is not that great. When we go a goal down, it's pretty much game over, or worse, a total capitulation like against Liverpool in the cup.

Maybe we won't be relegated but at the moment, it seems we are probably going to finish far lower than expected. Kind of the opposite of last season and hugely disappointing if that happens. Hopefully this run of bad form will be the kick up the backside that is needed and we can turn it around and finish top half at least.

Well here to be honest, unless I've misunderstood]

 

You've massively understood. Football team being first love does NOT in any way state they are prioritised over family. Read it again.

 

 

Feel free to point out the bit where someone said, "I don't care, atmosphere doesn't matter." Go on, please do.

 

That's a common theme that comes up, hey, it's even written a few times in this thread, not a 'you said or anyone said'. Hope that makes sense.

 

Anyway, instead of picking on semantics, let's get to some arithmetic.

 

For just 40 hours a year (bar cup runs) out of 8,760 hours (except for leap years just in case the pedants want to jump on a single point) it would be great if fans stayed until the end of a match and committed themselves to being an active fan instead of a passive one that is making the atmosphere at St. Mary's worse than it could be.

 

X

That's a moving speech but if you love Saints more than your family and prioritise it over your job then you're a bit mental.

Feel free to point out the bit where I said I prioritised saints over my family. Go on, please do.

And my concern is that all the I don't care, atmosphere doesn't matter brigade means saints fans are sleep walking into become Arsenal fans. And anything to suggest otherwise is apathetic in itself.

Support through thick and thin, with vocal support that lets the team know you give a toss, and until the end regardless of whether your wife has told you you've got dinner on the table waiting, or a sales meeting update you desperately need to wake up early for. If a football team is always your first love, it deserves to be treated as such for the just over 20 times a home match happens out of 365 days a year. Anything else is faking.

One of he worst things about football these days, easily top 5. It barely ever happened at the Dell apart from a very small number, and if it ever happened on the level we see every week these days it was because the team had been **** and it was a demonstration of your displeasure. Everyone is entitled to support how they want but this is one of the worst things any fan can do when a game is just 90 minutes long and staying for the whole thing was once the norm.

i would rather saints were a private members club but without a fee and only available to those born in the general hospital vicinity as a minimum requirement. That way it could remain for those privileged few only.

Boycott all saints commercial activity now. Damn them to hell!

Whoops, just forgot that more members means better commercial prospects which means that we make more money which means we could compete.

Arrggghhh, I'm tormented!