Vancouver Saint

I missed the first half - started watching from the second half - OMG, we seriously didn't touch the ball for the first 20 minutes, Doncaster scored twice...with our new goalie nowhere near clearing from a corner right under the bar (was he impeded?) then a statue for the second...I'm thinking well there's a lot of work to be done there if he's going to be any good. 'Southampton have been terrible in the second half' quote from the commentator. We didn't even get into their half let alone their box for that time - again the half-time team talk must have been 'We've won this, just mince about and don't bother, it's cold...here's a nice cup of tea'. We look terrible in defence for anything hoofed high or long, or for corners or free kicks into the box - seems rare we get a defensive head to the ball first. On the positive side...Scienza and Stewart made a big difference. The new keeper made a couple of good reaction stops at the end and showed enough to suggest he's already a much better goalkeeper than Bazunu (not difficult) - he'll learn not to get bullied in his own 6-yard box. Wellington much better than Manning. Quarsie needs more confidence with the ball at his feet. We still need more control of midfield. A win is a win - we squeaked through as the commentator said. Against a team struggling in L1. But I was pretty underwhelmed again from what I saw. Am I wrong?

No leadership. No heart. Either on or off the pitch. I said it at half-time, our players look disinterested...they're at walking pace for throw-ins, corners...there's no sense of love of the game and wanting to play football. 56 years I've been following the Saints and never have I been so disinterested and detached myself. Honestly, I wanted 'boro to add a fifth and sixth (which they should have) to dispel any myth that this game was anything but an utter embarrassment that shows just what we are - a shambles of a collection of players. We are not close to being a team. How can this be the same team and manager that beat Charlton 5-1 away?

Does anyone else think our players look disinterested? Slow, slow, slow for everything. Some really good chances to score - Azaz, Downes and Fellows should have all done better. One passage of play summed it up for me. Our free kick middle of our half left side - instead of playing it forward we play it backward and pass it sideways until we give away a throw-in 20 yards closer to our goal. We need to bolster the midfiled and pass it through the middle. 4-3-3 or or 4-4-2 or 4-5-1...anything but this 3 CBs at the back that can't control the ball well enough.

Is this deal done or not?

Ha! Didn't realise the game was on today and missed it completely - sounds like I missed nothing. I've been a Saints fan for 58 years - I never thought I'd be so disengaged in this club. From a quick scan let me say let's get real on the Bazunu thing - two good saves in two games does not make him the top-of-the-Championship quality we need. No doubt this will give the management team a reason not to follow-through on getting the new 'keeper we so desperately need...unless someone tells me that deal has already been done?

Well - we can't complain about taking just a point from that. Birmingham the better team for 60 minutes. Terrible goal to concede (four headers before a poncy header in) - as normal really poor defending. For once we were the better team in the last 20 minutes - much better energy and chances - fair credit, saving Scienza to come on as the impact sub against tired legs a good mix-up plan. I thought the substitutions were good. Still don't like our three at the back...when the wing-backs don't get in behind as was happening first half (Fellows not 100%? - Robinson did okay but was cutting inside not running past defenders) the formation doesn't work and we give up the middle of the field where the most danger comes from. We are still bang average without a better goalkeeper, commanding CB and killer target striker. Stewart coming back would be a boost.

Poundshop Prima Donnas - brilliant Milton. Love the name btw...takes me back to when I first watched the Saints, partly for the footie and partly watching the 'Come-and-have-a-go-at-the-Milton-agg-a-ro' crowd! Have never made it to St Mary's yet living in Canada but suspect there's nothing similar tolerated anymore...

I'm sorry, but it's unbelievable that people are still defending Bazunu. If it were a one-off thing I'd forgive him, and I don't believe anyone sets out trying to be bad - but Bazunu is the complete opposite of a commanding goalkeeper that gives you confidence at the back. He has no command of anything except the six-yard sideways pass to a defender. He doesn't come for crosses. Can't command his six-yard box for corners. Lets shots go through him, past him or under him with frightening consistency. His finger-tip last minute save against Wrexham in the first game was a one-off. You just know as a Saints fan that when you need your keeper to make a big save to win the points...Bazunu isn't going to do it. Their first goal today was well struck but a better goalie saves that without too much fuss. WE NEED A BETTER GOALKEEPER! End of.

Soooo predictable. I was going to say we are a very very average team, but we are much worse than that. That is a terrible result and exactly what we deserved.

Woeful first half. Need much more courage, directness and composure to make the right last pass - or just bloody shoot! Let's hope Bazunu doesn't get a shot on target.

Writing before reading...talk about Jekyl and Hyde! What was that first half team vs second-half team?! Looked brilliant the first 40 minutes or so completely dominant and scything through them at will - but second half - OMG what a transformation the wrong way! Bazunu simply not good enough - what keeper at this level cannot command his 3-yard box in the middle of the goal for corners? Defence looked TERRIBLE the minute they were put under any pressure. That could and probably should have been 3-3. Tons of work to do...including the manager. "Southampton should never have been in this position (5 minutes to go and looking likely to throw away a 3-0 lead)" says the West Brom commentator - too right! I am obviously relieved we won and let's take the positive...but so much of the brilliant first half was undone by a dire second half performance.

Good result and both teams could have scored more - big let off when they missed an open goal from five yards with 20 minutes to go - that could have completely changed the outcome of the game. We still look really shaky defending leads. Will we ever make an effort to stop a cross coming in? Or give ourselves an outlet to relieve pressure when we're parking the bus in the penalty box. Aribo subbed on again? Must be a mandate to play him to put him in the shop window...it's the only reason I can think of. Was watching a Birmingham City stream and commentators were remarking how we looked 'flat on our feet' - and that was right after the Romeo and Aribo substitions!

At 1-0 up Adam Blackmore commentating says: 'Now can we see what mettle this team is made of - can we defend and keep a clean sheet?' The answer is emphatically NO! Bazunu is an un-goalkeeper if there is such a thing. Just so weak in so many aspects. And the Tonda Eckart miracle-man myth is also exploded...we looked ver ordinary. Millwall the better team - did they have three games in a week like us?

Well that was different! Hadn't planned to watch it - it being 4.30am in Vancouver but was awake - glad I tuned in. What a first half. Goodness, almost looked like we were much the better team in a competitive football match. Listened to the Charlton commentators who had an interesting observation: they said we were ruthless against an ineffective high press from them but much less effective when facing a low block...very true

OMG that's funny - my grandson is 6 - his dad, my eldest son is the one inflicted with Saints-supporteritis - a chronic disease as we all know. Would be an amazing thing if they actually met on the pitch! There's actually quite a big Saints supporters following here Vancouver being a port city and some Southampton imports...

This the saddest post of all. My little grandson trots out for his practices in a Saints shirt - fortunately for him nobody has a clue who Saints are here! But seriously, your post is the saddest of all because we are losing a whole generation of supporters unless we turn things around dramatically...

You know it's time for the manager to go when you're almost willing your team to lose to make it unequivocally clear just how bad this team is. Not all his fault - the recruitment has been terrible and missing our best player in Shea Charles today, not much luck with woodwork yada yada - but the bottom line is we're tactically inept, we play slow predictable football, we can't keep a clean sheet, we can't score, we can't do the basics like take corners or defend them, we can't improve individual players and we certainly don't look like a team - with a manager who doesn't ever seem to smile, inspire or energise...it's time Will, thanks for coming out.

I think we all started off wanting to like him and wanting to give him a decent amount of time to make things work. Many of us have been pretty patient. My patience has expired. Not just because of incompetent management...from basic tactics like slavishly sticking to 3CBs/5 at the back...punting crosses into midget impotent strikers against giant CB opposition...inane in-game substitutions...always-the-same outswinging corners that end up being a breakaway on our goal...no movement for throw-ins...basic stuff that tells me this guy has never played the game... Not just because I can't think of a single player he's made a better player (Charles was doing fine on his own)...but I can see a ton he's made worse or lost/pissed off... But because he's just a bit of a misery really isn't he? For a young man he brings very little energy and enthusiasm into the room (or so it would appear from a distance). And don't mis-read me - I'm not advocating one of these false positive types where every friggin thing is about taking the positive (Canada)...oops, is that my inner voice speaking out! We all know just how crap our club is atm...it's not an easy job...but I'm thinking does this guy have the ability to lift others when things are really shit? I so want to give him the benefit of the doubt - I think he took the job in the first place to be closer to his partner who has a serious illness - that itself says something about his character that deserves respect. But perhaps it's a distraction too much? He certainly doesn't seem to be getting any joy out of his players or managing Southampton FC. If this post / PNE is the beginning of a turnaround for his fortunes and ours, I'd be the happiest person...but is there anyone out there who can see and brave enough to say so?

Goodness...just when you thought it couldn't get any worse...we manage to plumb a new low! So many things wrong with that performance and Will Still's bizarre substitutions I don't know where to start. Did I hear the Saints fans shouting "You don't know what you're doing when he took off Scienza and brought on Stephens?" Too right. We have also lost probably our only consistently good player in Shea Charles. I mean for good not just from injury - he's not going to hang around with this bunch of losers.

Okay, it's official - my patience with Will Still has expired. That second half was just woeful ineptitude. 70% possession and 5 touches in the opposition box, playing three CB's who pass it around the back in our own half because there's nobody free in the middle to pass to because the opposition have figured out they can out-number us and press us there - doh! They have 30% possession, three times as many touches in our box and two goals. we continue to have Manning do out-swinging corners (to nobody that can head a ball) that result in breakaways for the other team. Continued defensive errors that cost us goals...including massive momentum-swingers like their equalising goal. Yes the rose-tinted optimists will point to Scienza hitting the bar and Charles missing a header he should have scored from, Archer not capitalising etc...but this game was lost on tactics, energy and desire. We are absolutely where we deserve to be - 17th. That's us. Our new goal: reach the giddy heights of mid-table mediocrity.

We are owed one. 0-1 to the Saints. Own goal naturally.

Can't keep making excuses for us not scoring - it's just so painful to watch. Criminal we can't beat a team like Swansea at home. Are we satisfied with a much better performance asks Adam Blackmore? NO! Results are important and it's simply not good enough.

For all our issues about three or four at the back, GK woes, best midfield combo, the lack of an out-and-out striker, Will Still - the game is about goals - and we don't score them. Goal difference is the most telling stat. Coventry +20 Southampton -1 How about focusing single-mindedly on scoring goals Still?

Entertaining game. Unfortunately, those are the types of game we need to win, not draw. Was watching the 'RamsTV' stream and their commentators were saying that's the best Derby have played this season by far... We were the better footballing team but lack that killer edge. Armstrong unlucky not to score a second. McCarthy had a great game. Our defensive weakness against high crosses exposed again. The two Downses added absolutely nothing, weakened us. Scienza looked really sharp - subbing him off a mistake. Shame to lose Stewart just when he looked like he might, just might have been our go-to striker. Feel like that's two points dropped, but honestly can't say a draw is unfair - Derby could easily have scored another too. It's a long season and we're beginning to look a bit more like a team. But we won't win anything with draws. Coventry and Leicester doing what they need to do away from home...we need to start winning consistently soon.

Well...very happy we finally won a game despite trying our hardest to lose it. Very happy for Stewart who played really well and scored a stunner to win it. But... ...let's not kid ourselves...we were very lucky with some of those refereeing decisions - especially for their disallowed goal...no protests from our players a giveaway. I didn't see a foul despite really wanting to - did I miss something? Our defence is shambolic...toss a high cross up into our box and there's a fair chance you'll get your head to the ball first if you're an attacker. Quarshie is still a work in progress, Woods was solid apart from a silly foul in the D that almost threw the game away at the end. McCarthy blows hot and cold - kept us from going 0-2 down but then just not great at commanding his 6-yard area let alone 18-yard box...he's still better than Bazunu. The last 15 minutes was painful, sitting back and inviting pressure. Fraser covering Quarshie as left back is not a great combo IMHO, although Fraser did well. Roerslev and Downes did nothing to impress me when they came on. We should have had at least one or two breakaway chances to score a third but we didn't even get a sniff. Shame Arma missed that penalty...I play striker and have missed exactly the same (yes, I'm not a professional footballer!) but it takes courage to take a penalty and that was not as bad a miss as it looked...just a tad too much adrenalin and lean-back. Still, could have cost us the win - glad it didn't. Now, let's take our luck and ride it. Another three points on Saturday please...