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

I did see somewhere that Watford had only one first team player away on Int duty. Not using that as an excuse but I'm sure 2 weeks of preparation with most of the first team can only be a good thing!

 

The reason we can't score is probably down to not creating many clear cut chances and lacking confidence.

Was that Strachan?

 

What gets me, is when MOPO2 changes to something that looks like a 442, he takes Gabbi off and replaces him with Austin. Gabbi and austin play better when not isolated. we do not have the creative no10, so for me its time to play both and go more direct

 

Les Reed's record finally falls. Previously held the mark for the shortest tenure in the PL era at 7 league matches, but FDB has set the mark where it might not ever be approached.

 

Or set the trend for the future: from now on, managers may not be required to be in charge of a single game to be considered unemployable...

 

There was a time when it was universally agreed that Fowlers hat trick would never be beaten.

 

Pretty sure that's standard operating procedure in Serie A...Palermo went through seven managerial changes a couple years back.

 

Your formation is pretty much how we played against Watford, only with JWP and Davis being replaced by Austin and Lemina, in the front six.
IMO we haven't been playing 4-2-3-1, which is precisely why we have that massive gap between our defensive midfielders and the front players.
On Saturday JWP was alternating between being the attacking midfielder and second striker, with Redmond and Boufal hugging the line.
In a proper 4-2-3-1 they would need to be more central, in an old fashioned inside right/left position.

 

Please be Hodgson
Please be Hodgson
Please be Hodgson
Please be Hodgson
Please be Hodgson
Please be Hodgson
Please be Hodgson
Please be Hodgson
Please be Hodgson
Please be Hodgson...........

 

Well our Tom did try to have Claude sacked after about two days, let alone any games

 

I'm having a hard time believing that two managers haven't been able to find a wininng formula for these players after 50 games. We are massively imbalanced and under motivated.

 

Let me see, we cant score any goals and we concede to the first shot on target. Yep. I can see us getting into serious trouble.

 

Hmm I think that we finished 8th last season and got to a major cup final...We were getting somewhere but our impatient fanbase decided that it wasn't good enough, so we have had to start again this season.

 

I as all for keeping Claude. Thats the point I was making. Its not the manager, the squad is not great. Yes we finished 8th and I think it was a damn fine achievement but we were there by the skin of our teeth and the problems were always there in the making. Despite Claudes best efforts the end of last season was dismal and dire, had Gabbi not gone on that run after xmas we could easily have have finished 17th and nobody would have been trumpeting that as a massive achievement. Two wins away from 17th place - thats all we achieved if you spin it that way.

This season I see nothing better about us than last. Only a fool keeps doing the same thing and expecting a different result. As fans we are inclined to see better in our players than others. The fact nobody came in for our squad players in this last transfer window is a stark contrast to previous years. Perhaps its because nobody thinks they're all that great except us.