Preston 1-0 Saints - Match Thread

[Oh no Mick Mills]

All very predictable 

[Gloucester Saint]

Just now, Chez said:

attack vs defence second half, but not a lot of space to work in as they parked the bus. we create some shooting opportunities and i thought Azaz should have done better with his chance. maybe could have curled into the top right rather than going for the other corner. scienza needs to get the byline a bit more. its always inside. i think we miss larin a lot.

Agree with all of that but Saints put themselves into that position by a total surrender in the first half and giving a PNE outfit something to hold onto. Goal was their attacking credit rather than poor defending.

Their players looked in better condition. Tonda and the board need to boost the fitness staff over the break. Far from the first time there has been a non-performance and apathy in the first period. 

[Soton7]

Absolutely fucking shite. No urgency and no plan. We had a great opportunity to empty the tank before the international break and smash the bottom of the league team but we went out like pussies. Great opportunity missed to close the gap. So disappointing. 

Edited 6 hours ago by Soton7

[LGTL]

So that’s Watford, Lincoln, Wrexham, Bolton and Preston we’ve failed to beat. Picking up two points in the process. Two points from 15 against that lot, when already faced with a -4 deduction, is completely unforgivable. 

[Killers Knee]

It’s at the point where even Ward-Prowse refuses to pass to an open Mubama.

Leo needs someone to tell him to shoot where the goalkeeper isn’t standing.

Dobbin is too lightweight for senior football and Preston had our pants down at £9m.

[RedArmy]

1 minute ago, badgerx16 said:

Without the -4 we would be 1 point off top spot, no need to panic.

Is the -4 going to magically disappear at the end of the season? 
 

So we are 5 points off the top. 

[saintant]

2 minutes ago, BotleySaint said:

Today could have been a lot worse when you look at other results.

We just lacked quality when it mattered today. Sat back too much first half and second half no attacking edge.

Need another striker in Jan.. 

Good sides don't look at or worry about what others are doing - they just relentlessly keep winning. Today was nowhere near good enough against a struggling side who offered not much more than fight and grit. We should be putting teams like that away every time.

[Disco Stu]

Just now, badgerx16 said:

Without the -4 we would be 1 point off top spot, no need to panic.

But we do have minus 4, and we've just lost to bottom of the league. We're dropping far too many points against bottom half teams this season.

[JohnS]

Terrible & So bloody disappointing!

Feel very sorry for the fans who travelled up for that dross.

Thought JWP was pretty decent - fighting/working hard at all times to try to link things up.  Azaz also very much the same - without him we’d look truly shocking in the final 3rd. 
Abbott done pretty well 

Lots to be concerned about lately with our tactics & play.  Looking very 1 dimensional in our predictable possessional boring play - think we were in the 70% possession today 

Missing Larin massively & would’ve liked to see Bragg get some decent minutes today at some stage 

 

 

[Zorba]

Ran their tits off second half, build up play was good but no quality up front. A decent striker would find a way through at least once.

Need to get our shit together first halves away or we’re in for a lot of draws and losses.

[influx]

5 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

What happened to the hungry eyes?

Fucking garbage, and the manager had no clue how to turn it around. Yeah, let's sling some more crosses into tiny Dobbin. It's never worked, ever, but maybe this time...?

We're not going up. Bollocks to our points total - we've played like shit more often than not this season. It's a weaker squad, playing worse football. 

Put your sheets in the wash ffs

[Lighthouse]

6 minutes ago, Osvaldorama said:

Agreed, I don’t blame Tonda I blame the shit signings 

Erm… you’re in for a rude surprise next summer, if we don’t go up.

[tdmickey3]

1 minute ago, skintsaint said:

Playoffs at best due to these away performances.

Reluctantly agree 

[die Mannyschaft]

13 minutes ago, Monk said:

This really cannot be swept under the carpet. 
 

This, Bolton & Lincoln are inexcusable, especially given the points deduction. The board backed Tonda and stated autos are still the priority and it’s not being delivered. 
 

International break much needed and I hope it’s used to take stock and make some changes/new plan b.

There is no plan B

Tonda doesn't have a plan B

The club doesn't have a plan B

If the manager, coaching staff and the board if the are at matches can't see that slow possession football with no real goal scorer is an issue then plan A it is.

[Disco Stu]

1 minute ago, Lighthouse said:

Erm… you’re in for a rude surprise next summer, if we don’t go up.

I don't think he is.

[badgerx16]

1 minute ago, RedArmy said:

Is the -4 going to magically disappear at the end of the season? 
 

So we are 5 points off the top. 

And in the playoff places. The point is our form over the season so far is on par with the leaders.

[sfc4prem]

2 minutes ago, LGTL said:

So that’s Watford, Lincoln, Wrexham, Bolton and Preston we’ve failed to beat. Picking up two points in the process. Two points from 15 against that lot, when already faced with a -4 deduction, is completely unforgivable. 

So fucking shite

[ally_uk]

Early days bad day at the office it happens, no need to piss the mattress just yet. 

It's glaringly obvious we need more strength and competence up top striker wise. Which should be the number one priority in the window. 

 

[benjii]

6 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

What happened to the hungry eyes?

Fucking garbage, and the manager had no clue how to turn it around. Yeah, let's sling some more crosses into tiny Dobbin. It's never worked, ever, but maybe this time...?

We're not going up. Bollocks to our points total - we've played like shit more often than not this season. It's a weaker squad, playing worse football. 

Huh? Turn it around? We spanked them for the entire second half and should have scored several.

[stknowle]

6 minutes ago, Greedyfly said:

Utterly fucked me off that has. 

Plus 1. It’s aged since à game pissed me off this much.

[whelk]

4 minutes ago, obelisk said:

I was watching Saints screw up another game against mediocre opposition. Again.

And yet 5 points off top. We have so many betas

Edited 5 hours ago by whelk

[badgerx16]

3 minutes ago, Disco Stu said:

But we do have minus 4, and we've just lost to bottom of the league. We're dropping far too many points against bottom half teams this season.

So,we have room for improvement. Keep the faith.

[benjii]

 

3 minutes ago, die Mannyschaft said:

There is no plan B

Tonda doesn't have a plan B

The club doesn't have a plan B

If the manager, coaching staff and the board if the are at matches can't see that slow possession football with no real goal scorer is an issue then plan A it is.

What on earth are you talking about?

There is clearly a Plan B as we build up differently without Larin. You've just watched Plan B. You also saw it in the last several matches.

Edited 5 hours ago by benjii

[Disco Stu]

Just now, benjii said:

Huh? Turn it around? We spanked them for the entire second half and should have scored several.

I wouldn't go that far. They kept us at arms length.

[Patrick Bateman]

9 minutes ago, Greedyfly said:

Utterly fucked me off that has. 

Just said exactly the same. I'm livid. 

Dobbin should've shone in that match and Mubama yet again showing he's crap even WITH more of the ball in the box. We have Larin (or a decent Larin back up), we win today - given how much we battered them in the 2nd half. ARGH

Edited 5 hours ago by Patrick Bateman

[die Mannyschaft]

Just now, tdmickey3 said:

Reluctantly agree 

We are a 10th 9th, 8th or 7th finish team. The Wrexham, WBA and Birmingham Away games I went to were absolutely useless football.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

First half showing cost us again. Seems like we are showing teams far too much respect. Let them worry about us, not the other way round. 

[saintant]

11 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

Without the -4 we would be 1 point off top spot, no need to panic.

Agree but when you have a 4 point deduction you can't afford to lose to poor sides like Preston. We should be sat 2 points clear less the -4 which would have looked much healthier. It's a huge opportunity missed because once again we came out too lethargic.

Edited 5 hours ago by saintant

[bpsaint]

8 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

The board didn’t back the manager.

are you really suggesting that after what happened end of last season?

Think he’s referring to the squad rather than the fact they showed faith to Tonda.

I agree with him though, I’ve said this before but Dragan promised a squad that was as strong, or stronger than last season, and it’s clear from our attacking options that simply is not the case.

Edited 5 hours ago by bpsaint

[Gloucester Saint]

5 minutes ago, benjii said:

Huh? Turn it around? We spanked them for the entire second half and should have scored several.

Can’t agree with spanked. They dropped off for sure but how much did we create? How many times did we get in behind them and cut back from the 18 yard line? How many PNE defenders did we go past and commit? Did we get 1-1 with their keeper?

We didn’t do any of that. It was all in front of them. Great organisation and effort by PNE but you won’t win matches surrending first halves, second to every challenge and duel and being less fit.

You have to match the work-rate and effort, only then does the extra quality come through.

Story of today is one side worked a lot harder than the other for 70 minutes and deserved their win.

Edited 5 hours ago by Gloucester Saint

[badgerx16]

Maybe the slow starts are a deliberate attempt at proving we haven't spied on the opposition.

Edited 5 hours ago by badgerx16

[stknowle]

12 minutes ago, SNSUN said:

Thank God for the International break. 8 weeks until the window opens. 

We 100% need to make a key attacking signing to have any chance of autos.

[Midfield_General]

To get within touching distance of the top two and then lose to rock bottom is absolutely classic Saints behaviour 

[RedArmy]

If we’d turned up first half on Tuesday and first half today we’d  be top of the league right now. 

[whelk]

Buy Kone from QPR

[saintant]

8 minutes ago, Killers Knee said:

It’s at the point where even Ward-Prowse refuses to pass to an open Mubama.

Leo needs someone to tell him to shoot where the goalkeeper isn’t standing.

Dobbin is too lightweight for senior football and Preston had our pants down at £9m.

Think the money went to Villa 🙂

[Patches O Houlihan]

4 minutes ago, CanadaSaint said:

At its worst, and we’re seeing it more and more often, Tonda’s football is like Russball thirty yards farther up the pitch. Mind-numbingly frustrating over-elaboration is definitely IN and early balls into the box or through the channels are OUT.

That shit cuts no mustard against the hardworking teams with limited skills that make up most of this division.

They have parked the bus and packed the centre of the pitch with a load of big cloggers.

Would you rather we:

a) Lump it up and over the top to our triumvirate of dwarves; Dobbin, Scienza, Matsuki (or the big lad with his boots on the wrong feet)?

OR

b) Try to play it quickly to create space to work an opportunity from, take shots from outside the area hoping for a deflection/opportunity?

We went with b. With our questionable summer recruitment and the team available that was surely our best bet

[IOWSaintDaz]

this game was a perfect opportunity to close up on the top 2 but surprise surprise we mess it up yet again,

The squad is threadbare and needs addressing in Jan for the attacking positions as what we have currently is just not gonna cut it for a top 2 finish, Schlotterbeck's injury is also a worry with very inexperienced cover and Stephens seems to regress if Keven is not alongside him too, hope Spor's and co have a plan for January 

[RedWillie]

So saints, dreadful result.

[Midfield_General]

Wolves, West Ham and Boro all dropping points - massive opportunity missed over the last two games to make up ground 

[Topcat]

12 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Yeah, let's sling some more crosses into tiny Dobbin. It's never worked, ever, but maybe this time...?

 

Dobbin is a winger and not a striker.  he does not get into positions inside the box that a goal hungry striker needs to do.  We paid £10.5m for him whilst Middsh1t paid £10m (so far) for Lankshear....

[Lord Duckhunter]

1 minute ago, JohnS said:

would’ve liked to see Bragg get some decent minutes today at some stage 

 

Downes & Prowse together doesn’t work for me. Should have played one with Bragg today, particularly after they were so poor first half Tuesday. 
 

2 games running we haven’t turned up till HT & you can’t do that in this league. You need to be bang on it first 20, match them, battle, get a foothold in the game and then let your football take over. 2 games running, that’s down to the manager imo. It’s his job to fucking drum it in to them, “we can’t have a first half like Tuesday”.. To go out and mince about in exactly the same way is fucking disgraceful. 

 

 

[Gloucester Saint]

Bolster the fitness and conditioning team - essential with a smaller squad.

We start games out of condition and grow them into them - it was going to catch up with us. Match work-rate in first halves and quality will show as the game goes longer. 

[carljack]

Too Predictable,need a new striker if Larin is injured long term,Mubama let one hit his toe on the six yard line any half decent striker throws himself at it and scores,it was piss poor and he deserves all the stick he gets for today and that half arsed effort at WBA.

[sockeye]

We are doing well. One of the best teams in the league. But it isn't enough. We need to hit another gear and become the best team in the league full stop if we are going to surmount the deduction and go up automatically. Chances need to be scored.

One third of the season gone. Time to lock in.

Edited 5 hours ago by sockeye

[St. Ciervo]

The loss today should take a backseat to the loss of Schlotterbeck. 

[Midfield_General]

13 minutes ago, Killers Knee said:

Dobbin is too lightweight for senior football and Preston had our pants down at £9m.

Scored 10 last year playing ‘senior football’ at this level in a much poorer side than we are

[2Morrow]

5 minutes ago, die Mannyschaft said:

We are a 10th 9th, 8th or 7th finish team. The Wrexham, WBA and Birmingham Away games I went to were absolutely useless football.

We are literally 7th, having 'earned enough points to be 4th and one point off top. 

If the exact same amount of points are earned again by each team over the rest of the season we would be roughly 3 points off top spot plus the deduction.

So 7 points to make up over 31 games. Not exactly catastrophic, given we know we can win any given game and have been missing Larin, Jander, Downes for long periods. Larin was at a goal per game average before he was injured, same as Lankshear and now boro are missing him they are dropping points like we have been.

Keep this up until Xmas and yeah there's a problem brewing, hopefully one Spors can see needs fixing in the Jan window at ST.

[Midfield_General]

5 minutes ago, Topcat said:

Dobbin is a winger and not a striker.  he does not get into positions inside the box that a goal hungry striker needs to do.  We paid £10.5m for him whilst Middsh1t paid £10m (so far) for Lankshear....

Scored 10 last year as a second striker in a two. Can’t lead the line though. 

And he was £9m not £10.5m

Edited 5 hours ago by Midfield_General

[benjii]

5 minutes ago, Gloucester Saint said:

Can’t agree with spanked. They dropped off for sure but how much did we create? How many times did we get in behind them and cut back from the 18 yard line? How many PNE defenders did we go past and commit? Did we get 1-1 with their keeper?

We didn’t do any of that. It was all in front of them. Great organisation and effort by PNE but you won’t win matches surrending first halves, second to every challenge and duel and being less fit.

You have to match the work-rate and effort, only then does the extra quality come through.

Story of today is one side worked a lot harder than the other for 70 minutes and deserved their win.

Not sure about that. Azaz and Mubama had great chances. Scienza had two very good chances.