There is no way of dressing up this defeat, it was a lacklustre uninspiring performance by the entire team, not helped by two individual errors to gift Brighton their first two goals, but the main worry was the team selection and formation.

I find it very hard to rip into Nathan Jones in what was essentially his first real game in charge in the Premier League, well some of you may say, you used to give Ralph Hasenhuttl leeway, so why not Jones !

When Saints were playing badly in Hasenhuttl's last month or so, I felt there was an excuse, we were missing key players, but for this game the only real absence from those that have played this season was Romeo Lavia.

What doesn't sit well for me was that after six weeks working with the squad, we look a less organised and more importantly less inspired side than we did before we changed managers.

In essence you could excuse some of our failings in Hasenhutt's last days on injury's, but for this were no excuse.

So where did we go wrong, the first ringing of alarm bells was the team selection, perhaps our best player before the World cup break was Armando Bella Kotchap why was he on the bench ? add to him Joe Aribo and Stuart Armstrong, another two solid players and it seems that there is something not quite right within the squad.

Also in the team were Djenepo & Diallo, I can see some logic here, in fairness Djenepo did well against Lincoln and Maitland-Niles was awful, so Diallo was a natural replacement, but it still comes back to the question as to why ABK, Aribo and Stuart Armstrong were on the bench.

Thrown in at the deep end was Samuel Edozie, yes he had some dazzling moments and played without fear, but at the moment he badly lacks end product either in shooting or creating for others, I am sure this will come, but I am not sure this was the game to start him.

The lack of motivation was clear to see as was the fact that again this was a team that didn't seem to know what formation they were playing and more to the point they didn't seem to know what the game plan was.

Under ralph we passed and passed, Nathan Jones has a more direct style, but on what i have seen in these two games since the break, we seem to be under instructions as a team that we cannot make more than 4 passes in a move, two often we seem to pass 4 times and then hit the ball forward with absolutely nothing on.

This was playing right into Brighton's hands, a team that are big and strong at the back and can handle long and high balls all day.

But the hope was that we could weather the storm and start to get our game together, but that hope was soon put to bed on 14 minutes when Adam Lallana lost his marker and headed home, in truth Gavin Bazunu should have stopped it, the only excuse being it was close range so gave him little time to react, but he still should really have stopped it.

The rest of the half wasn't great, but the hope was we would get into half time only a goal down, the issue for me was we were giving the ball away too much, again instead of keeping the ball and gaining confidence and not letting Brighton get the ball back, we seemed to be under instructions to have to hit the ball forward on the 5th pass.

We never kept the ball long enough to get any sort of confidence building.

On 35 minutes we again gifted Brighton the ball, it was a good cross flashed across the goal, Romain Perraud was under pressure, but TV replays showed not under that much pressure, he really should have cleared the ball instead of slicing it into his own net.

The hope was that after the break we would be better, the truth was we were slightly, but then 10 minutes in came a goal that nobody could be blamed for, when you are 2-0 down these shots go into row z, when you are 2-0 up and everything is going right they fly into the top corner and this one did.

So 3-0 down and in disarray, the worry was that this would be a rout, but the one good thing is that we kept going and with 17 minutes left got back in the game, a rare James Ward Prowse header, sadly it came after the Brighton keeper had saved his penalty but the ball fell kindly for JWP with a simple header into an empty net.

Could Saints get a second and perhaps make the last 15 minutes uncomfortable, the answer was no.

I find it hard to work out just where we went wrong and that is because I find it hard to work out just who was playing where and if I was confused it seems so where the players, the back four was set up to keep it simple, we had two central midfield players, but then we left no real cover for the full backs, we had a loan striker with Elyounoussi floating, but did he know his job and position when we didn't have the ball.

That was perhaps the issue, when we didn't have the ball, too many players didn't seem to know just where they should be.

Few people came off that pitch being able to say they had an average game let along a good game, Lyanco led by example and James Ward Prowse despite playing a role not natural to him were perhaps the best of a bad bunch.

I have to say that although my natural instinct is to say we have to give Nathan Jones a chance, this is one Premier League game, many of our managers who have gone on to be club legends have started their Saints careers badly, Jones is not alone in this, but there is something nagging in the back of my head.

Is Jones trying too hard to impose his way of playing on the squad, is he trying to be too clever, has he underestimated the task he has ?

All these thoughts were in my head, he hasn't come in and tried to evolve the team, he is trying to revolutionise it and that seems to have caused a little chaos in the squad, why is he not playing those players who were the spine of the side in the first part of the season ?

We will perhaps find out all of these answers in the next few weeks, but I still feel that we would have been better under Ralph Hasenhuttl, who knew the task in hand and with players back from injury has proved he can motivate a squad.

However that is the past we have to move forward, what other choice do we have !

Photo: Action Images

wrathoftazz added 15:24 - Dec 27 Well... firstly, we are in this position because of SR and RH, not because of 1 game by the new guy. I'm still trying to figure out the gaffers appointment! He has less of a clue than Ralph and that's saying something. The only positive from yesterday is that the result was the sane as it would have been under Ralph. With the window opening soon, we need to invest and make BIG changes, otherwise the only change being made will be from the PL to Championship

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DellBoyWally added 15:30 - Dec 27 I said months ago, before the summer spend on potential, that Sports Republic were buying a breeding ground and not looking for success on the pitch. QED. They brought in too many players with talent but no experience but with great potential sell-on profit. That works for whatever league the side is in. Look at the clubs SR has acquired since Saints; hardly world-beaters but other breeding grounds. They sell the one player who would fight to the end to keep us from losing - Romeu - and sack the manager most likely to keep us up - RH. Bring in a manager who could make it to the edge of the play-off spots in the Championship but no risk of being promoted. If they'd wanted to keep us up they'd have brought in a proven, reliable scorer. We didn't need a Messi, just someone to knock in a few. Everyone knew we needed one!! Looks like their plan is working - good for them - but not so good for Saints supporters watching an embarrassment on the pitch. So, to everyone that was calling for a change of ownership and a change of manager; congratulations, who got your wishes. Enjoy tier two football

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halftimeorange added 16:19 - Dec 27 It's my guess that Nathan Jones will have a breakdown or resign or be sacked before Easter. He got Luton's players to buy into his way of thinking but, in the EPL, you need a name or EPL experience to command respect in the dressing-room. So what is Sports Republic's game - to make a few quick bucks and then bow out. That doesn't seem plausible, especially after the Brentford experience. I think that's where the answer lies. Let this team of mainly youngsters get used to the EPL and each other, get relegated and then bounce straight back. Brentford was three years in the making of what they've become but, for their players, EPL football was a dream. In our case, the players we have bought might be young but, they'll have big egos and probably won't accept orders from a lower order manager. I'll be astonished if most of them don't want out before too long and are snapped up by our rivals.

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kingolaf added 16:30 - Dec 27 I’m fast reaching the point where I’m just going to give up going. Same boring sh#t week in week out. Would enjoy watching other games more as a neutral.
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1885_SFC added 16:42 - Dec 27 Our midfield is the most piss-poor in the Premier League. It's unproductive, ponderous and lacking any creativity. We will pay dearly for that... as we will for not having a proper goal scorer.
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barry_sanchez added 17:05 - Dec 27 We're a poor team, until the team changes the results won't, no heart or soul either, going down and we deserve to, on the cheap and no ambition.
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redwight added 17:44 - Dec 27 The paths both sides have taken since they last met is barely believable. The skill levels demonstrated by Brighton were from a different planet. Coaching may have something to do with it, but the main problem is recruitment. Nick, you have many times commented on the improved strength in depth compared to last season, but what we have now is a bloated squad of mediocrity. Given the limitations of our budget, I've always felt that investing in a group of, say, 16 high quality players topped up by some talented youngsters and a few hardened pros whose better days are behind them (Romeo?) should be the way to go. Yes, there will be injuries and suspensions, but we will also turn over teams with bigger budgets as we have done many times in the past. Until quite recently it was generally agreed what our best 11 would look like. Not now it isn't.

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landsdownsaint added 17:46 - Dec 27 Wraithoftaz ? RH kept us up with a team that mostly everyone says isn’t good enough , we played some good football under RH & losing Ings affected us badly , under RH we probably drawn yesterday & bemoaning massive missed opportunities from the likes of Adams, Armstrong etc & I think RH would get us out this situation… the new man looks lost already
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the_saint added 18:34 - Dec 27 Give the man a chance to sort out the legacy he got left from ralph we will stay up this season as I have every faith in nathan jones
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underweststand added 19:14 - Dec 27 Most of you have highlighted everything that there is to say, both negative and positive... In NJ's defence, he has to see all the players in action as a month on the training ground is not the same as " the real deal " of turning up in Prem.games. However, I go along with (Farlow's comment) above in that Lyanco does add "a bit of bite" to the midfield and at times I wondered if he might become "the new Romeu" -especially as he has clocked up 2 yellows already in quite a short time.

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wrathoftazz added 21:09 - Dec 27 Landsdownsaint... we are still in this position BECAUSE of the last few seasons and RH has been leading the group during that time. Loosing Ings was def bad but even worse was not replacing him. What's also worse is replacing players with 2nd rate championship players and expecting PL quality. Same goes for the new manager. I'm pretty sure RH had his say on that as well... cant imagine any manager not having any say on transfers. I'm still glad RH has gone... just not happy we replaced him with someone who is OBVIOUSLY worse, and that, unfortunately, is what 90% of us supporters said when the news leaked.

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IanRC added 21:19 - Dec 27 Utterly pathetic display but I blame the manager for poor tactics and set up rather than the players. Even if BK and Lavia are in fact injured he chose exactly the wrong tactics to play Brighton, no wonder Adams looked frustrated on his own trying to gather long balls. Are SR just asset strippers ?, if Lavia is sold we will know the answer. Unless things improve rapidly, I am hoping Jones’s reign is shorter than Truss’s otherwise we are truly doomed. Wish we had stuck with RH.

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wibbersda added 21:27 - Dec 27 NJ is known for conceding position in games and now we have seen the results you get in the EPL with Championshjp tactics. Still plenty of games to turn this around but not with this guy or maybe all his Praying will save us.
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Gadge60 added 00:26 - Dec 28 pwithers123 added 14:57 - Dec 27 Maybe we could get another Chelsea asset - Potter will be looking for a job within the next 10 games we live in hope
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wessexman added 10:01 - Dec 28 If the current regime really are serious, you expect new personnel, ie STRIKER, to be lined up to hit the ground running for the Forrest game. If the powers to be delay and prevaricate, we'll know they are clowns. Appointing a rookie manager over an experienced campaigner, especially in our precarious position, is starting to look very suicidal.
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felly1 added 10:21 - Dec 28 Well I guess we shouldnt make a full on judgement after one league game but it's not looking good. I guess the new owners are.. 1. More patient and knowledgeable than the fans and are fully expecting Nathan Jones and the players to turn this around. 2. Extremely naive and have less knowledge than the fans 3. Are planning for the Championship and will look to rebuild the club before aiming for promotion back to the Prem and we become a yoyo club selling on the developing players for a profit.

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philboyer added 10:23 - Dec 28 Like most Saints fans , I felt the Nathan Jones appointment was very underwhelming and a big risk from SR. I’d have preferred someone like Dyche who knows the Prem and could stabilise the leaky defence and grind out the results we needed to move up the table . Accepting that we now have to back NJ , the least I believed we would see is a new manager bounce where the players step up their effort to impress the new boss . As many have commented already , we actually managed to look worse than under RH and with less effort and organisation in the last two games . What did we learn from the Brighton match ? 1. Bazuno has great potential but is still inexperienced enough to make game changing changers .We need the experience of Mcarthy or Cabellero back betweeen the sticks for a relegation fight . 2. Edozie should start each game as a winger/wide midfielder but not a striker . He can dribble but he can’t shoot as evidenced by the easy miss vs Lincoln and the blast over the bar vs Brighton . 3. 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 is our best formation , these players are not good enough to adapt to 3 at the back . 4. Diallo is not a number 6 pivot in the 4-3-3 as his passing isn’t quick enough or smart enough to set us up with front foot ball . Get Lavia fit or play 4-2-3-1 with two DM’s . 5. We have to buy or loan a striker if have any chance of staying up . 6. Sell or loan Adam Armstrong the bloke is shot and isn’t good enough at Prem level. Give his place to a recalled Nathan Tella or one of the youngsters coming through . They can’t do any worse . 7. Stop the pointless long balls out from the back . When did we last score from that tactic and we don’t win the second ball enough for it to be an effective way of moving up the pitch . 8. Tell NJ to watch the video of us beating Spurs last season and seek to replicate that way of playing . That was SFC at our best with most of the players we have right now. 9. Get ABK back in defence and experiment with Caleta Car partnership as Salisu looks less than bothered these days . 10. Sort the bloody corners out , they are consistently rubbish from Ward Prowse. Let’s try someone else or put more practise in to beat the 1st man . All is not lost yet . But , the next 5 games need a minimum of 10 points or it looks like we should prepare for life in Championship . I’m hopeful but not optimistic .

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Gadge60 added 18:47 - Dec 28 Clueless, slow, no imagination, Championship here we come.....
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