North 0-1 South - ampton - Match Thread

[Football Special]

6 minutes ago, gio1saints said:

Any news on Ross Stewart? I thought it was odd him pulling out in warm up when he must be desperate to impress. Let’s hope not too serious. Mind you I think he’s dodged a bullet not playing! Not that he would have fancied Right wing was it all that much? 

Must have been quite a sudden illness after the line ups were confirmed 

 

[coalman]

That was a painful watch at times. Apart from the few minutes after half time.

[Football Special]

Any preference for who we want in the next round? Would be nice to play at a ground we haven't visited before like Bromley or Wimbledon,  avoid the Premier League teams

I think it's still north and south split for this draw 

[SNSUN]

30 minutes ago, Football Special said:

Must have been quite a sudden illness after the line ups were confirmed 

 

Depends on what the illness is. He might have needed to be no more than 30 seconds away from the loo. Else he's have done a Jason Puncheon. 

Or worse... a Gary Lineker.

[lambtiss]

Reading fans taking the piss last night

 

[Football Special]

1 hour ago, SNSUN said:

Depends on what the illness is. He might have needed to be no more than 30 seconds away from the loo. Else he's have done a Jason Puncheon. 

Or worse... a Gary Lineker.

Yeah got to assume it's that, and no one wants to play in that condition, just saying must have come on quick as he was in starting line up when team sheets were submitted 

He doesn't have much luck does he poor bloke 

[Totton Saint]

1 hour ago, Football Special said:

Any preference for who we want in the next round? Would be nice to play at a ground we haven't visited before like Bromley or Wimbledon,  avoid the Premier League teams

I think it's still north and south split for this draw 

There was also the midland region last night and that is where the match was placed. By the way what a hideous away strip we sported. 

 

[Nordic Saint]

1 hour ago, Football Special said:

Yeah got to assume it's that, and no one wants to play in that condition, just saying must have come on quick as he was in starting line up when team sheets were submitted 

He doesn't have much luck does he poor bloke 

One thing's for sure: after all the money he's been paid, he's definitely not poor.

Not a bad return for 1 goal in 2½ years.

[Saint NL]

Each team gets a special badge on their shirt this year to show how many times they've won this prestigious trophy.

We really should have taken it seriously one year and tried to win it 

[OldNick]

Absolutely awful game and Sky feed so annoying that it kept stopping.

Sugugawa couldnt pass wind, Downs is a project but should have scored. Generally poor. Frazer pepped things a bit as showed energy.

No player showed he wanted to be staarting a game. Yet again from a set piece a player have a free header, that is worrying

[Farmer Saint]

I didn't see the game last night - was it really that bad? Seemed to be a bit of a fitness builder for some, and back-up players. Saw the Downs miss, although it was a really shit pass into him. I remember being at Millwall away and Sheffield Utd away in the Cups, where our fans were so down on both Pelle and Mane! Hopefully it will just be another one of those situations.

[warsash saint]

Word of advise to the nipper in a black Flybe.com polo top stood behing the goal last night - If he reads this forum, lay off the white stuff fella!  One of the embarrassing supporters i have witnessed in following Saints (TBH - it's low bar!)

Edited 17 hours ago by warsash saint

[hypochondriac]

15 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

I didn't see the game last night - was it really that bad? Seemed to be a bit of a fitness builder for some, and back-up players. Saw the Downs miss, although it was a really shit pass into him. I remember being at Millwall away and Sheffield Utd away in the Cups, where our fans were so down on both Pelle and Mane! Hopefully it will just be another one of those situations.

I think people forget the Gillingham mess two seasons ago. 

[Farmer Saint]

1 minute ago, hypochondriac said:

I think people forget the Gillingham mess two seasons ago. 

I was there as well, it was the time I realised we should rid ourselves of Che Adams.

[franniesTache]

3 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

I think people forget the Gillingham mess two seasons ago. 

Exactly my thinking too, the performance was sluggish but i wasn't hugely surprised as a combination of the weather and Northampton's "agricultural" football meant it was always going to be that sort of game

I actually took a positive from it in that we look like a side that has worked out how to grind out results, i know we're not playing brilliantly right now but that gives me a lot of hope, under Martin (like Gillingham) when we weren't playing well we lost.

Saying that our inability to create chances does worry me, we need to sort that soon because we'll become very easy to play against otherwise

Edited 18 hours ago by franniesTache

[AlexLaw76]

19 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

I didn't see the game last night - was it really that bad? Seemed to be a bit of a fitness builder for some, and back-up players. Saw the Downs miss, although it was a really shit pass into him. I remember being at Millwall away and Sheffield Utd away in the Cups, where our fans were so down on both Pelle and Mane! Hopefully it will just be another one of those situations.

It was very poor, but we got through 

stunning that people believe this is a really shit pass

 

Edited 18 hours ago by AlexLaw76

[Farmer Saint]

3 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

It was very poor, but we got through 

stunning that people believe this is a really shit pass

 

That was a shit pass, it was behind him onto his weak foot. For that to get through to his strong foot (IE had to make it further across his body) it needed to be hit either much harder of further in front of him.

I'm amazed you think that was a good pass.

Edited 18 hours ago by Farmer Saint

[AlexLaw76]

1 minute ago, Farmer Saint said:

That was a shit pass, it was behind him onto his weak foot. For that to get through to his strong foot (IE had to make it further across his body) it needed to be hit either much harder of further in front of him.

I'm amazed you think that was a good pass.

LoL

this professional football, and Downs is an international 

the pass to him was flat, at a good pace and 6 yards out in the middle of the goal for a tap in to an empty net. 
 

it as about as set up as you get

[Farmer Saint]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

LoL

this professional football, and Downs is an international 

the pass to him was flat, at a good pace and 6 yards out in the middle of the goal for a tap in to an empty net. 
 

it as about as set up as you get

It so isn't, but we'll have to agree to disagree.

[Midfield_General]

5 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

That was a shit pass, it was behind him onto his weak foot. For that to get through to his strong foot (IE had to make it further across his body) it needed to be hit either much harder of further in front of him.

Oh come on now. At any level of football you have to be able to adjust your body or your run ever so slightly if that’s what’s required. It’s early days, he needs to bed in and get used to the league and the role and all that, but that’s a sitter at any level, as was the one against Wrexham, slight push or otherwise.

He’s not going to get many easier chances than those. 

[ant]

I've changed my mind after rewatching it a few times - yes, Downs could've adapted better to the pass as-was (rather than what he clearly anticipated), but it certainly wasn't the best.

It's the lack of pace as much as anything. Was stroked in, rather than whipped across.

[Farmer Saint]

3 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Oh come on now. At any level of football you have to be able to adjust your body or your run ever so slightly if that’s what’s required. It’s early days, he needs to bed in and get used to the league and the role and all that, but that’s a sitter at any level, as was the one against Wrexham, slight push or otherwise.

He’s not going to get many easier chances than those. 

His issue was he was too far ahead of the ball to be collecting it with his weak foot. He doesn't have time to control it with the keeper coming out, so it has to be hit first time. Hitting the ball from behind your body, first time, with your weak foot - sorry, but it's not the sitter people are making it out to be.

Edited 18 hours ago by Farmer Saint

[CheshireSaint]

6 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

His issue was he was too far ahead of the ball to be collecting it with his weak foot. He doesn't have time to control it with the keeper coming out, so it has to be hit first time. Hitting the ball from behind your body, first time, with your weak foot - sorry, but it's not the sitter people are making it out to be.

The keeper doesn't make any effort to come off his line. Downes has plenty of time to allow a split second further for the ball to reach his right foot, where he doesn't need to do anything but miss the keeper, who is shuffling across his line. If he taps that with his right foot, to the keepers right (against his direction of shuffle) it's a goal. There are 1000's of goals of a similar fashion. Downes just gets it all wrong. It starts with his decision making and ends with his execution. Doesn't mean he is rubbish, just needs to calm down a little. Very hopeful that will come, because he is getting in the right positions at least. 

[Football Special]

28 minutes ago, Farmer Saint said:

That was a shit pass, it was behind him onto his weak foot. For that to get through to his strong foot (IE had to make it further across his body) it needed to be hit either much harder of further in front of him.

Give it a rest, pass is fine, it's the Mr Bean antics of Downs getting himself in a pickle and falling over that's the issue. Plenty of time on the training ground to work on that 

[Farmer Saint]

13 minutes ago, CheshireSaint said:

The keeper doesn't make any effort to come off his line. Downes has plenty of time to allow a split second further for the ball to reach his right foot, where he doesn't need to do anything but miss the keeper, who is shuffling across his line. If he taps that with his right foot, to the keepers right (against his direction of shuffle) it's a goal. There are 1000's of goals of a similar fashion. Downes just gets it all wrong. It starts with his decision making and ends with his execution. Doesn't mean he is rubbish, just needs to calm down a little. Very hopeful that will come, because he is getting in the right positions at least. 

But that's the point, if he waits any longer the ball will be even further behind him.

[Give it to Ron]

We paid a low fee for a player in Downs we hope to improve he’s had 2 games ! Is he better than any other player at moment in that position? Yes unless you prefer Armstrong?

The one who worries me is BBD he just looks broken his body language looks that of a man with zero confidence.

I dont know what we can do with him but maybe a sports psychologist can help as he is a waste of a shirt at moment which is a shame as he could be useful .

[OldNick]

1 minute ago, Give it to Ron said:

We paid a low fee for a player in Downs we hope to improve he’s had 2 games ! Is he better than any other player at moment in that position? Yes unless you prefer Armstrong?

The one who worries me is BBD he just looks broken his body language looks that of a man with zero confidence.

I dont know what we can do with him but maybe a sports psychologist can help as he is a waste of a shirt at moment which is a shame as he could be useful .

I agree about BBD, that one incident at Newcastle and the stick he got from media and their fans has been torrid. Notice the media etc never mentioned Cucarella's pathetic reaction to a hair pull.

[Give it to Ron]

10 minutes ago, OldNick said:

I agree about BBD, that one incident at Newcastle and the stick he got from media and their fans has been torrid. Notice the media etc never mentioned Cucarella's pathetic reaction to a hair pull.

I was very close to front last night and was watching him and he worried me as he looked completely devoid of any ability or confidence in what he was doing.

[OldNick]

6 minutes ago, Give it to Ron said:

I was very close to front last night and was watching him and he worried me as he looked completely devoid of any ability or confidence in what he was doing.

I feel really sorry for him, he is a broken man

[Lighthouse]

18 minutes ago, OldNick said:

I agree about BBD, that one incident at Newcastle and the stick he got from media and their fans has been torrid. Notice the media etc never mentioned Cucarella's pathetic reaction to a hair pull.

I don’t think it was anything to do with that incident at all. His confidence was blown by being signed to play in a league in which he was hopelessly out of his depth. I know he once scored six goals for the Blades but he is clearly not a PL player. Playing in an awful team which was losing every week just compounded things.

Theres a decent Championship player in there, clearly. Perhaps a loan would do him some good.

[tdmickey3]

4 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

I don’t think it was anything to do with that incident at all. His confidence was blown by being signed to play in a league in which he was hopelessly out of his depth. I know he once scored six goals for the Blades but he is clearly not a PL player. Playing in an awful team which was losing every week just compounded things.

Theres a decent Championship player in there, clearly. Perhaps a loan would do him some good.

He was on loan at Sheff Utd last season, doesn't seem to have made any improvement

[Midfield_General]

20 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

I don’t think it was anything to do with that incident at all. His confidence was blown by being signed to play in a league in which he was hopelessly out of his depth. I know he once scored six goals for the Blades but he is clearly not a PL player. Playing in an awful team which was losing every week just compounded things.

Theres a decent Championship player in there, clearly. Perhaps a loan would do him some good.

Not only that, but being hung out to dry, being asked to play against Premier League quality defences, as a traditional winger out so wide he had chalk on his boots, in a position he was obviously utterly unsuited to and therefore got ridiculed when he tried to play, can't have helped either. 

What sort of idiot looks at a lumbering ox like him with zero pace or close control and thinks 'yep, he's a Premier League quality wide man alright'? 

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, Farmer Saint said:

His issue was he was too far ahead of the ball to be collecting it with his weak foot. He doesn't have time to control it with the keeper coming out, so it has to be hit first time. Hitting the ball from behind your body, first time, with your weak foot - sorry, but it's not the sitter people are making it out to be.

It's called "laying it on a plate". In this case with a side order of chips and peas and a glass of rose to was it down. 

There is no need to control it. Just put it in the virtually empty net.

[Whitey Grandad]

1 hour ago, Farmer Saint said:

His issue was he was too far ahead of the ball to be collecting it with his weak foot. He doesn't have time to control it with the keeper coming out, so it has to be hit first time. Hitting the ball from behind your body, first time, with your weak foot - sorry, but it's not the sitter people are making it out to be.

Nobody at this level should have a weak foot.

[Stripey McStripe Shirt]

17 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Nobody at this level should have a weak foot.

Weaker.

[Stripey McStripe Shirt]

25 minutes ago, Stripey McStripe Shirt said:

Weaker.

Sorry, that was uncalled-for.

Edited 15 hours ago by Stripey McStripe Shirt

[CheshireSaint]

1 hour ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Nobody at this level should have a weak foot.

Certainly not for a finish from 6 yards. Make any contact and every chance of a goal unless he does an Arma and targets their team members on the line. 

[suewhistle]

As a low level grass roots player I've often been frustrated with professional players' one-footedness, and there are plenty of examples (Che Adams anyone?), so I'm not sure extensive debate at this stage of his career with us is particularly helpful. 

I'm right footed but the best goal of four I scored last year was with my left from the edge of the box and that's because I didn't think about it; perhaps that's what Downs needs to do, or as Will Still said, 'overthink'. His movement is OK and that's half the battle.

[malcolm waldron]

1 hour ago, Whitey Grandad said:

Nobody at this level should have a weak foot.

Have you not been following Luke Shaw's career - including that fairly brief spell where it all started?    

[Roo1976]

8 hours ago, coalman said:

That was a painful watch at times. Apart from the few minutes after half time.

Yeah totally agree,could have been worse,just seen the highlights and we were fortunate,not in control,early days atm and team still in development so to speak,but after assessing the 2 games so far definitely work in progress. Not totally convinced to think were going straight back up yet and it could be misleading to think were going to to it but lets hope we can shift the deadwood and still bring in a couple of good replacements. Btw, Downes should have 2 in 2 now but wants the soft finish,just put your foot through it..............bang goal.

[OneMrsWallace]

21 hours ago, SWLondon Saint said:

Seriously, this is getting ridiculous, I don't want to defend the guy as I don't rate him for the PL but what is with the Sugawara hate? He didn't really do much wrong at all today and yes, I endured watching the entire game.

Er, you have a weird idea of what constitutes hate.

[Whitey Grandad]

6 hours ago, Stripey McStripe Shirt said:

Weaker.

An interesting distinction. If a person has one foot weaker than the other then that foot could be described as 'weak'. The other foot might not necessarily be stronger, it could also be weak, or even weaker perhaps. 

[Whitey Grandad]

5 hours ago, malcolm waldron said:

Have you not been following Luke Shaw's career - including that fairly brief spell where it all started?    

George Best once gad a bet with someone that he could go through a whole fame using only his left foot. He did and he scored with it.

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

7 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

I don’t think it was anything to do with that incident at all. His confidence was blown by being signed to play in a league in which he was hopelessly out of his depth. I know he once scored six goals for the Blades but he is clearly not a PL player. Playing in an awful team which was losing every week just compounded things.

Theres a decent Championship player in there, clearly. Perhaps a loan would do him some good.

Really don't think so, Lighthouse. Appalling one footed player and irritating that he's so unfit. He was the one player blowing out of his arse yesterday. Also, didn't really see the Downs miss because it was at the other end, but on replays it looks awful.

What is of concern it WS's tactics of playing 5 at the back. The midfield looks overwhelmed and the concern is that our midfielders (Charles, Downes) are good players. We need to play 4-3-3. I think when you're at a match, you can get the overall picture that TV cameras can't emulate, and what I was seeing was their front line receiving the ball and passing back to a midfielder running on to the ball in a dangerous position with lots of space to do what they wanted.

[saintant]

1 hour ago, OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint said:

Really don't think so, Lighthouse. Appalling one footed player and irritating that he's so unfit. He was the one player blowing out of his arse yesterday. Also, didn't really see the Downs miss because it was at the other end, but on replays it looks awful.

What is of concern it WS's tactics of playing 5 at the back. The midfield looks overwhelmed and the concern is that our midfielders (Charles, Downes) are good players. We need to play 4-3-3. I think when you're at a match, you can get the overall picture that TV cameras can't emulate, and what I was seeing was their front line receiving the ball and passing back to a midfielder running on to the ball in a dangerous position with lots of space to do what they wanted.

Oh it was very clear on TV that we were being overrun in midfield. I'm hoping Will Still saw it too because that midfield will struggle against Ipswich without an extra body.

[Thripp87]

11 hours ago, Farmer Saint said:

His issue was he was too far ahead of the ball to be collecting it with his weak foot. He doesn't have time to control it with the keeper coming out, so it has to be hit first time. Hitting the ball from behind your body, first time, with your weak foot - sorry, but it's not the sitter people are making it out to be.

You must be on the wind up? It was a pathetic miss. In fact, he was so inept he didn’t even miss it.

Between you defending Downes there and someone else questioning why fans don’t rate Sugawara I think some Saints fans have had too much sun. 

 

 

[CSA96]

3 hours ago, OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint said:

Really don't think so, Lighthouse. Appalling one footed player and irritating that he's so unfit. He was the one player blowing out of his arse yesterday. Also, didn't really see the Downs miss because it was at the other end, but on replays it looks awful.

What is of concern it WS's tactics of playing 5 at the back. The midfield looks overwhelmed and the concern is that our midfielders (Charles, Downes) are good players. We need to play 4-3-3. I think when you're at a match, you can get the overall picture that TV cameras can't emulate, and what I was seeing was their front line receiving the ball and passing back to a midfielder running on to the ball in a dangerous position with lots of space to do what they wanted.

I don't think WS wants to play the five at the back, really. He said in preseason he wants to play with a four and for most of preseason, we did. We had some joy with a five late in preseason - and to be fair, we looked better for it - so he's sticking with it

His tactics are more focused on use of wide areas to generate overloads and give the opportunities for balls into the box. Right now, given we have no wingers of serious threat, he's leaning on the wingbacks more and shoving more bodies towards the box instead by including more than one striker

I also think preseason and these first couple of games have suggested that while he likes what Sugawara and Welington can offer going forward, he doesn't much trust them defensively and so in a flat four he prefers Bree (or Edwards) and Manning

I think it might be the case that coming out of the international break, we see the 4-2-3-1 become the default formation, with some new signings taking roles in the three behind the striker. It might even happen sooner, and I would be tempted to just get straight to the 4-2-3-1 and use Fraser and Robinson wide for now but I wouldn't be surprised to see him keep it as it is for another game or two

Some might say he is sending a message about the lack of quality from wide areas in the final third... 

Edited 5 hours ago by CSA96

[Tamesaint]

Can we start to get something clear. DownEs is Flynn, he plays in midfield and should be kept away from chicken livers. Downs is Damion. He is a forward, misses open goals and has a funny haircut. 

It is going to be a long season if posters can't get this correct.