Match Day Thread Saints vs Watford 09/09/2017 3PM KO

Some of our players have power though. So the trick should be to pick more of those.

 

If I take the front 5 or 6 of the team the two most likely to score are Gabb and Austin - by a country mile. And long does cause chaos. So playing only 1 of those 3 is increasingly looking ridiculous. Hence a formation of something-something-2.

We have nobody capable of playing with any creativity so forget the AMC role and go to wingers getting the ball over. Maybe in a 4-4-2 Redmond , tadic and boufal will be more useful out wide as actual wingers. And lemina can be running into the box given nobody else can shoot from midfield.

 

I'm confident that our squad is good enough to be in the top ten, we just need to hit that magic formula.

 

Agreed and hope we appointed the right man.

 

I really hope Boufal starts again next week, deserves a run of 4/5 games to see what he can do imo.

Did anyone think JWP was a weird sub yesterday?

 

Think we need to pick a side with some kind of coherent theme to it, definitely. Long, Gabbiadini, and Redmond, play on the counter? Why not. Austin, Tadic (on the left!), Redmond (on the right!) and Gabbiadini, and thump crosses into the box? Might work. PEH and Lamina with Romeu in a 4-3-3, and try to move the ball through the middle? Could be worth a try.

Just...no more of Tadic on the right, Redmond on the left, supported by one or both of JWP and Davis. I beg. Please.

 

A front 3 with Austin through the middle and Gabbi, Redmond either side. The best we can hope for in terms of goal threat imo. As for JWP, as loyal and hard working as he is, barring injuries, he'd never make my starting 11.

 

4-4-2

Cedric Virgil Hoedt Bertrand
JWP Lemina Romeu Tadic
Long Gabbi

3-5-2

Stephens Virgil Hoedt
Cedric Lemina XX Romeu Bertrand
Long Gabbi

(Where XX is any of Tadic, Boufal, JWP, Redmond or PEH. I might just favour Tadic, but not fussed)

4-3-3

Cedric Virgil Hoedt Bertrand
JWP Lemina Romeu
Redmond Long Gabbi

4-3-3 with Virgil centre stage

Cedric Stephens Hoedt Bertrand
Lemina Virgil Romeu
Redmond Long Gabbi

Or any of the above, but with the odd tweak in personnel. PEH could be the third midfielder. Tadic could be the third forward. Austin could be in ahead of Long (but personally I have favour Long's pace, and I am really worried that Austin is shot). I'm sure there are other tweaks too. But fundamentally, something that gives us two strikers and no need to try and shoe-horn someone into a no.10/ACM role, when they just aren't good enough.

Have I got a particular preference out of the above? I don't think I do, to be honest. There's something in each that attracts me.

 

Brendy, your very last little paragraph may just be our problem. Are you sure you're not MP2?

I'm not taking the piss, genuinely could be where he is at; not knowing the best way to play these players.

 

Yes. Though JWP seemed to be pretty ineffective. The game was calling out for more steel in midfield so Lemina may have been a better option.

 

But haven't we all been criticising previous managers for not having a plan B? And C?

 

Which is understandable. Indeed, at no point have I sought to put any blame for this at MP's door. (I would though very much question Eric Black. What exactly is he doing? Is he even trying to help MP? He's seen first hand that these players in this set-up didn't work last year. And not just Black for that matter. Dave Watson and no doubt other coaches were also around.)

But whilst I can't decide between my suggested formations, I do at least know that I don't want Davis in the team, I don't want someone shoe-horned into being a no.10, I don't want Gabbi all alone, and I don't want Tadic on the right and Redmond on the left.

I know it didn't exactly work against Wolves (albeit not with a full strength team), but the fact that 3-5-2 was tried in that game does suggest to me that any change in formation could be to that.

 

Echo the thoughts of a formation change against Palace as 4-2-3-1 isn't working at the moment.
Maybe something like this?
------------------Forster--------------------
Soares---Yoshida---Hoedt---Bertrand
----------Romeu--------Lemina----------
Redmond--------------------------Boufal
------------Manolo-----Austin-------------

Difficult to pick between Boufal and Tadic, Davis gets replaced by Lemina and then it's between Yoshida and Stephens for who partners Hoedt (provided VVD isn't ready).

 

Remember the last time Palace were on a terrible run? I think it was 19 games without win - played Saints won 3-0. It there only win in 25 matches. Are we going to save Frank's job? Probably.

 

Not me, no. My point wasn't that it's wrong to have different plans or to not be sure, but that Brendy has perfectly illustrated the issue facing MP2

 

Can't be fagged reading all this thread but a couple of points are worth making.

Firstly, I think Watford came and played excellent football and simply didn't let us get going at all. They pressed mercilessly and well so we never got off the back foot. Just to blame us for playing badly does a disservice to a team that played very well indeed.

Secondly, I went to the pub with a pair of Watford fans (old friends) after the game. They were seriously, seriously impressed with Boufal. They thought he was the real deal. I know plenty of people on here don't agree but a neutral view's always interesting.

Anyway, back into my hole.

Vin

 

recruitment is mire the issue than the manager I feel. We made a good reputation of finding gems ....and selling them. That worked well for the journey so far however, we can all see where the team is lacking and that costs big bucks for proven quality.

The takeover dragged on and January's always a hard time to strengthen, next summer will be interesting. Until then we have to support MP to get the best out of our current squad.

 

So - anyone think we could actually be in serious trouble without a quick response to this weekend? Like, bottom 3 by Christmas sort of trouble?

 

Personally, I think the team did that on purpose. VD will come back and we'll be so glad, we'll forget what a cock he has been and he'll be the new messiah (rather than a naughty boy).

Footballers are crafty you know.

 

I like them all but the 3-5-2 might be a bit too radical especially after Wolves but with VD there I can see it working. We both agree on the Long / Gabbi axis - can see much more movement for Gabbi & more pace up front; something we've desperately missed recently. If MP has learnt anything recently it must be that with 4-2-3-1 our options of the 3 don't work & he needs to change formation. Good shout St B. Hope SFC do read this thread.