Vancouver Saint

Can we be the ones to stop Man city's winning run?

Gotta win, simple as that. No first half or second half psychology - full on effort for 97+ minutes, whatever it takes. Foster in goal. Rest Redmond. Such a shame Romeu is out for this - needed his grit to combat grit. Time for Ings to find the net again, Adams to do the same, Armstrong to show his class, JWP to get free kick opportunities, KWP to be fit and play, Salisu to find the beast in himself, Vest to get that headed goal and keep them out, Bednarek to score and get some confidence back...any one of our youth team to step up and finally prove their credentials. 0-4 to the Saints! Gotta dream. Getting really bored with this losing lark.

Missed the last 20 minutes which sounds like it was the best part of the game for us, but the truth is Ralph said it - this is not the same team that we had in the first half of the season that did so well...three youngsters and a bench of Academy players. The pivotal miss for us is KWP for me. I thought he was out for months, so what have I missed about people saying they hope he's playing Saturday? Not only does he have pace to cover back at RB, but he also provides attacking options that create chances for the front two, whoever they are. Suddenly we've lost both an attacking and a defensive strength. Bertrand is well past his prime. Bednerak is an okay CB and a terrible RB. None of our Academy players have convinced me they're good enough for PL status. We can fill in at DM, but not at RB or LB. I don't rate Valery, but what were they smoking when they let him go - if ever there was a time for him to be there to prove himself this is it. Crazy decision. Voikins too. We have to go back to basics and get a defence that knows how to defend. Today - Armstrong tops, Djenepo really played hard for the shirt and out of position at the end, JWP solid, Foster looked sharp - not his fault for the well-taken goal. The rest...meh...Salisu needs a complete mindset re-set...grow a pair and start bossing the game, Redmond - just learn how to not give up possession, not to give stupid niggardly fouls away, how to shoot on target and come back when you can do that, Adams, it's more than brute body strength it's anticipation and having a shot, Ings...where have you gone? come back please. Everybody should spend an entire training session shooting the ball into an empty net just to remember what it feels like for the ball to go into the net again!

You might be right Austsaint - but I share Raging Bull's sentiments and may just spare myself the pain - think SNSUN may have the solution, watch the first half end 0-0 or worse, then turn off and get the result later. I don't think I've ever been as pessimistic or cynical about our chances of winning a game of football - I didn't used to be like this. Covid or a run of 1 point out of 24 and a VAR dice that only rolls one way? Trying to leave on a positive vibe...maybe this is the game we play even more crap than usual and everything goes our way...win with a wrong-call VAR penalty in the 93rd minute... OMMMM

Any masochists actually going to watch this?

Shaking head shaking head. I've invested too much emotional energy into this Saints side. I get what Ralph was trying to do saving up the firepower for the second half but the minute we let that first goal in (crap missed tackle Vestergard and no save from McCarthy) that plan was done. 1 point out of the last 24 on offer. Gotta realise we are relegation form and heading into that scrap. This was the game we had to win - or at least not lose. Fail big time.

Good post. If we could let our opponents use up their energy in the first half, then save the intensity and pressing for second halves.... But we'd still need more fair refereeing decisions than we've had.

Right. We have been incredibly unlucky and victims of some incredibly bad decisions - that penalty today was a killer and the turning point in the game. We need to do whatever we have to do to not lose next game. Have to stop the rot. That win against Liverpool looks like a curse now. Let's just get off 29 points. Can we park a bus? (No need to answer, we don't have a bus, not even a camper van...more like a 2CV with no doors).

Did anyone understand why Armstrong was substituted? One of the few in our team who knows where the net is.

Sorry S-Clarke...watched the game with an Arsenal fan friend - both of us would rather have had the league points than the Cup win. Goes without saying I'd love to win the cup again, but seriously, with our squad and form...against a Man Utd or Man City playing to win? It's a fantasy at this point... take the 3 points and preserve our Premier League status priority No.1, 2, and 3. After that abysmal performance against Newcastle and the way the last three games have panned out my optimism is at an all-time low...sorry, but I'm just hoping we don't get any more injuries in a very long-odds attempt at the Cup.

When you think of it, three of the worst game outcomes imaginable in a row. Villa, robbed by corrupt officials. Man Utd, everything that could go wrong did, plus criminal VAR and reffing. Newcastle, way to rub it in and deflate confidence further. Time for the sun to shine on us a bit.

My birthday today. Thanks for nothing Saints. That was worse than the 9-0 for me. Slow, ponderous build-up and after hitting the post we never looked like scoring against 9 men. Not enough subs not quick enough and wrong ones. So many bad performances. All I was asking for was to get off this bloody 29 point mark.. Ralph, that was a terrible result.

With you Dorchester. Think we will win this if we play with confidence and courage. 3-4-3 works for me. Only have three defenders anyway so why not! Forgive the dumb question but can anyone tell me what injuries KWP and Vest have - both done in training. Moderators - can we start a new 'this century' injury update thread?

Thanks for the giggle Turkish...luxxxxerry!...caaardboard box, caardboard ? luuuxxerry! We used to get out our ole in the ground and lick road clean wit tounge! 52 real years supporting Saints and nobody should be surprised we aren't backing promise with investment. Happy with Minamino deal all the same - making the most of what we can do.

So media suggesting we wanted Ainsly Maitland-Niles before Minamino...would explain the very late deal for Minamino. Me, I think I'd prefer Minamino between the two anyway. Is it a done deal - or is this going to go to VAR again - in which case, don't bother telling me the result, I know already.

Well I for one am happy. Think he can 'do an Ings' and shine for us playing full time after not getting the platform at Liverpool.

Don't often disagree with you m'lud but I do here. 'Too close to call' should err in favour of the attacking side. The linesman was a tosser all night (he called Ings offside when he was barged offside beforehand) - and was too quick and assertive to flag offside for that last action. It was clearly marginal and left to interpretation - with the tipping point being 'let's not embarrass / undermine the official on the pitch' being the likely determinant again. It's not VAR itself - it's the interpreters that are still making human errors.

This. Exactly. Commonsense 'tennis' rules should apply - if it's too close to call it's in (i.e. benefit of the doubt is given to the attacker). Think the linesman screwed it for us by looking so assertive in his certainty - when clearly he was wrong to be that sure.

Seething after that. Almost burst a blood vessel screaming at the telly after that last VAR ridiculous call...what's happened to the level is onside? Anything that close to call should err in side of the attacking side. Game decided by ref and VAR. Not how it should be. Wish I could calm down as fast as some on here. Can only hope we get the breaks we might well need later. Shows just how much we miss Walker-Peters. This bloody 29 points mark has been a pain - need to get anything to move into the 30's.

We deserve a slice of fortune - we were the better team in the first half and taking the game to them

BBC says Ings tested positive and will miss the game...I may be ahead or behind the news, hard to tell...think he could be the difference-maker and our game changes when he's not in the side defending from the front. Bummer if so. Would take a draw.

Ralph in tears at the end says it all. Southampton B beat Liverpool A - and we deserved it. Every player played his heart out for Ralph. What an amazing result. SO PROUD OF MY TEAM Now for a mature afternoon winding up my Liverpool-supporting friends...

This. Could've been better could've been worse. West Ham defensively drilled - we needed Ings's offside goal to count as Moyes came here to block out our midfield running play and wait until the last 15 mins to bring on attacking pace to pinch it. Almost worked for them. So glad it didn't. A draw against them is a step in the right direction after losing the last five. Stay positive. Walcott played well. McCarthy earned his toast.

I'm with Ottawa on the Shane Long discussion. He's no doubt a lovely person and a good servant of the club, but his commentator cliche description as 'not a natural goal-scorer but a hard-running, hard-working 'constant nuisance' to defenders' is wearing thin. He doesn't challenge or even jump for 50:50 high balls in the top half of the pitch and - as we all know - the minute he's named in the squad we know there's one less person in the team who is going to score a goal. I don't think he can hold the ball up as well as others, his positional sense and ball control skills are weaker than other options. I would much rather see what our supposedly super-talented young strikers can do and given a full game to prove themselves. Think Walcott has got a second lease of life at his home club, is working really hard front and back...and certainly deserves a start. Djenepo I like, but he needs more grit and less prickle...much better going forward than back, just needs to be given the brief to run at people and be forgiven losing possession once or twice doing so. Hopefully will score a couple quickly and gain confidence he needs. Redmond a great player in there but something is wrong...hiding a foot injury, brittle confidence? Vestergard a big loss now...in defence, attack and play-making. Hope Bednarak can learn from him and add a 40-yard cross-field diagonal pass to the wing-backs into his game. KWP a revelation...showing up Bertrand's increasing lack of edge. Would be very happy to have this posted back at me if Long starts and scores a hatrick in a 3-0 win tomorrow! (or any day for that matter).

Thought it was a good point against a Fulham side that are in a relatively good form patch - and better than their current position suggests. Thought we were better than the write-ups suggest. Dialio had a good game as stand-in. We can beat West Ham - hopefully we will