Match Day Thread FC Midtjylland V Saints. Europa League Play Off 2nd Leg 27/08/15 ko 19:45

Nah Archers, that's the easy out. We missed an opportunity to show it can be done. We want to be getting to the top? Part of that path is learning to deal with the extra games.

I certainly am with you on the rest of your post

 

Ron will sort this out. When the window closes there's an international break so after that I expect a settled squad to do well including thumping M K Dons in the League Cup. Stop moaning and support the team.

 

Just one last thing. Please can we stop saying we've replaced "world class" with "bargain basement" just because we haven't chucked £20m and 100k p/w at someone, and that's the issue.

You'll I'm sure note that Sevilla won the Europa League last season, and are in the Champions League this season. Their transfer record is £7m.

It can be done.

 

I meant Forster and Ryan. We have had Mane and Victor for League games and Clasie has hardly featured so far. Still not hopeful.

 

Hope will return though. It always does.

 

Not panicking yet, but like you it isn't the losses...it's the fact that we look lost that's bothering me. If we were playing well, I wouldn't worry if we'd lost all 3...I'd expect a turn around. Ron mentions our inability to pass the ball....something that has been a strength for us over the years. I hope our defence will regain the strength it has last year with the return of Bertrand (though he will need time) and the arrival of another CB. As I said before, the team need time on the training ground more than they need European matches (bitterly disappointing though that is).

 

Our good players left when they realised they could achieve CL football, go for titles and earn a lot more money much quicker by joining another club. Those players leaving is what reduced our chances of achieving the heights. The players left for their own reasons...our aspirations were admirable, but the players leaving and angling to leave made sure they were near impossible.

 

People need to realise we over achieved massively last season, and if you look at our form over the season (the great start, awful christmas, patchy end) I think there is a genuine cause for concern. IMO our flying start was due more to a siege mentality that had been built and teams underestimating us rather than us being that good. Since Christmas, we've only really looked convincing on a handful of occasions, a lot of teams worked out how to play against us and we didn't have an answer other than to start playing long balls in to Pelle.

This summer was our opportunity to really invest in the squad, and no I do not mean spending £20m+ or £100k p/w wages, but we needed to make signings that would actually improve the team we put out on the pitch. We've not done that enough, Clasie aside (who has yet to prove himself) we've filled our squad with rotation/backups on the assumption that we would be involved in European competition, obviously we're no longer in Europe and we're left with a very average squad.

It's all well and good people saying "we need to trust the board, they've earned it" etc, but they're trying to be too cute with our recruitment and budgets - it's fine if they want to operate that way but please stop pretending there's a realistic prospect of us becoming European regulars off the back of it, because it's not going to work consistently when you're in the PL where clubs CAN and do afford to buy quality players from abroad. The board has made a choice for us to be sustainable, they've fed us a rhetoric to go alongside that, but that's all it is.

I'm sure people are going to disagree with what I've said and that's fine. I'll always support Saints, whatever league they're in and whatever players we sign, but I'm not one to buy into bullshit that is fed out of any business or football club as they only tell fans what they want us to hear. We'll finish between 10-15th this season which is by no means a bad thing, but we've stood relatively still while pretty much every other club has put their foot down on the accelerator.

 

I don't see us as standing still...we have had 3 decent seasons in the EPL, finishing 8th and 7th in the last two years. Remember we are quite new to this (in our present incarnation). It would always be hard to better last season, but a reasonable target is top ten....and we should be seriously competing in the cups. Our problem (as we all know) is that we keep having our best players taken away...and the fact this keeps happening suggests we are doing something right if top teams want them. Unless you are very lucky, losing your best players can result in poor seasons while you rebuild. This is where Ron proves himself....here is your team, now add gilt to the gingerbread.

 

Other clubs have spent more. That does not automatically mean the foot is on the accelerator.

 

I was expecting a reply from you.

Stoke, Swansea, West Ham, Newcastle, Palace and even Villa have all made very good signings and have drastically improved their first 11. I can't think of one player we've signed this year that is actually going to improve us, we've had a bad window so far. Hopefully the board will pull their fingers out and bring VVD in + 1 creative midfielder.

 

I hear you. I think that's a relatively accurate summary too and it will likely mean, as you say, a finishing position of between 10-15. Romeu I think looks a good signing. Cedric might be. Caulker has potential. Juanmi we don't really know yet. I'm not willing to say "we've bought poorly" just yet (just as I think it's too early to say others have bought well/better), but I think January might be interesting. I don't believe we'll be challenging for Europe this year (outside of possible cup runs) but then I never did think we would be, so I'm not too worried about that to be honest at this point.

As has been said, the bit I'm worried about is how we're playing, but then as I stated previously, I think that'll be adjusted after the international break and the injuries are back.

Someone said we feel like this years West Ham. I disagree. I think we feel like last years Everton.

 

Saints made 1 major mistake and that was ****ing about with AM and not going all out to sign toby. That for me is the sole reason we are where we are now.

 

Why say it like that Gucci? I enjoy responding and discussing things. Would you rather I didnt?

 

Say it like what? xxxxxxxxx

 

It's not about the money others spent, it's the quality of players they brought. A lot of clubs bought proven performers from some big european clubs, players like Ayew, Thauvin, Payet, Wijnaldum, Shaquiri. Any of these players could improve us a lot. We bought Juanmi who might at some point prove to be even a better buy, but now the aforementioned signings are surely a step above him. That can easily be seen from the fact they get in the starting lineup ASAP and immediately start to make a difference, while Juanmi played for reserves and scraped a few minutes here and there.

i feel we need that kind of player, one that will go straight to the starting lineup and immediately make a difference, like Tadić did last year, for example.

 

Like you didn't want my response. I'm sensitive you know

 

Reckon we might well lose to MK Dons too in the LC.

 

Some of you should embroider your thoughts on fabric and sell it in the club shop....just leave the opposition name blank and people can stitch in the team we will lose to. We are at home and we WILL beat Norwich.

 

Was disappointed last night. Tough conditions, but not a great performance. However, I did think that tadic was a highlight when he came on. Quality crosses, beat his man easily, tracked back etc. was good to see him have a good game.

Onwards and upwards