Back From the Game Fred

[Lighthouse]

Guessing I will be one of the first home (Scouseland) so I'll add my thoughts on the game.

 

If I was being possitive and optimistic; I'd say we created quite a few chances, it was an open game, we could easily have won and it's a good point away to a decent NpC team. If I was being negative, I'd say we were very sloppy, wasted chances and nearly got caught out by a well below par Burnley team. The truth lies somewhere in between.

 

First half was forgettable. Burnley just about edged it with a couple of decent chances, whereas we didn't really have any. Fox was getting a fair bit of stick as you'd expect, which intensified after a silly reaction to a late challenge. Didn't get booked (thought the ref was half decent actually) but gave away a needless free kick. Up front nothing much seemed to stick. Our delivery was pretty poor and we gave the ball away a lot. It's a cliche, but we were trying to be too clever. Too many one touch flick ons in our own half, which went straight to a Burnley player. The worst part of it had to be Kelvin almost always playing short goal kicks. We very nearly got caught out when Davis (under no pressure at all) played it straight out to one of our players (Fonte I think) who was practically being rogered by Charlie Austin (yes, him again). Only some last ditch lunging kept us out of trouble with that one.

 

Second half, Chaplow on for Guly (who was pretty much annonymous). This seemed to spark us into life a bit and Chaplow missed a very good chance to knock in a Richardson cross at the near post. Then Burnley had two or thee decent breaks and eventually scored about 10 mins into the second half. Cross came in, knocked down by Jay Rod and scored by Austin. Well, it had to happen I suppose. We nearly levelled immediate. A cross from the left and Lambert headed the ball into the ground and off the bottom of the bar from about 2 yards. Saints seemed to change to a kind of fluid 4-3-3, with Lallana, Lambert and DC rotating accross the front. Didn't really work for my money. At times we ended up playing long balls up to DC and having Rickie on the left wing. Both teams had chances for the rest of the game, with Saints having the pick of the bunch. Lallana shaved the outside of both posts with a couple of free heads, which he really should have scored. After the second I thought it was going to be one of those days where it would never go in, but a couple of minutes later we got the equaliser. Ball in from the left, Lambert clashes with their lardy centre half and after a bit of pinball Morgan smashes it in from inside the 6 yard box. Everyone runs off to celebrate in front of the fans, except Rickie, who is old cold on the turf next to lardy. After a couple of minutes treatment for the two players, the game continued and both teams had a couple of chances in the last 10 minutes. Lallana should have won the game with the last kick of the game. Long ball from Kelvin (about time too) knocked down by Rickie, Adam plays it through and runs into space, only to stick a weak effort straight at the goalie from just inside the box.

 

Overall, I'm fairly happy. We were nowhere near our best, but still game back from a tough away game with a point. I'm sure some people who weren't even there will confidently proclaim we struggled physically against a bunch of big Northern bruisers. It wasn't like that. Burnley played good football but not very well, if that makes sense. Very similar to us today.

[doc oli]

it was a 6/10 performance from everyone. nobody stood out, nobody was awful. BUT in years gone by we would have lost that game, and we didnt.

[Lighthouse]

Player ratings:

 

Kelvin - 6 Can't remember him making any notable saves. Alright on the ball, but the short passes, Jesus Christ. Sort it out Nigel!

 

Fraser - 8 Thought he was very good and supported well down the right. A couple of decent crosses.

 

Hooiveld - 8 MOTM Looking better with every game and I thought he lived up to his "Hoover" nickname. Good in the air too.

 

Fonte - 7 Pretty solid, but not his commanding best.

 

Fox - 7 Good game and some good crosses going forward. Could have a hattrick of assists if the forwards were at the races.

 

Guly - 4 Disappointing. Not sure if Nigel agreed with me or he had a knock, but he doesn't track back enough for away games and gives the ball away cheaply. One to leave in Southampton IMO.

 

Hammond - 6 Not as good as previous games. We looked better when Morgan came on.

 

Cork - 6 Not his best game either. We gave the ball away cheaply in the middle, they were all guilty of that.

 

Lallana - 6 Really should have scored on 3 occasions and didn't good on the ball, but little end product.

 

DC - 5 Can't really remember him doing anything of note.

 

Lambert - 6 Decent target man, but only had one real attempt, which he should have scored.

 

Subs:

 

Chaplow - 7 Brought a bit of much needed bite and focus into the middle. Really should start away from home.

 

Morgan - 7 Looked better than Hammond and was great to see him double his career goals tally in England.

 

De Ridder - Why didn't he come on FFS!

[Made in Southampton]

Thanks for that. Your report sounded reasonable and unbiased.

[um pahars]

Cheers guys. Looking at those scores/analysis it would appear that our "going forward" play wasn't as good as it has been recently.

 

Shame, but I'm still positive about taking a point up there (particularly after mounting a fightback).

[corky morris]

I actually thought our passing was very poor first half. Burnley pressed hard & we struggled with little or no space. I thought they won the first half & we won the second so fair play.

I thought Fonte was not great today. He got skinned by Rodriguez a couple of times & he seemed nowhere near as commanding as last year. Joos was moaning about the goal & being fouled, but the ref had none of it who was for my money pretty poor all match. You can see why we like the look of Rodriguez, he looks excellent.

I thought our best player was Frazer Richardson. Adam could has scored 3.

Its a good point earned & lets no forget we are only 8 games into a season of championship football & at some point we will lose. It could have been today, but the fight back was very good indeed.

[maxi_sopez]

Just got home in Leeds. First half was very forgettable, neither team really did anything and i felt a lot of the saints players seemed quite tired. 2nd half was much better, and i think them scoring kick started us into action.. Had so many chances we really could have won it! i guess we have such high standards now, that i am a tad disapointed, but overall good point. Great turn out as ever, fans in good voice, in such a **** stand.

[Lighthouse]

Just got home in Leeds. First half was very forgettable, neither team really did anything and i felt a lot of the saints players seemed quite tired. 2nd half was much better, and i think them scoring kick started us into action.. Had so many chances we really could have won it! i guess we have such high standards now, that i am a tad disapointed, but overall good point. Great turn out as ever, fans in good voice, in such a **** stand.

 

Oh yes. I remember when Burley got into the Prem, they did an interview with the chairman who was poudly telling national media about a 'lick of paint' around Turf Moor, or words to that effect. I got there today only to find antique wooden furnature. It's got to be the only ground I've been to which still has the seats from World War 2. No word of exaggeration, look at them.

 

[Saint_Jonny]

Just back myself. Will do a big post lateer but in summery:

 

Poor first half, poor at the start of the second, got better as the half went on, could have nicked it. Fox looks fragile defensively, Morgan and Chappy STARS when they came on, I'll be having nightmares about Lamberts "miss". Lallana fouled at the end, should have gone down.

[View From The Top]

With the chances we carved out in the last 30mins we should have walked away with all 3pts. Adam & Rickie should have scored and if Adam had gone down in the last seconds instead of getting a weak shot off then the ref' would have been forced into a decision. Moot point if he'd given it but you never know.

 

Kelvin didn't have to make a single save throughout the entire 90mins but Burnley had done their homework and I felt as if they were set up not to lose as opposed to win. Odd for a home team.

 

1st time I've see Jay Rod' and like Corky it's obvious as to why he's rated but £6m? Not a chance.

[um pahars]

I actually thought our passing was very poor first half. Burnley pressed hard & we struggled with little or no space. I thought they won the first half & we won the second so fair play.

I thought Fonte was not great today. He got skinned by Rodriguez a couple of times & he seemed nowhere near as commanding as last year. Joos was moaning about the goal & being fouled, but the ref had none of it who was for my money pretty poor all match. You can see why we like the look of Rodriguez, he looks excellent.

I thought our best player was Frazer Richardson. Adam could has scored 3.

Its a good point earned & lets no forget we are only 8 games into a season of championship football & at some point we will lose. It could have been today, but the fight back was very good indeed.

 

I initially read that as you giving him 3 out of 10 and thinking what had gone wrong with my hero!!!!!!!

[um pahars]

Oh yes. I remember when Burley got into the Prem, they did an interview with the chairman who was poudly telling national media about a 'lick of paint' around Turf Moor, or words to that effect. I got there today only to find antique wooden furnature. It's got to be the only ground I've been to which still has the seats from World War 2. No word of exaggeration, look at them.

 

 

And if you had looked under the seats then you would have seen little holes in the concrete where they had planned to blow hot air through to keep you warm when it was first built!!!!

 

I quite liked sitting in that stand a few years ago

[dune]

Radio 5 said Connelly should have scored in the 94th minute - thoughts from those who were there?

[View From The Top]

Radio 5 said Connelly should have scored in the 94th minute - thoughts from those who were there?

 

It was Lallana and yes, he should have, but he was being fouled and should have gone down for the pen'.

[Dalek2003]

It was Lallana and yes, he should have, but he was being fouled and should have gone down for the pen'.

 

Ooh, difficult one that.

[Verbal Kint]

It was Lallana and yes, he should have, but he was being fouled and should have gone down for the pen'.

 

That ref was giving nothing today so going down would have been pointless, he would have just waved it away. We were nowhere near our best today and on the balance of play you'd have to say Burnley probably would have been happier with the performance, but we created by far the better chances, and could easily have won the game if we had our finishing boots on.

 

It bodes well that we can go away from home to difficult teams in this league, not play anywhere near our best, get a point and feel disappointed we haven't won the game.

[View From The Top]

That ref was giving nothing today so going down would have been pointless, he would have just waved it away. We were nowhere near our best today and on the balance of play you'd have to say Burnley probably would have been happier with the performance, but we created by far the better chances, and could easily have won the game if we had our finishing boots on.

 

It bodes well that we can go away from home to difficult teams in this league, not play anywhere near our best, get a point and feel disappointed we haven't won the game.

 

if Adam had gone down in the last seconds instead of getting a weak shot off then the ref' would have been forced into a decision. Moot point if he'd given it but you never know.

 

We ran Burnley into the ground, they were out on their feet and over the course of a season our superior fitness will be worth plenty of points.

[Verbal Kint]

We ran Burnley into the ground, they were out on their feet and over the course of a season our superior fitness will be worth plenty of points.

 

I don't disagree. Just thought we weren't quite our fluid selves and you have to credit Burnley for that. I thought they worked their socks off and we had to show a bit of patience. On another day Lambert would have buried that header and Lallana would have put one of his headers away and we win the game comfortably. Afterall, how many clear cut chances did Burnley have? I can't think of one other than their goal.

 

I always find it irritating that the football world are trying to stamp out diving in this country but yet when a player is fouled and stays on his feet they never get given the decision. Surely if referees were a bit more proactive in giving fouls regardless of whether or not they go down then players wouldn't feel the need to fall over so easily. I credit Adam for staying on his feet at the end as i don't want a team full of divers. The ref should have given the penalty anyway.

[View From The Top]

I don't disagree. Just thought we weren't quite our fluid selves and you have to credit Burnley for that. I thought they worked their socks off and we had to show a bit of patience. On another day Lambert would have buried that header and Lallana would have put one of his headers away and we win the game comfortably. Afterall, how many clear cut chances did Burnley have? I can't think of one other than their goal.

 

I always find it irritating that the football world are trying to stamp out diving in this country but yet when a player is fouled and stays on his feet they never get given the decision. Surely if referees were a bit more proactive in giving fouls regardless of whether or not they go down then players wouldn't feel the need to fall over so easily. I credit Adam for staying on his feet at the end as i don't want a team full of divers. The ref should have given the penalty anyway.

 

Burnley worked hard and Corky Morris and I both said that they'd pay the price later on for all the effort in closing down but KD didn't make a save that I can think of and as they flagged we should have gone on to win IMHO.

 

1st 1/2 was instantly forgettable but final 30mins tells me we are in for a great season.

 

In previous seasons we'd have lost that game, but not these players under this manager.

 

I've no issues with Adam staying on his feet but as he was losing his balance as he was trying to get the shot away he was also losing the ability to control the direction and power of it so the chance, as it was, was gone. Yes, the pen' should have been given anyway but if he'd gone over without shooting..................

[scotty]

Thanks for the "from the game" input. Interesting that the first two posts on here make direct reference to Kelvin passing the ball out short and putting us straight in trouble, there was some debate about that on the birmingham post-match thread. I was one of those at sms screaming for KD to leave it out, it seems to drop us in it every f*cking time we try it.

[View From The Top]

Thanks for the "from the game" input. Interesting that the first two posts on here make direct reference to Kelvin passing the ball out short and putting us straight in trouble, there was some debate about that on the birmingham post-match thread. I was one of those at sms screaming for KD to leave it out, it seems to drop us in it every f*cking time we try it.

 

Not sure if it was KD or those coming to collect it if I'm honest.

 

One thing is for sure and that is that Burnley were briefed to stop us doing it and ran themselves into the ground doing so and forced us to go long until they were out of energy and then we started playing out again.

Edited 24 September, 2011 by View From The Top
Typo due to being boll oxed.

[S-Clarke]

Good reports, sounds like a good point as suspected. Nice to get this thread back to the top as well, above all the complete and utter ********.

 

Looking forward to Cardiff, at least we have an extra day as they play tomorrow.

[LGTL]

I found it a frustrating afternoon actually. I've always had a dislike for Burnley and today did nothing to change that. Marvin Bartley probably had his best ever professional game! We could and probably should have won it in the end, but i'll take the point and onto Cardiff we go. Can't wait.

[dannysfc]

Got back about 5-10 mins ago as I went by coach like I always do for away games apart from games near me like London, Midlands-(Reading, Coventry, Etc!) and we only arrived there about 20-25 mins before kick off as there was an accident and also saw another accident on the other side as well which looked nasty!

The actual game was actually OK and the referee was OK as well and I thought the 1st half was End to End with both teams going at each other and was a great goal by them tbh which gave them the 1-0 lead at half time!

2nd half we gave it a Good go and got the goal which was a great header by Schneiderlin to make it 1-1 and if both teams had taken there chances it could have ended with a high score so I think 1-1 was a fair result in the end and maybe this point could be a step forward than a step back depending on how you want to see it and were still top which is also Good!

Roll on Cardiff next which should be another Good game and I am looking forward to that as well!

Loved the "Charlie Austin he lives on Dale Farm" chant which was Funny lol!

COYR !!!

[LGTL]

Was Morgan's goal a header?? I knew I had too much to drink.

[dannysfc]

Was Morgan's goal a header?? I knew I had too much to drink.

 

Yeh from where I was it looked like a header n was a Great header as well tbh!

Also Lamberts miss.... WTF!?!

[rick1976.4.38]

heres a video from today,there wasnt much else to film as i thought our support was a bit disappointing,to go all that way and not sing,oh well,its not what everyone goes for as some will point out.on the game i thought we sat off them too much and let them dictate the midfield.if only lallana could put the icing on the cake to his game and put away his chances we would have won.mind you i dont think we deserved to.a point was fair.have to say i dont think burnley are as bad as some think,played some nice football.we didnt seem to have any momentum and on todays display wish we had paid the money and bought cms,he is a goalscorer and with him in our side i think would be the final piece in the jigsaw.anyway,still top and the bus is still rolling,coys

[Lets B Avenue]

Got back about 5-10 mins ago as I went by coach like I always do for away games apart from games near me like London, Midlands-(Reading, Coventry, Etc!) and we only arrived there about 20-25 mins before kick off as there was an accident and also saw another accident on the other side as well which looked nasty!

The actual game was actually OK and the referee was OK as well and I thought the 1st half was End to End with both teams going at each other and was a great goal by them tbh which gave them the 1-0 lead at half time!

2nd half we gave it a Good go and got the goal which was a great header by Schneiderlin to make it 1-1 and if both teams had taken there chances it could have ended with a high score so I think 1-1 was a fair result in the end and maybe this point could be a step forward than a step back depending on how you want to see it and were still top which is also Good!

Roll on Cardiff next which should be another Good game and I am looking forward to that as well!

Loved the "Charlie Austin he lives on Dale Farm" chant which was Funny lol!

COYR !!!

 

Err. It was 0-0 at half-time.

 

Also it wasnt a header.

 

Were you really at the match?

[LGTL]

Err. It was 0-0 at half-time.

 

Also it wasnt a header.

 

Were you really at the match?

 

My thoughts entirely...

[NN2 Saint]

Didn't start to play til we went 1 down few shocking misses though could easily have won but on another day we wouldnt have equalised ala Saints of old so can't really complain. Lallana should have buried that chance at the end tho

[dannysfc]

Err. It was 0-0 at half-time.

 

Also it wasnt a header.

 

Were you really at the match?

 

Ohhh yeh sorry I thought we were 1-0 down at HT so am sorry for that!

And what was the goal again for me and for people who weren't there then Lets B Avenue!?!

[ericofarabia]

Just got home in Leeds. First half was very forgettable, neither team really did anything and i felt a lot of the saints players seemed quite tired. 2nd half was much better, and i think them scoring kick started us into action.. Had so many chances we really could have won it! i guess we have such high standards now, that i am a tad disapointed, but overall good point. Great turn out as ever, fans in good voice, in such a **** stand.

 

To be honest i thought the singing was pretty p!ss poor except for the period just before and after we scored. Whole passages of play went by only to be met with polite applause ... my vocal chords had a damn good workout but at times I could not believve how poor the atmosphere was considering the numbers who had made the efort to be there.

 

Team seemed to want to walk the ball into the net ... at times route 1 is the best option. Too many times the ball was given away cheaply. A draw was a fair result but if Lambo had been on the end of lala's two headers we'd have won!! Never felt we weere under any pressure at anytime considering we were away from home. Cardiff won't be as easy as today.

[shurlock]

Difficult to make sense of the game - didn't think we deserved to lose the game; but didn't think we did enough over the whole game to win it, though ultimately we had the clearest opportunities.

 

The first 45 mins were very hard going as was the beginning of the 2nd half. For an area that's been so crucial to everything we do, our central midfield was threadbare today. Burnley were able to ping diagonal balls into the central midfield at will; they were first to most second balls; while Cork and Hammond didn't establish any kind of foothold to offer Lallana and Guly the ball in more advanced positions. That Hammond was substituted did not surprise me - nor is it surprising that their MOTM was Bartley, a CM who was here, there and f**king everywhere. Either way, it was a shock to the system to see the centre of midfield so overrun.

 

I thought Richardson and Jos had very good games. Richardson got up and down really well and delivered a hell of a ball for Lambert who hit the bar. Jos was probably my MOTM, though I wish he was a bit meaner. For all his good play, he should not have let ROdriguez win the header that led to their goal. Fonte, by contrast, had an iffier game, though he became more assured in the 2nd half. KD also didn't particularly help by not communicating with the defence.

 

The real question mark is Fox. Thought he rode the crowd pretty well; but with Harding breathing down his neck, its a hard call who should be starting. Defensively Fox tends to position himself too close to the CBs for my liking whereas I like Harding's willingness to play man-to-man with the opposing attacker. Going forward, I thought Fox was slightly reluctant to attack the space in front of him, hitting balls from quite deep. By contrast, Harding is always willing to get to the line. But where Fox is head and shoulders above Harding is his delivery - some of the balls delivered from corners and setpieces and crossing positions (when he did get further up the pitch) were simply unplayable and are alone worth goals and points.

 

Thought NA's substitutions were good but only to a point. Chaplow steeled things up in midfield; while Schneiderlin allowed us to switch and stretch play quicker. Things opened up in the 2nd half but its worth bearing in mind that they played close to a full strength team in the cup and were pushed to the final minute (so I wouldn't attribute things just to our fitness as some of the posters above mention). More surprising is that De Ridder didn't come on.

 

On a very general level, I thought we flattered Burnley and did not sufficiently exploit their weaknesses. A common feature of Eddie Howe's teams is the tendency for full backs to play as virtual wing backs. It put us under pressure; but it also meant there were acres of space behind them - when we got runners behind the FB notably through Richardson and Chaplow, we were pretty lively. But we didn't do it nearly enough. The game was crying out for some pace - and De Ridder might have offered it. And even if De Ridder isn't the right man yet, we still need pace. Lack of pace also made it easy for the back four to play a high line and contain the likes of Connolly and Lallana who cannot be expected to work eye of a needle openings every week in the heat of a frenetic away game.

 

In the end, we got back into the game by singling out their RB and hitting diagonal long balls to Lambert on that side- the only problem is that he should have been finishing, not initiating such moves as Lallana's tame headers from very good positions showed. It was hardly total football; but showed that NA was happy to mix things up and opt for pragmatism; the return of Barney will only help us in this respect.

 

All in all, can't complain about today - we could have won it in the final minute, though its hard to see how Lallana could have struck the ball cleaner with the defender pulling on his shirt; and if he had justifiably gone down its unlikely that the ref would have rewarded anything but a yellow card. Just as cynical was Burnley's attempt to work a quick free kick while half the team had gone for refreshments only to fluff it, resulting in a decent possible break only for one of their players to go down.

 

On today's performance, Rodriguez didn't justify the hype or the £5m+ valuation - apart from a few tidy touches (largely low-risk stuff), he was well marshaled and never really threatened KD. Thought the ref was OK - could have quite easily brandished the cards out and stopped play (as players went down)- but allowed the game to flow. Our lot was OK; but like the performance was pretty subdued.

 

Anyway a point is a point and will be more than happy for the same against Cardiff

Edited 24 September, 2011 by shurlock

[Lets B Avenue]

Ohhh yeh sorry I thought we were 1-0 down at HT so am sorry for that!

And what was the goal again for me and for people who weren't there then Lets B Avenue!?!

 

Right foot shot from the edge of the 6 yard box. You wernt there at all, were you?

[Shroppie]

Thanks for the "from the game" input. Interesting that the first two posts on here make direct reference to Kelvin passing the ball out short and putting us straight in trouble, there was some debate about that on the birmingham post-match thread. I was one of those at sms screaming for KD to leave it out, it seems to drop us in it every f*cking time we try it.

 

Don't agree it needs cutting out completely. When it works it's a great springboard for attacks. But if opposing teams press and close down we need to use the space that creates further up field and use the long ball to Ricky- as we did towards the end yesterday.

 

Jack Cork is our main outlet for the short ball out and Burnley knew far too much about him.

[Sour Mash]

Oh yes. I remember when Burley got into the Prem, they did an interview with the chairman who was poudly telling national media about a 'lick of paint' around Turf Moor, or words to that effect. I got there today only to find antique wooden furnature. It's got to be the only ground I've been to which still has the seats from World War 2. No word of exaggeration, look at them.

 

It's a good ground, would much rather have an away end like that than some of the boring, modern ones we have to visit!

[The9]

Honestly, I thought we were terrible for a long time, Burnley should have been out of sight by the time we put two passes together. We made FOUR last ditch blocks before an hour had passed, and their finishing was also awful. Their number 20 won everything in the air in midfield all game long, whilst we looked disjointed and poor, failing to move the ball quickly and without anything like our usual fluidity on the ball. Our passing was off, and players just weren't available to move the ball. We also resorted to the long pass too often, especially Fox early on.

 

Burnley, rather than being knackered by all their hard work, were undone by Howe taking off Stanislaus who had been totally running the show in midfield with his movement. Wallace (7) was a constant threat down the right in the second half and Fox was being exposed to two men overlapping. Generally we were caught in behind the full backs a few times and Hooiveld was a rock in clearing almost every cross with his head. We didn't seem to be pressing much in front of the back 4 and Hammond being taken off suggests that Adkins realised it - but Burnley chose to use that space to launch attacks down the wings. They also used crossfield balls over Fox a fair bit.

 

The short goal kick thing was insane, we tried it preseason and it always put us under pressure. We can spread the full backs up to the halfway line and the centre backs wide of the area, but if all that does is leave the space for a centre midfielder to drop to the edge of the box and pick up a short pass facing his own goal whilst marked, it's an utterly stupid, no gain tactic. I am almost certain that Les Reed is behind this one, as he writes a couple of the FA Coaching books and this kind of stuff becomes flavour of the month with coaches. I've seen a couple of other sides trying it - it's utterly pointless - high risk and no gain. The only possible defence is that it gives a team being dominated in the air the chance to potentially keep possession from the back, but the risk is way too high. Lose it on halfway or lose it 1 on 1 on the edge of your own box ? I know which I'd prefer. Kelv stopped it after Cork got caught, and just kicked at Lambert, which worked occasionally.

 

Come the last 20 minutes we changed shape a little, stopped hitting long balls to the opposition and Connolly, and got a few balls in behind. Lambert's miss was incredibly unlucky, bouncing up onto the bar from about 4 yards out and unmarked. Lallana had an unmarked header wide, then another which nearly clipped the post. Schneiderlin got a lucky bounce and poked home for our equaliser and only one side was going to win then, but we took way too long to play anything like our decent football, and proved late on that we could have just run them down the wings if we'd got the fullbacks forward more quickly. The last chance of the game should have been a penalty and Lallana should have gone down when pulled back - his shot was a tired one.

 

If De Ridder had come on for Connolly with 10-15 left we have had a few more openings too, Connolly worked hard but by the end he was tired and didn't have the legs to create space and chase through balls.

 

I can see how both Howe and Adkins think they could have won it, Burnley were the better side for an hour and had a lot of attacking play, then Saints took over and had enough chances to win it too. Still, if we're that bad and get a point, it bodes well for when we play well !

[The9]

It's a good ground, would much rather have an away end like that than some of the boring, modern ones we have to visit!

 

It's fine if you're 6ft 5 and don't need crampons to get up the steps. We had an ambulant ticket... for row FF, that was about 30 rows up the really high steps, glad our disabled friend didn't actually have to climb that in the end !

[up and away]

Difficult to make sense of the game - didn't think we deserved to lose the game; but didn't think we did enough over the whole game to win it, though ultimately we had the clearest opportunities.

 

The first 45 mins were very hard going as was the beginning of the 2nd half. For an area that's been so crucial to everything we do, our central midfield was threadbare today. Burnley were able to ping diagonal balls into the central midfield at will; they were first to most second balls; while Cork and Hammond didn't establish any kind of foothold to offer Lallana and Guly the ball in more advanced positions. That Hammond was substituted did not surprise me - nor is it surprising that their MOTM was Bartley, a CM who was here, there and f**king everywhere. Either way, it was a shock to the system to see the centre of midfield so overrun.

 

I thought Richardson and Jos had very good games. Richardson got up and down really well and delivered a hell of a ball for Lambert who hit the bar. Jos was probably my MOTM, though I wish he was a bit meaner. For all his good play, he should not have let ROdriguez win the header that led to their goal. Fonte, by contrast, had an iffier game, though he became more assured in the 2nd half. KD also didn't particularly help by not communicating with the defence.

 

The real question mark is Fox. Thought he rode the crowd pretty well; but with Harding breathing down his neck, its a hard call who should be starting. Defensively Fox tends to position himself too close to the CBs for my liking whereas I like Harding's willingness to play man-to-man with the opposing attacker. Going forward, I thought Fox was slightly reluctant to attack the space in front of him, hitting balls from quite deep. By contrast, Harding is always willing to get to the line. But where Fox is head and shoulders above Harding is his delivery - some of the balls delivered from corners and setpieces and crossing positions (when he did get further up the pitch) were simply unplayable and are alone worth goals and points.

 

Thought NA's substitutions were good but only to a point. Chaplow steeled things up in midfield; while Schneiderlin allowed us to switch and stretch play quicker. Things opened up in the 2nd half but its worth bearing in mind that they played close to a full strength team in the cup and were pushed to the final minute (so I wouldn't attribute things just to our fitness as some of the posters above mention). More surprising is that De Ridder didn't come on.

 

On a very general level, I thought we flattered Burnley and did not sufficiently exploit their weaknesses. A common feature of Eddie Howe's teams is the tendency for full backs to play as virtual wing backs. It put us under pressure; but it also meant there were acres of space behind them - when we got runners behind the FB notably through Richardson and Chaplow, we were pretty lively. But we didn't do it nearly enough. The game was crying out for some pace - and De Ridder might have offered it. And even if De Ridder isn't the right man yet, we still need pace. Lack of pace also made it easy for the back four to play a high line and contain the likes of Connolly and Lallana who cannot be expected to work eye of a needle openings every week in the heat of a frenetic away game.

 

In the end, we got back into the game by singling out their RB and hitting diagonal long balls to Lambert on that side- the only problem is that he should have been finishing, not initiating such moves as Lallana's tame headers from very good positions showed. It was hardly total football; but showed that NA was happy to mix things up and opt for pragmatism; the return of Barney will only help us in this respect.

 

All in all, can't complain about today - we could have won it in the final minute, though its hard to see how Lallana could have struck the ball cleaner with the defender pulling on his shirt; and if he had justifiably gone down its unlikely that the ref would have rewarded anything but a yellow card. Just as cynical was Burnley's attempt to work a quick free kick while half the team had gone for refreshments only to fluff it, resulting in a decent possible break only for one of their players to go down.

 

On today's performance, Rodriguez didn't justify the hype or the £5m+ valuation - apart from a few tidy touches (largely low-risk stuff), he was well marshaled and never really threatened KD. Thought the ref was OK - could have quite easily brandished the cards out and stopped play (as players went down)- but allowed the game to flow. Our lot was OK; but like the performance was pretty subdued.

 

Anyway a point is a point and will be more than happy for the same against Cardiff

 

Excellent detailed report. 90% of that I got from the radio and previous games, but I was left puzzled by exactly what was going on in midfield which never came over fully. From the radio, play kept breaking down in midfield and missed placed passes coming up. Obvious from Bartley being MOM that he was having an effect in there but assumed it was more because we were below par? If Hammond and Cork don't get a grip it comes as no surprise that all the other great attacking play we have got used to is not going to materialise as readily as it has previously. Was this a case of Bartley played exceptionally well and we were slightly off, or was it worse than that? Combined with one of those days where we just never had our scoring boots on. When Hammond has been subbed that early previously, it has been because his performance was as flat as a witch's tit. Was he that bad?

 

Agree on that pacey forward, one thing that will stop them playing a high line and something not in our locker when we need it at times like this.

[The9]

Excellent detailed report. 90% of that I got from the radio and previous games, but I was left puzzled by exactly what was going on in midfield which never came over fully. From the radio, play kept breaking down in midfield and missed placed passes coming up. Obvious from Bartley being MOM that he was having an effect in there but assumed it was more because we were below par? If Hammond and Cork don't get a grip it comes as no surprise that all the other great attacking play we have got used to is not going to materialise as readily as it has previously. Was this a case of Bartley played exceptionally well and we were slightly off, or was it worse than that? Combined with one of those days where we just never had our scoring boots on. When Hammond has been subbed that early previously, it has been because his performance was as flat as a witch's tit. Was he that bad?

 

Agree on that pacey forward, one thing that will stop them playing a high line and something not in our locker when we need it at times like this.

 

Bartley was MoM because he won every header in the midfield - he broke up play pretty well, but it was our lack of being in the right positions to receive passes, and to move the ball quick enough which enabled them to get near us - loads more misplaced passes under no pressure than we have been making.

 

Hammond wasn't noticeably any poorer than Guly or Cork really, but we needed to change something in there. I think Stanislaus going off was a bigger factor in the change in the game, he was using the ball well and controlling the middle - they just didn't have that when he was taken off, even though they still got in behind by doubling up on the exposed Fox.

[ericofarabia]

Bartley was MoM because he won every header in the midfield - he broke up play pretty well, but it was our lack of being in the right positions to receive passes, and to move the ball quick enough which enabled them to get near us - loads more misplaced passes under no pressure than we have been making.

 

Hammond wasn't noticeably any poorer than Guly or Cork really, but we needed to change something in there. I think Stanislaus going off was a bigger factor in the change in the game, he was using the ball well and controlling the middle - they just didn't have that when he was taken off, even though they still got in behind by doubling up on the exposed Fox.

 

Exactly how I felt. Very pleased when Stanislaus went off, but was very disappointed at how often short passes went astray. Oddly enough I think their confidence in each other being able to receive the ball even when marked has led to them not making so many runs into space to receive the ball.

[dannysfc]

Right foot shot from the edge of the 6 yard box. You wernt there at all, were you?

 

OK cool thanks Lets B Avenue and Yes I was there as I got the coach up from Eastleigh and will also be at the Cardiff game as well!

[The9]

Still not sure how anyone could think Morgan's goal was a header - or that it was a decent piece of control from the cross either, Fox's cross sort of hit him and maybe a couple of others before he prodded home the loose ball, not a matter of him killing it and finishing or anything like that...

[Saint Lindford]

Loved the "Charlie Austin he lives on Dale Farm" chant which was Funny lol!

 

Quite possibly if you ar 13, thankfully not many people joined in.

There was an idiot behind us who could only sing one song about Charlie Austin being a 'Gypo' and nothing else for the whole game. WTF??

[Mister Neil]

Well, if it was the same "idiot" that was stood by me, yes he did sing about Charlie Austin, but that was not his sole contribution (which is in no way meant as condonement of his Charlie Austin chants).

 

Also, as an aside, spare a thought for the feller who was just to the left of us. He had a white shirt on and when we looked a little closer it was an Accrington Stanley shirt. After the usual "Accrington Stanley, who are they?" gag, he told us that he was due to go down to Oxford but when he turned up at where-ever they were due to leave from, their coach driver 'couldn't be bothered' so he came to Burnley to watch our game instead.

[Dr Who?]

I did not go to the game but what I make of what I have seen is that we did not play as well as we have been playing, but still should have won the game with the number of late chances we had. 3 clear cut chances that would have been buried on another day.

 

Away point was good, even though I felt down in the mouth....just shows how far we have come in a short space of time.

[doddisalegend]

Thanks for the reports. I only listened to the game on solent but had formed a similiar opinion to those at the game that we weren't at our best and a point was a good result all things considered.

[Benali Saint]

Wasnt the best of games. But at least we got a point.

[West End Saint]

Tough game Burnley sussed us out wouldnt let Kelvin play it short they were very competative in centre midfield & they played well we were off the pace & couldnt get our passing going it was no surprise when they scored it had been coming.

 

The last half hour we woke up Chappers & Morgan made an impact & we started to create chances Lambo was so unlucky with the header that bounced up onto the bar he got to much contact Lallana should have had 3 we deserved our goal when it came (I am in the happy few that have seen both Morgans goals for Saints)

 

Shame we didnt get level sooner if there was going to be a winner it would have been us they were out on there feet & we finished the game strongly but a draw was a fair result & we battled for a point when we werent at our best which for me is a sign of a good side.

[RonManager]

What a freakin' day - bad karma all round. Underground cockup meant I had to speed walk from Hammersmith to Paddington, just made the train at Euston.

 

Window seat my arse - bulkhead seat!

 

Carriage full of Spuds fans going to Wigan. Lol as they all got off wearing T-shirts in the ****ing rain at Wigan.

 

Train late into Preston so connection missed - got caught up in a gaggle of Tranmere yoof who noticed the badge!!

 

Late into Burnley so planned canal/industrial heritage explore cancelled because I had to get a phone to replace my Nokia N8 which went mammaries skywards (thanx Ovi you barstewards) on the train up.

 

Missed the second half when at half time I suddenly realised I'd left my bank card in the TMobile shop FFS!! As I walked into town I heard the roar and thought 'that'll be Austin scoring then'. Watched/listened to the rest of the game from the top of the hill near the station and heard the Saints massive when we equalised.

 

Salvaged something out of the day with a good yarn with a Huddersfield fan on the way back to KX.

 

Sooo, the question is - was I there when Morgan scored (again)?