Jump to content

The Guardian predict 14th place finish for Saints

Toon Saint

By Toon Saint,
in The Saints

 Share

Recommended Posts

Toon Saint

Toon Saint

Posted
Posted

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/aug/13/premier-league-preview-southampton

Guardian previewing our 2013/2014 season and predicting a 14th place finish.

 

Some fair comment in there, especially about breaking down poorer and more defensive teams at home, but I think their prediction is pretty harsh esp. the comments on Wanyama transfer.

 

Worth noting that they predicted us to finish rock-bottom last time out and QPR to finish mid-table.

 

Think a lot of us would be disappointed with 14th, so hoping we prove them wrong again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bewildered

Bewildered

Posted
Posted

TBH once you get past the The top 6 or 7 it's a bit of a lottery as there is little difference between the mid-table sides IMO. A prolonged period of poor form or an injury crisis and just about any team below Liverpool and Everton could find themselves in trouble.

 

Saying that, I think a 14th place finish would spell the end for Pochettino.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SNOWY

SNOWY

Posted
Posted

I predict 11th, but once again the gap between 8th & 15th will be close so wouldn't be too disappointed with 14th. I'm hoping for the type of season West Brom had last year, comfortably in mid table from start to finish.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
eelpie

eelpie

Posted
Posted

A well thought through analysis by The Guardian. I'd be relieved to achieve 14th place in this our second year, all things considering. Yes, we are a stronger team now and a much more experienced one. So on paper we should do better than 14th. But against that, other teams have had plenty of time to study our style and work out our weaknesses. With simple observation plus a little read of this foyer's honest appraisals the whole world knows that Danny Fox for example is perceived to be a weak link, and we can expect WBA and others who sussed us last season to exploit our flanks if Shaw and Clyne are injured.

 

The Sociadad game was very interesting. We saw the exciting best and frustrating worse of Saints. Score then concede easily via mistakes (while the majority of goals came from defenders and midfield). VW is definitely going to be a massive strength in midfield, but time will tell if The Guardian's reservations prove correct, however I reckon any weaknesses will be sorted by Poch and co. We are a promising team with much potential but certainly not a complete team yet and so I predict an up and down season, a bit like Norwich's and ours last year I think.

 

My three part breakdown of our strengths and weaknesses to predict an end of season position is: midfield, worthy of a top 10 place. Current strikers (with contributions from defenders and midfield)= 15th. Defenders without Shaw = bottom three (with Shaw 11th.) So between 14th and 15th I would be happy with. It will not be until next year, I reckon, that we will have strengthened to be able to achieve a top 10 place. I'm not a pessimist, just cautious.

 

Much will depend on how Poch organises tactics so as not to leave the defence too exposed.

 

The telling part of the campaign will be the first quarter when we avoid the top teams, so it is essential that we get off to a good start because the end of the season when we won't have so much energy, might be tough.

 

14th place btw is not the Guardian's prediction but an average of several pundits views. HTH. For some on here to predict a top 8 place is unrealistic fairyland. That's not to say that it couldn't happen. Certainly with a top new striker a higher than 14th place would be more likely.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Shroppie

Shroppie

Posted
Posted

 

Thought that was strange. Seemed to make quite positive comments whilst thinking we'll drop places on last season.

 

Also missed Forren leaving. Poor article.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dig Dig

Dig Dig

Posted
Posted (edited)
Without a striker I think 14th is the best that we can hope for

 

Fair comments IMO

 

We have a striker, an England International called Rickie Lambert who is class. You usually stick up for nearly all England selections so hope you are consistent now!

 

We have more than enough already to finish higher than 14th.

Edited by Dig Dig
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dan Johnson

Dan Johnson

Posted
Posted
http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/aug/13/premier-league-preview-southampton

Guardian previewing our 2013/2014 season and predicting a 14th place finish.

 

Some fair comment in there, especially about breaking down poorer and more defensive teams at home, but I think their prediction is pretty harsh esp. the comments on Wanyama transfer.

 

Worth noting that they predicted us to finish rock-bottom last time out and QPR to finish mid-table.

 

Think a lot of us would be disappointed with 14th, so hoping we prove them wrong again.

 

I wouldnt be too disapointed with 14th, I think it's going to be a tough league this year.

 

I think we should be aiming for 8th-12th but you could be talking about 2-4pts seperating 8th-14th.

 

14th and the league or FA cup would be a resounding success IMHO

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DuncanRG

DuncanRG

Posted
Posted

I should point out that there's no particularly compelling reason to believe that the middle of the table will be as compressed this season as it was last. Most teams look at a similar level on paper but it won't turn out that way every season when they start playing football.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
SaintsCorner

SaintsCorner

Posted
Posted

 

In the Telegraph the day before, Jonathan Norcroft said we'd finish 9th, & Jeremy Wilson also predicted that we'd win the League Cup.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
aintforever

aintforever

Posted
Posted

The comments about Wanyama are a bit worrying...

 

"Any time we played Celtic I would tell our lads not to worry about him being on the ball because he doesn't keep it very well," he said. "Lennon deserves a knighthood for getting someone to pay £12.5m. We found that when you gave Wanyama space he didn't have the natural instincts to know what to do with the ball. We'd press players like Joe Ledley and Charlie Mulgrew but we dropped off Wanyama and most of the time we got the ball back from him."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Saintandy666

Saintandy666

Posted
Posted
The comments about Wanyama are a bit worrying...

 

"Any time we played Celtic I would tell our lads not to worry about him being on the ball because he doesn't keep it very well," he said. "Lennon deserves a knighthood for getting someone to pay £12.5m. We found that when you gave Wanyama space he didn't have the natural instincts to know what to do with the ball. We'd press players like Joe Ledley and Charlie Mulgrew but we dropped off Wanyama and most of the time we got the ball back from him."

 

I hope not. I've got him in my fantasy football team based on the hype!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Kraken

The Kraken

Posted
Posted
Yet there is still a tendency to overrate Southampton and forget how poor they were, for instance, in home defeats by Sunderland and QPR or that there were only six victories at St Mary's and plenty of bitty draws. Under both Adkins and Pochettino they often struggled against teams who sat back, growing frustrated and resorting to hitting it long to Lambert, and they won only six games against sides in the bottom half.
A fair comment, and one that we don't seem to have done anything about (in the transfer market at least) to address.
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dan abnormal

dan abnormal

Posted
Posted
A fair comment, and one that we don't seem to have done anything about (in the transfer market at least) to address.

I think the signing of wanyama will help address it, he seems to add a little bit of creativity into that cdm partnership as shown by his terrific ball forward to morgan(?) to score against sociedad. I think he will also allow morgan to roam forward a bit more, he's scored a couple in preseason and looked a real goal threat at times. wanyama also has a great long shot which almost no one in our squad possesses.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
The Kraken

The Kraken

Posted
Posted
Isn't that more tactical than personnel? We should have beaten QPR and Sunderland with the players we had.

It was something I'd hoped we'd solve both tactically and with a new recruit in midfield, a tricky fast winger who can unlock a defence. I don't think dipping into the transfer market for that type of player has ever been a priority so we'll just have to hope that the tactical improvement is noticeable; judging by some pre-season games (albeit not the last one) I'd suggest it's not out of the question that we may yet see some of the same frustrations.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
max_saints

max_saints

Posted
Posted

I felt the comments in the guardian article were fair and the writer seems to know quite alot about our team. the telegraph one though... not sure if it was meant to be serious or tongue in cheek.

 

anyway new signings do not guarantee an improved placing as everyone around us have similarly made signings. we might expect higher but whether we meet expectations is another thing. I won't be surprised to see us consolidating between 10-15th for a few seasons before we make the push for top 8 after a few windows of making 2-3 quality additions.

 

would prefer this long term approach but whether NC is patient enough is another matter

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Dig Dig

Dig Dig

Posted
Posted
Keep fishing.

 

I'm not fishing. I just don't get how you or anyone can quantify a league finish using a generic term like "a striker". Maybe a bit pedantic but we don't know yet who we will sign, if anyone or the impact of a full season in the prem and a full pre-season with Pochettino will have regardless. I expect us to do better regardless of any new striker.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
ExSt Peter Saint

ExSt Peter Saint

Posted
Posted

14th would definitely be a disappointment, but I agree that it's going to be very tight and so long as we're not down at the bottom, there isn't a huge amount of difference in finishing 9th and 14th if it's as tight as it was last year. I think it's unlikely we'll really be challenging to get into the top 8 unless some real quality is added before the season starts. We'll have to be very lucky with injuries to be consistently good with the squad we have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Minsk

Minsk

Posted
Posted
I felt the comments in the guardian article were fair and the writer seems to know quite alot about our team. the telegraph one though... not sure if it was meant to be serious or tongue in cheek.

 

anyway new signings do not guarantee an improved placing as everyone around us have similarly made signings. we might expect higher but whether we meet expectations is another thing. I won't be surprised to see us consolidating between 10-15th for a few seasons before we make the push for top 8 after a few windows of making 2-3 quality additions.

 

would prefer this long term approach but whether NC is patient enough is another matter

 

I agree, especially about the bit in bold.

 

I think we will finish anywhere between 9th and 16th. Obviously hoping for the higher end of that spectrum, but (if we do improve upon last season) I don't see us finishing anything much above 14th.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Smirking_Saint

Smirking_Saint

Posted
Posted
We have a striker, an England International called Rickie Lambert who is class. You usually stick up for nearly all England selections so hope you are consistent now!

 

We have more than enough already to finish higher than 14th.

 

I like you dig dog, lets not get all gay over a disagreement over whether Lambert is top 10 quality or not, a Hodgson call up when the actual picks are injured changes little.

 

FWIW its not necessarily Lamberts quality that worries its the way he plays vs our tactics.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
NickG

NickG

Posted
Posted

Hard season to call for many teams, including some of the top teams.

 

I can see Man U and Arsenal dropping more points this season, which could close things up.

 

think the age if our squad gives real reason for optimism that we will improve but likely to be inconsistent.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sammysaint

sammysaint

Posted
Posted

Alan Smith clearly knows nothing about football, us 18th NCFC 10th ? 2 squads fairly similar and us with the better manager.

 

Guardian paper is more spot on, i think 14th is our worse case position, its all down to form of Gaston Lallana Morgan Lambo, there the key players for me, and at the back we need to be better in the 1st 5-6 games compared to last season.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Chez

Chez

Posted
Posted
In the Telegraph the day before, Jonathan Norcroft said we'd finish 9th, & Jeremy Wilson also predicted that we'd win the League Cup.

 

seems a bloody long time since we even looked remotely interested in winning the league cup. Hope that changes this season. Let's get some silverware.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Wes Tender

Wes Tender

Posted
Posted

A good article by the Guardian, but provided that we get in a striker of the calibre of those we seem to be after, I reckon that 8th - 10th is where I would hope us to be. If we only manage 13th/14th after all the investment made, then Pochettino will be gone.

 

Last season we had one of the worst starting fixture lists ever in Premiership history and did well to pull it back in the middle of the season and onwards. We have a much easier start this season and if we get off to a decent start, the momentum we get from an early confidence boost could carry us forward well.

 

I'm not that bothered about the comments about Wanyama when he was playing against the poor Scottish teams. He didn't seem to fare too badly against Champions League teams in pre-season and I believe that having better players around him will improve him into one of the stand-out midfielders this season. The stiffening of the defence, a settled, experienced goalkeeper, the additional experience that players have of the top flight and the addition of a top striker, all should mean that we really ought to be a good position to press on upwards.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Junction 9

Junction 9

Posted
Posted

The thing I notice on here is that when someone predicts a table position for Saints, it's based entirely on what WE have done. Little mention of the fact that all the other clubs will also be looking to strengthen and improve. £20m on two players isn't enough to improve by much in the Prem as most other clubs will have done something similar. Can you see City and Chelsea rolling over at St Marys like they did last year? Norwich have spent money, West Ham are signing players. things could click under Di Canio at Sunderland with all ther new faces.

We also have the second season syndrome where newly promoted clubs have had a decent first year and then struggled in the second. To be disappointed or use phrases like "heads will roll" by coming 14th, just because we've spent £20m is laughable.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
DuncanRG

DuncanRG

Posted
Posted
The thing I notice on here is that when someone predicts a table position for Saints, it's based entirely on what WE have done. Little mention of the fact that all the other clubs will also be looking to strengthen and improve. £20m on two players isn't enough to improve by much in the Prem as most other clubs will have done something similar. Can you see City and Chelsea rolling over at St Marys like they did last year? Norwich have spent money, West Ham are signing players. things could click under Di Canio at Sunderland with all ther new faces.

We also have the second season syndrome where newly promoted clubs have had a decent first year and then struggled in the second. To be disappointed or use phrases like "heads will roll" by coming 14th, just because we've spent £20m is laughable.

 

It's a horribly widespread myth that transfers are the only way to strengthen a football team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Wes Tender

Wes Tender

Posted
Posted
The thing I notice on here is that when someone predicts a table position for Saints, it's based entirely on what WE have done. Little mention of the fact that all the other clubs will also be looking to strengthen and improve. £20m on two players isn't enough to improve by much in the Prem as most other clubs will have done something similar. Can you see City and Chelsea rolling over at St Marys like they did last year? Norwich have spent money, West Ham are signing players. things could click under Di Canio at Sunderland with all ther new faces.

We also have the second season syndrome where newly promoted clubs have had a decent first year and then struggled in the second. To be disappointed or use phrases like "heads will roll" by coming 14th, just because we've spent £20m is laughable.

 

On the contrary, spending £20 million on two players is often better than spending smaller amounts on more players, provided that there was a decent foundation to the bulk of the team to begin with. It suggests that players of a higher calibre are being added to a reasonably solid team, therefore fine-tuning. Add a striker of quality and then total expenditure of £30/£50 million for just three players would be significant, especially when considered together with substantial expenditure last season. If that is not reasonable justification for an improvement on the 14th position we achieved last season, then I don't know what is.

 

Can I see Chelsea and City rolling over at St Mary's as they did last season? Yes, of course I can. Equally I can see us losing to the teams that finish in the relegation zone. The only thing that is certain about football, is that no result is a certain win for any team before the match starts.

 

As you say, other teams around us might improve as a result of signings they have made. But look at all the marquee signings QPR made last season. Where did it get them? There have been management changes at some of the top clubs. What will the result be with that?

 

Second season syndrome? No more something hard and fast than the perceived wisdom that a team that was in our position after such an early dismal points total would inevitably be relegated. There are factors that aid 2nd season syndrome, like those teams losing important players that shone in the first season, or the failure to introduce new players to strengthen the team further, neither of which applies to us.

 

Saying it is laughable that heads will roll if we only manage 14th, seems to be naive when Adkins lost his job having got us just one position lower last season when we were newly promoted. I feel pretty confident that Pochettino is in no doubt as to the security of his tenure if he fails to improve on that position by at least a few places.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...