NewYorkSaint

Players we can build an exciting team around: Gunn, Yoshida, Bednarek, Vest, Valery, Bertrand, Romeu, Hoj, JWP, Lemina, Redmond, Sims, Long (I think), Armstrong (maybe... has been promising on occasion). Targett is reasonable backup wing-back. The rest I wouldn't miss if they left. Suspect Ralph feels the same. The Minimum needs: a lethal striker, a genuinely reliable centre-back.

Disappointing half. A few positives, the main being Forster! A couple of decent saves, including in his supposed weak spot of down low. He had no real chance on the goal. And contrary to opinions here, Mo has shown flashes of real quality. His combining with Armstrong and Long has been the best we've offered so far. I think we need Romeu on second half though to shore up midfield. And maybe Redmond for Ings. Not seeing Ings do much yet.

Disappointing half. A few positives, the main being Forster! A couple of decent saves, including in his supposed weak spot of down low. He had no real chance on the goal. And contrary to opinions here, Mo has shown flashes of real quality. His combining with Armstrong and Long has been the best we've offered so far. I think we need Romeu on second half though to shore up midfield. And maybe Redmond for Ings. Not seeing Ings do much yet.

It's on CNBC in the US. Blistering start by Saints.

Awful first half, superb second half. Wonderful to have Lemina back. We need him. Armstrong a much better bet than Sims based on what we saw today. We'll be fine. We played some sensational football second half. But we do need a top-class striker. And we do need better cover in defense. If we had two centre backs good enough for us to play 4-2-2-2 we'd be able to lock up midfield and maintain strong attack. That's the way I hope we go this summer. A bit of work to do before then. But we'll get it done.

So much luck in football. Their best shot 10 inches lower and they equalize, and it's a v different mood here. As it is, we can all breathe. Didn't see anything from Gallagher. But Armstrong had a great game, as did Hoj (prob my MoM) and Romeu.

Yes!!! great result!

Played pretty well. Def by far the better of the chances. I actually prefer Saints w back 4 and extra midfield strength. We just end up controlling more and playing further up the pitch. Hoj+Romeu+JWP+Armstrong... strong combo, and winning ever more of the ball. Nice to have Ings back. I have a hunch he may do something a little special second half. p.s. here in US, live on CNBC.

I agree w OP that a rule shift to award something less lethal than a penalty kick for lesser fouls in the box would improve the game. indirect free kicks from within the box would be exciting to watch. Two alternatives: a short corner, hockey style... or make it a direct free kick where the defending team can only place two defenders in the box along w GK. The red card rules also need paying attention to. It's crazy to ruin an entire game because of reckless behavior of one player. Send them off, and - in violent cases - ban them from future games, but allow them to be substituted. The penalty should be on the player not on 30,000 supporters. I also think yellow card shd be accompanied by 5-min sin-bin. Alas, pretty hard to change the rules. And the ones we have still make for an amazing game.

The one flaw in Poch's management is that his players put TOO much energy into the first half, then pay a price. That happened repeatedly when he was w us. Spurs were unbelievable first half, closing us down with alarming pace and ferocity, then blitzing forward. Hass's injection of pace at half-time was the perfect counter-strategy, right when they were tiring. We shocked them. so...very...happy...to Sims back. Love watching him play. With him, JWP 2019 and Valery, who needs transfers?! (kidding) The excitement's back!

Saints can be really proud of that. Deserved at least a point, given the bad reffing first half, and the incredible heart shown after going 1-2 down. Suddenly we can start looking forward to top-6 games again. Count me satisfied.

God, I remember this feeling. I LIKE this feeling. Saints up against one of the great teams and more than matching them. If we'd signed Valery for £30m, we'd be pleased w the quality he's showing. What. A. Player. Gunn superb. Redmond tireless. Whatever happens from here, it's an encouraging day.

We'll do this. Great midfield. Redmond to bamboozle. JWP scores again! Saints 3-0

we're being way too harsh on stephens. he's making a supreme effort against a player taller than him. really unlucky. My frustration is all at Long. He has showed zero threat with the ball.Can't seem to run with it. Gave it away twice pointlessly when he was in great position. Earlier some good flicks and passes from him, but his overall skill-set worrying. always has been. Redmond incredible. JWP strong. Romeo a rock. Armstrong exciting to watch, despite some bad passes. Slattery ...promising. Overall we're a much better team than Burnley. We did that w/o many of our best players. We'll be fine.

I don't think we've played badly. I just think Palace have played better.

Fantastic fantastic performance. The determination is there for all to see. Hoj, Rom, JWP, and esp Redmond running their socks off. And hunting in packs v v effectively. Our 3 centre-backs strong. I'm so happy to see JWP deliver what he's capable of. That extra confidence will only help him. And hearing St Mary's rocking... all the way over here in New York. That was great too. The rest of the season's going to be fun. Hello again, Football!

Hoj and Romeu on their day are just awesome. They've won the ball so many times, and both have put in killer passes to launch attacks. Ings + Redmond posing genuine and exciting threat. And our back three getting stronger all the time. Believe!

Is it ridiculous to hope this might trigger a change of tone in the forum? It was already clear that Ralph is doing an immense job. But looking back through the pre-match comments, I think there were only two half-hopeful comments... and one of those was mine. Called the score-line, crediting Romeu, JWP, Long, back 5 and Ralph. For one thing, it's a lot more enjoyable going into a game w some level of belief. No? I think there's scenario where we have an absolutely stonking second half of the season. Can't wait. And meanwhile, glass-half-full SaintsWeb community unite!!!

I got a little bit of grief for this in the pre-match thread: "Can't believe the negativity here. I'm excited for the game. Redmond's on fire. JWP stronger, feistier, cleverer than ever. Long's a poor finisher but will still stress their defense. Romeu can be a rock. the back five seem to be improving every game. High press supersmart manager who's had a full week to prepare. Aren't I allowed a little excitement ahead of the game? all the recent clashes w Leicester could have gone either way. I think 1-2 to Saints a strong possibility." Standing by that scoreline... And definitely my prediction of an exciting game!

Can't believe the negativity here. I'm excited for the game. Redmond's on fire. JWP stronger, feistier, cleverer than ever. Long's a poor finisher but will still stress their defense. Romeu can be a rock. the back five seem to be improving every game. High press supersmart manager who's had a full week to prepare. Aren't I allowed a little excitement ahead of the game? all the recent clashes w Leicester could have gone either way. I think 1-2 to Saints a strong possibility.

I LOVE watching the press. Yes, Chelsea sometimes were able to one-touch past it. But there were at least three occasions where we flustered them and rewon possession in a good place. I hope we can sustain energy for second half. Pretty sure our players covered at least 25% more ground than chelsea. Exciting to see Gunn in action. Great prospect. And Valery super-calm under pressure. Plus one brilliant shimmy to get free to cross. Fun half! We could have been watching Saints under Poch.

Heart breaker. Score could easily be 3-3.

Feels more desperate than it prob is. Yes, way too many errors, only part excused by the conditions. Vestergaard a huge worry. I feel like we screwed up in bringing him in. Despite his height, he's not that dominant in the air at the back, and he's DEFINITELY prone to clumsy touches and mis-passes. Job no 1 for H will be to figure out the right back pairing. My money on Bednarek and Yoshida. Yoshida, despite v occasional mistakes, is a really talented footballer with a heart of gold. Stephens also strong. V shd be sold in my opinion. But what was good was seeing the combo of Lemina, Hoj and Romeu with Armstrong and Redmond ahead of them. that is a dynamic, winning midfield. I think the one thing we truly badly need in January is a deadly striker. That's been our achilles heel last two years since loss of Mane. If we get one in, the other pieces are there for a killer team. Even this game we'd have won with reasonable refereeing. I vote to remain a believer. But wow, it's been a long time since football came with celebration.

Brave team choice. Excited to watch this.

I'll add my voice to those who'd love to see Hoj given a chance here. We want someone who can inject passion and excitement in other players during the games, esp when times get tough. Not seeing that in Bertrand at all. Maybe he's strong off the pitch, but I doubt it. I also think a change would be a strong signal by Hughes that meaningful change in attitude is needed by the team.