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02 Nov 2017 11:47:04
I am going to be extremely controversial here but I just need to say it whether others agree or not. Watching Saints this season is pretty desperate going and frankly depressing. I don't believe we appointed the right manager to replace CP who in my opinion should have been given another season or at least till this Christmas. When Pelligrino joined as people said we were going to produce fast paced flowing football similar to Pochettino but I fail to see where anybody got this idea from as he spent last season at Alaves setting his team up very defensively to stay in La Liga which he achieved and should be applauded for however I think CP could have done that as well. I think from the rumours that CP lost the dressing room and ultimately his job due unsettled players. On reflection the likes of Dusan Tadic could have been at the heart of this with his whinging and wining which let's face it we see him doing on the pitch every week acting like a spoiled brat and overreacting to just about every contact from an opposing player. I have been a season ticket holder for over 40 years and hardly ever miss a game even through the dark days of League 1 but do you know what if the weather is crap on Saturday I would seriously consider giving it a miss and listen to Soccer Saturday instead, I haven't felt like this since the days of Ian Branfoot so I find that very worrying from a personal point of view. I honestly don't think our squad can play high pressing attacking football anymore, not because they are not good enough players, they can't because either they have not ever been shown how or the management won't let them. I believe the fear is in the management team which is being so negative and this is being transmitted through to the team thus creating the toothless performances we have sadly had to put up with. Pellegrino has got to be brave and change things NOW, we are playing City very soon which gives us the perfect opportunity to give it a go. We will probably get beaten even so but one thing is certain if we try to defend against them they will murder us with possession and I think the likes of FF not conceding is just a pipe dream. Anyway that's the way I see it, football should be about entertainment even when you lose, I remember those days and hated losing games but at least you could reflect on the game afterwards and know that you tried everything to score. That seems to be a thing of the past over the last two seasons apart from one game, the final against Man U showed we can do it. The difference was it was not in the league so no points were involved so it seems to me we just set up to try not to concede. I hope I'm not the only one that sees it this way if I am maybe it's time to hang my season ticket up forever.

SaintDuke

1.) 02 Nov 2017 13:18:17
Hi Saint Duke. I've posted a reply on the banter page if you have a few minutes to read it.


2.) 02 Nov 2017 13:43:48
I totally agree with you, I have never been so depressed watching us this year, all we try to do is keep the ball just passing from Full Backs to Center Halves to Midfield, the back again, NOT gaining any territory, and get nowhere. The players surely can't enjoy this type of football? The only players that will not complain are the ones that should NOT be in the team, the wining Tadic, & Redmond, what does W Prowse offer us, and that excuse for a Goalkeeper, I will not make my thoughts public, as I could get in to trouble!
We have to get more energy throughout the team, and start getting more players into the box. KEEP Two players upfront. Our Full back have just one player to hit if they play the ball forward, give them more options.
We are NO better with this Manager, and I think we are at times worse. The enjoyment of looking towards the next game has gone, I am the same as most of the crowd at St Marys Not expecting a lot.
The team is not giving us anything to cheers about.
Come on M. P get the team do what we used to do best ATTACK, it the only way to Win games. Bring back the feeling of use looking forward to going to the game and supporting our team.
G Smith.


3.) 03 Nov 2017 14:56:21
Agree with a lot of this, although disagree with any suggestion MP's job should be under threat. The problem stems back to Koeman in my view, who started the trend of changing the way we play football, and I think that MP should be judged on next season once he's had more of a chance to stamp his mark on the team.

I understand your frustration, but we all know that if we had been giving it a go, losing, and were sat in/ around the relegation zone right now you would be calling for MP's head, so he's in a difficult position. Your point about City for example, yes it'd be nice to give it a go, but that's the kind of thinking that can get you beat 6, 7, 8-0 against them right now. They're that good, and I can see an argument for trying to frustrate them by sitting deep.

It's going to be a long season of mid-table mediocrity but I think as fans we need to avoid treating MP the same as we treated Puel. Puel had to go, but it was the fans (and maybe players, I don't know what was going on in the dressing room) that made that the case unfortunately by turning on him. Let's not do the same with this manager. If things don't change next season, then we should start talking about whether he's the right guy. Until then, let's be patient and accept that we need to get rid of a few players who can't cut it (cough, Tadic, cough) and bring in a few hungry attackers ready to work hard and prove themselves. After this has happened, we can judge MP on the results.


4.) 03 Nov 2017 19:45:00
123 I understand your post completely and agree with most of it. If you look on the banter page I responded to Figo about me stating that Pellegrino should be sacked, I never said that and don't want that to happen. I simply stated that I personally didn't think he was the right appointment. You make a point about not taking it to City, but maybe just maybe we need to do that. We have some good technical players and they need to be used to bring out their skills. City will be sitting there thinking that we will go there and put everybody behind the ball and they will coach their side to expect us to do that. Let's do what we did in the Cup Final last season and show that we can take them on, if we sit back we will lose maybe only 2 or 3 but don't you think if we have a go it might make them think a bit as City are not the greatest defensively. We are too predictable and just about every side in the PL has worked out the best way to set up against us, let's change that.


5.) 04 Nov 2017 21:19:54
Stats wise are we looking any better now than we did under CP this time last season?


6.) 05 Nov 2017 00:20:19
Will we should have kept Puel rather than employ a new manager that is more negative than he was.


7.) 12 Nov 2017 17:36:26
I Agree . I didn't think Puel done much wrong. 8th and a Cup Final, how can that be classed as a poor season . It now looks like it was the players on the pitch letting him down at the end and continued into this season doing the same.


 

 

31 Aug 2017 21:18:00
Just maybe now it seems nobody else is coming in or leaving the players and the manager can get their heads down and start performing as we know most of them can. Big crowd against Watford and great support may just get us going . We are better than we have been and I have a feeling things are going to look up. We can do this.

SaintDuke

1.) 31 Aug 2017 22:24:18
I agree. The international break may help us out. With a lot of first team players still at camp it'll hopefully give them some time to get their heads down.


2.) 01 Sep 2017 12:55:45
Always a good sign when its international break and most of our first team players are still at camp.


 

 

 

SaintDuke's banter posts with other poster's replies to SaintDuke's banter posts

 

25 Oct 2017 22:29:10
Claude Puel back with Leicester, just hope we don't see that we shouldn't have let him go. Got a feeling he'll do ok. Why don't we give managers more time. We didn't actually set the world alight last season but we did finish eighth and got to a major cup final did that deserve being sacked? I wish him well.

SaintDuke

 

 

13 Oct 2017 18:33:09
Been away for a while and just been reading recent posts. I was especially interested in the call for SRL to come back as a coaching mentor. Some agree, some don't . I say it would be worth a go for three reasons 1. His motivational skills can only be a good thing . 2. Even though it is true that ex players don't always make good coaches surely he can only be a step up to what we have. 3. The status of the man and what he helped achieve at the club would I believe inspire the support and just seeing him on the touch line would motivate the crowd. Give him a go if he interested, why not.

SaintDuke

 

 

09 Sep 2017 19:58:08
That was as bad as I have seen today. I honestly don't think our new manager has got a clue. He played JWP as a number 10? Watford were quicker, sharper and as the game went on realised we were a complete mess. If we hadn't got that last minute extra time penalty against West Ham we would really be in trouble . People here moan about being pessimistic but come on we can't stay in the PL playing like that. We can't keep doing things on the cheap I think today proved that. We replaced one average manager with a carbon copy it will bite us in the ass come Xmas.

SaintDuke

1.) 09 Sep 2017 21:10:17
Tbf the manager has come out and said it was bad. He isn't puel he seems passionate and honest . he gave boufal a chance and he didn't take it I think Simms et al will be sat there saying this years our chance. VVD if keen will make a massive difference McCarthy could be starting soon I just wish we had kept olufelo as we are clearly short of strikers and he is on fire. When he doesn't score I talk to Yeovil fans and they all say his movement and running is first class. We are going to be in a dog fight soon if we can't score at home what does that say.


 

 

30 Aug 2017 21:37:45
Going to be controversial here about our transfer budget, we seem reluctant to spend but then again maybe we can't get anybody better than what we have for the money we are prepared to pay. I know the club is making a stand over VVD who doesn't want to play for us but don't you think that 70 million would do amazing things for our squad and may have a great effect on our league position at the end of the season, we seem to have already bought a replacement for Virgil in Hoedt so why not get the best outcome and take the money.

SaintDuke

1.) 30 Aug 2017 22:38:37
Glad Le Tiss is trolling Liverpool FC. What a ridiculous bid for OX Chamberlain. £40 million? For a crock that is never going to last a few games, let alone a season.

If this is true then VVD is worth £100 million to Liverpool. Their defence is crap and they are bidding for Ox.

Clipperty Klopp gone bonkers.


2.) 31 Aug 2017 15:41:36
i agree with these posts aprt from the fact that I think that they should keep vvd this season and sell him for even more next season. if he does stay this season I reckon he will put in a decent effort for the club because even if he wants to leave, he won't want to be sat on the bench all season. if he stays and gets back in the squad I hope the rest of the fans will accept him otherwise he is more likely to play crap this season, and therefore we may not be able to sell him for as much as we would have been able to this season.

get me?


 

 

24 Aug 2017 21:03:55
Watched an interview with Pellegrino earlier and when asked about VVD he seemed very shifty and sort of nervous about being asked whether he would be sold, anybody see it? Just like our team at the moment he didn't seem very confident.

SaintDuke

 

 

 

SaintDuke's rumour replies

 

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05 Nov 2017 00:20:19
Will we should have kept Puel rather than employ a new manager that is more negative than he was.

SaintDuke

 

 

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03 Nov 2017 19:45:00
123 I understand your post completely and agree with most of it. If you look on the banter page I responded to Figo about me stating that Pellegrino should be sacked, I never said that and don't want that to happen. I simply stated that I personally didn't think he was the right appointment. You make a point about not taking it to City, but maybe just maybe we need to do that. We have some good technical players and they need to be used to bring out their skills. City will be sitting there thinking that we will go there and put everybody behind the ball and they will coach their side to expect us to do that. Let's do what we did in the Cup Final last season and show that we can take them on, if we sit back we will lose maybe only 2 or 3 but don't you think if we have a go it might make them think a bit as City are not the greatest defensively. We are too predictable and just about every side in the PL has worked out the best way to set up against us, let's change that.

SaintDuke

 

 

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23 Oct 2017 18:47:28
Some of you guys have short memories, sorry . Luke Shaw was always injured when he was here with muscle strains.

SaintDuke

 

 

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08 Sep 2017 22:27:18
We paid a lot for Gaston Ramirez and I see similarities to Boufal, loads and loads of skill but just not sure the PL is their kind of football. They need time on he ball but you don't get that here. They struggle with the the pace of the game in this country.

SaintDuke

 

 

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08 Sep 2017 15:51:27
Ed 002 is right Milky he never ever said VVD was 100% leaving, what he did do is answer the posts to the best of his ability on the information he was aware of. He stated quite correctly that VVD 's position at the club was untenable which let's face it, it is. I know you say it was light hearted when you posted rather smugly that VVD was staying and if I was an Ed I would have reacted the same way as he did, We ask for information and the Eds give us as much information as they can and remember most of it is their opinion. I have never known an Ed like 02 who goes out of his way and at great length sometimes to explain the complexities of things and we would certainly miss his input.

SaintDuke

 

 

 

SaintDuke's banter replies

 

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08 Nov 2017 14:28:35
Figo I agree with most of what you have said but unfortunately managers and their staff are paid vast amounts of money to motivate players and instill confidence in them. Just like management outside of football if you are running a business and you have a manager in charge of a team of employees but they are not achieving satisfactory results you do two things. Firstly you give the manager a chance to work out why and if necessary get rid of individuals that he feels are holding the rest back but ultimately if things continue not improving after that process the company may believe a change in management may be required. In all walks of business life and football is a major one the facts are that being successful is the number one objective. Business is business and with there being ludicrous amounts of money involved it can and often does become ruthless.

SaintDuke

 

 

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06 Nov 2017 20:14:59
Not a problem Figo just don't call us all nuts for having opinions, just sounded a bit patronising that's all.

SaintDuke

 

 

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06 Nov 2017 13:41:40
Figo I am getting a bit confused with your apparent role on this site? It sort of comes over from your response to Rich when you say you have been struggling to respond to all the posts and were mistaken thinking he wasn't at the game as though we all need to respond to you as if you're one of the Eds. I am sure you don't mean to seem that authorative but it does feel a bit like that especially when you tell us we're all nuts and then proceed to individually tell us why we are overreacting, this is an opinion site, we are just all giving ours.

SaintDuke

 

 

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06 Nov 2017 13:28:55
I accept that, but I think you know what I meant. I did miss it so no excuses. However if you look at the sides below us they have well and truly percentage wise played a lot more of the top 6 . Bilic has lost his job today and they have played Spurs, Man City, Man U and Liverpool. If we had started with these fixtures I think we would be well and truly in the bottom three and MP would be gone.

SaintDuke

 

 

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05 Nov 2017 17:03:52
Just one other thing then I'll shut up 😄 The people that think we'll be just fine as there are worse teams below us please remember they have all played one or more of the top 6, we haven't.

SaintDuke