Saints 0-0 Skates - Match Thread

[Sheaf Saint]

WTF was Mousinho's problem with Still at the end?

[SNSUN]

1 minute ago, CB Fry said:

Well, clean sheet.

Yeah, shows that 3CBs aren't needed. Just needed more quality in attack.

[sambosa75]

Damp squib that.

 

Ive got some serious concerns about Still.

[Cuddles]

Disappointing. Like dogging with blown bulbs.

[bangkoksaint]

We can’t just keep saying ‘we’re finding our feet or it’s early day’. We’re Saints, we came out of the PL and we’ve spent big. The Wrexham game was lucky and it’s not the only one where we’ve been fortunate. We could easily be bottom 3. 

[saintant]

26 minutes ago, John Boy Saint said:

Downes off - 

settling for 0-0 with Armstrong coming on

He did ok to be fair.

[sotonric]

1 minute ago, Sheaf Saint said:

WTF was Mousinho's problem with Still at the end?

Seemed unnecessarily petty, didn't it?

[Zorba]

Toothless again

[Holmes_and_Watson]

13 minutes ago, adrian lord said:

This is going to just peter out, isn't it?

I know there were a lot of players who needed to move on, but I don't think we have a Peter, do we? 🙂

[Sheaf Saint]

1 minute ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Toothless, richer, championship level outfit gets draw against slightly less toothless, but still championship level, visitors.

Josh Murphy made most of our forward players look like lumps. AA being an exception when he came on, and Fraser's work rate.

Not if we're talking about the fans though.

[Saint Pete]

Not great obviously but not the disaster that a defeat would have been for morale. I'm not that concerned at losing a little ground at this early stage, we are clearly a work in progress with quite a few new players coming in to bed into the team. But you would expect things to improve as they get more game time. My biggest concern is lack of presence up top for crosses coming in, which I think can happen more now with the new arrivals. We need one of our bigger forwards to come up trumps pretty soon. 

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, Sheaf Saint said:

Meh.

Some boos at the end, Still is not under significant pressure quite yet but getting there unless the signings gel for him quickly. Needs to be a run on victories now and far more goal threat in open play. Skates had a strange mix of the best player we’ve faced - Murphy - and the worst forward quality. Bishop was dreadful I thought. 

Jander and Scienza promising, Fellows ditto. Downes very poor on the ball, Charles carried him, set pieces and crossing were horrible. Fraser good, Baz solid in the little he had to do. Archer decent but doing it all by himself.  Someone should have burst a lung to get in the box and help him. 

First batch of subs good, second set too much too quickly and disrupted. 

[washsaint]

That was awful.  Very concerned with Still: his tactics, selctions and general management of the situation all look very suspect.

Ross Stewart is a total waste of space and shouldn't be near a League 2 side.

If I was to rate them:

Baz - 6.  Nothing much to do but very decisive

Mads - 4.  Offered nothing

Manning -4.  Offered nothing

THB - 5.  Stupid booking but not really tested

Stephens - 6.  Led the line without truly being challenged

Downes - 3.  Awful and hope he is now a bit part player.  Always looking backwards rather than forwards and gves the ball away

Charles - 6.  Probably, wih Fraser, our best outfield player

Fellowes - 5.  Meh

Azaz - 4.  Awful

Fraser - 6.  Probably our most threatening

Archer - 5.  No service, no support but the ball didnt stick

[Picard]

Now Switch over to the women. Already 1 -0 up.

[Edmonton Saint]

Pochettino when he came in as manager had a style of play and had the players responding right away. Even Martin rightly or wrongly had a style of play which he implemented . 
 

What is Will Stills modus operandi ?  5 games in and I’ve seen little of what he wants to do and how he wants us to play. Pump the ball long to Archer or get crosses in the box to Archer ? Not impressed so far.
 

Edited 5 hours ago by Edmonton Saint

[skintsaint]

Shit first half, better 2nd.

They had one good outlet all game and we never shut it off. Why we kept lumping it at their meathead centrebacks is a mystery. Ref was pretty crap giving them soft freekicks all day.

[sockeye]

Just now, bangkoksaint said:

We could easily be bottom 3. 

Next level hysteria.

We were not good , still blunt in attack and mostly relying on wanky crosses. That being said I think we will gel but on this showing will only be in the mix for play offs at best

[CB Fry]

3 minutes ago, maxi_sopez said:

Pretty shit. Second best and lucky to get a point. This does not feel like two years ago.

2 years ago we got dicked 5-0 by Sunderland and lost 4 in a row.

In September 2023 there was no promotion party, that's for sure.

[danjosaint]

Too slow moving the ball, Downes constantly giving ball away and back to slowly knocking it around the back allowing them back into shape 

[Patches O Houlihan]

* Fellows delivers some really quality crosses, but we couldn't get the ball to him or Azaz much at all in the first half. Better in the second.

* If we're going to spend the first 70 minutes of games supplying quality raised crosses into the box for Fraser and Archer to be muscled out of it then it could be a long season. 

* Scienza has only played 15 mins, and already he is our Shithouse-in-Chief (also he wasn't happy about giving Manning that last free kick)

* Jander - Smooth as silk. It won't take him long to work out some of the tricks common in the league. Downes has to be feeling the pressure already.

* Some nice stuff from Charles but would have liked to seem him on the ball more in the first half.

* There was some good 'body on the line' blocks from the defence which was nice to see. Not a perfect defensive performance, but better than some we have seen.

* Interesting that in the last 4 minutes Jack & THB were playing attacking midfield, with Charles and Roerslav sweeping up at the back.

 

[spyinthesky]

Just now, sambosa75 said:

Damp squib that.

 

Ive got some serious concerns about Still.

I was quite positive about him but his first half kick it long strategy was ridiculous.
Their Manager had his team better sorted than us but then again he was ridiculed at Fratton Park when he first joined Pompey
Their left winger and Bishop, the sort of aggressive CF, we have longed for were standouts for them.
We should have the squad quality to improve but the team, as it stands, is nowhere near Prem standard.

[madge]

Pompey better organised, moved the ball quicker and on the balance had the better chances. We look absolutely blunt up top, slow in possession and just a complete mess with no recognisable style of play… 

[saintant]

7 minutes ago, Winnersaint said:

It was, kind of expected it. They play ugly and we’re still finding our feet.

But they didn't play ugly and, for large chunks of that game, were the better footballing side.

[Harry_SFC]

Downes and Roerslev were abysmal. Time for Flynn to be dropped. Fellows did ok but Azaz was anonymous. Concerning performance. 

[Big M]

We're so disjointed,it's like watching a watered down version of Russ ball. Our passing at times is woeful and a few players shouldn't be starting, Downes is awful and he obviously doesn't want to be here, Harwood Belis has no form since injury and Archer has zero service, the fans can see it, we've had 3 at the back, today 4 at the back, I honestly don't think a playoff place is realistic with the abject way we play and not buying a proven striker is going to kill us because where are the goals coming from. Only saving grace is not losing today. 

[LGTL]

Pompey win 0-0 again. Terrible, terrible game. Absolutely nothing happened. 

[benjii]

2 minutes ago, Edmonton Saint said:

Pochettino when he came in as manager had a style of play and had the players responding right away. Even Martin rightly or wrongly had a style of play which he implemented . 
 

What is Will Stills modus operandi ?  6 games in and I’ve seen little of what he wants to do and how he wants us to play. Pump the ball long to Archer or get crosses in the box to Archer ? Not impressed so far.
 

And that's without mentioning how shit we are out of possession.

[lambtiss]

Out thought, outfought

[benjii]

Is that 2 goals from open play in 5 matches?

[Smirking_Saint]

We looked good when we got the ball down and played football but it was fleeting

Manning and Downes looked like they were playing hot potato, didn’t want the ball and wanted rid of it as soon as possible 

I thought Fellows and Azaz looked dangerous but we never gave them the ball

Hoof ball to Archer ? Just why

Felt like we completely wasted the first half tbh

[east-stand-nic]

That's enough confirmation for me that we are not going up this season. Yeah yeah yeah, early days and all that. Sorry, not good enough....poor tactics, terrible first half. I just cannot see what the manager is trying to do. 

[St. Ciervo]

Another incomplete game by the Saints. First half was complete dog water. That is on the manager for a flat start AGAIN. The players look like strangers on the pitch. International break did nothing to improve our chemistry. 

While Still is an improvement to the self-sabotage of Martin, I still think a potted plant in a sport coat does the trick and gets the win. 

[saintant]

7 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

WTF was Mousinho's problem with Still at the end?

Think he made sure he gave him a vice like handshake.

[Baz Fl]

45 minutes of long balls to a midget striker, followed by 25 minutes of crosses to the same player and finished with 20 minutes of crosses to a taller striker that doesn’t win many headers. Our number 9’s don’t cut it and haven’t done so for a long time 

Edited 5 hours ago by Baz Fl
Add

[bpsaint]

What a shite game, will still looking more and more the typical SR appointment each game

[Lighthouse]

TBH it looked like what it was. A team in transition with a bunch of new players, against a more cohesive unit which was used to playing together in this division. I’d say this was pretty much the worst fixture to have after a frantic end to the transfer window and an international break. I like the team we started with on paper but I’d probably make two changes for the next game; Jander and Jelly for Downes and Manning.

[Cabrone]

I thought Still was supposed to be some tactical improvement? From what I saw it looks like the ghost of Martin still hangs over this team.

Passing - poor. First half was abysmal.

Speed of attack - really poor.

Intensity - really poor.

Creativity - really poor.

Top 2? Not a chance. Top 6? Right now I don't think so.

Not impressed with Still, I want attacking football - not more dreary Russball.

Edited 3 hours ago by Cabrone

[Dusic]

Clueless in attack, way too many aimless hoofs surrendering possession. Seems like we really lack attacking pattern of play and connection between players - which is to be expected to an extent.

Not at all impressed with Roerslev, seems like a slightly more agile James Bree.

Still needs to work out his best combination of attacking players fast.

[mcbendy]

That was a bizarre performance. There's a logic to route 1 'hoof it up to the big man' type football, even if that wouldn't be my preferred style to watch. I can't get my head around the logic of 'hoof it up to the little men', and there was no evidence whatsoever of it working. A new type of one touch football, where the philosophy is to use that one touch to give the ball back to the opposition...

Edited 5 hours ago by mcbendy

[Lighthouse]

3 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

Downes and Roerslev were abysmal. Time for Flynn to be dropped. Fellows did ok but Azaz was anonymous. Concerning performance. 

Strongly disagree on that. He had very little to pass to and was left exposed quite a few times. Pompey played it long down his side a fair bit but I felt like he dealt with most things fairly well. I’d say he was one of the better players, along with Baz, Stephens, Charles and Fraser.

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, Harry_SFC said:

Downes and Roerslev were abysmal. Time for Flynn to be dropped. Fellows did ok but Azaz was anonymous. Concerning performance. 

Azaz got into it 45-65 and looked lively, bit more pace than I thought he had. Agree on Downes, must have looked at Jander and thought his place is in jeopardy.

At least looked like a footballer amongst the donkeys when we stopped smashing it over his head. Charles our best player. Murphy the best on the pitch. 

It’s ok bringing Stewart but he needs the crosses with whip and pace that Murphy provided at the other end. Bishop’s efforts on goal woeful but he did hold up pretty well. 

[Chez]

5 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Will Still can get in the bin. Crap tactics (again)

 

When the side doesn't play well is it simply the coach's fault?

I thought he managed the game pretty well. He changed the formation before the game, which most wanted, he seemed to reinvigorate the side at half time after a poor first half and his subs in the second made sense.

i thought it was always going to be hard changing formation during an international break and for this game, but I feel more confident than when we plated five at the back.

[Convict Colony]

Disappointed the full backs didnt get up the pitch a bit more, think manning is not direct enough either passing or running for this team.

Disjointed with the new players but i can see hope, expect the next 5 games to be a real improvement.

Also shout out to armstrong showing archer exactly what was needed as a nusiance harrying CF.

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Chez said:

When the side doesn't play well is it simply the coach's fault?

I thought he managed the game pretty well. He changed the formation before the game, which most wanted, he seemed to reinvigorate the side at half time after a poor first half and his subs in the second made sense.

i thought it was always going to be hard changing formation during an international break and for this game, but I feel more confident than when we plated five at the back.

Hard to change? It was 2 weeks and he was not reinventing football 

[Saint86]

Matty Taylor isn't as much of a bell end as i remember him at least.

[Harry_SFC]

1 minute ago, Lighthouse said:

Strongly disagree on that. He had very little to pass to and was left exposed quite a few times. Pompey played it long down his side a fair bit but I felt like he dealt with most things fairly well. I’d say he was one of the better players, along with Baz, Stephens, Charles and Fraser.

I like Roerslev, but if you think he was one of our better players today then you must be blind. 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Harry_SFC said:

I like Roerslev, but if you think he was one of our better players today then you must be blind. 

Murphy was the best player on the pitch. 

[Gloucester Saint]

Scienza quite rightly competing with Manning to take the free kick into the box. Don’t mind Manning taking the direct ones at goal but his indirects and corners were woeful.

[Saint Pete]

1 minute ago, Lighthouse said:

TBH it looked like what it was. A team in transition with a bunch of new players, against a more cohesive unit which was used to playing together in this division. I’d say this was pretty much the worst fixture to have after a frantic end to the transfer window and an international break. I like the team we started with on paper but I’d probably make two changes for the next game; Jander and Jelly for Downes and Manning.

It is a team in transition absolutely so we shouldn't be expecting it to look cohesive when there are a number of players making their debuts, bring introduced from the bench etc. The only thing I would add though as serious long term concern is whether it's gonna work with the likes of Archer up front when it seems clear we want to get crosses in with the attacking players we have brought in. I think we need an effective big man up  top to make the plan work and not sure that we have one at this point. 

 

 

[saintant]

7 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

Downes and Roerslev were abysmal. Time for Flynn to be dropped. Fellows did ok but Azaz was anonymous. Concerning performance. 

Hardly surprising when he spent most of the game watching pointless long balls sailing over his head. Get the ball on the floor and play fucking football - pass and move and get between the lines. Football really isn't rocket science.