I'm a little bemused at some of he unhappiness really. Claude has made a decision to rest as many as possible for today. Shame we didn't have a hlf decent reserve striker and rest Long too. Perfectly understandable. I'm actually interested in watching which of these players can show us something second half. I have no problem at all with what has happened. Claude has taken us to a Cup Final this week.
Nope, just a few of the players playing aren't good enough. So you highlight it by playing them. So many managers do it these days. Making a positive out of a negative.
None of them have ever let us down when they've been in a strong XI. Put all the back-ups together and it won't look as good as one or two backups with the rest of a strong XI.
We've been poor and outplayed. Men against boys. Huge holes in the middle and on the break. A fair few left as soon as the third went in, don't think I'll see them return. Some numpties booing at half time
You've gotta look at the options he has though, for example there was one moment where we worked it out to him with a bit of space, but Long had pulled wide to get it to him, leaving Sims and Isgrove in the box... Martina looked up, saw that and turned back. Cue massive groans from the crowd. If he'd swung a hopeful ball in to our two midgets, he'd get slaughtered as well. Then surprise, he gets the ball again, looks up, nothing on, goes to turn back, the groans and shouts already start, he turns back and tries a very hopeful flick, loses the ball, Arsenal counter... Aaaaaand slaughtered. Somehow the link between the crowd getting antsy and restless and our players only getting worse and not suddenly slicing the opposition open has not yet been made.
I'd much rather this, than losing with some half-hearted team playing (by which I mean a mixture of first team and reserves/kids, where the manager tries to go a little strong, but not really). This way it's conceivable that 10 of the players who will start on Swansea are getting a rest right now, rather than say only four or five of them. If you're going to go weak, then do this and go all out weak.
The only positive at the moment is, this'll be over soon. Unless Claude can pull off a miracle at half time..
Glad that going to Swansea Tuesday evening won't be jinxing my "can't watch Saints play and have to tidy the house otherwise they'll lose," superstition (OK, it lasted all of 2 games, but still...)
Fair point, not picked up on the crowd getting antsy, but the sound isn't great on my stream. And he did play an incredible ball earlier.
It's my wife's birthday, and for some reason she didn't seem to appreciate my offer of a ticket to this as a present. So I'm at home, in the warm, with plenty of beer and food, watching the match on TV, waiting for friends to arrive. Married life isn't so bad
