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The top is from our favourite journalist.

 

 

 

Amazingly some #saintsfc fanss are trying to defend Puel's decision to bring on Pied for Ward Prowse at 1-0 down. Lost for words.

 

 

 

Tony Husband‏Verified account @TonyHusbandBBC 3m3 minutes ago

 

 

 

As baffling a decision as I've seen for a while. The end is nigh.

I had no problem with that Sub Pied is a winger converted into a full back so was clearly bought in to get forward and deliver balls into the box not like the morons behind me insisting Puel was shoring things up 0-1 down with an extra defender.

As for JWP awful yesterday back to his supreme worst should have been taken off after 20 minutes.

I had no problem with that Sub Pied is a winger converted into a full back so was clearly bought in to get forward and deliver balls into the box not like the morons behind me insisting Puel was shoring things up 0-1 down with an extra defender.

 

As for JWP awful yesterday back to his supreme worst should have been taken off after 20 minutes.

I agree about JWP but he did more than Tadic who had a good 5 minute spell out of the 94.

People saying that those who didn't feel the need to boo would have sat there in silence during the Branfoot era are pretty wide of the mark. That's a completely different scenario to the one we currently have. There's a time for venting anger and in my opinion it's not when we are having what could be described at worst as an average season.

Branfoot was taking us down with horrific football, Lowe was ruining the club. Both valid reasons for frustration and booing. I just don't see this situation as one that particularly warrants the abuse Puel got yesterday.

You seem utterly convinced of this . Personally I couldn't care if he was a albanian deaf mute if he got us to play quick attacking and exciting football , you know what we were known for before he arrived .

 

This rubbish about his interview skills is just another excuse to detract from the clueless style of play we execute under Puel .

 

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The only difference IMO is that we just havent put the chances away. It has been a season of woeful finishing as much as woeful football. The boring football is forgotten as soon as a goal goes in. Loads of times last season it was dull but we got a goal and things cheered up.

Apparently reading on here under RK he had no plab B, MP had no plan B and whenever we hit a bad patch the manager didnt have a clue.

You will get your way and a decent man will lose his job, once he has been booted out I believe you have then lost the moral ground to complain whoever comes in

We go to the match to have a good day out and be cheered up by what we see . The day includes trip down, lunch , beers, anticipation, good result for our team and for them to play well and look like they are enjoying it !

Roll on next season whoever is in charge etc.

The Pied sub made sense. He was brought on to hug the touch line and get crosses in. Obviously Jay Rod, Long or Sims would have potentially been better but none of those were available at the time.

I loved the bloke behind me baying for Clasie or Hojbjerg to come on instead, like they are renowned for goals/assists.

The Pied sub made sense. He was brought on to hug the touch line and get crosses in. Obviously Jay Rod, Long or Sims would have potentially been better but none of those were available at the time.

 

I loved the bloke behind me baying for Clasie or Hojbjerg to come on instead, like they are renowned for goals/assists.

So why wasn't Jayrod available?....he tweeted he was ok and wanted to be in squad. Its ok getting crosses in but to who? Tadic? Davis? Boufal? Although Yosh did play up front for the last five.

Clasie or Hojberg holding and push Romeu forward?

Our corners have been a waste of time since VVD got injured.

I agree about JWP but he did more than Tadic who had a good 5 minute spell out of the 94.

Its a sign how poor our midfield has become this season other than Romeu the rest have been **** poor.

Its not hatred at all . Its frustration.

What other way can fans express their dissatisfaction? Should they write a strongly worded email ?

The club wouldn't care . Like it or not but this is the only real way fans can convey their opinion to the board

 

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It is indeed frustration. I was quite happy when he was appointed and didn't join the chorus of complaints that he was an unknown, didn't do his tie up properly and so on but looked forward to what he had to bring. Having seen that I would like to see him, Black and the coaching staff be removed in the hope that next season I can see some football not crab-ball.

I have long been of the opinion that the club have purchased too many players of championship quality, to add to a few home grown players of limited ability (Stephens is the exception - he was my MOTM Sunday and deserves to play next to VVD next season). Long, Redmond, Austin, JRod - while they have all had flashes of brilliance, none of them have been exactly prolific. Boufal and Gabbiadini both have something about them, but are not being coached well in my opinion. Forster is another story - I just don't get what's going on there, but his kicking is dire.

Overall I do not believe there is any sense of purpose or plan in our attacking play - it's either get to the byeline and hit and hope or run at players and lose the ball - that's the strategy. More likely than not we'll stop in attack and pass sideways/backwards, as we don't push up as a coherent unit. There's a dire lack of movement from those not on the ball - no-one offering themselves as an option and if they do, it's likely the ball player will misread where they're running too and give the ball away.

Something has to change. It's all so very uninspiring...it's been a very long time since I witnessed such a terrible end of season game. Two independent and reasonably reliable sources have told me Puel is going - I prefer continuity and stability, but this time I just hope they're right.

I have long been of the opinion that the club have purchased too many players of championship quality, to add to a few home grown players of limited ability (Stephens is the exception - he was my MOTM Sunday and deserves to play next to VVD next season). Long, Redmond, Austin, JRod - while they have all had flashes of brilliance, none of them have been exactly prolific. Boufal and Gabbiadini both have something about them, but are not being coached well in my opinion. Forster is another story - I just don't get what's going on there, but his kicking is dire.

 

Overall I do not believe there is any sense of purpose or plan in our attacking play - it's either get to the byeline and hit and hope or run at players and lose the ball - that's the strategy. More likely than not we'll stop in attack and pass sideways/backwards, as we don't push up as a coherent unit. There's a dire lack of movement from those not on the ball - no-one offering themselves as an option and if they do, it's likely the ball player will misread where they're running too and give the ball away.

 

Something has to change. It's all so very uninspiring...it's been a very long time since I witnessed such a terrible end of season game. Two independent and reasonably reliable sources have told me Puel is going - I prefer continuity and stability, but this time I just hope they're right.

None of the players you've named are "Championship standard".

Even the weakest player in your list - Rodriguez - was subject to £10m plus interest from other Prem clubs in the summer and in January.

were we really known for attacking exciting football anymore than what the pundits have been saying this season as well?

 

The only difference IMO is that we just havent put the chances away. It has been a season of woeful finishing as much as woeful football. The boring football is forgotten as soon as a goal goes in. Loads of times last season it was dull but we got a goal and things cheered up.

Apparently reading on here under RK he had no plab B, MP had no plan B and whenever we hit a bad patch the manager didnt have a clue.

You will get your way and a decent man will lose his job, once he has been booted out I believe you have then lost the moral ground to complain whoever comes in

Indeed. As I mentioned before, we could have Nicholl-Branfoot all over again.

 

'Worse season than ours'? It's not only about league position.

True. You need to take into account a trip to Wembley as well.

People saying that those who didn't feel the need to boo would have sat there in silence during the Branfoot era are pretty wide of the mark. That's a completely different scenario to the one we currently have. There's a time for venting anger and in my opinion it's not when we are having what could be described at worst as an average season.

 

Branfoot was taking us down with horrific football, Lowe was ruining the club. Both valid reasons for frustration and booing. I just don't see this situation as one that particularly warrants the abuse Puel got yesterday.

[emoji106]

The top is from our favourite journalist.

 

Amazingly some #saintsfc fanss are trying to defend Puel's decision to bring on Pied for Ward Prowse at 1-0 down. Lost for words.

 

Tony Husband‏Verified account @TonyHusbandBBC 3m3 minutes ago

 

As baffling a decision as I've seen for a while. The end is nigh.

It was patently obvious why he was brought on. We weren't getting anywhere through the middle - and we had the pace and trickery of Boufal there too (however inneffective he turned out to be). Pied was there to give us width and a bit of pace on the wing, working in conjunction with Cedric.

The problem of some of the criticism I've seen is that whatever Puel does, whoever he brings on is going to be criticised, probably by the same people who think JWP is useless.

It was patently obvious why he was brought on. We weren't getting anywhere through the middle - and we had the pace and trickery of Boufal there too (however inneffective he turned out to be). Pied was there to give us width and a bit of pace on the wing, working in conjunction with Cedric.

 

The problem of some of the criticism I've seen is that whatever Puel does, whoever he brings on is going to be criticised, probably by the same people who think JWP is useless.

Hey I agreed with most of Puel's subs but JWP is useless

Hey I agreed with most of Puel's subs but JWP is useless

Please be more specific. How exactly is JWP useless in you opinion? Does he not have any good skills in you opinion?

Please be more specific. How exactly is JWP useless in you opinion? Does he not have any good skills in you opinion?

He's slow, he's weak in the tackle, weak in the air, doesn't arrive in the box quickly or often enough, finishing isn't great, passing isn't as good as it should be for someone with his ability to strike a dead ball. Although he is excellent at putting in 'crossing' free kicks, he consistently "not quite good enough" from direct free kicks. Tadic has come closer to scoring than JWP, even though the commentators purr every time JWP steps up to take one.

I think he's improved and recently he's shown a lot more desire to make forward runs or play forward passes, and I would say that his finishing is better than it was earlier in the season. That is encouraging no doubt, but you asked doddisalegend for some specifics, of which there are plenty...

He's slow, he's weak in the tackle, weak in the air, doesn't arrive in the box quickly or often enough, finishing isn't great, passing isn't as good as it should be for someone with his ability to strike a dead ball. Although he is excellent at putting in 'crossing' free kicks, he consistently "not quite good enough" from direct free kicks. Tadic has come closer to scoring than JWP, even though the commentators purr every time JWP steps up to take one.

 

I think he's improved and recently he's shown a lot more desire to make forward runs or play forward passes, and I would say that his finishing is better than it was earlier in the season. That is encouraging no doubt, but you asked doddisalegend for some specifics, of which there are plenty...

That saved me a load of typing cheers

That saved me a load of typing cheers

What better 22 year old (or younger) players in the premier league would you put above JWP.

I am struggling to get past players like Rashford (debateable), Pickford (debateable), Alli, Sterling?

They usually play for top top clubs... What exactly do you expect from JWP given his age? To be one of the top players in the prem and therefore not playing for Saints? Or is the stick with which we beat him that he isn't a top class player and therefore isn't good enough for us?

What better 22 year old (or younger) players in the premier league would you put above JWP.

 

I am struggling to get past players like Rashford (debateable), Pickford (debateable), Alli, Sterling?

 

They usually play for top top clubs... What exactly do you expect from JWP given his age? To be one of the top players in the prem and therefore not playing for Saints? Or is the stick with which we beat him that he isn't a top class player and therefore isn't good enough for us?

To say he is useless is unfair, but eelpie asked for specific weaknesses. Would you disagree with anything I've included, even if I fully accept he has time to improve on such things?

Is this going to be a sticky all summer?