Saints knew before the game that they could drag Ipswich to within 7 points if they beat QPR, but it was a lacklustre performance where they barely got out of first gear, but they got the job done and that is all that matters.

It was an unchanged side from Russell Martin as Saints took on third from bottom Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road or whatever they are calling it these days.

But they found a resolute QPR side who after a recent run of good results were in confident mood and it was the home side who had the better of the early exchanges, although Saints seemed happy to play their normal game that involved passing the ball around and rarely were really troubled other than a few speculative shots.

The tide of the game perhaps turned in the 32nd minute, James Bree went down with an injury and was unable to continue and on came Ryan Manning.

Now nothing against Bree who was having a reasonable game, but with KPW reverting to right back and Manning on the left we had a more attacking look to the side.

This paid dividends minutes before the break when Saints won a free kick out wide on the right, Manning came across and sent in a inswinging dipping cross that Adam Armstrong flicked on to the far post and there was Taylor Harwood-Bellis who volleyed home for what would be the only goal of the game.

The second half saw Saints in the main dominate, but Rangers did not give up and there was always a chance that they would sneak an equaliser.

I'm not a fan of triple substitutions and Russell Martin did just this on 56 minutes, he took off Smallbone, Downes & Edozie and on came Charles, Fraser & Adams, in truth Edozie & Downes were not playing badly at this stage and it seemed strange.

Saints problems were getting the ball from the midfield, Stuart Armstrong seems to be a bit hit and miss lately and it was a poor pass from him that saw Shea Charles have to commit a foul and get booked and this would be costly in the final minutes.

But it was Saints who were the livelier and it has to be said that Ryan Frazer looked a step above Edozie and was at the heart of a few promising attacks in the final half hour.

But Saints didn't put the game to bed, part poor finishing and part resolute home defending, but we couldn't get that second that would make it safe.

On 87 minutes on came Jack Stephens and again this was a strange decision, off went Adam Armstrong, who is usually the hardest working player in the final minutes, it was unclear where Stephens was actually going to play, but it proved a lucky substitution when within a minute Shea Charles was sent off for a second yellow and that left Saints with what was left of the 90 plus 4 minutes of injury time to make sure that they took all three points home.

This could have shot us in the foot but with an extra defender on the pitch it made it easier to hold out and we did so with relative ease.

This was not a great performance from Saints, they lacked fluidity, they lacked the confidence to turn and attack the opposition at key times, again I am not sure that the multiple substitutions of recent games have helped, players like to play games and this builds confidence, the uncertainty that they may come off around the hour mark whatever cannot help and in my experience a player will stick to the script so he doesn't make mistakes, rather than take risks.

But they say the sign of a good side is that they can play badly and still win and that is certainly what Saints did at QPR, so that is one plus point from the game.

What is clear though is that we need to have a central striker, why Adam Armstrong is not being played in this role I really don't know, he is a good player out wide, but better in the centre, we didn't appear to be playing a central striker until the arrival of Che Adams and not a lot happened for him in this game.

In fairness to Adams it was not for a lack of effort, he tried his best, but he is clearly demotivated at not getting game time and his uncertain future.

In January with the news that Ross Stewart is unlikely to play again this season, we need to bring in a striker. Rumours abound that the man who will be arriving will be Danny Ings.

The referee was not good in my opinion, he constantly seemed to apply one rule for QPR & another for Saints, on several occasions we had players ride tackles that were fouls and when they lost the ball the ref waved play on, whereas in similar situations for the home side he would stop the game and pull it back for the earlier foul, although I will say that both of Shea Charles yellow cards were fair enough.

Saints received 5 yellow cards including Shea Charles two, whereas QPR received just one, that says something about how the referee applied the rules in a game that wasn't dirty, but saw both sides commit niggling fouls, yet only Saints were punished.

But as I said in the preview this is a war of attrition and the only thing that matters is the result, rather then the way it is achieved.

We have taken three points in the first of the festive quartet of games and in doing so have drawn within 7 points of Ipswich who were soundly beaten at Leeds, we have opened up a 9 point gap between us and West Brom in 5th and perhaps more importantly an 11 point gap between us and 7th placed Watford.

Now the games come thick and fast, 3 in the next week, the first two of them at home and it is crucial that we take maximum points, if we do so then Ipswich will be looking over their shoulders at us.

So a good Xmas for Saints and Russell Martin, in the past three months he has shown that he is the man to take us forward, he had his doubters, but he has surely own most of them over.

There is still some who decry his possession football style, but the reality is that this is the game that most play these days in both the Premier League and indeed the Championship, it is not Russell Martin's game but the modern game in general.

Bookings

Che Adams
Joe Aribo
Jack Stephens
Shea Charles

Sending Off
Shea Charles 2nd yellow

Photo: Action Images

Centurion added 10:13 - Dec 24 We are in a good position, but to sustain our chances of promotion we need a new striker. The Ross Stewart signing has been a disaster for this season and we can only hope he comes good for next season.
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Bowlercow added 11:09 - Dec 24 Yes to a new striker in January They are not easy to source and definitely not cheap Jack Stevens should remain a bench player He played for the B team last week and gifted the opposition their first goal. Therefore a replacement for Holgate who is supposedly being recalled will also be needed A strong link has emerged with Diallo from Utd but why would we want another winger? Yesterday's result was one that had to be ground out. As long as we continue to do this and make this a. 25 game run who knows what could happen Hopefully those who object to the possession game are starting to enjoy it and our overall performances.

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highfield49 added 11:21 - Dec 24 As you say Nick, winning games when the team isn't having the best of days is a very encouraging sign. Ings seems to be the only forward that the rumour mills keep churning out as a likely January signing. If true, we can only hope that, firstly, he can still score goals and, secondly, that he doesn't spend the rest of the season chatting to Stewart in the treatment room. My hope is that the recruitment team have a hidden gem waiting to sign a contract in the New Year. I'm not convinced that RM has your backing Nick. You say he has won over most of his doubters but clearly you have doubts about his team selection, tactics and substitutions. As far as I'm concerned we're not leaking goals at a horrendous rate and, despite lacking a physical presence like Romeu, the midfield is competitive. So, that illusive goalscorer is probably the factor that will turn around those that still have doubts about RM. Whether or not that player is Ings should be known in the next week or two. In the meantime fingers crossed that RM is a better tactician than some believe and we keep the current momentum going. Let's also not forget that pretty much every game is going to take hard graft and team togetherness, whether it's QPR or Leicester we're playing there aren't going to be too many easy days in the months ahead.

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JoeEgg added 13:21 - Dec 24 The 'highlights' of this game took about 30 seconds to show! Grinding out results in this fashion has produced a record breaking run of undefeated matches. If this is the kind of football we have to watch now then so be it - the fans will applaud while we keep winning matches but it will be quite a different story if we start to lose some! If you saw the Leeds/Ipswich game the outcome was much the same - Just 11 shots at goal in total from both sides with Ipswich not managing a single shot on target! In recent games players other than Adam Armstrong have scored - but the total of goals scored is totally inadequate for what we want to achieve.. With the Ross Stewart debacle now clear for all to see, the final outcome for Saints this season will rely not so much on 'grinding' out results, but on the most effective use of the forwards that we already have (see Nick's comments) and above all on the January purchase or purchases of a PROVEN and fit goalscorer at this level.

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Block8 added 13:51 - Dec 24 This was a difficult game to watch, as have our last 3 or 4 away but we have ground out a win today. We lack a strong number 9 that could help us when we move forward, we constantly look for someone in the middle and teams sit back knowing we are quite open on the break. Adams is sadly out of form and almost certainly on his way in January, however apart from Ings we seem to be linked with even more wingers? Didn't have the best of views but it seemed to me that AA was clotheslined in the first half in a similar incident to Charles but no action was taken? Agree with Nick the referee was poor, perhaps in keeping with the game. Plus points, a win, Baz looks good, so does Aribo despite being so ungainly. I like Bree and it is possibly the fact that he does not bomb on regardless that has helped with the clean sheets. KWP despite his obvious pluses is frequently caught wrong side as is Manning. Good vibes in the away end and a bigger variation in chants than of late. COYR

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IanRC added 14:58 - Dec 24 Agree about the referee, very one sided with the fouls, play one and yellow cards. Disagree about Stuart Armstrong though, he did play that one poor pass but generally he looked a class above everyone else on the field particularly when Fraser joined him. Really hope management get their fingers out and sign him up as I gather his contract is expiring soon. I have to agree about a striker but please not Ings, injury prone and disloyal.

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Ifonly added 18:06 - Dec 24 Totally wrong to say that RM's style is just the modern game. No other team is as obsessed with possession as we are. We have the highest possession stats in the league (and higher than any team in the PL). Other teams have styles that worry less about possession and attack more. They make more use of the ball when they have it. That's why we are not heading for promotion and they are.

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stmichael added 18:32 - Dec 24 The game changed when Bree went off and Manning came on😂😂😂😂😂
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A1079 added 22:16 - Dec 24 Overall a fair assessment Nick. I thought we were frustrating and I always felt that QPR could get a point. They are better than their position suggests. But, we just don't put games to bed and we were very slow to get going. I know when you have not lost for 15 games it seems trite to say it, but if I am honest, I cannot say I am enjoying alot of our football - I find it dull and boring in much the same way as I did when Puel was in charge. But, then I think I need to be careful of what I wish for because we are getting results.

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davidargyll added 08:12 - Dec 25 Every single post on here says “Sign a new striker in January”, implying that all our troubles will be over if/when we do. For God’s sake, WAKE UP EVERYONE. The likelihood of us finding someone who will hit the ground running from day one are minimal to non-existent. At the very least I wouldn’t expect any new signing to bed down into our form of play - and at least as importantly moving to a new city with all the up heavily that entails - for at least a few weeks if not more like two or three months. So what do we do? Swap Che for Danny? Ok so Danny knows the place, but that trade will cost us a bit, we are stuffed if DI gets injured and he does look very overpriced. Much better to get in Diallo from Man U and keep Che as back-up and swallow the relatively small transfer fee we’d lose if we keep him til the end of the season. But whatever we do it’s vital we at least secure a play-off spot and that means safety first.

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landsdownsaint added 10:51 - Dec 25 I’m not a great fan of this style of football but RM has won me over , im not too worried about getting a goal scorer in as I think they’d do no better than what we got but losing KWP & Bazunu really worries me , them 2 are the heartbeat
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underweststand added 11:22 - Dec 25 Hopping over all the match comments you have all made (above) we are still back to the big question ..WHO will replace Ché Adams after his predictable /inevitable move in January?. Why not utilise the services of the player he was bought to replace - Danny Ings YES.. we all know Danny's injury record, and maybe he won't be 100% fit for every game, but we all recall his solo performances which kept us up in the Prem. for two seasons. IF we can loan him for the rest of the season and (?) maybe have WHam pay 50% of his enormous salary - it would be a win-win situation. Not expecting him to play 90+ minutes every match but we know that Danny is a "gamechanger " and even an extra goal here and there might make the difference at the end of the season. Situation to be reviewed after the play-offs in May. .

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