It is hard to dress up this awful performance, but it is early days yet and hopefully we wil put this right in the coming weeks.

About the only good thing that you can say about this game is that Watfod were not much better and won it with two strikes from distance that could have gone anywhere, but that is no excuse.

The fact is that although Saints looked better defensively and didn't give Watford the chances that they had done in previous games, going forward we looked disjointed and stuggled to find any pattern to our play.

Indeed we looked comfortable before Watford scored out of nowhere just before the break, up till then Saints didn't look like conceding although they did not look like scoring either.

That being the case when Watford added a second just after the hour most in the ground thought that was that.

Mauricio Pellegrino could not be accused of not being creative with his team selection, he put out a team to attack, leaving Lemina on the bench and putting in Boufal, he clearly wanted to take the game to Watford rather than let them come on to us and in some respects it worked in that Oriol Romeu could control the midfield and the back four looked solid with Wesley Hoedt making his debut,but going forward we were woeful.

No one seemed able to create chances, we were too lightweight and could not get the ball to Gabbiadini to even give him a chance of scoring and it was to be the last minute of the game before we got a shot on target.

Shane Long livened things up when he came on with 20 minutes to go, as did Charlie Austin, but it was a case of too little too late and by then the game was lost and the pattern set, a goal then might have set up a grandstand finish, but we never looked like getting it.

Some of the crowd are mumbling about Pellegrino being no better than Puel, that is unfair, it is still early days yet, perhaps just the mention of Puel should warn us to be patient and give the manager a chance, last season the die was cast for far too many fans too early and this lead to unrest.

The reality is that perhaps Saints are better set up to win games in which they can sit back and go on the break, indeed this has been the situation for the past few years, we would sit back and catch teams on the back foot after winning the ball and getting it forward quickly, sides like Watford dont get caught like that, they sit back and look to catch you out.

So from this viewpoint I think as the season progresses we will win games against team in this fashion, esecially as the manager finds his feet and what is his best formation and selections etc.

But one lesson I think he needs to learn is the one that Puel did not, that is to find the best team and use the bulk of it as your foundations rather than chop and change it, although Pellegrino was brave to try the likes of Boufal, he would have been better to have stuck with the tried and trusted, Boufal showed nothing n his last game in the cup against Wolves to suggest he deserved a Premier League start.

We have to put this one behind us dust ourselves down and look to get three points at Palace, some will say im glossing over the cracks and I should be ranting about what is going wrong, there is plenty of that going on elsewhere and if 45 years of watching Saints has taught be anything it is to be patient and don't panic everytime we suffer a setback, history shows us that if we do that then everything usually comes right.

Photo: Action Images

bstokesaint added 12:05 - Sep 10 Qnehl1, that's probably a bit of a harsh comparison to be fair. I don't think our players lack ability. I think they lack effort and for some reason our managers aren't getting the best out of them,whilst the board have failed to plug the attacking gaps. Gabbiadini is a class player, but he's so under-used. I don't really know what the answer is, but we need to get the team at least looking up for it soon or we will be in big trouble. No point in burying our heads in the sand.

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WanderingSaint added 12:07 - Sep 10 Yep, Hassan sums it up pretty much. We were absolutely woeful, the worst performance I've seen since promotion. I have no idea why where we pulled this manager from, nor why. If Puel is still out of work, get in touch asap please. Watford bossed this game from the first second. Chabolah ran the game. I'm very concerned, and I can't see MP lasting beyond October.

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OldRed added 12:15 - Sep 10 Firstly, we never get a good result after an international break. Second, I think the whole VVD affair has ruined this coming season for us and maybe also the take-over which had been on and off throughout the summer. We should have sold VVD from the moment we knew he wanted to leave because it is pointless letting something like that drag on no matter what the argument is about player power etc. And now we expect a new manager to sort all this out. We don't have a squad half as strong as it was a couple of seasons ago and that's not the manager's fault. We need to see this season out, hopefully sell VVD in January, and let the manager find his feet. We've seen too much managerial turnover and need to re-establish ourselves. We could have had Frank De Boer by the way......

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helpineedsomebody added 12:17 - Sep 10 there all accountable now hope the dof is flying to china now to explain this is not a 15 million pound investment but a 200 MILLION POUND INVESTMENT.
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lemmsy added 12:29 - Sep 10 No but let's be realistic we're not arsenal, Liverpool or spurs. We're a 30,000 medium club that's being doing well , not helped by our poor home support
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highfield49 added 12:49 - Sep 10 Watford were physical and passionate, Saints were neither physical nor passionate. What exactly do Redmond and Tadic believe they actually contribute to the cause? Zero service to Gabbi so no matter how many times you play the same players the outcome will be predictably the same. Thankfully Hoegt looks like the defensive player we've required since last January but surely Long and Austin have to start with Gabbi next game?

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SaintBrock added 13:08 - Sep 10 Well chaps, we've seen all this before, we win a game and everyone has us up as top 4, we lose a game the same people have us in a relegation dogfight and unlikely to win another game. The reality is that all clubs have days like this, there are mitigating circumstances and we never seem to settle well after international breaks. At least 5 of our starting XI were in action mid-week and others on the bench who didn't get onto the pitch. Of course other clubs suffer as well and some did yesterday. It's not just that players get physically or mentally tired, they have also played in a different playing formation with different coaches and tactics and different playing partners. Those that stay behind have not trained with half their team mates so on match day it is hardly surprising that things do not click together instantly. We were better second half for instance which must mean something and not just that Pellegrino blasted them. These are professional players and are trying all game to get things right, sometimes maybe over trying as a result. On my reading Pellegrino is far too nice a man to say what he thinks face to face, probably always looking for consensus and agreement rather than laying down the law? The problem with a softly, softly approach is that it ultimately loses the respect of the players and they stop listening. Still that is digressing from what must have been a very disappointing match for those who went along to SMS. From the little I have seen on video and the radio commentary Boufal was OK and deserves to be given a run, why he's been singled out unfairly by Nick is anybody'd guess but then Nick always has his own agenda for players in his Black Book! People have a right to be concerned about Forster, he seems to have very slow reactions at times like both times yesterday and this must demoralise the rearguard. On the other hand what were the midfield doing giving their players so much space. Work in progress and work to do. Not time to sack the manager yet but people should be a bit more loyal and stick around until the final whistle whatever their feelings about a match they've just been disappointed about. Row upon row of empty seats with plenty of time to go must make the players think, oh sod it if that lot aren't bothered why the riddles should we.

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SaintPaulVW added 13:55 - Sep 10 I only saw the second half but from what I saw Watford wanted it more. It's lucky Yoshida didn't play because I'm sure he would have been blamed for both goals. Forster seems a bit slow to get down these days, Cedric and Bertrand appear off their best. Up front it's just an ineffective mess. Some major sorting out needs to be done pronto. I was under the impression that Pelegrino was a defensive coach. I saw little evidence yesterday of the more organised approach that this would imply. The team looked to have gone backwards from the first 3 games. I hope he hasn't lost the dressing room already.

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saintpp added 13:57 - Sep 10 Im not one to panic but yesterdays shambles of a game outplayed and outwitted by watford shows what will happens by replacing a decent experienced manager with a rookie. Hope the Puel out clappers are happy as some said they would rather be 16th than have him as manager,well they got what they wanted and will have an exciting season fighting relegation unless MP somehow finds a winning formula. He looks totally out of his depth and thats not suprising given his limited expereince i doubt he will still be here at xmas but by then it may be too late. We are already in a relegation battle due not picking points up from easy games and after we play the top clubs this will become apparent. Puel had year under his belt and knew what was needed this season but due to the impatient loud mouths he wasnt allowed time to improve. This is relegation form and if we are relegated the blame falls at their feet and les Reed for listening to them. Well done now they really have something to moan about instead of whining about boring football and not beating the top 6 this year we cant even beat the bottom 6.

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qnehl1 added 14:03 - Sep 10 bstokesaint, It not really my point, there all "good" players, but are the great players?? Currently in my opinion they are not. I am not saying they wont become great players. All I am saying s currently none of them would start for a "top 6" side. The fact is we have scored 25 Goals in 2017. 8 of which came in two games, Watford and Sunderland last season. So 17 goals against everyone else. Now how do we solve this problem, well its quite simple we need to create more or finish more. In my opinion this is not a manger issue, we just don't have the little sprinkle of magic which we have always used to have.

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steve73 added 14:07 - Sep 10 Enough of this 'I told you Puel was good' nonsense. It's perfectly possible to have 2 bad managers in a row unfortunately.
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saintpp added 14:30 - Sep 10 Well done to the Puel out mob we have replaced a decent expereinced manager with a clueless rookie thanks to their impatience. Whining like brats coz we didnt beat any of the top 6 well under this guy we cant even beat anybody. Enjoy the relegation battle the blame lies at your feet and les Reed for bowing to mob pressure.
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sidsaint added 17:55 - Sep 10 I agree with saintpp. There's something wrong with the whole club at the moment and It probably starts at the top. The players do not seem to be motivated, I 'm not sure what system they are meant to be playing and neither do they. I've just watched pointless and goalless Palace on tv which we play next week. They may be bad but at least they tried, admittedly against an awful Burnley team I doubt whether they will be pointless and goalless next Saturday at 5 o'clock. Even Newcastle under the Ashley regime have won away and showed plenty of fight.Something has to change and quickly.

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SanMarco added 18:23 - Sep 10 There is a temptation to start panicking now but it is too early. I remember the 0-3 with Everton early on a couple of years ago - we were all screaming the R word then and we ended up 6th. I do have a few worries though. The club has clearly put an awful lot of trust and faith in the idea that JWP, Redmond, Tadic and Boufal are good enough to get us moving up the field and creating and taking chances - it really doesn't look as if that is going to happen. We quite rightly addressed defensive issues in the summer but it would certainly seem very odd that a club that, under Puel and MP, has had obvious and ongoing issues with scoring goals did NOTHING to strengthen in that department. My view, for what it's worth, is that we have the main goal scorer (Gabbi, Austin) but no other players in the Lallana/Mane type roll. This is made worse by the fact that the other option (full-backs getting down the line and crossing) is not happening either. We are stuck with what we've got for the moment so I would try Gabbi and Austin with Long breaking from midfield and Davis (perhaps past his best but still a worker) Romeu and Lemina. Couldn't be any worse than yesterday.

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FaroSaint added 18:26 - Sep 10 Lack of desire lack of creativity and no focus in attack. I watched Stoke v Man U afterwards what a display by Stoke the whole team not giving up working hard for each other yes that was how Saints used to play and if we lost well it was not through lack of effort. Gabbiadini never had a chance because he never had a decent ball ,a lone striker at home? . We resorted to a hopeful long ball game until long and austin came on . A better second half but with poor positioning from Forster who it seems is very slow to get down and come of his line is it confidence ? The whole team needs to pass better, make space better ,shoot better and pick up the pace. The worst display this year and getting worse .

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saintmark1976 added 18:34 - Sep 10 Well I certainly admire your spirt Nick in attempting to find anything positive from yesterday's shambolic performance. Last week you were telling us that if we changed one or both of our centre halves then we would score more goals. Well that went well didn't it? It's now time to tell it as it is so here goes. Fraser should be dropped. Yesterday beaten again from a shot from miles away only this time twice. He's had chance after chance and for reasons best known to himself he's lost his form. Our midfield is stuffed with identity kit players. You could pick any four from what's available and at the moment it would make little difference. They are all serial underachievers, J W P and Tadic in particular and Boufal is nothing but a "sand dancer". They need to have the riot act read to them on the basis of start to perform or you have no future with the Saints. Any body with the slightest knowledge of football can see that Gabby is a talented goal scorer who needs to feed off a target man. What does the manager do but play him as a lone striker at home against Watford for goodness sake. If the manager can't see what is obvious then perhaps Eric Black can put him straight or though I doubt it given his track record at Villa. It appears to me that it's all become too easy for the whole squad hence the lack of effort and commitment shown yesterday. I never thought I would say it but I would almost welcome Fat Sam to " put a bit of stick about".

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DPeps added 18:35 - Sep 10 Obviously it's all been said already by others. It's too early to judge the season, but if we continue with the same playing style and with the same toothlessness then god help us. On the plus side, at least we didn't get de Boer in...
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BarnetSaint added 18:36 - Sep 10 Palace must be delighted they've got us next. They have quality players to come back in, other than a sulking vvd, what do we have? Our attacking frailties were clearly evident at the end of last season , but this was not addressed. If our midfield/ forward players are not creating or scoring now, when fully fit and against mediocre opposition, then i worry for us. As for the manager, setting us up to play so negatively at home, doesn't fill me with any confidence. Watford were better in every department, from the first to the last.

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harry67 added 19:07 - Sep 10 UTTER GARBAGE,no better than last season,in fact worse!!!!!!!!!
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kingolaf added 20:36 - Sep 10 Nick, the 'tried and trusted' have been really poor going forward this season. Boufal showed more in his cameo performance v Swansea than a lot of other players. He needs a run in the side. I reckon he'll come good. Looks physically stronger than last season.
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TeamCortese added 22:25 - Sep 10 This is the team we need for our next match: GK: McCarthy Defence: Cedric, Yoshida, Stephens/Hoedt/VVD, Bertrand Midfield: Romeu, Lemina, Hojberg and Boufal. Upfront: Gabbiadini and Long The manager needs to be ruthless and bring some confidence back to the squad. He also needs to make it clear that all positions are up for grab. This is a World Cup year. People can't be f**king about like yesterday. Forster has to go. He's had enough opportunities and to be perfectly blunt isn't good enough. I've seen enough to convince me that his career is going in the wrong direction. Bertrand and Cedric both need kicks up the backside. They are both among the best full-backs in the league and they are not trying hard enough. They need to be leading the motivation within the team and act more like model professionals. In an ideal world the board/Mr. Gao would have brought in Tuchel as our manager and given him a £150 million transfer kitty to spend over the summer. We also need to plan to expand the stadium by 15/20k more seats at some point. I personally think we should sell VVD and bring in Zaha and Benteke. Benteke is a brilliant target man and would guarantee us 15-20 goals a season. Zaha has more than enough ability to replace Mane and would run riot with defences playing alongside a more confident Boufal (and possibly Tadic). I think we need to sell Redmond, JWP and Davis. While they all put in the effort they're simply not adding enough to squad's attack. It's a real shame we let Jay Rod go and even Gazzaniga.

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sfcsuperfan added 23:41 - Sep 10 Agree with most of the posts. Yesterdays game was truly awful. Watford totally outplayed us. We were outfought, outwitted . Watford wanted it more than us, we are too weak, slow and devoid of ideas. Having following saints for 50 years i cant remember a run so poor as our last dozen matches. MP doesnt inspire me with confidence and swopping a lone striker for another is plain crazy when chasing the game. Tadic, Redmond, Boufal and jwp are all too lightweight and create little. Gabadini has had no support, Austin is clearly not match fit. And long given no playing time at all. Maybe we can use 1 of these per game but certainly not all 4. We must try 2 or 3 of our strikers to play up front together. Romeo needs to shave his hair as he is not the player he was last season. Agree Forster needs a rest as his ratio of shot stopping is woeful.we lack leaders on the pitch, where is an alan Ball type . Maybe VVD playing in midfield would give us some balls. After a kind fixture list we have really messed up and change is needed otherwise a very long and miserable season ahead.

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SingaporeSaint added 01:48 - Sep 11 The worst performance I've seen in many years. Without lemina we'd have been out of it at Huddersfield - how pelligrino can think Romeu can play on his own is beyond me. We are carrying the fancy Dans of tadic, Boufal, Redmond and Davis every week - and they aren't even that fancy. Compare any of them to the watford left winger. You have to complete and win your battles in this league and we don't seem to have the personnel to do so Nor the manager who understands the game. 6 pointer on sat and palace are better than we are by the weekend's performance. Must be better. I'd bring Yoshida back too - not that I think he is great, but he seems committed and he wants to win. Oh and the club posting video of us shooting from 25 yards without being closed down is ironic... . To have

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SingaporeSaint added 01:50 - Sep 11 The worst performance I've seen in many years. Without lemina we'd have been out of it at Huddersfield - how pelligrino can think Romeu can carry a midfield on his own is beyond me. We are carrying the fancy Dans of tadic, Boufal, Redmond and Davis every week - and they aren't even that fancy. Compare any of them to the watford left winger. You have to complete and win your battles in this league and we don't seem to have the personnel to do so Nor the manager who understands the game. 6 pointer on sat and palace are better than we are by the weekend's performance. I'd bring Yoshida back too - not that I think he is great, but he seems committed and he wants to win. Oh and the club posting video of us shooting from 25 yards without being closed down is ironic...

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SingaporeSaint added 01:51 - Sep 11 The worst performance I've seen in many years. Without lemina we'd have been out of it at Huddersfield - how pelligrino can think Romeu can carry a midfield on his own is beyond me. We are carrying the fancy Dans of tadic, Boufal, Redmond and Davis every week - and they aren't even that fancy. Compare any of them to the watford left winger. You have to complete and win your battles in this league and we don't seem to have the personnel to do so Nor the manager who understands the game. 6 pointer on sat and palace are better than we are by the weekend's performance. I'd bring Yoshida back too - not that I think he is great, but he seems committed and he wants to win. Oh and the club posting video of us shooting from 25 yards without being closed down is ironic...

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