I was hoping to avoid making it, heh. I'll update it every few games, unless we do the unthinkable and pull ourselves out of this mess.
Appreciate the effort gone into it tbh Schad. Most of us were probably thinking the same but your original post has helped make it clear what we're up against
The one positive I'm taking is that our games are always very close (who said that) so our GD is better than most and considerably better than Stoke and Huddersfield. This was sometimes a factor when we used to flirt with relegation in our previous incarnation. Keep in the mix, with draws and the odd win, and we could be ok. And Mauricio is right....judge in May...but that only tells us if we stayed up or not....we already know that something needs to change at Saints. If they intend to stick with Mauricio, they need to give him some really good players that can think for themselves and grab chances, despite their instructions. We could do with an excellent GK (though they are pure gold dust) because we seem to drop points by just the odd goal....a leaping salmon of a keeper could win many a game.
Please no. If we have to have him until may that's one thing, to approach another season (be it championship or PL) i will have to step down my interest in the game. Just can't handle the stress atm!
Stay up or not, I think he will be gone end of the season (if not before). The highest we can finish realistically would be something like 11th and that would take a minor miracle from where we are right now performance wise, think they will make a change in the summer regardless of survival.
TBF to Mauricio, he has been shifting deckchairs on the Titanic....look at the players that his predecessors had....the type who were fast enough and talented enough to win games when backed up by other decent players. What he wouldn't do for a lethal finisher like Lambert or Pelle.....or players like Lallana and Mane. A better manager may have got more out of our players, but he hasn't been dealt a great hand.
Same kind of hand as Puel. Except he's had a full pre-season with Gabbiadini, brought in lemina and hoedt. Yes the VVD saga went on but there's only so much he can blame on that.
And isn't that just the point. Puel couldn't get this squad to score goals and now Leicester are scoring plenty. So why is anyone else going to be able to do it. This all started when Pelle and Mane left and we didn't replace adequately. That has to have come from the top. Sack MP, get anyone else in and we still don't have any enough goal threat. Unless it's Guido, which player exactly is going to weigh in with the 10 goals we need to climb the table? Cos theres no-one in the squad who's done it before.
At least Puel could organise a defence. You're right, we have the same goalscoring problem as last season. And we're now porous.
Yeh but Mario and Wes aren't goalscorers Two of our top scorers last season: Austin - Injured; JRod - gone Gabbi - Apparently following managers orders to always look clueless; Redmond - Apparently following managers orders to never run with the ball or score Obviously you could argue that the manager's job is to sort that but if they were really any good surely they would give us a hint e.g. Shane - always plays well (aside from not scoring of course, which is of course fundamental for a No9)
I think that is partly the VVD thing and we seem to be defending better now which is maybe why we keep drawing not losing n.b. a lot of teams score late against us by playing two big strikers and going for it, maybe VVD would have dealt with that but none of our current CBs are big enough or physical enough for that and partly that when we play well for 60 mins and don't score everyone gets nervous, drops back ... and we concede
Gabbi looks clueless? Massively harsh. If anything the players around him look clueless as how to play in his runs. He’s not the messiah, but if the others worked out how to play balls quickly into the channels, or low near post crosses (like they did when he first joined) he’d score goals (like he did when he first joined).
There was a cross from the left in the first half that was low, about 4-6 yards out when Shane didn’t move from his position in the box. If Gabbi has been on the pitch he would have naturally run across the near post and had a tap in.
Yep, just like he converted all those low crosses against Spurs... Honestly, I’m starting to think Gabbi has pics of some of you with farm yard animals the way he is defended. How did Austin score goals as it clearly wasn’t by being played in by teammates who can’t play early or clever balls. I do however believe Gabbi will score today and we’re gonna win 1-4... Might need a top up of crack later as this seems to be wearing off.
Statistically Saints just need to secure ONE SINGLE POINT more than than the teams above them; which currently would have the sitting in 14th place! Looking at recruitment (after Pelle /Mane) Saints now have a far better 'strength in depth' - more quality, more 'capped internationals' etc. However, Claude Puel's season 'suffered' by losing two key players (VvD & Chas. Austin) to long term injuries, whilst juggling fixture congestion (Europe!), a Wembley loss (disappoitment) factor together with the 'toxic atmosphere' created by the supposed team leader (Fonte). Scroll forward to now, a familiar ring to it , no? VvD acts like a spoilt child, upsets team spirit & dynamic 'big time' New manager has to find his feet with his new 'unknown squad' etc.
William, if you had to make a bet with your last tenner on either Long or Gabbi to take a chance (especially like the one I pointed out yesterday), where would you put your money?
