Saints 0-0 Swansea - Match Thread

[DT]

52 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Presser: 

 

So uninspiring. Can't think how he doesn't motivate the players...

[Dman]

2 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

 

Every single social media expert wants free flowing attacking football, but that is not reality

It is my job to get the best out of our attacking players

Finn Azaz - 12 goals 11 assists last season 

Tom Fellows - 4 goals 14 assists last season 

Adam Armstrong - 21 goals 13 assists last time in the championship. 

You've got the players, its your system (or lack of) that is holding us back, Will. 

[Paul_B]

I'm about as enthusiastic for this game as Still is in his press conference. 

Apathy FC.

Sell up SR or at least get some people in to run it who know about football and aren't cunts.

[benjii]

Still still making excuses based on last season.

Fucking pathetic.

Edited Thursday at 16:05 by benjii

[Lighthouse]

Still wanted decent wide players to play his system. We signed Jelert, Mads, Fellows and Scienza to complement Edozie and Robinson. If we start another game with Fraser and Manning as wing backs and don’t win, it’s really time to start worrying.

[SouSaint]

24 minutes ago, benjii said:

Still still making excuses based on last season.

Fucking pathetic.

Seems out of his depth tbh. 

[AllyD]

13 minutes ago, SouSaint said:

Seems out of his depth tbh. 

Really we have decided that after 9 games! Our fans seem out of their depth!

[SouSaint]

5 minutes ago, AllyD said:

Really we have decided that after 9 games! Our fans seem out of their depth!

9 games and we are lucky to have two wins on the board despite a pretty nice run of fixtures. 

Fair enough if you've seen things that have encouraged you. 

[Harry_SFC]

Agree with others comments about playing the players we've signed to play a certain formation.

McCarthy, Roerslev, Wood, Quarshie (Edwards), Jelert; Charles, Jander; Fellows, Scienza, Armstrong; Archer. 

Can't stand the thought of having Armstrong through the middle but has to play out wide on current form. I'm sure Scienza could do a better job than Azaz in the hole at present. 

Had enough of constant defensive mistakes from Manning so if Welington still isn't ready I'd give Jelert a go. 

Edited Thursday at 17:29 by Harry_SFC

[Football Special]

4 hours ago, TheAlehouseBrawlers said:

“4/10 want him gone after 9 games into the season, now if we were in the bottom 3 then I can see why but when we are above mid table with 3 wins 3 draws and 3 losses that 40 % shows how many pretentious fans we have and I suspect most don’t even go”

Nope, that’s not a quote from a Saints fan, that’s a Swan from one of their boards…and they’re higher in the table than us - but echoes similar thoughts down here. Both sets of fans need a lift and present form reflected in the expected attendance for this, they took the smallest allocation of under 1,200 and sounds like they’ve sold less than a thousand to date. Plenty of home seats available too.

The shit 12:30 kick-off and on SKY+ ain’t helping.

We’ve got to get going at some point (surely) so 2-1 us.

Yeah bottom half championship, early kick off, ticket prices are too high - particularly for kids. 

Away corner holding just over 3000 will have about 900 in it leaving big 2k empty which is amplified by us having 1000 unsold either side of away fans as well. Probably be our lowest league attendance for a long time, 27k probably 

[Football Special]

1 hour ago, AllyD said:

Really we have decided that after 9 games! Our fans seem out of their depth!

To be fair he's a young inexperienced manager, he probably is out of his depth,  whether he can learn to swim in the choppy waters of the championship is TBC 

[benjii]

1 hour ago, AllyD said:

Really we have decided that after 9 games! Our fans seem out of their depth!

He's been as bad as Nathan Jones.

[Willo of Whiteley]

On 14/10/2025 at 19:36, AlexLaw76 said:

Looking forward to another 5 man defence, with a defensive midfield, and passes pumped from our defensive 3rd into Archer....

Should be a cracker

The negativity sometimes annoys me from AL but ironically he is probably spot on with this one 

[Sheaf Saint]

41 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

Had enough of constant defensive mistakes from Manning 

Manning needs to be dropped purely on the basis of gifting Derby a goal by being too busy arguing with the Lino to even bother trying to defend. Absolute dickhead.

[die Mannyschaft]

If Saints players cant play free flowing attacking football then the club needs to look for manager in National league or Southern League Division On as the teams I've seen so far don't have any problems playing real football. I've got Saints and Eastleigh season ticket and get some Winchester City games in and the difference in standard of foot is huge. Saints are so negative and cant even shoot enough. For God sake just play football and stop looking at spreadsheets, PowerPoints and YouTube.

 

[saintstowin]

He's not going to get the party started is he? Even though it's not about the personality I'd like to see and hear something that might spark things into life. Even his positive messages are lost in his delivery. 

Sometimes calmness and understatement is a helpful mask for nerves. 

Personally I don't think any of these managerial duties sit well with Will.

I don't know if that's a problem or not, it's definitely not the biggest one right now.

Anyway. I almost forgot. It's 4 nil to Saints this weekend and Will's trip to the garden centre on Sunday will be epic.

[Osvaldorama]

1 hour ago, Football Special said:

Yeah bottom half championship, early kick off, ticket prices are too high - particularly for kids. 

Away corner holding just over 3000 will have about 900 in it leaving big 2k empty which is amplified by us having 1000 unsold either side of away fans as well. Probably be our lowest league attendance for a long time, 27k probably 

Not really surprising, even the derby was boring and expensive compared to previous years tbh. 
 

Awful supporting this club atm. Need the players to give the fans a a reason to go. 

[Verwood Saint]

50 minutes ago, Football Special said:

To be fair he's a young inexperienced manager, he probably is out of his depth,  whether he can learn to swim in the choppy waters of the championship is TBC 

Hard to disagree with this observation - although no doubt all genuine Saints fans wish him well.  

 

For me the real question remains - just why were SR / Dragon prepared to take this level of risk when there were clearly much 'safer' choices available to them, especially given the horrendous failure of the previous season and the inevitable harm done to players, staff and fans.

Assuming Will is 'still' in post at Christmas - SR / Dragon must buy a decent centre forward wherever we are in the league!

[UpweySaint]

1 hour ago, die Mannyschaft said:

If Saints players cant play free flowing attacking football then the club needs to look for manager in National league or Southern League Division On as the teams I've seen so far don't have any problems playing real football. I've got Saints and Eastleigh season ticket and get some Winchester City games in and the difference in standard of foot is huge. Saints are so negative and cant even shoot enough. For God sake just play football and stop looking at spreadsheets, PowerPoints and YouTube.

 

Is this a serious take? Would you have honestly been happy if, instead of a manager with Still’s background, we plumped for somebody from the Southern League?!?

I can get not rating still so far and being unhappy with the style of play but some of stuff posted on here this season has me baffled - this very much included!

[OneMrsWallace]

5 hours ago, Lard said:

Watched the presser live. 
it was frankly the most uninspiring drivel ever. 
excuse after excuse. 
no solutions to anything. 
almost resorting to blaming last season just like Martin and his ‘scar tissue’  bollocks. 
He is so fucking out of his depth at present.

doesn’t know his arse from his elbow.
and I wager that it transmits to the players. 
 
 

Plus some managers are capable of coming in and lifting a team immediately. That just hasn't happened. Something is not right and we will know in the next 2-3 games if Still has any chance of turning this around. I'll accept SR not bringing a decent striker in hasn't helped but this isn't the PL and we have enough to be winning games of football in this league. If he starts getting results then back him with a striker in January and kick on - but I'm probably being wildly optimistic on that becoming a reality. 

[suewhistle]

2 hours ago, saintstowin said:

He's not going to get the party started is he? Even though it's not about the personality I'd like to see and hear something that might spark things into life. Even his positive messages are lost in his delivery. 

Sometimes calmness and understatement is a helpful mask for nerves. 

Personally I don't think any of these managerial duties sit well with Will.

The film I saw of him coaching the players at Lens I thought showed him comfortable with them and confident and clear in his coaching.  The formal media stuff he obviously hates, and surely it will help when he can do an interview after a convinving win!

[Lighthouse]

2 hours ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Manning needs to be dropped purely on the basis of gifting Derby a goal by being too busy arguing with the Lino to even bother trying to defend. Absolute dickhead.

Up there with Stephens’ red card against Chelsea for completely brainless, not even trying to play football, stupidity.

[qwertyell]

2 hours ago, Football Special said:

To be fair he's a young inexperienced manager, he probably is out of his depth, 

I mean, he's managed 136 games across three countries. He's not that inexperienced. 

Russell Martin had managed 179 when he took over here; Pochettino 161.

Maybe, all excuses aside, he's just not the right fit for a club with all kinds of deep-seated problems at this moment in time. 

[AlexLaw76]

6 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

I mean, he's managed 136 games across three countries. He's not that inexperienced. 

Russell Martin had managed 179 when he took over here; Pochettino 161.

Maybe, all excuses aside, he's just not the right fit for a club with all kinds of deep-seated problems at this moment in time. 

I just dont think he is very good. Kind of hung his hat on 'Rosco', which is evidently daft given his injury record. 

Signing Tom Fellows and play him at wing back, sign Finn Azaz and drop him after a couple of games, drop your CBs, Keeper etc...all in the space of 9 games. 

So it seems pre season, other than for fitness, was a bit wasted.

Edited Thursday at 20:47 by AlexLaw76

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

28 minutes ago, suewhistle said:

The film I saw of him coaching the players at Lens I thought showed him comfortable with them and confident and clear in his coaching.  The formal media stuff he obviously hates, and surely it will help when he can do an interview after a convinving win!

I reckon Will S is going to stumble in to a format that works and we'll go shooting up the league. Plan A with Ross Stewart up front started to look like a plan but there was a flaw! Plan B or C will work. He's got the players and I genuinely think that when things tick, he's not some arrogant knob like previous managers, he'll adapt and take us forward.

Just hope he's drilled in to the players to be more attack minded. When the ball is in their half, they can't score!

[suewhistle]

26 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

sign Finn Azaz and drop him after a couple of games, drop your CBs, Keeper etc...all in the space of 9 games. 

I thought most people wanted Bazunu dropped, for obvious reasons, similarly there have been complaints when a certain centre back has been played and THB being dropped has been due to his form. So I'm not sure what people want: are you saying people should be played regardless of form or fitness?

[saintant]

7 hours ago, LGTL said:

He doesn’t really have a clue what his best 11 is, what his best formation is or how exactly he wants us to play. No wonder we constantly look a confused mess. 

But isn't that a big part of what training sessions are for? I get that we've just had another international break but surely by now he should have seen enough to work out which partnerships work, what formation keeps us tight at the back whilst freeing up the attacking intent and chance creation. It's up to the manager and his coaches to work out a starting eleven and formation that gets the most out of the squad. We are seeing small improvements but it's time for something to click in a bigger way. 

[saintant]

5 hours ago, Lighthouse said:

Still wanted decent wide players to play his system. We signed Jelert, Mads, Fellows and Scienza to complement Edozie and Robinson. If we start another game with Fraser and Manning as wing backs and don’t win, it’s really time to start worrying.

We don't have a single wing back worthy of the name at the club. None of them are able to get up and down the pitch at pace so let's stop asking them to do what they can't. Wing back is a specialist role and you have to be super fit and talented to play the role properly. A back four and a couple of traditional wingers for me - don't ask Fellows to play wing back because it wastes his natural talent further up the pitch and tires him out.

[ant]

Might be good if we stop selling out so easily. Our fanbase can't do nasty, so dwindling attendances are probably our best form of dissent.

Mind you, with Sports Republic's track record they'd interpret half-empty stands as a sign to fast-track expanding the ground. 🙄

[Ted Bates Statue]

3 hours ago, ant said:

Might be good if we stop selling out so easily. Our fanbase can't do nasty, so dwindling attendances are probably our best form of dissent.

I don't quite understand it really. In 2005-06 our average attendance was 23k. We only had one attendance above 30k, against Leeds when we lost 3-4. Even under Adkins our league average was 26k. How is it that we are so accepting as a fanbase? Blind loyalty or a sign of changing demographics?

[musesaint]

Probably the worst and most uninspiring Presser for months, not helped by some awful and poorly thought out questions from the Press. Pretty much sums up the current state of the club tbh. 

[Charlie Wayman]

18 hours ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Seems like he conducting pre season. Trying anything until something sticks

 

Once again demonstarting that he is clueless.

[Midfield_General]

13 hours ago, Verwood Saint said:

Hard to disagree with this observation - although no doubt all genuine Saints fans wish him well.  

 

For me the real question remains - just why were SR / Dragon prepared to take this level of risk when there were clearly much 'safer' choices available to them, especially given the horrendous failure of the previous season and the inevitable harm done to players, staff and fans.

Assuming Will is 'still' in post at Christmas - SR / Dragon must buy a decent centre forward wherever we are in the league!

Who were the safe choices?

[BARCELONASAINT]

The International break came at a good time for me. Personally i was fed up with our inept manager, fed up with our shit owners and fed up with our shit players that lack any back bone. Am i raring to go for the tomorrows match?....No, they can all fuck off. WS is still making excuses and i don't expect anything different from these players playing under his management!

Sorry but this is how I feel about this shower.

[Saint NL]

It's a sad state of affairs when you wish the international break could last longer. At least we were watching teams try to score goals and win.

 

[Saint Fan CaM]

18 hours ago, DT said:

So uninspiring. Can't think how he doesn't motivate the players...

To my mind, if a player can’t self-motivate himself to play the beautiful game while collecting a millionaires salary he should not be playing professional football. FFS in my day we would give our right arm to get the chance to play for our local lower league club, let alone a huge city based club like Saints.

If any criticism can be aimed at Still it’s that he has found it seemingly hard to transform the style and system of play to one that is progressive in attack. It improved when he found a way of leaving out the players that had scar tissue or naturally don’t want to take charge of the ball and move forwards (Stephens, Manning, Downes), but now that has been possibly brought into question with two players from the spine of the team injured (Quarshie and Stewart). He needs to maintain the newer players in the squad (Jelert, Jander, Scienza, Fellows) - allowing a slip back to starting the old guard will inevitably lead to old results, bringing with it a lack of confidence and more pressure.

Edited Friday at 09:03 by Saint Fan CaM

[sockeye]

18 hours ago, DT said:

So uninspiring. Can't think how he doesn't motivate the players...

I think that we need a team who are self-starters, think for themselves, and have good decision making (football IQ) - the opposite profile of our teams over the last half-decade. The group did okay with Martin with 2023-24, because his system gave them a comfort zone. I don't think it's good to require the manager to be a mood maker within the team. Players should be able to motivate themselves to reach the next level. We need a team who are hungry.

Edited Friday at 09:14 by sockeye
Clarification

[WALK DMC]

1 hour ago, Saint NL said:

It's a sad state of affairs when you wish the international break could last longer. At least we were watching teams try to score goals and win.

 

My optimism hasn't been totally extinguished. Clearly the season so far has been poor, yet we're still only 4 points behind a play off place and 7 points off automatic promotion. If we can put a decent run together (e.g. win 3 games on the bounce), we will start to close that gap significantly. However I agree with many here that Still has been a disappointment and yet to introduce a real style to our play. 

However I thought that there were phases in our last few games when we started to look better, although the loss of Stewart clearly stunted that improvement. 

I look at England where Thomas Tuchel didn't seem to improve anything when he first arrived, but suddenly in the last 3 games they look a different team and playing to their true potential. I'm hoping but not necessarily hopeful that things could still change, if Will Still suddenly finds the ingredient that he is searching for and getting this team playing to their true abilities.  Fingers crossed.

[revolution saint]

While I can feel a bit sorry for Still in regards to Stewart getting injured it's worth remembering he took ages before giving him a go.  You can't really talk about what a huge loss he is when you make a decision to leave him out and use him as striker of last resort (appreciate Downs now has the title sewn up).

[Verwood Saint]

17 hours ago, Football Special said:

To be fair he's a young inexperienced manager, he probably is out of his depth,  whether he can learn to swim in the choppy waters of the championship is TBC 

16 hours ago, Verwood Saint said:

Hard to disagree with this observation - although no doubt all genuine Saints fans wish him well.  

 

For me the real question remains - just why were SR / Dragon prepared to take this level of risk when there were clearly much 'safer' choices available to them, especially given the horrendous failure of the previous season and the inevitable harm done to players, staff and fans.

Assuming Will is 'still' in post at Christmas - SR / Dragon must buy a decent centre forward wherever we are in the league!

3 hours ago, Midfield_General said:

Who were the safe choices?

Not sure I can recall all the options now but Steve Cooper or Sean Dyche would be a couple of examples.  Both have loads of experience at both Championship and EPL levels and also know what a well run football club looks like.  Appreciate their football 'styles' are not the most attractive but they know how to win matches, get teams promoted and stay in the EPL.  I think both would also find ways to give our team a proper backbone again, something we have been missing for a number of seasons.   Being an established, stable EPL team again would create the opportunity to attract a more high profile manager and players too.

That all looks a long way away now doesn't it!

[skintsaint]

Getting back on track ignoring the wrist slitters above, think we will win this in a classic Saints 3-1 home win.

Armstrong hatrick (one pen).

[Charlie Wayman]

Meanwhile Rome is burning to the ground.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

I honestly don't get the slating of Still for how he comes across in press conferences, I mean this club has a shit load of problems, yet some are ripping shreads of him because he is boring or whatever. Personally, couldn't give a shit if he has the personality of Claude Puell his job is to win football matches and the sooner he starts doing that the better. I go and watch this club in the hope it wins football matches, not to be entertained at a press conference.

[Sevvy]

I used to look forward to Saturdays, but not anymore,  no enthusiasm to watch the same old sideways and backwards football, we need some forward attacking football, i would rather loose trying than just muck about at the back,how the manager can't see this I don't know,

[St.JonB]

26 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

I honestly don't get the slating of Still for how he comes across in press conferences, I mean this club has a shit load of problems, yet some are ripping shreads of him because he is boring or whatever. Personally, couldn't give a shit if he has the personality of Claude Puell his job is to win football matches and the sooner he starts doing that the better. I go and watch this club in the hope it wins football matches, not to be entertained at a press conference.

I think if/when this happens people will stop talking about his personality.  If we don't start winning though it will only get worse. 

[Verbal]

23 hours ago, DT said:

So uninspiring. Can't think how he doesn't motivate the players...

You should give it a go yourself DT. I can't think of anyone better to deliver sunny optimism and inspiration.

[Edmonton Saint]

It’s a 5.30am start time here in the wilds of Edmonton tomorrow. I’ll watch out of some long winded self suffering mantra, but like others have said it’s been a long time since I was genuinely excited to watch a saints game. Still totally unconvinced by Still, and I’m already expecting us to resort back to the failed experiment of Armstrong as central striker tomorrow. 

[Verbal]

8 hours ago, Charlie Wayman said:

Meanwhile Rome is burning to the ground.

On the other hand, "Rome wasn't built in a day - but I wasn't on that particular job." (B. Clough)

Edited Friday at 21:16 by Verbal

[Chez]

On 16/10/2025 at 15:30, DT said:

So uninspiring. Can't think how he doesn't motivate the players...

He says we need to turns draws into wins. Without giving the game away to Swansea, it would have been nice to hear how we are going to do that. What have they actually been working on over the last two weeks? What kind of adjustments might we see etc.. how is Stewart going to be replaced in the next three months...

[Lee On Solent Saint]

1 hour ago, Verbal said:

You should give it a go yourself DT. I can't think of anyone better to deliver sunny optimism and inspiration.

I think Wade Garrett has that job pretty much sewn up