Make no bones about it Saturday's game against Aston Villa is a make or break game and as such is a cup final.

Swansea City's hock win at Arsenal leaves them only one point behind us and on Saturday Saints face Aston Villa knowing that anything less than a win will in probability see all the hard work of the season fall apart.

That being the case it now all comes down to needing to beat Villa and get the three points that will not only give us the chance to overcome Spurs but make sure that Swansea cannot overtake us.#

If we beat Villa then that would mean Swansea needing to win both of their last two games to overtake us, anything less and the best they could hope would be to finish on the same points as us, but behind on goal difference.

So its make or break for Saint and the season comes don to this one game if we are to stand any chance o qualifying for Europe, that being the case it is effectively a cup final.

So what that means is that the Saints supporters have to treat it as such, that mans being positive, it means being buoyant, it means being behind the team from the kick off and it means being loud and perhaps most importantly it mans staying with the side till the final whistle no matter how well or badly the game is going.

When the game kicks off on Saturday there is no place for bedwetters, what has gone on before is of no consequence, who has played badly is of no consequence, all that matters is that we win the game.

It is a shame that the season has come down to this but like getting to a cup final, it is better to get their an have the chance to compete and win that not get there at all and some supporters need to realise that, whatever happens although this season hasn't tuned out as successful as we might at one time have hoped, it has still been an exciting season and lets be blunt much better than we could have hoped 11 months ago.

Photo: Action Images

Jesus_02 added 11:12 - May 12 I have to say that I have been disappointed with Koeman of late. It’s difficult to be disappointed with someone that has delivered so much earlier in the season but the team have taken their foot of the gas and so has our manager. His recent comments about the goalkeeping situation have only re-enforced my feeling that he is tinkering with the team with one eye on next season. You are right to put Villa up as a cup final however I can’t see us scoring and the likely result in my mind would be a draw. Assuming that Swansea lose to City and beat Palace that would still leave us needing a draw away at City to get 7th. Anything less than 7th (after the start we had) will be seen as failure by the majority of fans and significantly players like Clyne that will want to believe that European football is possible at saints. It’s going to be a long summer

2

halftimeorange added 12:29 - May 12 Tadic has faded, Elia and Djuricic never got going, Ward-Prowse and Davis have gone to pot, Forsyth, Schneiderlin and Rodrigues are injured, Long has flopped, Pelle gets no service, Clyne and possibly Wanyama want out, Alderwereld is probably going back to Spain and the manager is tinkering to try and overcome that lot and failing. No wonder we can't win. Time to blood the youngsters.

1

corkcitysaint added 12:37 - May 12 I hope we can contain Bentecke this weekend. We struggled against Villa earlier in the season when they weren't scoring! No time for jitters at the back now. First and foremost, we can't concede an early goal. I hope that when we do, we attack with purpose.
2

schatfield added 12:41 - May 12 I don't think its right to assume Swansea will lose to City, they are playing at home and City away haven't been great in away games of late. I think the swans will win both of their last 2 games, meaning we have to do likewise, a scary thought considering our form. I'm not being a downer on this, just realistic considering our recent form and that we just can't seem to score with our sideways football.

1

SaintBrock added 13:32 - May 12 I can see a lot of fans packing in their season tickets after this debacle. We will not win the last two matches and the way Swansea are playing they will, so there you have it - a shambles, no progress from last season and a huge number of frustrated, disappointed and angry fans. Sadly Koeman seems to have lost the plot altogether but didn't it end like this for him in Spain?

0

DPeps added 14:01 - May 12 What did others expect at the start of the season? I thought we'd finish low mid-table at best due to all the upheaval over the summer. Things are relative and I'd still see this season as some kind of progress That said, we're playing terribly at the moment and the worst I've seen for a while. I get the feeling that since halfway through the season other teams have found us out, and we've not had the tactical acumen or strength in depth to play any other way. Swansea, by contrast, parked the bus at Arsenal last night and got 3 points.

2

SanMarco added 15:00 - May 12 It is a dreadful shame that we have fallen away so badly but even to come 8th with a point more than last season is not a disaster given last summer. Given the fact that 3 of our best players are leaving I reckon this summer is going to be tough too. Those having their doubts about Koeman will be proved right or wrong by end of August. The side that played at Leicester minus its better players could easily be in a relegation scrap - I am gradually coming to the conclusion that the Euro League would be bad for us...

1

A1079 added 16:53 - May 12 Ok, if you asked me at the beginning of the season, asked most people, irrespective of who we had appointed as manager, logically it pointed to a season of struggle, so on that basis anything above mid table sounded like a blinding success. Then we played some lovely football and it looked like Koeman had the midas touch. Even during December when we had those injuries which coincided with a tough fixture list we seemed to hold onto a good team spirit and determination (though Sheff Utd was possibly a warning shot of how poor we could be without the motivation and right tactics). We had another bit of revitalised side soon after New Year but since then our football has been pretty awful. It has been sterile, lacking invention, tons of possession with no cutting edge, tactically naieve and to be honest plain dull and boring to watch. For me, it is not whether we could, should have achieved Europe, it is the lack of entertainment value, the lack of drive and commitment, the lack of desire, the poor form of players and the inability to adjust our game or style. So, as much as I hate to say it, it has brought into question a bit of Koeman's ability lately. Now don't take this as some swipe to suggest that we should change the manager - for heavens sake Not in a million years. The good still outweighs the recent performance, but what looked like a great season has degraded into mediocrity and though you can use injuries as some justification, that would be a convenient way to hide from the wider problems on the pitch. If Monk and Swansea surpass us, it is because they deserve it. Wenger criticising Monks methods last night shows a tactically astute manager and we saw that when they played at St Marys when to everyone (at the time) that seemed like a game we would win.

1

densham41 added 18:29 - May 12 Having read the posts above, I am now off to the woolston bridge to throw myself off. Come on cheer up, we are still 7th with a good chance of finishing 6th. Sure it an anti climax end to the season, but I for one felt mid table would have been a good position to end up in after the summer we went through. Please look at your pint being half full not half empty.
0

darthvader added 18:31 - May 18 Probably the best first half I've been to. Blooming aamazing . Credit to mane he is now part of saints history and looked almost undefendable if there is such a word . The whole team and us fans and also the villa fans were fantastic . Take that to citeh next week and who knows we may finish fifth , (with results elsewhere going for us ). .. brilliant day
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Watford Polls