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Rovers (2) Vs Saints (3) Post match chat


saint lard

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Wahey good win..! Was good to see us, albeit on the internet but no complaints about that. Bit nervy at the end but we did it.. and we were looking fecking awesome most of the second half! If we play like we did at times we will absoloutely smash some of the 'lesser teams' in this league.

 

Antonio looked bloody fantastic, what an assist and an even better goal! Connolly scored two very nice finishes too, steal.

 

Kelvin - 7 - Couple of very good saves

James - 7 - Did alright i thought, looked good defensively i thought.

Thomas - 7 - One awesome tackle near the end, and looked pretty good throughout.. no nonsense the whole way through

Jaidi - 8 - Solid as ever.. brick ****house

Harding - 6 - Did okay

Antonio - 8 - Awesome.. looks reeeally good, first time i got to see him and definately very impressed! Sign him.

Schneiderlin - 6 - Kept it simple, nothing spectacular

Hammond - 6 - Lots of running, cant say i really noticed him too much though

Lallana - 7 - Great work for the first goal and looked really lively to me

Lambert - 7 - Unlucky to hit the post, but worked hard and always gave us an outlet

Conolley - 8 - Scored two nice finishes and thats all we want him to do, if he stays fit then he's gunna get plenty this season and be an absoloute steal.

 

I'm happy, 2nd round here we come..!

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in the space of 20 mins Gobern managed to get caught out postion for the 1st goal for rovers, then got booked for a challenge he dd not need to make, smashed a ball across the box when a gental tap and lambert would of scored and to top it all of gave away the pen which was all over their guy. Strange sub indeed esp when even if Harding was injured we had Mills on the bench who plays left back. I do wonder sometimes! Thats just saints ina nutshell. But Connelly could be signing of season

 

Could be the fact he was booked in the 43 minutes and as the game seemed won he was taken off as a precaution to prevent a chance of a second yellow.

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But still conceded 2 late goals to Rovers. At least this time it didn't cost us!! Still dismayed at our inability to keep clean sheets though.

 

Very true , our CB's (Jaidi & Thomas tonight) are big strong lads but sometimes fielding a defender with the ability to read the game more intelligently (such as Chris Perry) alongside a 'stopper' could possibly be an advantage .

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Agree, that's the reason Harding was taken off.

 

But Gobern? Why not Mills first off? The experiment has taken place though, and we shall never speak of it again. ;)

 

The Substitutes Bench seemed a bit strange three left sided midfielders two of whom came on

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Gobern liability , the live feed was excellent , the half time horror show that was put on as entertainment by the polish nearly came true for us in this game , davis made 2 fantastic saves to keep us in the game , if they score that 3rd they probably go on and win . Still good result in the end but we still needed a 3 nil lead , being a saints fan takes 10 years off your life for sure

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Excellent result. Saints into the 2nd round, but looking at the league table, as a measure of quality, Rovers would be roughly on a par with Saints [without the -10 points]. However, this result wasn't stolen, it was extracted. The better team won, away from home and Saints ARE better than Bristol Rovers. All this quality has to do from now on in, is to notch up points in the league. The turnaround is happening, and we are witnessing it.

 

Great feeling, going into the weekend.

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Granted, Kuffour went down a bit easily when the ref spotted what was going on, but Gobern was all over him, and was holding him back. Blatant penalty, and a cynical error showing why he shouldn't be played in defence again!

 

Kuffour was backing in with hands round his back, never a pen. Gobern was just too naive to play him properly, so ref was suckered.

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How the hell are we going to convince player and club to make this deal go through in Janurary ?

 

If Pardew, Cortese and - more to the point - Liebherr are as excited about him as the fans, a way will be found.

 

That's the difference between us now and us a year ago.

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I thought they handled themselves pretty well for the 90 seconds to 2 minutes after Bristol scored the second goal. There was never a fear of a third. In the past we haven't wasted time and kept the ball properly.

 

Gobern is not a left back, but we can't judge him after being thrown in at the deep end like that.

 

This is my first time seeing us since the televised Millwall game, and we didn't look the same team for the last 10 minutes after switching back to 4-5-1. Bristol seemed to get through us a lot easier and have a lot more oppertunities.

 

All in all though, very pleased. Antonio had a magic 4 minutes for his and Connelly's second goal. He definitely seems to be a player. His runs for both goals were almost identical.

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aNOTHER wIN!

did not get to see too much of the first half- seemed a fairly even scrappy contest (great coverage from sportklub by the way i thought!)

start of the 2nd half we were all over them, once that 1st went in we really punished them and showed no mercy.

Sorry to say it but OG nearly screwed it up, out of position for the 1st and needless penalty. Hopefully some lessons learned there.

Really enjoyed the game, we have improved so much from last season it is untrue - still alot of hard work to put in but I'm quietly confident we can push on in the new year and make a late push if injuries are kind.

COYR!

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Well done Saints! Not only did we win to get through but it reminded me of why I love supporting Saints - 3-0 up ecstacy to a 3-2 squeeky bum!!

 

Well done especially to Connelly and Antonio.

 

My dream draw for the 2nd round would be at home to Eastleigh (as it should be for everyone, IMO).

 

N.B. I am a very proud Eastleigh boy (okay, not so much of a boy now) and as such I would be half torn as to who I wanted to win, but I am a Saints fan through and through and want US to go as far we can. And oh how I would for us to beat a top CCC or prem team in the 3rd round!!!!

 

In Markus, Nicola and AP I trust!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Great win - a win is a win in FA cup no matter if you win 10-0 or 1-0, but it's worrying to nearly let them back in.

 

Through to next round (draw is on Sunday).

 

Looking forward to game v Charlton on box in week - just a Blackburn win tomorrow and it's all good.

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How the hell are we going to convince player and club to make this deal go through in Janurary ?

Assuming you're talking about Antonio. Reading have already made it very clear he is not in their plans. If he was they would have stopped him playing tonight like our other loanees. Don't ask me why, they must be mad, but there you have it. What we have to hope is that Reading do not sack Brendan Rogers before January, a new bloke might have a different view.

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A pleasant surprise - I drunk out of my saints mug at work today (someone made me a brew, I supped it and realised the error of my ways for single handedly cursing the team), which normally condemns us.

 

Great goals, I noticed on another thread about us not being able to keep clean sheets - this is a concern, but with lambert and connolly, supported by lallana, antonio and papa, I can see us continuing to score. Quite nice on hindsight to get a great result and a good run out against an "equivalent" team, keep the minds fresh and focused, continuing the feelgood factor, and most importnatly the confidence.

 

Scary at the end is something we still seem to do, however,that little business by the corner flag, with Lambert flicking it up and over to create a couple of chances, and holding it up in the corner, was great. In days gone by, that would have shinned out of touch, long goal kick and their equaliser.

 

Happy days ladies and gents. Let's enjoy it.

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AP will think about this one a lot.

 

We were 3-0 up and cruising, and then Rovers made 2 subs, quickly followed by the fateful Gobern for Harding move.

 

It went pear-shaped in a hurry, soon became 3-1 and could have been 3-3, and then we pulled off two front-runners (Connolly and Antonio) for Wotton and Mills.

 

At that point we were effectively committed to playing the rest of the game in our own end.

 

While Rovers were in sh*t or bust mode, we handed the initiative to them and nearly paid the price.

 

We're a far better side on the front foot with width on both flanks, and we shouldn't forget that again.

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that little business by the corner flag, with Lambert flicking it up and over to create a couple of chances, and holding it up in the corner, was great. In days gone by, that would have shinned out of touch, long goal kick and their equaliser.

 

Nice to see Lloyd James keep a cool head and draw the free-kick as well instead of going for glory.

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Another terrific win, despite the late wobble. Connolly is total class and if he can keep fit, he can push Rickie Lambert all the way in the goalscoring stakes.

 

Once they work out their "dovetail", I think they'll make eachother better and that will lead to goals for both of them.

 

How the hell do sides mark a duo like that, especially with trailing finishers coming in?

 

And when's the last time we had that kind of contrasting pairing?

 

With those two at our disposal I really don't want to see too much 4-5-1.

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We did well, Rovers were always going to throw everything at us when they were 3 nil down, so its no surprise we let a goal in and the peno was boarderline. We were the dominate side and looking forward to the draw.

 

I think it was quite close really

 

Possession

Bristol Rovers 49% Southampton 51%

Shots on target

Bristol Rovers 5 Southampton 4

Shots off target

Bristol Rovers 4 Southampton 5

Corners

Bristol Rovers 5 Southampton 3

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I think it was quite close really

 

Possession

Bristol Rovers 49% Southampton 51%

Shots on target

Bristol Rovers 5 Southampton 4

Shots off target

Bristol Rovers 4 Southampton 5

Corners

Bristol Rovers 5 Southampton 3

 

Yes but 2 of their shots on target were the penalty and the near own goal from Davis. One of our off target shots was the Lambert free-kick that cannoned off the post.

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About a year ago after the Preston game everyone was raving about Gobern and how he would become a Saints Great. Now there are some people saying he is a 'liability, based on a poor 30 minute spell playing out of position.

 

He is a midfielder with good potential not a left back and should not be consigned to the 'rubbish,academy is not as good as it used to be' category of Lancashire and for some people Thomson

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Just back. Classic game of two halves really, which we won because we didn't squander chances.

 

First half was poor, just hit and hope. A few chances did materialise for both teams towards the end, but over all it was a pretty forgettable encounter. Second half was lit up by some absolute quality counter-attacking play by Antonio and some clinical finishing by Connelly. He is a real poacher. 4 in 4 now? I know I've seen all of them.

 

The players:

 

Davis - 7 Did alright. Didn't see their first at all, too busy looking at the wet side.

 

James - 5 Looked dodgy again I thought and his deliveries are still just the same punt at the far post from nearer the halfway line than the by-line.

 

Jaidi - 7 Won everything in the air. Composed.

 

Thomas - 7 Ditto. If anything marginally better. Know he has his critics, but there was naught wrong with tonights performance.

 

Harding - 8 Didn't get beatten all night, despite a decent foil in their right winger.

 

Antonio - 8 MOTM. Was annonymous first half, but for 3 or 4 half hearted runs onto long hoofs. Second half much better, but his assist for the second and goal for the third are as good as I've seen from any Saints player since MLT left.

 

Schneiderlin - 6 Game seemed to bypass him a tad, didn't want to get stuck in. Very poor first half, but made some decent passes second.

 

Hammond - 6 Didn't think he imposed himself enough, especially first half, but then a lot of balls just went straight over him.

 

Lallana - 6 Some good tricks, but didn't have all that much impact. Think he got the assist on the first, can't remember.

 

Lambert - 7 Did well despite limited service.

 

Connelly - 8 Easily as good as Rasiak in the box IMO.

 

Subs - Not really much time or impact. Mills had a decent bombing run down the left towards the end which took some pressure off.

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Just back. Classic game of two halves really, which we won because we didn't squander chances.

 

First half was poor, just hit and hope. A few chances did materialise for both teams towards the end, but over all it was a pretty forgettable encounter. Second half was lit up by some absolute quality counter-attacking play by Antonio and some clinical finishing by Connelly. He is a real poacher. 4 in 4 now? I know I've seen all of them.

 

The players:

 

Davis - 7 Did alright. Didn't see their first at all, too busy looking at the wet side.

 

James - 5 Looked dodgy again I thought and his deliveries are still just the same punt at the far post from nearer the halfway line than the by-line.

 

Jaidi - 7 Won everything in the air. Composed.

 

Thomas - 7 Ditto. If anything marginally better. Know he has his critics, but there was naught wrong with tonights performance.

 

Harding - 8 Didn't get beatten all night, despite a decent foil in their right winger.

 

Antonio - 8 MOTM. Was annonymous first half, but for 3 or 4 half hearted runs onto long hoofs. Second half much better, but his assist for the second and goal for the third are as good as I've seen from any Saints player since MLT left.

 

Schneiderlin - 6 Game seemed to bypass him a tad, didn't want to get stuck in. Very poor first half, but made some decent passes second.

 

Hammond - 6 Didn't think he imposed himself enough, especially first half, but then a lot of balls just went straight over him.

 

Lallana - 6 Some good tricks, but didn't have all that much impact. Think he got the assist on the first, can't remember.

 

Lambert - 7 Did well despite limited service.

 

Connelly - 8 Easily as good as Rasiak in the box IMO.

 

Subs - Not really much time or impact. Mills had a decent bombing run down the left towards the end which took some pressure off.

 

Pretty much in agreement, except perhaps for Schneiderlin and Hammond. Not that they stole the show, but you must give them credit for the fact that you didn't see much of their direct opponents either. Perhaps AP asked them to do just that: keep the opposition quiet in which case they did a very good job. Just a thought.

 

And the assist for the 1st goal was Lallana's indeed.

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What a peculiar set of circumstances and I don't know whether Pardew deserves credit for masterly strategy or not. Having read an article stating that he was going to field a 4-5-1 formation, (presumably to wrong-foot BRs), we started with a 4-4-2. BRs started with a 4-5-1, although they were the home team, but their exra man in midfield stifled the game in the first half. In the second half though, the quality of our team showed through and what a striker Connolly is, when BRs thought that Lambert was the main threat. And what a contribution from young Antonio, responsible for a great assist and a solo effort starting from the halfway line, showing a maturity and a growing confidence that almost makes his signing in January an imperative.

 

But what was Pardew doing when we were 3-0 up? BRs could easily have evened it up and be pressing for the winner by the end of the game. I can understand putting Wotton on in his role in front of the back four, but we still needed to keep Rovers on the back foot instead of inviting them on to us. And why couldn't Waigo have come on when Antonio went off, to keep some pace and width? Presumably Harding went off to prevent two yellows, but Gobern at LB seems to be a mistake, especially as he immediately gained a yellow himself and then gave away the penalty. Mills at LB might have been better and perhaps Holmes in front of him.

 

But still, as somebody else said, perhaps it was beneficial to learn something from it, whereas we would not have learned lessons had it remained 3-0. We gained our revenge by reversing the last scoreline when we played them comparitively recently. We also learned a little about closing out a match in the final few minutes.

 

Progress continues with the graph still showing an upward trend. Long may it continue, especially given the extra confidence boost that the team will have received.

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All credit to Pardew for going to 4-4-2 from the start. Not before time after the evidence of the last few games. But I wonder if Pardew panicked when Rovers pulled one goal back so he reverted to 4-5-1 and went defensive. Although it worked, because the penalty did not come until too late in the game for Rovers to save it, but its more evidence that 4-5-1 is very risky. What is going for us is that Pardew has assembled a great squad, and all credit to him for that. This team is better than last year's by quite a measure and could hold its own in the CCC but Pardew needs to shake off his attachment to defensive play when he has so many quality players who are delivering the goods.

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