Saints v Sheff Utd - Wednesday 1945

[sledger]

On 19/01/2026 at 15:07, derry said:

I see we've employed another bloody analyst. Does nobody believe their eyes any more. What's wrong with us. Simply too much possession, the God of Stupidity. Most of that inflated possession is short passing in our own half. All that does is buy the opposition the time to form their defence, get plenty of players back and have enough bodies to block the bulk of our efforts. Every match its the same. Manning on Saturday made the most decisive pass of his season a perfect through ball to McBurnie for Hull's first goal.

Our defenders stand in their zones and although we outnumber the forwards we are cut apart time after time because nobody is attacking the ball whether on the ground or crosses, Wood trying to grapple an opponent who just jumps and heads the ball in. Too many centre backs, nobody taking responsibility. Full backs who play like wingers don't defend and leave acres of space behind them. Three centre backs who haven't a clue about playing together or attacking crosses. Yet the analytics tell a different story, loads of chances created etc. The analytics bring in Downs etc, Ekhert quotes them as if we were too good to lose, Total Bollocks. 

The best football, is maximum effort, high tempo, constant pressure, quick breaks. We are the opposite and getting the results our play is deserving. 

that is what zonal defending is,defending with no culpability,if youre man for man and youre man scores its down to you.I also notice aston villa leave 3 attackers up when defending corners means other side leave 4 back,empties the box out giving the keeper more room and a big outlet on a turnover,i dont know why more dont do it makes perfect sense to me.

[Starksj1995]

Lose tomorrow he could be gone 

[Harry_SFC]

32 minutes ago, Starksj1995 said:

Lose tomorrow he could be gone 

If we lose tomorrow there is absolutely no way he should be in charge at Fratton.

[ecuk268]

25 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

If we lose tomorrow there is absolutely no way he should be in charge at Fratton.

Who would be?

[BotleySaint]

51 minutes ago, Harry_SFC said:

If we lose tomorrow there is absolutely no way he should be in charge at Fratton.

Really cant see SR making any changes until we at least drop into the bottom three. They think throwing another analyst into the mix means its all going to magically come good and just needs more time.

[die Mannyschaft]

40 minutes ago, ecuk268 said:

Who would be?

If we lose v Sheffield United and Pompey we will almost certainly be relegated with today's results. Every other team is improving excep Saints who are just playing crap and even more crap each game.

[Football Special]

4 minutes ago, die Mannyschaft said:

If we lose v Sheffield United and Pompey we will almost certainly be relegated with today's results. Every other team is improving excep Saints who are just playing crap and even more crap each game.

Norwich are definitely going to finish above us that's for sure , good management change for them 

Edited 19 hours ago by Football Special

[bpsaint]

2 hours ago, Starksj1995 said:

Lose tomorrow he could be gone 

On the one hand I actually really hope this happens, but on the other hand its Sport Republic that will hire the next one so it’ll be some other young European coach nobody has ever heard of, that loves xG and plays 5 at the back.

Edited 18 hours ago by bpsaint

[Mboto Gorge]

20 minutes ago, Football Special said:

Norwich are definitely going to finish above us that's for sure , good management change for them 

They recognised the need for change and made a solid appointment for the here and now to guarantee survival first and foremost. The difference is we are run by some of the most egotistical arrogant cunts you could ever wish to meet, so they won’t deviate from their delusional methods and will never make an appointment that actually gives us the best chance of positive football results, which is surely the main aim for any club. 

[Mboto Gorge]

1 hour ago, ecuk268 said:

Who would be?

Ben Garner I expect. It’s like asking if you’d rather have your left or right bollock hacked off with a blunt knife 

[Football Special]

Going to be a close relegation battle I think 

[die Mannyschaft]

I think there are 49 games that involve bottom 11 teams so we have to win matches or will be in bottom 5 for most of season now. Saints cant rely on teams above us beating bottom 4 teams. Teams around Saints just cant lose 80% of thier games at least draws will be picked up. You would think the idiots looking at stats would have worked that out and said to the stupid cheque book holder to purchase defenders,  midfielder,  forwards now! Not in 2026-27 

[Micky]

On 19/01/2026 at 17:11, Football Special said:

I'd say that abysmal spell at Blackburn was matched by the spell at Middlesbrough where we completely fell apart gifting them 4 goals , it's been a bloody awful season hasn't it 

If you think this is bad, just imagine what next season will be like.  Make no mistake we have just blown our very best chance to get back to the Premiere League.  Promotion will not come for a long time now, and if this slump continues we could very easily end up in league one.  The club is a complete mess from top to bottom and it's very obvious that the playing staff are completely inept and rudderless.  I can barely wait for the Fratton fiasco on Sunday. 

[die Mannyschaft]

2 minutes ago, Football Special said:

Going to be a close relegation battle I think 

Can someone hack into the large stadium screens and put the bottom of the table up.  We have been very lucky in most of our wins and that's run out. Its just now down to the players, can they play football? The manager,  coaches, SR are irrelevant. 

[saintant]

11 minutes ago, Football Special said:

Going to be a close relegation battle I think 

Looks like it'll be two from Saints, Charlton, WBA, Blackburn, Pompey and Oxford. 

[Midfield_General]

West Brom were absolutely appalling tonight, the only side I’ve seen look as utterly lost as we do 

[Football Special]

2 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

West Brom were absolutely appalling tonight, the only side I’ve seen look as utterly lost as we do 

New manager bounce well and truly past them by 😆 

Ramsay has had two games , both at home, two defeats and EIGHT goals conceded 

[Midfield_General]

6 minutes ago, Football Special said:

New manager bounce well and truly past them by 😆 

Ramsay has had two games , both at home, two defeats and EIGHT goals conceded 

And started both games with three centre halves and five at the back.

For defensive solidity, obviously. 

[die Mannyschaft]

42 minutes ago, saintant said:

Looks like it'll be two from Saints, Charlton, WBA, Blackburn, Pompey and Oxford. 

It will be Saints and Oxford. No matter how bad others are or appear to play each week we are the team with no quality or physical presence over 97+ mins. Its no good say this wingers did well, that defender looked good we had 9 shots. Its academic as only for 15 mins. Half our team are leaque 1 at any time in 1st or 2nd half. I think the new players quickly worked out it's a mistake to sign for Saints and existing know we cant match teams and given up.  

[die Mannyschaft]

21 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

West Brom were absolutely appalling tonight, the only side I’ve seen look as utterly lost as we do 

I cant believe there is another team as bad as Saints. 

[Andy Hill]

Hopefully we start with Ross Stewart and the likes of AA, JS, FD and RM are nowhere to be seen.

[die Mannyschaft]

4 hours ago, Starksj1995 said:

Lose tomorrow he could be gone 

Lose at HT and he may not come back out for 2nd half.  Why cant he go before the KO on expected loss, xLoss. 

[St. Ciervo]

If he goes, we might get Lallana. Our options are so unappealing that I just cant be bothered. I will be watching and expecting absolutely nothing. In that regard, Saints rarely disappoint. 

0-1, 1-2... A real barn burner incoming. 

Edited 12 hours ago by St. Ciervo

[Turkish]

11 hours ago, Football Special said:

Norwich are definitely going to finish above us that's for sure , good management change for them 

An experienced manger, I thought we were told By our resident expert it’s nothing to do with managers, experienced doesn’t get you results 

[Turkish]

4 hours ago, St. Ciervo said:

If he goes, we might get Lallana. Our options are so unappealing that I just cant be bothered. I will be watching and expecting absolutely nothing. In that regard, Saints rarely disappoint. 

0-1, 1-2... A real barn burner incoming. 

Lallana and Benny boy until the end of the season is highly likely option 

[tdmickey3]

14 minutes ago, Turkish said:

An experienced manger, I thought we were told By our resident expert it’s nothing to do with managers, experienced doesn’t get you results 

Yep, the stooge has gone into hiding

He is on line now though...

Edited 7 hours ago by tdmickey3

[Charlie Wayman]

13 hours ago, Starksj1995 said:

Lose tomorrow he could be gone 

No he won't. What would be the point? We're not going up, we're unlikely to go down, might as well jog along picking up enough points here and there to end mid table and then send him on his way in June; use the time from now to find the right manager to build for next season. 

 

[tdmickey3]

4 minutes ago, Charlie Wayman said:

No he won't. What would be the point? We're not going up, we're unlikely to go down, might as well jog along picking up enough points here and there to end mid table and then send him on his way in June; use the time from now to find the right manager to build for next season. 

 

If we carry on like this we will go down

[badgerx16]

9 hours ago, Andy Hill said:

Hopefully we start with Ross Stewart and the likes of AA, JS, FD and RM are nowhere to be seen.

So we don't play the division's leading scorer ?

[coalman]

10 hours ago, Football Special said:

Going to be a close relegation battle I think 

Our best hope might be Leicester getting a points deduction this week. Though I imagine they'll wiggle out of it again due to it being unclear whether the EFL or Premier League should be applying it.

[coalman]

1 minute ago, badgerx16 said:

So we don't play the division's leading scorer ?

If he doesn't want to be here and isn't going to put in the shift then yes. Even if he does play he should be wearing the captain's armband unless he's going to do some actual captaining.

[badgerx16]

20 minutes ago, coalman said:

If he doesn't want to be here and isn't going to put in the shift then yes. Even if he does play he should be wearing the captain's armband unless he's going to do some actual captaining.

Regarding the captaincy I agree, but I'm not sure who to give it to instead - THB ? Our options at striker are rather limited to start with; if Stewart starts he is likely to go off injured after 15 minutes, and Archer is hardly a goal "threat".

Edited 7 hours ago by badgerx16

[Football Special]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

An experienced manger, I thought we were told By our resident expert it’s nothing to do with managers, experienced doesn’t get you results 

Other clubs need experienced managers as their directors are clueless so need someone who knows the game to run the club

The clever thing about Saints is we have all the football knowledge we need already within the ownership of Sports Republic so Rasmus can take on young apprentices and mentor them with his coaching badge qualifications,  it's a wonderful project 

[coalman]

30 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

Regarding the captaincy I agree, but I'm not sure who to give it to instead - THB ? Our options at striker are rather limited to start with; if Stewart starts he is likely to go off injured after 15 minutes, and Archer is hardly a goal "threat".

Scienza.

[LiberalCommunist]

We were lucky to beat these earlier in the season. No such luck tonight. 1-1

[BARCELONASAINT]

I have a horrible feeling about tonights game. There are so many players that just look like they have no desire to be at Saints and are showing no will at putting in a half decent shift on the pitch. I will not be surprised to see an injury or two ahead of the Pompey game on Sunday and possibly the likes of THB or Flynn picking up a red card tonight so they don't have to play Sunday.

[Turkish]

10 minutes ago, Football Special said:

Other clubs need experienced managers as their directors are clueless so need someone who knows the game to run the club

The clever thing about Saints is we have all the football knowledge we need already within the ownership of Sports Republic so Rasmus can take on young apprentices and mentor them with his coaching badge qualifications,  it's a wonderful project 

Rasmus after he sees the post game stats

[VectisSaint]

Can we play birthday boy Dave Peach instead of Ryan f***ing Manning tonight. Even at 75 I'm sure Peachy would be a better bet, and if we were fortunate enough to get a penalty it would be nailed on.

Peter Rodrigues and Danny Wallace today as well. Quite a day for Saints legends.

[coalman]

4 minutes ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

I have a horrible feeling about tonights game. There are so many players that just look like they have no desire to be at Saints and are showing no will at putting in a half decent shift on the pitch. I will not be surprised to see an injury or two ahead of the Pompey game on Sunday and possibly the likes of THB or Flynn picking up a red card tonight so they don't have to play Sunday.

I'm more expecting them to get injured with all the work they're going to be doing talking to the press and social media about how they know what this fixture means and how they are going to be so up for it. Expect they'll be shattered by the time Sunday comes around.

[Jack]

5 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

Can we play birthday boy Dave Peach instead of Ryan f***ing Manning tonight. Even at 75 I'm sure Peachy would be a better bet, and if we were fortunate enough to get a penalty it would be nailed on.

Peter Rodrigues and Danny Wallace today as well. Quite a day for Saints legends.

I’ve been saying it all season, that he should be nowhere near the starting XI if we’ve got another option. He’s somehow managed to get even worse the last few weeks and if Tonda puts him in again tonight, he should be gone for that alone. 
 

He sums up everything that’s wrong with how this side plays. Slow, predictable passing, no movement, no intensity, no running, switches off every time and then tries to blame everyone else for his fuck ups. I detest him 

[austsaint]

4 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

Can we play birthday boy Dave Peach instead of Ryan f***ing Manning tonight. Even at 75 I'm sure Peachy would be a better bet, and if we were fortunate enough to get a penalty it would be nailed on.

Peter Rodrigues and Danny Wallace today as well. Quite a day for Saints legends.

Removing Manning and Wood; playing two full backs, two CBs and two wingers (TF and Leo) would help matters no end.   New manager on the wish list and a change of ownership the key reform.

[suewhistle]

1 hour ago, coalman said:

If he doesn't want to be here and isn't going to put in the shift then yes.

He's certainly not captain material in terms of leading the troops and giving metaphorical kicks up the bum, at least on the pitch. I've seen no signs of lack of effort as he is often the one leading the press and chasing down. I agree his body language doesn't seem right though.

It was good to see RS closing the keeper down the other game and hastening him in to an early pass. We need more of that by everybody.

[Oh no Mick Mills]

1 hour ago, badgerx16 said:

So we don't play the division's leading scorer ?

He's not the leading scorer.

He's on 11.

Vipotnik at Swansea is on 13.

[saintant]

35 minutes ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

I have a horrible feeling about tonights game. There are so many players that just look like they have no desire to be at Saints and are showing no will at putting in a half decent shift on the pitch. I will not be surprised to see an injury or two ahead of the Pompey game on Sunday and possibly the likes of THB or Flynn picking up a red card tonight so they don't have to play Sunday.

Yeah and I'll just throw in the weather - our poor wee lambs hate playing when it's wet and windy. They'll all be hoping to be one of those left out tonight.

[Midfield_General]

40 minutes ago, BARCELONASAINT said:

I have a horrible feeling about tonights game. There are so many players that just look like they have no desire to be at Saints and are showing no will at putting in a half decent shift on the pitch. I will not be surprised to see an injury or two ahead of the Pompey game on Sunday and possibly the likes of THB or Flynn picking up a red card tonight so they don't have to play Sunday.

Flynn will find a way to bottle out of it. Absolutely nailed on. 

[die Mannyschaft]

5 minutes ago, saintant said:

Yeah and I'll just throw in the weather - our poor wee lambs hate playing when it's wet and windy. They'll all be hoping to be one of those left out tonight.

They cant do it on a cold and windy day in Stoke (Doncaster nr enough) let alone Southampton.

[die Mannyschaft]

Will the ground staff be watering the pitch as usual. Another stupid tactic to slow the opposition only has our players falling over and miss kicking the ball.

[Rebel]

Play a  4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 and we may have a chance of winning by playing to our strengths.

Play 3-4-2-1 to hide our weaknesses and we will lose.

With Bree, Welington and Jelert fit and able to play there is really no excuse for not going to 4 at the back and using Scienza and Fellows as wingers.  Put Stewart up front and either play Adarma or Archer alongside him or Azaz behind him.

 

[beatlesaint]

7 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Flynn will find a way to bottle out of it. Absolutely nailed on. 

Better men than him have bottled it wearing a Saints shirt down there. The memory of old twitchy's return and the fear in their faces before they ran out the tunnel is something I'll never forget.

Edited 5 hours ago by beatlesaint

[Appy]

Any guesses on the attendance they announce tonight? 
 

 

Then any guesses on actual attendance?