influx Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 I'm quite surprised not many people have praised Rickie today. I thought he was outstanding. He won everything in the air, his touch and his passing was brilliant he put in a hell of a lot of work with little reward/protection from the ref. Man of the Match for me by a country mile, Cork and Seabourne also worthy of a mention. Very impressed by NA's substituitions today. Takes a lot of bottle to take off your skipper and the crowd favourite - both of whom were not having the best of games - and I think credit where credit is due to him for that. Had it backfired and we had lost I'm sure he would have been crucified on here tonight. So as well as the players, well played the manager too. Totally agree. He has the look of Mouriniho IMO but minus the ego. He has no thought about reputations or transfer fees. The only thing he is focused on is the team. Love it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallyboy Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 we are developing the technical skills to play champagne football - and the wisdom to know when not to. Some people were jumping up and down near the end demanding we charge forward. We were winning, we had the ball, they couldn't get it off us - job done. Good three points against a strong side who will scare a few this season. We are more comfortable against sides who try and outplay us, mainly because we haven't met anyone who can yet! Good use of subs, slightly risky but its along season and we have a strong squad for that purpose. 10/10 Nige. And well done to Seabourne, he is stepping up to the plate. D'Urso is quite poor. Did I see him wrongly over rule a linesman's correct decision from his vantage point half a mile away? His use of cards is somewhat erratic as well, nice he's got the hang of counting them though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cat Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Yeah, Cork is amazing. Fonte played well too. Nice to see us prove again after Barnsley that we can defend back to the walls style if needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaintRobbie Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 We are top of the league…..sing…. we are top of the league …. lol! happy days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cat Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 D'Urso is quite poor. Did I see him wrongly over rule a linesman's correct decision from his vantage point half a mile away? If that was for the corner decision in the first half, well I think the linesman didn't have a clue what to give and waited for D'Urso to decide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david in sweden Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 I agree with all of that, I think Leicesters problem is too many players brought in at once, far better to evolve than change things that radically, that said, if they do not pick up soon Sven will be gone and the new manager will pick up results, they have to be a real force by mid season as they start to gel; but I have been wrong before I hasten to add. agree totally. Svennis was buying everyone who could lace up his own boots. Some good names but too mnay new players coming form clubs who all play different styles. It'll take too long for them to get to know one another's games... Ricky Lambert 's quote midweek says it all... " we 've had the same squad together now for two seasons, we know each others play very well....." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Lungs Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 (edited) Enjoyed my long overdue first game back at SMS and whilst it wasn't the freeflowing, tick-tack style some might expect, I was thoroughly pleased with the result and the level of energy shown by the players in very, very hot pitch side temperatures. Davis 7, Solid game - which is almost synonymous with KD these days. Two excellent saves, too. Richardson 5, For me, he's had much better games. He was all too easily beaten by Bouazza at least 3 times. He'll come across other tricky wingers in this league who could, unless he is given better cover by Guly or whoever is in front of him, will just pass it around "Tank" and pick the ball up on the other side. Fonte 7, Typically classy, but at sometimes dangerously full-blooded! Handled Henderson well alongside Seaborne. Seaborne 6, I'm not a boo-boy but whilst he was tremendously brave and committed today, and yes, he can stroke the ball around, his defensive headers/clearances really do need to improve. Too often he won't get enough on the ball and it'll shave his head/go the wrong way and back to the opposition. At least with a lumbering, bricksh1thouser like Jaidi this doesn't happen. That said, I think Seaborne's mobility has been a massive plus. Harding 8, I thought Harding was excellent today and it's actually quite annoying that we spent the best part of £1.8m on Daniel Fox. I just hope he's going to be worth it! Guly 7, Excitingly unpredictable and finished superbly for his goal. He worked hard but I did get a bit frustrated today as he didn't provide any cover for Richardson at times against Bouazza - and things could have turned out different. Cork 7, His usual industrious self - tireless running, kept the ball moving and picked a superb pass for Guly's winner. If we do something this season, the significance of this signing will become apparent, if it hasn't already of course! Hammond 6, Didn't really notice him to be honest so wasn't surprised he was substituted. That said, for someone who was potentially going to be third or fourth choice in midfield this year, he's started superbly. Lallana 7, With him and Guly in the side we'll always have a chance. Bust a gut today until he fizzled out from the game and was withdrawn at about the right time by NA. Connolly 6, Industrious and like so many of our players, has a great footballing brain. Was quiet today but it's always obvious Lambert 8, Truly immense. Like the rest of the team, worked incredibly hard but his overall technique and first-touch made the ball stick for us upfront so many times today, which was important. Subs De Ridder 8, His introduction allowed us to switch from defending against Millwall to attacking them again. Although only a brief outing, it was significant in that respect. Schneiderlin 6, Slotted in alongside Jack effortlessly and had to cover a lot of ground to help halt Millwall counter-attacks. Fox 6, Didn't really notice him to be honest. Whilst by no means a vintage performance, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. What stood out for me was not just the workrate, but the sheer number of technically good footballers we have all over the pitch. We closed out the game professionally and kept the ball well, though I do have to credit Millwall as well for having a right go at us in the second half period. They'll probably be there or thereabouts this year. What impressed me most about them though was that they did what no team has been able to do this yet - dominate and frustrate our midfield. It looked a hell of a battle for messrs Cork, Hammond and Schneiderlin today so I'm delighted we got the result we did in the manner we did. Even a grizzled, gutsy one-niller was a pleasure to watch. I still think we're 1 solid centre back and 1 enigmatic centre-forward away from a really, really sustainable promotion challenge though. C'mon Don, get the cheque book out... Edited 20 August, 2011 by Crab Lungs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thornhill_saints Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Was at the game, I thought when Lallana got sub'ed the game changed all for millwall. I saw lambert try to pass the ball when it went a stray it looked like he couldnt be f**ked to get back to defend, or to chase the ball down again! I think they looked worn out to be honest. cracking result tho... could of been a lot more pressing in the second half when millwall had the ball... a typical ground out result, like in league one from last year. not complaining though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefuriousb Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 we are developing the technical skills to play champagne football - and the wisdom to know when not to. Some people were jumping up and down near the end demanding we charge forward. We were winning, we had the ball, they couldn't get it off us - job done. Spot on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thefuriousb Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Was at the game, I thought when Lallana got sub'ed the game changed all for millwall. I saw lambert try to pass the ball when it went a stray it looked like he couldnt be f**ked to get back to defend, or to chase the ball down again! I think they looked worn out to be honest. cracking result tho... could of been a lot more pressing in the second half when millwall had the ball... a typical ground out result, like in league one from last year. not complaining though! except that 3 of the 4 points made are a complaint (??) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corsacar saint Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Aresult we would not have ground out 2 or 3 seasons ago. Rickie was my MOM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brmbrm Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 FWIW, I thought that when hammond went off we started losing midfield. Schnierderlin didn't fill that role. But credit to Milwall. This is a tough league - lots of clubs with genuine promition possibilities, and getting 3 poitns when, in honesty, we woldn't have felt cheated if we had only got 1, is prfetty damn good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Lungs Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Another thing... when you've got great footballing players like Lallana and Guly willing to put their bodies on the line with tackles, chasing back and battling - basically doing all the dirty stuff, you've always got a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 D'Urso is quite poor. Did I see him wrongly over rule a linesman's correct decision from his vantage point half a mile away? His use of cards is somewhat erratic as well, nice he's got the hang of counting them though.just glad he didn't call this one off. I mean those sprinklers were on for a quite a while before the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Seaborne 6, I'm not a boo-boy but whilst he was tremendously brave and committed today, and yes, he can stroke the ball around, his defensive headers/clearances really do need to improve. Too often he won't get enough on the ball and it'll shave his head/go the wrong way and back to the opposition. At least with a lumbering, bricksh1thouser like Jaidi this doesn't happen. That said, I think Seaborne's mobility has been a massive plus. Lallana 7, With him and Guly in the side we'll always have a chance. Bust a gut today until he fizzled out from the game and was withdrawn at about the right time by NA. Adam did nothing, was rightly subbed and gets a 7. Seaborne has IMO his best game in a Saints shirt and gets a 6. The game certainly is all about opinions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint_lambden Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Would give Davis an 8 at least for a couple of cracking saves. Seaborne was generally decent, won most things in the air. Lambert was brilliant-so sharp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
positivepete Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 (edited) Aresult we would not have ground out 2 or 3 seasons ago. Rickie was my MOM. I agree. That was technically the best performance I have seen from Rickie. His first MOM from me, he must have worked really hard over the summer, his improvement was incredible, the ball used to bounce off him, his touch was great today. And how does he stay so calm in the face of so many assaults during the game. Edited 21 August, 2011 by positivepete Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Genk Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Haven't read the rest of this thread and this is my take on today's match: Thought we started off quite positively, got the goal and we appeared to settle for that one goal cushion for the rest of the game to be perfectly honest. Great save from KD in the second half to deny Millwall but we did look very tired after the hour mark which is to be expected with practically the same side playing three games in a week. After Lallana and Connolly were taken off, we lacked width and became one dimensional with not much movement coming from Lambert & Guly up top along with Fox coming inside to play rather narrow. Cork did well once again to break up the play and try to get us playing some football in the second period. Bouazza looked dangerous for them but overall I'm happy with a scrappy 1-0 win against a Millwall side who will cause teams problems this year but aren't strong enough to compete for top 6 in my opinion. The three points are all that matters, and I am confident that a well rested team this week, will cause Leicester all sorts of problems next Saturday. I fancy us to go there and get something! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Lungs Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Sven is trying his "buy enough decent players and hopefully something will come together" trick again. I've a feeling it's going to end in tears, irrespective of what happens up there between our two teams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gammon cheeks Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 Reality check in my opinion .... Take lallana and conolly out and we lack creativity ....Dug in and battled for the 3 points so fair play to the boys .....Another pacey striker/ winger and decent cb and we will challange for automatic promotion ......4 out of 4 up the saints! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsland Codger Posted 20 August, 2011 Share Posted 20 August, 2011 A fine win for us but Millwall were formidable opposition. They pressurized us giving us very little time on the ball and often we couldn't get our passing game together. But it's all about scoring goals to win the points and Millwall had very poor finishers. Some of their shots went wide or over the bar by a whisker - and that's not good enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Professor Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 It looked to me as if the two games a week was beginning to show. After about 20 minutes and once we were one up, the momentum seemed to be with Millwall. Adkins may have realised that he needed to utilised the squad more as he did make his substitutions earlier in this game or perhaps he was just reacting to the way things were going. With Jaidi and LB not back from injury byet, his options are limited in soem positions, but I think he could have played Fox, Morgan and de Ridder from the start, only subbing them if necessary. Rested could have been Harding, Hammond, and Lambert, with Guly playing up front. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilippineSaint Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 There is no way in a million years I'd have predicted 4 straight wins when the fixture list was published, but now I get a semi on just looking at the league table. I like the term plumping though Is that going with the fit birds mate?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotty Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 F*cking hell. I just switched on to the free wifi in this new york hotel, 4 wins on the trot at the start of the season, wtf??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kingsbridge Saint Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Wahey - great result to wake up to in Brisbane. Great to read that Seabourne is getting there and we ground out and defended a win. All positives. Well done Saints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Lungs Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 F*cking hell. I just switched on to the free wifi in this new york hotel, 4 wins on the trot at the start of the season, wtf??? Haha, loved this post! WTF indeed eh! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamesb Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Spot on. so right, there was some muppets behind me pleading for us to go at them in the last few minutes! What is nice is this team seem so much better in retaining the ball and playing it safe. This is now giving the fans confidence and we are not getting on their backs as easily as before. Great win, 1-0 is always a satisfying result. Cork was best player for me and I think he is going to make a huge difference over a season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 It looked to me as if the two games a week was beginning to show. After about 20 minutes and once we were one up, the momentum seemed to be with Millwall. Adkins may have realised that he needed to utilised the squad more as he did make his substitutions earlier in this game or perhaps he was just reacting to the way things were going. With Jaidi and LB not back from injury byet, his options are limited in soem positions, but I think he could have played Fox, Morgan and de Ridder from the start, only subbing them if necessary. Rested could have been Harding, Hammond, and Lambert, with Guly playing up front. But surely your argument of 2 games a week means nothing as Millwall have had the same? Millwall looked the fitter side to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 But surely your argument of 2 games a week means nothing as Millwall have had the same? Millwall looked the fitter side to me. and lost Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 It looked to me as if the two games a week was beginning to show. After about 20 minutes and once we were one up, the momentum seemed to be with Millwall. Adkins may have realised that he needed to utilised the squad more as he did make his substitutions earlier in this game or perhaps he was just reacting to the way things were going. With Jaidi and LB not back from injury byet, his options are limited in soem positions, but I think he could have played Fox, Morgan and de Ridder from the start, only subbing them if necessary. Rested could have been Harding, Hammond, and Lambert, with Guly playing up front. Lambert was immense, pleased we didnt rest him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Clarke Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 But surely your argument of 2 games a week means nothing as Millwall have had the same? Millwall looked the fitter side to me. I don't think they looked necessarily fitter, just a little fresher as they play a slower paced game than us. We play a very high-tempo game and to carry that Tuesday/Saturday is a very tough thing to do. I thought we dug in and ground out a good result and at the end of the day they lost, so obviously being fresher doesn't always count towards the end result. A winning mentality is a big thing to shake off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 I don't think they looked necessarily fitter, just a little fresher as they play a slower paced game than us. We play a very high-tempo game and to carry that Tuesday/Saturday is a very tough thing to do. I thought we dug in and ground out a good result and at the end of the day they lost, so obviously being fresher doesn't always count towards the end result. A winning mentality is a big thing to shake off. Yes but look at our second half record over last year! Hardly shows we are not fit does it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S-Clarke Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Yes but look at our second half record over last year! Hardly shows we are not fit does it? Nope, we're a very fit side. Not quite sure why Duncan has decided to make a comment like that rather than praise another win, and another record smashed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roger Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Nope, we're a very fit side. Not quite sure why Duncan has decided to make a comment like that rather than praise another win, and another record smashed. I will trust the physio who has put us in the best condition to start a season ive seen since 88! Any chance of a pm s-clarke re signings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ooooo Mariaaan Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 We were immense for the first 25 minutes - looked like a 3 or 4-nil win at that point. Game fizzled out (at least partially due to Millwall stopping us) for the rest of the first half. Second half was scrappy, and other than Lambert's free-kick that went close, we really didn't do a lot. Happy with the win, and a reality check may turn out to be a good thing. Richardson had his worst game so far; thought Davis, Cork and Guly were our best players. Lallana was completely anonymous - as someone else pointed out, great sign that Adkins has the balls to bring off our best player early when he's not doing well on the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
up and away Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Originally Posted by Fitzhugh Fella But surely your argument of 2 games a week means nothing as Millwall have had the same? Millwall looked the fitter side to me. I don't think they looked necessarily fitter, just a little fresher as they play a slower paced game than us. We play a very high-tempo game and to carry that Tuesday/Saturday is a very tough thing to do. I thought we dug in and ground out a good result and at the end of the day they lost, so obviously being fresher doesn't always count towards the end result. A winning mentality is a big thing to shake off. When you have players with nothing left in the tank at half time, there's little doubt about who was suffering fitness wise. That's not even debateable. Going back to Pardew we have always suffered because of the high tempo game and with mid week games sandwiched in and we usually suffer. Thanks to the staff and what looks like the best pre-season for a long time we have rode that out for the first 4 games, but that does not mean it will continue. We have no way of playing the counter attack by soaking up the pressure without using a lot of energy, that is a weakness in my eyes. Leicester is going to be the key, because once you run the battery flat with efforts such as we have put in over the last 4 games, it's not a simple day or two rest and everything is back to normal, it can take far longer. If we get through the Leicester game unaffected we should be ok as the schedule is far less hectic. We ran out of legs and this clearly showed we could not impose our brand of football on the opposition. Millwall are a very physical side, one of the worst to meet in such circumstances. But Adkins recognised the problem and reacted perfectly at half time, along with the players in playing out the opposition. Adkins in part admitted his error in not having fresh legs on from the beginning, something he employed at the end of last season that made it such a winning run. So I would feel he will be more circumspect in the future. Fitzhugh's comments for me highlight whether we will seriously challenge for an automatic spot this season, with the game at Leicester being the first big indicator. If we were playing in the Premier league this would be no issue, but when you look at the problems they have with stamina and the Xmas fixtures, it's no surprise the effect this has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Fitzhugh's comments for me highlight whether we will seriously challenge for an automatic spot this season, with the game at Leicester being the first big indicator. If we were playing in the Premier league this would be no issue, but when you look at the problems they have with stamina and the Xmas fixtures, it's no surprise the effect this has. dont agree at all..this is just a fuking hard league...we will get beat at home as will every single other team in this league will......just got to get lucky at times and take your chances.......we will probably lose at leicester as we will probably lose at home to some crap team....just the way it is in the NPC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eelpie Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Seaborne may have won everything in the air but for the majority of the second half (excluding the pass to Guly) he had a tendency to 'hoof' it aimlessly forward when caught with possession. Cork was my MotM tbh as he was brilliant in the centre of the park and that through ball for Guly's goal would have split any defence in this league. To be fair, in the second half Millwall had more stamina and were pressing tight and fierce. We simply did not have the energy nor space to football our way out of defence at times in the second half. All our defenders did just enough, and blocked Millwall when it mattered. A highlight for me was the way we held the ball with neat passing movements in midfield during the last fifteen minutes whenever we could, which caused frustration and desperation in the Milwall ranks (on and off the pitch). I never felt that we had lost the initiative, It was a hard fought victory. Well done all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super_Uwe Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Still on for a 138 point season...:@) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 (edited) Also helped that Millwall's last two games before yesterday were at home - going on the road l does take its toll and we've clocked up some pretty hefty miles during the last week. Disagree that Millwall had more in the tank because they play a slower game than us. They battled and went toe to toe with us for large parts of it. One positive I take is that, bar a few sloppy passes in the final third and being slightly narrow at times, we kept possession of the ball pwell and worked some decent openings - probably against the hardest working side in the league. Was slightly concerned that Ipswich, Barnsley et al. might have indulged us, making us look good by backing off but yesterday our players showed that they could get their foot on the ball and do the same even with opposition in their faces. One concern with our tactics is that our widemen - Guly and Lallana- do like to come inside. As our goal yesterday showed, it is both effective and deliberate; but it does give their fullbacks alot of space to get forward and deliver crosses from deep. Edited 21 August, 2011 by shurlock Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
View From The Top Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 But surely your argument of 2 games a week means nothing as Millwall have had the same? Millwall looked the fitter side to me. But they lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
View From The Top Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Nope, we're a very fit side. Not quite sure why Duncan has decided to make a comment like that rather than praise another win, and another record smashed. I think may of us can workout why. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fitzhugh Fella Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 I think may of us can workout why. Come again? Do you know something I don't? Don't get me wrong S Clarke, v happy with the win but alarmed slightly that we looked "leggy" by the end. Adkins noticed it too and blamed the heat but it was the same for both sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farawaysaint Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 I think may of us can workout why. It was the manner of the win, our players ,(particularly Lallana,) seemed dead on their feet. Duncan didn't complain he was just voicing a concern winning doens't mean there's no room for improvement as Adkins knows. And sorry for quoting you VFTT, I'm just clarifying what I think you were alluding to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benjii Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Barnsley then Ipswich away in the space of 4 days is bound to have a toll on the players' recovery. Then you've got another match less than four days later. As others have said, you simply can't stroll through every match. We know that and we have players with the mentality to deal with that situation when it arises and adapt their game. We kept calm and saw the game off and were able to bring on a player with the quality of De Ridder who I thought did an excellent job in relieving pressure towards the end. Yep, Milwall could've scored but in truth they didn't create much, despite having plenty of possession in the second half. It was clear they had a game plan in the first half specifically tailored to the way we play but we still carved them open with a lovely passing move. Cork really does give us an extra dimension. Great signing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Come again? Do you know something I don't? Don't get me wrong S Clarke, v happy with the win but alarmed slightly that we looked "leggy" by the end. Adkins noticed it too and blamed the heat but it was the same for both sides. Do think being on the road all week and having to take control of games on other teams manors took their toll. If you went to Barnsley and Ipswich, you would have seen just how phenomenal the workrate was - probably greater than our performances at home (as you would expect). By contrast, Millwall had the luxury of two home games before yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chez Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 I thought Guly tired badly, but not the rest. The difference between the two sides was we really got at them early doors and played a very high tempo high workrate style. You can't do that forever and there us a chance you can burn yourselves out. I don't think they are a fitter side, we just used a lot of energy in the first half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedelldays Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Come again? Do you know something I don't? Don't get me wrong S Clarke, v happy with the win but alarmed slightly that we looked "leggy" by the end. Adkins noticed it too and blamed the heat but it was the same for both sides. he never blamed the heat..he just said it was a hot day and the players had worked hard..maybe if millwall worked as hard they would be top of the league we move the ball all over the pitch, players always on the move..we dont hump it to lambert.......maybe we should so we dont look as tired as the teams we beat...?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david in sweden Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 (edited) Been saying this for years. It should be common sense, but every year we have people on here moaning like hell that we haven't made a huge number of signings. Many also didn't grasp how good our players were for L1. It's always the black and white, simplistic view of 'why didn't we run away with it then', completely missing the fact that players take time to gel, get to know each other, deal with expectations, new management, tactics etc. 92 points in the circumstances we had last year really shows just how good the talent there was. Now it's even better. QUOTE] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- in case anyone's lost the exact perspective of our success last season...whilst Brighton and Bournemouth were leading the table after the first six games.....our record at the time NA came onto the " bus"..was P6 W1 D1 L4.. GD 5-7 ...(FOUR points out of a possible EIGHTEEN ) When you consider how the table looked 40 games later, I think Brighton in particular were glad they'd had a good start ..ours was diabolical to say the least. Looking at the "regular squad " so far this season...we can see that ; Davis, Fonte, Martin, Seaborne, Harding, Schneiderlin, Hammond, Lallana, Lambert and Connolly all played at some point in the final games of season 2009 -10 . Ricky Lambert's point is well-made... they know each others game VERY WELL ! Edited 21 August, 2011 by david in sweden Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crab Lungs Posted 21 August, 2011 Share Posted 21 August, 2011 Christ, they weren't that leggy, stop p1ssing your pants. It was a hot day and Millwall, credit to them, gave us a really, really hard workout. We'll be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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