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Saints 4 Derby 0 - Post Match Chat

St Chalet

By St Chalet,
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MOTM  

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  1. 1. MOTM


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beatlesaint

beatlesaint

Posted
Posted

I may well be biased but I think when we win the right to play our football in games there is nobody in this League that can touch us.

There was a moment in the first half, just in front of where we sit in the Kingsland where the close tight interplay between Lallana, Fox and Morgan was a joy to watch.

 

I think Lee may have earned a starting place next week with Sharp to come on later maybe.

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ART

ART

Posted
Posted

What an incredible day all round, but doesn't it feel good to be back on top again. Who can be satisfied with 2nd, or just scrapping thru, No, we are Saints and under Liebherr/Cortese we only settle for being the best.

Delighted to see Nigel Adkins has got things back on track, and delighted to see the hunger in every single player in the squad. Onwards and upwards, Saints Forever.

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doddisalegend

doddisalegend

Posted
Posted

Ok we were sh it hot today Derby weren't even close to us

 

* Saints ran the show today had to deal with a bit of Derby pressure either side of half time but even then they couldn't muster much but long range pot shots

 

* Morgan was my MOTM today nothing flashy but broke up play and passed the ball around so well today ran the midfield for me.

 

* Adam looked amazing today Derby players couldn't get close to him

 

* I thought Chaplow looked off the pace to start with but started to look more like his old self as the match went on

 

* Sharp was disappointing. Like last week against Burnley you can see he knows how to get in dangerous postions but he looks a yard off the pace and constantly lost out to the Derby defenders in foot races.

 

* First time I've seen Lee get a decent bit of game time very impressed quick, constantly putting pressure on the Derby defence and a cracking goal.

 

* Puncheon looked good when he came on again

 

* Atmosphere was very good today plenty of support and good noise.

 

All in all cracking match onwards and upwards.

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RobM

RobM

Posted
Posted

Lees goal looked better in real life than it did in that clip, IMO! I was fortunate enough to be behind him in the crowd and it really was a remarkable goal. The clip makes it look like he hammered it home, when in fact it was far more controlled and skillful with great a great curve on it. He hit the one and only place on goal where it stood even the tiniest chance of going in.

 

Otherwise, a bloody good game that made the cold and miserable rain well worth sitting through!

 

Sharp looked very good, but not amazing. The threat he posed was a bit too close to Rickie, in that his positioning, movement and ability to pull the defender well out of position caused Derby all sorts of problems. Combined with a couple of moments where he was in the right place at the right time, plus one strike made out of nothing (a lovely twist, turn, shoot) that went just wide, it was a decent performance. But when Lee came on it changed things for the better, his constant chasing, endless energy, brilliant touches and lay-offs (even with his chest!) made it a very different attacking threat in the second half.

 

Lallana was superb, really at his best today.

Harding was poor, just poor. Reckless at times too, with stupid backpasses putting Kelvin under threat.

Kelvin was outstanding, he nullified any chance Derby had.

Morgan had a simple and very effective game, he is certainly at his best when we're playing well as a team.

Martin did very well when he came on and delighted for him to get his first goal.

 

So all-in-all a really good result, a very good performance and exactly what we needed!

 

Top marks to the crowd today too, lead by the voices in the Northam as always but everyone joined in today! Funny moment of the day goes to the 'Kelvin cant count' chant, albeit a bit harsh as he really did have to concentrate when you Northamers were asking for the score! :)

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Dr Who?

Dr Who?

Posted
Posted

Was a strange game as we should have been 3 or 4 up by half time, and I thought we were going going to regret it as we did not urn up for the first 10 minutes of the second half. Once the second went it, there was no doubt we were going to win the game. Some outstanding quick passing at times, all done in small spaces.

 

4 different goalscorers, Lallana looking sharp, and a goal from outside of the box!

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Lazlo78

Lazlo78

Posted
Posted

We seem to have found our way again - actually since the 2nd half against Cardiff it's been a steady improvement. No coincidence that players like Lallana, Lambert, Chaplow, Hooiveld, Richardson, Puncheon etc. are back to give us some quality and competition for every position in the team. We have cleared the worst parts of the fixture list now, but knowing Saints that's probably no advantage ;)

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St_Tel49

St_Tel49

Posted
Posted
Spare a thought for them down the road ?

Yep - just done it. Now moving on I thought that Morgan and Lallana were outstanding today with my vote going to AL. He was definitely back to his best and at his best he is damn nearly unplayable. The oppo simply cannot handle him.

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saintmatt

saintmatt

Posted
Posted

 

Great find! Superb performance today, we're finding our early season form again but with a better squad now Sharp, Tadanari, Puncheon et al have grabbed their paddles! Special mention for Aaron Martin, looked terrific today! He's not as good as Jos, but it's not fair to expect him to be yet; he's young, still learning and in my opinion has the potential to be a great player for us!

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doddisalegend

doddisalegend

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Great find! Superb performance today, we're finding our early season form again but with a better squad now Sharp, Tadanari, Puncheon et al have grabbed their paddles! Special mention for Aaron Martin, looked terrific today! He's not as good as Jos, but it's not fair to expect him to be yet; he's young, still learning and in my opinion has the potential to be a great player for us!

 

I think everyone agrees Jos and Jose are our strongest pairing but I'm never worried if Aaron has to come on in place of one of them as he is still a damn good defender.

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Frank's cousin

Frank's cousin

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Posted
Although not on the score sheet today gotta say Lambert has been absolutely immense the last few months!

 

Very true... when you see how he has dedicated himself to getting as fit as he can, obviously listened to the coaches and NIge, see how he is happy evne when he does not score as his contribution is so valuable, it shoes he is a top top bloke. Given he is 30, I relaly hop he gets his chance in the prem next season - this type of player has paid his dues, worked hard and deserves a shot and the bigger money far more than the prima donnas we see the 'big clubs' invest in...

 

This squad has shown that benefits that unity can have, being even better than the sum of its parts - they and Adkins deserve teh success becaiuse they they seem to work harder, no whinging, and get on with it when things dont go so well. Proud of all of them!

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Chez

Chez

Posted
Posted (edited)

Great fun. What a Saturday, we win 4-0, go top, see the skate lose and go into the bottom three. Smile, days like these don't happene every week.

 

For those not been for a few weeks, we are back on track and perhaps stronger than ever. Once Chaplow gets his full match fitness back (and Richardson and Jos return) we are going to be unstoppable. The squad looks powerful, fit and full of confidence. Lallana is back to his best, Ricky is running games and we seem to have the odd goal in us too.

 

This game wasn't all one way traffic, certainly the first half was, but the first five or ten of the second were Derby's as we were incredibly sloppy, but second goal in the bag it was all over despite a spirited effort from the away side. The third goal was as good as you'll see all season, brilliant break away that had the fans off their seats. The fourth, well, out of this world.

 

Davis 7 not much to do really, but when very good save from a shot that came through a crowd. Kicked well. Came and just about got one punch. A couple of times I thought he should have come and swept rather than let the centre back deal with it but no danger.

Harding 6 Not exposed like in the Leicester game, but don't let this relatively easy (for him) game fool you, he is not comfortable at right back and he didn't offer anything going forward because of being left footed. At times he gets cramped for space as he has no right foot. Nasty and deserved yellow card, but you need a horrible streak in defenders. Is Stephens not ready? Surely he is worth a debut?

Jos 8 Outstanding first half, very worrying his injury has nit cleared up. Hopefully a precaution.

Fonte 7 Defensively sound, although beaten in the air too often by the tiny Ward for my liking, his distribution, and specifically his choices have at times been terrible in the last few games. He put Davis in trouble a couple of times and on a poor pitch who knows what might have happened. Needs to sort that out.

Fox 8 better game for me and at last he surged forward playing a major part in the third goal. Need to see more of that, he doesn't do enough in games and take the easy way out, but he clearly has it in him. Passing a little less long than normal. Not really tested by a winger though so had an easy ish ride.

Lallana 10 back to his brilliant best. Skills, touches, dribbling, crosses, chances goal....when on song no one can touch him at this level

Cork 9 another great display. games are won and lost in the middle and the partnership between him and Morgan is working well. They seem to know their roles and they have got the positional play right defensively. Full of energy as always, but a bit more dangerous going forward. Still can't shoot, but I can live with that. He seems to get better as the game goes on and when it becomes stretched he is the man.

Morgan 8 another good display. Not his best in my eyes, but still good. He's set such high standards that's the kind of game I expect from him. One thing I like a lot is that he keeps nipping in a stealing the ball from opposition throw ins. Tiny things like that change the defence to attack and that's why we dominate and win games.

Chaplow 6 much much better than the Millwall game, but still not anywhere near his best.First touch was poor at times, but did have a positive affect on the game too. Showed just a glimpse of the interceptions and straight running into the box that we have missed so much. Not fully match fit, but getting there. Boy are we going to be good when he is.

Lambert 8 First half he was 10 out of 10, perfect display, won everything in the air, linked the play, the works, second half he seemed to disappear a bit. I £50 on him to be NPC top goalscorer so I want to see him getting in the box a bit more to get his goal but he seemed content take it easy today rather than really get in the danger area. I thought he'd stopped doing that - hanging back.

Sharp 6 I said before we signed him that I slight doubts as all I have ever seen with Billy is a finisher. If he doesn't score he doesn't really add a lot. Today he showed how slow he is. Connelly slow. He also showed that he doesn't really work that hard either. This idea that he just needs games is ********. He has played most of the season for Donny, this is his regular fitness level, something that needs to change IMO. On the positive side he links up well with Ricky and has a decent touch. I still think he will score goals,we create a lot or chances, but I don't see a Premiership player there at all. We're four games in, so don't take this as me writing him off, not a chance, just writing about what I have seen so far.

 

Martin 7 some poor decisions/passes early on - he does seem the nervy sort to me, but he settled down quickly again and was very strong in the air. I'm not a huge fan, but he has done very well indeed when called on. Took his goal well. Chuffed for the lad. Proper fairytale story really. Not sure he will ever be top class, he just seems too fragile on the ball, but defensively he will improve and after all that is his first job.

Lee 8 could you ask for more? He scores wonder goals but also slides in for tackles. Great work rate and movement, nice touches and strength to go with it. He looks a little headless chicken, but I think that's more the fact that he is constantly moving and making runs. Must be a nightmare to mark. Will he start the next game?

Puncheon 4 thought he was pretty poor when he came on. I know its the fashion to like Puncheon these days, but he bottled out of a tackle, touch wasn't there and generally didn't do anything. Shooting back to its worse. In a previous spell he'd of had the mongs at SMS booing him. I've backed him through thin and thin, but even I wasn't impressed. At 4-0 perhaps it matters not.

Edited by Chez
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dronskisaint

dronskisaint

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Posted
Very true... when you see how he has dedicated himself to getting as fit as he can, obviously listened to the coaches and NIge, see how he is happy evne when he does not score as his contribution is so valuable, it shoes he is a top top bloke. Given he is 30, I relaly hop he gets his chance in the prem next season - this type of player has paid his dues, worked hard and deserves a shot and the bigger money far more than the prima donnas we see the 'big clubs' invest in...

 

This squad has shown that benefits that unity can have, being even better than the sum of its parts - they and Adkins deserve teh success becaiuse they they seem to work harder, no whinging, and get on with it when things dont go so well. Proud of all of them!

 

 

Never a more accurate statement and I echo the sentiment - good to be a Saints fan!

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Roger

Roger

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Posted
Great fun. What a Saturday, we win 4-0, go top, see the skate lose and go into the bottom three. Smile, days like these don't happene every week.

 

For those not been for a few weeks, we are back on track and perhaps stronger than ever. Once Chaplow gets his full match fitness back (and Richardson and Jos return) we are going to be unstoppable. The squad looks powerful, fit and full of confidence. Lallana is back to his best, Ricky is running games and we seem to have the odd goal in us too.

 

This game wasn't all one way traffic, certainly the first half was, but the first five or ten of the second were Derby's as we were incredibly sloppy, but second goal in the bag it was all over despite a spirited effort from the away side. The third goal was as good as you'll see all season, brilliant break away that had the fans off their seats. The fourth, well, out of this world.

 

Davis 7 not much to do really, but when very good save from a shot that came through a crowd. Kicked well. Came and just about got one punch. A couple of times I thought he should have come and swept rather than let the centre back deal with it but no danger.

Harding 6 Not exposed like in the Leicester game, but don't let this relatively easy (for him) game fool you, he is not comfortable at right back and he didn't offer anything going forward because of being left footed. At times he gets cramped for space as he has no right foot. Nasty and deserved yellow card, but you need a horrible streak in defenders. Is Stephens not ready? Surely he is worth a debut?

Jos 8 Outstanding first half, very worrying his injury has nit cleared up. Hopefully a precaution.

Fonte 7 Defensively sound, although beaten in the air too often by the tiny Ward for my liking, his distribution, and specifically his choices have at times been terrible in the last few games. He put Davis in trouble a couple of times and on a poor pitch who knows what might have happened. Needs to sort that out.

Fox 8 better game for me and at last he surged forward playing a major part in the third goal. Need to see more of that, he doesn't do enough in games and take the easy way out, but he clearly has it in him. Passing a little less long than normal. Not really tested by a winger though so had an easy ish ride.

Lallana 10 back to his brilliant best. Skills, touches, dribbling, crosses, chances goal....when on song no one can touch him at this level

Cork 9 another great display. games are won and lost in the middle and the partnership between him and Morgan is working well. They seem to know their roles and they have got the positional play right defensively. Full of energy as always, but a bit more dangerous going forward. Still can't shoot, but I can live with that. He seems to get better as the game goes on and when it becomes stretched he is the man.

Morgan 8 another good display. Not his best in my eyes, but still good. He's set such high standards that's the kind of game I expect from him. One thing I like a lot is that he keeps nipping in a stealing the ball from opposition throw ins. Tiny things like that change the defence to attack and that's why we dominate and win games.

Chaplow 6 much much better than the Millwall game, but still not anywhere near his best.First touch was poor at times, but did have a positive affect on the game too. Showed just a glimpse of the interceptions and straight running into the box that we have missed so much. Not fully match fit, but getting there. Boy are we going to be good when he is.

Lambert 8 First half he was 10 out of 10, perfect display, won everything in the air, linked the play, the works, second half he seemed to disappear a bit. I £50 on him to be NPC top goalscorer so I want to see him getting in the box a bit more to get his goal but he seemed content take it easy today rather than really get in the danger area. I thought he'd stopped doing that - hanging back.

Sharp 6 I said before we signed him that I slight doubts as all I have ever seen with Billy is a finisher. If he doesn't score he doesn't really add a lot. Today he showed how slow he is. Connelly slow. He also showed that he doesn't really work that hard either. This idea that he just needs games is ********. He has played most of the season for Donny, this is his regular fitness level, something that needs to change IMO. On the positive side he links up well with Ricky and has a decent touch. I still think he will score goals,we create a lot or chances, but I don't see a Premiership player there at all. We're four games in, so don't take this as me writing him off, not a chance, just writing about what I have seen so far.

 

Martin 7 some poor decisions/passes early on - he does seem the nervy sort to me, but he settled down quickly again and was very strong in the air. I'm not a huge fan, but he has done very well indeed when called on. Took his goal well. Chuffed for the lad. Proper fairytale story really. Not sure he will ever be top class, he just seems too fragile on the ball, but defensively he will improve and after all that is his first job.

Lee 8 could you ask for more? He scores wonder goals but also slides in for tackles. Great work rate and movement, nice touches and strength to go with it. He looks a little headless chicken, but I think that's more the fact that he is constantly moving and making runs. Must be a nightmare to mark. Will he start the next game?

Puncheon 4 thought he was pretty poor when he came on. I know its the fashion to like Puncheon these days, but he bottled out of a tackle, touch wasn't there and generally didn't do anything. Shooting back to its worse. In a previous spell he'd of had the mongs at SMS booing him. I've backed him through thin and thin, but even I wasn't impressed. At 4-0 perhaps it matters not.

 

Puncheon 4? Are u serious? Thought he was good when he came on! I'm chuffed to see him be part of things as think he is class player. Jesus.

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Chez

Chez

Posted
Posted
Puncheon 4? Are u serious? Thought he was good when he came on! I'm chuffed to see him be part of things as think he is class player. Jesus.
yes, perfectly serious. He wasn't on for long, but what he did was rubbish. Miscontrolled it, pulled out of a tackle and shot miles wide. Thats pretty much all he did. What should I do give him marks for putting a red and white shirt on?

 

As someone that has backed him though thin and thin on here (against a massive tide) I think I am better positioned than most to say when he isn't great. I am also pleased to see him back and part of things again, but yesterday he wasn't at the races. I give 5 for an average performance and 4 is below average. Which he was IMO.

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VectisSaint

VectisSaint

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Posted
yes, perfectly serious. He wasn't on for long, but what he did was rubbish. Miscontrolled it, pulled out of a tackle and shot miles wide. Thats pretty much all he did. What should I do give him marks for putting a red and white shirt on?

 

As someone that has backed him though thin and thin on here (against a massive tide) I think I am better positioned than most to say when he isn't great. I am also pleased to see him back and part of things again, but yesterday he wasn't at the races. I give 5 for an average performance and 4 is below average. Which he was IMO.

Actually he did a lot more than that, linking up several times on the left with Lallana and Fox. He wasn't great but he certainly deserved more than a 4, maybe 6. Was much better than Chaplow, who couldn't do a thing right in the first half, and quite frankly apart from his energy was appalling. Better in the 2nd half before being replaced, but has some way to go before he is back to where he was before his injury. Still its a measure of how good we were yesterday that we can give Chaplow game time to get back to match fitness and even though he was poor we still bossed the midfield.

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Sheaf Saint

Sheaf Saint

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Posted
Interestingly Harding was included in the Sunday Mirror's Championship team of the day (along with Lallana). Not sue what match the Mirror reporter was watching to

come to that concusion.

 

I wasn't at the game yesterday so I can't really judge, but a lot of the comments on here appear to show he wasn't that great yesterday. Our other full back set up three goals yesterday but they put Harding in the TOTD!?!?!?

 

I knew there was a very good reason I don't buy the Mirror.

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VectisSaint

VectisSaint

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Posted
I wasn't at the game yesterday so I can't really judge, but a lot of the comments on here appear to show he wasn't that great yesterday. Our other full back set up three goals yesterday but they put Harding in the TOTD!?!?!?

 

I knew there was a very good reason I don't buy the Mirror.

Can't see why he would get into the TOTD, but he wasn't as bad as some on here are trying to make out. I was at the game yesterday and in the first half his left footed inswinging crosses from deep put their dodgy keeper under pressure on several occassions and nearly resulted in goals, if someone had been on hand to follow up for a tap-in. He was also badly clattered and was down for a longish time which probably didn't help. He was given some awfu passes mainly by Chaplow as well. Tyson gave him a bit of a run around early on but once he was out of the picture Harding was comfortable. There was one mix-up with Fonte in the 1st half which was down to bad communication, and as mcuh Fonte's fault as Harding's. Sadly some people on here do have a bit of an agenda when it comes to Harding, in the end NA would still prefer his professionalism and experience to that of the backup right backs we have in tne squad.

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Alain Perrin

Alain Perrin

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Posted
Interestingly Harding was included in the Sunday Mirror's Championship team of the day (along with Lallana). Not sue what match the Mirror reporter was watching to

come to that concusion.

 

I think that was a mistake as they had Harding at left-back. I think they meant Fox who had three assists and a clean sheet.

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dubai_phil

dubai_phil

Posted
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Wow what a great day. 10 mins before takeoff got an upgrade to Biz class so slept all the way across and felt great when landed at Heathrow at 7:30. My rental car was upgraded from a Corsa to an Astra SRI at no extra charge, no traffic on the way down and early into Mike's chippy. Perfect build up.

 

Then it bloody rained lads were busy having a chat and the disasters start - I'm getting wet & cold, BUT due to a tech mistake I get an OAP ticket. Totally destroyed my entire day when nobody questioned it. Gutted people think I look 65.... arrgh.

 

The game - Morgan started the game like a train, he was everywhere breaking things up making space and moving the ball to set up our tempo. Was on course to be the best I ever seen him play until he got whacked from behind.

 

But by then the temp was set and Adam came more and more into the game to give a MOM display.

 

Sharp - the shimmies, the layoffs, the dummy's making space - all looked total quality

Lambert- Quality holding the ball control, passing

Chaplow - really off the pace in the first 30 needing one & a half touches, timing not quite there, but as the game went on he got better and better

Cork - How did he not score 2 or 3 in the second breaking through solid work in MF

Harding - did very little wrong, couple of times got feet tangled but made the space

Fox - best game I have "seen" him play - he got roasted twice by the FB in 1st half when Derby came back into the game but his corners caused terror in the Derby Defence pace on them was superb

JOs - couple of great cover tackles but he and Martin were in control as was Fonte.

 

Lee - so much enthusiasm but backed up by a brain - he was not just about running & effort there was intelligence there. His goal - hell we were in ROw N Chapel Kinglsand corner - we ducked honestly thought it would come straight through the net.

 

Brilliant day out loved it.

 

AL my MoM

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hypochondriac

hypochondriac

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Great fun. What a Saturday, we win 4-0, go top, see the skate lose and go into the bottom three. Smile, days like these don't happene every week.

 

For those not been for a few weeks, we are back on track and perhaps stronger than ever. Once Chaplow gets his full match fitness back (and Richardson and Jos return) we are going to be unstoppable. The squad looks powerful, fit and full of confidence. Lallana is back to his best, Ricky is running games and we seem to have the odd goal in us too.

 

This game wasn't all one way traffic, certainly the first half was, but the first five or ten of the second were Derby's as we were incredibly sloppy, but second goal in the bag it was all over despite a spirited effort from the away side. The third goal was as good as you'll see all season, brilliant break away that had the fans off their seats. The fourth, well, out of this world.

 

Davis 7 not much to do really, but when very good save from a shot that came through a crowd. Kicked well. Came and just about got one punch. A couple of times I thought he should have come and swept rather than let the centre back deal with it but no danger.

Harding 6 Not exposed like in the Leicester game, but don't let this relatively easy (for him) game fool you, he is not comfortable at right back and he didn't offer anything going forward because of being left footed. At times he gets cramped for space as he has no right foot. Nasty and deserved yellow card, but you need a horrible streak in defenders. Is Stephens not ready? Surely he is worth a debut?

Jos 8 Outstanding first half, very worrying his injury has nit cleared up. Hopefully a precaution.

Fonte 7 Defensively sound, although beaten in the air too often by the tiny Ward for my liking, his distribution, and specifically his choices have at times been terrible in the last few games. He put Davis in trouble a couple of times and on a poor pitch who knows what might have happened. Needs to sort that out.

Fox 8 better game for me and at last he surged forward playing a major part in the third goal. Need to see more of that, he doesn't do enough in games and take the easy way out, but he clearly has it in him. Passing a little less long than normal. Not really tested by a winger though so had an easy ish ride.

Lallana 10 back to his brilliant best. Skills, touches, dribbling, crosses, chances goal....when on song no one can touch him at this level

Cork 9 another great display. games are won and lost in the middle and the partnership between him and Morgan is working well. They seem to know their roles and they have got the positional play right defensively. Full of energy as always, but a bit more dangerous going forward. Still can't shoot, but I can live with that. He seems to get better as the game goes on and when it becomes stretched he is the man.

Morgan 8 another good display. Not his best in my eyes, but still good. He's set such high standards that's the kind of game I expect from him. One thing I like a lot is that he keeps nipping in a stealing the ball from opposition throw ins. Tiny things like that change the defence to attack and that's why we dominate and win games.

Chaplow 6 much much better than the Millwall game, but still not anywhere near his best.First touch was poor at times, but did have a positive affect on the game too. Showed just a glimpse of the interceptions and straight running into the box that we have missed so much. Not fully match fit, but getting there. Boy are we going to be good when he is.

Lambert 8 First half he was 10 out of 10, perfect display, won everything in the air, linked the play, the works, second half he seemed to disappear a bit. I £50 on him to be NPC top goalscorer so I want to see him getting in the box a bit more to get his goal but he seemed content take it easy today rather than really get in the danger area. I thought he'd stopped doing that - hanging back.

Sharp 6 I said before we signed him that I slight doubts as all I have ever seen with Billy is a finisher. If he doesn't score he doesn't really add a lot. Today he showed how slow he is. Connelly slow. He also showed that he doesn't really work that hard either. This idea that he just needs games is ********. He has played most of the season for Donny, this is his regular fitness level, something that needs to change IMO. On the positive side he links up well with Ricky and has a decent touch. I still think he will score goals,we create a lot or chances, but I don't see a Premiership player there at all. We're four games in, so don't take this as me writing him off, not a chance, just writing about what I have seen so far.

 

Martin 7 some poor decisions/passes early on - he does seem the nervy sort to me, but he settled down quickly again and was very strong in the air. I'm not a huge fan, but he has done very well indeed when called on. Took his goal well. Chuffed for the lad. Proper fairytale story really. Not sure he will ever be top class, he just seems too fragile on the ball, but defensively he will improve and after all that is his first job.

Lee 8 could you ask for more? He scores wonder goals but also slides in for tackles. Great work rate and movement, nice touches and strength to go with it. He looks a little headless chicken, but I think that's more the fact that he is constantly moving and making runs. Must be a nightmare to mark. Will he start the next game?

Puncheon 4 thought he was pretty poor when he came on. I know its the fashion to like Puncheon these days, but he bottled out of a tackle, touch wasn't there and generally didn't do anything. Shooting back to its worse. In a previous spell he'd of had the mongs at SMS booing him. I've backed him through thin and thin, but even I wasn't impressed. At 4-0 perhaps it matters not.

 

I think that many of your comments are extremely harsh.

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Wes Tender

Wes Tender

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Posted

Perhaps instructive to look back a short while to recall the anguish of certain individuals after the loss against Millwall and the draw against Birmingham and the poor run in some games just before them and to contrast the sense of euphoria that comes from fine wins against the likes of Burnley and Derby.

 

Going back top, hands us a massive psychological advantage over West Ham and sends a clear message to the other rivals for promotion that Saints are back in the groove again and firing on all cylinders. It is clear that because key players have returned to the team from injury and that significant signings have been made to strengthen the squad in the January window, that we have gained a new impetus to boost our chances of automatic promotion. When we play a team like the one chosen yesterday and they play their roles well, there really is no team in this division that could live with us. Who do the defenders mark? Lambert? Lallana? Sharp/Lee? And what can they do when you have your two centre backs scoring from set-pieces. 4 goals from 4 different players and none of them from Lambert and Sharp. It was eminently feasible that when Hooiveld went off, that Fonte could also have scored. I rack my brains to think of an occasion when goals have been scored by three different centre backs. Anybody know of such an occasion?

 

As has also happened recently, one struggles to pick any weak link in the team in that game. The reason for some optimism for the future, is that we did not have our strongest line-up with Richardson out. Hopefully he will return and the injury to Hooiveld is not serious. Lee on his second half showing, could be a revelation when he and his team mates are totally on the same wavelength. Great to have that extra mettle that Chaplow brings to the team and he will gain extra bite with improved match fitness. Sharp seems a good prospect too and perhaps needs to hone his physique a little as Lambert did. But the great thing is that Adkins has some serious selection problems. Who is the strike force between Lambert, Sharp, Lee, Connolly, Guly and Barnard? What options to have to change a game from the bench. And what a midfield, with the likes of Lallana, Cork, Schneiderlin, Hammond, Puncheon, Chaplow and De Ridder.

 

And then there is the additional prospects of a couple of promising youngsters who might yet break into the team, players like Ward-Prowse and Ben Reeves.

 

I wonder whether we can put together a run of results like we did last season when we were chasing Brighton and Huddersfield were chasing us and every time they won, we did too. It begins to look very possible.

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