Saints were within a minute of a vital win when were undone by a cheat and a totally inept referee, but thats what happens when you are struggling.

It is usually not good to blame a disappointing result on one bad decision, but that is very much the case after the draw at Watford when Saints had a vital three points snatched from their grasp by a cheating Doucoure and a referee who capped a game where he had continually given dubious decisions mainly against Saints by making one massive blunder.

The game had started so well for Saints who dominated the first half and were well worth their 2 goal lead at the break, Shane Long had been superb having a hand in both goals and Dusan Tadic had also played his part.

But the performance was based on a stronger base at the back with the returning Hoedt and Soares from injury and a strong cental midfield trio.

After the break you new Watford would come out with a bluster and they did, but Saints appeared to have weathered the storm when suddenly they were architects of their own downfall, the usually reliable Steven Davis losing possession cheaply and then although McCarthy fingertipped the ball onto the bar it fell kindly for the home side who headed home.

It looked bad for Saints from this point, if you had to put money on a result you would probably have gone for a Watford win, but Saints drew the Hornets sting and looked to be about to take three points when fate literally took a hand.

The truth was the referee was not having a good game, he continually seemed to penalise Saints, Hojbjerg was booked early on for literally his first tackle and referee Roger East was quick to get his book out against Saints also booking Alex McCarthy for the crime of choosing to take a goal kick from the other side of the goal which within the laws of the game he was quite entitled to do, Saints had five yellow cards, Watford did not even have one, that probably tells a story.

So it was not a surprise to find out in the pub after the game that when Saints protested so much they actually had a very valid point and questions have to be asked as to how the referee and indeed his linesman who must have had a very clear view did not spot it, the fact that the referee did not even speak to the linesman showed that he had no interest in making sure justice was served, throughout the game both linesman did little other than point the direction of a throw in, usually after the referee had made the decision for them.

But the truth was that although their were plus points that should not be overlooked, including the spirit that Saints put in, this was again a case of a manager who did little to influence the game from the bench, bringing Lemina on for Davis was a no brainer even for Pellegrino, but it was reactive, in truth I dont blame hi for not making the change earlier, Saints were comfortable, but I wonder if he would have made it if they had not scored.

What was baffling though was that no other substitution was made till deep into injury time, Tadic had had a decent game but in the last 20 minutes although he was working hard it wasn't working for him, he needed to come off, but he was made to carry on by a manager who seems unable to make the right substitutions unless it is forced on him.

The two substitutions when they were made where farcical, the first Boufal on for Tadic was right but as said should have been made at least 10-15 minutes earlier, the second was laughable when Josh Sims was suddenly stopped from replacing Ward Prowse by Pellegrino so JWP could take the corner we had, what was the point of that.

But why was Sims brought on at such a crucial point, Sims hasn't played all season through injury and suddenly is asked to step into a very crucial 3 minutes, why did we not put on a more experienced more defensive player ?

This felt like a defeat, it felt like a bad defeat and I have not spoken to a Saints fan who was up at the game who has any faith left in Mauricio Pellegrino to keep Saints up, let alone take us to mid table safety, this is one of those moments in a season when the direction is very clearly taken, the question is is Abdoulaye Doucoure the man who has steered Saints towards relegation or has he had a hand in the departure of Mauricio Pellegrino and a change in Saints fortunes ?

Photo: Action Images

highfield49 added 10:43 - Jan 14 I feel cheated by the Watford cheat but why on earth, time and time again doesn't Pellegrino adapt to the changes by the opposition? It has cost us too many points already and hoping that we weather the storm when placed on the back foot is not a tactic that is likely to work. The problem is that the board have given the manager their backing and there are no obvious candidates to replace him. That said, the fact that Stoke's first choice to be offered their vacancy suddenly had a change of heart might have significance? We shall see.

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SanMarco added 10:50 - Jan 14 Hugely disappointing to be robbed like that. We won that game and if the officials had done their job we would be celebrating 3 vital points. It is quite obvious that the "MP out" narrative is now the main one for many fans and the fact that he is being moaned at more than the ref on most things I have read says it all. There is an argument that we should have been more than 2 up at half time and that isn't MP's fault in my view. Still no sign of increased attacking options. If they do sack MP then a quality replacement must be ready at once. Sacking on the 15th and then beginning a two week 'search' would be madness. I suspect many of the most vociferous MP outers are the same as the loudest CP outers so there is a lesson there.

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petedoors1 added 10:52 - Jan 14 Time to get the Koeman Brothers back, they know how football should be played.
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the_saint added 10:53 - Jan 14 Doucoure should get a three game ban for deceiving the referee. The ref should be dropped to the championship for three games. Manager should have killed the momentum of the game and wasted a bit of time with two late subs when we had two min to go and 2-1 up ( one at a time) cannot believe the saints board cannot see how clueless he is. And we didn’t react quick enough for their first when McCarthy tipped onto bar. And even though Doucoure cheated what the hell was bertie and McCarthy doing, McCarthy seemed to side step out of the way and Bertie should have picked him up.

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SaintNick added 11:02 - Jan 14 I have to say I thought that McCarthy seemed to come stop and then come again and was a bit slow, I think if that had been Forster there would be plenty berating him if he had conceded that goal
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highfield49 added 11:18 - Jan 14 Only McCarthy knows the answer but I got the impression, only after watching the tv replay, that he believed that Doucoure couldn't get to the ball and was prepared to let it run wide. Sorry Nick but I think Forster would still have been rooted to the goal line!
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A1079 added 11:28 - Jan 14 A good summary Nick and I like you I feel a bit torn. There was enough in the first half and even in bits of the 2nd to suggest that the Saints of not so old was still there and there is enough in them to suggest, with the right motivation and tactical nouse they could still get out of this mess. Now do I believe MP is the man to do it, and based on what I and many have seen thus far this season, I have to say I don't believe he can do it, but had we got the 3 points yesterday, could it have been a turning point? Who knows..... I do wonder, though it does not help us now, can blatant cheating like that be retrospectively be dealt with or is just for diving, because it was blatant and intentional? Equally, for the linesman and Ref not to have even discussed it is highly questionable and surely the authorities should be looking at that. But, it makes no difference to us in terms of the result etc whether anything happens or not. I do think MP was slow to react again in the 2nd half as it was clear that we needed some fresh legs and minds in the last 20 minutes. Davies unusually poor error arguably cost us the first goal and yes you are right, had that been Forster in goal there would probably be some berating of him on the forum. I am not suggesting McCarthy should be berated, but his reaction was a bit unassured. As things stand, I am almost accepting of relegation but holding on to some hope. West Brom will be a big game (though aren't they all now?), but Pardew has a habit of his team going in phases of a series of wins and losses. Unfortunately he now has his first win!

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rjh added 11:44 - Jan 14 These results, decisions, last minute goals so remind us of the relegation year in 2005. Remember Middlesbrough at home? We are going down. We will never stop conceding goals just like in 2005.
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saintmark1976 added 12:00 - Jan 14 You can't legislate for cheating footballers or totally inept match officials. However, you do have some control over a management team that continually makes the same mistakes match after match. The question now is surely that of why have the club's owners who have this control chosen to do nothing for so long? I am now beginning to wonder if there is a hidden agenda and for business reasons not known to everyday fans it may be to the owners financial advantage to see the club relegated. Perhaps the reduced expectations and costs of the Championship fit their long term business plan better than having to spend money trying to compete in the Premiership.

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beynali73 added 12:36 - Jan 14 Saint mark I'm not one for conspiracy theories but your point does make some economic sense if we suspend a few avenues of belief. We can't compete in the premiership as we sell too many of our best players and although that model worked for a while it also depends on luck to work which has run out. However would the board really want to say bye bye to the obscene amounts of money they receive from this ridiculous league? I don't think so. Yes it would be cheaper running a team in the lower leagues but the income stream is peanuts compared to the top division so if that was their plan I hope they have an economic strategy in place to compensate for less income but high wages of players. Is mid table or the occasion relegation scrap desirable in the top flight or is mid table with the odd promotion campaign in the championship more enjoyable ? The best option which may not be too far away is the top six break away to a super league elsewhere taking the stupid wages, transfer fees and knobhead scudemore with them allowing English football to become more about managing football rather than millionaire egos. Btw, I think relegation beckons but I'm not too annoyed by it mainly due to the reasons I mention above. Together as one - coyr.

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StRipper added 13:43 - Jan 14 It sounds ludicrous, but it is starting to be believable that the club want to be relegated. The only reason I can think is to get back the rest of Gao's money to repay his investors. He has 75m,can pocket the rest of the installment payments we're getting for players sold over the past few seasons, then can asset strip the rest of the club. He could easily bring in almost 300m in total and that didn't include our parachute payments. That round be a great return for him with less than a year of ownership. It will also allow Gao to significantly drop the wage structure and fill our team out with youth players, having spent nothing. Ridiculous speculation on my part, though starting to look more reasonable but the week. Our new owner is the Chinese Karl Oyston

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saintmark1976 added 13:56 - Jan 14 beynali73. Some interesting points and I see where you are coming from. However,whilst the money in the Premiership is as you put it obscene I just wonder if for teams outside of the big six a tipping point has been reached. After all, from an owners point of view is there any financial benefit in receiving say 120 million for finishing mid table one season if to stay even mid table the next you have to spend it and more on transfer fees and wages just to stand still. Add in the fact that those outside the big six have tiny commercial income by comparison and it's even less of an attractive option. Like yourself I would not be too bothered if we were relegated. Indeed I have fond memories of a league trip to Exeter and a cup game at Northampton.Cheap football without watching over paid cheating prima donnas and listening to their whinging egotistic managers.

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skiptonsaint added 14:14 - Jan 14 It is very difficult to be a Saints fan at the moment as it feels like nothing is going for us. It is all about this next 2 weeks for me in the transfer market. Something seems to be going on with Walcott as we are now odds on now and we were 9 to 1 yesterday. Bertrand is an interesting one. Would I take 30million and play McQueen or Taggett. Yes ! That could give us allowing for Celtics money 90 million. That would blow our rivals spending out the water and even with MP we stay up But don't spend much and the negativity will be unstoppable and send us down I fear. Will be a lot clearer by the Brighton game

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petedoors1 added 14:21 - Jan 14 Day 14 and Still No Incoming Players?
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saintsnutcase added 14:30 - Jan 14 Pellegrino’s main defect, by far, is his sub decisions. We could have had 10 points more with even halfway competent substitutions.
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landerwal added 14:34 - Jan 14 Lack of goals and playing rubbish in the second half are happening in almost every game. The tactics employed for the final 45 minutes have to be looked at by the management. We are playing far too deep so teams have us on the ropes for long periods after we have been the far better team in the first half. Arsenal, Huddersfield, Burnley to name just a few have either drawn or won the game after half time. Surely there are enough experienced people in management at the club to sort this problem out or like so many comments made today we will be playing Championship football next season. I do not think the club want this, there is far too much kudos playing in the top flight and despite making money from selling players the amount of money that a club now gets from being in the Premiership, dwarfs anything that can be earned outside it.

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saintjf added 14:40 - Jan 14 Some very interesting theories on what the club is up to. I think it could be down to incompetence combined with smugness in some areas of the club rather than a financial conspiracy. There are no plans. Like there was no plan to replace Fonte last season despite months of notice. We lost because of cheating but we were not good enough in the 2nd half. This was Watford in a poor run of form. Just which teams are we going to take points from.

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beynali73 added 14:52 - Jan 14 Saint mark, very good point about the tipping point being reached, it may well have done and there was an interesting, if flawed, article about the reduction in perennial mid table teams in the top flight nowadays of which limited income streams plays a big part. However I think the likes of Burnley, Everton and hopefully saints look at Sunderland, Bolton, Birmingham, reading (to varying degrees) and much prefer the predicable income the premiership money provides to being a few results away from calling the administrators. Peterborough away (3-1) in the hail and guly hitting the top of the stand in the warm up deliberately hitting the top of the stand in the warm up and Walsall at home (you are staying up) are great memories.

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DPeps added 15:04 - Jan 14 The Game - poor decision, and poor tactics in 2nd half. With some proper firepower up front we’d have been 3/4 up at HT. The wider issues - a draw keeps us in purgatory I’m afraid. We’ll know what the club is planning for on 1st Feb. If we’ve made no major signings then safe to assume that the club is lining up for relegation, while still hoping that 3 teams are worse than us. That’s a risky strategy, but then so is buying big and still going down. Given that our recent signings have largely failed to come off (yet) it’s hard to know what to hope for. Either way, the board has some serious thinking to do, and I don’t envy them one bit. However, I also have no sympathy for them!

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schatfield added 15:07 - Jan 14 Here we go again with the same comments and blame on the manager. Lets not forget that a cheating handball stopped us winning comfortably. Yes we looked nowhere near as good in the 2nd half but we coped ok. Subs could have been done earlier but we had seemed to weather the storm after their first goal. Try and look on the positive side, Shane Long played excellent, Ward Prowse had 1 of his best games for Saints, even Tadic looked good! We still have a good team and I am confident we will stay up. I am thinking 10 negative marks for my comments today :)

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highfield49 added 15:22 - Jan 14 Well, I've given you a positive mark Schatfield, even if it only helps to balance out the 10 negatives you're anticipating.
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vanmans added 15:32 - Jan 14 Well it looks like the writing is on the wall for saints. Just when you think it cant get any worse Bournemouth go and beat Arsenal. We are doomed.
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BarnetSaint added 16:22 - Jan 14 The theories about Gao looking to just take take take. Where does that leave the assertion from k liebher that this deal would be good for the club and allow the necessry investment she wasn’t prepsred to make. Her words are looking hollow B.S.
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aceofthebase added 16:55 - Jan 14 schatfield i can't have you getting more negatives than me so I have given you a plus. It's time to stop berating MP, he is a good manager and we have played some marvellous attacking football in his time, admittedly only 45 minutes each game. I also enjoy his serious but very honest interviews. He has achieved near miracles with some pretty average players. Ps what a waste of time Cedric was when that ball hit the bar and flew upwards. Cedric just did a backflip into the goal. Hoedt nearly lost us the game in the first half with two careless passes . His lack of concentration in every match is very worrying, he is not playing any better than Yoshida.

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ExiledSupporter added 17:05 - Jan 14 We seem trapped in a perfect storm of our own making. We need a change of manager sooner rather than later; we need at least one striker; we need to alter our on-field tactics to make us far more competitive and far less passive; we need a No.10 with the ability to play with his head up and (arguably) we need another strong defender (arguably the least pressing of these weaknesses). What we do not need is a striker Carillo) apparently favoured by a manager that we should not keep and whose appraisal of the best incoming talent for us in our crisis is unlikely to be these same as his successor and why would we have much faith in his recommendation. This is a massive gamble, not least because we shoiuld have made our mind up about removing the manager before December and had a short list of replacements ready to go (much easier to say than do at this time of year, I concede). There is no evidence that we have any plan to do this urgently and if we buy Carillo it seems clear that we are not going to lose MP before it is all too late. I haven't anything specifically against Carillo since I know little about him, but his recent record doesn't sound all that impressive. Celtic's Dembele sounds like a much better idea, but who am I to say. We are in a real Trumpian hole and while we do not want to keep digging, we certainly won't escape from the hole by doing nothing. Contnuing with the current 'apparent' level of complacency may prove to be criminally incompetent

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