Vancouver Saint

Joined 30 mins into the first half - we looked absolutely dreadful and should have been two goals down at half-time. Second half much better, the difference being KWP who is a cut above the rest. Played okay, but goodness, we can't keep letting teams stay in games up until the final minute. Che Adams so far off his game it's not funny. Manning is just a liability. Shea Charles wasn't great either what I saw of him. Where was Ross Stewart?

West Brom 1-0 up against Ipswich...hopefully they'll win and it won't make today's result look so bad. Still think we will get nowhere without mixing our walking keep-ball with some fast incision and route-one (that includes defensive clearances instead of passing it out from the six-yard box!)

That was terrible. We look like a team who believe our own hype, mincing around with keep=ball in our own half but not with enough threat up front. That game should have been over in the first half with all our possession. When are we going to play in the second half? As Huddersfield commentators said - overplaying...too loose...won't be automatic promotion if they can't beat us was the implication. Awful.

WBA were a very good team - can't believe a couple of posters here are saying otherwise. At 1-1 I thought they had the upper hand and the momentum so was happy to see that AA goal go in. A really big win to keep the momentum going. WBA will beat some of our competitors around us if they play like that - starting with Ipswich after the international break with luck.

1-1 Difficult to call. Think it will be a tight, even game. Heard the same podcast with the West Brom pundit who knew his stuff about his team and concur they're exactly the kind of team we don't want come up against at home, especially when they're on a good run of form. I fear a combination of no Bednarek and no cutting edge up front will cost us in the game. 0-1 down with 20 minutes to go...Ross Stewart comes on to equalize.

Phew! Deserved that. Such a lovely feeling to win games late rather than lose them. Was a high blood pressure watch until then...watching terrible streams with some Canadian friends on a boys trip in LA, who don't know football but were up early to watch the 'Southamptons vs the Mealworms' (I kid you not)....they'd just about given up on seeing what a goal was... I'm not sure I converted any of them to Saints...

OMG - quickly changing my end of game whinge about us needing a goalkeeper (I thought a good goalie would have saved both their goals...first one especially, but even the second you come out and make yourself big)...but the footballing gods clearly telling me to hold back with that yet-again get out of jail free card - what a laugh! Couldn't see from my stream if he actually headed that or the defender but good on him. We don't have enough threat up front to win the games we must to get promoted IMHO. We are still way too slow in the build-up, with no clinical striker up front. Even with speedy, tricky wingers to get to the byeline they cut back to nobody. We don't mix up slow build-up with fast long-ball diagonals to keep defences guessing. And our play out of the back with mistake-prone defenders like Holgate is going to cost us more than it gains. Oh, and why is it Edozie last man back on the left trying to stop their attacker (and being all too easily shrugged off)? Did I miss something? On the whole a draw a fair result, and I'm relieved we got a point - but it feels like we stole it rather than won it.

Any streams anybody?...with thanks in advance if they work!

And as ordered sir! Nice to get that for once...thought we were still way too ponderous in possession and lack that incisive striker up front to score when we have the upper hand....but last 15 or 20 minutes we definitely looked stronger. Well taken finish from Fraser has to be said.

I am as disappointed as the rest..but let's be honest, there are some fickle fans on here and it's fine margins. Che's glancing header goes in instead of being brilliantly saved, it's 2-0 we're done and dusted and he's the striker we've been waiting to get back...Smallbone finishes that and he's the attacking midfield genius instead of turn-backwards guy. We got 3 points at Stoke when we should have probably got 1. We got 1 point here when we definitely should have had 3. I forecast a 4-1 win and it should have been that...would have been bar their keeper standing on his head and lack of a clinical finish from us. Not RM's fault today IMO...subs, perhaps - didn't make us better for the second time in a row...but then he'd get criticised for not injecting more energy (the commentators were just saying Sulemana wasn't making the overlapping runs he was in the first half...implied looked tired). The only thing that really frustrates me in this 'new way' lark is how ponderously SLOOOOOOOOOOW we are in the build-up. We need to mix it up with some zippy long diagonal balls (yes that may not connect) and much faster movement of the ball. Teams have time to get back behind the ball, make a cup of tea, watch the video of the 'attack' build-up, discuss defensive options and then pack the box to clear. Still think Charles is better than Smallbone and Alcaraz should start.

How we failed to win that I have no idea. Really poor second half - looked like players thought it was easy and they'd saunter to victory. No ruthless cutting edge. I know everyone is fuming at a poor result, but not entirely the manager's fault IMO...everyone singing his praises at HT for dominating, doing everything right except score a second. Rotherham goalkeeper played a blinder to be fair - 8 saves of which at least three were amazing saves. Was Bazunu out of position for their goal or just beaten by 'one of those'... well-taken first-timer...the mistake was in the weak header out more than the 'keeper for me. We've lost ground today but the season won't be defined by today...looks like every team is having ups and downs except Leicester.

Guest Rotherham podcaster on the Saints podcast forecasting a 4-0 win for Saints...or a miracle 0-1 win for Rotherham - go figure! Hope for the former, although mindful they beat Norwich and we have a habit of losing games we should win. Nah...4-0 sounds right to me, or 4-1 given we still look wobbly defending set pieces, notably our own corners!

Arrived late to watch the game but timed it perfectly as Stu curled in the free kick - so you can all thank me for that. Based on what I saw in the second half we were unlucky not to score two more - Stu's header onto the defenders foot (doh!) and Sulemana's cut-in that he should really have scored from. Otherwise, we looked (relative to previous performances) shockingly composed defensively. I still don't like how Manning leaves his man so open out wide...almost as if they've been told to concede possession out wide to stay compact in the middle...but invites crosses into the box and gives the opponents time to join in the attack. Subs, excluding Shea, made us weaker. Mara and Aribo way off the pace and did nothing to hold up play high up or tackle back. Mara, sauntering across the back line to close down his man despite him having fresh legs. Fraser wasn't great but at least he works hard and tracks back too. The last 15 was screaming for Edozie to offer a speedy counter-attack threat. Happy we held out for an important win

Ha, had so dismissed this game already as a lost cause didn't bother to check the time and missed the game - typical I should miss a win. Summary in a nutshell anyone?

What's the worst performance and result combo possible? We'll get that. For me it's play just well enough to fan the dying embers of belief and still lose 0-1. Madness continues.

What's the worst performance and result combo possible? We'll get that. For me it's play just well enough to fan the dying embers of belief and still lose 0-1. Madness continues.

What's the worst performance and result combo possible? We'll get that. For me it's play just well enough to fan the dying embers of belief and still lose 0-1. Madness continues.

Okay, I've seen enough. Reality check. We've just lost to the bottom club after leading 1-0 (good goal in fairness but then never saw AA again). It should have been 3-1 or 4-1 to Boro. We had one shot on target (Edozie) in all the time we had after going behind. At no point did we look like we were dominating or even controlling that game. How does Alcaraz not feature in that game? Aribo before him, seriously? Smallbone is bang average. Holgate not match fit. Manning bang average. Downes and Charles average at best today. Gosh, we even managed to make THB look bad - what is it with our club? No energy, fight, confidence, tons of defensive errors again...predictably concede just before half time from a defensive error and a goal that I thought Bazunu could have saved. It was a penalty, stupid from THB. Where to from here? Nothing I've seen suggest RM has coached our players into being better players or play an attractive system that wins football games. Four losses on the trot. Most goals conceded. Poor performances is putting it kindly...the previous two were shambolic... Graham Potter is that you? C'mon down and have a go...

When RM says we have the squad to take us out of this division I thought he meant promotion not relegation. But I get what he means now - Doh!

This. We are such an easy read for any half-decent team. High press to win the ball from us trying to play the ball from the back with defenders who aren't good enough on the ball and no midfield. 0- 1 after 21 secs, 0-2 after 18 minutes doing it again for good measure. A goal back from their mistake, then it could have been a hatful for them. We are slow in possession and end up trying to 'pick the lock' of packed defences without the players to do it...give the ball away and leave ourselves open to the break. So now we know for certain - we are nowhere near good enough for automatic promotion - we'll be lucky to make top six. And that's assuming this pony can learn a second trick...

So just watched the goals on YouTube. If you're an opposition manager your brief is: 'Shoot on that goalkeeper from anywhere'. Bazunu has to do better on both those shots from distance - he didn't even get a glove on them! It probably isn't so bad reduced to 3 mins of highlights, but in those I saw a definite penalty for us not given and Edozie hit the post when we were 2-0 down...could it have been a different game if either of those resulted in a goal for us? 2-1 at half-time is very different from 3-0. Doesn't excuse us losing the second half 2-0 as well I know.

OMG what happened? Glad I didn't even attempt to wake up at 4.30am to watch a crappy livestream. Had a feeling we might get a wake-up call with this game but never in a million years a 5-0 drubbing. Saw we had 68% possession though! Hopefully the only wake-up call we need...

Think this will be a telling test. Frustrating that it's a 12.30 kick-off which translates to 4.30am Saturday morning for me. No way I can get to watch this as I refuse to pay $200+ to DAZN to watch just the 6 or 7 Saints games they cover - I can watch every Premier league game for less. EFL have really screwed up access to coverage for overseas fans. BTW, for others in the same boat, I paid $20 for access to the Live Player app...it's hit or miss if the game is covered live but good quality links on your mobile you can mirror on the TV when it works.

Well, perhaps the luck is running our way this season - good result given we didn't play that well and were out-shot by QPR. It's clear that if we play this possession game that we need inventive players up front and a striker that really creates havoc and makes his own chances. We look ponderous in possession and get squeezed into the sidelines without outlets. Edozie running past his man first half but not the second. Tella makes so much sense in this set-up he''ll be a big miss. Need that Piroes wassisname or equivalent impressive striker that can head the ball. Ryan Fraser did well. Downes impressive. Stu solid. Bazunu did okay...not sure about his positioning for their goal, but it was a great shot. Adam Armstrong good in the No.10 role. Something to build on but we definitely need more up front.

My first reaction to the news was, c'mon we're not serious about signing this prat are we? - I've always seen him as one of those annoying tosser players with a bad attitude and I wouldn't want him in any Saints team. Do we need another little scrapper (nope - let's have a proper centre forward target man please). Plus a loan, so if he's does work out it won't work out for us...not a permanent addition to the squad good enough to stay in the Premier league if we got there. But reading through the thread, am willing to be proven wrong and would be happy to see him bang some goals in for us on a consistent basis. Methinks this is a convenient cover to soften the inevitable departure of Adams (who I could tolerate going for £15M) and Tella (who we shouldn't even think about selling). Looks like Eddie Howe has got exactly what he wanted - Tino in and Fraser out. If we'd wanted Fraser that badly we'd have done the loan deal then, not now. Smacks a bit of convenience / running out of options. I don't like it but happy to be proven wrong.