There can be no excuses for what was the poorest performance of the season so far on a day when everyone seemed to have an off day.

Ronald Koeman suggested that the atmosphere inside the stadium wasn't right, perhaps because of the pre match remembrance to the victims in Paris last week and although yes the supporters did not help the team being very quiet, the truth was it was the players on the pitch who didn't do it.

Put simply the entire team seemed to have an off day and that gave Stoke the opportunity to do what they do best these days and that is sit back soak up pressure and hit on the counter and that is what they did.

Saints dominated possession with 59%, they had enough shots with 16, but so did Stoke and more to the point they had 4 on target to our measly 1.

That perhaps pointed to where we were going wrong, although we had plenty of pressure we did little with it and rarely looked like making it count, we just never got going as a team or as individuals, several players had their worst performances for a long time, Ryan Bertrand looked lacklustre, Pelle a shadow of the player he has been this season and they were far from being alone.

Once Stoke scored a goal on 10 minutes it was always going to be hard, the goal itself was sloppy, Eric Pieters was allowed far too much time to run and cross and Bojan Krkic was allowed to get in front of Fonte and flick in from a tight angle.

This perhaps set the tone for the day and from then on Saints could not find any kind of rhythm despite plenty of the ball.

Saints should have had a penalty when Pelle was seemingly hacked down in the area, but ref Lee Mason didn't think so and the chance for the game to be turned round was gone.

This was a bad day at the office, it is the first one they have had in a long time, every team has one as sadly Manchester City showed later in the day, this defeat for Saints is a blow, but it is not a terminal one, we now need to lick our wounds, work on where we went wrong and come back stronger than ever.

There is a long way to go in the season, there are many more games to go, we now need to make sure that this defeat is a rarity.

Photo: Action Images

michaeljoycetf added 10:25 - Nov 22 Did we play badly or did they play well? sometimes teams aren't given the credit they deserve when they win. It annoys me no end when this happens to Saints,
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SaintNick added 10:32 - Nov 22 I think they played to their strengths and we played badly, cedit to stoke for having a game plan, sticking to it and winning, but the fact remains that we did not play to our strengths or play well
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SanMarco added 11:10 - Nov 22 I suppose to be at the top you have to be able to beat good teams playing well and to their strengths. So far our home record against such sides is played 4 and 1 point (and that probably flatters Man Utd who weren't even playing well until we let them equalise). Agree with michaeljoycetf that Stoke were pretty good and you never really know about games like this until we've played a few more - is it a blip or the start of a bad run? After the full-time whistle vs Spurs next month will be a good time to assess that. We have played like we did yesterday and recovered so its not all doom and gloom.

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IanRC added 11:25 - Nov 22 Consequence of the international break perhaps. We were very poor, that said the referee should be investigated for gross negligence missing the shirt pull in the first half was perhaps understandable but standing six foot away from Pelle when he was hacked down was not. We are certainly not getting our fair share of penalties - remember the Chelsea game ...
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IWOZTHERE added 11:30 - Nov 22 Incredibly disappointing-the way we lost. Penalty aside we were very lucky it wasn't 3 or 4. It may be good to have got a reality check prior to Manc and L'pool, cos the players looked as if they'd 'started to believe their own publicity!' Stoke are a tough side and we had to first win the 'fight' to put them on the back foot and get some room. We had to earn the right to play the 'pretty' stuff so why did Romeu not start ? Sorry Ron but it was Mark Hughes who won your personal battle! On the field Stoke were on us like a rash but we kept on playing 'blind' careless passes, invariably losing possession. Pelle got some stick but not much service and it should have been explained to Tadic at half-time that Butland is not actually our target man! At no time did it appear that we were learning from this, have a Plan B, or any 'game changers on the bench. OK, they haven't turned into bad players overnight, but there must be a lot of soul searching and hard work now scheduled for this week (and perhaps a signing in the 'window').

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SaintPaulVW added 12:48 - Nov 22 Even playing badly they had the chances to come back but just could not get a shot on target which was the most disappointing thing for me. Midfield looked a mess, aside from Vic's normal wrecking ball performance.
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SaintBrock added 13:54 - Nov 22 We just cannot deal with these big physical guys lined up at the back, long balls to Pelle and high crosses are easy fare for them and none of our lightweight lads had the skill or strength to battle through 1 on 1 in the 18yd box. Outclassed, as simple as that not by better players but by a system that had studied our game thoroughly and knew exactly how to neutralise us. All our errors were forced by their high pressing of our players in possession. Our real level is sorting itself out as the season settles into its familiar mid-season slog.

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halftimeorange added 14:09 - Nov 22 Not for the first time I thought that our set up was wrong. Stoke surprisingly played some incisive football but they resorted to their usual bully-boy tactics when necessary and we were too lightweight in midfield. For all his pretty passing and hustle and bustle this was not the game for Jordy Clasie to start. Romeu would have added bite to our midfield (and he can pass). The biggest mystery to me was why Shane Long wasn't subbed earlier. He is not a right winger and yesterday he had a shocker. Mane might have been carrying a knock but here was a chance to give Juanmi some meaningful time on the pitch instead of yet another five minute cameo. I support the comments regarding Tadic. Doesn't he practice crossing the ball? I exempt Pelle from criticism as he was pushed and wrestled from the off in front of one of the PL's most inept referees. His frustration-driven booking will surely see Shane Long play as CF against Man C. Let's hope he shows more ability than he did yesterday.

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BUCK added 16:13 - Nov 22 We were shocking.end of. Why the hell was mane on the bench.we could have gone 5th amd that's the hurtful thing. Now we're 8th with Liverpool right up on our arse.it makes it far more important we go and get a result against man city.very disappointing day.
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saintsnutcase added 17:23 - Nov 22 What a miserable football weekend. Yuk! Clyne, Lovren, Lallana, Pochettino, Alderweireld!!
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BoondockSaint added 22:18 - Nov 22 Leicester top of the table because they WANT IT! Unlike Saints! This was not an "Off Day". We have no drive, set pieces are a joke, and we look like our game plan is to draw penalties. The only reason it wasn't 3 or 4 to nil was because it seems their players attended the Shane Long/J-Rod Finishing School. I spent the first hour thinking "So this is what it will be like when Mane leaves, eh?" Lot of possession, but never threatening. With Pelle out, will Gaston get a shout? Klopp puts Lallana in the proper spot, Lovern doesn't assist on an opposition goal and Spurs win! What a weekend!

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Saintist added 01:58 - Nov 23 Depressing it is, Alderweireld and Pochettino ..what might have been for us. Poch is getting a lot of praise from the pundits, title challengers.. who knows. Saints despite some decent wins, does not look like a team who will be contending for Europa spot this season. The constant interest in the players is also not helping one bit..
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saintmark1976 added 09:27 - Nov 23 Just to remind everyone that this was only the second defeat in the last twelve games.It is not as though the sky has fallen in. Stoke are a team very much in form at the moment and even with their win they are still below us in the league table. Be thankful that you are not waking up as a Villa,Sunderland,Bournemouth or Newcastle fan let alone our friends from a short distance down the M27.

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