Seems you are struggling to understand that the Saints team HAVE performed far better since 1st January - since 'disruptive VvD left - and as a consequence (i) are on the verge of a cup semi-final (b) looking more spirited and are giving themselves a fighting chance of winning enough points to finish outside of the relegation spots.
We’ve won our cup games but our league points haul is similar pre and post VVD. So I find it hard to say that we have improved.
I just feel in my water that we have improved....how can you compare facts with a feeling in your water?
Ha! You know me enough on here to know my position on the team and manager. This year hasn’t been kind, but I still think if we stay up, he will be here next year and we will improve.
And you are completely failing to understand that the fact that we averaged 0.95 points per game before Van Dijk left, and have slightly improved to 0.96 points per game, mainly down to a win against the worst side in the league, is only PARTLY down to Virgil’s toxic presence.
Considering it a success that we have a fighting chance to win enough points to finish outside the relegation spots is lowering the bar so far that it'd take Forster three dives to reach it. We were in 13th when Virgil departed, albeit with a points total generally associated with relegation contenders.
Guess this is the right thread for this as it is to do with relegation contenders. I was discussing with some friends of mine who all watch a lot of football (none are Saints fans) that I wouldn't swap our squad for any of the others currently sat in the bottom half of the league. I don't think we are significantly better than most of them on paper, but better none the less. They all disagreed and said there were at least 3 clubs' squads they would rather have and another they would put on a a par. Now I know we are all biased but does this surprise anyone? I have seen on here and on Saintsweb that lots of fans think we have a good squad that is being managed poorly (maybe this is why my mates don't rate our players as highly as I do) and that we should be in the top half with this squad. It is probably a pointless argument as if you were to ask a season ticket holder at any club outside the top 6 if they would prefer decent player x to decent player y they will usually side with the player they have seen play more as they will no doubt have seen them play better more times than the other player.
Bmouth have won three league matches since Virgil left (with three draws for added measure). West Ham won three league matches (with three draws for added measure). Swansea have won three league matches (with two draws for added measure). Newcastle have won two league matches (with four draws for added measure). Brighton have won two league matches (with three draws for added measure). Even Huddersfield, Watford and Palace have all managed to pick up a couple of league wins in that time too. So even if our form has turned around since Virgil left (which it hasn't), it's still not on a par with those around (and generally now above) us.
Just love all this 'selective memory bits' on here. Did or did not Mr. Toxic (VvD) leave on 1st Jan.? Since then Palace beat Saints, Liverpool did; but those aside, Saints are unbeaten! They gave as good as they got v's Tottenham, were robbed of a win at Watford, and now in FA Cup Qtr. Final! Arguably, some of the team's bette performances have been without Mr. TOXIC - Man. Utd at Old Trafford anyone.
Yeah, if we take out the losses, we are unbeaten. But even in those matches where we haven't lost, we have not accumulated many points, because we have only won a single league match in that span. The Premier League is not a judged competition; we do not get a score based on whether we looked like we could have won while failing to win.
I think you are the main culprit of selective memory by choosing to ignore all the times we have been terrible just to support a rather strange argument that everything is fine.
It's either that, he is the most deluded happy clapper ever or is a pretty good troll. I'm leaning towards the latter tbh. But having an image of Sammy Saint tapping away with loads of """"""""" as his costume keeps pressing them by mistake could also be the answer
