The final nail in the coffin, according to many Saints fans - but at least they'll be able to look forward to 3pm kick offs next season. Enjoy the latest edition of the OV...
"I still can't fathom why this game was such a tepid affair. That WHU team were there for the taking, their fans are notorious at getting on their backs but we played as if we were out enjoying the sun on a boating lake. I was thinking that any moment we will take the brakes off and go for it. Nothing happened, where was the old fashioned way of putting a defender up and knocking the ball in to create some kind of panic? It seems to work against us time and again. Passive Selles,Im sorry but you are not the man for us. I have felt for a long time that we are not fit for purpose for the PL. We are only there to be the whipping boys for the top six or to ready players to sell to those teams."
- OldNick
"That performance was moronic. The team selection that led to it was moronic. The defending of the free kick that gave the goal away was moronic. That team selection was a clusterfuck. I understand the moronic safety first, stay in the game bollocks, that worked didn't it? Just pick the best quickest, team and go balls out for it. We are in deep enough as it is without trying to be clever. We are going down without a fight if we don't do something different. I'd sooner we went down fighting than losing 0-1 every week."
- derry
"You can't be blowing the whistle before the full amount of injury time is played. The referee had the whistle to his lips with 20 seconds left to play, he was fucking desperate to cut our last attack short."
- Saint_clark
"I went to the game with a mate and sat in the home end - he is a WHU season ticket holder - he said we were the most negative team he's seen there this season and was surprised by the lack of intensity. The way we play is really strange to watch. Tough day all round really, hard to see how we will survive from here - on current evidence I don't think Selles is the man to get us back up next year. We need a fresh start in almost all areas."
- James
"The West Ham game was a must win for the Saints to give themselves a chance to stay in this top loaded league and they blew it. I for one will not miss the Premiership, it has become a monster where you have to spend billions to eat at the top table. The football is not honest but has been turned into a cheat fest where the best diving and injury feining is rewarded and not called out for what it is, kids now think it is ok to roll around on the floor holding your face when you get a little tap on the ankle. I have watched a few games from the Championship this season and whilst some would say the class is not there, what is there is a bit of heart and a will to win, unlike what I witnessed from Saints yesterday. I won’t miss the Premier League and I am looking forward to getting back to normal 3pm Saturday afternoon football, as it should be."
- Mrangry25
"The crossbar and a shit VAR decision away from a point/win. Four players offside in front of the 'keeper, so wouldn't that be interference? I know I'm clutching, but it's close."
- darthvader
"Lose one-nil from a set piece. Saints are so predictable a fucking robot could predict what's going to happen. West Ham were utter wank but get the points thanks to another utterly shit set piece goal. Fuck off, Saints. Eat a dick."
- Saint_Jonny
"How can a goal be given when at least three players are offside? By being offside they blocked the view of our goalkeeper. Sorry but all three of them were intefering with play. We had more of the play but it was same old story. We have no one who can score a goal in open play."
- Christhetoerag
"Despite our insipid performance I’m still furious about the West Ham goal being given. It’s probably the correct decision according to the laws, but it’s an utterly stupid law. When the ball has been played in it was aimed towards at least four of their players, 3 who were blatantly offside and all made movements towards the ball as it came In. You simply can’t convince me that the presence of those offside players makes zero difference to the positioning and actions of the defenders and 'keeper. They’re interfering with play as far as I’m concerned. Dopey law."
- The Kraken
"I couldn't see how the three WHU players in offside positions weren't interfering with play by being tight on the defenders and stopping them attacking the ball. WHU had a free header. The player that scored wasn't offside however the goalkeeper had no idea who was going to head the ball. The fact VAR took so long looking at it made me think they were looking for a reason to give it rather than give a fair decision. 56% of mostly own half meaningless possession. We used up loads of time going nowhere."
- derry
"West Ham were shit. Seriously shit. However, we start with 10 men often and quite frankly, even with 11 we’re so powderpuff. Ughhhh. Grim future ahead."
- Crab Lungs
"West Ham were so fucking bad in the first half, yet they finished it leading. That's how crap we are."
- Chez
"Meaningless passing of the ball in 'safe' areas of the pitch dilutes the 'true' performance and can make it feel and look like we played better than we did. West Ham were happy to drop back and let us have the ball in front of them and we're fantastic at passing the ball to team mates when we have no pressure on us. In terms of trying to win a game of football, we were a disgrace. That was such a terrible game of football, West Ham were inept but just slightly less inept than us in an attacking sense."
- S-Clarke
"West Ham were pretty poor but they've won this with ease."
- obelisk
"West Ham were very poor, even Ings didn't do a lot. Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory."
- Ron11
"Getting into the ground was awful, through airport style gates and then metal detectors in the front and back, it took 15 minutes to get through this and this was just to get on the outer concourse. You don't have this at other London grounds, so why this one? It wasn't even that efficient, women put their handbags on a table and these weren't scanned. The atmosphere was terrible, it was like watching football in a morgue. If ether set of fans sang anything it just floated out of the stadium, you couldnt hear the Saints fans in the upper tier behind us let alone West Ham fans. And 1hr 40mins on a so-called fast train from Southampton to Waterloo? Back in 1895, the train time for the same journey was an hour and five minutes, it's a shambles."
- SaintNick
"I love my team and will defend them when people joke and take the piss, slag us off, all that crap. I just can’t see us getting enough points and feel we are just slipping beneath the waves without a fight, that’s what hurts the most. We seem to be so negative, it’s as if the players think we have so much time to get out of this. Today, the amount of passing backwards and sideways... I just don’t get it... why does every team seem to do it? Possession football? Just score goals!"
- JCBSaint
"I agree with those saying that JWP is not all that. He had the latest in a string of awful games where he capitulated midfield by passing backwards and sideways to attempt to maintain possession, falling into the trap of allowing West Ham to regroup and defend, something they do well. The most disturbing thing is that we were worse than a not very good West Ham. We’re worse than most other teams in the league and the primary reason is our inept midfield and attack. It’s why we’re going to be relegated and rightly so - there is not enough there to keep us up."
- Saint Fan CaM
"What a dismal, chicken shit, lily-livered performance from a bunch of mercenaries who care only about avoiding injury and their next contract. Lavia and perhaps Perraud aside, they were united in a lack of gumption, ability, desire, guts, determination and application. Walcott, face it, mate, it's over. You looked like a Dad who'd won a competition to play with the stars. Added to that we have a manager who is seen by some as the new messiah as he wears a black rollneck but selects such negative, defensive dross when we have a must win. I'm so angry about yesterday and so many other abject, no-guts performances from this bunch of unlikeable cretins."
- DT
"I’d feck Selles off right now. He’s not the answer and I’d be worried about him starting the next season in the Championship. Lost that match, like the Brentford match but the absolute cluster feck thinking in terms of that starting line up. He clearly doesn’t learn from his mistakes. It’s game over."
- madge
"A negative starting line-up cost us, I'm afraid. You have to go all out for these vital games and we didn't. West Ham were poor and Selles paid the price by giving them far too much respect. Think we could have nicked that with the right starting line up."
- saintant
"Ooooh, what was that whimper I heard? Oh, Saints giving it their all in a must-win game. Totally and utterly clueless up front. West Ham one up after more car crash defending, just sat back and knew we’d never score. Possession means sod all without purpose or intent. We piss about with sideways passing, allow the opposition to amble back and reset and then we have no clue how to get through them. Pants. Deserve to go down and will do so. No fight, no clue, no hope."
- vectraman
* Comments originally published at saintsweb.co.uk and fansnetwork.co.uk.
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