This was probably Saints worse performance in the Premier League since our drubbing at Arsenal back in 2012, but whose fault was it ?

This was a combination of problems mounting up for Mauricio Pellegrino which meant that, we now have a squad that is riddled with injuries, suspensions, a lack of confidence and most importantly a manager that seems unable to deal with the problem.

I have to say that a lot of the problems we have this season start with Virgil Van Dijk, his attitude and now non appearance just at a time when we really need him show just how low he is as a professional footballer and a human being, but that is only the root cause as to why this season has gone so far downhill.

This was more about the players missing than those on the field, this was a game when we needed pace and composure at the back, but Spurs just kept ripping us apart on the counter attack, last season Claude Puel knew he could not defend the counter attack and set up to make sure we didn't get ripped apart by playing defensive formations, it cost him his job.

Yesterday at Spurs Mauricio Pellegrino must have surely known he was low at pace at the back but did little to make sure we weren't exposed.

His team selection once again raised eyebrows, Shane Long completely ignored by Pellegrino for the last five matches, to such an extent that he wasn't even on the bench for some of those games, suddenly leapfrogs Manolo Gabbiadini, Long looked a player completely unmotivated, but then again so did the entire team.

In my opinion only three players could come out of this game with any credit, Wesley Hoedt, Matt Targett & Pierre Emile Hojbjerg, they were the only three who dug in gritted their teeth and played to somewhere near their abilities.

AS for the rest of them, if anything said that they had lost confidence in the manager it was this performance.

Ironically Spurs were not that good, yes they showboated well and passed the ball around a lot, but the stats were exactly almost exactly equal, 57% possession to Spurs but 16 shots each with Spurs having 7 on target and Saints 6.

With a decent side out there Saints could have won this game given we gifted them all of their goals, Harry Kane won't score an easier hat trick, his marker just kept standing off him and letting him shoot, if we had been tighter so would the game have been.

But it wasn't, Saints deserved to lose because they were leaderless both on and off the pitch, they had too many players not only off form and off the pace, but clearly not giving 100%, I'm sorry this is not the first time this has happened this season and it shows that it is too late for the manager to turn things around.

This is not a bad team, there is nothing that selling Virgil Van Dijk and bringing in a quality replacement won't sort out, at least in the interim, but it has lost it's faith in the manager and performances now are too up and down, erratic and lacking in any direction.

We now need to get Saturday's trip to Old Trafford out of the way and then concentrate on the New Year, we need a new manager in place by thenand we need a new signing or two early in the window, it is no use moaning about what has happened, it is no all about what happens next.

As I say this is not the worst Saints team I have seen, man for man it is for the most part better than the one that played in our first season back in the Premier League, but that side played with pride in the shirt and with motivation from it's manager, this one doesn't.

I have not named individuals here for there performance apart from the three I felt actually played fairly well, but the flaws were there for all to see, this game was not pretty to watch but it answered a few questions.

Photo: Action Images

dovif added 15:22 - Dec 27 Saint Nick you seem to have placed all our problems on van dyck. While I think he has been mediocre. I do think he has been our best defender this year and much less likely to make the mistakes that yoshida and Hoedt makes. The problems has been on the other end of the field My view is that if van dyck is the main problem. It should have been forseeable when he had to train away from the team and handed in a transfer request. Which reed had to take a part of the blame for. The problem in attack is also the fault of the architect of the team in not addressing the problems everyone can see last year From what I have read, van dyck absence from the team in the last 3 games is a product of keeping him healthy for a January sale. Unless you have inside info. I am not sure we can blame van dyck for it. Van dyck might have been an van dyck but most of the problems streams from reed

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DPeps added 17:10 - Dec 27 Remember when we were respected as being a super fit team? Remember when we used to give anyone a good game? The problem is quite simple. We have sold all our good players, and replaced them inadequately. The players we’ve kept (because no-one wanted them) are ageing and generally not up to the standard any more. Many of us have seen this coming for a while Blaming MP solely for this problem is unreasonable. The problem started about 3 years ago. I’m up for sacking Pell IF there is someone better, but who would take us on in our current state? The main solution has to be buying in Jan, or betting that there are 3 teams worse

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BoondockSaint added 17:59 - Dec 27 Telegraph reporting VVD gone to Scouse for 75 million. So much for not dealing with them again! Les Reed has turned us into their farm team and everyone focuses on our managers. What a F@(KING DISGRACE!
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AmericanSaint added 18:30 - Dec 27 I too was unable to see the game, but I agree with Pintsize and Consigliere. I said this last year and will say it again now - getting rid of Puel was a mistake. Look at him now. Next, there is a bigger issue that is going on in the background and that is the Front Office. Something is causing a lot of these problems and there is no indication of what the internal problems are. I know VVD is a distraction, but I want to know if MP is being told he has to play JWP, Redmond and others. Maybe his game plans are being handcuffed by Les and the others. Also, it seems like there are players who are probably not giving their all in practice and so MP is using gametime to try and instill some discipline. BUT that is not working as this rotation is not doing anyone's confidence any good. I am not sure what the answer is, but firing the manager at this time is not my first choice. We need some stability and if you fire MP, then no decent manager will come in for a short term. Only way is up.

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the_saint added 18:32 - Dec 27 Good riddance to the bad egg let’s hope he does another Lovren Vvd stands for everything that is bad in football On the plus side we have nothing left for liverhampton to have
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davepid added 19:03 - Dec 27 ExiledSupporter. The most well rounded piece I’ve ever seen on this site ( Nicks commentaries aside)- thoughtful, analytical ,devoid of emotion or simple solutions (in the main).
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saintmark1976 added 19:49 - Dec 27 It's all well and good having a go at Les Reed but at the end of the day he is merely an employee of the club. I would suggest that much like any other business he is told what he can spend by the owner/s. Put simply he has a budget and must keep within it. I would suggest that his budget reflects in the selling of good players and the purchase of replacements who are not up to scratch. Allthough some may not wish to acknowledge it, in my opinion our current problems appear to point to a good old fashion asset striping exercise by a certain Swiss lady.

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Consigliere added 20:24 - Dec 27 So, we will have £75m in the bank less the £7.5m back to Celtic and I dare say a few other deductions but that should still be enough to deal with some of the more obvious gaps in the team. Pity it was to L'pool but I suppose no-one else would have been daft enough to pay that kind of money.
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SanMarco added 20:33 - Dec 27 I think we should bite any hand off that offers that much. Enormous gamble by Liverpool who I would suggest became slightly obsessed with VVD. He has obviously told them that his average form lately has been due to him not trying!! Let's hope Consig is right and it will all be re-invested. Couldn't we throw in Redmond, JWP, Tadic and Long and make it a round 100 million??

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kristianJ added 22:10 - Dec 27 £75 Million for VVD is a great bit of business providing we reinvest all the money on new players. The board will clearly need to think long and hard whether or not to entrust MP with this money or not. If we are going to change the manager we should do it now, but only if there is a better option available. There aren't too many obvious candidates out there, some of the bigger names mentioned in the comments section won't be interested in the job. I'd take someone like Bilic, he knows the league, is a good communicator and will get the players showing a bit of heart. He'd be a good fit for us, if we decide not to persist with MP.

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