Preston 1-0 Saints - Match Thread

[die Mannyschaft]

14 hours ago, bangkoksaint said:

I said this yesterday to the guy I was standing next to. They go out to wear the other team down with a view to picking them off second half.  If it’s the case it has to stop because we keep getting caught out. If this third of the season is a reflection of the rest of it then we’re in the playoffs and that’s a real lottery that I’m not sure we’ll triumph in. Effort, endeavour and commitment would have brought lots more points against the lesser sides.

Passing the ball around 300 times in first half doesn't wear any of our opponents out. Most of the time thier just slowing moving side to side. Its the easiest tactic to defend as it allows you to keep shape and crowed your half. I dont see the point of just playing one half we have 16 players available if 9 of those can't keep pace with championship football why are they in team. 

[Monk]

On 07/11/2026 at 17:04, Harry_SFC said:

The board didnt back him though. We signed a 31 year old half fit striker and no alternative.

Huge mistake.

Apologies, I'm referring to them 'backing him' by sticking with him/not binning him off. 

[Harry_SFC]

27 minutes ago, Monk said:

Apologies, I'm referring to them 'backing him' by sticking with him/not binning him off. 

Ah fair enough, makes more sense. 

[SouthWalesSaints]

3 hours ago, die Mannyschaft said:

Passing the ball around 300 times in first half doesn't wear any of our opponents out. Most of the time thier just slowing moving side to side. Its the easiest tactic to defend as it allows you to keep shape and crowed your half. I dont see the point of just playing one half we have 16 players available if 9 of those can't keep pace with championship football why are they in team. 

The reason teams play slowly is because when you play through lines quickly and make it an open match giving possession away with men in front of the ball leaves you open to a counter attack with numbers even. 
 

By recycling the ball and “creeping” up the pitch you tend to get the other team in a defensive position with all behind the ball. This means that you can have multiple attacks rather than just one and then defend again.  This is why teams play backwards.  It allows you to control the game.  
 

Yesterdays issue was that when they were getting success in pressing us and committing numerous bodies to the attacking press we continued to play backwards passes allowing them to jump.  Our numerical advantage was higher to the pitch but not having Larin meant we couldn’t play up to someone and needed to behind them.  Which we didn’t, Tonda was disappointed with us for this.   The same issues happened when Armstrong played up top alone against Millwall, Hull etc in January. 
 

 

[Saint Fan CaM]

I’ve left myself a little time to post a reaction in an attempt at a reasoned view. I’m torn. 

On the one hand I want to say - it’s one game, don’t panic…there’s plenty more points and there’s no one team moving away from the pack at the top. And anyway, who needs the Prem - surely we’re better off being a big fish in smaller pond? The Championship is where proper competitive football is played. Move on - onto the next game. No need to get too emotional and disappointed.

But then we know there are problems. Quality in defence is lacking when Stephens once again is your first choice CB. Quality in attack is lacking when you can’t score against the leagues bottom team and there’s next to no decent shot on goal in the first half. That for some reason there is a propensity for this squad to overplay the ball - to look for the ‘perfect’ goal as one commentator put it or walk it into the net as another said. Trying to be Peps Man City when the quality is not there to execute such tactics against a side willing to put their bodies on the line and commit as many ‘professional’ fouls as they can get away with. Always trying to attack 11 players. That’s on Tonda and his coaching team.

To those who say we didn’t replace Stewart I say, yes we did…it’s Mubama. You might say he’s shit, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was employed to be the big lump up front. The problem is Tonda doesn’t trust him enough to start BUT throws him in late to save a game! It’s stupid tactically and makes no sense. On Saturday would it have made any difference to the result if he’d started? Who knows, but I’d hazard a guess it wouldn’t / couldn’t have been any worse. That’s on Tonda and his coaching team.

Where does this lead? I guess it appears Tonda and his coaching team are not very good at finding a way of utilising the squad to beat hardworking, lesser skilled, well organised teams. If somehow we don’t go up this season then Tonda will not be answer going forwards - we’ll need a different sort of Manager (someone like the PNE Manager) because we’ll end up with a group of players with a very different profile to those we have now. So enjoy the likes of Scienza and Azaz while we can.

[Challenger]

6 hours ago, Saint Fan CaM said:

I’ve left myself a little time to post a reaction in an attempt at a reasoned view. I’m torn. 

On the one hand I want to say - it’s one game, don’t panic…there’s plenty more points and there’s no one team moving away from the pack at the top. And anyway, who needs the Prem - surely we’re better off being a big fish in smaller pond? The Championship is where proper competitive football is played. Move on - onto the next game. No need to get too emotional and disappointed.

But then we know there are problems. Quality in defence is lacking when Stephens once again is your first choice CB. Quality in attack is lacking when you can’t score against the leagues bottom team and there’s next to no decent shot on goal in the first half. That for some reason there is a propensity for this squad to overplay the ball - to look for the ‘perfect’ goal as one commentator put it or walk it into the net as another said. Trying to be Peps Man City when the quality is not there to execute such tactics against a side willing to put their bodies on the line and commit as many ‘professional’ fouls as they can get away with. Always trying to attack 11 players. That’s on Tonda and his coaching team.

To those who say we didn’t replace Stewart I say, yes we did…it’s Mubama. You might say he’s shit, but that doesn’t change the fact that he was employed to be the big lump up front. The problem is Tonda doesn’t trust him enough to start BUT throws him in late to save a game! It’s stupid tactically and makes no sense. On Saturday would it have made any difference to the result if he’d started? Who knows, but I’d hazard a guess it wouldn’t / couldn’t have been any worse. That’s on Tonda and his coaching team.

Where does this lead? I guess it appears Tonda and his coaching team are not very good at finding a way of utilising the squad to beat hardworking, lesser skilled, well organised teams. If somehow we don’t go up this season then Tonda will not be answer going forwards - we’ll need a different sort of Manager (someone like the PNE Manager) because we’ll end up with a group of players with a very different profile to those we have now. So enjoy the likes of Scienza and Azaz while we can.

Good post. You can add to this that we really had no Idea what PNE were going to do in that game whereas they knew exactly how we would play.

 

[DT]

I think we need to start spying again.

Dramatic falloff in knowing how our oppos play...

😉

[Mr X]

Still fuming with the complete lack of work rate in the first half...its like we lost all belief and purpose... Probably the worst first half under tonda 

[saintant]

We are at our best when playing many more vertical passes and flooding men forward quickly. Our fall off in form coincides with us sinking into the bad old habits of playing too many passes sideways and backwards and most of these passes are pretty pointless. We have gone back to playing the game slowly giving opponents time to regroup. I'm hoping this will change when Caspar Jander is back in the side partnering Downes with Azaz ahead of them. Right now we are not a good watch but still in a decent position.

[SouthWalesSaints]

31 minutes ago, saintant said:

We are at our best when playing many more vertical passes and flooding men forward quickly. Our fall off in form coincides with us sinking into the bad old habits of playing too many passes sideways and backwards and most of these passes are pretty pointless. We have gone back to playing the game slowly giving opponents time to regroup. I'm hoping this will change when Caspar Jander is back in the side partnering Downes with Azaz ahead of them. Right now we are not a good watch but still in a decent position.

Lack of a 9, simple as that. 

[saintant]

5 minutes ago, SouthWalesSaints said:

Lack of a 9, simple as that. 

Maybe will improve when Larin is back but I don't think it's as simple as that.

[Badger]

1 hour ago, saintant said:

Maybe will improve when Larin is back but I don't think it's as simple as that.

It will improve no doubt, but worth remembering that last season and even this when fit, Larin is a 65 minute player when starting. Will that improve? Not so sure 

[Whitey Grandad]

On 08/11/2026 at 08:56, Harry_SFC said:

Just seen it myself. Arm clearly up and in an unnatural position, stopping the ball from going past him.

Far too close.

[Willo of Whiteley]

20 hours ago, Midfield_General said:

Fair enough.

But who is Leo being dropped for if not Edozie?

I don’t think it particularly matters. At this point given the way he’s started the season it’s a low bar.

I wouldn’t mind seeing a three man midfield of Ward-Prowse, Jander and Downes with Azaz, Matsuki and then Larin ahead of them.

[Midfield_General]

7 minutes ago, Willo of Whiteley said:

I don’t think it particularly matters. At this point given the way he’s started the season it’s a low bar.

I wouldn’t mind seeing a three man midfield of Ward-Prowse, Jander and Downes with Azaz, Matsuki and then Larin ahead of them.

Agree with that re the extra man in midfield. We’ve been overrun for long spells in the last few games with only two in there. 

Edited 35 minutes ago by Midfield_General