It's perfectly simple - three of the games were against three of the probably top four, and if people were seriously expecting points off them after being in League 1 only two years ago, they were living in cloud cookoo land. Of the other 3 games, I know that Everton away is always tough, so would expect to get something from the two remain home games, Wigan and Vila. Wigan was the only disappointing game so far - but then their keeper played a blinder and that was probably payback for the Leeds game last year. We have played four games. We have been outclassed once and had we been a little more lucky and less naive could have won the other three. I honestly fail to see what people are moaning about.
Calm down. It's a matter of opinion. A large number of members do feel we weren't as productive in the market as we needed to be to compete at this level. Our defence is struggling ( 14 goals shipped ) & this was an area highlighted early for strengthening. LB & 2 CB's identified as priority positions but we failed to fill. Our scouting seems among the best.
Ok, that's fair enough, but are you really saying it is wrong to look at a set of fixtures and suggest that we may lose? I believe it is possible to win every one-off game, but as a point of sanity, I would look at the games and make an honest, educated forecast of the result. Saturday, I thought we would lose 2-0, I hoped we'd knick it one nil at the death and I believed that if things went our way, then we could have achieved that. And come on SaintKitch, be a sport.... do that ten game forecast for us.
Utter, utter rubbish. I watch because we are the finest club in the world. I want us to win, but I am not so arrogant as to think it is possible to win every game.
Just answer this - do you think that when a club requires a player, then a player of the required standard, required age range, and required way of playing so they fit into thier squad is always available?
Hi Jenny, I watch because they happen to be my team and I wish we were the finest team in the world. It IS possible to win every game, however I don't think that will happen because common sense and historical fact tells me that it just doesn't happen. I turn up at every individual game with a part of me thinking "we can win this", yet throw me a list of fixtures and I'd guess at some defeats and some draws too.
I'd say that Villa is a must-win purely in that we need to get some confidence, some belief that we CAN win games and beat teams. The earlier we pick that up, the more likely we are to pick up ponts in harder games. Losing to Villa and Villa so early in the season - both considered relegation candidates by a lot of fans - will not send a good message through the squad. Think this is a more important consideration than the points themselves. I would chalk down a home win any day of the week for the Everton game - our bogey team from the past, and the team I fear more than any other. But the way the PL seems to be these days (unpredictable and without logic), I wouldn't be surprised if we pick up our first points there! Arsenal thrash a team or two every single seaosn in the early weeks - it was always going to be someone - talk up their title chances, pick up a few key injuries, drop off the pace, get written off, go on an amazing run, get into pole position with a few months to go, and then throw it all away, before finishing top four. It's a time-worn formula, and I would say is unfortunately dangerously written into their culture now, with the fairly new addition of a coda: their post-season player exodus to Manchester City. However, not a particularly bad model in terms of outcome, though undoubtedly frustrating for them and their fans in terms of the inevitability of it all. Similarly, there are a number of paths a newly promoted team can take. I would prefer to learn our lessons early and in the deep end now rather than go the Burnley/Blackpool/(West Ham?) route, and get off to a great start in the first half, and slip off the learning curve late on, and plunge down the table. We definitely need the mentality to kick into gear, though - we need to pick up a win, and I don't care how we get it. I see our current situation as a zero-shaped foundation stone to launch the rest of our season from. We have played the best, and (popularly, if incorrectly) the worst - we are familiar with the spectrum now, and will not be taking anything for granted, and will want that Villa win more than anything we've wanted so far. I'm not a happy clapper who believes Nigel or Cortese or any of the players are beyond reproach for any of their actions; nor am I negative, or believe in the blame game or finger-pointing.
For starters i'm not moaning i believe this place is called a forum now i don't claim to know everything but i would suggest a forum works by people airing their opinions and then getting other poster views on this, if i 'm wrong i'm sorry you can call me a moaner. Ok i take your point on board about playing top teams but your point about being in league 1 2 years ago imo is irrelevent as its not unheard of of league 1 teams getting results againts top clubs. We we beating the 2 best teams in this league with not long left and came up short i don't mind that it just proved to me we are good enough to compete in this league, surely you must think we deserve to be in the premiership and in being here you must think that on our day we can get a result against any team in this league
Yes, because they threw stupid amounts of money at him. And could offer him champions league football. Or do you honestly think that at this phase of our development we are a more tempting prospect than Man u? You are kidding, right? .....and I note with interest that you didn't answer my question
Ok this has definatly drifted off my original point but then 9 times out of 10 thats what happens on here. i like you sit and try to predict results but thats all it is. I just get the impression that some accept losing has ok because they expected it.
Back to your original point then: there is a split on this forum of people who are always positive people who are negative and then the people who are somewhere between the 2, the one thing i've noticed is that all the positive people are also the most negative, they come on here saying they expect saints to lose certaain games, now don't get me wrong i'm not on here to slate anyone i just think that as saints fans we are entitled to think that our team is good enough to go to everton and get a result and if we want to do anything in this league then we are right to expect us to beat teams like wigan and villa at home. So to all the posters who slate fans opinions on negative results at least these fans criticism's are based on facts where as the positive posters seem to be making excuses for failures by writing off our chances 2 weeks before we even play the fixture. So, if I predict (to myself) we'll lose a game after I have analysed the teams, the form, the vene, blah blah blah, and that defeat then happens, am I not entitled to post here the reasons why I thought that we may lose that game and that that defeat may not be as bad as people are suggesting, and maybe portray a little positivity? That seems to me to be equally as fact/opinion based as the negative posters.
Thoguh I agree our defence needs shoring up, I don't think anyone (positive or negative posters) thought otherwise - if anything, it's a point of complete agreement across the board, despite who was more or less vocal about it - yet has somehow become the dividing line that wastes more time and space on this forum than any other. The point is, we didn't get the required players for whatever reason - as Jenny has pointed out, there may be multifarious reasons for this - and there is now nothing anyone can do about that, so all we can do is get behind the squad we do have, and will them on to January. The clamouring for recognition that various posters seem interested in is a. not going to come, and b. not going to help anything. If we go down, Nigel is not going to say that if he had only listened to gomarchingin more over the summer, we may well have scraped it. Decisions have been made, let's see what we can do with that. Not aimed at you, SFC5BAG, just seemed the most appropriate quote to respond to. Neither anti- nor pro-gomarchingin either.
Ok i see your point, and in all honesty its not a bad on. its just not one i agree with, i don't expect saints to win every game that would be stupid i also don't expect saints to lose every game which at the moment is what we've done. I understand our opening fixtures were very difficult and as one off games during the season these losses wouldn't have caused so much friction on here. All i'm saying is that maybe we should all expect the best for saints and when the worst happens mourn together rather than writing our team off and then saying its ok cause i expected it
I would agree entirely if you had said "we should all WANT the best for saints". I certainly don't expect the best, though it would be very nice. I for one certainly haven't written our team off. I would say that the mourners are the ones writing the team off.
OK a change of a word i am meant to be working so not 100% focused on what i'm typing to expect the best is wrong. FLT what are your "predictions for our next to games"
Villa - win 2-1 Everton away - unsure. It's a tough game. I'm hoping they get beat by the Toon tonight as that will give them 2 defeats in a row and may sew some doubts. Right now, I don't think we'll get anything based on how mentally "tough" a team Everton are. If they lose tonight, I may think we can get something. In my forecast of 17 points from the next 10 games, I have it as a defeat.
