07 Oct 2023 16:08:45
Games like today's worry me especially as in the first 45 minutes we've had 80% possession and only 1 goal to show for it. Let's hope that our second half performance is better than of late

1.) 07 Oct 2023
07 Oct 2023 17:14:03
It was nice to give Rotherham there first point away all season …not
Sadly things didn’t get better in the second half. I’m
not a believer of making three substitutions at the same time .
It’s too much of a change to the dynamics of the team; usually done as a last throw of the dice when losing .

He certainly believes in sticking with Manning .

2.) 07 Oct 2023
07 Oct 2023 17:22:55
Seems like I was right to be worried. If we had won we would have been in a playoff position

3.) 07 Oct 2023
07 Oct 2023 21:21:32
First half was our best 45 minute performance this season - full of intent, intelligent movement and had the finishing been more clinical we would have been 3 or 4 nil up at the break.

Then came the second half and the pitiful and pathetic bad habits crept back.

I find Saints fans on the whole quite forgiving (too accepting of mediocrity) but today there was an edge to their frustration in the second half. As one fan bellowed out, “we have the only manager in football who announces to the world our game plan every week”. I’ve not included the expletives but he certainly had a point.

I’m not forgiving - I think Manning is an absolute disgrace, Wilson is non league level and Downes offers nothing meaningful. I’m not in the Smallbone fan club either.

And as for the manager (and I use the term loosely) we may as well have appointed Ricky Martin. His substitutions were incomprehensible - does he pull the numbers out of a hat - there was no logic to the changes.

Anyway, 2 weeks to lick our wounds

4.) 08 Oct 2023
08 Oct 2023 02:48:05
Another disappointing. result-bordering on unacceptable.RM continues playing with 10 men when he’s carrying Manning through repeated poor performances when a sensible solution adjustment regarding KWP and James Bree has been suggested to rectify this blatant weakness in the short term.As each fixture comes and goes it. becomes clearer that RM doesn’t possess the ability to coach his team to create and score more goals within this league.It appears Saints fans are becoming restless and more fixated on a quality replacement who can immediately recognise the shortcomings and fix them rather than opposition teams around us jockeying for promotion places.Time is fast running out Russell Martin to achieve!

5.) 08 Oct 2023
08 Oct 2023 07:49:31
You should see his comments re a fan shouting at him . ‘I had to have a word with him’ .
bigging up his possession, football.
Martin, you clown, you’ve just given Rotherham their first away point of the season. Rather than take control of the game, we reverted to your awful possession, football!
I knew you were uncomfortable with us playing attacking football, but to actually criticise a fan and waffle on about your possession football, tells me you don’t have a clue!
If you got sacked tomorrow, you wouldn’t have a clue why! And that tells me how arrogant you are!
We don’t win, but you think the fans should accept the fact we had so much possession?
Clown

6.) 08 Oct 2023
08 Oct 2023 08:49:54
Completely agree - admire your self discipline in settling for ‘clown’.

7.) 09 Oct 2023
09 Oct 2023 11:31:01
Millertime .
I had many more choice words, but kept them to myself!
This man really is a me, me, me person.
Goes on and on about possession football, like it’s some holy grail .
no. it’s the holy graveyard of Martins teams. Note Swansea doing so much better without him!

Looks like saints will be adding more to their manager compensation payouts!

8.) 09 Oct 2023
09 Oct 2023 12:32:37
Your comments say it all. That was a Rotherham team there for the taking, they made a sensible tactical change after 30 minutes which then seemed to frustrate us. Answer, make your own tactical change to find another way to goal, or is that to simplistic for the great RM. If any team can keep us down to 1 goal by halftime they are guaranteed a result due to our dilly dally second half displays

9.) 09 Oct 2023
09 Oct 2023 12:34:54
Did tell you 6 weeks ago that Johansson was an outstanding goalkeeper, was available for 3 million before the season started.

10.) 09 Oct 2023
09 Oct 2023 17:34:41
Top shout - he was man of the match (or is it player nowadays) . Very decent GK and certainly an upgrade on Bazuna who has much to learn.

Incidentally, did anyone else see the Che Adams assist for their goal the way I did?

It was the right thing for Che to give possession back to the opposition but why didn’t he throw the ball over the bye line for a goal kick rather than straight to their keeper. Five seconds later the ball is in the back of our net.

That was schoolboy (IMO) - there’s a gulf of difference between sportsmanship and charity.

Not much has been made of that which is probably because most people don’t like to have a pop at Che.

11.) 10 Oct 2023
10 Oct 2023 06:25:51
I was feeling 3 positives with 30 mins to go. Set to be around the playoffs, continuing our avg. Points per game would see us 4th or 5th in prior seasons and we have Stewart and Larios to strengthen us.

Seemed to be on the up with a bad speell behind us. Then balanced with 3 negatives. RM clearly hasn't let really go of his style, as soon as he gets the opportunity he reverts back. We were well beaten by top sides and only edged sides in the bottom 7. That puts us anywhere from 4th to 15th. Adams does not seem to have his head in the game.

Automatic spots are realistically very difficult now, we play 3 of our core competition in the next 3. Pick up 5 or 6 points and that is a sign we should make playoffs. 4 makes me nervy, 3 or less, I am worried.

Let's see where we are end of Oct, a third of the way through the season.