Saints 1-2 Stoke - Match Thread

[aintforever]

That was garbage

[badgerx16]

1 minute ago, Sheaf Saint said:

All just far too pedestrian. Looks like too many players are still playing Russball.

Surely it's Still's job to correct that. Clearly he hasn't managed so far. 

Plenty of talk from him about systems, tactics, and flexibility, but we are watching the same lack of intelligence, commitment, guile, or urgency.

[obelisk]

Already 5 points off the leaders. That attack doesn't have many goals in it. Might just scrape the play-offs if we're lucky.

[OttawaSaint]

1 minute ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Nobody is as bad as Martin 

Yep. Underachieving at a club that could finish 2nd at worst with a deep fried mars bar in charge...

[IronCitySaint]

Nothing will change whilst these clown owners remain here. They have done another fine job of recruiting this summer for the St. Mary's donkey farm. How many years have passed without getting a decent striker? And there is a reason why, in 2025, almost nobody plays five at the back. Everyone else has moved on from those tactics. This club is just pathetic on every level.

[OttawaSaint]

1 minute ago, aintforever said:

That was garbage

We were worse.

[Saint Fan CaM]

I called this. Way back. The squad was so broken after the last Championship season that it was clear there was a massive deficit of quality. And today showed it. 

We don’t have a single striker of the quality needed. We don’t have enough quality in midfield. Five at the back is not working and Stephens is at the heart of the problem in defence.

Those questioning Mads quality are fools - he’s probably the best player on the pitch today behind Fernandes and that’s says something!

[Monk]

Make no mistake, Stoke fully deserve to win that. 

But that was appalling, on par with Russ Ball. 

[Greedyfly]

3 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Nobody is as bad as Martin 

We looked better under him at the beginning of his stint than we do under this so called defensive artist. 

[Mattio]

I forgot what this place is like after a loss, everyone calm the fuck down 🤣

[OttawaSaint]

1 minute ago, badgerx16 said:

Surely it's Still's job to correct that. Clearly he hasn't managed so far. 

Plenty of talk from him about systems, tactics, and flexibility, but we are watching the same lack of intelligence, commitment, guile, or urgency.

"Still" seems to be the opposite of "effervescent".

[saint michael]

It’s soooo depressing watching saints these days. Oh I yearn for some normal footballers. This team is absolutely useless. Same old story crap gk and defence. A midfield who can’t create and insist on passing it back to the Cb or Fb and then forwards who don’t run or shoot or read the game. 

[woodsaint1]

1 minute ago, obelisk said:

Already 5 points off the leaders. That attack doesn't have many goals in it. Might just scrape the play-offs if we're lucky.

Yeah because Stoke and Boro will be the leaders come the end of the season 

[Greedyfly]

Just now, Saint Fan CaM said:

I called this. Way back. The squad was so broken after the last Championship season that it was clear there was a massive deficit of quality. And today showed it. 

We don’t have a single striker of the quality needed. We don’t have enough quality in midfield. Five at the back is not working and Stephens is at the heart of the problem in defence.

Those questioning Mads quality are fools - he’s probably the best player on the pitch today behind Fernandes and that’s says something!

He was on for two minutes 10 minutes and was absolutely the signing we didn't need. Again. 

[Gloucester Saint]

7 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

Maybe don't make them in the first place.

If you buy the £20 item to be a smart arse instead of the £75 item you actually needed and the £25 item breaks in 5 minutes and/or is simply not fit for purpose (eg Damion Downs) then you’ve simply wasted money and time, and the item you needed in the first place you may not be able afford.

Utter stupidity and we see it every fucking transfer window. SR - stick to selling, and hook up with Mendes and let him identify and advise on the buying. It’s his living and he knows what he’s doing.

SR, you simply do not know anything about buying players. You can sell them, but Downs is just the latest example of cutting a corner in a key position in the spine of the team.

The price needed for an outstanding Champ striker is £12-20m. If you can’t find that, sell up. SFC is too much for you.

Edited 12 hours ago by Gloucester Saint

[tdmickey3]

Just now, Saint Fan CaM said:

I called this. Way back. The squad was so broken after the last Championship season that it was clear there was a massive deficit of quality. And today showed it. 

We don’t have a single striker of the quality needed. We don’t have enough quality in midfield. Five at the back is not working and Stephens is at the heart of the problem in defence.

Those questioning Mads quality are fools - he’s probably the best player on the pitch today behind Fernandes and that’s says something!

Crazy really, when we were buying for the Championship last season....apparently 

[RedArmy]

1 minute ago, Mattio said:

I forgot what this place is like after a loss, everyone calm the fuck down 🤣

Feel free to point out the positives from that one. 

[Disco Stu]

Special mention to Flynn Downes for being especially shit today. Constantly giving the ball away and only passing the way he's facing (backwards) even in the 95th minute.

Edited 12 hours ago by Disco Stu

[The Kraken]

I’m still waiting to find out what a Will Still side is. Under Martin, for better or worse, at least you knew what they were trying to be. This team doesn’t seem to have any sort of balance to it, just a bunch of players shoved together in a pretty turgid system. Needs to get a grip, that’s 3 league games and a cup game where it’s so often looked massively disjointed and so vulnerable on the break.

[trousers]

3 minutes ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

I called this. Way back

Medal in the post! 😉 (You'll have to make do with patting yourself on the back in the meantime 🙂)

Edited 12 hours ago by trousers

[Jimmy_D]

Created more than enough chances to win that, didn’t take them, and got done by a smash and grab off of one break giving us too much to do.

[OttawaSaint]

3 minutes ago, obelisk said:

Already 5 points off the leaders. That attack doesn't have many goals in it. Might just scrape the play-offs if we're lucky.

With non-scoring forwards? Doubt it.

[santolijador]

Just now, AlexLaw76 said:

Will Still is not all that

Who are you getting in right now then? Fuck me, he's barely been backed by the board and the transfer window hasn't even shut. That, and our squad is absolute gash and has been for over a year, arguably many more than that. 

In before 'ooh 5 at the back and all that' take a step back - he clearly sees the game different to you and is clearly taking an approach to reduce the stupid goal against, but he clearly wasn't aware that this is Southampton and it's in our DNA. Until today, he could probably argue that things worked in terms of avoiding defeat. 

The problem is the players and has been for too long. 0 quality across the line up, Downes and Charles didn't show up, we missed too many sitters and our striking options have been genuinely awful since Ings left. Recruitment has been progressively worse since the black box days and we are just getting worse, all compounded by some seriously questionable managerial appointments. 

We have plenty of problems, but Will Still is not top of that list. 

[Wsaint]

2 games left to find some sort of form and rhythm before the skates, I don't trust this side to be up for the fight.

[Micky]

Got what we deserved - our asses handed to us by a team who are willing to work their socks off, and take their chances.  Even the ten men terrorised us.  We are lethargically slow, both in thought and in action, there is absolutely no drive or passion in that side.  Can't see that we will be anywhere near the autos, and we'll be lucky to get into the playoffs with that lot - not that I'm particularly bothered about the Prem - but if you are, I would shelve your expectations for now.

I said last week that my grandkids could probably cause more havoc than our front line, having seen that today, not only do I stand by that, I reckon I could've finished at least two of the chances that we fluffed - we are woefully bad in front of goal, woefully bad.

The game was probably ok for the neutral, so if you ain't that bothered about promotion, the games could be quite interesting.  Awful tactics today, terrible finishing and we got what we deserved - nowt.

[madge]

Our midfield two of downes and Charles were abysmal today and taking off Robinson lost us the only chance of taking a player on. Fraser was totally worthless as a winger today… poor floated crosses and didn’t beat his man once. On the initial first few showings our recruitment is poor once again. Also the 3 at the back has to stop..

[Gloucester Saint]

2 minutes ago, Jimmy_D said:

Created more than enough chances to win that, didn’t take them, and got done by a smash and grab off of one break giving us too much to do.

Give me a break, take the red and white specs off. They were quicker, more composure, took their chances well and our strikers were pathetic. Downs looks worse than Ali Dia’s cameo v Leeds. First touch of concrete. Massive surgery needed next week.

Edited 12 hours ago by Gloucester Saint

[OttawaSaint]

1 minute ago, Jimmy_D said:

Created more than enough chances to win that, didn’t take them, and got done by a smash and grab off of one break giving us too much to do.

Wow. 

[benjii]

2 minutes ago, Jimmy_D said:

Created more than enough chances to win that, didn’t take them, and got done by a smash and grab off of one break giving us too much to do.

We barely strung two passes together for 70 minutes.

No cohesion. Players in weird positions. Hopefully lumping it into the box.

Crap.

[saint michael]

They have all week to practice breaking down a defence and how to defend as a unit and still they can’t do it. Shows where the problem is 

[Sheaf Saint]

Credit to Robins. He knows how to set a team up and get them playing to win games in this league. Schooled WS today. 

Where's the urgency and the physicality we were promised? 

Not one of our strikers comes out of the first 3 games with any credit so far. Very concerning if we're pinning our hopes on DD because he was dreadful again today.

Flynn had an absolute shocker. Gave the ball away so needlessly for their first goal, missed an absolute sitter, and then in injury time when we're trying to get the ball in the box he's playing lazy backward passes on the halfway line with no Stoke players near him.

Could Baz have done better with the second goal? Difficult to see from the angle I saw but it was a very tight angle and nowhere near the corner of the goal.

Robinson looks like the only attacking player to pose any real threat at the moment. Everyone else is just fucking garbage.

We've got a lot of work to do this week to bring in the players WS wants and needs so he can play his preferred formation.

[Saint Fan CaM]

2 minutes ago, trousers said:

Medal in the post! 😉

Thanks. Doesn’t make me feel good about it, but surely there are some at the club that can’t see the fucking wood for the trees!

[Jimmy_D]

Just now, benjii said:

We barely strung two passes together for 70 minutes.

No cohesion. Players in weird positions. Hopefully lumping it into the box.

Crap.

Did you miss how many times we were on the end of those crosses and just missed?

[Willo of Whiteley]

If Will Still’s tactics are to drill it out from CB to wingers, and then to just float balls in for the keeper to catch every time, hen this is going to be a long season.

That was a terrible performance. Absolutely abysmal.

The attitude of some of those players, heads dropping, no urgency. They can all bugger off.

Will Still got that entirely wrong today.

[Micky]

6 minutes ago, Mattio said:

I forgot what this place is like after a loss, everyone calm the fuck down 🤣

When you get beat in your own back yard by ten man Stoke, and play that badly, this place has a right to vent.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

1 minute ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Give me a break, take the red and specs off. They were quicker, more composure, took their chances well and our strikers were pathetic. Downs looks worse than Ali Dia’s cameo v Leeds. First touch of concrete. Massive surgery needed next week.

It's what we are good at. Making average teams look like Real Madrid. 

[Saint NL]

3 minutes ago, saint michael said:

They have all week to practice breaking down a defence and how to defend as a unit and still they can’t do it. Shows where the problem is 

The problem is, they'll be playing against our defenders 

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, Jimmy_D said:

Did you miss how many times we were on the end of those crosses and just missed?

Get fitter and quicker and get on the end of them then. 

If they can’t do that, ship them out subsidised to a lower division and bring in a couple of loan players who do want to do the extra.

[saint michael]

Seriously. How much has this team cost us. 

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, saint michael said:

Seriously. How much has this team cost us. 

2005-9 tells me we are nowhere near hitting the bottom of where we are going to sink without a huge turnover in players over the next few days.

[saint michael]

This is not going to be pretty against the blue mob 

 

[LGTL]

Downs, Stewart, Armstrong, BBD and Archer wouldn’t win a fucking raffle, let alone promotion. Forget it 

[Micky]

9 minutes ago, Jimmy_D said:

Created more than enough chances to win that, didn’t take them, and got done by a smash and grab off of one break giving us too much to do.

We could've stayed until midnight and we still wouldn't have turned it around.

[Sheaf Saint]

14 minutes ago, Greedyfly said:

We looked better under him at the beginning of his stint than we do under this so called defensive artist. 

Did you miss that 5-0 defeat at Sunderland this time 2 years ago then? 

[Osvaldorama]

Our league one side would have battered this current lot

 

Sad to say, but it’s true. 

Edited 11 hours ago by Osvaldorama

[saint michael]

4 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

2005-9 tells me we are nowhere near hitting the bottom of where we are going to sink without a huge turnover in players over the next few days.

I just don’t trust they know who to buy. This insistence on buying players like Downs who they think they will make money on without considering how good they are NOW. Rome is burning 

[benjii]

10 minutes ago, Jimmy_D said:

Did you miss how many times we were on the end of those crosses and just missed?

One real sitter for Downes. The rest of it was agricultural crap.

[trousers]

 

 

[Jimmy_D]

1 minute ago, benjii said:

One real sitter for Downes. The rest of it was agricultural crap.

Plus one just over the bar, their keeper making a fantastic save low to his right, and Robinson hitting the post twice.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

2 minutes ago, trousers said:

 

 

He's taking the piss now. Not sure where he thinks the quality is.