P'boro v Saints - Back From The Game Thread

[dune]

I thought that was a thoroughly professional performance. Special mention must go to Chaplow who worked his socks off.

[monkadill]

I thought that was a thoroughly professional performance. Special mention must go to Chaplow who worked his socks off.

 

Agree - Chaplow was immense, just lacked some luck

[dune]

Billy Sharp was also very good, big and strong on the ball, he held he ball up a treat there was no pushing him around tonight. He seems to have improved a lot in the time he's been here. credit to him and Nigel Adkins for that.

[Dig Dig]

I thought that was a thoroughly professional performance. Special mention must go to Chaplow who worked his socks off.

 

How was Guly?

[dune]

How was Guly?

 

Nothing special, he's obviously been told to keep it more simple and he's just carried on from the Reading game. His days playing for us are numbered. He had one shot from about 20 yards which at 3 up was acceptable, but it was nowhere near and more a reaction to the happy clappys shouting shoot. but nows not the time for being negative.

[supergoose]

I thought Guly only had a couple of minutes on the pitch?

[dune]

I thought Guly only had a couple of minutes on the pitch?

 

i think it was more than that, maybe 20? TBH i wasn't clock watching and the game flew by.

[supergoose]

He came on @ 87mins according to the BBC.

All credit to the Saints fans who attended the match tonight - you've all played your part.

[Northant Saint]

Not sure about giving Chaplow a huge amount of praise. He lost the ball on countless occasions, everybody was shouting Steeeve by 70 mins.

[dune]

Not sure about giving Chaplow a huge amount of praise. He lost the ball on countless occasions, everybody was shouting Steeeve by 70 mins.

 

That was just divs shouting that (and collectively chortling at each other for doing it because it's sooooo funny to shout Steve) when he warmed up down the side of the pitch.

[Dig Dig]

@adlallana1: Big thanks to all the fans that traveled to palace and Peterborough in their thousands! #greatfans see you at the weekend #riverside

 

Top effort guys.

[Northant Saint]

That was just divs shouting that (and collectively chortling at each other for doing it because it's sooooo funny to shout Steve) when he warmed up down the side of the pitch.

 

No I was behind div lines, people were shouting it every time Chappers lost the ball. He didn't play bad and he certainly worked his arse off, wouldn't say he had the best of games though.

[dune]

No I was behind div lines, people were shouting it every time Chappers lost the ball. He didn't play bad and he certainly worked his arse off, wouldn't say he had the best of games though.

 

He brings more to team than meets the eye. The way he harries them on the ball buys us time to get back in position for one, and his work rate also gee's the rest up. i really rate having a player like that in a team.

[Ziggy]

Great trip and now very hoarse! A great reply following the disappointment last Friday.

[Sour Mash]

Not sure about giving Chaplow a huge amount of praise. He lost the ball on countless occasions, everybody was shouting Steeeve by 70 mins.

Agreed, plenty of effort from Chaplow, not a huge amount of quality, especially in terms of final ball.

[dannysfc]

Just got back to Cambridge even though I live near Southampton as I'm going back down tomorrow as I'm staying with my Brother who's at Uni here with one of his Mates

whose a Saints fan and am agreeing with most people on here that it was a Professional performance and I thought that Chaplow did Great as yes he does run his socks off

every game tbh and hopefully will for the last few games at Middlesbrough and Coventry!!!

Was also Good Fun in the Terracing as well as I haven't done that since the Cardiff game at Ninian Park I think so that was Good especially when the ball came into the crowd

which was a laugh!!!

Also am Pleased like everyone else is that West Ham dropped points at Bristol City which was Good!!!

Bring on Middlesbrough on Saturday and hopefully we can celebrate Promotion as well!!!

Am so Proud to be a Saints fan as well and long may it continue!!!

COYR!!!

[St Chalet]

Back home to Reading. A big thank you to 'Sold to the Man at the Bar' who gave me a lift back.

 

Professional performance. Good performance from the back 4 I thought with a special mention to Jos who was immense.

 

Cork and Hammond controlled the midfield, Chaplow and Lallana gave us a bit more width than I have seen recently, Chaplow did really well although final ball wasn't good enough and should have scored.

 

Sharp made lots of running and another brace for our poacher was well deserved. Lambert got nothing out of the ref all night but still won almost everything and is a great outlet for us. He doesnt look 100% fit, but is still such a threat.

[CFSFC]

He was terrible, anyone who sais otherwise is clueless.

[SW11_Saint]

Thoroughly professional job. Any nerves settled by the early goals, but we saw the game out supremely well. Only niggle was giving that stupid goal away. Hopefully GD won't play a part in where we finish.

 

Thought everyone was great tonight, but my MoTM was Jack Cork, never stopped running and harrying.

[Saint Since '51]

Chaplow.

 

Anyone reading this thread must be really confused. Was he great or crap?

 

Answer. Passing, control and crossing were poor. Went from disappointing to embarrassing to comical.

 

On the other hand, his effort was excellent. Tackling back good. And he gives us good shape; he keeps his position better than Guly or de Ridder. Also a hand in one of the goals.

 

He's severely lacking in confidence. At least twice he had a chance to run at the last defender and passed to players in worse positions. He got a severe b*ll*cking from Jos for not taking on the last defender once in the first half.

 

I'd keep him in on balance. He's our best option on the right side.

[shurlock]

Sharp had his best game in a saints shirt - held the ball up really well (if only he had a bit of pace) while Rickie had a relatively quiet game. Chaplow was energetic but lacked quality. Hammond and Cork were both immense. Lallana didn't too much in an attacking sense -though he was involved in both goals; but tracked back brilliantly. Butterfield was the better of the two FBs. Similar story with Jos vs. Fonte.

Edited 17 April, 2012 by shurlock

[Didcot Saint]

Back home to Reading. A big thank you to 'Sold to the Man at the Bar' who gave me a lift back.

 

Professional performance. Good performance from the back 4 I thought with a special mention to Jos who was immense.

 

Cork and Hammond controlled the midfield, Chaplow and Lallana gave us a bit more width than I have seen recently, Chaplow did really well although final ball wasn't good enough and should have scored.

 

Sharp made lots of running and another brace for our poacher was well deserved. Lambert got nothing out of the ref all night but still won almost everything and is a great outlet for us. He doesnt look 100% fit, but is still such a threat.

 

Nice to have met you! What a brilliant night, superb effort all round! Bet Readings buzzing tonight or have all the plastics gone home?

[St Chalet]

Nice to have met you! What a brilliant night, superb effort all round! Bet Readings buzzing tonight or have all the plastics gone home?

 

Saw a few at the station and the stadium had cleared out by the time I drove past 90 mins after. They will be out in force tomorrow talking about how long they have been supporting Reading. Bless!

[Colbury]

Chaplow worked hard like he usually does. However his touch / final ball on the whole was terrible - but a good lay off for the 2nd.

[Graffito]

Thoroughly professional performance. been said. That's it and I'm too. thank you andf good night.

[John Boy Saint]

Just back to Basingstoke thanks to Linford Saint, stopped for a jar in Sandy then detoured thanks to the M3 junction closed on M25: bloody roadworks!

 

First ten minutes were immense, it was almost like Adkins had deprived Lions of meat since the Reading game and showed them the Steak they would get at half time if they were winning. The movement was constant for the 90 minutes and apart from a couple of little spells Peterborough were getting the right runaround.

 

Cork seems to have stepped up a few gears in the absence of Morgan he was everywhere. Jos as always was as solid as a rock, Chappers was busy albeit a bit sloppy at times, Butterfield was very solid, Fox was still sticking in some nice Hollywood balls plus a few stinkers, but his corners are like Exocets into the box. Billy Sharpe put in a storming display and has a very nice relationship with Rickie growing, which takes the pressure of him somewhat.

All in all a very enjoyable noisy night.

 

Listening to 5 Live tonight I like that Adkins has now said we want the title, so I figure the boys will be on meat rations as of tonight till Saturday again.

 

COYRs

[KK the 2nd]

Thought Sharp, Cork and Butterfield all excellent tonight. Chaplow - I agree with the conflicting views! Effort, space creation, pulling their defence apart - fantastic. Final touch, key passes - carp. On balance, really added to to a great Saints performance! Well done Nigel and the boys. A ****ed and happy fan.

[Wilf]

Just got back to Cambridge even though I live near Southampton as I'm going back down tomorrow as I'm staying with my Brother who's at Uni here with one of his Mates

COYR!!!

 

Hi Danny,

 

It must have been you and your brother etc that I was chatting to on the train after the game; good to meet you all.

[ooh it's a corner]

for those of you slating Chaplow, how about the 50/60 yard tracking back to stay with the left winger, which earned a pat on the back from butterfield, how about the great defensive sliding tackle on the edge of the area in the first half, resulting in a corner, rather than a shot to save, howabout the tracking back and disposing of the man on the ball at least 2/3 occasions that I can remember. He should have scored today, he also had an opportunity that the ref blew for offside against sharp, despite him not touching the ball.

 

Chaplow is a quality footballer, who perhaps isnt at the same peak that we saw early on this season, but his presence on the field is huge. He's never afraid to let someone know he is in the game and he will never allow a free header.

 

Granted, he did concede possession a few times in the second half, some of which we his fault, and some of which were players not moving into the obvious position to receive the ball. (Lambert acknowledged one to him with his hand up).

 

He was not poor today, I would perhaps give him a 6 out of 10, but would give the midfield accolades to Hammond and Cork, who bossed it

[kpturner]

i think it was more than that, maybe 20? TBH i wasn't clock watching and the game flew by.

20??! Errrmmm, more like 5!!

[Saint Garrett]

Hammond was awesome tonight along with Cork. Billy looked very lively. Thought Chaplow had a decent game tonight. We certainly miss energy when he doesn't play.

[richie]

Thought Adam had a good game. My MoTM.

 

Good atmos. Nice to be on a terrace for a change - stunk of bo and beer!!!

[rick1976.4.38]

solid performance from saints,controlled the controllables as na would say.pity sharp didnt get a hat trick cos he deserved it tonight.cork again was my motm.guly had about five minutes,so lay off him,ffs,whats he meant to do in that time.pity we conceeded but onwards to middlesboro,see ya all saturday,coys

[kpturner]

I like Chaplow - and I think he did work hard today and had an assist for the second goal. However, in the second half especially, he seemed to lose the ability to control (and pass) the ball. Had a bit of a 'mare for 20 minutes in fact. However, fantastic night, great support.......but why do I still feel nervous even at 3-0. I managed to convince myself that we were still going to end up drawing or losing - especially after the soft goal we conceded. Fortunately the players are made of sterner stuff.

[gjphilsaint]

A good solid performance against a team which actually tried to play some football themselves at times. Ok..I reckon NA told the lads to try to get the game under control quickly today, because we came out like a steam train. This time we did not come up against a GK who decided to have the match of his life (ie: v Pmuff and Reading), and duly found ourselves 2 up. From there on saints controlled the game, the usual passing game, often around the back, we looked assured and at times PBro were chasing shadows, almost men against boys. However, as in many games, the opposition had their moments and Super Kelvin David made a good save from a corner in the forst half and two very good saves in the second. When our 3rd went in it was game over.

 

Golden moments: Jos's ball control on his chest from a "hail mary" by their GK- the purrs of admiration and delight behind the goal from us all spoke volumes;

 

Lallana's control with the tip of his toe from another high ball made the game look like one of those table football games where the ball is magnetic;

 

The first 10 minutes.... so nice to see a game put to bed so early, especially one so important

 

Away support: loud and with a wide range of songs tonight, well done all. And yes the GK was a wotsit!!

 

Great night well done to Nigel and the boys and a huge pat on the back to everyone that made it to London Road. At least the terrace was covered, the hail storm before kick off got me ****ed through.

[Griffo]

Very similar game to Palace. Comfortable, controlled possession and looked a class above. I think we're pretty much up after tonight, just want to seal it at Middlesbrough to reward our lot that bother to travel there. Think Reading may end up losing at Birmingham though so the title race isn't over yet.

[sotonjoe]

Agreed, plenty of effort from Chaplow, not a huge amount of quality, especially in terms of final ball.

 

this. he tries hard but his touch is poor.

[Mattio]

Great game, we domanated and could have scored a lot more, the crowd was fun too, gotta love a terrace! Chaplow was strong but his passing was poor.

[stockportsaint]

 

First ten minutes were immense, it was almost like Adkins had deprived Lions of meat since the Reading game and showed them the Steak they would get at half time if they were winning. The movement was constant for the 90 minutes and apart from a couple of little spells Peterborough were getting the right runaround.

 

 

 

Listening to 5 Live tonight I like that Adkins has now said we want the title, so I figure the boys will be on meat rations as of tonight till Saturday again.

 

COYRs

Fantastic description. Sums up the start of the game perfectly

[SaintBobby]

You guys who made it to the game were heroic. Sounded awesome on the radio. Great job, wish I'd been there.

[St Jim]

So from reading hte comments Chaplow's touch, passing and technical ability are not necessarily great but he's a work horse, tracks back and tackles fantastily, gives the team shape etc.

 

Are you CMFG in disguise?

[Thedelldays]

Lallana has great skills. Thought his shimmies were going to bring a leg crunching tackle

 

The back 4 were good

Hammond and cork especially were good

Sharp was very good

After all the debates about diving in the media, I'm starting to think that is the only was lambert will win a free kick.

 

Terrace atmosphere was ok. Been in better. Parked right outside the ground tooo

[speed demon]

I get the distinct impression that Sharp is going to be quality for us. After reading threads that he is slow,no confidence,not PL class and all the rest of it. It looks like NA played it right in going for him and not Maynard (assuming he wanted Maynard)

[adrian lord]

Chappers - loads of enthusiasm as always, better 1st half than v Reading but lost his touch second half. He's coming good again though, needs matches.

 

Frustrating night for Lambert.

 

Sharp now fully on the pace and in one move accelerated past P'borough like they were stood still. He's powerful and boxy of build, will do very well on last nights showing

[dronskisaint]

Still croaking this morning after a thoroughly professional performance that had confidence and flair all the way through.

 

Peterborough tried to play football which gave us our opportunity to do the same and we were good to watch....difficult to single out anyone in particular as everyone played their part...thought Cork and Hammond were immense, Adam was mesmeric at times...Ricky despite being manhandled at nearly every ball that was pumped up to him as the holding player, was superb with his lay-offs and there are signs of a quality partnership and understanding building with Billy Sharp who, I agree, had his best game in a Saints shirt...for a shortr-arse he's bl*ody difficult to knock off the ball and tenacious as f uck!

 

Defence...Super-Kel pulled off one superb save when needed and dealt well with the little that our back line allowed 'Boro to hit at him...hope Jos substitution isn't any more than a little knock as he was imperious - it didn't affect his little victory dance in front of the terrace at the end! Jose had a better time today too against a couple of tricky little player and that big gangling lump Barnet! Fullbacks were class..Butterfield gets better with each game (and I'm a big fan of Frazer) and Fox shows more and more why we bought him...quality!

 

Chappy...great energy and tracking and superb to see him back but his touch and control haven't yet returned to the same level as his fitness. I can imagine NA putting his arm round him and saying keep up that work rate and the touch will return...thought he looked knackered around 20 minutes to go but drove himself through it. Guly only had a very few minutes but his touch and feint to set up his own shooting chance was pure instinctive class...shame about the shot but the game was well-won by then!

 

Atmosphere...brilliant on the terraces and we barely heard 'Boro which surprised me as they were quite noisy last year but actually it was probably our assured display that kept them quiet...nice to hear the Pahars song get an outing too! Happy but croaky this morning...one more win to be sure - it's in our hands and we still could be champions - COYS!!!!

[Andy Durman]

Chaplow.

 

Anyone reading this thread must be really confused. Was he great or crap?

 

Answer. Passing, control and crossing were poor. Went from disappointing to embarrassing to comical.

 

On the other hand, his effort was excellent. Tackling back good. And he gives us good shape; he keeps his position better than Guly or de Ridder. Also a hand in one of the goals.

 

He's severely lacking in confidence. At least twice he had a chance to run at the last defender and passed to players in worse positions. He got a severe b*ll*cking from Jos for not taking on the last defender once in the first half.

 

I'd keep him in on balance. He's our best option on the right side.

 

Nail On The Head

 

Good Post

[sandwichsaint]

So from reading hte comments Chaplow's touch, passing and technical ability are not necessarily great but he's a work horse, tracks back and tackles fantastily, gives the team shape etc.

 

Are you CMFG in disguise?

 

You beat me to it! I thought the same at Palace and even more so last night, he's not the most gifted of individuals but undoubtedly he brings something to the rest of the team.

 

Great team performance last night and we really did do a job on P'boro who were willing but limited, the difference in class was there for all to see and without being too greedy we really coulda-shoulda had 5 or 6 goals last night.

 

Top marks for me and MOM must go to Nige for keeping his head (when all about here were losing theirs!), getting the players focussed again and believing, and for not panicking, and for picking the right team to get the job done. Top, top come back from the whole team and massively rewarded by events in Bristol!

 

KD 7, not too much to do and pulled off a brilliant save at 3-0, will be disappointed with the goal and missing out on another clean sheet

DB 7, enjoying a real renaicasance in the first team, solid at the back, got fd and linked well, final ball often inconsistent

JF 7, solid performance and linked well with JH all game

JH 7, dominant at the back and always a scoring threat, took his goal with real conviction

DF 6, looks good, tight shorts, gets up and down all day, takes a great corner, crossing from open play is very random

RCFG 8, maximo effort and in their face for the full 90 minutes, will think he should have scored somewhere along the way

DH 8, top captain's display, led from the front and kept everybody pulling in the right direction, harshly, this is probably his level but he's made the most of what he's got

JC 8, right back in the form he showed earlier in the season, dynamic, fit and willing, looks like he could play another 40 games

AL 8, has added so much more to his game as the season has gone on, real strength and workrate to match the undoubted ability, different class to the rest of this league

BS 8, growing in form and finess and confidence with every game he plays, has proven himself at this level, can he step up next season?

RL 7, never reached the sublime heights he has recently but as ever gave his all and a very effective part in a brilliant team perfromance

 

MOM NA 10!

[West End Saint]

Great away day fantastic performance fast out the blocks & blew them away within 10 mins cracking atmosphere in the stand loads of singing I cannot wait for Middlesboro come on you mighty Saints

[OldNick]

I cant believe that Chaplow is getting stick....but then again we are talking Saints fans!!!

His workrate and the way he broke up lots of P'boro attacks. He was a constant threat and whilst he is not the best at delivering a final ball, he does at least get there to do so and is by far the better option than SDR.

 

RL did lots of quality play creating and holding up, no he dint have many attemptss at goal but the way he set up the third and his link up with AL was sublime.

 

I shook my head in bewilderment when I saw KD being blamed for Readings goals,but there are always 'fans ' who are hiding in the shadows waiting to have a go. His save last night was wonderful (sadly they scored from the resulting corner)

 

The whole team need applause and you could see they were up for it from the off. The fans even made Guly smile pre-match.

 

Our support was magnificent

 

Taunting the Boro fans with 'I've got a shed...' etc a bit off, don't forget where we were 10 years ago, I'm sure we don't want to be seen as big time Charlies.

 

Finally I found the Peterboro stewards and anyone connected to the club superb and of all the away games i have been to the best ever.

[stu0x]

So from reading hte comments Chaplow's touch, passing and technical ability are not necessarily great but he's a work horse, tracks back and tackles fantastily, gives the team shape etc.

 

Are you CMFG in disguise?

And not even a very good disguise!