It was a better performance at Craven Cottage on Saturday, but ultimately the result was exactly the same as most have been recently, the same old issues still remain, a lack of experience and leadership in the side at crucial moments.

This was a much better performance from Saints and unlike other games since the arrival of Nathan Jones, they at least looked like they knew the formation they were playing and what they needed to do.

Indeed we should really have taken the lead when Che Adams was through on goal, he hit the ball well, but the keeper saved well.

When your luck is out it is out and that proved to be the case on 32 minutes, Fulham corner was well worked but the shot from outside the area was going well wide until it struck James Ward Prowse and his deflection flew past Gavin Bazunu giving him no chance.

The second half saw Saints as the better side, with several good chances and rarely looking like conceding, after James Ward Prowse hit a trade mark free kick 10 minutes after half time, the confidence started to return and we looked like we could win the game.

But as the game entered the later stages Saints were clearly tiring, Stuart Armstrong on for Joe Aribo was an obvious change on 67 minutes, Aribo had an awful game, but why was Stuart Armstrong not in the starting line up was the question being asked by most Saints fans.

With 13 minutes to go the manager had what looked like an enforced change, Samuel Edozie was suffering and had nothing left in the tank.

But with the game in the ascendancy for Saints why did we bring on a left back as a wide midfielder, we had other options.

As the game entered its final couple of minutes we failed to make the right substitutions with our legs tiring, it was a soft corner to give away, but an even softer goal to concede, simplest corner in the play book, near post flick on and then Palhinha at the far post completely unmarked from only a few yards out, you don't get softer goals than that.

Nathan Jones then made the substitutions he should have made 10 minutes earlier, Lavia, Mara and Adam Armstrong all entering the fray, but it was a case of too little too late, we had thrown away a game that we really should have got at least a draw from and perhaps more.

It nearly got worse in injury time with Lynaco failing to deal with a long ball and then putting his header back to Bazunu well short, the keeper saving the resulting penalty.

Why we lost this is clear, yes of course we lack a striker, but in the meantime we need to make the best use of the players we have and in this game we didn't.

We failed to utilise the substitutions we had to hand, Nathan Jones seemed unable to replace players who were either playing badly or had run out of steam.

All players have bad games, I am not going to blame the players in this respect, sometimes it just doesn't work for you, but that is where a manager earns his corn, he spots this and makes a substitution.

His triple substitution on 90 minutes was just pure panic, tired legs had made tired decisions in the brain and we gifted the home side the winner, Lavia a holding midfielder should have been on with 15 -20 minutes left, having not being brought on what was the point of doing so in injury time when we were 2-1 down, it was baffling.

We could of and should have turned a corner in this game but we didn't do so, again for the reasons that have cost us dearly in the past, a lack of leadership on the pitch to enable us to see out games, how on earth were we so disorganised at that corner that we left a man completely unmarked at the far post !

Sadly we also lack leadership off the pitch, I am loath to say this but Nathan Jones has had almost two months to work with his squad and get it playing in the manner he wants, yet we see no fruits of his work.

Players such as Joe Aribo, Stuart Armstrong & Armando Bella Kotchap who were in good form before the World Cup break have found themselves out of the team and so it is understandable how the likes of Aribo who hasn't played in two months is now badly out of touch when recalled, understandable but unacceptable man management.

Now the Nottingham Forest game is vital, anything other than 3 points will see us cast adrift from safety.

Before the break I felt that once we got the injured players back, we would start to hit form again, we had played well earlier in the season and we could do so again, now I do not have that confidence, from watching the games, it seems that the new manager has not reinvigorated the squad, but de motivated it and taken it backwards.

He has gone from one extreme to another, in previous games he has tried to be too cleaver, changing formations and multiple substitutions, but in this game aside from Armstrong for Aribo, he sat on his hands and only made a change when he was forced to do so.

He failed to manage the game, know when to replace tired legs and bring on fresh ones to build on what we have.

I still have faith that we have the squad to turn things around, a striker could change a lot, at the moment though I just dont have faith that we have a manager who has the experience and the nous to turn things around.

Photo: Action Images

EastStandAdiLaddy added 17:16 - Jan 2 It is clear to me that we lack a leader in the middle of the park (What a terrible decision to let go of Romeo) and a forward who is going to score 15 plus goals a season. However, being bottom of the league lessons the chances of us signing a decent quality striker and there are plenty of other teams that would also be in the mix. It is all too easy to blame the board, Jones, the players, Hassenhuttl etc, but ultimately we don't have any say on these decisions. What we do have is the power to make a difference off the pitch with our voice. That means getting behind the team and uniting our support. It makes a difference. Football supporters now are too quick to criticise and it seems we have a small army of keyboard warriors, who have probably never even played the game. I've heard 9,000 at Millwall make more noise than 30,000 at St Mary. So let's get behind the team. COME ON YOU SAINTS

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landsdownsaint added 18:40 - Jan 2 Dellboywally is spot on
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pwithers123 added 19:30 - Jan 2 Much better performance. Should have got the draw they deserved. However, in the big pressure moments Jones looked like a rabbit in the headlights. He is learning on the job - with not much time now Cannot see what was done in the World Cup break.
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Ninja9 added 19:37 - Jan 2 Brentford 3 Liverpool 1 What a difference a manger makes . We have NJ , oh dear .
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blubberboy added 19:42 - Jan 2 RH had to go. Barring a slightly freakish result at Spurs our last good performance was a win at WHU on Boxing Day 2021. We have been going backwards ever since and ended last season in relegation form. I was surprised at the NJ appointment - it's always a gamble bringing in a manager from the lower leagues: you might get a McMenemy or you might get a Paul Sturrock - but I was happy to give the guy a chance. In fairness he wasn't really sold to us as a tactical genius but on his passion and his ability to improve players. Unfortunately I'm not seeing much evidence of either. I really can't see us beating an improving Forest side on Wednesday but all we can do is get behind the team, make a load of noise and hope for a miracle. We've done it before so it can happen again :-)

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Colburn added 20:09 - Jan 2 Ifonly and Timsaint seem to understand the aspect of balance, unlike the hilariously hypocritical author of this article. The owners are a major part of the problem because they don't know what they're doing. Ralph should have gone ages ago and we should have had 2 strikers about to walk through the door on January 1st if they have serious ambitions about staying up. Unfortunately Ralph failed to gather the tools required in the summer and I hoped we'd get through OK until Jan. But Mara wasn't ready or hasn't been given a chance. Edozie was startless under Ralph yet showed he should start. Now you blame Jones after effectively 2 league games in charge? Bonkers.. He had a month with zero competitive football to work with on the team, there is no science which suggests it was better to have a break than not. So for Christ's sake give Jones a chance! We were all positive with Ralph for a good couple of years and you write off Jones after 5 minutes because this article is yet another strop like a 5 year old having his old Teddy taken away and doesn't want the new one.. Yawn

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Colburn added 20:15 - Jan 2 As for the losing the dressing room nonsense. If this is the case after 6 weeks then the players attitude is the problem and they should remember they are paid more in a week than most are in 2 years. Ralph was too emotional and too negative and this is ingrained, it takes time to change the mentality of a squad. Besides, where else were we going under Ralph except the Championship. Back Jones as fans for 4 months and we have a chance if we bring in the necessaries in the window.

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landsdownsaint added 23:21 - Jan 2 Bring in who u want but I doubt NJ will no what too do with them … RH would tho
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onetowatch added 11:26 - Jan 3 Nick, reading the above, I'm certainly not the first to make the comment that all the criticisms' you're aiming in NJ's direction, justifiably as well, could have been placed at RH's door for the last 3 years...time and time again...yet, for some unknown reason, you chose not to? Many of us can't help but have a wry smile reading your verdict... I'm also dumbfounded by some comments that are not looking at the selection or the substitutions at all. Not one Saints fan would have started with the line up we had against BHA - yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion, but surely, we can't all be wrong?? Against Fulham, again starting without SA, bringing Lavia on far too late...these are the fine lines between continually losing or getting something out of a game...

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aceofthebase added 12:39 - Jan 3 Final word. That JWP free kick should have put England into the semi final of the World Cup. Goals win games not performance.
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