Turkish Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 4 of your last 6 posts have been about me, what a freak. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ottery st mary Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 (edited) Personally..see VW and Cork...as the 2.... with Morgan slightly advanced middle of the three in front. But this may rotate during a game...Trust the three will build the understanding.. Not discounting Steve Davis and JWP in the rotation etc.. Games injuries and suspensions. ottery.......You have no idea......leave it to the coach..FFS:D Edited 24 July, 2013 by ottery st mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graffito Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I think you'll find it was ruined by people having a go at me giving my opinion on the defensive errors. You know your football. Drop the sarcasm and the condescension, stick to the football and people will engage with you in the way you want. Sorry if I'm stating the bleedin obvious but you're getting on my fcking wick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAS Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 4 of your last 6 posts have been about me, what a freak. Freak. Oh yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Puddings and Monkeys Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 You know your football. Drop the sarcasm and the condescension, stick to the football and people will engage with you in the way you want. Sorry if I'm stating the bleedin obvious but you're getting on my fcking wick. You've hit the nail on the head; same as with Glasgow Saint....two of a kind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 You know your football. Drop the sarcasm and the condescension, stick to the football and people will engage with you in the way you want. Sorry if I'm stating the bleedin obvious but you're getting on my fcking wick. I have a perfectly valid observation that two error prone players from last season where making similar errors today and was told to 'get over myself' and the thread has descended into bashing me. It's not my fault some people don't like hearing the truth and I don't always put what people want to read. I tell it how it is and make no apology for this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Lej Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Lol at Turkish deliberately trying to mimic Alpine Saint. Just read his posts on this thread, it's absolutely obvious that's what he's doing just for the lolz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lallana's Left Peg Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 The ability of Saints fans to over-react never disappoints. I appreciate it is probably the same for all teams but it doesn't make it any less frustrating when you see teenagers all over twitter declaring it the end of the world when we concede a goal. I even saw one declare Lambert may be finished based on his miss in the second half. I can see why some of our resident Saintsweb characters like to poke fun at people at times like this. It would be more fun that trying to reason with these idiots. At the end of the day not only is it a pre-season friendly for which none of us have absolutely no idea what Pochettino wanted to work on or get out of the game, lets also remember that aside from the new players our existing players aren't going to come back from a summer break and be completely different players. Whats that? People want to point out that Fox may not be up to it? Bloody hell - there was me thinking he'd go away for the summer and come back and play like Roberto Carlos. The construct of the team is still very much what we saw last season - and why would it be any different anyway. It is the same group of players. We're a confidence team prone to lapses in concentration and a lack of leadership across the pitch. It is hard to address that unless you replace all the players but football doesn't work like that. We show a lot of promise but much of that will only be fulfilled with experience - we won't become miles better after a pre-season. It won't happen overnight. There was no lack of effort even considering it is a pre-season friendly, and our opposition were quality. Mistakes for goals are frustrating but it happens. I'd be more concerned if any player was hiding from the ball at 2-0 down but I didn't see that. Onwards and upwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAS Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I have a perfectly valid observation that two error prone players from last season where making similar errors today and was told to 'get over myself' and the thread has descended into bashing me. It's not my fault some people don't like hearing the truth and I don't always put what people want to read. I tell it how it is and make no apology for this.Did you read the post you replied to? sarcascm? condenscension? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Did you read the post you replied to? sarcascm? condenscension? None intended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasgow_Saint Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 You've hit the nail on the head; same as with Glasgow Saint....two of a kind. I have taken alot of stick lately so going to take my posts more serious as of yesterday Used to post for the lol's but some peeps didnt like me. Keep an eye out for new n improved Glasgow_saint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St Lej Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I have taken alot of stick lately so going to take my posts more serious as of yesterday Used to post for the lol's but some peeps didnt like me. Keep an eye out for new n improved Glasgow_saint I prefer the lols Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAS Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 The ability of Saints fans to over-react never disappoints. I appreciate it is probably the same for all teams but it doesn't make it any less frustrating when you see teenagers all over twitter declaring it the end of the world when we concede a goal. I even saw one declare Lambert may be finished based on his miss in the second half. I can see why some of our resident Saintsweb characters like to poke fun at people at times like this. It would be more fun that trying to reason with these idiots. At the end of the day not only is it a pre-season friendly for which none of us have absolutely no idea what Pochettino wanted to work on or get out of the game, lets also remember that aside from the new players our existing players aren't going to come back from a summer break and be completely different players. Whats that? People want to point out that Fox may not be up to it? Bloody hell - there was me thinking he'd go away for the summer and come back and play like Roberto Carlos. The construct of the team is still very much what we saw last season - and why would it be any different anyway. It is the same group of players. We're a confidence team prone to lapses in concentration and a lack of leadership across the pitch. It is hard to address that unless you replace all the players but football doesn't work like that. We show a lot of promise but much of that will only be fulfilled with experience - we won't become miles better after a pre-season. It won't happen overnight. There was no lack of effort even considering it is a pre-season friendly, and our opposition were quality. Mistakes for goals are frustrating but it happens. I'd be more concerned if any player was hiding from the ball at 2-0 down but I didn't see that. Onwards and upwards.Very true. COYR: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trousers Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 None intended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itchen_dan Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Saint-Armstrong's take on the match. Pretty fair reflection I'd say going on what I saw briefly. http://www.givemesport.com/362637-southampton-suffer-at-the-hands-of-schalke?tg=/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Saint-Armstrong's take on the match. Pretty fair reflection I'd say going on what I saw briefly. http://www.givemesport.com/362637-southampton-suffer-at-the-hands-of-schalke?tg=/ Good to see he's picked up on the defensive lapses from the players I highlighted too. No doubt people will say his take on the game is a fair reflection, yet i need to get over myself and stop ruining the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cascadia Saint Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Saint-Armstrong's take on the match. Pretty fair reflection I'd say going on what I saw briefly. http://www.givemesport.com/362637-southampton-suffer-at-the-hands-of-schalke?tg=/ His take on the game is a fair reflection, but Turkish needs to get over himself and stop ruining the thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalek2003 Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I like the posts of Alpine, Turkish and Glasgow. The world needs a bit of colour instead of the dull bland products of a world full of 'yes' people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stknowle Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Oh I see, having an opinion that observing the same players making the same mistakes means I should 'get over myself,' yes?! Fontes mistakes? Davis errors? Sloppy individual errors which cost us last season being repeated now, silly me I should be punching the air snd celebrating our players having a runaround and only losing 2-0. Agreed. Good points. No need to get over yourself at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Durman Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Does NC have a broken leg? Good summary btw & thank you for posting it Yes he does Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GAS Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I like the posts of Alpine, Turkish and Glasgow. The world needs a bit of colour instead of the dull bland products of a world full of 'yes' people.Strange post. This yes person says NO: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cascadia Saint Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I like the posts of Alpine, Turkish and Glasgow. The world needs a bit of colour instead of the dull bland products of a world full of 'yes' people. Even if that colour is black, laced with hint of brown? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 (edited) The ability of Saints fans to over-react never disappoints. I appreciate it is probably the same for all teams but it doesn't make it any less frustrating when you see teenagers all over twitter declaring it the end of the world when we concede a goal. I even saw one declare Lambert may be finished based on his miss in the second half. I can see why some of our resident Saintsweb characters like to poke fun at people at times like this. It would be more fun that trying to reason with these idiots. At the end of the day not only is it a pre-season friendly for which none of us have absolutely no idea what Pochettino wanted to work on or get out of the game, lets also remember that aside from the new players our existing players aren't going to come back from a summer break and be completely different players. Whats that? People want to point out that Fox may not be up to it? Bloody hell - there was me thinking he'd go away for the summer and come back and play like Roberto Carlos. The construct of the team is still very much what we saw last season - and why would it be any different anyway. It is the same group of players. We're a confidence team prone to lapses in concentration and a lack of leadership across the pitch. It is hard to address that unless you replace all the players but football doesn't work like that. We show a lot of promise but much of that will only be fulfilled with experience - we won't become miles better after a pre-season. It won't happen overnight. There was no lack of effort even considering it is a pre-season friendly, and our opposition were quality. Mistakes for goals are frustrating but it happens. I'd be more concerned if any player was hiding from the ball at 2-0 down but I didn't see that. Onwards and upwards. Very true and a good post. Some on here seem convinced that we are going to surge into the top half of the table this season, its inevitable. Yes we've made two good additions but the facts are that the rest of the players haven't changed. People point to our bad start and blame it on 'adjusting to the premier league' which is the phrase that has been banded around to excuse this. Yet our last 6 games yielded only one point more than our first six, this at a time when we had 'adjusted to the premier league' and had got rid of the supposed out of his depth bumpkin and replaced him with the the manager to take us to the next level, yet this has been ignored and told that if the season started in November we'd finish much higher. Well in that care if the season had started on April we'd have finished much lower. Make no mistake a top 10 finish this season won't be as easy as some believe. There is little to chose between 10th and 17th. Where we worse than west ham over the course of the season? You'd say no. We're we better than Sunderland over the season? Again you'd have to say no, and only one point taken off each of them suggests there is not much between the sides. So the fact of the matter is there are probably 10 teams that could find themselves on a relegation battle this season and more than half of them, ourselves included, will be looking to push up the table. I don't believe that we will be in a serious relegation scrap and if we can land a couple more players then top half can be a realistic aim. But let's not kid ourselves overnight the players that made errors and were in and our of form last season are going to be constant world beater this season as we take out rightful place in the top half of the table. Edited 24 July, 2013 by Turkish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goneawol Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/southampton-transfer-news-southampton-step-2086543 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lallana's Left Peg Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Very true and a good post. Some on here seem convinced that we are going to surge into the top half of the table this season, its inevitable. Yes we've made two good additions but the facts are that the rest of the players haven't changed. People point to our bad start and blame it on 'adjusting to the premier league' which is the phrase that has been banded around to excuse this. Yet our last 6 games yielded only one point more than our first six, this at a time when we had 'adjusted to the premier league' and had got rid of the supposed out of his depth bumpkin and replaced him with the the manager to take us to the next level, yet this has been ignored and told that if the season started in November we'd finish much higher. Well in that care if the season had started on April we'd have finished much lower. Make no mistake a top 10 finish this season won't be as easy as some believe. There is little to chose between 10th and 17th. Where we worse than west ham over the course of the season? You'd say no. We're we better than Sunderland over the season? Again you'd have to say no, and only one point taken off each of them suggests there is not much between the sides. So the fact of the matter is there are probably 10 teams that could find themselves on a relegation battle this season and more than half of them, ourselves included, will be looking to push up the table. I don't believe that we will be in a serious relegation scrap and if we can land a couple more players then top half can be a realistic aim. But let's not kid ourselves overnight the players that made errors and where in and our of form last season are going to be constant world beater this season as we take out rightful place in the top half of the table. I agree with what by and large what you are saying. For me supporters have a real difficulty distinguishing between what a player / team is capable of in a 'one-off' performance and whether or not it is something that can be maintained over the course of a 10 month season. The vast majority of our players have shown they can play very well at this level. We've had some fantastic performances last season. But the key at this level is consistency, and that is our big weakness. It is also the thing that will most distinguish where you finish in that 8th - 16th area of the table in my opinion. The positive is that at this level we are still learning, and most of our team are young - you'd like to think they'd have a better chance of finding that consistency than teams / players with the opposite characteristics - but it is no guarantee. You look at West Ham and at a talent level you'd never want to swap squads. Not in a million years. But last season they were so comfortable and had so much experience they were always safe. Saints need to marry their talent level with that sort of mentality. I hope it comes with experience and it develops. But there are no guarantees, as I say. We need to accept that all players have areas they can improve, and not be shocked if they can't improve them - if every player improved, it would be a peculiar old game. However, I am positive around the team, and am very excited for the future. But I am very pragmatic and think we need to be aware that getting better at this level is never a guarantee - although I do think we have as a good a chance as any other team of improving for reason already stated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I agree with what by and large what you are saying. For me supporters have a real difficulty distinguishing between what a player / team is capable of in a 'one-off' performance and whether or not it is something that can be maintained over the course of a 10 month season. The vast majority of our players have shown they can play very well at this level. We've had some fantastic performances last season. But the key at this level is consistency, and that is our big weakness. It is also the thing that will most distinguish where you finish in that 8th - 16th area of the table in my opinion. The positive is that at this level we are still learning, and most of our team are young - you'd like to think they'd have a better chance of finding that consistency than teams / players with the opposite characteristics - but it is no guarantee. You look at West Ham and at a talent level you'd never want to swap squads. Not in a million years. But last season they were so comfortable and had so much experience they were always safe. Saints need to marry their talent level with that sort of mentality. I hope it comes with experience and it develops. But there are no guarantees, as I say. We need to accept that all players have areas they can improve, and not be shocked if they can't improve them - if every player improved, it would be a peculiar old game. However, I am positive around the team, and am very excited for the future. But I am very pragmatic and think we need to be aware that getting better at this level is never a guarantee - although I do think we have as a good a chance as any other team of improving for reason already stated. I would absolutely agree with the first bit. After our run of beating Liverpool, Chelsea and Man City there was lots of talk on here of an 8th placed finish and some claiming the squad was already easily good enough for a top 8 finish this season and that MP had waved a magic wand and turned us into world beaters. Reality soon set in when we still weren't safe as we went into the penultimate weekend of the season. The reality is our first XI when everyone is fit and in form is good and you can't do this for five or six game in a row, you can't do this for 38 games in a row. Regarding consistency, well midtable sides are consistently inconsistent. Up until our visit to stoke in December they had one of the best defensive records in Europe and the best home record in the country, they were shocking from Jan-March. When Norwich played us at SMS they were something like one loss in twelve, shortly after they went on a terrible run. What we need to do is cut out the sloppy errors and soft goals we have away so often and primarily make ourselves hard to beat, so we get draws when we might lose and hold onto leads which might have cost us so dearly last season. I'm also of the opinion that MP still has a lot to prove. I do believe he'll be a good manager for us and seems to have the support of the players, but looking at his record, did he do any better than Adkins? Not really. This too when we had 'adapted to the premier league' I also look at the games we lost and see how he was tactically out thought by Redknapp and Pardew. Maybe he didn't have the players at his disposal to play his system effectively, but even then you adapt to suit what you have. And It wasn't like it was partially tactical master strokes from the managers, just a long diagonal ball into the channels. So for me its a bit season fromMP too, to prove he is the man we were told he was. I think he'll be good, but the jury is still out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnyboy Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I would be very happy with a 10th place finish myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I agree with what by and large what you are saying. For me supporters have a real difficulty distinguishing between what a player / team is capable of in a 'one-off' performance and whether or not it is something that can be maintained over the course of a 10 month season. The vast majority of our players have shown they can play very well at this level. We've had some fantastic performances last season. But the key at this level is consistency, and that is our big weakness. It is also the thing that will most distinguish where you finish in that 8th - 16th area of the table in my opinion. The positive is that at this level we are still learning, and most of our team are young - you'd like to think they'd have a better chance of finding that consistency than teams / players with the opposite characteristics - but it is no guarantee. You look at West Ham and at a talent level you'd never want to swap squads. Not in a million years. But last season they were so comfortable and had so much experience they were always safe. Saints need to marry their talent level with that sort of mentality. I hope it comes with experience and it develops. But there are no guarantees, as I say. We need to accept that all players have areas they can improve, and not be shocked if they can't improve them - if every player improved, it would be a peculiar old game. However, I am positive around the team, and am very excited for the future. But I am very pragmatic and think we need to be aware that getting better at this level is never a guarantee - although I do think we have as a good a chance as any other team of improving for reason already stated. Agree and disagree. Agree that we're still short 2/3 players, in particular, power and directness up top and possibly another defender. Disagree about (in)consistency. Was pretty pleased with how we improved over the course of the season. With the exception of the WBA game, we were a totally different outfit by mid-May: we were more resilient and organised whereas early doors we were incredibly streaky and looked like we would cave in if put under pressure. Look under the hood of the stats -convenient how they serve some posters purposes here but not other times- you'll see a team that gained in consistency but finishing looking predictable and lacking in ideas. For me that's the state of play, the Achilles Heel 3 weeks from the new season. Not sure what tonight told us - those defensive frailties involved players who will not be starting many games next season, so would be reluctant to read too much into them. Also recall that after our horrendous start, our defensive record was basically top 6 form (see stats are fickle things). At most, tonight reminded us that the squad lacks depth but that's a slightly different point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Patrón Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Also recall that after our horrendous start, our defensive record was basically top 6 form (see stats are fickle things). Where on earth did you get that from? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Where on earth did you get that from? See how many goals per game we conceded after our first ten games till the end of the season -and you'll see that it compares very favourably. Remember it was basically top 6 form until the last few games, though not sure where the figure ended up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pastor Patrón Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 See how many goals per game we conceded after our first ten games till the end of the season -and you'll see that it compares very favourably. Remember it was basically top 6 form until the last few games, though not sure where the figure ended up. We let in 3 against Stoke, 2 against Wigan, 4 against Newcastle, 2 against QPR and 3 against West Brom. Our defence was and probably still is absolute turd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Tender Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I think that there were a lot of positives that we could take from that match. Schalke were ahead of us in their pre-season preparations and are a seriously good team high in the German top division and in the European Champions League. And yet it took until almost an hour before they broke through, we having matched them well for the first half, despite us playing a pair of youngsters as full backs, having a couple of other mainstays missing and arguably never having our best combination of players on the field together. The object of these pre-season games apart from getting the players towards match fitness, is to blood newly signed players, give some youngsters an outing to see how they are developing and to try different combinations of players and formations. From that point of view, it was a useful game and the strength of the opposition could reasonably have been expected to have come away with a higher scoreline if we weren't somewhere near good enough and disciplined enough to give a good account of ourselves. I didn't see too much of the famed Pochettino high-pressing game though, more like the Adkins style, but no less effective for that. Neither Chambers nor Isgrove looked out of place for players so young and with Shaw playing at the same time, that is three very young players facing such quality opposition. Isgrove does have some real pace, doesn't he? He stroked the ball past their full back and beat him to the ball from a couple of yards behind him and then shot narrowly wide at full stride. Wanyama looked very solid in midfield, but as somebody else suggested, he doesn't yet bring the industry and movement that Cork does. Lovren did OK, but it will take a while before the defence gains an understanding of each other's game and with the goallie. Their first goal was gifted by uncertainty between Fonte and Davis and their second beat Gazanniga at his near post and maybe both might have been avoided. On the other hand, Lambert missed a sitter and was there also a decent appeal for a penalty to us? Things might also have been different had Yoshida and Ramirez been available. Man of the match for us in my opinion was Puncheon. I thought that he looked very lively tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 We let in 3 against Stoke, 2 against Wigan, 4 against Newcastle, 2 against QPR and 3 against West Brom. Our defence was and probably still is absolute turd. We conceded 28 goals in our first ten games - from then on (a period which coincided with Shaw and Cork's return), we conceded only 32 goals. 32 goals in 28 games is cracking form however you look at it- roughly 1.14 goal a game. Over the course of a season, that would have been 43 goals. Only City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton conceded fewer goals. Obviously this is a contrived exercise given our opening set of fixtures was pretty tough but it's solid enough to make the point i.e. the defense isn't as bad as people make out. Indeed all the 'leaky' games you mentioned involved injuries of one sort or another (Clyne was missing against Stoke IIRC and Shaw sat out against Newcastle) which suggests the main problem is depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I don't understand why Boruc didn't play again, the key understanding on the pitch is between centre halves and keeper yet Boruc doesn't seem to be playing. I hope he'll start featuring soon as is our best keeper by a country mile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shurlock Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 I don't understand why Boruc didn't play again, the key understanding on the pitch is between centre halves and keeper yet Boruc doesn't seem to be playing. I hope he'll start featuring soon as is our best keeper by a country mile. Agree - KD has never been and will never be decisive coming off his line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 24 July, 2013 Share Posted 24 July, 2013 Agree - KD has never been and will never be decisive coming off his line. The thing I like about Boruc is he isn't a spectacular goalkeeper, but an effective one. Whilst he makes great saves its more his presence and command in the area that sets him apart. Aside from the first 20 mins against Arsenal i don't recall him spilling a cross or parrying back into danger for the rest of the season. IMO its that which makes a good goalkeeper, loads can do the diving, one for the cameras saves, bit not all keepers can command their area like he does. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 My thoughts on yesterday : - I hope there isnt a problem with Boruc, we're in trouble if Gazza gets games. - Lovren looked a bit shaky at the beginning, but grew into the game, then why the f**k he hesitated for their second, I'll never know. Reckon hes going to turn out a good buy, but needs someone reliable alongside him and more work needed on the understanding at the back with the GK. - Fonte looks to me like a busted flush at this level. He seems to always make the same mistakes. Was a rock for us getting us back to this level, but we need another CB and he needs to move on. - VW is a man-mountain. will make the necessary challenges and hold the play all-day-long if asked to. Is going to be a big player for us this season - Concerned about how Corky is going to fit in (his return from injury last season was pivotal in our recovery, imo) - Puncheon and J-Rod look in fine form, for long parts of the game they were our threat. - Looked strong on the right; Chambers worked well with Puncheon, but needs a bit more consistency. - Left looked a bit shaky at beginning of game, but then Shaw asserted himself. Looked really weak in second half with Lallana and Fox; it does not work - Mayuka is so far off the game, I am worried about our striking options. - Lallana is facing a make-or-break season, imo. He steps up or he doesnt. Looked off-the-pace yesterday. - Isgrove and Davis looked good in the middle, will have a role to play. Less impressed with Ward-Prowse. - Morgan needs to control his temper. I think he got a final warning from the ref yesterday from what i saw, and this was a "friendly" Final word about the Schalke fans. A bloody nice bunch. Wanted to talk, and a couple wanted photos together Saints and Schalke fans, young and old. Also some Dutch in the crowd who seemed very knowlegeable about Saints. Nice to meet Andy Durman too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickG Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 My thoughts on yesterday : - I hope there isnt a problem with Boruc, we're in trouble if Gazza gets games. - Lovren looked a bit shaky at the beginning, but grew into the game, then why the f**k he hesitated for their second, I'll never know. Reckon hes going to turn out a good buy, but needs someone reliable alongside him and more work needed on the understanding at the back with the GK. - Fonte looks to me like a busted flush at this level. He seems to always make the same mistakes. Was a rock for us getting us back to this level, but we need another CB and he needs to move on. - VW is a man-mountain. will make the necessary challenges and hold the play all-day-long if asked to. Is going to be a big player for us this season - Concerned about how Corky is going to fit in (his return from injury last season was pivotal in our recovery, imo) - Puncheon and J-Rod look in fine form, for long parts of the game they were our threat. - Looked strong on the right; Chambers worked well with Puncheon, but needs a bit more consistency. - Left looked a bit shaky at beginning of game, but then Shaw asserted himself. Looked really weak in second half with Lallana and Fox; it does not work - Mayuka is so far off the game, I am worried about our striking options. - Lallana is facing a make-or-break season, imo. He steps up or he doesnt. Looked off-the-pace yesterday. - Isgrove and Davis looked good in the middle, will have a role to play. Less impressed with Ward-Prowse. - Morgan needs to control his temper. I think he got a final warning from the ref yesterday from what i saw, and this was a "friendly" Final word about the Schalke fans. A bloody nice bunch. Wanted to talk, and a couple wanted photos together Saints and Schalke fans, young and old. Also some Dutch in the crowd who seemed very knowlegeable about Saints. Nice to meet Andy Durman too. Thanks for summary. Your concern about cork - was that more a sympathetic concern as we may have better options or did Wanayama/schneiderlin not look as good? Got feeling / hoping JayRod going to be big player this season but agree lacking in options Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
georgeweahscousin Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 Interesting game and certainly highlighted (and perhaps brought some of us back down to earth) some weaknesses in the squad. I was disappointed Boruc didn't play, if we learnt one thing last year it's that the first choice keeper needs to be sharp, if we end up using Davis or Gazza we are in trouble. Wanyama has an absolutely horrific first touch. Having said that his stength means he powerhouses forward and keeps possession, I was impressed with him. Lallana again looked wasteful? First choice? Not for me anymore. Lambert and Davis struggled to get into the game, hopefully Lambert is saving himself for the games that matter as per, Davis will struggle to even make the bench this season I think. Isgrove and Chambers both looked good. Will be decent backup options. Most worrying point though, centre halves and keepers looked shaky again. Need to see a combo of Boruc-Lovren-Maya. Anyway, here is a gallery of pics from the game:- http://georgeweahscousin.com/2013/07/25/schalke-n-chowder-gallery/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 Thanks for summary. Your concern about cork - was that more a sympathetic concern as we may have better options or did Wanayama/schneiderlin not look as good? Got feeling / hoping JayRod going to be big player this season but agree lacking in options Wanyama and Morgan didnt play together very long, and it co-incided with Fonte being on; its difficult to judge how that combination is going to work, at the moment. I am a bit nervous about breaking up the Cork/Morgan duo, but VWs strengths are there to see, and its something we've been crying out for. And I do sympathise with Cork a bit too. Hopefully he take it as a pro, and respond to the competition. IMO yesterdays starting line-up is not what MP is edging towards for his first XI; he is still trying out strong-weak combinations. Also Maya and Ramirez arent ready. I reckon we might get more idea from the Besitkas game, but it will be the Sociedad game where he really reveals his thinking. At this moment, I reckon Lallana could find himself out of the first XI. The only players I reckon should be confident of being in the first XI are : Puncheon (performance) Lovren (no competition, cost to club) Wanyamma (potential, cost to club) Shaw (performance) Schneiderin (performance) For me the rest are up for grabs. Getting more worried about why Boruc isnt getting the opportunity to form an understanding with the two CBs, especially as that lack of understanding was an undoubted contributor to both goals yesterday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Garrett Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 Would say our current first 11 against WBA will be: Boruc; Clyne Lovren Yoshi Shaw; Morgan Wanyama; J-Rod Gaston Lallana; Lambert. Davis Fonte Cork Punch JWP Mayuka Guly And likely to see Isgrove and Chambers often on the bench too IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpine_saint Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 Would say our current first 11 against WBA will be: Boruc; Clyne Lovren Yoshi Shaw; Morgan Wanyama; J-Rod Gaston Lallana; Lambert. Davis Fonte Cork Punch JWP Mayuka Guly And likely to see Isgrove and Chambers often on the bench too IMO Reckon Punch before Ramirez, and not convinced about Lallana. Ricky could find himself on the bench if we sign a new striker, Maya if we sign a new CB (no rumours in media though) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itchen Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 Isn't Ramirez still suspended at the beginning of the season? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Le God Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 Isn't Ramirez still suspended at the beginning of the season? No. Sent off vs West Brom and missed the Tottenham, Sunderland and Stoke games with his 3 game ban. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulletsaint Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 Did anyone find a video of this match? All I can find is Schalke's goals and defunct live stream links. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Durman Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 My thoughts on yesterday : - I hope there isnt a problem with Boruc, we're in trouble if Gazza gets games. - Lovren looked a bit shaky at the beginning, but grew into the game, then why the f**k he hesitated for their second, I'll never know. Reckon hes going to turn out a good buy, but needs someone reliable alongside him and more work needed on the understanding at the back with the GK. - Fonte looks to me like a busted flush at this level. He seems to always make the same mistakes. Was a rock for us getting us back to this level, but we need another CB and he needs to move on. - VW is a man-mountain. will make the necessary challenges and hold the play all-day-long if asked to. Is going to be a big player for us this season - Concerned about how Corky is going to fit in (his return from injury last season was pivotal in our recovery, imo) - Puncheon and J-Rod look in fine form, for long parts of the game they were our threat. - Looked strong on the right; Chambers worked well with Puncheon, but needs a bit more consistency. - Left looked a bit shaky at beginning of game, but then Shaw asserted himself. Looked really weak in second half with Lallana and Fox; it does not work - Mayuka is so far off the game, I am worried about our striking options. - Lallana is facing a make-or-break season, imo. He steps up or he doesnt. Looked off-the-pace yesterday. - Isgrove and Davis looked good in the middle, will have a role to play. Less impressed with Ward-Prowse. - Morgan needs to control his temper. I think he got a final warning from the ref yesterday from what i saw, and this was a "friendly" Final word about the Schalke fans. A bloody nice bunch. Wanted to talk, and a couple wanted photos together Saints and Schalke fans, young and old. Also some Dutch in the crowd who seemed very knowlegeable about Saints. Nice to meet Andy Durman too. Agree with your assessment Alpine and total agree about the Schalke fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Durman Posted 25 July, 2013 Share Posted 25 July, 2013 Boruc did train on Wednesday Morning, but not with the main group. I think he's carrying a slight knock or being rested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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