macca155

Their 1st goal was class,no stopping that, as was ours. 2nd was down to Bendarek losing his man Dyer of all people. Ralph put him on the pitch. Third goal was terrible but at least he was there trying. I'm sure Djenepo had a great view, having lost the ball and put Salisu in that position. Ralph put him on the pitch and he was terrible. 4th goal Djenepo lost ball and man. Stephens gets some crap on here which is nonsense. As soon as he came on the defense was tightened up. His body slam on a Spurs player was a rare highlight. I'm not for a minute saying he should start but as a back up he's way better than he's given credit for. We aren't owned by BP so it has to be that way. Ralph needed KWP on the left. Put Stephens or Valery at RB. That's what other teams would do. Ben White an immediate example. Obviously Adams up front. Armstrong is a busted flush, even for me now. All that is down to Ralph. I'm still 55/45 with him, but boy he is making it hard.

Well that was fun ... not. Pretty grim performance all round. Spurs are a better side but they aren't unbeatable. If you have a decent game plan then you have a chance. The fact we had a 1 0 lead but didn't know what to do with it, is scandalous. The good thing about being in the stadium is, you miss loads. None of us saw the OG ... Good. However we did see close up the interaction between Djneppo and the other players. They were not happy with him one bit. Lots of verbal. I don't want to see him at LB again. Stephens looked the best of the defence. Take from that what you will. Expected to lose we did, forget it move on and get a result against Leeds. Long way to go.

I'm here and trust me Armstrong and Djneppo are the problem. Both lacklustre and out of position. Spurs relentlessly attacking the left side. Romeu struggling so slow. Rest look OK, lots of positives not a disaster by any means. Bring on Lyanco and Adams that will help. It's too hot 🔥 melting in the sun

I'd agree on Valery he's there to mark Son. I'd have Lyanco over Bendarek. I have stopped trusting him these days.

Goodness knows what will happen Saturday. I've got to get back into a match day routine, definitely not match fit yet and it's Spurs, fabulous stadium but nightmare to get away from. It is a free hit as we'll all be expecting a defeat but we thought that last season, what a night, won't forget that for a long time. Problem is Saints are notorious bad starters and Spurs will be keen to lay down a marker as they've top 3 illusions to match this year. This game won't really impact on the season, most bottom 10 teams will lose at Spurs so anything is a bonus. The issue will be that most teams will probably get 6 points out of Bournemouth. That's where the pressure will be. Last season Saints were going fine until losing to Norwich, then it all spiraled a bit. I expect Ralph will play it relatively safe and hope for a draw. I reckon he'll start with Big Baz KWP Bendarek Lyanco Salisu Peraud Aribo JWP Romeu S Armstrong Adams No idea on formation ... fluid is my guess. Everybody run around a lot. That pretty much guarantees a different team then Could see Bella-Kotchap in for Bendarek but Kane and Son are probably not the best pair to debut against. Djneppo may get the nod over Peraud but equally reckless against their frontline. What will be more interesting will be how Ralph uses the 5 subs. That will be a big thing this year in the PL, it may allow Ralph to sustain a high energy press for 90 minutes if he has the squad. I think we'll see Lavia, Valery, Redmond, A Armstrong on to maintain the press. Anyway here we go again. COYS

Things are quiet at the moment, but they usually are. Clubs want to buy, but agents holding out for best deals. Once the season starts the dominoes will start to tumble. I bet Southampton will start looking a lot more attractive to the likes of Dembele, once all the berths at top 7 have been taken. At the moment the situation with strikers at Saints is critical. Just 3 to choose from, one young and unproven, one has zero form, the other Leeds want. Definitely need transfer action in that dept.

By recently I mean then of last season and our pre season. Probably longer.

That was dire, how could they miss

Lyanco is way better at interceptions, he has other faults but I'd prefer him to Bendarek who has looked decidedly iffy recently.

How much was he £12 million ... a steal great player

Aribo ..... class

Good to see Armstrong score. Don't care how or when, need him to be confident

Watching Romeu being asked to run box to box is painful. I've seen him chasing after whippet like Monaco players too many times. He is far better when they are running at him.

On him quite quick, he could reasonably expect his defenders to stop the shot. But yes again.

Not with me but I'd play him further back. His best moves are the quick long passes in midfield.

Quite aggressive so far seen worse performances. Finishing remains woeful

Whilst I'd rather see Bazunu play, I do get why Mccarthy is being given game time. We are one injury away from relying on him. He is coming back from injury himself, and clearly lacks confidence. He has to be given game time. Very much the B team tonight, he says without conviction 😲

Nobody is pretending the quality is anywhere near the men's game. That isn't the point, but in the context of the competition they are playing, it was a good performance. I would agree the big take away is the fact that they shot frequently, and quickly. That back heel was utter filth, she nutmegged two players by hitting it so quickly. They were expecting her to turn, and were undone by her speed of thought. I don't care what the perceived standard is, that made me jump and shout.

No one expected that least of all the goalie, great stuff.

Oh yes, history shows that a skillful youngster can soon be intimidated by a 'Vinnie Jones' type player. This is where players like Stephens are essential, he wouldn't stand for that and would make his feelings known. He may have limitations as a defender but his contribution to the team in other ways cannot be understated. The good thing is that gnarly spicy older players aren't as difficult to find as young promising hot shots. Problem is can they play in Ralph's team?

Looks a decent signing but our supporters are going to have to develop their 'being patient' skills. Younger players need time to bed in, find their feet etc etc. In particular they'll be susceptible to the vibes coming from the stands. Someone like Ings has been around and has a reservoir of achievements to fall back on, he isn't immune but probably able to take more flak. Armstrong is a case in question, I saw him away at Burnley and he looked on fire, didn't score but oozed confidence, and there wasn't a hint of needing two touches. Go forward 6 months and he looked broken, our management need to up their game to avoid this. Similarly playing Tino for 90 minutes full on, for the first half of the season was an error IMO. He was blowing on 65 minutes and personally I think he needed a bit more nurturing. Cue first game of the season and me shouting at a 16 yo to pull his finger out

Bale Scoring.mp4 Yep, we were in the Slovenian end (they were friendly but mental) along with half of Wales. Decided to film this free kick as .... well I'd seen Bale do this before. Hell of a game and I'm not even Welsh!

I saw the Wales Euro match there. Fabulous stadium, do you reckon we could buy that?

Totally agree and there is the issue, at the moment they are probably the pick of the bunch. I think that was clumsily my point.

At the moment I still feel that Stephens/Lyanco is our most effective partnership. That isn't saying much obviously but they seem to be calmer. I expect that to change asap as Salisu has to be Nov and needs to make that obvious It isn't too bad so far, like watching an early cup game. Good to see Diallo gives a shit, and clearly wants a place in the 1st team. Creating chances (sort of) but nobody up front to convert them. Pre season is all about fitness and systems. Blows some cobwebs away, get the new boys on board. Make zero assumptions. Having said that I thought Valery looks up for it. I'm convinced there is a player in there.