M271

Premier League clubs might treat it with the respect which it deserves if they didn't have mid week league games before or after FA cup weekends meaning squad rotation often kicks in. Seems redicolous to me that in the dark dank winter months with Cup matches as well there are several mid week league matches. however come the spring when most clubs are out of the cups there is only one match a week.

Slight knock apparently hopefully not Sturridgeillitis!

Also goals on BBC red button, Final Score with 5 Live commentary.

Match is following a familiar script, just waiting for the opposition one chance one goal act.

I used to look forward to our match days now I just have a feeling of impending doom just waiting for our missed chances and the defensive mistake(s) which loses us the match! Come on Saints break me out of this melancholy.

These next 2 home matches IMO will set the tone for the rest of the season. Get 6 points and the world will seem a much better place and spirits will be lifted, as of today we probably need 15 points to secure another year in the PL (sorry going a bit Dalek like there!) so to be on 30 points in a week's time would all but alleviate the threat of relegation. 3 or 4 points would probably keep us in about our current league position and hopefully maintain the 7 point gap to the relegation zone. 0 or 1 would probably drag us further down the table and towards the drop zone and with Man U and Arsenal away to follow we could be deep in trouble after then. I won't use the word luck but surely some match circumstances have to change at some point, such as our chances on goal go in and what seems like every mistake which we make is punished with a goal against as has been the case in the last 3 matches.

Maybe we are also a bit naive how we play, with us pushing forward the other team just sit back and snuff out our final 3rd play. Kasper Schmeichel said a few weeks ago that Leicester success (so far) was in part due to them (words to the effect of) 'sitting back and letting the other team have possesion until it breaks down and then counter on the break'. Some of our goals against Arsenal were of this ilk, so we do have the speed of attack in the right situations. Our play seems so predictable and slow a lot of the time that the opposition just pack the final 3rd and we rarely find a way to unlock them, and when we do we miss goal chances or make the wrong pass or shoot decision many more times than we should.

I thought that we did 'go for it' today in the first half and looked more like the home team.

I agree Chez. We're having one of those spells were not alot goes for us, we not exactly being smashed during our defeats, mostly losing by the odd goal and looking the equal of Man City and Spurs when we played them IMO. We nearly got back to 2 - 2 against city before they got their 3rd and we had a bad 5 mins against Spurs. If we had converted a few more chances and cut out some defensive mistakes the whole situation would be so much better, but you don't get points for being 'nearly' men. and as for the Westham goals u know when the football gods are against you. Today it was definately a mistake to not replace Wanyama after 60 mins with his yellow card and Mane coming on at the same time after serving 60 mins punishment!! I think that we have the players and manager to be comfortably in the top 8 of the league but the team spirit doesn't seem as good this season which in the past has made the team better then the component players, RK needs to find a way to get the players firing again. My fear is that losing these winable games gradually saps confidence more and more into a downward spiral which gets increasingly diffucult to pull out from. I was hoping that it had changed after the Arsenal mtch and the 1st half v Westham. I would also like to see our youngsters being given more of a chance at least on the bench ready to come on as Reed did today, I'm not sure that a succession of relatively cheap foreign players with little allegiance with saints is the way forward whilst blocking progression. This shouldn't be the Southampton Way. Come on you Saints, next 3 matches at St Marys lets put in Arsenal match performances and turn this season around.

Taking my Saints blinkers off West Ham played a blinder in the 2nd half, after being completely out played in the 1st half brought on Carroll and Lanzini at half time (typical both just back from injury ala Sturridge!!) then had tactics spot on press and press until got the lead then sat back to defend the lead. Unlike alot on here I don't think that most of our players are cr ap in one match and brilliant the next but our team many times this season have 'run scared' when put under pressure and look like conceding easily i.e. we can totally dominate for 45 mins and score 1 or 0 oand other teams 'turn up the wick' for 20 mins and score more than we do. The scoring gods were with the opposition today but we brought it on ourselves by again panicking and making mistakes in defence.

U18s are 3 - 0 down after 20 mins to Birmingham, we were playing really well earlier in the season!

Why do we always seem to be so bad in November and December each year?

On the other hand...........

Enough of this defeatist talk get the next goal and it's game on. Come on you Saints.

I know that it is a different level of game but it is the speed of play, taking of half chances and shooting on sight that our first team lack.

I agree, I wish that the post match interviews addressed some fundamental questions such as set up and substitusions rather then mundane say what you saw type questions.

Not happy with the so called supporters on here. I don't understand why they slag off the team so much, constructive criticism yes but lashing out with ill thought out and frankly inaccurate emotional clap trap is laughable. We could have done better but for one or two incidents going another way it could have been a wholly different story.

It seems to be the simple things that we can't get right at the moment. Our passing to inaccurate and rushed, over hitting passes. Making the wrong decision when close to the opposition goal such taking a shot when playing someone in would be better and conversely looking to pass when in a good position to shoot. As others have said the result is OK but it's the performance and way which we are playing which is of concern to me where has the possession football and silky passing gone and where did the hoof ball come from, a la Stoke and West Ham in the past? We seem to have lost the art of passing through sides to create chances.

Bitter sweet feeling after this match as could have won it at the end but on balance a draw is OK. Newcastle played much better than I remember seeing them at any time last season but they faded towards the end and gave us more space to play in. Overall our passing was poor and inaccurate, and also there seemed to be a lack of understanding between our players as a number of times 2 of our players went for the same ball and often a Newcastle player came away with the ball. Team should improve when Bertrand and Clasie are back.

At about 1.50 into the video he says something about Toby leaving, competition for places and 'for sure' someone coming in. Does he mean someone new coming in or someone from within the existing squad taking Tobys place?

Earlier in the season if we had a bad game i.e. Sheff Utd we managed to turn 1 poor performance around quickly and kick on again, now RK doesn't seem to improve things and all the the team rather than individual players seem to be having ongoing poor games.

Early in the season all areas of the team were 'firing' OK and we had a solid defence, creative midfield and dangerous attack. Since Christmas midfield creativity and attack has been poor but at least the defence kept the results coming, since Frasers injury even that has also gone to pot. The whole team just looks dis-jointed and our play is predictable and lacking individual skill to create chances. I'm glad we got the points early in the season the way that the bottom clubs are rallying in recent weeks.

I was hoping that both Leicesters good recent form and our bad would end today, unfortunately not the case. At least while we are in a safe league position Koeman can see our weaknesses and plan for the summer transfer market.

Has Maya returned back to Saints yet? I haven't seen anything mentioned on the OS. Could do with him at least on the bench for Swansea game.

Maybe we could tempt them with a cash and swop deal for a Zambian International Striker, just hope they don't have a 'black box'.