Well that was ****ing grim. Really had hoped that we had turned a corner with regards performing in our 'must win' games, but last night showed we absolutely haven't. Brentford are a ****ing grim team to watch too, very basic but obviously effective (and yes I say that having sat through endless **** football with Saints), they have mastered the art of constant little fouls that refs are blind to (one of which got KWP injured) whilst also going down like a sack of **** under the slightest challenge and the ref somehow buying it time after time. The ref was weak as ****, utterly ****e and let them get away with time wasting throughout, even at 0-0. But anyway, the **** ref wasn't the reason we lost that. We needed to start fast tonight to get the crowd believing. That was instantly shat on by the team selection. I'd have rather Lavia started and came off at half time if he could only do a half. He makes such a difference to us and we needed to start well. Opinions and that but I have no idea how people thought Diallo was good, average at absolute best for me. Brentford wern't really playing with a midfield, it was regularly bypassed Jonesball style (except with a clear plan and well executed). For large parts of the game their midfield players were there to disrupt us and cut off space without the ball and make runs when on the break, thats it, very little of their play went through the midfield for large chunks of that game. It was there to be dominated and we had absolutely no dynamism, drive or intensity in the middle. And how the **** Ely gets in the team as an attacking player I will never understand, it's so frustrating how regularly he plays for zero threat or attacking output. So depressing to be sat in the ground after Brentford scored because you just know theres no chance we're scoring twice. Once is a ****ing miracle these days. Our crossing is also absolutely ****, including JWPs crosses in that. I feel sorry for Tall Paul because he has had absolutely nothing to work with. Literally the only time I thought we possessed any kind of threat in the entire game was when we had a freekick and I feel like JWP is snatching at those now he's so close to the record, and no doubt is aware that time is running out to achieve it with us too which I'm sure in an ideal world he wants too. Not that JWP was good last night, but he never performs as well next to Diallo. He needs a Romeu/Lavia next to him or behind him. Rant over. So glad I got up at 5, to get work done sooner so I could get my marathon training in before getting drenched going to the game, sitting through another **** show of a non performance and then drenched again after the game. Wonderful. I hate being a Saints fan sometimes but I'll be there again on Saturday with the hope that we can pull off an upset and get a 1-0.
Lots of people seem to be neglecting how effective Brentford are. They are one of the form teams in the league and have an excellent record at not losing. They came to us knowing we needed to win and largely sat off us and let us play in the middle whilst remaining tight at the back and picking their moments to go forward. In those momemts they had Ivan Toney up front who is in the form of his life and has a few seasons worth of practice with the same teammates around him. Staying up this season was never going to rely upon beating Brentford yesterday. 7 points from the past 5 fixtures under Selles is form that gets you mid-table over a season. I think we will do well in the championship on that basis..
We were poor last night, no getting around that. But the way that game played out, we would have lost that in previous seasons as well IMO. One of those frustrating nights. There must have been a Brentford player on the ground "injured" for at least 20 minutes last night. On top of that the referee (who was terrible) did absolutely nothing about their time wasting. When Raya was waiting to take a goal kick the referee had his back to him on multiple occasions and he only started his run up when the referee had turned around. I don't pay to watch keepers time waste. The referee lost his grip on the game by letting Brentford get away with all their antics.
Absolutely this. The issue isn't last night. We're an improving team that had a setback. My main complaint from last night really was the team selection from the off. If Lavia/Theo only had 45 minutes in their legs, I think it would have been better for that to be the first 45, because if Brentford scored, they were always going to have two banks of four, be organised, and sit back. We are perpetually awful at breaking down a team when they do that. We couldn't even break down Grimsby doing that, so no hope against Brentford. No, we needed to come out like we did against United from the off, but we didn't. Part of that will be the fact we knew it was a possible win game, and near as much to a must win game, so we came out safe. That's never good. But one setback isn't the issue in an improving team. The issue is we're doing our improving and learning, having wasted ten games of the season on the Rasmus Experiment. If Selles had taken over from Ralph before Christmas, I think we probably stay up. We may have gone down, because there's a dearth of quality, but we would have had a far, far better crack at it than seems likely now. Still, as I mentioned before, I always fancied the Spurs game more than this one, because they're a mess, and stylistically it's better for us. Hence why I'm nowhere near giving up yet, because there are beatable teams in our run-in (even if they're better teams than us). And frankly, I don't think, with this group of players, having a season in Championship would be any bad thing (and yes, I do think we come straight back up if we keep the main bulk of these players, and they'll be far better as a result of the experience).
I could only watch the Sky replay after, but I agree it seemed they were getting away with way too much theatricals and deliberate time wasting.
Interesting reading the Brentford fans views, they also thought the ref was terrible and KWP and Lavia, especially Lavia, should’ve had reds
Right now we're not out of the woods for sure, but we're also not out of the PL, yet. I agree with a lot of what you have said, personally I'm taking the view of one game at a time, last night, a major disappointment, but would not surprise me if we get points v Spurs. There's one league in which we, the supporters are the Champions of, and that is The Premier League of Hope
Ha one of my mates whilst admittedly inebriated was shouting ‘come on, this is Brentford for ****s sake!’ I quickly reminded him that they are a better side than us!
What makes you think any of them care about the club enough to stay? We'll be starting all over again. When the likes of Lavia, JWP, KWP and ABK are gone, we'll carry on playing Ted talks "buy cheap, sell high" game. I'm sure we'll unearth some great League 1 players to fill those positions We'll be in the Champ for a loonnggg time
Because hardly any player in the modern game *really* cares about the clubs they play at. I have no doubt JWP does, in terms of Saints, but even "he's one of our own Harry Kane" would be off to Manchester City at the drop of a hat if he were allowed.
We’ve taken 6 points off Chelsea this season. I see absolutely no reason we shouldn’t take 3 off Spurs.
Exactly, so they'll all be off and whichever manager starts the season will probably still try and shoe horn ****ing Elyounoussi in. Absolute disaster of a season from SR. Absolutely everything they've done has been horrendously wrong. Can't wait for it all to be over to be honest
Well that isn't true. They've made some big mistakes but they've got some things right. Unfortunately the things they've got wrong were the most important things - Ralph's replacement and the lack of a striker in the summer.
Really not going to worry one way or another about the Championship until we are down and we see the players that leave and stay. One **** show at a time please and we're still in the PL and with a chance of staying in it for now. While I think we are ****ed and it's difficult to have hope that we can get enough wins when we are so **** at scoring goals, we're still in with a chance. We needed 3 points from Brentford and Spurs. We've ****ed up the easier game on paper, and Spurs may have better players than Brentford, but they are not a better team and have their own problems at the moment. We can beat them, and if we do then we're very much still in with a chance of staying up. I'm going off on a tangent here. All I really wanted to say is that I don't know how anyone can predict anything with regards the Championship and how we'd get on when realistically there will be a massive overhaul should we drop down there. Thinking about our current Saints side and their plight this season is quite enough for me. Very much looking forward to a summer of not thinking about football and then see where we stand ahead of the new season.
It still requires another club coming in and meeting our valuation. We will want 30m for Livramento, but who is actually going to take the risk after he's been out for a whole year with injuries? Even ABK, yeah, we know he's great, and has a bright future, but do you think teams will be lining up to buy him for what, 25m or so? No, they won't. They'll be looking for the next Ben Mee types from the other relegated teams. Worst case scenario is that a player has a hissy fit because we don't sell them. Most of ours are too young for that sort of thing, and even if it does happen, they will soon change their tune when we are around the top of the Championship winning games every week.
They'll be off if someone comes in for them. People I think will go *if* we go down - JWP - 40m KWP - 20m ABK - 20m Lavia - 40-50m Those four are the real losses. Don't give a monkeys re these two - DCC (we'll get 8-10m for him) Orsic - emotional return back to Zagreb for 2.5m or so Possible exits - Salisu to somewhere like West Ham for 15-20m Perraud to, I dunno, Crystal Palace or something for 10-15m Slight possibility someone takes a punt on Sulemana for 15-20m because potential. Out of contract - Walcott Elyounoussi So that leaves us with a squad of - Bazunu (will benefit massively from a season in the Championship) McCarthy (will be fine in the Championship) Bree (proven Championship defender) Livramento (will benefit) Bednarek (will be fine in the Championship and might even become captain of the team) Stephens (is he out of contract? Either way, will be fine in the Championship. In fact, it'll suit him). Lyanco (the most Championship defender in the world, vying for that title with Stephens) Larios (will benefit) Payne/Vokins (will come through that year) Diallo (will be fine in the Championship) Alcaraz (will be a star at that level) Smallbone (proven at Championship level) Another DM that needs to be bought Edozie (will benefit) Probably Sulemana (will benefit) Aribo (can probably be good at Championship level, because you get more time) Djenepo (will be fine in the Championship) Tella (proven at Championship level) Adarma (proven goalscorer at Championship level) Stu Armstrong (will be good at Championship level) Adams (will score goals at that level) Tall Paul (will score goals at that level) Mara (will benefit) Ballard/Dibling (will come through that season) I'm sure there's probably players I've forgotten here too, but frankly, with a DM addition and another CB, that's a team more than capable of getting itself up and out of that league first time, and who, for the young kids, will have them far, far, far better prepared for the Premier League next time around.
Players you forgot: Aribo Alcaraz Mara Lyanco Djenepo Smallbone Tella I think Olaigbe could break through into the first team picture as well
