saintsmike

Told you all we would win comfortably and Martina/Tadic/Mane all have good games. Looks like we could be a force when things are going well. Really impressive performance.

Don't get all the Martina hate he's grown into the game and has looked composed. As for Juanmi he looks strong and unselfish unlike Mane whose decision making can still let him down. Been really impressed with our set piece delivery too.

I think we're looking okay, Martina started a bit shaky but is settling down as is Targett. One thing about Martina he is very athletic and willing to make that overlap even if the end product isn't there. Which pleases me, Tadic looks refreshed too and Mane is looking sharp. I think we'll win comfortably.

How could make this so-called step up, they will always be seen as traditionally bigger clubs. Tottenham have a good stadium/money consistency of finishing near or in the top seven, while Liverpool have the same but with the history of trophies etc. This isn't an "intolerable" situation it's a very welcome problem that will be hard to solve, but one that we are doing the right way to doing through producing excellent players that will mean we continue to be sustainable and profitable as a club. In the long run given Financial Fairplay we will be in a much stronger position than both as bar Harry Kane and perhaps Ryan Mason, Tottenham don't produce players, and the same goes for Liverpool if you put aside Jordan Ibe who is excellent. I'd rather see us consistently hit the top 10 the right way than get into loads of debt with tonnes of failed signings like these two clubs. We have an exciting season with European football and more of our young players set to make their mark, I don't think we'll hit the same heights but another top eight finish is well within our reach and hopefully it will be good to see Sam Gallagher and Ryan Seager start to impact the first team and bang in a few goals.

Lol physical stature, so Lallana/Bale/Walcott all had that 'physical' stature. Complete joke when people say that, if you want stature get Ollie Lancashire. Personally I'd much rather technical ability, intelligence and talent than someone who is just a lump.

Mane not being in the team helped. He needs some time away, the team was so much better. I've criticised Long but he was excellent today and we were far more direct and Everton couldn't cope with that. Harrison Reed and Maya Yoshida both had excellent games, as did Davis, Clyne, Bertrand and Toby. Pelle looked a handful once more and it benefited us resting Tadic, hopefully he will come back fitter and fresher.

The defence looks OK, however in attack we're terrible - awful. Long, Mane, Mayuka, Victor, JWP (Who KEPT losing the ball!), were terrible - and then Clyne and Bertrand had bad games too, Gardos had a nightmare all evening, Foster saved us on a few occasions, but as a collective whole it's the worst Saints performance for two seasons. Koeman needs to change things and quick, bring in Reed, take out Mane, bring in Seager or Rowe, we have some great talent coming through time to use them! Also, I thought Yoshi would have been a much better bet than Gardos tonight who is just Hooiveld but more athletic.

Victor did not play well in this game, infact he kept losing the ball! Forster was poor against Man Utd and again today he could have saved that goal. He didn't have much to do but he didn't seem steady when called upon. Long doesn't look like scoring lets be honest he works hard but apart from that what has he offered?? We have to be honest the levels today were not there, I can take losing to the big sides, but away against Burnley is a game WE must be winning if we're to be top six.

We were really poor today, Tadic had a shocker, even Mane was better than him today. He created nothing and missed a penalty, he shouldn't be taking pens, his one against Arsenal was a fluke. Davis played well, Hesketh did for the time he was on, Pelle played well. The problem is from wide areas at the moment we're so poor. I think we need to take Mane/Tadic out of the next game, they're tired. Hesketh isn't even our best academy product and he played better than Mane, I'd like Long up front with Pelle or Seager. But even he's **** at the moment Players who are playing poorly at the moment, Fonte/Foster/Long/Victor/Pelle/Mane/Tadic/ Can't fault Bertrand or Clyne, they're doing well, Toby had a bad game today. JWP looked okay when he came on, obviously rusty. Meh, one of those games where our lack of end product is really starting to show. We play far too much pretty football with little end result, Burnley were the opposite they were direct and it worked against us. Koeman needs to have a different approach for Tuesday.

Always love to see the young players coming through. He looked very tidy, a bit like Lallana, good movement. He will get stronger with time. Also a bit disappointed that we haven't yet given young Seager a go who looks very tidy. Personally would rather Koeman gave Seager/Rowe or Gallagher a go than Mayuka who just seems to be the so called impact player who has never made an impact.

Sadio Nightmare. Bloody hell, Koeman shows too much faith at times.

I've defended Mane lots of times but tonight he was absolutely dreadful. He needs a spell on the sidelines, throw in Hesketh or one of the kids for a few games. At least Pelle will trust them more with the ball.

It's all mental against the bigger teams. We freeze and don't have that same quality to punish them.

Foster MOM, i think we lack big game bottle. We never take the game to tough opponents our problem is we're almost a bit too defensive at times and fearful. It shows in the end, only one real chance for Pelle. We're good at the back but our interplay is too slow and cumbersome in the final third we rely far too much on full backs for crosses and don't support Pelle enough in the box. I think Koeman needs to try something different to utilise some of our 'faster' players.

Unlucky Pelle, took it on the left foot, looked like a bad connection. Much better interplay and better from Tadic too.

I know it's early but we seem to lack confidence in our ability going forward. It's so indecisive at times and ponderous. Its almost as if we're too scared of making mistakes, it's like we're choking under the pressure understandably. We need that early season gung-ho carefree attitude back up top.

He's my favourite Southampton player. Strangely people think I'm weird for that. I remember when Spiderman came to the club, he was a "Lowe" signing, and at £1,200,000 he seemed a gamble for such a young player. But he had been on the radar of some top clubs, and when I watched him play he just looked like he was a player who was a touch above. A rough diamond, but one that will develop into a top class player. He along with AdamLallana went down with us in that relegation season, but as one of our better performers in a dire season. When some of our coaches after we got taken over could see Morgan's potential his confidence grew, also playing in a lower league helped too. He became tougher for it. Before he used to shy away from tackles, now he seems to love getting stuck in, it's almost one of the weaker aspects of his game because he has a tendancy to get booked. What happened to the shy French midfielder lacking an identity on the pitch, he was now the key our midfield. His game has absolutely everything (apart from goals), what he does better than ANY midfielder at the club is he READS the game, he knows where to be at the right time, he's always available for the pass, and one aspect of his game that along with his tackling has come on in leaps in bounds, is that he can drive forward at pace. He makes runs in behind defenses, they're working on the attacking side of his game. For all his brilliant passing and touches of class they're just the noticeable parts. What goes unseen makes him such a great player. The premiership will suit him, and I just hope we can keep him at the club. If there's one player we all love to see score apart from Ricky it's Morgan, his goals are always worth waiting for.

Ref has cost us the game, if Hines had been sent off..

Typical!

If thats a yellow.. jesus no consistency whatsoever from this awful ref.

Just did a predictor and had us losing against Blackpool, Reading, Boro and another team and drawing against Palace. We still went up on 88 points with West Ham closely behind on 87. But to be fair I had Reading & West Ham winning most of their games. It really is in our hands now. If we can play Hull and beat them, whats not to say we can beat Boro, Palace, Reading? Every three points brings us that little bit closer. The good thing is our defence even when under the cosh is looking excellent. Jos & Fonte have started to build a real formidable partnership at the back. Thats the key to us closing out games like we did against Leeds, Hull and West Ham.