Bournemouth 0-1 Saints - Match Thread

[Whitey Grandad]

2 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

The vast majority on here believe we were very bad.  Even Adams has said we were not good.  It was an awful performance and bournemouth had more shots than any game this season.  Play like that against Arsenal, it will be a battering.

However, the players gave everything and the last 5 mins was good....

Daylight robbery is probably a tad strong, but we were shite

How many exactly? Three or four?

We win. Just rejoice at that news!

[woodsaint1]

If we can get a decent goalscorer in January to accompany Adams, and Lavia back sharpish....we could actually have the makings of a decent team.

Very much needed 3 points, even though the performance left a lot to be desired. They picked up on the chanting in the sky sports special studio. Unlikely the owners will take much notice though

[woodsaint1]

4 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

The vast majority on here believe we were very bad.  Even Adams has said we were not good.  It was an awful performance and bournemouth had more shots than any game this season.  Play like that against Arsenal, it will be a battering.

However, the players gave everything and the last 5 mins was good....

Daylight robbery is probably a tad strong, but we were shite

They battered us last season and we still beat them 1-0. Would take the same again please 😁

[DT]

3 minutes ago, ButtikonSaint said:

Got to be happy with that.
Aribo a bit anonymous, wondering if an old fashion number 10 free role behind the 2 strikers would suits him better (although I think that's the perfect role for Stu).
Defensively pretty sound. DCC, Salisu and Lyanco did well. Perraud is a pit bull. Hope KWP is ok.
Che and Arma need to start the next 5 games together up front to really build on that partnership.
Loved the last 10mins Tiki-taka.

Adobo deffo looks lost. In the hole might be good I reckon too. Agreed on Che and Arma. Ralph needs to learn to keep a settled side and build on it, not do his ‘genius’ tinkering bit

[Roo1976]

16 minutes ago, CB Fry said:

Honestly that is a win of a relegated team. Absolutely fucking dreadful against a terrible opponent.

So we shouldnt have played this match against Bournemouth then because............................we are relegated?..............WTF?.............grow some ,so we may still have wreck it Ralph but we support the team and the win yes?.................damn right and we dont care whos in charge(well we do).  Btw Adams was bloody immense and  linked well with AA. Thought walker peters was frustrated all game tbh, someone rattled his chain,didnt seem to like playing with Calta  whats his name and having Ely in front(dont blame him). Ely what dose he bring? and survived the whole match ............................line underneath we move on .

[Saint Matty 76]

Just now, woodsaint1 said:

If we can get a decent goalscorer in January to accompany Adams, and Lavia back sharpish....we could actually have the makings of a decent team.

Very much needed 3 points, even though the performance left a lot to be desired. They picked up on the chanting in the sky sports special studio. Unlikely the owners will take much notice though

It's the creative players more than anything. I agree we'll look much better with Lavia, but if the players behind Che consist of Moi & AA most weeks then we'll struggle to create.

[Turkish]

Just now, woodsaint1 said:

If we can get a decent goalscorer in January to accompany Adams, and Lavia back sharpish....we could actually have the makings of a decent team.

Very much needed 3 points, even though the performance left a lot to be desired. They picked up on the chanting in the sky sports special studio. Unlikely the owners will take much notice though

Another attacking midfielder as well

A younger Stuart Armstrong would be ideal. He’s such a good player when he’s on form, good when he came on. Only player we’ve got midfield who can pick it up and drive forward 30 yards, we need someone else like that. 

[Pamplemousse]

1 minute ago, miserableoldgit said:

Just watched the game and feeling upbeat......until I came on here.....

I know right.

We can definitely play better - I'd argue we've played better this season and lost. I think it's the performance of a team who are low on confidence and absolutely desperate for a win.

[Ekelund]

6 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

I actually thought Bournemouth were pretty average.

They didn’t exactly pepper Bazunu with shots.

 

Pretty average? They were awful! I’ve seen a lot of Forest and they offer more. Bournemouth will go down. 

[Hodgey]

You could see the lack of confidence, taking extra touches, misplacing simple passes, poor control etc. but there was a lot to like. I thought AMN was decent, he did some dirty stuff, played one amazing through ball, but more importantly was disciplined in his positioning and worked well with JWP (who ran his arse off, made some great tackles, but was shocking in his passing). Adams was fantastic, made the long balls stick, and I thought the cbs were both decent as was Perraud. KWP like JWP wasn’t his normal fluent self. The attacking midfielders were as per, they are all very average and you’ve just got to hope you pick the one who has a good day. Yet again the final ball / shot was generally dreadful - but that’s just due to poor quality players, we’re going to need to be on the right end of low scoring affairs as we can’t outscore teams.

Diallo was excellent from the subs, and Armstrong took the pressure off.

Out of the bottom 3, unbeaten in 2, I know some are slightly disappointed as they want Ralf out, which I respect, but he does seem to be slowly turning it around.

[FarehamSaintJames]

May as we’ll have lost given the reaction by some on here 😂

 

Many tonight 🤡🤡🤡

[CB Fry]

2 minutes ago, Roo1976 said:

So we shouldnt have played this match against Bournemouth then because............................we are relegated?..............WTF?.............grow some ,so we may still have wreck it Ralph but we support the team and the win yes?.................damn right and we dont care whos in charge(well we do).  Btw Adams was bloody immense and  linked well with AA. Thought walker peters was frustrated all game tbh, someone rattled his chain,didnt seem to like playing with Calta  whats his name and having Ely in front(dont blame him). Ely what dose he bring? and survived the whole match ............................line underneath we move on .

Fair play for having a drink every time Bournemouth had a shot on goal.

[The Kraken]

So assuming KWP is out, what’s our options?

- Flat 4, Perraud RB, Larios LB

- Flat 4, Lyanco RB

- Back 3, Perraud and Larios wing backs

- Back 3, gamble on Elmo or Diallo at RWB

- something else? We don’t have the luxury of shifting JWP from CM.

[BARCELONASAINT]

An absolute awful game to watch. We were garbage, we could not string 2 passes together for 90 minutes and then actually found some composure and pinged it about for the last 5 mins.

Bazunu was excellent, Che put in a great performance and deserved his MOM.

How the hell Bournmouth did not score is beyond me, let no one actually think they were not the better side by a country mile because they were. We got very lucky and we defended like our lives depended on it.

Our morale and self belief is very low and that was painfully clear to see by the way even our best passers of the ball kept giving it away.

I'm delighted to get 3 pts and beat that lot down the road BUT we really are very poor ATM.

[S-Clarke]

1 minute ago, Pamplemousse said:

I know right.

We can definitely play better - I'd argue we've played better this season and lost. I think it's the performance of a team who are low on confidence and absolutely desperate for a win.

It was never going to be a comfortable win after being on such a shitty run, you just have to get a win by any means. I didn't really feel like we were on the brink at any stage to be honest, they had a fair bit of the ball from time to time but we seemed to have their number in terms of the 1 on 1 defending and CB positioning. They were fairly toothless I felt. 

[The Cat]

3 minutes ago, DT said:

Adobo deffo looks lost. In the hole might be good I reckon too. Agreed on Che and Arma. Ralph needs to learn to keep a settled side and build on it, not do his ‘genius’ tinkering bit

Do you watch football? Pretty much every team put out a different first 11 every match and change formations multiple times within a game.

[Mr Brightside]

1 minute ago, CB Fry said:

Fair play for having a drink every time Bournemouth had a shot on goal.

Better that than what you’re smoking. 

[S-Clarke]

Just now, The Kraken said:

So assuming KWP is out, what’s our options?

- Flat 4, Perraud RB, Larios LB

- Flat 4, Lyanco RB

- Back 3, Perraud and Larios wing backs

- Back 3, gamble on Elmo or Diallo at RWB

- something else? We don’t have the luxury of shifting JWP from CM.

AMN RB, I personally think he's a better player there than CM. He's too risky on the ball in CM for me.

[Nordic Saint]

4 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Our first win in god knows how long was always going to be like this, nervy, backs against the wall for periods. We were fortunate Bournemouth couldn't really muster much quality up top, as we kept giving them the ball back. We did defend well against them though, I don't remember many 'clear cut' chances.

My main criticism of our game - our ball retention was horrendous. Key players like KWP, JWP just tossing it away time and time again in really dangerous positions. AMN looks too casual on the ball; I don't know why he thinks he can dally around on it. 

Adams clearly the best forward we had, put a shift in, run their defenders around and got the goal. Adam Armstrong put in a shift, he ran around but he hasn't got the physicality to offer what Adams does and he also doesn't have the ability to offer anything else...so he's a pretty mute player really.

Not a great game to watch, not much to be excited about - but we needed to get a win by hook or crook and that's what it was at the end of the day.

Interestingly, Diallo, a player I've long been a critic of, came on near the end and showed everyone how it's done with some really clever ball retention. It made those 5 minutes of added time so much more comfortable. Che Adams also did his bit, of course. He was terrific throughout.

[SotonianWill]

we were sh*t but we won. che and armstrong gave their all. Elyonoussi clearly puffing after 50 mins and yet Ralph kept him on at RB?? 

[The Kraken]

1 minute ago, S-Clarke said:

AMN RB, I personally think he's a better player there than CM. He's too risky on the ball in CM for me.

Don’t think he can play as it’s Arsenal.

[Saint Fan CaM]

Make no mistake, that was a Championship level game played under the banner of the EPL. An awful advert. Bournemouth actually seemed capable of passing the ball, but lacked decisive quality in the final third but were coming into the game. Great to get the win, but nothing has changed for me…we were very poor indeed and change of management is still required. Che deserved his MOTM - he actually did well in relation to the rest of the team. Diallo looked good when came on late.

Edited 19 October, 2022 by Saint Fan CaM

[SaintReuben]

Desperate for a striker, someone like pelle who can throw their weight around . A big number nine needed, a good aerial target.

[Greenridge]

16 minutes ago, Pamplemousse said:

You're either an idiot or a really bad troll. Can't work out which one.

Along with DT they’re the forums very own Jedward. 

[The Cat]

One that could have gone better tonight was our fans giving that skate prick O'Neil a bit more abuse.

What a massive bellend.

[aintforever]

Second half wasn’t great but we got the result that’s all that matters. The players clearly are putting in a shift so the rumours that Ralph has lost the dressing room are clearly bullshit.

[eelpie]

20 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Great idea. Then who do we play in CM? 

Stu Armstrong?

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Nordic Saint said:

Interestingly, Diallo, a player I've long been a critic of, came on near the end and showed everyone how it's done with some really clever ball retention. It made those 5 minutes of added time so much more comfortable. Che Adams also did his bit, of course. He was terrific throughout.

Absolutley, he was much better on the ball than AMN was in my opinion. Calmed us down and helped us carry it.

He was somewhat aided by the fact that there was a tiny bit more space as Bournemouth had pushed up, and by taking off Billing they'd lost their physicality in the middle area. But the subs we made helped us retain the ball in those closing 5.

[S-Clarke]

1 minute ago, The Kraken said:

Don’t think he can play as it’s Arsenal.

doh'. good point, forgot about that!

[Pamplemousse]

3 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

It was never going to be a comfortable win after being on such a shitty run, you just have to get a win by any means. I didn't really feel like we were on the brink at any stage to be honest, they had a fair bit of the ball from time to time but we seemed to have their number in terms of the 1 on 1 defending and CB positioning. They were fairly toothless I felt. 

Yeah agreed. Only time I felt nervous was when Bazunu dropped it near the end

[Jimmy_D]

20 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

A win and a clean sheet, away from home, with our two best players injured. I’ll take that against any opposition, any season. If we can play well for periods against Wolves, Spurs and Everton and get zero points, I’m taking the three when we’re sh*te, no questions asked. That’s football.

Add Man Utd into that list this season too!

[WestMidSaint]

Tough watch as we made life so much harder then it had to be by continually giving the ball away. Against a better team that could’ve been fatal.

Bazunu controlled his area well dealing with high balls. The one mistake was the only error and thank God Salisu was there. 
 

Adams was an absolute Trojan again. He works so hard and deserved MOTM. 
 

Stu gave us some well needed ball carrying to relive a little pressure. 

[VectisSaint]

5 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

AMN RB, I personally think he's a better player there than CM. He's too risky on the ball in CM for me.

Isn't AMN an Arsenal player?

[Mr X]

1 minute ago, Hodgey said:

You could see the lack of confidence, taking extra touches, misplacing simple passes, poor control etc. but there was a lot to like. I thought AMN was decent, he did some dirty stuff, played one amazing through ball, but more importantly was disciplined in his positioning and worked well with JWP (who ran his arse off, made some great tackles, but was shocking in his passing). Adams was fantastic, made the long balls stick, and I thought the cbs were both decent as was Perraud. KWP like JWP wasn’t his normal fluent self. The attacking midfielders were as per, they are all very average and you’ve just got to hope you pick the one who has a good day. Yet again the final ball / shot was generally dreadful - but that’s just due to poor quality players, we’re going to need to be on the right end of low scoring affairs as we can’t outscore teams.

Diallo was excellent from the subs, and Armstrong took the pressure off.

Out of the bottom 3, unbeaten in 2, I know some are slightly disappointed as they want Ralf out, which I respect, but he does seem to be slowly turning it around.

It was a good win we at least battled and showed some resilience... But to suggest he is slowly turning it around based on a two game run we haven't lost is lunacy

[Hawkswood]

I think a few people on here were a bit unfair digging out AA. First half he was finding some really good pockets of space. Second half he looked destroyed and had nothing left to give. Same with AMN. I thought first half he showed some real knowledge about where to put himself and when to pass the ball but he looks out of shape and again looked beaten in the second half.

Glad Stu came on and showed some composure in the middle of the pitch. 

I was a bit disappointed with Caleta Cars positioning defensively and made some bad decisions but he's still new to the league so fair enough. 

Adams clearly MoM. A great shift.

Awful performance though. Digging in for close to an hour against Bournemouth. Bournemouth!! Disgraceful what we have become.

[S-Clarke]

Just now, VectisSaint said:

Isn't AMN an Arsenal player?

yeah, realised my mistake with that suggestion! 

[SaintTex]

when we are losing and not getting results, we say :  "we just need a win. doesn't matter how it looks - just get the 3 points"

today was an example of that

[Baird of the land]

I’m happy we got 3 points against the weakest team in the league on paper. but i’m Not happy that our approach was a desperate backs to wall and being relieved that Bournemouth lacked any real cutting edge. Ralph has to go.

[Atlanta Saint]

6 minutes ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

An absolute awful game to watch. We were garbage, we could not string 2 passes together for 90 minutes and then actually found some composure and pinged it about for the last 5 mins.

Bazunu was excellent, Che put in a great performance and deserved his MOM.

How the hell Bournmouth did not score is beyond me, let no one actually think they were not the better side by a country mile because they were. We got very lucky and we defended like our lives depended on it.

Our morale and self belief is very low and that was painfully clear to see by the way even our best passers of the ball kept giving it away.

I'm delighted to get 3 pts and beat that lot down the road BUT we really are very poor ATM.

Absolutely agree 100%. Not a great display but 3 points and the end of those 'only team of the 92 without a clean sheet' comments

[S-Clarke]

Just now, Hawkswood said:

I think a few people on here were a bit unfair digging out AA. First half he was finding some really good pockets of space. Second half he looked destroyed and had nothing left to give. Same with AMN. I thought first half he showed some real knowledge about where to put himself and when to pass the ball but he looks out of shape and again looked beaten in the second half.

Glad Stu came on and showed some composure in the middle of the pitch. 

I was a bit disappointed with Caleta Cars positioning defensively and made some bad decisions but he's still new to the league so fair enough. 

Adams clearly MoM. A great shift.

Awful performance though. Digging in for close to an hour against Bournemouth. Bournemouth!! Disgraceful what we have become.

I don't think people are digging him out too much, I think he gave a good shift and stretched the play quite well at times. People are just aware of his limitations.

[disconnect]

Sorry everyone, but you now have to refer to Che as ‘Player of the match’ not MOTM 😩😜

[doc oli]

Still remember the days when our managers used to get pilloried for NOT making defensive substitutions when we were winning to help shore things up. Now it’s a sackable offence? 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

Broadly speaking that was a RalphBall v2 success.

Get an early lead, followed by progressive containment, constricting space, with Adams as an out. As the game progresses, look to capitalise on teams coming further forward, leaving wider gaps, while bringing on fresh legs for tired ones.

So, that worked to Ralph's plan.

Personally, I'm not a fan of dropping back as much. Even Bournemouth get more chances against us than anyone else. We're (and probably lots of teams who would try the same thing) will have some errors of judgement in there. Bazunu dropped one late on, Larios posted missing etc. We've all seen us struggle to then turn the game back into attack.

It's also requiring players to show some different parts of their game. Some that they are not as strong in. JWP isn't a holding midfielder. He's not as effective that far back when trying to find outballs for the others. It's only late game, when there could be a lot of space (on the rare occassions we still have a lead) that he's more effective. I was hoping AMN would have a bit of everything in a versatile locker. But he's in the same boat, as not really being stand out in anything. Diallo looked better, but that was because he came in when Saints were looking for a break, and he could push forward to his strengths, against tiring opponents. Lavia looked good in the role, and we got rid of the best player we had before that, in Romeu. Both smart enough to cover that area, with some grit and skill.

I can't fault the line up too much. It's probably what I expect. Not so much our best XI, that the first pahse of a game plan. It's Stu or Aribo, and Aribo, despite looking a bit of a lump is able to keep the ball. I get that Mo's there to win it back a bit more, and I like to think to give a fullback license to push up. We don't see much of that though, once we're in the lead.

But it's those sorts of tireless perfomances that Ralph is looking for. Adams and Perraud worked incredibly hard in particular. As the game stretched, you could see AA getting more of a sniff. But that worked best when Ralph was forced to bring on Stu for KWP. Che, Aribo, Mo and AA for the first part of the game with Stu and either Edozie/ Djenepo coming on later on seems to be the standard plan. It would be nice if we had some better quality in there. Larios looked out of his depth when he came on. Out of position and done a few times too. But he's very young, and if we waited until we were safe in a match, he wouldn't see a minute. Lyanco made a difference when he was on, so

Not the sort of set up I particualrly enjoy. I can't see a game where we don't make a human error or two.  I  can't see a game where we don;t get punished by more clinical opponents either. But I think tonight is broadly, exactly what Ralph is looking for.

[Mr Brightside]

Considering how low our confidence is and with Boscombe punching above their weight (and at home) I really can’t understand the negativity. Was always going to be a tight and scrappy game and after scoring so early we were always going to be under pressure for long spells. Thought we dealt with it really well and were reasonably comfortable. Don’t know what people are expecting, us to magically become some free flowing Man City? Papering over the cracks, maybe, but credit where it’s due. It’s going to be a really hard season, with or without Ralph so this can only be a positive result and a more resilient performance than we’ve put in for a while. 
Also have to say, I’ve not been Che’s biggest fan recently, but what a performance tonight. 

[Saint86]

When you are on the run we're on, with the injuries and lack of squad depth we're suffering from, and with a load of toxic fans eating away at the team's confidence (even hoping your local rivals win in this thread) - a gritty away win at said rival takes a lot of fight and character.

Was a good result and I don't think their can be any doubt the team is still playing for the manager - who it has to be said made good changes and managed the game out well.

Onwards and upwards. In Ralph we trust. 😌🤫

Edited 19 October, 2022 by Saint86

[SaintTex]

20 minutes ago, woodsaint1 said:

If we can get a decent goalscorer in January to accompany Adams, and Lavia back sharpish....we could actually have the makings of a decent team.

don't forget Tino hopefully back in the fold. Let's hope the ACL injury hasn't messed with his head.

Edited 19 October, 2022 by SaintTex

[Hodgey]

2 minutes ago, Mr X said:

It was a good win we at least battled and showed some resilience... But to suggest he is slowly turning it around based on a two game run we haven't lost is lunacy

I did say slowly….4 points in 2 games after 4 losses is slowly turning it around, lunacy is a bit harsh !!!!. . I saw signs of a team trying to play for their manager, something I’ve not seen much of in the past 4 games, the fluency and passing will return with confidence, what wouldn’t return is if they have lost faith in Ralf.

[woodsaint1]

Hopefully only cramp for KWP 🙏🏼

[chi saint]

We'll same old same old.

Really poor response to what was an important game, a notable lack of positivity, pitiful mind set all round.

NO not the saints team, but the usual moaning so called fans on this forum. As soon as we scored you could hear the collective bed wetters groaning that we might just get a win with Ralph and the team taking some credit.

So if your not pleased with tonights performance, and in some cases I'm sure the outcome, can I suggest you don't just stop supporting Saints, but instead stop watching football.

Instead why not try doing something you might actually enjoy in your spare time.

[bpsaint]

Good result, huge 3 points exactly when needed and relieves the pressure for a bit.

That being said we were woeful again second half, and I’m still in the Ralph out camp. Free hit for us on Sunday really, anything other than a comfortable away win would be a good result for us.