Leicester City wins; will top the table at Christmas. (Fixating on their match to take my mind off ours)
When things go wrong people always look for a scapegoat and there's been one or two of late. When the whole team fails to perform the talk inevitably turns to problems behind the scenes. In truth, it's all about confidence - or in our case - the lack of it. We started the game on fire so there is no lack of commitment from the players, but when they make sloppy mistakes, the heads drop. Football is a metaphor for life. You have good times and you have bad times. Its about how you pick yourself up and get back on track that counts. In RK we have the right man to help them do that and I would rather see them recover in much the same way as we did last year. That helps build character and team spirit. We just need patience - and a decent break along the way. I would like to see a few changes though. With Bertrand, Clasie and Wanyama off the pace we have potential replacements with JWP, Targett and Reed (see what I did there - all academy players...). So lets give them a rest. Maybe Seager for Pelle too who is clearly not fit.
What happened there? You started really brightly, then lost your way a bit and seemed to give up in the second half. Created a few chances after Ward-Prowse was introduced, but a really flat second half. Not much in it until the goals, but then you seemed to lose all hope, for some reason. Big test now for Koeman, I think. Might be a good time to have a blip though, as you can buy in January. Not sure what you need, though. Centre-half, perhaps?
We probably need another leader on the pitch. Could not really see one today when the **** hit the fan.
This is what I mean. I don't subscribe to the blanket "we're ****" sentiment at all. We're still a relatively 'new' team that's finding it's shape, and I have to believe RK has sensible reasons why Gaston and Reed are seemingly out of even the squad picture. What we ARE is a team that keeps making critically ****ing stupid mistakes that seem to get punished every single time. As a result we're a team shorn of any confidence at all. We can all nit-pick and bicker about who is not 100% match fit, whether Yoshida should play in front of x or y, whether Romeu should start ahead of Clasie but to my eyes, a lot of this is much of a muchness. Yoshida makes mistakes just as VVD does. I honestly think Romeu/Clasie is pretty much zero difference, though Clasie is more mobile (despite what some are saying). What we somehow have to do is firstly concentrate on ironing out these critical errors, and secondly pray beyond all hope that a goal goes in off Pelle's arse and then another from one of Mane's wild swipes. This isn't a "****e team", it's just a team devoid of confidence.
Your team just lost confidence. ..you just need to score when you dominate periods of matches Genuinely think you will be ok...you are a decent team who just needs a lucky or messy win to change your fortunes
We started well but have not been prolific. Spurs slowed the game down and time wasted to break up the momentum. First half was petering out after and even display only for some sloppy defending by Saints to gift Spurs the advantage. After that it looked like there was no way back past a well-drilled Spurs defence for a low on confidence Saints side.
We're both a bit confused as to why Gaston and Reed don't even make the bench. Must be based on what they see in training.
We're playing without full backs. That's been the problem all season imo, and that's what's leaving VvD and Fonte so exposed. The solution may be very close to hand, as you suggested earlier. Time to give the youngsters a chance.
I can only think that's the case, though a freshening up as you say might happen sooner than later and we'll see one/both back in the fold.
I'm baffled by it. See the thread I just made about the team for Arsenal. They'd both be in my team. Reed in particular is a strange one. Being so young and English. He's hardly played for the Saints yet had absolute stormers when he did. He even tied the record for most tackles by a single player in the Premier League (tied with Mascherano). There is no excuse for Koeman not putting them on the bench at least..
Not a **** team but **** performances. Doesn't particularly matter who plays, they're all in a **** run of form. I'm not confident we could beat anyone at the moment
