Transcript
DailySaintsPod: Good morning, good afternoon, good evening and welcome back. to the Daily Saint pod. with Zach and Greg. I'm your host today, Zach. As always, join my wonderful, illustrious co -host.
DailySaintsPod: Rike, how you doing, mate?
Greg: I'm alright, mate. I've had a reasonably good weekend with... just that like tinge of disappointment early on. But other than that, I'm a good mate.
DailySaintsPod: disappointment week. We pulled off an incredible draw against newly promoted Lincoln. that That is what the pundits will say. XDDD can't even lie. Like, I can't even joke about it.
DailySaintsPod: Uh... Yeah, it was we you said something about the early kickoff never going well for us, but it just seems like we didn't really wake up properly.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: it's like you keep you you we We talked about it non -stop, obviously, as we did.
Greg: Wait.
DailySaintsPod: And, you know... We've watched the whole thing from start to finish. complaining about it to each other throughout the entirety of the match. And you summed it up and you can sum it up entirely, mate, by...
DailySaintsPod: We just never got out of second gear, right? And I feel like Flynn has frustration at the end of the you know game.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: kind of showed that And I feel like the biggest problem was that the subs that were brought on to make an impact.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: didn't really make an impact apart from help concede a goal.
Greg: And then... And then we... Yeah, I was going to say, and then we were like, oh, well, we'll just chuck an extra defender on because we're always really good at seeing out a 1 -0 lead. no and You're right. It was like, it even from the the first whistle, it was like, oh.
Greg: Yep, oh, they're just letting us have the ball. Okay, well, we'll pass it about a bit. Or we'll make a forward pass. Oh, no, better turn around. And, like, we didn't. We just didn't create enough from the possession that we had.
Greg: and And, you know, part of that was down to them letting us have the ball and keep their shape, sure.
DailySaintsPod: Greg. Greg.
Greg: but It's just like going back to last season, isn't it? Like, deja vu.
DailySaintsPod: Greg, quick what what am I going to say that that is going to upset you? Or maybe not.
Greg: It was a bit of Martin Bull.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Greg: Coming in.
DailySaintsPod: I'm watching...
Greg: but but But to be fair, I don't think it was that. I think i just think that we fell...
DailySaintsPod: No.
Greg: specifically into lincoln's trap and like we were we were trying to move it between their lines and their lines were well organized enough that they forced us back And then it forced us into this like possession style game of football. but having watched us play football for you know, at least some of this season so far, I think it's fair to say based on some of the performances.
Greg: That's not really what we try and do anymore. We're we're kind of better on the counter -attack.
DailySaintsPod: It doesn't suit. It doesn't.
Greg: It was a fast build -up.
DailySaintsPod: it doesn't suit us anymore right It doesn't suit us anymore.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: We don't have the players for it. But it did, it felt like a... like an RM game simply because of how the scoreline ended.
Greg: Hmm.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: One of our listeners, was I was chatting to, on on Twitter about it. and was trying to say, like from a historical standpoint, we have a real big problem.
DailySaintsPod: with dealing with like one like one -goal leads and how... it's a heartbreaking thing where it always happens towards the end. I was looking through all of like the old games and and past games and trying to figure out the sort of a timeline. And I look where... You were talking about how there was just a bunch of boring draws is what won us the championship under Martin.
DailySaintsPod: That wasn't really true. We actually had loads of wins. It was the fact that... The boring, annoying draws were the ones that hurt the most because they were usually like...
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: the 97th minute. like we've seen We've seen it today in the Premier League, right?
Greg: Always. It's just.
DailySaintsPod: Manchester United have just drawn with Everton.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And Ainsley Maitland -Niles, who I mugged off in our preview episode joining Everton, has gone on to... Get them a point right which you know, that's just that's just how I am whenever I put anything like that
Greg: Yeah. But look, in the... In a world full of... football philosophies and styles and... things needing to be the Southampton way.
Greg: and out of a playbook. Some things just can't transcend the DNA of a club, like don't sit back on a 1 -0 lead because we are going to concede.
DailySaintsPod: don't Don't sit back on a 1 -0 lead.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: don't bring a setback on because the other thing I thought of is when we brought Wood on is it reminded me entirely of that game where we lost to Blackburn.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: where we brought off Leo Cienza for Jack Stephens. This was under Will Steele. And then they immediately scored and then happened to go on to score a winner, which, you know, i I'm pretty sure was more of a nail in the coffin for Will Steele than the Preston game.
Greg: Hmm.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: Because that was really the decision where everyone went.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: well, that's just madness. And you even made the point that... Well, okay, he's made this decision. If it pays off, it's going to look like it was an absolute tactical genius. If it doesn't... it's gonna we're gonna pay for it and then almost immediately
Greg: It's a little stupid, yeah. Fine line between bravery and stupidity, right? And the that's the thing. and But the I mean... I've seen...
Greg: I've seen lots and i think I think at the time I was even of the opinion that it's a game where Tonda's decisions threw the points away because... bringing on a third centre -back is... is It's basically football suicide, right?
Greg: is it
DailySaintsPod: not not when Not when we should have just thrown the kitchen sink at it.
Greg: in cities. But... So... But yeah, but also... we just We shouldn't have only been 1 -0 up at that point anyway. like and And, you know, a combination of a bit of bad luck and just not... being sharp enough. I mean, the the goal that we did manage to get...
Greg: was not a goal that was created through any kind of... Like... methodical build up or set piece Like Wellington got... tired of passing it, so absolutely smashed one. From...
Greg: from From somewhere where he had absolutely no righty scoring from. and And you love to see it. Hehehe. But...
DailySaintsPod: So...
Greg: But also, right, like, that's it, right? Our only goal of the game came from our backup left -back scoring from, what, 35 yards?
DailySaintsPod: who, to be honest, wasn't having a great game up to that point.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Let's just face it.
Greg: And you know... just coming off the back of a transfer window where it's like wow we've got quite uh we do feel light in options up front but the quality that we have in the players is there and it's like but also None of them did anything today, so...
Greg: yeah I don't know it's just
DailySaintsPod: but you but the problem The problem is, is even even I understand that that's how a lot of people feel, and I agree that we're we're light and the options to change the game, but like we had our best... like Best guys on for the majority of that game, and it did nothing, right?
Greg: Yeah. Well, I mean, i mean like the the the very simple counter -argument to to the discourse around the transfer window and being light is is really an easy one to put to bed very quickly, mate.
DailySaintsPod: So...
Greg: Because a lot of the discourse I've seen is... Well, we we should have kept Cameron Archer and had another option to bring on up front. And I'm going to tell you now that if you bought Cameron Archer on in that game, he was going to make as much of an impact as any of the other players made on that game.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, no, I agree.
Greg: look
DailySaintsPod: And this is where people are kind of annoyed that they feel like the quality of striker. that There is a worry for a lot of people. The the same thing with Mbama is like Damien Downs, where we've assumed that he's going to be really good at hold up play because he's a big physical guy and so far hasn't shown that.
DailySaintsPod: But one the point I did want to make is like we had some of our best starting players out there, right?
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: lain sieza aza
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: Azaz Matski. Like the only... Out of all of them, the only ones that had a shot on target were Matski, who had a shot on target from his one of his two shots, and Cienzo, who almost had the ball in the back of the net.
Greg: Hmm. managed to hit both posts.
DailySaintsPod: but
Greg: are Just unbelievable.
DailySaintsPod: every Everyone else just... that Yeah, that that that was some sort of... That felt like it was a curse, but...
Greg: Voodoo.
DailySaintsPod: but for everybody else.
Greg: At that point, I knew we were drawing the game, by the way. It was destined to be. I saw i saw it happen. I'm like, this is what happened last year when Yanda hit both posts. It's exactly like carbon copy. And here's the thing, right, and... and you You know, Mubama didn't...
Greg: exactly make an impact when he came on but also to his credit we kind of the the legs that would have been providing him the service that he wanted were tiring at that point, or...
Greg: other players coming on also trying to make an impact and that's not the easiest of things to do But to me... Eh, eh, eh It's... I don't know, it it sounds almost too simple to have spotted.
Greg: and something that we raised in the preview. But like... Having a striker whose strength is hold -up play. against Now three centre -backs because they're playing with the back five.
Greg: is never going to work anyway. So and that's why we, you know, and then they were happy to let us have the ball because whenever we wanted to go long, they had it covered. And so then we end up in this passing game where we're trying to find the lines and it's just like, oh, but this isn't just...
Greg: booting one up to laryn to have one of the wingers run off him like we want because because there's too many defenders here and now we can't get through
DailySaintsPod: Toot. to To be honest, we're lucky we drew.
Greg: and that's why And that's why our only goal came from... what it came from. And that's what we needed to do more of. We just needed to shoot from outside of the box with quality more.
DailySaintsPod: i don't yeah I don't agree with that, with quality is the key part of it. There were shots, it just seemed that every single one of them just seemed to be picked up by some sort of jumbo jet jet stream, right?
DailySaintsPod: Because I don't know what was in the water, but I said to you, the amount of times that they've like lathered that ball, and it seems to have just been picked up by the northern wind.
Greg: a
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: By the way... fundamentally aware of where Lincoln is, completely just forgot last episode. Like...
Greg: What?
DailySaintsPod: Lincoln with the cathedral very much up north, but I just... Whatever. I don't know. I feel... I feel annoyed at myself for just not Not knowing that.
Greg: yeah
DailySaintsPod: But they... They deserve to win. We played exactly into their game plan, to be honest. And again, the only reason we were even 1 -0 up is that that Wellington just gave it a go and scored scored a goal where...
Greg: Yeah.
Greg: Yeah. His first Saints goal, by the way.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: scored a scored a goal similar in my mind to like when Kuka Martina scored because like exactly like I said to you unless he goes on to kind of become a first team regular he'll leave the club and that will probably want to be one of the things he's very much of what like remembered for.
DailySaintsPod: Just like Bouffal with the one West Brom go, right?
Greg: And I've got to be honest with you, mate. Apart from that one strike of the ball, he would did not have good game. like
DailySaintsPod: not brings me wonderfully onto the segue of what we always do, which is waffle for about 10 minutes and then suddenly realise we haven't even...
Greg: Bring it back.
DailySaintsPod: actually started at the beginning of the game.
Greg: there
DailySaintsPod: So lineups, lineups were slightly surprising today, mate. how did you How did you feel about them?
Greg: Uh, yeah, they were a blood night. I said that we might see Stevens come back into the mix. I did.
DailySaintsPod: You did? You said he's still, you know, he's still a part of play?
Greg: throw that one out there. I was still a bit surprised. I was still a bit surprised, but... but you know It makes sense. We knew. post -recording but before the game that Ward Prowse was definitely going to be starting so that was was nice
DailySaintsPod: I'll take that.
DailySaintsPod: I predicted that from day dot. And also, he basically, what, like, he played the entirety of the 90.
Greg: Yeah.
Greg: Mm.
DailySaintsPod: And, again, I think it's like, everyone's like, oh, he's old, but he's, you know, he's 30 -odd now.
Greg: He's always had an engine on him.
DailySaintsPod: And it's like... I just don't. Yeah, he's always had an engine, and the only reason that he's not played every minute of every game is because the players, like the managers, didn't want him to.
Greg: wise.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And clearly he has that. Like, he was flagging towards the end, but not anywhere near some of the players that were subbed off.
Greg: No.
DailySaintsPod: and You know, they're going to have to go again on on Tuesday.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: and And again, like... i will get to We'll get to how... thoughts on squad building and stuff, but... but it's continued to start at the start.
Greg: and
DailySaintsPod: Schlotterbeck had another good game. He seems to be, you know, as much as we criticise Sports Republic and...
Greg: Yeah, he was good. eson
DailySaintsPod: just the general, like, hey, you seem to have stripped us down to bare bones. He is an exciting player. He has managed to get us up out of our seats.
Greg: He made some really exciting passes that kind of skipped the middle line to try and get out fast to the wingers, which is
DailySaintsPod: And he scored, yeah.
Greg: you know, good promising sign. Wellington coming in was a bit of a surprise for Manning, right? I don't think that anyone saw that coming, did they?
DailySaintsPod: Is it just that Manning has played so much? Is it they thought that they needed somebody a bit more physical?
Greg: Maybe.
DailySaintsPod: Did they did they like look at the profile of you know i think who was on that side house and decide that you know they needed somebody a bit more...
Greg: and
DailySaintsPod: strong
Greg: That is a... I mean house. was a man who... hates wingers and fullbacks.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah. that was that That was very...
Greg: Yes, sir. I love it
DailySaintsPod: Again, it was very much like...
Greg: I can't do this.
DailySaintsPod: Very much...
Greg: We've got so much respect for that old school, like... Brute mentality of... Like he... Step over? Nope. Kick into Rosehead.
Greg: Love it. but but But with effectiveness and generally speaking within the letter of the law, you've you've got to admire it. But yeah, I don't know. Maybe they looked at the the series of games and knew that Manning would need a rest and pick this one to rest in.
Greg: is is probably the honest answer.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah? No, I mean... And it... it were like you know Although we said that Wellington struggled, ultimately he's the reason we picked up a point. right if you know that He's the reason we're not on zero.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Because I... There is a world where we don't score that goal and that game ends up just 1 -0 to Lincoln. and would be an incredible result for them.
Greg: Yeah, and and I don't... I don't know if he really did have a... bad game. But I think that he suffered the same fate that we'll talk about presumably later in the episode when we get to substitutions that Sammy Adozy suffered, where he was definitely trying.
Greg: really hard, maybe... too hard maybe thinking about it too much and so the mistakes he was making were like outwardly visible.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, and I think that maybe it's just because he was rusty.
Greg: but But none of them really led to anything. None of them really led to anything particularly bad. kind of defensively. But also he is, I mean...
Greg: Neither of our left -back choices. a really... defensively minded, are they? let's let's Let's throw that one out there.
DailySaintsPod: no No, and that that is also part of the problem, and like keeping a clean sheet has also been part of the problem, which doesn't bode well for...
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: And again, some of the defence are still getting to know each other. And, you know... there's been obviously tactical changes and bits and pieces, but. it It was a surprise. The rest of the lineup, as you pointed out, was pretty much what we expected.
DailySaintsPod: I predicted the James Ward -Prowse, and I'm um'm happy with that.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: It turned out to be the case. Matsky played. Again, physical back line, and I think he had a pretty good game.
Greg: Yeah. Great sense.
DailySaintsPod: Buh. But to be honest, the entire front line just wasn't able to deal with the game plan that Lincoln had in place.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And as you pointed out, it just kind of petered out until we finally...
Greg: But.
DailySaintsPod: scored a wonder goal. And then... you know, again, like it just never felt like there was a.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: a sense of urgency and that might just be
Greg: No, that was it. It was just, oh, passing it about. Might score, might just knock it about. It's probably job done. I don't see them scoring. That was the vibe I got from the players on the pitch. That was not the vibe I had.
Greg: I sat there and watched it. We're going to concede here. This is stupid.
DailySaintsPod: that's not the That's not necessarily the vibe I had from from all of the players.
Greg: but
DailySaintsPod: like I think that you know Flynn put in a really good performance and you could tell he was annoyed at the end.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: I think James Wood Pryor was putting in a really good performance. He almost scored from a set piece again. like I feel like that goal is just coming. It will happen again.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: And it will hopefully happen at St. Mary's. but But like...
Greg: Tuesday night. Have a nice.
DailySaintsPod: People pointed it out. that you know that that there was a Sky thing about how his... his backwards and sideways passes.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And there were like a couple of.
Greg: It didn't. Didn't... Put that. Bye. sentiment to bed, did it? Because there was... one forward pass out of the bunch, but I mean...
Greg: There's something to be said for... The speed in which he moves the ball and the quality of the pass. So. It's not like... It's a completely different ball game than Russell Martin backwards and sideways because actually it's normally like making himself available to pick the ball up from a centre -back under position under pressure and then sideways passing it off to a winger to run into space. so it's It's definitely much more forgivable.
DailySaintsPod: i i I say it more as a joke.
Greg: But... He didn't do any favours to it.
DailySaintsPod: and you summed it up almost perfectly with the fact that it's not because it's like a style of football we're trying to play. It was, we were forced into that by the opposition and that's what, and that's what tired everybody out.
Greg: Hmm.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And like, you know, Lauren struggled and was clearly frustrated that, you know, he wasn't able to get a goal. And then obviously, as you pointed out, like Adozie was the first sub brought on with Mbamah. Mbamah, I don't, I can't just remember really any of the moments in the game he was there.
DailySaintsPod: like if i'm If I'm totally honest.
Greg: he He ran out the keeper a bit and then there was that one where he kind of left it. I'm guessing, assuming there was a... wing of running onto it but he was on his own and there wasn't and it looked really dumb and that hasn't done him any favours either.
DailySaintsPod: okay there you go so he he had a total of one shots and seven passes And he was on the field for 30 minutes.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: So...
Greg: Yeah, not not high impact.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
Greg: But again, you know, Laren struggled to get into the game as well for the same reason, because as a lone striker, regardless of your profile. When you're up against the back foot, are you finding that space and receiving the ball in that space?
Greg: is a really difficult thing to do.
DailySaintsPod: You know...
Greg: And it it looked a lot more promising for, there were parts of the second half where... Leo was drifting in more... a bit more centrally and playing almost like a second striker with wellington pushing higher up on the left and then we were kind of crowding the box and that was where we had our best chances obviously there was one that the the one that hit both posts there was one before that that went narrowly wide and another one that was straight at the keeper but
DailySaintsPod: But that was that was still having...
DailySaintsPod: That was still requiring Leo to basically just decide to do it on his own because, you know. everyone else couldn't really be bothered and there was a few times that Azaz looked like he was going to do something and then ended up just kind of not being able to because again they were just mute they were just you know
Greg: Hmm. I'm just... crowded out.
DailySaintsPod: they were just muting us in a good way.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: but the other the other thing that was like you know i understand that leo's game management You know, I get why we can't play him for the full 90 most of the time. But again, you made the point of they they brought on a dozy, which...
DailySaintsPod: was a surprise. Obviously, they said that he might, you know, get straight back into the squad. And what it looked like was that the conversation was had, so you want to play more, okay? Prove to us. why you want to be on the pitch. and Then you've got a young guy that's trying desperately to impress in a team that has ridiculously high expectations.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: And he is now with us because, you know, there were that you know I don't know we're never going to know all the details about why you know it might be that he turned down Cardiff and that we turned down everybody else that he wanted to go to whatever the out the of the answer is he's now a Southampton player at least until January right I'm not going to say for the rest of the season we don't know there's another window and I feel like in that window already looking at the squad they're probably going to strengthen which is wild to say because it's been closed all of six days
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And... Yeah, I think that... He just struggled from wanting to come on one, wanting to make an impact. And, you know, we're all going to talk about it. You know, the moment where he kind of decided to get himself on a 2v1.
DailySaintsPod: almost just gave it to them. And luckily the ref gave a foul. like, you know, a way to to to us.
Greg: Mm.
DailySaintsPod: Whereas if not, there was a good chance that his pocket would have been picked and we would have been at that point equalized. They would have equalized a lot earlier earlier on, right? And again, that was all just like a bunch of step overs.
DailySaintsPod: And I think you, you said it to me.
Greg: uh
DailySaintsPod: The physicality of him is is is an issue, but...
Greg: Okay.
Greg: Yeah, he just...
DailySaintsPod: The physicality of Leo isn't great either.
DailySaintsPod: It's just that he has an end product and an assist product.
Greg: He's The, He's got the physical consistency on a ball. on the ball. of of a Flake left out in the rain. Like he just, like he will run and try and take on a player and sometimes he'll beat the first player and then he'll...
Greg: like graze another player and then he's off on the floor or or sometimes he'll just he just As... you know, as as well as not quite seeming to... to physically be able to push through, which which is probably more forgivable in a game like this, where, to be fair, Lincoln were...
Greg: you know, very physically present team.
DailySaintsPod: Mm -hmm.
Greg: Although, again, to be fair to them... largely within the letter of the law so just No. like needlessly aggressive but just big bulking blokes right
Greg: but also just trying to do too much like you take on two and instead of releasing it try and take on the third or instead of you know making the quick pass try and take it on when that wasn't really on and it was Yeah, it was just a bit. It didn't really amount to...
Greg: i mean a huge amount of anything really but then He was trying. to to create that space and find that space and And, you know... it I don't know. I don't think anybody on the pitch wasn't trying. It's just like they...
Greg: They just couldn't. kick into the gear they needed to kick into like they were just Just like not quite there just stuck in say in second gear.
DailySaintsPod: But that that isn't that isn't goingnna how we're going to... If the goal is to... win the league that's not how you win the league that's the problem you you have to turn on for these games
Greg: Yeah. Yeah, it'ss it's not like they weren't trying to like shift up to third. It's like the clutch was stuck. I don't know if this lot and analogy has actually has legs, right? But they like it's not like they were...
Greg: deliberately. stuck in that gear like i i could see the effort that they were all trying they just didn't manage it at any point and it was Yeah, it was frustrating. i don't know I don't know what part you need to fix that gearbox.
Greg: it's the is's the problem That's Tonda's problem coming into Tuesday.
DailySaintsPod: It, uh... probably Probably not to play three games in under seven days, right? That's that's part of the issue.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And you know you had that incredible energy off of beating Millwall, sliding into you know a kind of disappointing draw. up at birmingham and then a couple of days before yeah we know got in today and and Yeah, it's it's difficult.
DailySaintsPod: and
Greg: It's always harder to play back -to -back away games as well, right? like You've got to factor in that even travelling by whatever... luxury means.
Greg: championship teams travel with is still You've still got to travel. Right. Like it's still.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, but we...
Greg: 200 miles up north somehow, and that's not...
DailySaintsPod: We can always...
Greg: It's not something to not take. like to be up in Birmingham on a Tuesday.
DailySaintsPod: Look at stuff like that, though.
Greg: back down to Staplewood Wednesday, Thursday, and then presumably up to Lincoln. Presumably Friday just after Tonda's press conference because we know that he leaves them until the... you know very last minute on a Friday that he possibly can.
Greg: So if he had the press conference at 8, I'm guessing they left at like, what, 10, half 10. like it's just It's just a lot. And... you know it's it's very easy to say, oh, well, for the amount of money they paid, it shouldn't make a difference. But like...
Greg: also we talk about how at this level the actual difference is the spine margins and things like that probably play in more than we think they do. But. it doesn't make it any less frustrating
DailySaintsPod: yeah that's basically where I'm at like it's a team we would have been expected to beat and it's not the first time it's happened and it it most likely won't be the last and you know I don't want to be caught out.
DailySaintsPod: And I don't want to be disrespectful to by saying that, but ultimately we probably would have turned up expecting to win the game. I do want to say Lincoln support, absolutely fantastic. Good Lord, that you know that's a proper that's a proper like English Football League club who are just loving life being there, right?
Greg: Just old school, innit? Love it.
DailySaintsPod: And and then it's where it's where you take a step back and forget that we you know we've we've been...
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: sort of supporting a club that has had a significantly large amount of Premier League football in the last 20 years, right? And it's kind of when you when you see a fan base like that, you're like, oh yeah, no, you're right.
DailySaintsPod: And and like...
Greg: Yeah. Well, that's what I mean, right?
DailySaintsPod: Ultimately, you know, they they had more to probably lose in their mind than...
Greg: like Please.
DailySaintsPod: And a draw for them is massive.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: For us, it's it's two points dropped.
Greg: Huge.
DailySaintsPod: That's the...
Greg: It definitely feels that way, but I mean, to be fair, the the way that Lincoln played and the sort of...
DailySaintsPod: Simple as that.
Greg: based off of their current form in the league. I think there's a not 0 % chance that they... you know, massively over -performed compared to people's expectations this season. And maybe maybe in 10 games' time, we're looking back at this and going, eh, actually, it's probably a decent point on the on the balance of things. But it doesn't feel that way. It does feel like points dropped, especially the way, you know, dropping the points from behind, trying to see out the lead and not managing to. But... but
Greg: At least we didn't lose. Right?
DailySaintsPod: yeah we we we didn't we didn't lose and that that does feel like a game that it could have happened and like they had more shots than us mate more shots on target But in comparison to attempts outside the box, that was our biggest issue is that you said that we should have just started lathering them where we can.
Greg: Like...
DailySaintsPod: Literally, most of our shots did come from, let's just try and lather it into the back of net and it didn't work.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And. yeah it's just it's going to be one of those games but again i don't want to start too many and the problem is is that whenever we have a performance like this especially so early on to the season it raises questions. you know There are already people being like, oh, how much time does Tonda have? Which is always going to be the case after the summer. But on top of that, you've also got... you know
DailySaintsPod: you've you've got the fact that for a lot of people, the The end of the transfer window was really, really underwhelming. People expected more. Now, they said from day one that they're going to, you know...
DailySaintsPod: sort of trim down the squad. People said, you know, oh, well, we prompt we were promised like a bigger, exciting squad. And I don't remember the exact words, but I swear it was that we will have a team that will get you out of your seat at St.
DailySaintsPod: Mary's. That is not the same as we are going to have like the best team in the championship by far.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And and people already being like, they're breaking.
Greg: Yeah. just means they're putting another stand of safe standing in so you can't sit down anyway
DailySaintsPod: There you go. But, like, it's it's it's just...
Greg: Yeah.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: But I completely respect and understand, because I so i feel it myself, this sort of like, well, what happens if Laron picks up an injury? Bye.
Greg: Yeah, 100%.
DailySaintsPod: That's a lot on the shoulders of one guy.
Greg: We're on on a knife edge.
DailySaintsPod: and What happens if Sienza picks up an injury? like At the moment, you know do you feel like Dobbin or Edozi could be be in and make the same level of impact?
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: What happens if we if we go into the FA Cup and do well?
Greg: Bye.
DailySaintsPod: Are we just going to have to wait until... january And the fact that we're already talking about the January window is insane.
Greg: What?
Greg: But like the same even further back down the pitch, right? like Flynn if Flynn goes out Prowse and Bragg, is that physically strong enough? sweep set up that we're happy to play with.
Greg: I don't know. Breezy, like if Bree goes out, do we have another right back? I guess we've got Abbott potentially to come in, right?
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, like I don't know if...
Greg: He said he'd have a right back, but...
DailySaintsPod: Rorislav had some time in pre -season and then we haven't heard from him since at all. I don't know if he's injured again. He...
DailySaintsPod: did not you know doesn't seem to be traveling with the team there seems to be no conversation and there's this whole awkward thing about what's happening with aaron ramsdale and i i think that part of the reason that we've had this you know putting my putting my tinfoil hat on here i think part of the reason we've had such this sort of like what people consider to be lackluster transfer window is it started off really well they've negotiated on loads of outs over a significant period of time there are a bunch of people expected to go out from day dot right ben barrett and diaz uh sugawara quite a few others and all of those like moves have been sort of completed and they probably went okay well look at Ramsdale how much are we going to get for him realistically like 10 15 maybe 20 million
Greg: Hmm.
Greg: and
DailySaintsPod: None of that's happened because probably from core poor communication with the loan player and he's come back off of loan and they have they've not got an offer from Newcastle and there hasn't been offers elsewhere. So now we're stuck with, you know, as Alfie House called him, a giant bag of money with gloves who is now taking that money out of the the bank account of Saints.
Greg: Yeah.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And that's why it doesn't look to be necessarily a path for reintegration either because of, you know... as I think Tonda was trying to put it lightly, right? that he he's made promises to players that he has brought into the club.
DailySaintsPod: And I think he was put it quite eloquently in the sense of that Ramsdale's story began before he was there. So basically he's not interested in that narrative.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And we know that...
Greg: Bye. Peace. It's kind of crazy and it's...
DailySaintsPod: Peace. Hmm.
Greg: but Realistically, it's... it's It's almost like... It's discontent and distraction when actually what we crave is some level of stability and just to like kick start But...
Greg: But also, like... Four games unbeaten now. I know that two of them are draws, but... But that's still... you know potentially the start of a run Right.
Greg: And like you say, two or three.
DailySaintsPod: yeah There's a run going on.
Greg: Two or three games now. I think it's three games. three four games to the international break something like that and you know 12 points from that. You know.
Greg: You write this one off as happy days.
DailySaintsPod: We're outside the relegation zone. We're doing better than Burnley. Burnley have now decided to resurrect Jamie Vardy of all people as a signing today for the free agent and it's there's a lot going on around us in the table and people that are struggling. more and there will be people that struggle more over the season.
DailySaintsPod: and we will have we you know We will have chances to capitalise.
Greg: Hmm.
DailySaintsPod: My point is that I think that it wasn't a disastrous window. I think that they wanted to do more and their hands were tied with what they have to currently deal with. If you're looking at the wages of Ramsdale on the sheet, and and then the people might say, well, you know, why are we not playing him?
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Then that's madness. And yeah, you might be right. you might It might be madness, you know, but ultimately...
Greg: But also if the plan since day one has been to not have him and not play him, why are we suddenly changing the plan just because he's here, right? Like it's not.
DailySaintsPod: and Again, might might entirely change if Peretz picks up an injury, right? and And we decide suddenly that, you know, George Long isn't playing in goal.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Or what I could actually see happening is that, for example, Peretz picks up an injury, Long has a game, we get absolutely battered, and then Ramsdale steps in. that That could also be a a a what -if scenario, right?
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: But I think that that piece of business specifically, a legacy of the of the previous promotion campaign,
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: has come back to bite us in a way that has resulted in them not being able to quite do as much as they'd want to. which has then subsequently meant that the players they've promised to get moves, you know, Archer, another example, I imagine Jay, another person that's doing great on his loan spell.
DailySaintsPod: has is why they've now instead managed to hold on to a discontented... Sam, a dozy. and not be able to really reinforce an extra position.
DailySaintsPod: striker because I feel like if you say any if you say to anyone, like any team, hey, you only have two strikers entirely. you know i the I think Dobbin has also played in that position, but...
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: I can't see that happening.
Greg: you wouldn't want like You wouldn't want to bank on it, would you? It's like, yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Hi.
Greg: i Ramsdale probably played in that position at youth level. I'm not suggesting that that's the way we we reintegrate him to the squad, you know?
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, so I... And the thing is that... I... one -all draw against... Lincoln City newly promoted from League One. that's that's That's the perception, right?
DailySaintsPod: But ultimately, the the positive that you want to take of it is, yeah, you're you're right.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: We're on an unbeaten streak. We're out of the relegation zone. We're out of negative points. We're actually sitting on four now. you know it's it's but It could be much, much, much worse. Buh.
DailySaintsPod: it doesn't feel that way yet
Greg: Peace. Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And it's up to the squad and Tonda to resolve that problem.
Greg: No, look, it... It feels like... Points dropped. But... but not beyond the point of recoverability right like you say the next few games really will dictate.
Greg: how we, I guess... fit through the the kind of the rest of this run before before it gets to like the really crazy part near Christmas, right? When all of a sudden all those games come ticking fast again.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Put it this way, if we if we won that game, all of a sudden we sit 10th and we're having a massive, great and incredible conversation. And, you know, you can put that down to tonda's tactics last minute and Ultimately we do.
DailySaintsPod: But they've still... got before we know it hopefully this will just be a drop in the ocean of what is We're hoping a successful season, but... If. it doesn't turn out to be quite successful.
DailySaintsPod: I can see the inquest opening with this game.
Greg: For sure. 100%. And I like the really disappointing part for me. Is the... like a lot of last season when we had games like this, like I think you think back to the Swansea game, right? It's like, oh, we had.
Greg: loads of chances and if just one of them had gone our way Whereas this game kind of wasn't like that in that it's like... Just... I kind of wish we'd have been a bit more creative. Like, yeah. If Leo's shot that goes off both posts is...
Greg: that like millimeters either way, it's probably a goal. And then we win and it's a different story, but also like. And that and Ward Prowse basically shooting directly from a corner that nearly went in.
Greg: But like, other than that. can't I can't remember. one of the other shots on target. they weren't clear and cut enough and in fact just the fact that Lincoln had more shots on target than us.
Greg: is is the upsetting part.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, but as I said, there was there was something in the air that seemed to... like I don't know if there was like a secret helicopter flying above the stadium that just... Pulled up every single ball.
Greg: Yeah. But... but But they also had more shots. in general than us, and that in itself is is also concerning. right like we we We should be doing more to create more.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Yes.
DailySaintsPod: Agreed.
Greg: And that that is, I guess, the real concern to take from the game. and but yeah know especially coming out of a game where we scored five. Like it's... I dunno.
Greg: It's a strange one. But like you say, win the next one, you write it off. Chalk it down is one of them things.
DailySaintsPod: Look, maybe we're finally...
Greg: At least it's appointed. that you know some old school way of thinking to be fair is that if you win your home games and draw your away games you're you're doing well above average. so
DailySaintsPod: it just It just says to me that, like...
Greg: I don't know if I buy into it. But...
DailySaintsPod: Fortress St. Mary's, right? That's what's happening now. We're ending up in a situation where like the crowd are making that much of a difference to get it over the line.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Whereas, you know, I think back to that that Premier League season. where what it was was the bitter taste of disappointment every single game.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: And it was predicting how much we would lose by and hope of being pleasantly surprised. I've done quite a bit of YouTube cleanup over the weekends. I've allowed my hyper fixation to go back and change hundreds of our old episodes. And when I say hundreds, I mean hundreds right back to the Russell Martin era. And and that includes, you know, watching bits of episodes where. the the level of
DailySaintsPod: you know it wasn't it wasn't We weren't able to have a discussion where we were like, wow, we're really disappointed that we had a 1 -0 draw against Lincoln. and It was like even our 1 -0 win against Everton was absolute cack. And the only game that any of us ever enjoyed seemed to be that. Like...
DailySaintsPod: I think it was FA Cup game against Swansea, but every other...
Greg: Well, we managed to put off, I feel like every conversation was like, well, we managed to put in a performance for eight minutes this week and that is an improvement. So maybe if we can start stringing it into maybe like half of a half, maybe we could get somewhere.
DailySaintsPod: Yeah, and obviously with the money that we've spent, at the money we've taken in, we should you know demand a level of excellence from the club and from the players and from the manager. And I understand that completely. But it did make me kind of go.
DailySaintsPod: Well, it could be worse.
Greg: yeah Absolutely.
DailySaintsPod: it's been It's been significantly worse and you know Coventry are on track to have a similar level of season.
Greg: alert Yeah, exactly right look It's one of those things, right? It's one of those draws where it feels more like a loss because that is is the nature of these things sometimes. but But...
Greg: But you know to be fair, even the time between the the game happening and us recording on Sunday evening. i'm feeling I'm already starting to feel a bit better and I'm looking forward to getting down to St Mary's on Tuesday.
DailySaintsPod: Well, but before before we know it, it'll be we're playing you know at at Swansea. the The only other thing that I could see that could really get potentially more more of the crowd onside. and and actually open up an avenue is to use the academy.
DailySaintsPod: And they talked about that a lot during the summer. And then we've, we've kind of showed it a little bit and, you know, and then I was kind of a bit disappointed that, you know, Ollacunley went on loan.
DailySaintsPod: He is now... playing for Leighton Orion, I think trying to follow in the... like, footsteps of, I guess, Don Ballard, who's having a really good season, looking around at previous Saints over the weekend and who's picked up goals and scored, because I like to do that sometimes.
DailySaintsPod: You know, Jimmy J. Morgan's still on sort of a generational run. Armando Brugia, not so much. But my point is that, like...
Greg: you
DailySaintsPod: we we have an academy there that maybe we should utilize a little bit more and that that might be a
Greg: Yeah. Sure, but look, there are there are these...
DailySaintsPod: solution to some of the problems.
Greg: that's the thing right is that some academy players can step immediately and step into the first team and have a high impact or at least like a good enough impact to stake their claim some of these youth players kind of need that middle step between youth play and and first team at our level play right and that's why they've gone out on loan because because they they're too good for the under -21s, but also not quite good enough to make an impact in our first team.
DailySaintsPod: I agree, and that's that's why loans are good. but
Greg: so Go away, get those minutes and get that experience and hopefully come back at the point where they will be good enough to next year. Do it for us.
DailySaintsPod: But I think my my point is that I reckon if you have somebody, you know... that say had to the temperament of of tyler dibbling before everything kind of went chaotic towards the end of that season where you've got a player that can come on and
DailySaintsPod: No. think too much of the occasion because again we pointed out with the leo sienza a dozy situation you've got a guy that has so much to prove that completely understandably so that completely overthought it for the 30 minutes he was on the pitch. And I think you randomly pull someone up from the academy and give them a chance, it's not as bad. I get that we're not at that stage yet.
DailySaintsPod: I just think it would be interesting to see us utilize it a lot more.
Greg: On the other hand, if we if they'd done that and chucked Prince on who's been scoring goals for fun in the under -21s and the same outcome happens, this conversation becomes...
DailySaintsPod: That's all.
Greg: Why are we chucking kids at it? We've got ven all this money on Dobbin and didn't let Dozie go. Why are we letting them come on do and do it when we've got these players that should be doing it? so
DailySaintsPod: No. No, you're right, Greg.
Greg: Slow winning, mate.
DailySaintsPod: No matter what anyone says, there's discourse. That's called existence. You're right. All I'm saying is that we have a bit a top -notch, expensive academy. full of players that supposedly they've banged on about non -stop. I think that we should capitalise on it more. And they said they were going to do that due to the lack of transfer options. But so far... that doesn't seem to be the case. And all I'm saying is I wouldn't be upset to see maybe an extra academy name in the subs list, you know?
DailySaintsPod: That's all.
Greg: Look, we've got plenty of academy players playing in our team at the moment, mate. What do you want? Ward Prowse came up through the academy. He's a fresh youngster, just signed back off of a long loan period.
DailySaintsPod: But, years old. Stop. this is like that yeah This is where I know that I'm like getting into my mid -30s now, when I'm thinking of players who are 20, like 18, 19, just coming up, and it turns out that that isn't the case at all.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: I'm just older and they're all actually like late twenties, early thirties, you know,
Greg: and
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: Zaha is currently a winger that's on a free air like it's a free agent. I was like, we can pick him up. How old could he be at this point? And I'm like, oh, okay. No, maybe we shouldn't do that.
DailySaintsPod: Right. Huh. Yeah, no, you're right. And so... that that that was my point but That is just about all we've got time for. My complete lack of timekeeping today has meant that you're getting a pretty bumper matchday review. LAUGHTER We had a lot to say, Greg, turns out, for this one -all draw versus Lincoln.
Greg: Always.
DailySaintsPod: We will be back tomorrow for what is most likely, what when are we playing? Is it Tuesday or Wednesday?
Greg: Match preview, mate. It was straight into match preview. No time for the rest.
DailySaintsPod: Straight into match preview.
Greg: we go That's it.
DailySaintsPod: Don't get to talk about anything else. We'll eventually will eventually like rate the transfer window, but I feel like you're already starting to get a feeling of...
Greg: right
DailySaintsPod: how we felt about it.
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: yeah
Greg: What's that old Michelin web? look sketch the football started and it's never stopping it's coming and there's another match The two giants are facing each other and making each other look average sized. That was us yesterday, right? so
DailySaintsPod: Oh, no, that's every derby game ever that just ends in one all and no one cares because that's ultimately where, you know, whenever you try and build up a...
Greg: Yeah.
DailySaintsPod: A big...
Greg: And today's winners, Hampshire Constabulary.
DailySaintsPod: Get it, guys.
Greg: Way right.
Greg: os
DailySaintsPod: That wonderful piece of commentary.
DailySaintsPod: Take it how you will.
Greg: if
DailySaintsPod: We will see you in the next episode for the match preview for our game against current league leaders, Swansea. We are on all of the social media. We are on Facebook. We are on Twitter. We are on Blue Sky. We are on Instagram. We are on...
DailySaintsPod: YouTube, YouTube, as I said. I'm working on getting playlists together so it's going to be easy access that you can see all of our older content. You can see some of our player profiles so that when I mention that we've done a profile on a player and you might... decide that you want to look it up. You literally can't because we've named it something absolutely obscure and ridiculous. So yeah.
DailySaintsPod: that That should all be sorted soon. But whatever you're up to, have a wonderful morning, wonderful afternoon. Wonderful evening, and we will see you in the next one.
