Saints 0-1 Forest - Match Thread

[SambaMaverick]

1 minute ago, THEVMAN said:

I can't believe the last few seasons JWP is the only lasting memory of a once brilliant conveyor belt of talent that came from the academy,and now the team is filled with players that the fan base has no connection with 

Aren't you Lallana's mate?

[striker]

Didn't feel like watching any of the post interviews. So did Jones say we should have won again and were just unlucky, like last match?

[Lighthouse]

46 minutes ago, THEVMAN said:

It's a shame it's come to this but perhaps it'll take something like relegation to get rid of the foreign mercenaries that fills this team and go back to the Academy and youngsters that want to play with pride for a once great club

Last time we got relegated we signed Ricardo Fuller, Tomasz Hajto, Kamil Kosowski, Bart Bialkowski and 38 year old Dennis Wise.

[Yorkshire Saint]

1 hour ago, SambaMaverick said:

Aren't you Lallana's mate?

Just when we thought things couldn't get any worse.... 

[cambsaint]

7 hours ago, david in sweden said:

Reading all the comments above, I think you've all covered most of the negative things that we all agree on, but

analysing the reasons for our downfall is easier than finding quick solutions, but I think some have been overlooked.

 

The success of the " Koeman years " gave us false hope and the subsequent sale of VvD gave us lots of spending money,

most of which was squandered on sub-standard signings, successive bad management decisions and general poor judgement.

The import of last summer's teenage talents looked promising, but consider also that some of them were either the best talents 

in  poor /or/  relegated clubs in other countries, and promising youngsters that " bigger clubs " considered " surplus / sub-standard ".

and were happy to release.  Even playing a couple of them in a Prem. side would be encouraging, but when half the side are still in

their teens, its clear that the lack of "experienced heads" around them is a major cause for concern, and the failure to sign any

recognised striker has been the main problem for our predicament, and too often left Ché Adams playing alone as a sole striker.

In 18 games so far this season, we have failed to score at all in  6 of them,  and lost 7  games by just a one goal margin. 

 

IF we are to survive - not entirely impossible looking back 20-odd years ago to those seasons of "The Great Escape" - but  

(1)  most recent defeats have been put down to poor defending  / errors, but I maintain that the main fault has been the lack of goals,

and not just defenders.  We managed to survive last season - despite conceding the most Prem. goals, - but did score enough

goals to get points - even though many of those were drawn games.   We need experience up front and we need it now.

(2) Get back those experienced players, presently out on loan, and have as many of them available - in case of more injuries.

Jan Bednarek is not the worst CB we've signed in the last five years, and that our own Academy product Nathan Tella is helping

a rapidly-improving  Burnley side to achieve promotion, whilst we are likely to go down is ridiculous in the extreme.

Even Will Smallbone has clocked up some valuable game time, even in a somewhat indifferent Stoke side, and the sight of

Jack Stephens regularly sitting on the Bournemouth bench is ridiculous in the extreme.  All could be vital to our eventual survival.

(3) Relegation and loss of TV income would harm the club (economically), and even a quick promotion back up would mean several

more years of stringent budgeting.   Investment now might avoid the worst situation, but penny-pinching may well prove fatal come May.

Decisions made this month may decide our future - long before the end of the season.

I completely agree. I consider it insane not to be starting Stuart Armstrong, and we should recall most of our loanees. The only way out of this mess that I can see is to revert to a backbone of experienced Prem players and just use a few youngsters. I seem to remember that KWP although young and inexperienced hit the ground running although he had a settled side to join. Bazunu's confidence must be shot, and he needs to be rested. Where has that slick triangular passing that we used to be able to do, now we seem to give the ball away more often than not. At the moment Jones doesn't appear to have any plan to turn things around.

Hopefully we will regroup in the Championship next year, but with a new manager. I follow Burnley quite closely partially they aren't a glamorous side and I have  family connections and I note that they have been on TV a lot more than us this season, so for me living miles away and having health issues it won't worry me too much as most of  the few TV appearances we've had this season have been nightmarish. As a consequence I've watched very few Prem games and if it wasn't for cricket my Sky subscription would be cancelled.

[saintscottofthenortham]

3 hours ago, striker said:

Didn't feel like watching any of the post interviews. So did Jones say we should have won again and were just unlucky, like last match?

Suggested we defended better. We didn’t.

Was seemingly over the moon with 60% possession and tried to suggest we created plenty with that. We didn’t.

Refused to entertain criticism of keeping five at the back until 85th minute. “You can point fingers all you want at the shape, but…” - LOL

Basically blamed Che’s early miss because it’s a different game if we go 1-0. If my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle mentality, again.

Suggested he was surprised with the boos but emphasised he is just a little welsh mining boy so he is used to it. You know, because they’re hard done by.

[The Kraken]

2 hours ago, saintscottofthenortham said:

Suggested we defended better. We didn’t.

Was seemingly over the moon with 60% possession and tried to suggest we created plenty with that. We didn’t.

Refused to entertain criticism of keeping five at the back until 85th minute. “You can point fingers all you want at the shape, but…” - LOL

Basically blamed Che’s early miss because it’s a different game if we go 1-0. If my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle mentality, again.

Suggested he was surprised with the boos but emphasised he is just a little welsh mining boy so he is used to it. You know, because they’re hard done by.

Pretty much spot on tbf 

[S-Clarke]

2 hours ago, saintscottofthenortham said:

Suggested we defended better. We didn’t.

Was seemingly over the moon with 60% possession and tried to suggest we created plenty with that. We didn’t.

Refused to entertain criticism of keeping five at the back until 85th minute. “You can point fingers all you want at the shape, but…” - LOL

Basically blamed Che’s early miss because it’s a different game if we go 1-0. If my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle mentality, again.

Suggested he was surprised with the boos but emphasised he is just a little welsh mining boy so he is used to it. You know, because they’re hard done by.

The main thing which stuck out to me was his 'looking' backwards and saying ''well, we didn't do this well before me''  ''well, we were lucky to win at Bournemouth'' etc etc. That's not really what anyone wanted to hear.

Whilst he did take the blame for this, as he mentioned in some later press releases, he still focused on deflecting criticism away from him when possible. This was picked up by some neutral fans as well who I spoke to today, a reluctance to accept full responsibility for our issues and to try and pass the blame away.

[saintscottofthenortham]

6 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

The main thing which stuck out to me was his 'looking' backwards and saying ''well, we didn't do this well before me''  ''well, we were lucky to win at Bournemouth'' etc etc. That's not really what anyone wanted to hear.

Whilst he did take the blame for this, as he mentioned in some later press releases, he still focused on deflecting criticism away from him when possible. This was picked up by some neutral fans as well who I spoke to today, a reluctance to accept full responsibility for our issues and to try and pass the blame away.

It's alarming, to say the least. What's worse is how he does this as a "they" and "I", rather than "we".

I was every bit for giving this guy a good old fair crack of the whip, but every single thing he has said and done, when it has mattered, has been utterly alarming.

[S-Clarke]

Just now, saintscottofthenortham said:

It's alarming, to say the least. What's worse is how he does this as a "they" and "I", rather than "we".

I was every bit for giving this guy a good old fair crack of the whip, but every single thing he has said and done, when it has mattered, has been utterly alarming.

I agree, I don't like to knee-jerk either and you have to give people a fair crack but he isn't helping himself in any way.

I still think it's going to be exhausting if we keep hoping for him to be sacked though, I cannot see how they'll ditch him today, tomorrow, next week or next month. He's going to be here and it will dictate our survival chances, and SR will live and die by that call.

[saintscottofthenortham]

4 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I agree, I don't like to knee-jerk either and you have to give people a fair crack but he isn't helping himself in any way.

I still think it's going to be exhausting if we keep hoping for him to be sacked though, I cannot see how they'll ditch him today, tomorrow, next week or next month. He's going to be here and it will dictate our survival chances, and SR will live and die by that call.

I'm 100% certain he isn't going anywhere any time soon, regardless of results.

[Saint Garrett]

18 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

I agree, I don't like to knee-jerk either and you have to give people a fair crack but he isn't helping himself in any way.

I still think it's going to be exhausting if we keep hoping for him to be sacked though, I cannot see how they'll ditch him today, tomorrow, next week or next month. He's going to be here and it will dictate our survival chances, and SR will live and die by that call.

But surely the board will look at the data (0 points) and accept the fact they have got it wrong. There is nothing positive about the way he manages. Whether that’s relating to staying up, or promotion next season.

Do the fans just accept relegation and just get behind Jones? I can’t see that happening, St Mary’s was as toxic as I’ve mostly seen it last night, if we lose the next one surely it just snowballs? They have to address the issue to give us a chance…surely ? 

[Harry_SFC]

9 minutes ago, Saint Garrett said:

But surely the board will look at the data (0 points) and accept the fact they have got it wrong. There is nothing positive about the way he manages. Whether that’s relating to staying up, or promotion next season.

Do the fans just accept relegation and just get behind Jones? I can’t see that happening, St Mary’s was as toxic as I’ve mostly seen it last night, if we lose the next one surely it just snowballs? They have to address the issue to give us a chance…surely ? 

It's pretty nailed on that we go out of the FA Cup, League Cup and then lose to Everton next week. Out of both cups and as good as relegated in the space of a week. 

I don't think Villa at home will be pretty. 

[Ted Bates Statue]

1 hour ago, saintscottofthenortham said:

It's alarming, to say the least. What's worse is how he does this as a "they" and "I", rather than "we".

I was every bit for giving this guy a good old fair crack of the whip, but every single thing he has said and done, when it has mattered, has been utterly alarming.

Yes, surprised they haven't made much mention of this. The last time I recall a manager talking like this was Redknapp (can't remember when, but probably when we were already in the Championship and still being shit).

[magnet]

16 hours ago, Ted Bates Statue said:

Yes, surprised they haven't made much mention of this. The last time I recall a manager talking like this was Redknapp (can't remember when, but probably when we were already in the Championship and still being shit).

Redknapp said Saints were doomed before he took over, we were in 12th when he joined I seem to recall...

[The Kraken]

21 minutes ago, magnet said:

Redknapp said Saints were doomed before he took over, we were in 12th when he joined I seem to recall...

No, you’re not recalling it correctly. Redknapp came out with his doomed comment after he left us, he said ‘they were doomed when I got there’. As it was we were actually 18th.

[Pengi]

21 hours ago, saintscottofthenortham said:

Suggested we defended better. We didn’t.

Was seemingly over the moon with 60% possession and tried to suggest we created plenty with that. We didn’t.

Refused to entertain criticism of keeping five at the back until 85th minute. “You can point fingers all you want at the shape, but…” - LOL

Basically blamed Che’s early miss because it’s a different game if we go 1-0. If my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle mentality, again.

Suggested he was surprised with the boos but emphasised he is just a little welsh mining boy so he is used to it. You know, because they’re hard done by.

I seem to recall that Jones said he would definitely improve Che's finishing