Saints secured their Premier League future for next season with a point at Sunderland, but there was a feeling that it typified our recent form.

A member of this site commented on this game that he felt that this was Groundhog Day for Saints and he had a point, so did Saints for that matter but watching the game you had a feeling that you had seen it all before, A performance where Saints dominated for long periods but failed to capitalise on that dominance and then get hit with a sucker punch, luckily for us though unlike some of the previous groundhog days like Spurs last week, we hit back and got something out of the game.

I highlighted Jason Puncheon in the preview of this match, he didnt start but had an immediate impact when he got on the end of a cross by his fellow substitute Jamie Ward Prowse, this week the substitutions paid off, last week at Spurs they didnt and perhaps if JWP had come on at Spurs we might have an extra point.

But if Saints want to improve next season then a major overhaul is needed, put bluntly our defence isnt good enough and still suffers from lapses, we dont have any natural wide players in midfield and up front our way of playing doesnt seem to suit Rickie Lambert who made it another game without a goal.

A few weeks ago many were talking about Saints in terms of a top ten finish, such is the compactness of this league that could still happen, but the truth is there isnt much to choose between West Brom in 8th and Wigan in that final relegation place, Saints as they have showed in the last five games are no better or worse than any of those teams.

But up in the North East on Sunday we got the point that 99% assures our place in next seasons Premier and that being the case this game merely once again highlighted where we are weak and need to improve next season if we want to avoid another relegation battle.

In the situation we were in this was about getting that point and we did so, what matters now is what we do in the summer transfer window, our struggles this season where all because we chased so called Marque signings and didnt get the basics right in the areas we were weak, do err once was forgiveable, to do so twice as we did in the January window was sheer folly, to do so a third time this summer could be catastrophic.

If we want to move up the table games like this should be won, with no direspect to Sunderland at the moment they are a poor side and we looked no better on Sunday and we really should have done, in January we were told that Adkins was replaced by Pochettino as those in charge felt that he was the man to take us forward in a way that Adkins could not, this was Pochettinos 15th game, in that time he has ammassed 18 points, ironically in Nigel Adkins last 15 games he gained exactly the same number of points, neither total is particularly impressive, slightly above the average needed to stay up this season, what it does show is that with the same squad to work with, both managers did virtually the same job, Pochettino now has the chance to revamp and improve the squad, its all about what happens next now.      

Photo: Action Images

stmichael added 10:09 - May 13 I think our way of playing suits Ricky perfectly. Only 2 superb saves have stopped Ricky scoring in the last 2 games. His assists actually outweigh his goals which is outstanding. His hold up play and general link up play is outstanding. Once agin yesterday he played a major part in our goal feeding JWP with a perfectly weighted pass. The system gives him the opportunity to show his 1st touch and ability which is seriously under rated. Generally Nick your articles are so negative. Once againwe have gone away from home and dominated. 64% possession away from home in the 1st half! Yes we have not won but we are streets ahead of Sunderland , Wigan and the others. None of them had 1 point after 7 games. Thats why the season has been a struggle.

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Jesus_02 added 10:28 - May 13 Ok…we are safe until next year. Time to take stock. I don’t think a review of our short comings is necessarily negative. It was an interesting game in that, like it or not Saints and Sunderland our both teams that sacked managers and have had the “new manager effect”. I’ll put the question bluntly. Is Poch really better than Adkins? In all honesty I’m a little worried that we will end up losing our entertaining (less predictable) style. Could the pressing yet attractive style that has so much been lorded in previous weeks simply be a hang over from the Adkins regime combined with a less attractive more physical style? I feel the change of direction is typified in our changes to midfield. Is Steven Davis really a better option than Puncheon?

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sidsaint added 10:41 - May 13 We have more of the play week in week out yet often this has not been reflected in the scoreline due to sloppy defensive errors or lack of clinical finishing in the box. I think we play better football under Poch than under NA and I believe that NC will back Poch in the transfer market with his transfer requests more than he did for NA. We have got the nucleus of a good squad, we need to strengthen with some quality players which wont come cheap and to support that we have an impressive academy. The future could be very bright lets hope we do the right things this summer and hit the ground running at the beginning of next season.

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thingummy added 10:46 - May 13 Shows how far we have come the last couple of year that we are disappointed not to take 3 points We desperately need to strengthen the centre of defence - and we need pace out wide .... and when Lallana is off form we lack that little bit of class. It must be tough for AL - never really got his form back after the injury and for the 1st time in a few years, he's not the best player on the pitch. He will come good next year. In the meantime, Punch in better form Wonder who he will give a go on Sunday if things are comfortable

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Santos added 10:57 - May 13 Negative / Realistic ? Having seen all of the last 5 games in one form of another. I can only agree with the article. Yes we have had lots of Possession and looked pretty at times but without any real purpose for most of that Possession. I think there have been 2 things happening here the usual case of new manager impact wearing off but equally the need for specific types of players for playing this style is a must in the summer. The nucleus is there but key additions are required in the summer. The key player attribute required imo is pace pace pace wherever acquisitions are made. Having said that well done to all the boys looking forward to Stoke, the Summer speculation and next season already.

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Whatsforpud added 11:00 - May 13 You say 'our defence isn't good enough, and still suffers from lapses'. It has been pretty good in the last couple of months. If you take out WBA at home, we have only conceded 5 in 8 matches. Every team concedes goals - that is what football is all about. Compare our recent defensive form with the equivalent time at the start of the season (and both periods involved top sides), and a marked improvement can be seen. Yes, we can be better, but the improvement should be recognised. It has been more of a worry that we have scored so few goals in that period, despite generally having more possession. We need more from central midfield. As well as he has played this year, Cork hasn't scored, and doesn't look like doing so.

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davidhosey added 11:06 - May 13 Poch may have got the same number of points in his first 15 games but the difference is Adkins had a settled team, he had a good knowledge of each player, a settled way of playing and he could speak English. For Poch to get the same number of points shows good signs. He kept us up !!. Lets judge him after the first 15 games of next season. He will have the chance to bring in one or two players more suited to his style. All I want now is stability and not having to worry that I will wake up one morning and find another manager has been unexpectedly fired by Cortese. Nice to be able to relax at last. COYR

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ExiledSupporter added 11:21 - May 13 Thank goodness for Puncheon ( and Ward-Prowse), does this make Pochettino a master tactician, I'm not so sure. Can't altogether agree with you Nick, in their last five games Saints have shown themselves to be considerably poorer than WBA (in fact twice this season) who have been heavily beaten by Norwich and conceded three to Wigan; since playing us they have scored two and conceded eight, and they really exposed our failings. That match more than most showed our weaknesses in all parts of the field and here I agree with your analysis. Again and again we come back to the issue of whether the formation and tactics are consistent with the players skills or whether the qualities (or lack of them) of the players should determine the tactics. Assuming we will continue with MP's favoured system for which it seems he was recruited, because it coincides with the system favoured by Cortese and Reed, then we should anticipate quite a turnover of players including a few who have at times played quite well for us this season, but don't seem to be able to adapt successfully to the new requirements.

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TML added 11:22 - May 13 Having watched the highlights and seeing the utter dominance, we had against Sunderland and many other teams since Pochettino arrival to liken his tenure to that of Adkins, shows how Negative you are in your views. I come into your reports with the word 'but' already poised in my mind. We are short in depth, and our back line has iffy moments but the improvement is there for all to see, and this is a direct result of the change in management. you quite often say square peg round holes, yes we know but to repeat it week in week out will not change the outcome as the peg we have have to fit until they can change and to bang on about it non stop is total folly, that combined with your obsession with points being a reflection of play just serves to perpetuate your negative slant. This is not an attack just an observation, on a page I read weekly but become increasingly frustrated with due to the never ending glass half full approach. I feel we are short of a real quality striker I would very much like to Lukaku to join us, along with a wide player to really push Puncheon, plus another CB. I feel we will lose one of either Jos or Jose, but this will not cut out the lapses. we will continue to see them as they are human beings and mistakes will be made. In the end we have stayed up with the core squad that has been here since league 1 along with some of the brightest young English talent that a lot of tops club will be gazing longing at for some time, and that is a feat that is not be butted, so well done to the players management and staff who have been involved in the journey to date! Now for the third Pitch invasion in three years!! woohooo

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montecristo added 11:58 - May 13 dont forget that Poch has said that two transfers are more or less tied up, remains to be seen who they are, must have been waiting to see of Saints stayed up or not. I agree about the need to strengthen and Id like to see something of Forren in our last game or is he another Ali Dia. There are plenty of good centre half options available to Saints including the impressive Eric Dier, an english expatriate at Sporting Lisbon, a club that has a reputation like Saints for producing top class players like Ronaldo for instance.I am sure Cortese will be attemtping to recruit top players, no point in bringing in stop gaps who are no better than what we have at present. Should be an interesting summer..

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landsdownsaint added 11:58 - May 13 I can't believe how much possession we ave in games but score so little, RL doesn't score enough goals for the chances he gets, it's always the same " the keeper pulled off great saves" his job is to convert and he doesn't do it! Saying that his quality in hold up play is exceptional and he should always play but maybe a little deeper, we must buy a proven striker during the next window,every week we read how good Saints are in possession but we ain't got many points for it ..

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SaintDownUnder added 12:50 - May 13 Lets get real.......Which ever way you look at it this season has been a huge success. In shaw and Clyne we have some of the most exciting prospects in English football, can't wait for them to develop under MoPo's guidance. In cork and Morgan we have two young central midfielders who have dominated much more established players, they're young talented, got great engines and have enabled us to dominate possession.....remember how we ran over the top of UTD at old Trafford, I've never before seen saints do that. Ricky has improved this season and transitioned into a premier league player like we all thought he would but lets be honest we didn't know 100% he would. Jrod has been like signing a new player since MoPo arrived. Bourc has grown into a decent keeper and I think will get better still. We have the makings of a decent side, I agree it needs strengthening, and it will. We no longer have debt and so presumably we won't have to sell our best players in the summer, in deed we will add to them. I was and still am a huge Atkins fan and loved his time at the club, however bringing in MoPo was 100% the right call, it was a massive call and one we should applaud NC for taking. Not only have we achieved what we set out to do and that's secure premiership safety but we have improved on and off the pitch whilst doing so.......like I say whatever way you look at it this has been a great season. We all know that football is a unpredictable landscape so I've come to realise its important to enjoy the good times as you never know what's around the corner.....so all those who want to moan about soft goals, dodgy centre backs, lack of cutting edge I urge you to enjoy these times, they are good times, exiting times. We are in the premier league we have a good young squad, a united board and decent manger playing a progressive style of football...... I love this club COYR!

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Scummer added 16:31 - May 13 @SaintDownUnder I agree with you 100%. Nick is also right when he says that there is not a great deal between Wigan and West Brom. Each team in that group is capable of being great one day and rather dodgy the next. Saints have had performances that are top six in quality, and some that have been bottom three. The same is true of West Brom - fantastic against us, abject when up against other teams. Their defence has been a little tighter than ours, but there isn't a great deal between the teams. The big difference next season will be to retain or increase that goal threat whilst tightening up further at the back, but it is an evolution from where we are already and the progress we have made from last year. I know Nick likes a stat attack every once in a while so, assuming that we win at home against Stoke, this is interesting: Game # Pts Avg 1-10 10 4 0.40 11-19 9 13 1.44 20-29 10 11 1.10 (5 pts under NA's stewardship) 30-38 9 15 1.66 Average over the last 28 games would be 1.39. The managers and players should be commended for maintaining that in their first season back. If we could keep that form going over a season then that would give us 52 points, enough for 8th place in the current table. The real question then is whether we can add enough quality to then up that to up the average to 1.9 points per game, which is what you need to challenge for a top 4 place. That is a big jump, and make you realise the difference between the top of the league and the pack that we are in today. Then again, if you think of the number of points that we have tossed away from winning positions then it is improvements in the defence that will help us get there.

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TimSaint added 17:41 - May 13 Hi Guys - wasn't able to attend the game yesterday and was looking for a verdict about the Sunderland game - not the whole season !! Basically it just says that we got the point we needed and that the game was not great but the subs made an impact for once. Other postings suggest we dominated possession etc I saw that Sunderland amassed a grand total of 5 shots (all on target) and that we had about 60% possession and 16 shots (with half of these on target) - and we had loads more corners than them too !! Does this paint a true relection of the game ? Sounds like you say with the groundhog day comparison - we create but don't take our chances !!

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SaintStu7 added 17:51 - May 13 Yes, definitely over negative. It has been a frustrating few games, but we have played well. We have not got the points we deserved but they will come. In terms of goal scoring we have been great all season, a couple of games without a goal is going to happen. We have goal threats all over the pitch and to question Lambert after this seasons performances is naive and disrespectful. We have a great squad that has seen us to the Premier. Just a few signings please as long as they are real quality and won't squeeze out the young players coming through. Well done to the whole squad this season.

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redwight added 18:44 - May 13 saintdownunder is right, right and right again. 9 months ago we lost out on Buttner, which seemed a big setback at the time. Not any more - now we have the future England LB, home grown at that, and Buttner is in the stiffs at Man U. Centre of defence has looked a bit last ditch rather too often, just about getting away with it. We all know this is where the new blood is most needed. And what about Forren? Some answers needed here - or does MoPo just not rate him?

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davepid added 19:29 - May 13 I think Nic is absolutley right . We are pretty, we are creative, we have the 60+ possession, we have the 10 -15 shots a game but we dont win.We cant even score goals of late. Yes we are staying up,yes Im really pleased with Shaw and Clyne,proud as punch that llanna, Puncheon, Lambert and Snd have held their own in this league (and Fonte,too) but Nic is right : we are not winning games. The saves from Lambert were not that brilliant -premiership keepers do those week in ,week out. I think our overall play is no better now than in Jan under Nigel.

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REEDYREEDOREEDZ added 20:21 - May 13 We need to be more ruthless in front of goal. Need more cutting edge in that final ball or attacking movement. It's what Lallana and Ramirez are there to provide but we haven't had enough end product from them this season. J-Rod had a good spell but has dried up in front of goal recently, along with the rest of the team. We're definitely better under Poche but we need to turn possession into goals. If Lallana isn't scoring/setting up the goals, is he worth his place in the team?

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felly1 added 20:25 - May 13 As you point out we have to make sure we strengthen in all area's if we want to push up the table. There is not alot of difference in quality between 8th and 18th . Overall this season has been a big success . We looked doomed after 10 games and to turn it around and beat the likes of Chelsea ,Man City and Liverpool is a major achievement for a club that was in League 1 only two years ago. I appreciate the need to improve and not rest on our laurels but it's ever so nice to bask in the glow of a club on the rise.

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aceofthebase added 22:12 - May 13 So it looks like Cortese may be leaving. Whats that all about?
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JazzyJeff added 22:29 - May 13 Overall I am very pleased with our performances since MoPo arrived but I am gutted that we missed out on Coutinho. Every week I see him on MotD and he opens up defences with ease. Perhaps MoPo can find us another Coutinho and a striker who can be relied upon to score a greater percentage of the chances that will come his way. And I didn't think I'd be saying this but Nicola pleeeeaaaase stay !!!

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SaintDownUnder added 23:04 - May 13 NC leaving would be a disaster...... Apparently the trust want a bit more control, at the moment NC has final say on all financial matters, if they wrestle this off him he might leave.....not good. We shouldn't underestimate his single mindedness, drive and ambition, in my opinion our current trajectory stems from this.
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slynch added 13:07 - May 14 Red 'n White Anoraks this is for you http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/content.php?439-The-Final-Day-Permutations
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BoondockSaint added 05:30 - May 15 Thank you Arsenal! Now we are safe. Our guy Theo came through for us. I wasn't jumping to conclusions until we got the result we needed to assure safety. Looks like powerplay of one kind or the other is going on in the boardroom-or the media. I can only think of 4 scenarios: 1: Little Nicci wants a rise in salary and is threatening to leave. 2: The family wants to get rid of him because of his bad PR is reflecting badly on the club, and even worse, on them. 3: He wants more spending money, and the family won't hand it over because his purchases the last year have not produced as advertised plus he's thrown away money on legal fees that would never occurred if he had just paid the bills in the first place. 4: The famous "5 Year Plan" was always to get us into the Prem, then sell to make a huge return on investment-In which case (as I have mentioned in an earlier comment) I think Little Nicci will then get investors to back hiim to buy the team-which I think was his plan all along. 5: The little tyrant doesn't want to change our kit back to red and white stripes! Anybody got any other theories?

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BoondockSaint added 05:51 - May 15 Sorry about the formatting! Looked ok when I hit "Add comment" !
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