Phew 2-2. Post Match Reactions.

[saint_stevo]

But you've paid for a years membership on an internet forum.:confused:

 

£5 because i was going to play for IFC.

 

 

HTH

[badgerx16]

But you've paid for a years membership on an internet forum.:confused:

One year's membership for the price of 18 minutes of football

[St Marco]

Thought it was a really enjoyable game. If you were a neutral you would of loved it. I think we all would of settled for a point before the game and im happy to take it. We played some good football and some bad football. Davis was my motm again and kept us in it. Hopefully we can build from here and get the 3 points at the weekend. Well done lads!

[madruss]

Thought it was a really enjoyable game. If you were a neutral you would of loved it. I think we all would of settled for a point before the game and im happy to take it. We played some good football and some bad football. Davis was my motm again and kept us in it. Hopefully we can build from here and get the 3 points at the weekend. Well done lads!

 

Nice to hear a slightly more positive spin from someone who was there!

 

From all accounts on the radio, Ipswich were all over us second half and we were clinging on for 2-2

[Whitey Grandad]

Not entirely true, we weren't awful at all against QPR until the last 20/30 mins after we were screwed by the lino and we had to push for the equaliser with 10 men.

We were awful for the first 37 seconds at least.

[Wes Tender]

Why is it that we find it difficult to play well for both halves? Tonight we were poor during the first half. It was a boring half and the crowd, such as it was, was subdued. Even after Surman's well taken goal, which seemed to go in slow motion as it was not hit hard, but with accuracy, it felt difficult to be confident. The Ipswich goal had a certain invevitability to it. The defence never looked secure and thank God that Kelvin Davies is having a real purple patch this season and we owe him another debt of gratitude that we did not lose today. The save when they were through one on one was masterly and although Richard Wright was fantastic during our run in last season, I'm finding it harder now to wish that he has still here instead on Davies.

 

It was obvious that things were not right, the midfield was disjointed and did not have control, passes were going astray all over the place and there was no cohesion. When the changes were made in the second half, one wondered whether the extra height from Schneiderlin and Peckhart was because the defence was vulnerable to high balls into the box, or whether it was purely to add more bite in midfield and up front. Certainly with B-WP on too, the change was noticeable almost straight away. The team started to win more 50-50 balls in midfield, there seemed to be more commitment and sense of purpose. The crowd who had previously been so subdued that they wouldn't have been reprimanded for being noisy at a funeral, sensed the change and the support appeared to lift the lads into greater endeavour. It is to their credit that they managed to pull back the equalising goal that salvaged the point. Having drawn level though, it still seemed eminently possible with our defence that we could have lost it, much as there was still a chance of stealing all three points too.

 

I still believe that we are very weak defensively. I worry that having Wotton back in defence leaves us weak in midfield. I wonder whether we might be better with a dedicated left back like Mills, although a rookie and put Surman into the midfield. I wonder about how it would be if we had a solid CB available and played Cork at RB. And I also wonder whether Scacel might have added some extra fizz with a free roaming brief.

 

At least we gained a home point and steadied the ship a bit results wise, even if the match almost asked more questions than it answered. But now the matches agianst Barnsley and Doncaster assume much more importance, as they are both matches that we should expect to win and if we don't, the air of despondency that is bubbling beneath the surface will grow and fester.

[St Marco]

Nice to hear a slightly more positive spin from someone who was there!

 

From all accounts on the radio, Ipswich were all over us second half and we were clinging on for 2-2

 

We were lucky for sure but i think overall a draw was a fair result. We had chances and they had chances. In the last 20mins we just seemed to fail at passing to each other. DMG seemed to waste a fair few i felt. But in the last 10mins or so we looked like we had settled for the point. I wouldn't say we were hanging on as such as it wasen't like everyone behind the ball clearing off the line type of stuff it was just they had a few crosses and a corner etc.. nothing too major. We wern't at our best that is clear but it is an improvement on recent displays and i think realisticly that is all we can hope for. The attendence was the dissapointing thing i felt not the result.

 

The main aspect im worrying about though is our defence, at times we defended only as we know how, totally clueless. I think as others have mentioned selling Davies for £1m could be a really bad decision come May.

[offix]

6 played, "only" 12 points from automatic promotion - We'll walk this league!

[Gemmel]

My first time at St Mary’s in the league this season and not sure where to start;

 

We will get relegated if our defence doesn’t improve spectacularly in the next few weeks.

 

The money for Davies is looking like fools gold right now.

 

Davis is in top form

 

Gillet is better as an attacking midfielder than a defensive one

 

Surman will never be a left back as long as he has a hole in his arse

 

Stern John was awful, really really really awful. Actually I’m really ****ed off with him, he would have had to try hard to be that bad.

 

Adam Lallana, looks about as good as I have ever seen a youngster look; he has everything, spent most of the match watching him. Somebody likened him to Gerrard and that’s a pretty good assessment…. Lallana just has more skill. If we can keep him past January and get a sell on clause, when we do sell him, he can be a pot of gold.

 

Jan’s substitutions worked, but Branfoot took over after we equalized (I was behind him (Jan) and these were his instructions)

 

Mcgoldrick ….lose the swagger, you haven’t made it yet, you have a contract and you could be sooooooooo much better than you were tonight

 

Stadium is lifeless ……would be soulless without the lunatic fringe in the Northam. Family enclosure empty – where are he next generation coming from.

 

I don’t think there will be many games where we don’t concede at least two goals. I’m chuffed for the young guys getting a chance and proud of their commitment, but this is heading for disaster. We don’t have the finances to put it right and with six games gone, for me the writing is on the wall……. Will be very happy for anybody to shove this post down my throat if we climb the league .

[Dan Johnson]

twe are in the shiiiiit this season

 

22nd?

 

Some serious soul-searching required at SMS.

 

Stick with this squad, we will go down. Stick with one-up front, we will go down. We have no defence, and the only one of our recognised strikers we kept (John) has a motivational and/or fitness problem.

 

Sack the lot of them. Not good enough I'm affraid!

 

Lowe has done a marvellous job at getting expectations and aspirations at an all-time low. This is total shi-ite

 

Fantastic posts made minutes after the final whistle from users who weren’t even at the game & wouldn’t have even seen the performance!!!

 

We are playing the right way, we are showing encouraging signs, we are playing football allot better than we did last season & the results will start to reflect that.

 

Have some faith guys, get behind the team FFS, we don’t have ANY alternative... this IS the best we’ve got so let’s start seeing a more positive attitude to a well fought draw which means more points on the board and something to build on.

[bolo]

I worry that there hasn't been the improvement i have been expecting as the lads get games under there belt. If we don't get some fulbacks in soon we will be in serious trouble....

[offix]

Fantastic posts made minutes after the final whistle from users who weren’t even at the game & wouldn’t have even seen the performance!!!

 

We are playing the right way, we are showing encouraging signs, we are playing football allot better than we did last season & the results will start to reflect that.

 

Have some faith guys, get behind the team FFS, we don’t have ANY alternative... this IS the best we’ve got so let’s start seeing a more positive attitude to a well fought draw which means more points on the board and something to build on.

 

As I asked of another poster making this comment: Please explain what "the right way" is. Does that involve winning matches?

[eurosaint]

Why is it that we find it difficult to play well for both halves? Tonight we were poor during the first half. It was a boring half and the crowd, such as it was, was subdued. Even after Surman's well taken goal, which seemed to go in slow motion as it was not hit hard, but with accuracy, it felt difficult to be confident. The Ipswich goal had a certain invevitability to it. The defence never looked secure and thank God that Kelvin Davies is having a real purple patch this season and we owe him another debt of gratitude that we did not lose today. The save when they were through one on one was masterly and although Richard Wright was fantastic during our run in last season, I'm finding it harder now to wish that he has still here instead on Davies.

 

It was obvious that things were not right, the midfield was disjointed and did not have control, passes were going astray all over the place and there was no cohesion. When the changes were made in the second half, one wondered whether the extra height from Schneiderlin and Peckhart was because the defence was vulnerable to high balls into the box, or whether it was purely to add more bite in midfield and up front. Certainly with B-WP on too, the change was noticeable almost straight away. The team started to win more 50-50 balls in midfield, there seemed to be more commitment and sense of purpose. The crowd who had previously been so subdued that they wouldn't have been reprimanded for being noisy at a funeral, sensed the change and the support appeared to lift the lads into greater endeavour. It is to their credit that they managed to pull back the equalising goal that salvaged the point. Having drawn level though, it still seemed eminently possible with our defence that we could have lost it, much as there was still a chance of stealing all three points too.

 

I still believe that we are very weak defensively. I worry that having Wotton back in defence leaves us weak in midfield. I wonder whether we might be better with a dedicated left back like Mills, although a rookie and put Surman into the midfield. I wonder about how it would be if we had a solid CB available and played Cork at RB. And I also wonder whether Scacel might have added some extra fizz with a free roaming brief.

 

At least we gained a home point and steadied the ship a bit results wise, even if the match almost asked more questions than it answered. But now the matches agianst Barnsley and Doncaster assume much more importance, as they are both matches that we should expect to win and if we don't, the air of despondency that is bubbling beneath the surface will grow and fester.

 

Pretty well analysed Wes, sums up my view also !

[Whitey Grandad]

My thoughts.... Defence were shocking as usual. Please sir can we have some fullbacks? Davis was brilliant at stopping shots as usual but we can't keep on relying on him. Dyer was very poor, should at least have hit the target when the chance came to him. BWP was more penetrating initially, running past players instead of running into them like Dyer but then everything descended into a disorganised mess as the second half went on. James was outmuscled for their second goal. Pekhart took his goal well, at least there's some promise there. The whole experience was like watching a reserve match. At least a point keeps the table ticking along and there's always next Saturday but I don't look forward it like I used too. I much prefer last season.

[tpbury]

I was one step away from betting on a 9-0 victory after surman scored (via ManU radio game). Yet another pound saved.

 

Why do I get click sounds all the time now - is Saintsweb reading my mind?

 

Do people who spell 'defence' as 'defense' say 'deee-fence'? Do they also say 'off-ence' instead of 'forwards'?

 

We'll do alright, don't worry.

 

Cheers XXX

[alpine_saint]

Just back and I must burst a bubble. Davis is a good shot stopper but he is clueless when it comes to crosses.

 

We played good football in patches tonight but we are going to get mugged in virtually every game. Ipswich came at us in the last 10 mins and we looked vulnerable, naive and short of options.

 

IMO selling Davies (and I know he was prepared to stay) was the poorest decision made this summer.

 

 

I would be most grateful if you could elaborate or explain this statement. By PM if you like.

 

I keep reading on here how he wanted away, we had no chance to keep him, and poor old Rupey has been misundertsood again over this one.

[um pahars]

The whole experience was like watching a reserve match.

 

Exactly what the group who I went with were saying.

 

The atmosphere and exprience was similar and the calibre of football was similar.

 

By that I mean whenever I saw reserve games I always noticed there was alot of skill on show, alot of good passing, but ultimately everyone was a bit raw, it never ever came to much, players just tried to do that little bit too much (probably trying to impress), there were alot of basic errors and it was a sort of pinball football.

[Window Cleaner]

Thought it was a really enjoyable game. If you were a neutral you would of loved it. I think we all would of settled for a point before the game and im happy to take it. We played some good football and some bad football. Davis was my motm again and kept us in it. Hopefully we can build from here and get the 3 points at the weekend. Well done lads!

 

I thought it was a creditable results as well, withstood a lot of pressure, fought back, didn't cave in at the end. A few of the lads will come out better and stronger players for that (I hope),a point from a tough game like that will probably do more good on the mental plan than thumping some League 2 side or other 5-0 (doesn't stop us beating Rotherham 5-0 though just to see).

[Saint for ever]

2-2, fair result, happy with a draw TBH. Schneiderlin should have started and We should find a different RB than James, also Perkhart for John any day. COYR on Sat!

[CHAPEL END CHARLIE]

My personal ratings on Saints v Ipswich :

 

K Davis 8 MOTM - Superb performance , quite simply in the best form of his Saints career , We would have lost the match but for him .

L James 4 - Not ready for the 1st team , he should really learning his trade out on loan at some L1/2 club this stage of his development .

C Perry 6.5 - Very decent CB but lacking in recovery pace when we lose possession . Adds some much needed experience & leadership .

J Cork 7 - Good young defender , bit of pace and tall with it , should be a automatic starter IMO .

A Surman 6 - Never has been/will be a full back , got done for ITFC'S 1st goal . His well taken goal shows what we're missing from midfield

S Gillett 6 - Seemed a little lost without Schneiderlin beside him , you can't fault his level of effort though .

P Wotton 5.5 - Your bog standard CCC midfielder , has neither Safri's class nor Viafara's energy but is probably much cheaper .

DMG 5.5 - After some good performances recently he was not at the races today , disappointing .

A Lallana 5.5 - I hardly noticed he was playing to be honest , a good player just having an 'off' day I hope .

N Dyer 3 - Poor going forward & useless defensively . A total waste of space . :mad:

S John 5 - Ineffective , I don't think he can play in this system which is a major (and potentially fatal problem) for the team .

 

Substitutes :

M Schneiderlin 6.5 - Good display unlucky not to start IMO .

BWP 5.5 - Made an instant impact on the game but disappeared once we'd equalised :confused: .

T Peckhart 7 - A big strong Centre forward , he battered his way though for his goal . A certain starter for Saturday I would have thought .

 

Summary :

We were a mere shadow of the bright 'pass and move' side we saw earlier this season , I guess that's what too many defeats and being bottom of the table does to a team . I remain unconvinced we have the right players to play the 4-4-3 system or that it's suitable for the CCC . Overall we looked like a young team all too well aware of it's own deficiencies and the true scale of the task in front of it .

Edited 18 September, 2008 by CHAPEL END CHARLIE

[Long Shot]

I would be most grateful if you could elaborate or explain this statement. By PM if you like.

 

I keep reading on here how he wanted away, we had no chance to keep him, and poor old Rupey has been misundertsood again over this one.

 

His brother plays cricket for Durham who happened to be playing Hants at Basingstoke the week after Andrew Davies was sold. He was telling people that his brother was settled at SMS, had just moved his girlfriend down and was not looking for a move. Now I suppose his brother could be lying but I think you will find if the club had wanted to hold on to him for another year there would not have been a problem.

[alpine_saint]

His brother plays cricket for Durham who happened to be playing Hants at Basingstoke the week after Andrew Davies was sold. He was telling people that his brother was settled at SMS, had just moved his girlfriend down and was not looking for a move. Now I suppose his brother could be lying but I think you will find if the club had wanted to hold on to him for another year there would not have been a problem.

 

Thanks.

 

Nice to see a Luvvie spin-story being shattered...

[gordonToo]

Overall we looked like a young team all too well aware of it's own deficiencies and the true scale of the task in front of it .

 

I suspect we're now moving into the phase where confidence, and especially the teams confidence in JP, will be sorely tested. It's a tough, tough league and strength of character and team spirit will be key.

[Legod Second Coming]

My first time at St Mary’s in the league this season and not sure where to start;

 

We will get relegated if our defence doesn’t improve spectacularly in the next few weeks.

 

The money for Davies is looking like fools gold right now.

 

Davis is in top form

 

Gillet is better as an attacking midfielder than a defensive one

 

Surman will never be a left back as long as he has a hole in his arse

 

Stern John was awful, really really really awful. Actually I’m really ****ed off with him, he would have had to try hard to be that bad.

 

Adam Lallana, looks about as good as I have ever seen a youngster look; he has everything, spent most of the match watching him. Somebody likened him to Gerrard and that’s a pretty good assessment…. Lallana just has more skill. If we can keep him past January and get a sell on clause, when we do sell him, he can be a pot of gold.

 

Jan’s substitutions worked, but Branfoot took over after we equalized (I was behind him (Jan) and these were his instructions)

 

Mcgoldrick ….lose the swagger, you haven’t made it yet, you have a contract and you could be sooooooooo much better than you were tonight

 

Stadium is lifeless ……would be soulless without the lunatic fringe in the Northam. Family enclosure empty – where are he next generation coming from.

 

I don’t think there will be many games where we don’t concede at least two goals. I’m chuffed for the young guys getting a chance and proud of their commitment, but this is heading for disaster. We don’t have the finances to put it right and with six games gone, for me the writing is on the wall……. Will be very happy for anybody to shove this post down my throat if we climb the league .

 

As someone who has likened Adam to Stevie G, glad to find someone agreeing. He has class in spades.

 

As for the game, all a bit surreal really.

 

Clearly a bad case of laryngitis going around Hampshire...

 

Our full backs are taking hammer and some it rightly so, some of it not so.

 

Both of Ipswich's goals resulted from US giving the ball away in midfield to players running onto us - this is not easy for ANY team to defend as the back four suddenly find themselves in positions of having to turn, run back then face up. I can name names, but I'm not a blame merchant (unlike so many managers on here...)

 

That said, we did defend poorly at times, failing to run the bloke into the channel and narrow his options - crosses were coming in far too easily and we simply do not have the HEIGHT to allow balls into the box at pace from the wings - you do realise this is how a lot of goals are scored in football - especially in this league, which I have banged on about for three years now!!! (WE should be doing more of it - crossing from the bye-line).

 

All in all though, my gut feel says:

 

1) we looked tired from Sunday towards the end

2) Stern John does NOT fit this system (no fault to him, he is not quick enough or skillful enough)

3) we need to rotate a bit more to encourage some healtheir competition/cope with fatigue

4) full-backs need work on standig up, and channelling the wingers

5) a draw was a fair result.

 

We can still play football. We have been MUCH better than last night. Hopefully that's a bit of confidence back.

 

Oh and a BIG THUMBS up to Wotton. Nice to see a Captain go around bollocking and encouraging in equal measure. After all the goals (ours and theirs), he geed the lads up and gave them some good direction - MORE of the same please Paul!!

 

Mildly satisfied and relieved.

[Mr Blobby87]

A good point gained in the end.

 

I think that the lack of experience and height in our defence [with Thomas injured and relying on Svensson] is going to come back and haunt us. Surman looks so out of place when it comes to defending as does James. We need to proper full-backs. Surman should play in midfield.

 

Despite playing good football we still rarely look like scoring.

 

BWP and Dyer should both start on Saturday IMO. I thought Dyer looked good before being replaced by BWP who also looked good.

 

Defensively though we are awful!!

[hughieslastminutegoal]

Davis was my motm again and kept us in it. ...... Well done lads!

 

Hmmm. Shouldn't that be well done lad (singular)?

[sidthesquid]

My thoughts from last night

Players

Davis 8 - Good saves, but still doesn't come for enough crosses

James 6 - I thought he did generally OK & he does seem a bit tougher than in his few couple of games

Surman 6 - tough game for him, Walters is highly rated player & kept him busy defending (Incidentally, watch the first Ipswich goal. It was Dyer at fault not Surman - AS had two players coming at him him because Dyer let his man go without tracking back, allowing Walters to pass inside for the cross)

Perry 5 - still worried by his lack of pace & height

Cork 7 - a bit lightweight for a CB, but a classy player

Gillett 6 - some good, some bad

Wotton 6 - a lot of average, but certainly not the worst player I've seen

McGoldrick 6 -worked hard without really achieving a lot

Lallana 7 - an 8 when he's in the middle, 6 when he moved out right

Dyer 2 - he's giving headless chickens a bad name. As usual clueless, brainless and only half as fast as he looks (short legs, I guess). ALWAYS makes the wrong choice

John 4 - looks lost & unhappy

Peckart 7 - looks like just what we need up front

Schneiderlin 6 - looked okay

BWP 6.5 - may just have been that he was replacing Dyer, but he looked almost useful & interested

A couple of general comments - We still tried to play the right way but they are young lads and it won't always work. I thought we came back bravely in the second half, but after we equalised it was like they were running in treacle, but remember they played an hour of the game on Sunday with ten men on a hot afternoon & had a day less than Ipswich to recover. A draw was a fair reward for their effort and I enjoyed the game. It was fast & open on both sides & I still don't understand why more people can't be bothered to watch it

[SNSUN]

Good point IMO but we have to win vs Barnsley. As well as we played at the start of the season, its clear we suffer from lack of confidence and a dodgy defence at this moment in time.

 

Are we going to stick with this formation? Playing one up front seems restrictive, as does playing attacking "wing backs" when we really need proper full backs.

 

Big question marks over the future sadly.

[Weston Saint]

Overall as I left the ground I was happy with a point against a decent Ipswich side.

 

We did lose our way in the second half yet during that period we did equalise!

 

John does not fit into the system, that is for sure. He lacks movement and means when we are putting moves together he is unable to move into spaces.

 

In the first half McGoldrick was supposed to be playing wide right but too many times he drifted into central positions narrowing the field of play and cutting down the midfields passing options. John tried to cover that area but was too slow in getting there.

 

Dyer can run with the ball but last night he was totally ineffective despite his surges. He was switched to the left in the second half but no different. I thought Wright Phillips offered more when he came on and I would like to see what he can do from a start and bring Dyer on for him once he has run out of steam.

 

Davis was good again but late on he started his old habit of kicking upfield instead of letting the defence take it out. It just meant the ball was comng back again putting pressure on a very frail defence often beaten down the flanks and unable to deal with the high ball coming in. I agree with Um Pahars, a good stopper but weak on decision making.

 

Overall our defence did look weak. Our midfield looked tired and lost their way from about 55 minutes.

 

Bright note, we did score 2 goals and having lost the lead equalised and held on as Ipswich upped the tempo.

 

Last season we had a team of overpaid and unmotivated individuals who only escaped relegation on the last day. Now we have a completely new team of young, hungry and skillful lads. They lack experience but every game like this will bring them on. This is not a few weeks plan this is a long term plan we need to buy into.

 

I for one have come away from the games having seen a loss to Birmingham, a win against Birmingham and a draw against Ipswich with more satisfaction than I have from the last three years performances in this league.

 

I agee now, however, that we do need a couple of experienced heads who can talk to the players on the field of play. We can still play a high number of young players but from the good batch we have, 20 games each this season should be enough for their development.

 

I am just unsure where those experienced players will come from!

[OldNick]

Davis may catch the eye with his shot stopping but when it comes to crosses he is crap. Their 2nd was down to his indecision

You have no idea LS, I dont know where you sit but the ball was crossed from the byeline and went past the back stick where James should have dealt with it. KD was never at fault and as for taking croses he did it a few times.How many did Wright pluck out of the air? Ithought most of this antiKD nonsense had been quoshed but there are always some who cant bear to accept being wrong.

[OldNick]

Davis was good again but late on he started his old habit of kicking upfield instead of letting the defence take it out. It just meant the ball was comng back again putting pressure on a very frail defence often beaten down the flanks and unable to deal with the high ball coming in. I agree with Um Pahars, a good stopper but weak on decision making.

 

KD cant win , when he held the ball to let the forwards get into postion fans were getting upset and when he played it to the front others do. If you noticed(probably didnt) when Magilton sent on the subs they closed down the short balls to the full backs and Perry that we were using before that to make our play, when that avenue was closed down we had to resort to the long punt.

[OldNick]

Thanks.

 

Nice to see a Luvvie spin-story being shattered...

so because his brother has passed that on second hand it is poof. I supopose he speaks to his brother every day and he was kept informed of every part of the deal.

Again I ask you a question you never replied to. You upped sticks to make a better life for your family would you expect Davies not to do the same where he would triple his wages, play PL football not be in a side that was full of inexperienced youngsters. He would also be back closer to his roots? I myself cannot see that a player who had been at the club 9 months would be so in love with it to scrifice the opportunity, afterall it may not come knocking again.

[Weston Saint]

We all see things different Nickh but Long Shot, UmPahars and myself seem to agree.

 

We all recognise what Davis has done for us this season so far, just pointing out his weaknesses that might still contibute the a shakey defence.

[Legod Second Coming]

We all see things different Nickh but Long Shot, UmPahars and myself seem to agree.

 

We all recognise what Davis has done for us this season so far, just pointing out his weaknesses that might still contibute the a shakey defence.

 

I thought last night he could have done better with the second goal - come and punched maybe??

 

Having said which, had the ball not been given straight to their central midfielder when we were on the attack, they would not have scored!!

 

Harsh to fault Kelvin tho when he came out and made that block, then leapt up and stopped the follow-up.

[Weston Saint]

so because his brother has passed that on second hand it is poof. I supopose he speaks to his brother every day and he was kept informed of every part of the deal.

Again I ask you a question you never replied to. You upped sticks to make a better life for your family would you expect Davies not to do the same where he would triple his wages, play PL football not be in a side that was full of inexperienced youngsters. He would also be back closer to his roots? I myself cannot see that a player who had been at the club 9 months would be so in love with it to scrifice the opportunity, afterall it may not come knocking again.

 

He was on high wages with us. Don't assume he was being offered more at Stoke. I understand he was happy to stay with Saints. We needed to offload him. Stoke came in and that was that!

[OldNick]

We all see things different Nickh but Long Shot, UmPahars and myself seem to agree.

 

We all recognise what Davis has done for us this season so far, just pointing out his weaknesses that might still contibute the a shakey defence.

I understand that Weston but I dont get what you all expect.1 of you are blaming KD for the 2 nd goal, which to me is nonsense, as it seems any cross in some peoples minds shold be caught by the keeper.If that was the case a header inside the 6 yard box would never be scored. The other is criticism of his distribution, well I gave my reason for that.

Please name a goal keeper that is all the things expected by yourselves and I'll show you the worlds best ever keeper because no goal keeper in histroy has distributed the ball, taken crosses good in one on ones, saved penalties and been a good shot stopper.

[The Kraken]

My personal ratings on Saints v Ipswich :

 

K Davis 8 MOTM - Superb performance , quite simply in the best form of his Saints career , We would have lost the match but for him .

L James 4 - Not ready for the 1st team , he should really learning his trade out on loan at some L1/2 club this stage of his development .

C Perry 6.5 - Very decent CB but lacking in recovery pace when we lose possession . Adds some much needed experience & leadership .

J Cork 7 - Good young defender , bit of pace and tall with it , should be a automatic starter IMO .

A Surman 6 - Never has been/will be a full back , got done for ITFC'S 1st goal . His well taken goal shows what we're missing from midfield

S Gillett 6 - Seemed a little lost without Schneiderlin beside him , you can't fault his level of effort though .

P Wotton 5.5 - Your bog standard CCC midfielder , has neither Safri's class nor Viafara's energy but is probably much cheaper .

DMG 5.5 - After some good performances recently he was not at the races today , disappointing .

A Lallana 5.5 - I hardly noticed he was playing to be honest , a good player just having an 'off' day I hope .

N Dyer 3 - Poor going forward & useless defensively . A total waste of space . :mad:

S John 5 - Ineffective , I don't think he can play in this system which is a major (and potentially fatal problem) for the team .

 

Substitutes :

M Schneiderlin 6.5 - Good display unlucky not to start IMO .

BWP 5.5 - Made an instant impact on the game but disappeared once we'd equalised :confused: .

T Peckhart 7 - A big strong Centre forward , he battered his way though for his goal . A certain starter for Saturday I would have thought .

 

Summary :

We were a mere shadow of the bright 'pass and move' side we saw earlier this season , I guess that's what too many defeats and being bottom of the table does to a team . I remain unconvinced we have the right players to play the 4-4-3 system or that it's suitable for the CCC . Overall we looked like a young team all too well aware of it's own deficiencies and the true scale of the task in front of it .

 

 

Yep, pretty much agree with that. James was a deer in the headlights last night, obviously has some talent but isn't ready for the step up yet. In the first half he seemed to be nowhere near their winger, then in the second half every pass he hit seemed to go straight back to them.

 

Surman; I thought he looked excellent going forwards, but not great defensively. he's a big miss in midfield, playing Dyer there just doesn't work.

 

My biggest worry is Jan's non-stop persistence with the 4-2-1-2-1 formation, which is essentially just a 4-5-1. Away from home, when we're trying to keep it tight, I think it'll work quite well and lets us hit at pace on the break. But at home, last night I thought Stern John (as poor as he was) was crying out to have a strike partner up with him to get in behind the defence. We play some nice stuff, but just don't look threatening or direct enough, our pretty play is in the wrong areas and really doesn't get us anywhere. I'd really like to either see two up front, or Lallana playing in a much more advanced role just off the striker. Last night he got lost in the central midfield battle.

[Kingsbridge Saint]

Confidence is a big thing in football. This side can muller Barnsley and we can go on from there.

[OldNick]

He was on high wages with us. Don't assume he was being offered more at Stoke. I understand he was happy to stay with Saints. We needed to offload him. Stoke came in and that was that!

I think you will find it was a bit of both. We needed him sold and he didnt wish to misss the opportunity, but there is no way he was forced to leave kicking and screaming.

[alpine_saint]

so because his brother has passed that on second hand it is poof. I supopose he speaks to his brother every day and he was kept informed of every part of the deal.

Again I ask you a question you never replied to. You upped sticks to make a better life for your family would you expect Davies not to do the same where he would triple his wages, play PL football not be in a side that was full of inexperienced youngsters. He would also be back closer to his roots? I myself cannot see that a player who had been at the club 9 months would be so in love with it to scrifice the opportunity, afterall it may not come knocking again.

 

So what information is your opinion based on, or is it sheer speculation from you ?

 

If you have a source, why is it automatically more reliable ?

 

I reckon you are just believing what you choose to believe. And considering your slant to everything, it does not surprise me you choose to pooh-pooh LS's comments.

[OldNick]

Confidence is a big thing in football. This side can muller Barnsley and we can go on from there.

that is true but also they can muller us, remember last season? They rode their luck big time and stole a win, we cant afford that happening again.

[OldNick]

So what information is your opinion based on, or is it sheer speculation from you ?

 

If you have a source, why is it automatically more reliable ?

 

I reckon you are just believing what you choose to believe. And considering your slant to everything, it does not surprise me you choose to pooh-pooh LS's comments.

Alpine also the post serves your arguement and so all of a sudden it must be true.

All I can say it is not what I heard coming from the club and therefore I take some of it being correct. I was never in any doubt that AD was enjoying himself here but also he was not averse to going for the fruits of the PL.

Have you answered my question I have put ot you at least 10 times or is it too hard to comprehend?

[Give it to Ron]

Agree with Um's markings and thoughts but would add this...until we have a defence and midfield that learns to mark players when we don't have the ball we will get steam rollered.

The second goal was not Kelvins fault or even Surmans it was the fact that Garvan(7) was allowed to stroll round all night without one of our players even getting within 10 yards of him, for the goal he just strolled through the middle, ran at our defence and was allowed to roll the ball wide for the cross.

All night the middle 3 Ipswich midfield were never picked up - the guy with the bandage on his head never had anyone challenge him at all whether he played up the middle, wide or when they pushed him on Surman and hit high balls at him.

 

For 4 years now this club has not had a defence and its been a shambles of mismatch, patching up and make do's - until someone with a bit of balls looks up and builds the foundation from the back we will be relegation fodder.

 

As for Stern....he worked harder than some games but when you are told your surplus to requirements it doesn't do much for your morale!

Also how many times was he alienated on his own against 3 defenders and no-one within 20 yards and all our midfielders on the half way line?

Our problem is we are crap at the back...the midfielders hardly attack the box for fear of a quick breakaway against our fragile back 4 which leaves the strikers battling alone - one runs wide and delivers a cross to one man in the box and maybe one midfielder against 6 defenders.

We were lucky last night that Magilton wasn't brave enough to throw on another attacker but just replaced one for one.

[oldsarum]

im not prepared to part with my hard earned cash to watch drivel

 

Catch 22 mate if we don't get more bums on seats we will not have the money avaialble to get in decent players in on loan to improve the team, so even more people will desert the club and the level of attendaces and performances will drop even further.

[dubai_phil]

So what information is your opinion based on, or is it sheer speculation from you ?

 

If you have a source, why is it automatically more reliable ?

 

I reckon you are just believing what you choose to believe. And considering your slant to everything, it does not surprise me you choose to pooh-pooh LS's comments.

 

Interestingly, although there have been many figures mentioned for salaries for the likes of Euell, Dyer, BWP et al, but we signed Davies who was a PL player.......... I can't believe we would be able to do that by giving them a 50% pay cut, so just how much money was he on?

 

Seems odd there have been no leaks that's all, and I get the feeling that is more likely the case than the "wanting away/clause in contract" stuff

[reader]

We seem to be in an even worse position than last season.

We are struggling in all our games with the exception of the Derby game.

How many times has kelvin Davis been man of the match?

Ipswich may have been one of the fancied teams but look at the table, they too are a struggling team and surely a team that we should be beating at home.

Last season we did beat most of the better teams. So far this season has been very disapointing and I cannot see where we are likely improve without big changes.

There was a time not so long ago when playing teams like Ipswich and Birmingham and certainly Blackpool would have been a banker home win.

Frankly our club needs a good shake up! It needs to happen now while there are enough games left to put things right.

Rupert Lowe coming back--- Bad move

Releasing Nigel Pearson ---Bad move

Selling Andrew Davies---Bad move

 

This is a great club with great supporters who deserve so much more.

[stevegrant]

My belated thoughts:

 

Davis was excellent, once again. One thing I've really noticed about him this season is that his distribution has improved a hell of a lot. One pass he made perfectly into the running path of Nathan Dyer in the first half which put us on the attack would have had journalists creaming their pants if Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard had done it. As Long Shot has pointed out, he's not great on crosses, but then he probably knows this, hence why he doesn't come for many. Those he did come for (I recall 3), he claimed quite comfortably, though.

 

Defensively, we were pretty awful. Surman looked good when he was in the opposition half, but suddenly transformed into a Sunday league player when he went back into our half. Lloyd James needs a rest, IMO. He had an absolute shocker last night (although I don't think he's been particularly good or solid all season). I would expect Wotton to play at the back with Perry on Saturday, with Cork moving across to right-back.

 

The midfield looked "ok", but far too often found themselves either too far forward leaving the defence exposed or too far back leaving John and/or McGoldrick too isolated to do anything once we got the ball back. Lallana looked good again, but there's only so much he can do without help from those around him.

 

Also, I don't think there's much point in playing a 4-5-1/4-3-3 switching formation if one of the wide players isn't going to stay wide. McGoldrick spent most of the first half drifting all over the place, and I lost count of the number times Wotton or Gillett had the ball in decent areas in the middle and clearly wanted to get the ball out wide on the right where we had space, but DMG was stood somewhere in the middle.

 

While the ethos behind the system is that positions are, to an extent, interchangeable, it does still require a vast amount of positional discipline.

 

I think last night's performance was the worst of the games I've seen so far this season, but in that sense I'm pleased we still managed to get something out of the game. Ipswich should be there or thereabouts for the playoffs this season, they've brought in a number of seemingly high earners, so a draw against them isn't a "terrible" result, IMO. We looked dead and buried at 2-1, the heads dropped and we had a 10-15 minute spell where we couldn't even pass 5 yards to a team mate, but they got their heads sorted and showed some bottle to come back. Yes, the equaliser may have been a bit fortunate in terms of how it fell to Pekhart, but you've got to be in the position to capitalise on opponents' mistakes. If only Dyer had done likewise at the start of the second half...

[Bentley]

What a surprise. All the people who weren't at the game (Dulldays, alpine saint, etc...) think we are doomed this season. Well, guess what, we played very well in areas last night. Ipswich are a good team at this level. Realise that, then you might understand a bit more. We came back from a goal down to snatch a draw, the complete opposite of what usually happens to us, yet you still complain. No pleasing some people.

 

My match ratings:

 

Davis 8 MOTM - Made some crucial saves, especially that one-on-one with that Ipswich centre forward. Some good reaction saves. He did make loads of crap kicks though.

 

James 5 - Won't close down any players. Gets rounded too easy, and easily beat in headers. Someone else here please.

 

Cork 7 - Made nice tackles. Got beat to the head for their second goal, but made up for it with a goal stopping block in the second half. Solid passing under pressure.

 

Perry 7 - Made a crucial tackle when Ipswich were counter-attacking. Overall, we were solid in the center of defence.

 

Surman 6 - Very nice well placed goal, but didn't see much of him afterwards, except when he kept getting passed by Ipswichs strikers.

 

Dyer 4 - Worst player on the pitch by far. Easily beat in headers by defenders, completely useless at runs and missed a very decent shooting oppertunity by a country mile.

 

Wotton 7 - Held his position well. Not really much else to say, got back when needed. Passing was good.

 

Gillett 7 - Very energetic through the match, chased players down, was passing quickly and had a nice shot in the first half. Got tackled too easyily though when he tried to run past.

 

Lallana 7 - This boy is class, most of the creativity for the second goal came from him bridging and relentless attacking.

 

McGoldrick 6 - Made some nice one-twos with couple of midfielders to push the ball up. Selfishly had a shot just before the second goal, while Pekhart was completely unmarked. His shot deflected into Pekhart, luckily though.

 

John 5 - Where was his strength? Barely saw he was on the pitch.

 

Subs:

 

Pekhart 8 - Got into good positions constantly, took his goal nicely. Start next game please.

 

Spiderman 6 - Didn't see him do much.

 

BWP 7 - Replaced Dyer. Was very good, took on Ipswich defenders and beat them a decent couple of times. Definitely start him instead of Dyer next match.

 

Fans: 9. Just for the Northam (which I was in TBF), constantly singing even though we were losing. Not that much boos after the final whistle, but only a couple.

 

Overall, people who went know this was a decent result, I don't think the people who didn't shouldn't be as opinionated till the real truth comes from the fans who went.

[Legod Second Coming]

My belated thoughts:

 

Davis was excellent, once again. One thing I've really noticed about him this season is that his distribution has improved a hell of a lot. One pass he made perfectly into the running path of Nathan Dyer in the first half which put us on the attack would have had journalists creaming their pants if Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard had done it. As Long Shot has pointed out, he's not great on crosses, but then he probably knows this, hence why he doesn't come for many. Those he did come for (I recall 3), he claimed quite comfortably, though.

 

Defensively, we were pretty awful. Surman looked good when he was in the opposition half, but suddenly transformed into a Sunday league player when he went back into our half. Lloyd James needs a rest, IMO. He had an absolute shocker last night (although I don't think he's been particularly good or solid all season). I would expect Wotton to play at the back with Perry on Saturday, with Cork moving across to right-back.

 

The midfield looked "ok", but far too often found themselves either too far forward leaving the defence exposed or too far back leaving John and/or McGoldrick too isolated to do anything once we got the ball back. Lallana looked good again, but there's only so much he can do without help from those around him.

 

Also, I don't think there's much point in playing a 4-5-1/4-3-3 switching formation if one of the wide players isn't going to stay wide. McGoldrick spent most of the first half drifting all over the place, and I lost count of the number times Wotton or Gillett had the ball in decent areas in the middle and clearly wanted to get the ball out wide on the right where we had space, but DMG was stood somewhere in the middle.

 

While the ethos behind the system is that positions are, to an extent, interchangeable, it does still require a vast amount of positional discipline.

 

I think last night's performance was the worst of the games I've seen so far this season, but in that sense I'm pleased we still managed to get something out of the game. Ipswich should be there or thereabouts for the playoffs this season, they've brought in a number of seemingly high earners, so a draw against them isn't a "terrible" result, IMO. We looked dead and buried at 2-1, the heads dropped and we had a 10-15 minute spell where we couldn't even pass 5 yards to a team mate, but they got their heads sorted and showed some bottle to come back. Yes, the equaliser may have been a bit fortunate in terms of how it fell to Pekhart, but you've got to be in the position to capitalise on opponents' mistakes. If only Dyer had done likewise at the start of the second half...

 

 

Lordy, I'd forgotten that miss!!!

[SNSUN]

Summary :

We were a mere shadow of the bright 'pass and move' side we saw earlier this season , I guess that's what too many defeats and being bottom of the table does to a team . I remain unconvinced we have the right players to play the 4-4-3 system or that it's suitable for the CCC . Overall we looked like a young team all too well aware of it's own deficiencies and the true scale of the task in front of it .

 

We should be doing a LOT better with an extra man on the field IMO.