Saints V Newcastle United The Verdict Monday, 29th Oct 2018 09:28 It is hard to say anything great about this game, but we have to face facts about the position we are in and try to find the positives and build from them. This was a game of two teams in turmoil, Saints played with fear, Newcastle played with the freedom of a team who have given up hope so they just might as well give it a go, the truth was neither way was good enough. From a Saints perspective we have to forget the result and take the positives, it was another clean sheet and the visitors did not get even a single attempt on target, however we did not do much better and that is a sin. So what is the issue, I am beginning to think it is one of the manager failing to motivate the squad, there just wasn't that spark in the side, even Newcastle had a spark, but we still held them comfortably but failed to really put them to the sword. First issue is the managers part in this, the starting line up wasn't the real issue, not many supporters would have picked a different starting XI with the exception of Hojbjerg and a partner for Danny Ings, but the side looked completely without leadership and motivation. Even the bench was strange, two central defenders on it for a home game ? it stank of the manager trying to keep both Yoshida and Vestergaard happy, not of something we really needed, if we had a second defender then surely it should have been Targett who offers something defensively and going forward, or perhaps even Steven Davis,, if he isn't going to get a game in this one then when is he. But the substitutions were also baffling, Gabbiadini on for Austin with 25 minutes to go was a predictable change, however when your one tactic is to get men down the line and cross it in, then Gabbiadini is not your man, perhaps better to play Long. That change happened with only 12 minutes left, how Elyounoussi stayed on the pitch that long I will never know, he showed the odd flash of skill, but in the second half he was mainly a passenger, he should have been first off. When the final double change happened, we did look a better side, Ward Prowse got the ball down and used it and Long hustled in a way that had been lacking, but it was too little too late from the bench and the manager seems to be losing the plot. But we are still not in a desperate position due to other sides being worse, however we cannot rely on that, something has to change and fast, playing at home is now a millstone round the neck of the players, they are scared to play football, they do the simple things so the crowd don't get on their back, as I said Newcastle players were not scared, they were willing to have a go, but they were not good enough to damage us, we could cope easily and this was Alex McCarthy's easiest game in a Saints shirt. Something has to change, over the last two years we have sucked ourselves into negativity, there is an atmosphere around the club that will lead to only one route and that is relegation. Some of the criticism has been justified a lot of it hasn't been at least not until now, we need to take a leaf out of the Toon Army's book, did they give their hated owner stick and there is an owner who deserves it, yes they did, but they made ir perfectly clear they were still behind the team and the manager, that enabled them to play without the crowd on their back and that is what we need. I don't feel we are going to get it though, too many people seem to be almost happy to at last be proved right. I have no problem with our supporters having a gripe, what I object to is the scatter gun approach to create what is now a negative blame culture, to some the club is rotten to the core, Gao is pilloried because he hasn't spent any money, Krueger is pilloried but most don't know what for, whereas the the true issues are lost in the wave of Krueger/Gao/Reed out hysteria, you want to see a club in turmoil off the pitch then Newcastle are it, our issues go little beyond issues with signing decent players and appointing a good manager, but hey at least we aren't a selling club now ! We March On because we have to, we have to create a siege mentality, be proud of the club get behind the team, I'm sick of people ranting in the pub after the game and on social media, I would rather see the ship go down with all hands on manning the pumps than demanding the Captain be sacked because they didn't buy a ticket to see a hole in the ship. If you truly care about it that much if you truly think the club is rotten from top to bottom then do something about it, I and others did so 25 years ago, so this isn't the Ugly Inside telling fans what to do, It's the Ugly Inside telling you what WE DID DO ! This was a poor game, I see people claiming it to be the worst game ever played at St Mary's and that the great relegation fighting teams of the 90's were not so gutless, bit of memory loss here, all of those last minute escapes were last minute for a good reason and that was we were awful for the first 30 odd games of the season. This is nothing new I have seen far worse games than this one both at St Mary's and The Dell, what is different though is the fans, back then we backed the club through thick and thin on the pitch and stood up to it unified off it. The atmosphere in the stadium is down to the supporters, like Newcastle did you can either turn negatives into positives or let it drag you all down. At the moment it is the latter ! Photo: Action Images Please report offensive, libellous or inappropriate posts by using the links provided.
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