Not the result that we wanted, but the fact is we are not far off getting a result or two that will change the season.

I am not going to try and dress this up as something it is not, however some of the comments I heard as walked away from St Mary's verged on the farcical with some even ranting that Claude Puel should be sacked.

As a performance this was very methodical, but it lacked that final spark that would have turned this into a win.

The possession was 64% and that cannot be knocked, the number of shots was reasonable 16 with 7 on target, but there was still something missing and it is vital that we find that spark.

The truth is that many are not giving Claude Puel a fair chance and are willing to write him off after only 3 games and that is not reasonable.

It is not about the number of players who have gone it is about the players who are here and we dominated this game, as we did the Watford one, but we can't seem to score add that to lapses at the back and that has led to our poor start.

It is not about the formation, it is not about tactics, it is purely about finding our form and if and when we do that, I think that we may surprise a few people.

Of course some of our supporters will blame the usual suspects, but as a team we worked hard and did not give up even when we conceded that late penalty.

Jose Fonte might be staying, but he didn't look happy about it and it was a stupid tackle that gave away the penalty, Fonte's body language as he sat there was not a pleasant sight, it reeked of arrogance and my hope is that his success in Euro 2016 has not gone to his head.

I would also hope that Jay Rodriguez is not shipped off to West Brom on loan, although his goal had an element of luck with the keeper letting it slip under him, not enough credit has been given to J Rod whose dipping shot made it harder than it looked to stop.

The good thing though is that we did not give up and rescued a point, that shows that we still have the spirit in the squad, like last season's poor start the issue is about lapses in concentration that cost us goals, apart from a brief period in the first half when we gifted them a couple of free attempts on goal that they missed, Sunderland did not have a shot on target that troubled Fraser Forster.

Some good individual performances, Steven Davis kept the midfield ticking and put in his usual workmanlike display, Matt Targett made some vital tackles, Hojbjerg again impressed, in fact I don't think anyone individually put in a poor performance, but something as a team was not quite right, find that spark and things will change.

Now though we have to push through a couple of signings and start to make our own luck, this is not the time to barrack the manager and the team, it is the time to get behind it and help it get through a tough period.

I can understand people's frustrations, but the truth is I would understand them more if this was March and we were in the bottom half of the table, but we are three games in and a football season is over 38 not 3.

Photo: Action Images

RogerToye added 10:10 - Aug 28 wrapped it up nicely Fonte is not ready proved that against UTD and getting away with stupid pushes feel sorry for Yoshida who had done enough to stand in till Fonte was sharp enough I hope the manager will vary the formation I love our wing play and its not there as much with the diamond Jay Rod simply should get a couple of starts
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Saintpots added 10:18 - Aug 28 Can I just ask for all those that booed at half time and at the end to go off and do whatever they were doing when we were In league 1. Loved the spirit o f the supporters back then, always behind the team and pushing them on, regardless.
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uaesaint added 10:27 - Aug 28 Need to drop the diamond .... We have good wing players and redman is not a striker. agree j rod needs to get more play and I will be very upset if we are stupid end to loan him out given the number of games we have to play. take away the penaltys and we only conceded two goals but it's goals for that we need ....
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Whatsforpud added 10:29 - Aug 28 On another day, we would not have faced such displaying of goalkeeping. Ironically, he let in one of the easier shots. As usual, Forster had very little to do. However, there were two occasions close together in the first half when he could have come to catch or punch the cross, but chose to rely on others. He needs to come off his line more often.
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halftimeorange added 10:33 - Aug 28 Winning is a habit and one we had last season but seem to have lost this time around. Talk of Puel going is rather premature but too many players were lacklustre for long periods of this match and whether you accept it or not our midfield was not in command. Romeu at times looked willing but was dispossessed on a number of occasions and, once his partner started to struggle, Hobjberg's passing game disappeared. Davis gave his usual 100% but erratic performance and if you add this trio's errors together we were easily overrun and put on the back foot. Let's be honest, Sunderland are a weak side but had they have had more threat in front of goal, rather than relying heavily on Defoe, they could conceivably have won this game. Worryingly, a number of Saints players showed frustration with their teammates and there was a distinct lack of coordination. On one occasion, Davis and Van Dijk went for the same ball and were visibly irritated with each other. Puel must be given some leeway however, although this is largely the same squad that finished last season, I suspect that the players don't yet buy into the system they are being asked to operate. We might have thirty-eight games to play but this league will be tight this season, both at the top where I would be pleasantly surprised if we feature what with the demands of the Europa to contend with, and at the bottom where the initial signs are we will be for some while. We have a reasonably easy start to our fixtures but, come mid-October we have a run of league games which includes Man City, Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton with the two Inter Milan games sandwiched in the middle. Things need to have considerably picked up by then.

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sidsaint added 10:40 - Aug 28 Good shout Nick. The start of the season was always going to be difficult with players coming back at different times, preseason being interrupted and a new manager and formation. Unfortunate that we had a good couple of home fixtures which we should have won. Given time I believe it will come together and there were some good performances yesterday with players getting back to their best e.g Davis and Taggert. What was disappointing was attitude and body language of Fonte which as you say smacked of arrogance. Jay Rod must surely be kept and given a start.Long looked good when he came on. Get Calum Chambers back on loan? 2 new players to come, start of Europa campaign,maybe our next home game will see us back in the groove.

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SanMarco added 10:58 - Aug 28 I think most of us feel, to some extent or another, the anxiety that this will be the season where we don't "get away with it". As it stands, the summer departures have left us weaker, we have an underwhelming manager and we are making a stuttering start. Of course Puel may end up a hero and a couple more quality incomers may pep us up for a top ten challenge. The jury is very definitely out but if our play doesn't improve on yesterday, over say the next 6-8 games, then it will quickly be back in with a "guilty" verdict.

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helpineedsomebody added 10:59 - Aug 28 all mouth & no trousers/ or talk does not win a game of football tubby getting a bit concern now
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TeamCortese added 11:01 - Aug 28 I mostly agree with Nick. This is being blown out of proportion. It's just 3 games and as we know things can change very quickly in football. However, every fan has the right to express their frustrations especially when we lose a top manager for no valid reason. We sell 2 of our best players to our immediate opposition for again no real valid footballing reasons (we didn't have to sell because we have the finances available). You look at the replacements and apart from Hojberg and Redmond I'm not convinced. Hopefully Bouhal will offer us that cutting edge when he comes in. Claude has a lot to prove and the last 3 results definitely haven't helped his cause. If I were him I would look at the following in the transfer market: - New centre back to keep Jose Fonte on his toes (the Euros have definitely got to his head). Perhaps Sakho from Liverpool on loan would work out. It doesn't look like he's in Klopp's plans. - New centre forward (similar to Pelle). We should have tried to get Christian Benteke but now he's gone to Palace we should try Das Bost or even gamble on Yaya Sanogo. - Lastly, I still think we need another powerhouse type midfielder. I'm still not convinced by Romeu at the moment. Claude also needs to mix up the formation. He can't be soo rigid and stick to the diamond. It makes us predictable to the opposition. And we shouldn't let Jay Rod leave unless it's for Berahino.

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IWOZTHERE added 11:13 - Aug 28 Dear Director of Football,....Do some directing before this becomes a habit. Serious talk with Puel about this system which is foreign to our players. Players bickering amongst themselves and looking round, 'what do I do with it' when in possession.This was against Sunderland at home FFS. Who do you back, eleven players, or the system? We've got several top, top players on board now with one in the offing, Don't struggle on with this alien, outmoded formation or the next exodus could be brought forward from next summer to this Christmas. As for Jose, he was lucky he didn't give away a pen in the first half as well !

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highfield49 added 11:35 - Aug 28 Just goes to show once again that if you put ten or twenty of us supporters in a room/bar or whatever we'd never completely agree on the best team and formation. Last week we were ranting that no way should Pelle go to Manure and now he's a prima donna and Yoshi should have kept his starting place. Knee jerks all round, let Jay Rod go, no keep him in the squad. Romeu can replace Wanyama, oh no he can't. Forster for England but he doesn't come off his line for crosses. All valid arguments and the poor old manager has to satisfy everyone. The fact is, from what I've seen on match highlights, Chelsea, Arsenal, City and Utd are going to finish clear of most teams this season. Saints could be in the mix with Leicester, West Ham, Everton and Spurs for the top half spots. Whatever, please support the team and if you're one of the idiots booing the team please save your money and go shopping for toys to throw out of your pram.

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lemmsy added 11:39 - Aug 28 The start of this season was always going to be difficult, a new manager/system, the loss of 3 top players (the reasons for that are irrelevant to how we're playing now)& a captain who is slightly off the pace & maybe in the wrong place .aimo if rk was still in charge we would still of struggled to achieve last seasons high bearing in mind what's happened with the bigger clubs . A little reminder of last season when we only had 6 points after 6 games & the word supporter means support, especially in the stadium until the final whistle

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Consigliere added 11:54 - Aug 28 I agree with this article and many of the well-made comments above, so what is there to add? It seems to me that the potential is there for a very good team. The first ten minutes and the last ten minutes clearly proved that. The problem is, why are we not realising that potential as the intervening and, lets face it, boring 70 minutes demonstrated? I think that the answer lies within the system that the players are being asked to adopt. Mr Puel's "diamond" means in practice that far too much time is being spent with unproductive possession in the narrow midfield, which strong physical teams like Watford and Sunderland don't have too much of a problem in fending off. When attacks came they were generally in the form of a quick lob over the top to Austin and Tadic who were usually in an offside position, or Redmond trying to rush through the middle and into traffic. We don't have a Pelle up front any more nor do we have a tank like Wanyama in the middle to bully his way through, so there needs to be another way, and the only other way is inevitably down the flanks, with the wing back system that was used to such good effect at the end of last season. There were occasional flashes of this yesterday but it was obvious that the defence were fearful of being caught short, and I'm sorry to say that it was Fonte who looked the most exposed. Van Dyke in particular was afraid to go forward lest he leave the back exposed. I can imagine the abuse Yoshida would have received had he given away the penalty (though it was the softest of soft penalty decisions) but the fact is that he would have been no worse than Fonte yesterday and might even have done better as his distribution tends to be more effective. I'm hoping that things will pick up when Bertrand is playing again and I am pretty confident that Fonte can pick up his game and forget the current brouhaha but if not, then this is where we need to focus our attentions. I'm not sure that another (very expensive) midfielder as we are apparently going to get is really the answer, although would be happy to be proved wrong.

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pintsizedsaint added 12:02 - Aug 28 I know people are entitled to their opinions - but some of this is bordering on the insane. What happened 3 games in last season? We avoided a loss at Newcastle drawing 2-2. We then got thumped at home to Everton and then drew with newly promoted Watford. Hardly rip roaring stuff was it? Was everybody calling for RK's head? No. It seems like people want Puel to fail. These are not fans. These are fair weather supporters who expect utopia on a plate. They should go support Man Utd like the rest of these types do. Yesterday was disappointing but not the end of the world. Fonte was to blame for the only two shots Sunderland had on target. Pickford had a blinder: ending up hero and villain - such are the narrow margins in premier league football. The diamond is still work in progress. We have not played poorly in any of the games yet but adjustments (and late returning players) has meant the team is still in low gears. Puel has made a thoughtful case for why he is deploying it - highlighting that SFC will simply not survive playing high press with such a busy schedule. He is actually gearing SFC Up to be a European team - showing that SFC really want to have a good pop at it. Puel has already changed the mood in the camp - with academy players feeling more positive about their development. Several key Players have committed to longer contracts. Getting Boufal would be a major statement of intent. So why are people so critical? If we had played really poorly and lost each game then you may have a point. But we haven't - so what's the issue here? I think some of our so called fans want to Puel fail. I even saw one quote on the DE that clearly showed prejudice to him being French.

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stmichael added 12:19 - Aug 28 I think it reasonable to criticise a club who have shot themselves in the foot from a position of strength in the summer. A top manager and players allowed to leave and a few unproven gambles to replace them. Getting away with it sums us up. Will we again?
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highfield49 added 13:13 - Aug 28 Stmichael, weren't Mane, Pelle and Juanmi unproven gambles? Looks like we almost got away with that, two out of three isn't too bad. Of course we can criticise the club and, as you say the new players aren't guaranteed success, but please at least wait to see who comes in before the deadline before summing up the season ahead.
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kingolaf added 15:29 - Aug 28 It's not farcical to want to get rid of a useless manager. I don't reckon the players rate him either.
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DPeps added 16:36 - Aug 28 Disjointed start to the season but some things to bear in mind: - We've only played 3 competitive games - The transition from Koeman to Puel is greater than Poch to Koeman because of styles of play. Koeman was a natural successor to Poch; Puel wants to do something different. Nothing wrong with that - There's nothing inherently wrong with the diamond formation, it's just that our players aren't executing it quite right yet. Fans need to be realistic and expect the new formation and tactics to take time to get right And some thoughts on transfers: - If you sell your best two attackers and only buy in a young winger who doesn't score much... then goals are going to dry up. Many of us have been saying this for weeks. The club needs to seal at least two attacking transfers before the end of the window - Personally, I still think the best thing for everyone is for Jay to to out on loan, maybe until Jan. I'm so pleased that he scored, but that's not changed my belief that he's better off getting game time elsewhere

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corkcitysaint added 16:42 - Aug 28 We are stuttering at the moment, no doubt about it. However, I do believe though that this is down to the new system and us not having a fullish squad during pre-season to familiarise themselves with it. Overall, the team / squad is the same as last season. What I do find is that whilst we may have possession during the games, we seem "lost" when we have the ball. Too slow in attack and no penetration or cutting edge. To be honest, I thought Sunderland had the better or more clear cut chances yesterday but finished poorly whilst we were lucky to get our goal. I think we need a plan B also. Pelle was a great target man and held the ball up and we miss that. Whilst we have potentially very good strikers in Long, Austin, Rodrigues (if fit) and Redmond, they are all of a similar ilk. The substitutions really being like for like yesterday. It's disappointing that from 2 home games against "lesser"teams, we struggled and were fortunate yesterday to get a point. I hope that once the window closes and the players knuckle down with no more transfer rumours, we will start to find our form, hopefully with another few new players. We are 3 games in, let's not hit the panic button just yet.

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VancouverSaint added 17:36 - Aug 28 I'm no tactical expert, but can someone explain to me why you can't change formations during the game after its obvious that your opponent has the better of you. Why stick to just one. Start with diamond then switch to 4-4-2. It should be easy to adapt surely? Even 3-5-2 or 4-5-1? Mix it up?
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SanMarco added 18:24 - Aug 28 I am not that person Vancouver - you would have thought flexibility was a must but then I'm no tactical expert either. I agree with all those saying it is too early to be panicking - we haven't played well in our first three but better than in our first three last year. I am not going to reject a manager before the end of August. If by the end of October however...
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SaintGeorge added 18:33 - Aug 28 Clueless Claude looks a bit out of his comfort zone I'm afraid. He's a Steve Wigley / Mark Wotte not a Gordon Strachan / Ronald Koeman. Simply can't see it working out. Hope I'm wrong.
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AmericanSaint added 22:09 - Aug 28 I have re-watched the game and after some analysis, I think there was one major factor in the game that most people have missed. Our passing was beyond poor. While we had the majority of possession, we gave it away to easily. I saw so many passes that went straight to a Sunderland player (in the attacking half). This caused the attack to break down before it could develop. Also, how many times did Charlie Austin get called offsides. Also, regarding the diamond formation, the only issues I see with this is that we have not shown the ability to be flexible and change the formation when needed. I think against Watford and Sunderland, we should have gone to Plan B and bomb it long for run-ins. You had Long and Jay Rod who can burn in behind with an over the top ball. These calls for CP dismal are absurd and just show how little the "fan" knows about football. Three games in and people are looking to sack him. People are living in the past when they talk about last year. RK left for money and was always using Saints as a stepping stone. Mane and Wanyana were looking for bigger pay checks. As a Saints fan, you have to accept that the playing field is not even and we are on the short end of it. Thats just the way it is. We do not have the marketing/sales power that the London or Manchester Clubs have and that means they can pay the obscene wages they players/agents demand. The system is rigged for the "big" clubs or with owners willing to lose/throw away money. We do not have one of these and until the FA really want parity and deal with this issue, things will not change. I think we will be fine and at the end of the season, I hope the 'fans' who are calling for CP sacking will have the stones to say they were wrong.

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Pecky3 added 22:31 - Aug 28 Like many fans I was at the game yesterday and I regret I did not anything to give me hope for the season. Unless we bring in at least 3 new players by Wednesday the reality is we are likely to be involved in a relegation battle! The team simply does not look good enough! The interview which Claude Puel gave to BBC local radio wa also very worrying. It appeared that he has no control over whether we bring in anyone and who they are. He did not inspire confidence at all!

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perazi added 23:39 - Aug 28 Agree with Pecky. The team is noticeably weaker than last season; the Manager looks like an ill fit and is employing a confusing system we don't have the players to employ. Several of the senior players look unsettled and unhappy. I think there is going to be a managerial upheaval well before Xmas.
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