Where have we been, where are we going?

[The Kraken]

So, a little bit of a reflection on the state of play as we edge into December.

 

So far Saints have played 14 league games and scored 12 points from 3 wins, 3 draws and 8 defeats to lie in 18th place in the Premier League. Recent form has shown an upturn in fortunes, with 8 points from the last 4 games unbeaten. Of the 14 games played so far, 8 have been at home and 6 have been away.

 

Attendances have, on the whole, been relatively decent, with some sell-outs and only the poor take-up of corporate customers meaning that we've yet to break through the 32,000 barrier. The highest attendance so far has been against Tottenham with a crowd of 31,944, with the Manchester United game also selling out the cheap seats for an attendance of 31,609. The lowest attendance of the season was against Fulham at 28,004, with just two other games falling short of the "benchmark" 30,000 figure. Our average attendance for all league home games is 30,389; not too shabby in these times and with a struggling team on the pitch, though obviously with some scope for improvement in certain areas. What has been surprising has been the number of teams that haven't filled their full away allocation on their travels to the south coast, especially with Newcastle and Norwich making up those that only took part-allocation alongside Wigan.

 

On the pitch, a total of 23 different players have made an appearance for the Saints in the Premier League and of those three have played in every league game (skipper Adam Lallana and Jose Fonte having started all 14, Rickie Lambert coming off the bench twice). Other players in double figures for league starts are Nathaniel Clyne (13), Morgan Schneiderlin (13) Jason Puncheon (11) and new arrival Maya Yoshida (10+2 as sub).

 

Unsurprisingly leading the goalscoring charts is Rickie Lambert, blazing a trail with 6 league goals in his debut Premier league season. The vibrancy of Saints attacking formation and a formation employing only one central striker perhaps explain why we see 5 players tied for second place with 2 goals each (Morgan Schneiderlin, Jose Fonte, Gaston Ramirez, Adam Lallana and Jason Puncheon). In total, 10 different players have netted a Premier League goal for the Saints.

 

In terms of assists, the set piece expertise of Adam Lallana has helped him to the top of the charts with a total of 5, with Rickie Lambert and Jason Puncheon not too far behind on 3 a piece.

 

So, that's where we've been, where are we going? In 14 league games played Saints have played 8 teams in the current top ten, 6 in the bottom half. Having had a disparity of home/away games played to date, the next run of 10 games sees 6 of those played on the road with only 4 at St. Mary's. But with away trips to the likes of Fulham, Aston Villa, Stoke and Wigan amongst that clutch of games, Saints fans will be hopeful of picking up more away points following the breakthrough victory at Loftus Road. Pre-Christmas home games against Reading and Sunderland also offer the opportunity for some festive cheer as the team encounter a number of winnable games before the fixture schedule again deals a harsher hand with ties against Arsenal, Everton and Manchester United in January. And the new year also brings with it an as yet unannounced 3rd round FA Cup tie; keep your eyes peeled on the screen this Sunday to see who comes out of the hat.

[Jack]

December is massive.

 

Liverpool (a)

Reading (h)

Sunderland (h)

Fulham (a)

Stoke (a)

 

Some tricky ones there, but we've really got to be looking at getting at least 8 points from that lot IMO.

[pingwing]

Not a bad way to look at the last few months, overall a good start with plenty of positives to look at and build on.

 

December we have to score 6 points from and target a couple of draws, we cannot hope to stay up if we don't beat a championship side of Reading and a dreadful Sunderland. We should be able to take a point from Stoke and Fulham, leaving only Liverpool as the pressure free game (but would be amazing to take any points from at all).

 

Not actually a bad month of fixtures considering we have a two week break between Reading and Sunderland to give us that extra edge going into the christmas period.

[Seaside Saint 2]

December is massive.

 

Liverpool (a)

Reading (h)

Sunderland (h)

Fulham (a)

Stoke (a)

 

Some tricky ones there, but we've really got to be looking at getting at least 8 points from that lot IMO.

 

8 points would put us on 20 going into the new year. Halfway through the season and on half the points we're always told are needed to avoid relegation, I'd be happy with that.

[Seaside Saint 2]

December is massive.

 

Liverpool (a)

Reading (h)

Sunderland (h)

Fulham (a)

Stoke (a)

 

Some tricky ones there, but we've really got to be looking at getting at least 8 points from that lot IMO.

 

8 points would put us on 20 going into the new year. Halfway through the season and on half the points we're always told are needed to avoid relegation, I'd be happy with that.

[70's Mike]

just 3 points short of where i expected to be, blame Wigan at home for that.Blooded some youngsters who have not looked out of place. Hard to tell about Gazza , when a keeper makes a a mistake he is punished whereas if Luke Shaw makes one another defender can sometimes cover it.

[70's Mike]

just 3 points short of where i expected to be, blame Wigan at home for that.Blooded some youngsters who have not looked out of place. Hard to tell about Gazza , when a keeper makes a a mistake he is punished whereas if Luke Shaw makes one another defender can sometimes cover it.