It was an unchanged side for the visit of Nottingham Forest and it was an unchanged performance, as we struggled to create clear chances and gave away a goal through poor defending.

Russell Martin stuck with the starting line up he employed at Newcastle 7 days earlier and he got the same result, although it has to be said that the manner of the performance was not the same.

At Newcastle, Saints looked strong in the first 30 minutes, in this game from the start the visitors looked up for it and in the first half seemed to be able to create chances at will.

The second half was not much better and it we were punished in the 70th minute when Forest got what turned out to be the only goal of the game and the winner.

At this stage Saints had yet to make a substitution and there will be some say we were getting stronger as the game went on, but the fact is we were still struggling to create opportunities.

We paid the price when the ball was cleared to the edge of the area following a corner, fact is that Joe Aribo should have put his foot through the ball and cleared it, he was under pressure from two Forest players, he opted to try and run with the ball and lost possession and seconds later it was in the back of our net.

Not a major error, but certainly one of judgement, there are some occasions where keeping the ball has to go out the window and it has to be cleared, this was one of them !

Given that we had left some good attacking options on the bench, in new signings Cameron Archer, Mateus Fernandes as well as Tyler Dibling, Sam Edozie & Sam Amo-Ameyaw, it was strange that with 70 minutes gone and virtually zero chances created, that a change hadn't been made.

Straight after the goal we made two substitutions and 3 minutes later made two more, did that help our cause ? I would say it made things worse, we took off our leading scorer Adam Armstrong and brought on Sam Edozie, no offence to Edozie but I know who I would rather have on the pitch when I am chasing a goal.

Some will say that stats don't matter, but a look at the data from this game and it is damning, we had 65% possession, but we had only 1 shot on target, they had 8.

In terms of attempts on goal, we had 5, they had 23, that tells the story of the game, in the main we were quite comfortable defending, the goal conceded aside, but going forward we were pedestrian and dire, we had no central focus, both Ben Brereton-Diaz & Adam Armstrong seemed to stay out wide and unlike the visitors we had no one in the box to aim at.

So a disappointing day at the office, it had many worrying issues, but it also did have some hope going forward, we have discipline and we have the foundations of a good squad, we just need to add a couple of players and utilise others already in the squad.

For me the big disappointment though, was the way that the fans left early, yes it was a disappointing game but with 6 minutes of injury time added and given the number of goals scored late on last season, it must have been disheartening for the players on the pitch to see the fans leaving in droves, just when they needed them.

imago via reuters

JoeEgg added 09:25 - Aug 27 Well I guess that was a fairly predictable summary Nick and not one you were hoping to write. Unfortunately Russell Martin is an arrogant and stubborn young man who is convinced that he's going to make it to the very top in management even if we aren't! Without some new forward strength I really cant see where the next Saints goal is coming from at this level. We dont get the ball forward quickly enough and any forwards that we have already got are lost out on the wing somewhere. I am sure Smallbone is a great fan of Russell's, but to expect him to power his way into the box and score us a goal or two at this level is at best incredibly shortsighted. The Premier League can be divided once again into two halves - the Clubs with money and quality players and then the rest that will struggle and fight each other to stay in the League. If we dont sign a true goalscorer at this Level we will finish in the bottom three without any doubt. At Newcastle McCarthy rightly took the blame, but he would be the last person to blame for the defeat against Forest. The blame for our poor start lies firmly at the feet of the manager and it remains to be seen how long his arrogance and stubbornness prevails and prevents us from moving forward.

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landsdownsaint added 09:29 - Aug 27 Aribo , Smallbone & Armstrong shouldn’t be starting games at this level , you could see BBD frustration! RM needs to get the new blood in asap , & I got to say what the hell is Jack Stephen’s doing in the first eleven ? His passing stats maybe really good but his movement along with the said players above is nowhere near good enough for the PL , none of them having any vision & they can’t get the ball out their feet quick enough ! … Armstrong included at this level

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derbydog added 09:32 - Aug 27 Fernandes looked good. Dibling always looks a threat. I don’t like the role your mate Stephens plays, but he does play it well. I’m a four at the back and proper midfield players in front of them merchant. I would sooner see Downes and the unpronounceable Chelsea kid play in front of a back four, and four attacking players in front of them. Fernandes and Dibling in attacking midfield and any two of our now four strikers up top?

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wessexman added 09:41 - Aug 27 To stay up we have to beat teams like Forest at home. What I find criminal is the lack of urgency, more so when we went behind. RM is now THE problem. One shot on target is simply staggering. We have now lost our two opening games 1 - 0 because on both occasions we persisted in this bonkers strategy of playing out from the back and we made a complete mess of it. The most galling thing is RM lamenting the team's lack of urgency in his post match interview. RM!!!!!!!!!!!!.......you are the bloody manager!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The message is simple.....we are on course to be relegated by Xmas if RM refuses to change tactics. As for so many fans leaving......WHY depress yourself further when you know the manager is stubborn and arrogant?

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saintmark1976 added 09:42 - Aug 27 “ It must have been disheartening for the players on the pitch to see the fans leaving in droves, just when they needed them”. Perhaps they would have remained if they had a centre forward to watch ?
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beynali73 added 09:44 - Aug 27 Fair report Nick and the way Forest scored is instructive of this league compared with the championship i.e. any small misjudgement will be punished. Although not convinced by RM I want him to succeed as like others I'm fed up with the constant change of managers - it sets the club back and doesn't provide stability. However to succeed he is going to have to adjust his approach to games and utilise the large squad at his disposal and try a different approach if his preferred methods don't work. Sports Rep also need to rationalise their approach if they are serious about making us an established top flight club again. Loading the club with young players, loans and sub standard players is what got us relegated from a very weak premiership a few seasons ago - we're in danger of going the same way. I'm sure the farcical financial fair play rules play a role in their thinking but the answer isn't to buy expensive mediocrity but to focus where the squad genuinely needs improving. COYRs

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onetowatch added 09:49 - Aug 27 How can RM watch this game from the sidelines without recognising very early on that playing our furthest forward 2 players on opposite touchlines without anyone pushing through the middle was never going to work. Their 2 CBs were completely redundant. Add to that, Smallbone playing as if under instruction to never turn once he's received the ball, THB (whom most of us rate very highly) having his worst game in a Saints shirt and the persistence with the slowest transition going forward in the league, it all adds up to a frustrating afternoon for everyone. RM must bury his pride, start making the best use of the squad he has, rather than picking favourites, and install a sense of intent and urgency in getting the ball forward - not panic, but urgency...rather than waiting until we're a goal down each week...

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jameslastfan added 09:54 - Aug 27 Forest certainly were up for it. Started strong an knew what they had to do. I think that is a big weakness for us - we are really a plan A team - we start one way and at this level teams can throw a spoke in our wheel easily. Changing so late in the game doesn’t help - Dibling on at 84 minutes…really? It was so obvious from the 60th ( if not before what was wrong) and that always feels around the time to makes subs. On to Brentford, via Cardiff. Cardiff much more the level of Smallbone, Armstrong and Aribo - after a year in EFL they are still not Premier players. Do the same as before and get the same results. Come on Saints - home should be a fortress and something was missing in the stadium and the pitch on Saturday.

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IanRC added 10:00 - Aug 27 Utterly pathetic, no chances created, no Alcaraz on the bench and it looks like he's played his last game for us. The game was screaming out the him to be brought on to run at their defence but oh no Russell Martin knows best. Agree it is very difficult to see whether next goal is coming from let alone having any hope of surviving in this league. Sam Amo-Ayew should play instead of the completely ineffective Edozi when necessary and why Tyler Dibling was only given 10 minutes at the end beggars belief given our inability to create any decent chances. Last season at the end we were lucky to scrape promotion but unless we get some proper creative players onto the field and a decent striker we are going straight back down.

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blubberboy added 10:17 - Aug 27 I trust RM but was surprised we didn't switch to a flat back four at half-time as we were being overrun in midfield. Ugochukwu for Stephens seemed an obvious change to me. We need to start with Archer (or Alberto if we get him) as a genuine Number 9. Dibling will be great for us but he's not quite ready to start games. The Cardiff game will be really interesting now as we'll find out how good some of these new signings really are.

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dirk_doone added 10:28 - Aug 27 Although I didn't leave early I can understand those that did as we never looked like scoring because, as you say, we never had anyone in front of their goal in a position to score. Our tactics appeared to be aimed at playing for a 0-0 draw and then, after Forest scored, to try to keep the score down to 0-1.
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kevleykeegle added 11:12 - Aug 27 Two games in and some are talking about relegation and implying a change of manager would help. Pathetic!
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halftimeorange added 11:19 - Aug 27 I also believe the inflexibility shown by RM at this game was a large contributory factor to our defeat. Forest started predictably quickly and we were overwhelmed in midfield. They detected a weakness on our right, with Smallbone drifting to the centre leaving Sugawara to mark both Hudson-Odoi and Aina on his own - and he did it reasonably well however, as Forest continued their all out assault our crowd went quiet, all home advantage atmosphere evaporated and our team failed to respond. The obvious lack of playing a centre forward was unforgiveable before halftime. Even if Edozie had come on on the left (oh, for Ryan Fraser) and Diaz had moved to the middle it might have been more fruitful but, no, Russell sat on his hands until it was far too late. Home fans did get behind the team with the introduction of new blood but, they scored and we did not and a feeling of doom for the season descended and marked the exodus. We've missed out on O'Riley and Carvalho, and what we've spent would have surely got one of them if we'd moved early enough. Due to these omissions and Russell's slow reaction to obvious trouble, we are already in a position where we could be cast adrift within a few weeks. Then the supporters won't be leaving early, they just won't turn up. If we don't have the class that's fair enough in a finance dominated league but, at least give us some fight. One weak shot on target might as well have been accompanied by the waving of a white flag.

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SaintPaulVW added 11:23 - Aug 27 At least everyone seems to have watched the same game! I can't get too upset until the squad is settled. We always start slow. Quite clear that some things need to change tho, got to trust RM to work on these like he did last season. COYR
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Peterx added 12:32 - Aug 27 We went from an impressive midfield against Newcastle to one that looked dire on the weekend. Forest worked out our standard midfield passing lanes and did a great job of closing us down. Our players should learn from this and improve. However, to be critical there was little urgency and very few risks taken. A point could have been invaluable for momentum and only Dibling and to some extent Fernandes bought urgency towards the end.

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Colburn added 13:05 - Aug 27 This report should have been written on Saturday evening, instead released 3 days after the game has gone. Why is it all other clubs show some urgency with match reports. Are we mirroring the team and RM ethics of being too late each week. Now I have to go through all the misery of Saturday again! But joking aside, how do you win games of football without a focal point to the attack and two strikers playing 50 yards apart. We had no way of scoring at home to a relegation rival. I’m totally staggered and confused by what I saw. Is this RM having a dig at the club for refusing to buy Carvalho and ORiley? We could have had them for 55 million instead we will buy 4 average players for 60 and fill our squad once again with championship quality. Our owners are jokers without any humour. Can’t see where a goal comes from, let alone a win, because unlike the other teams in the league, we haven’t brought in the required quality to compete, let alone survive. We lost the game because Aribo isn’t allowed to clear the ball into row z like the top 4 teams occasionally do. RM is turning into an arrogant clown with a Rylan beard or whatever his name is.. still stunned by what he did on Saturday. Don’t blame anyone for leaving early when that is what he has to offer us. Pathetic

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ItchenNorth added 13:08 - Aug 27 It would help if we played with someone in the no 9 position! We looked far more balanced when Archer came on & with Dibling driving forward. If not Archer in the 9 and we want a more physical presence play Dias there. Fernandes looks a tidy player who's 1st thought is to get forward as well. Frustrating game. A 433 needed imo.
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bryanK added 13:14 - Aug 27 Very disappointing. Lack of creativity is very worrying. I think Adam Armstrong is a really honest punter but Premier League he is not which is a shame. The need for a quality striker is paramount and let us hope putting our eggs in the Gapko basket as in 2022/23 is not duplicated and we end up with no one. Also I really thought Harwood Bellis was poor and deserved to be replaced. Not 20m on this showing.

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davidargyll added 15:11 - Aug 27 We did not seem to be able to cope with Forest’s style of pacy play and their non-stop press, and they are supposedly one of the lesser lights in the PL. They just seemed more skilled, fitter, and half a yard faster and generally made us look like an average Championship team (which arguably we are), who were lucky not to have lost by two or three goals. That said we might still have got something out of the game if our two wingers had someone in the middle to aim for. Over the last few seasons the yardstick is at least 9 wins to stay up, in other words half your home games give or take. Last season Luton Burnley and Sheffield united won 14 games between them, ie around five each (whereas Forest in 17th spot won 9). Because unless or until we get in a goal scorer or two plus a goalkeeper in the next couple of days, on this evidence, given our frailties at the back and at the front, it is going to be a very long season…

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ExiledSupporter added 20:55 - Aug 27 Nick criticised the early leavers from the ground on Saturday, despite their disappointment at Saints performance. I think it is more relevant that the disappointment we all felt was caused by our peculiar strategy regarding the recruitment priorities of the club. In this I agree with Colburn's comments earlier. We have spent considerable money on bringing in quite a few young, apparently highly promising players all of whom have negligible experience of playing in the PL. In the meantime we appear to have lost sight of the three key positions that I had understood there to be unanimity about the necessity to upgrade ie. goalkeeper, no 10 and central striker. We have a proliferation of young hopefuls and a paucity of viable experienced players and we seem to have no backbone down the centre of the pitch. While I am a little sceptical of RM tactics recently, I do not think the failure to fill these three key positions has all that much to do with his decision making. It was obvious that he was particularly keen to obtain Celtic's O'Riley asap. Our disastrous failure to do this seems to me to be the responsibility of the higher level of management whose transfer policy is buy potentially quality players, as yet unproven at the highest levels, relatively cheaply and hope to make a killing on their increased value when we are later forced to sell them (a la Lavia to Chelsea) AS we reached the end of c3mths transfer dealings we were still trying to reduce Celtic's price of £25m (even though the player was initially keen to link up with RM)and ended up losing out to a far more realistic approach from Brighton. Similar failures to compete for specific players, that we appeared to favour, surrendered to Ipswich and Brentford etc I hope some of these new 'unknowns' prove to be highly successful esp the CB from P'borough, Suguwara, Fernandes, Archer and the lad on loan from Chelsea sound exciting...but where are the tried and tested players experienced in the PL with mature skills and tactics to show the way for these bright young things?

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