Saints 0-0 Bolton - Match Thread

[Big M]

Why suddenly is Tonda turning into a tinkerer with formation, I get we have to rotate but it's foolish to mess too much surely, and why are we not dipping into the out of contract players market and getting a striker, if only one who gives us 20 mins at the end of a game and gets 10 goals a season... It could make all the difference. 

[Badger]

19 minutes ago, Zorba said:

Dobbin

Eee Orr, Eee Orr, Eee Ought to have had at least two.

 

14 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Yeah, at least one should have gone in. Really, really poor signing and footballer.

False striker? Nope, useless at that.

Actual striker? No presence, movement or finishing?

#10? Supposed to be his best position but looked no better there.

Left midfielder/winger? No pace, penetration or bottle, dreadful there at the start of the season.

Archer Mk II, said it when he signed and not seen anything to indicate he’s a decent signing.

Not what we needed.

Archer scoring in France means fuck all. I wouldn’t look to rewrite history on the strength of that. But he could also have sat on the bench for 80% of the time and saved us £9m

Edited 3 hours ago by Badger

[bpsaint]

2 minutes ago, M271 said:

I couldn’t see the point of loaning out Archer and spending £9m on Dobbin.

 

[sfc4prem]

Just now, bpsaint said:

 

Hindsight has proven him to be an ineffective waste of money at this current time, yep.

[CanadaSaint]

I really like Tonda but he has a tendency to play “Russball” thirty yards farther up the pitch. It’s blindingly frustrating to see us spurn opportunities for an early delivery, or balls through the channels, in favour of yet another square or back pass in midfield.

That predictability makes it easier for sides with lesser players to stifle us, and puts us in a lot of needless 1-0, 0-0 battles.

[Cumbria Saint]

Great one handed save from Peretz kept us in the game.

That's two matches where Edozie has been one of the better players.

[Britannia]

I’m resisting the temptation to catastrophise.

[Willo of Whiteley]

That’s annoyed me.

We were too slow in the first half and wasted a lot of time passing sideways.

Referee was poor, very poor. We should’ve scored two or three chances. If Bolton players knew how to shoot rather than take a touch they could’ve too.

Unbelievably disappointing.

Gavin Bazunu in goal and we didn’t test him.

The Scienza and Fellows experiment of playing them on opposite wings was ridiculous.

Bragg and Ward-Prowsy are too similar a player.

Matsuki should’ve started.

Edozie looked bright when he came on.

We’re way too predictable.

Two points dropped - not expecting any points against West Ham next week.

Edited 3 hours ago by Willo of Whiteley

[sfc4prem]

Just now, CanadaSaint said:

I really like Tonda but he has a tendency to play “Russball” thirty yards farther up the pitch. It’s blindingly frustrating to see us spurn opportunities for an early delivery, or balls through the channels, in favour of yet another square or back pass in midfield.

That predictability makes it easier for sides with lesser players to stifle us, and puts us in a lot of needless 1-0, 0-0 battles.

I dont think this is fair. I saw plenty of mixing it up. Early balls over the top (lots of offsides), balls down the wing ending with spurned opportunities, lots of attempts by Azaz to thread the eye of a needle. Of course there will be some recycling and spreading the ball across the pitch, but it wasn't the entirety of our attacking play today.

[vectraman]

We created chances, couldn’t take them.

I counted 5 very decent chances squandered, more annoyingly not even on target.

Leo first half over the bar - good chance.

Dobbin 6 yard box tap in from Leo’s cross - easy chance.

Dobbin again at near post easy chance.

Bree, an absolute gimme, got to score chance. All four chances missed and  put wide, against the imposing figure of Big Baz no less 🤪.

Schlotterbeck - penalty spot, turns and blazes over the bar - easy chance.

 Credit to Peretz for a very decent one handed save second half which got us the point.

 

Bolton were very well organised, deserved their point, and credit to them for that. If a team comes to defend and nick a point, down to us to break them down, we didn’t.

I don’t get not even sending Mubama on, we needed a goal and he’s our striker…he must be shit in training if the rest shoot better than him…

 

 

Edited 2 hours ago by vectraman

[Badger]

4 minutes ago, Vancouver Saint said:

That was frustrating. Put it down to one of those games where just nothing goes in - incredible miss from Bree at the end summed it up.

Thought we looked poor in the second half. Lacked ideas and finish. Very predictable Bazunu should look like a goalkeeper against us.

Perez did well to prevent that from being a loss.

Onwards

Bit like Swansea at home last season. It happens.

Whats German for draw a blue line under it and move on ? As a former promotion winning manager used to say. 

[Saint Fan CaM]

13 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Agreed. One of the darkest days in our history.  

You may well be right. Let that sink in.

[Patches O Houlihan]

1 minute ago, Cumbria Saint said:

Great one handed save from Peretz kept us in the game.

That's two matches where Edozie has been one of the better players.

Peretz played really well today. 

There were some genuine Keystone Cops moments when we won the ball in our area and then proceeded to leave it/mis-hit it/kick it into another player/kick it up in the air - as if we had spent so long camped in their half we had forgotten how to defend and get the ball safely clear

[saintant]

24 minutes ago, sfc4prem said:

If Bree scores, as he should have done, we go away happy. As it is, frustrating. We fucking move on.

And Scienza and Dobbin X2 

[Jack]

We were shit, but that’s a fairly comfortable win if the referee gives the most blatant handball you’ll ever see not given. Absolutely shocking performance from him and his linesmen who got nothing right. 
 

But, Bree should score, looked easier to score than miss. More weird fucking about from Tonda, trying to be too clever. We didn’t get nearly enough shots off against a shit side. 

[Badger]

7 minutes ago, sfc4prem said:

Hindsight has proven him to be an ineffective waste of money at this current time, yep.

Several questioned it at the time. 
 

Similar with Mubama who we now seem reluctant to allow onto the pitch

Edited 2 hours ago by Badger

[austsaint]

1 minute ago, saintant said:

And Scienza and Dobbin X2 

And the pen that wasn't given.  Luckiest clean sheet Gav will ever record.

[CanadaSaint]

2 minutes ago, sfc4prem said:

I dont think this is fair. I saw plenty of mixing it up. Early balls over the top (lots of offsides), balls down the wing ending with spurned opportunities, lots of attempts by Azaz to thread the eye of a needle. Of course there will be some recycling and spreading the ball across the pitch, but it wasn't the entirety of our attacking play today.

Fair comment, but I’m not just talking about today.

[sfc4prem]

2 minutes ago, Badger said:

Several questioned it at the time. 
 

Similar with Mubama who we now seem reluctant to allow onto the pitch

Yep, recruitment up top not turning out to be positive. I appreciate though, that we weren't going to be signing someone like Lankshear to play second fiddle to Larin, despite the promise of rotation ala Stewart and Larin last season. We were always going to have to take a bit of a gamble.

[Patches O Houlihan]

We have played 24% of our league games at this point, and still haven't played Wolves, West Ham or the Whiny Losers. There will be other days... but it doesn't mean we can't be pissed off right now

[Pilchards]

Watch the guilty player who did the handball.

Seriously what was the official thinking as it was clear as day a penalty.

[Jimmy_D]

Worst thing is that corrupt **** saw it, he went to blow his whistle and decided not to. Utter disgrace.

[saintant]

Disappointing but some ott comments on here. Just one of those games where nothing went for us and the officials didn't do their jobs.

[LGTL]

Just seen the Bree chance again. Good grief 😂

[die Mannyschaft]

Need a striker,  get one asap.

Wasted possession side to side to boring and no urgency 

[die Mannyschaft]

1 minute ago, Pilchards said:

Watch the guilty player who did the handball.

Seriously what was the official thinking as it was clear as day a penalty.

Officials are against Saints thanks to Boro

[Lee On Solent Saint]

4 minutes ago, Jimmy_D said:

Worst thing is that corrupt **** saw it, he went to blow his whistle and decided not to. Utter disgrace.

Fuckin hell. How the fuck can you not give that? Even Stevie Wonder as ref and Ray Charles as lino would give that.

[Patches O Houlihan]

5 minutes ago, LGTL said:

Just seen the Bree chance again. Good grief 😂

 

 

[Whitey Grandad]

6 minutes ago, Jimmy_D said:

Worst thing is that corrupt **** saw it, he went to blow his whistle and decided not to. Utter disgrace.

He was waiting for confirmation from his assistant. I have no idea why we didn't even get a corner. 

[AlexLaw76]

Looks like Mubama need to step up asap, or we ain’t going up.

[John Boy Saint]

All the years I’ve been following Saints (50+ ) Bolton have often been a pain in the backside when we have played them. 
Calendars have changed, clock hands have gone round,I’ve gotten grey up top and it’s still bloody Bolton.

[RedArmy]

1 minute ago, Whitey Grandad said:

He was waiting for confirmation from his assistant. I have no idea why we didn't even get a corner. 

What did he need confirmation of? He was staring right at it and had the better view. 

[Pamplemousse]

Referee was dreadful but we should have won.

One of those days. 

Let's go to West Ham and fuck them up.

[Toussaint]

I feel Tonda has a tendency to overthink and over complicate. It tends to get overlooked/ forgiven when things go our way. But today it didn’t,  and I think we gave the opposition a bit too much respect. Two points dropped. 

[Harry_SFC]

Just now, Toussaint said:

I feel Tonda has a tendency to overthink and over complicate. It tends to get overlooked/ forgiven when things go our way. But today it didn’t,  and I think we gave the opposition a bit too much respect. Two points dropped. 

Agree with this

[Gloucester Saint]

14 minutes ago, Jimmy_D said:

Worst thing is that corrupt **** saw it, he went to blow his whistle and decided not to. Utter disgrace.

It’s a shocking decision, even the Bolton fans are baffled.

That said, just seen the Bree miss which is an open goal from five yards, and Saints can’t be moaning about being hard done by when that flies over wildly over like a Twickenham try conversion with Bazunu not even in the frame.

If you can’t score from five yards, and that’s without the Scienza and Dobbin sitters, then far from automatic that you’ll hit the target from 12, even though we should have been given the opportunity at least. 

Edited 2 hours ago by Gloucester Saint

[Patches O Houlihan]

 

 

[Whitey Grandad]

Tired legs towards the end. Too many games for them

[Saint86]

13 minutes ago, die Mannyschaft said:

Officials are against Saints thanks to Boro

The officials are absolutely in Boro's favour as well this season. The decisions they've been getting are just laughable.

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, Whitey Grandad said:

Tired legs towards the end. Too many games for them

Element of that and only West Ham got the job done today.

Hopefully Flynn and Jandar back for West Ham.

[tdmickey3]

Just now, Gloucester Saint said:

Element of that and only West Ham got the job done today.

Hopefully Flynn and Jandar back for West Ham.

One of them is a must

[sfc4prem]

Any news on big Cyle?

[RedArmy]

For a team that consistently plays well with those balls over the top to someone playing off the shoulder, I refuse to believe we were offside THAT many times in the first half. 
 

Bolton must have had the best offside trap in world football in that first half. 

[Willo of Whiteley]

9 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Looks like Mubama need to step up asap, or we ain’t going up.

Might seem a bit excessive, but we aren’t going up.

Several games this season have been pretty evident we simply aren’t good enough to finish teams off.

[Patches O Houlihan]

 

 

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, Saint86 said:

The officials are absolutely in Boro's favour as well this season. The decisions they've been getting are just laughable.

Lankshear is the difference. Gibson backed Whiny Kim from the Hackney funds and Tonda kept his job but whilst he got Larin, the lack of a second striker is fatal even though we sold Charles and THB and I’m not sure what Dobbin is supposed to be. 

[Toussaint]

1 minute ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Element of that and only West Ham got the job done today.

Hopefully Flynn and Jandar back for West Ham.

Downes was a massive miss, missing his tackling in the middle was one of the reasons we couldn’t break the lines effectively. 

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, Gloucester Saint said:

Lankshear is the difference. Gibson backed Whiny Kim from the Hackney funds and Tonda kept his job but whilst he got Larin, the lack of a second striker is fatal even though we sold Charles and THB and I’m not sure what Dobbin is supposed to be. 

it seems to be popular with some on here to suggest Lankshear aint all that. Yet, he is....

[Gloucester Saint]

1 minute ago, Patches O Houlihan said:

 

 

Our strangest signing in living memory.

Can’t finish like a striker, no pace for a winger, doesn’t go past people, not much passing nous or vision for a #10 so no use in rotating with Azaz, not much physique. 

 

[Badger]

Perhaps it’s a good thing the penalty wasn’t given. Imagine how we’d feel if Bazunu stopped it.

I won’t say saved, but it might have hit him in the face (and he’d have claimed it as a save)