Saints made it two away league wins on the bounce at Watford, but again saw their defensive frailties exposed.

A few months ago the complaint was that Saints weren't entertaining, that accusation cannot be levelled at them now with the goals flowing, although the worrying aspect is the number that are now being conceded.

Saints were caught napping early doors and found themselves a goal down after only 4 minutes, but they got back on terms just before the half hour through Dusan Tadic and then Nathan Redmond made it 2-1 in the second minute of first half injury time.

It then looked like only one team would win it but in the final fifteen minutes Watford started to push and again Saints got caught out with 11 minutes to go and the worry was that the Hornets had the momentum.

That almost proved to be the case when Okaka found himself with a clear shot at Forster who saved well and this proved to be the turning point as within a minute Saints were again ahead.

Gabbiadini sent himself into the Saints record books with yet another poachers goal, Gomez should have held Boufal's shot easily but spilled it and Gabbiadini was the first to react poking it past the hapless keeper.

But if you thought that would be the winner with five minutes left to play you were wrong, there were still three goals to be scored in the final 9 minutes including injury time.

That wasn't what the home fans thought when Nathan Redmond made it 4-2 with a fine strike past Gomez who again looked like he should have done better.

Saints then looked to have won it, but their own lack of concentration almost cost them dearly, but Watford's third came a little late to mount a real challenge to make it a truly shock result.

From a plus point side of things, Gabbiadini looks to be the final pice in the puzzle for Saints attacking wise, he seems to have a knack of being in the right place at the right time, but his game is a lot more than just slotting in from close range.

But two players who have been under fire this season from a section of Saints support , Redmond and Ward Prowse have started to blossom in recent weeks and have gone from whipping boys to being essential to the way the team plays.

Going forward we now look dangerous and able to create and score chances, something that was lacking up to the end of January, but Gabbiadini seems to have been that missing link and he is bringing the best out of others around him.

But defensively we are still frail for long periods we defend well, but once again lapses in concentration cost us dearly, Watford only had four chances on target, yet thre went in, none was the fault of Forster, all were about lapses in concentration that let the opposition capitalise.

The reality is that Yoshida and Stephens may be ok for back up, but we need a strong pairing in the middle, if we still had Van Dijk and a Jose Fonte without his head up his arse then I think we might well have won last week at Wembley and indeed would have won not only at Watford but in several games in the last month or so that we lost.

We cannot change the past though, but we can change the future, if we can get Caceres in alongside Van Dijk then we can have a good run to the end of the season.

The result against Watford put us back into the top ten and it has to be our first aim to hold that position at the end of the season, but we want slightly more and there is no reason why we should not look to finish in 8th spot and given the issues we have had this season that would be a great achievement.

That would leave us in good shape for next season if we could bring a couple of players in in key positions.

I have said all season it is about being patient and looking at the bigger picture, Saints are still in good shape and having taken a step or two back in the first half of the season have already made them up in the second half.

Photo: Action Images

perazi added 09:52 - Mar 5 It was a good win with some fine attacking Football played by Saints against a physical Watford side who at times resembled the old Wimbledon FC of years gone by. A couple of disagreements Nick; I agree Redmond was excellent yesterday and is making that wide left spot his own. Ward-Prowse however played quite poorly I thought; losing the ball, misplacing passes and not offering much defensively, which in turn seems to be straining midfield with Romeu having to cover so much and Davis who really isn't suited to a DM role. I wonder whether the right wing/inside right spot JWP is occupying could be better filled by Boufal with Tadic at 10. Yoshida played another fabulous game and your continued negative comments about him have almost got to farcical levels Stephens showed some weakness in the air against the big Watford forwards, but he clearly has the talent to develop into a good defender - has to be Caceras against Spurs though. Good win and very entertaining to watch.

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IanRC added 10:15 - Mar 5 Perazi, fraud I disagree. Thought JWP played well, his turn and pass for the second goal was terrific. Similarly, as Nick says, we looked vulnerable in the centre of defence with a Watford striker being left completely unmarked for at least one of their goals. That said Stephens made at least one great saving tackle after a very rare Davies mistake.
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SanMarco added 10:33 - Mar 5 Good article. It was nice to see that Gabby's introduction to the team is leading to others up front scoring. The second goal was excellent. I lean towards perazi on JWP's performance yesterday and I suppose with Yoshi it depends what you expect from him. Maybe Nick is over-critical at times but I would agree that he is good back-up but he shouldn't be a regular. He gives his all but he is not a 'top 8' defender. As for the rest of the season it will indeed be about VVD and Cacares. If we can sort the defence out we could have a pretty good end to the season. That I can be uttering such a sentence shows what a topsy-turvey season it has been. I know it won't happen but it is lovely to dream about catching Koeman - so come on you Spuds this afternoon...

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Sanguin added 10:35 - Mar 5 I thought JWP did well considering he's not a natural right winger. I thought Stephens had a good game, but there were still a few lapses in concentration and he needs to show some consistency. My main problem with our defence is how often the back four give away possession cheaply, apart from Bertrand. All three of them pick poor passes, make reckless clearances to their midfielders or make poor decisions which put us on the back foot.

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Bettwsresident added 11:32 - Mar 5 Watford first goal: outstanding finish from Deeny after ball looped to him from deflection of davies. No fault Watford 2nd goal: Stephens going backwards when he should have been attaching the ball. Watford 2 on 1: Brilliant by Davies to recover and cut off the pass option, then Stephen mopped up really well Watford 3rd: Offside, but VVD would have won the header and prevented the flick on. We went for the win at 2-2 (all credit Puel) but it meant that Romeu and Davies went for a bit too much and unusually lost possession a couple of times. Is it just me or has anyone else noticed OR has dropped off a bit since swansea away.. He is not covering the back 2 as he used to (or are they dropping off too much), and the thunderous tackles seem to have gone missing. Still epic win, Tadic and Redmond exceptional JWP good and the movement by Manolo astonishing at times . The goal was inevitable. Great anticipation, he saw Boufal lining up the stop and readied himself like a sprinter at the start on the offside line. Charlie who?

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SaintBrock added 11:47 - Mar 5 Totally agree with Perazi on this. JWP was not at the races yesterday as a defender, hapless would be the kindest way to describe his performances. All the usual traits, hopeless in the tackle, passing backwards and sideways thus stopping momentum and jumping for headers with his eyes closed nowhere near the ball. Yes, with the ball he can put in a good cross occasionally but is he worth his palace just for that and his dead ball kicks? Not in my book and you have to wonder how bad Hojberg has become to not get a sniff over Prowse. Sadly all their goals involved Stephens not doing his job properly, maybe they targeted him but he is still very young and very raw and this is no place to learn to correct his mistakes. These are tiny concerns easily put right compared with the SUPERB attacking display we mounted all afternoon... WOW!

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highfield49 added 12:12 - Mar 5 The score flattered a Watford team who could probably provide some useful NFL Linebackers but are pretty dire when it comes to finesse on a football pitch. Certainly do resemble the old Wimbledon FC as perazi has said. For all of their efforts Yoshi and Stephens put more pressure on Romeu and Davis in midfield because they are constantly aware that the players behind them are vulnerable. VVD and Fonte generally mopped up any lost balls rather than retreat from attackers hence Romeu looking less confident and unwilling to commit himself. Gabbiadini is proving himself to be the bargain of the season, brilliant scouting from whoever, and is a terrific combination of scorer and poacher. JWP, Tadic and Redmond again had excellent games and, perazi, I really can't see Boufal contributing better than JWP defensively. I think we're all agreed that Caceres and VVD will be in the team asap and I guess Caceres will play on Monday for the under 23 team, as hinted by Puel, to get a bit of match practice. Last word to the Forster doubters, I know he isn't on top form but I bet Watford wish they had him in goal.

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halftimeorange added 12:12 - Mar 5 I think that Romeu has been advised to relax a little whilst Van Dijk is missing. If he was to be suspended we would be in serious trouble. It's a pity that Gabbiadini didn't arrive earlier. Redmond seems to be far more confident now he has a real poacher alongside him. Tadic , too although Dusan can inexplicably go off the boil. We showed more cohesion going forward possibly because Claude played an unchanged starting side. The first picks are having the opportunity to play together. Our central defensive weaknesses are glaringly obvious to any watching scouts and we keep having trouble with big central attackers. I can't see the current pairing keeping Kane or similar out so this will continue to be a roller-coaster season until that problem is addressed. We still have Boufal, Sims and Hobjberg, McQueen and Targett to fulfil their promise so the future looks rosy to me.

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davepid added 12:22 - Mar 5 Does anybody know if we've ever scored 4 goals in back to back away games in the Premiership. Indeed is it too much to hope that we've set a premiership record maybe?
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the_saint added 14:53 - Mar 5 I think you will find that now Redmond is playing in a more natural role behind the striker in a more wide role he is starting to blossom, as all of us have said when he was playing up front he is not a striker we are proved right. Reckon a defensive mid and centre back away from having a very good team and squad.
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pete_boggs added 15:05 - Mar 5 If the game had gone on for another 10 mins we would have been lucky to get a point. Davis was wasteful in midfield along with JWP which nearly cost us a dearly few times, also their defending was non-existent and should be addressed by giving Clasie, and possibly Sims or Hojbjerg, a go to give Romeu some help. It is nice to see some goals by 3 people going in at last but we need to tighten up at the back pronto, possibly with Caceres to have a chance against anyone in the top half.

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Foz added 17:36 - Mar 5 Very pleasing to score 4 goals and achieve a second successive away win. Watford supporters I know felt that they played very poorly and that Saints clearly deserved to win. So the concern has to be that a team playing well below par still managed to score 3 goals against us.
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eastcoastsaint added 19:14 - Mar 5 Our second goal yesterday was a mesmerizing. Redmond comes deep to gather the ball, his low center of gravity used to wonderful effect as he drives, weaves and releases the ball to JWP,who flicks, spins and passes in one masterful motion to Tadic who takes a look and cuts the ball back to the man that started the move,Redmond, then BANG. Utter precision. Team goal of the season for me. Very encouraging for the future

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aceofthebase added 20:50 - Mar 5 Hope we see how good or bad Caceras is soon? Weall hope he will be an improvement on our present pairing and long termfor him to link up with VVD. I think we should be grateful for our present pairing who have given their all for Saints. I'm very happy for Yoshida to be a first choice defender if Caceras proves a dud. What an exciting formation CP has put together, very exciting to watch and goals coming from all directions. The owner and management continue to produce miracles of recovery. We won despite many errors and lack of concentration from our midfield (Not Yoshi Nick). Cedric again failed to prevent a cross that resulted in the first goal, he is a fantastic attacking full back but just about useless as a defender. Redmond is developing into a very dangerous player and Tadic is on top form. We also seem to have a pretty good Italian forward. Three points is what really matters, creeping towards safety and with confidence that we will creep up the table.

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theholsaints added 21:31 - Mar 5 Beat all of the top 6 before end of season, pip Everton to 7th and knock RK off his perch!!! Perfect!!
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BoondockSaint added 21:57 - Mar 5 We deserved to win on quality and intensity. A bit lucky that Gomez channeled his inner Forster and batted the ball to the Saints instead of catching it. Redmond is like a new player--hope he keeps it up. Got to agree with the majority: JWP is a weak link. Should have been in the weight room the last two seasons. His set pieces are almost always off target. I'd have Tadic take all the corners. The announcers go on and on about him, but answer me this: If he was as good as they claim, why hasn't Les sold him yet? Oh, and speaking of announcers could they just call Deeny "Deeny" instead of "TroyDeeny" I keep thinking they have a a new player from Italy!!

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helpineedsomebody added 23:31 - Mar 5 4 games 9 goals conceded with these 2 playing in the centre of defence says it all I dread to think when we play spurs in 2 weeks time Redmond must be very close to a full England call up &jwp too
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the_saint added 07:48 - Mar 6 Helpineedsomebody I was just going to press the arrow up button until I saw the jwp too for England :-(
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arthurfane added 10:20 - Mar 6 Anyone else keen to see Jason McCarthy given a go? Has looked very impressive out on loan the last two seasons. Perhaps RB isn't the most pressing concern for us right now, with Cedric playing well, but maybe (ala Chambers) he could be converted to CB. Like other posters, agree Caceres needs to be unleashed against Spurs. Can't wait to have VVD back. Gabbiadini is an unbelievable player - he is constantly anticipating. If the goalkeeper doesn't hold a shot, he'll be on it in a flash and it'll be in the back of the net. He would be a meace if he was playing AGAINST Forster haha. COYS

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arthurfane added 10:21 - Mar 6 *menace
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TeamCortese added 12:00 - Mar 6 Great result Saturday! Despite the loss in the cup it's clearly had a very positive effect with our attackers. There's more of a spring in their movement and an air of confidence about them going forward. It's as if they can anticipate each other before a pass is made. I think it's because Tadic and Redmond have a striker (in Gabbiadini) they can trust to put away chances which maybe they didn’t have earlier in the season. My only reservation is whether we can keep him during the summer. Also like many on this forum I've had enough of JWP. Don't get me wrong he puts in a good shift and is a real gentleman but is not good enough to be playing for a top 10 team. In contrast Yoshida is (but definitely not good enough for the Top 4-6). If JWP was good enough we should be struggling to keep him (like Everton are with Barkley and Tottenham are with Dele Alli). For the position he plays (and also Davis) they should be offering a lot more offensively. Davis in particular is yet to get a goal this season. Defensively I think he’s okay and definitely tracks back more than Boufal and Tadic. Personally I think Hojberg should be given more game time ahead of JWP and we should be looking at a long-term replacement for Davis (perhaps Josh Sims or possibly Gylfi Sigurðsson). Lastly, with the anti-Yoshida crowd, tell me a player who played better than him season apart from Romeu and VVD?

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bstokesaint added 12:51 - Mar 6 Really pleased with the result and Les has really pulled out it out of the bag with the Italian. I noticed an article written with views from his former team-mates saying they'd have expected him to join one of the European super clubs. So credit where it's due, this is another great move from the club. Lots of positives too despite the frailties at the back. Redmond continues to look more and more threatening with every game and has silenced some of his critics at least. The team are looking more threatening generally now since the arrival of Gabbiadini and the latter is what we’ve been looking for since last summer. As others have said, what a difference it makes to have a striker in form and where would we be now if he’d arrived in July..? There are still some areas to address. I’m not convinced that the story about Forster playing through the pain barrier can be true, or why else would he have played on Saturday, when it was a game he could easily have been rested? The central defensive partnership issue won’t just go away either. Personally I have no issues with Yoshi being a first team pairing with a stronger defensive partner such as VVD. I honestly can’t see he’s done too much wrong this season. He’s previously been criticised for his concentration lapses, but there have been few that I can recall this season. Stephens is definitely not as strong, but credit where it’s due he put in a great last ditch tackle to save us a real goal-scoring opportunity for Watford. That’s the kind of thing he needs to be doing more regularly to secure a place. I hear all the shouts for Caceres, but I still can’t consider him a serious replacement of any sort until we’ve seen him play. He’s been out for so long I’m not sure he’ll be able to live up to the fans’ expectations. I think it’s fair to say that Pelle, Mane and Redmond have all been on the receiving of some unjustified stick, whilst finding their feet. For me the jury is still out there on JWP. His pass for the second goal showed some real class and I don’t think his commitment to be questioned. I’m not naïve enough to believe he consistently does enough in open play to justify his regular selection, but every time I watch him play I want to see him prove himself. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that more bosses than the current manager can see some potential there. He needs to add goals to his game. And soon.

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SaintJez added 17:02 - Mar 6 Saints score their 11th goal in 3 games (none at home) and still the fans are unhappy!!! Agreed we are conceding some soft goals but the first was a heck of a strike, the 2nd the result of a slip from Stephens (albeit he could have done better) and the 3rd was sloppy but the game was won by then anyway. Let's focus on the positives... Saints are great to watch!! Everyone looks composed on the ball, we are popping it around beautifully and finally we have someone with the desire and nous to get into dangerous areas in the box! It's as good as I can remember it. I probably take the point that JWP can be a little lightweight at times but he brings something that others don't have in that he has real quality from a dead ball (I wish he'd take corners both sides and not tadic from the right). I think there's merit in trying him in a right forward position in much the same way Man U used Beckham in his prime. If he can find space in those areas, he has the quality to hit Gabbi and cause damage. It just remains as to whether Davis is good enough to partner Romeu in the middle. I'm unsure about that but having Hojbjerg and Claisie waiting in the wings is a nice situation to be in! When VVD is back to partner the much improved Yoshida, we're going to look like a very very good side - and if Caceres can live up to his CV credentials then we could be an excellent one! I'm also not going to criticise Stephens. He's just breaking through and shows flashes of quality mixed with naivety. That's to be expected I think. We need to be patient and not get on his back. The future's bright!....

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simmo400 added 11:24 - Mar 7 Their keeper had a shocker was almost FF like. Yes we looked better but make no mistake if it wasn't for Gomez we probably would have lost this game.
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