16 Sep 2017 18:57:13
Lemina and Hoedt were fantastic today. So was Yoshi and the fullbacks. The midfield was also great today the only people that let the side down imo was redmond and tadic but that's what them two are best at.


1.) 16 Sep 2017
16 Sep 2017 19:24:49
I agree both new signings look quality. Lemina looks strong and composed, he has a lot of energy, looks like a quality CDM. I think Tadic did okay, at least he stuck to the wing and supported Cedric. I think he'd be better off on the left. Everything Bertrand had the ball on the left Redmond had drifted inside and tried to play behind Long. We lost the ball a lot of the left flank today. I think Redmond needs to be dropped. I'd rather have Long on the wing than him.


2.) 16 Sep 2017
16 Sep 2017 19:25:23
Don't agree about Tadic he played very well today but couldn't agree more about Redmond, he is such a frustrating player. Thought Shane did a great job today and the man everybody seems to think is too old and shouldn't be in the side Steve Davis had another great captains performance. He was at the heart of everything we did.


3.) 16 Sep 2017
16 Sep 2017 21:03:56
Agree with Duke. Tc had a pretty good game. Redmond was awful really. Personally I think he needs a sports psychologist. He always looks frantic and out of control.


4.) 18 Sep 2017
18 Sep 2017 08:31:57
Definitely agree about dropping Redmond. Thought Tadic linked up really well with Cedric though. Cedric overlapped and crossed with his right and Tadic stayed out there and crossed with his left. Caused them problems most of the game. Davis started the game really well but dropped off the second half.

Probably our best player for the first 20 mins. Lemina looks like a great find and was my man of the match. Long isn't our best striker but when he plays he chases everything down and frees up the Midfielders to come forward more. Left side is an issue. Redmond and Boufal aren't good enough. I'd be tempted to try Mcqueen there unless we move to a back three.


5.) 18 Sep 2017
18 Sep 2017 14:38:56
I can’t agree with the positive reviews about Tadic’s performance. I feel he had little impact on the game, his passing was poor and for someone in the team to create, he did very little. His statistics are remarkably similar to Redmond’s in this game, except Redmond’s passing accuracy was far superior. When a creative player has a passing accuracy of 69%, as Tadic’s was on Saturday, at best he’s doing little for you going forwards, at worst he’s conceding too much possession to the opposition and exposing our team to a swift counter. Redmond’s offensive stats are better save for crosses attempted. In 90 mins, he attempted only one cross compared to Tadic’s five. That said, each player achieved one accurate cross so is Redmond to be criticised for not crossing more, or praised for being less wasteful then Tadic?

What do we expect from our wide players? I would say enough pace and skill to beat the full back and the technical ability to put the right type of cross in, given the position of teammates. Tadic lacks pace and I can’t remember the last time he used skill to sit a full back down to create space for him to cross. He’s also left-footed so needs to cut back on to his left to swing a cross in. Redmond has the pace but as a right-footed player on the left he, like Tadic, prefers to drift inside, so not using his main asset to get in behind. Tadic did stay out wide more often than Redmond on Saturday, but with little benefit to the team. Redmond managed more shots, with more on target. Tadic missed the goal with his only effort.

I don’t think either of our wide players are playing particularly well at the moment. Perhaps Redmond would be better as a more orthodox wide player, right footed on the right wing with instruction to beat his man and cross and only cut inside as a last resort. I don’t see wide play as Tadic’s strength but it may be worth a try.

Also, Long is an enigma to me. He has a great work ethic and I’m sure defenders hate playing against him as he chases lost causes and is very physical. But, on Saturday, he managed one off-target shot. He was playing as a striker. His scoring record has never been up there but of late, it’s lower than ever. His work ethic and competitive spirit are positive attributes to add to a side, but his impact is often minimal which is not good enough when he is playing as our only striker. As part of a forward two or three, perhaps you can afford a Heskey-esque player who scores little but brings other qualities to the attack. Perhaps play him wide if you’re dropping Redmond or Tadic but he hardly an orthodox winger either.

MP says the team’s construction is in transition at the moment so we may see more changes before he settles on a team. We do have options personnel and formation so it’ll be interesting to see what will come against Utd.


6.) 18 Sep 2017
18 Sep 2017 21:42:08
What a long winded way to explain you haven't got a clue what you're talking about.


7.) 19 Sep 2017
19 Sep 2017 06:16:39
We've got two of the best full backs in the league. It showed on the right side when Tadic stayed out there that Cedric (and Tadic) could both cause problems when then supported each other.
Bertrand hasn't got that support in front of him so we need to find a decent winger to get the best out of Bertrand. He looks frustrated at the moment.
Or we shift to 3 at the back.


8.) 19 Sep 2017
19 Sep 2017 14:02:58
When you achieved the same result in three meagre sentences of drivel Saint Duke. Congratulations!


9.) 20 Sep 2017
20 Sep 2017 13:22:51
I agree with the many that I find Redmond frustrating to watch, but further to the Tadic v Redmond debate on who is contributing more to the team at the moment, Nathan Redmomd appears on Planet365s statistical breakdown of the season so far as 10th best chance creator from open play with 2.4 chances average over 90 mins. Needless to say he's the only Saints player on that list. Mario Lemina is first in the league for making recovery tackles, averaging 11.9 over 90 mins.


10.) 20 Sep 2017
20 Sep 2017 13:31:58
Sorry, that should be Planet Football's stats breakdown - I accessed the article via Football365.