Post Match Reaction & MotM: SAINTS 1-1 Sunderland

[Saint Without a Halo]

Hmm, I wonder what those that forecast us winning 3-0 are thinking now?

 

Err what do you think? pleased we played well but annoyed we didnt win! We should have won 3-0 as our play and possession deserved it!

but hey thats football!

[Reynoldson!!]

I didn't really see the need before, but a Banega would have been amazing today

[warsash saint]

J Rod .... 2 games in & the 2013/14 fall guy has been chosen! Well played guys!!!!

[DT]

Not fall guy. JRod was just poor last week and this.

[tomf05]

Also fonte literally dropped to the floor on a number a occasions particularly for the penalty appeal!

What annoyed me most was that we had the ball in the net thru good work up the middle using lambert and then failed to try that same method again and spread it wide every single time instead.

[CanadaSaint]

looked off on the replay

 

I think his feet were onside but his body, leaning forward, was offside.

 

Tight decision but you win some, you lose some.

 

Yes, JWP was superb - again - but did anyone else think he was the one who lost his mark for the goal?

 

And Chambers seems to be acclimatizing to this level very fast.

[MOSaint]

JWP was motm by a mile. Lamberts finishing was off today otherwise we would have won that.

[Restark19]

Gutted we missed out on that Puncheon bloke Palace signed, seems the player that could have given us the directness we missed today... oh.

 

Fonte had a class game again today, repeating what i said last week i see no reason for him to lose his place any time soon.

 

Also was dissapointed when Ads came off as he started the 2nd half very well and played better than Jrod who seems to be struggling for form.

 

Any news on Shaw?

[Batman]

ffs, liverpool winning drops us down to 4th

 

ffs

[Chewy]

Osvaldo stropped off in a right huff at the final whistle. Looked a bit frustrated at times - especially with that ludicrous booking. Ref will have had better days.

 

It wasn't a ludicrous booking - he kicked him for no good reason, and if the ref had seen his second foul he'd have been off. Still, looked class. Thought lovren was outstanding, along with jwp. Wanyama dominated the midfield, chambers looked remarkably assured for his age without doing anything special, and after a poor first half, lallana was excellent after the break. One of those days though where passes didnt quite stick, and there were two headers that would have been goals if they weren't straight at the keeper. Wrong end for the offside and first penalty shout, but the osvaldo one was stone Waller, he had his arm round his neck. And if the ref wasn't sure, the linesman was looking right at it. Very poor. Overall a bit disappointing, and agree with the comments about needing width. Lots of possession but its all through the middle, and we've only scored two late goals from set plays despite playing two teams off the park. Optimistic, but without goals from open play there's some cause for concern.

[Mikey88]

ffs, liverpool winning drops us down to 4th

 

ffs

 

Bloody hell! Might have to go through qualifying for CL now!

[Olallana]

ffs, liverpool winning drops us down to 4th

 

ffs

 

We´d drop 2 places if they draw

[The Kraken]

JRod looks extremely average. Again.

Funny how comments like this last season caused uproar on here. I thought Rodriguez was poor today, he just doesn't seem to offer enough. A very frustrating player.

[View From The Top]

J Rod .... 2 games in & the 2013/14 fall guy has been chosen! Well played guys!!!!

 

Don't be such a tool. Jay simply didn't have a good game.

[DuncanRG]

Credit to Sunderland - they were very good. Altidore was a handful, the new centre half was rock solid and Giaccherini looks a good talent. When the away team scores that early they're always gonna become tough to break down, and they were disciplined enough to hold fast. We managed to make enough chances to win the game, so it's disappointing not to get it but they earned a draw.

 

Brilliant change at half time - brave to take off Schneiderlin for a striker but it gave us that bit of life we needed, and that was mostly down to Ward-Prowse. I thought he was man of the match by a country mile today; always working, composed under pressure, great deliveries into the box when our play was losing momentum and when he was asked to drop back next to Wanyama he stayed solid without losing his attacking threat.

 

Lovren, Wanyama and Lallana were also very good, and Osvaldo seemed lively. Off day for Rodriguez and Lambert, who should have buried one or two of those chances between them.

Edited 24 August, 2013 by DuncanRG

[CB Saint]

Biggest disappointment of the day was moving season tickets seat to get away from an annoying tosser only to be allocated a seat next to an even bigger one.

 

Ossie looks good. Rameriez adds urgency and a incisiveness that other cannot offer. This will be a fun season (except for the tosser)

[sfc4prem]

**** game really. 0-0 would've been fair. Didn't like the way S'land sat deep with a bank of four and five. Protecting that lead which came about so early made for pretty dire viewing, especially with our frustrating lack of ability to play in the final third.

 

Ramirez was exactly what we needed. Good performance in the time he had.

 

Lallana and Rodriguez were particularly ****e.

 

Wanyama, JWP and Fonte the pick of the bunch.

[kpturner]

Biggest disappointment of the day was moving season tickets seat to get away from an annoying tosser only to be allocated a seat next to an even bigger one.

 

Ossie looks good. Rameriez adds urgency and a incisiveness that other cannot offer. This will be a fun season (except for the tosser)

So you are my new neighbour.....

[derry]

In the first half we kept the ball after conceding but strolling possession without penetration doesn't create really good overload chances. I would have liked to see more movement up front and more driving runs by the central midfielders and full backs. Second half we did up the tempo and had better movement. I thought the goal conceded was very poor marking and a failure to attack the cross. All round we look a really competent team but we need to raise the tempo. Nobody had a poor game but I would like to see Ramirez, Lambert and Osvaldo start with one from JWP, Lallana and Rodriguez. JWP looks a very good player but all the front four need to get into the box. If he is in the front four he has to be less of a playmaker. We need Schneiderlin and Wanyama to join up with the front four in turn, we don't need them both sitting at the same time when we have possession.

[Kingsland Red]

A wonderful spirit and refusal to lie down.

Dreadful refereeing didn't do us any favours.

Very much a work in progress, but the most exciting squad for many years - no journeymen out there.

[dubai_phil]

Jeez that ref was sh1t.

 

Stone wall Pen in 1st half for the shirt pull and rugby tackle on AL & in the second for the arm round the neck of Dani.

 

JRod was onside & scored a beaut but no the Lino decided he needed to seek attention

 

Great day for Dubai Saints we hit 20 fans in the pub. Thank fook for Fonte

 

Think I need a snooze now

[shurlock]

**** game really. 0-0 would've been fair. Didn't like the way S'land sat deep with a bank of four and five. Protecting that lead which came about so early made for pretty dire viewing, especially with our frustrating lack of ability to play in the final third.

 

Ramirez was exactly what we needed. Good performance in the time he had.

 

Lallana and Rodriguez were particularly ****e.

 

Wanyama, JWP and Fonte the pick of the bunch.

 

Thought Lallana was very good - agree Jrod was pretty poor.

[Whitey Grandad]

Did anybody else see the Lancaster on its landing approach to Eastleigh after the game? We were walking back over Northampton bridge and suddenly there it was with its wheels down making a right turn towards the north.

[DuncanRG]

I didn't understand the bile for the ref - I was the wrong end for some of the decisions (O'Shea/Osvaldo headlock?) but he mostly looked okay to me. Most blatant error I could see he made was when Fonte dived in our box and got a free kick for it

[trousers]

Hmm, I wonder what those that forecast us winning 3-0 are thinking now?

 

They're probably thinking: "We'll win plenty of games 3-0 this season with that level of domination and chances"

[The Cat]

Happy with the point but we created enough to win that easily. Ward-Prowse was superb. Really happy to have Clyne back because he offers us much more directness in wide areas.

 

A few people singing in the Family Stand which meant it wasn't quite so lacking in atmosphere at times as I thought it would be. My new seat is on the aisle so I get to enjoy charging down the steps while knocking a few kids out the way to do that fist pump thing by the barriers. For both our goals this season I'm sure Lovren has looked right at me celebrating. We're almost best mates now.

[Roger]

Thought Lallana played poorly first half but was very good 2nd half. Best I've seen him play for ages. Lambert worked v hard but had a day it didn't come off. Ward prowse looks v good. Shaw wasn't himself today. Biggest plus was gastons cameo. Looked absolute quality. Thought j rod was v poor indeed.

 

My team would be

 

Boruc

Clyne Fonte lovren shaw

Wanyama Morgan ward prowse

Osvaldo lambert gaston. Chambers looks very good.

[kpturner]

Came back to grab a point late on, so should feel happy. But instead feel angry and frustrated. One off the wrist, curry and booze now.

Single and lonely then??

[DuncanRG]

Do we know where Yoshida was? Fonte deserved his place but I was expecting to see Maya on the bench. Unfit, Hooiveld preferred tactically?

[Norm]

They're probably thinking: "We'll win plenty of games 3-0 this season with that level of domination and chances"

 

The point I was making, which you and others failed to grasp, was that many on here thought we only had to turn out and we had won. Get it now? We can have 70% of the play and 500 chances but if the ball does not end in the net.................

[positivepete]

Glad to see so many recognised how good JWP was today. He looked gutted at the end that we did not win. Chambers also looked very assured. This is going to be a very different season to the last one, should be an exciting ride

[DT]

The point I was making, which you and others failed to grasp, was that many on here thought we only had to turn out and we had won. Get it now? We can have 70% of the play and 500 chances but if the ball does not end in the net.................

 

Seems like a lack of directness and the kind of running at players that Puncheon offered may be our undoing this season, or at least prevent it from being a stellar one.

[Faz]

Seems like a lack of directness and the kind of running at players that Puncheon offered may be our undoing this season, or at least prevent it from being a stellar one.

 

Puncheon would not have made the bench today, let alone the team.

[trousers]

The point I was making, which you and others failed to grasp, was that many on here thought we only had to turn out and we had won. Get it now? We can have 70% of the play and 500 chances but if the ball does not end in the net.................

 

Are you suggesting that all games that we dominate from here on in will result in the same outcome? I'm simply suggesting that predicting a 3-0 victory was perfectly reasonable where as the implication in your original question was that it was a foolhardy prediction. On another day we'll win this type of game playing in more or less the same way. IMO of course.

[saintbob40]

Other than the first 20 minutes against WBA we have not been very good. Wanyama is ponderous on the ball and the whole team suffers for it. If you haven't got pace up front you need to pass the ball quickly which we did with Morgan and Cork last year. Now we look stodgy and very average and Morgan looks lost without Cork. Don't be fooled by the league position because if we continue to play like this we will drop like a stone.

[Saintandy666]

We deserved to win that, and if we continue to play like that we'll win plenty as the season goes on.

 

I was very split between Wanyama and Ward-Prowse for MOTM(Went for JWP in the end); Ward Prowse had excellent delivery, but Wanyama is a rock and never seems to lose the ball. This is good as so much goes through him. It was a frustrating first half, but we upped ourselves in the second and it is very annoying we let in that early goal as they didn't really have much else.

 

I thought Osvaldo looked very promising when he came on and I can't wait to see more of him and I have this feeling that him and Ramirez will work very well together. However, he seem to have a bit of a temper at times, which can be good I can imagine in some ways if it gets him riled up, but I think he'll need someone to calm him down time to time (as Lambert seemed to do at one point). Overall, a point is better than nothing, but a little bit disappointing given our performance.

[niceandfriendly]

To those slating J-Rod, would you be saying the same if his onside (just.. seen lots of replays) goal had been given? What a great finish that was. He is quite clearly a Prem class player.

 

Fonte, JWP, Wanyama and Lallana also really good today.

 

We'll win lots of games this season.

Hmm, I wonder what those that forecast us winning 3-0 are thinking now?

Umm oh dear, so people aren't allowed to get predictions wrong anymore? It was a perfectly valid prediction, nothing at all to do with "just turn up and win". If Rodriguez's goal had stood I think we'd have won comfortably.

 

Onwards and upwards.

Edited 24 August, 2013 by niceandfriendly

[niceandfriendly]

Other than the first 20 minutes against WBA we have not been very good. Wanyama is ponderous on the ball and the whole team suffers for it. If you haven't got pace up front you need to pass the ball quickly which we did with Morgan and Cork last year. Now we look stodgy and very average and Morgan looks lost without Cork. Don't be fooled by the league position because if we continue to play like this we will drop like a stone.

 

lol, oh bobby bobby what have we been drinking/taking tonight???

[Batman]

Other than the first 20 minutes against WBA we have not been very good. Wanyama is ponderous on the ball and the whole team suffers for it. If you haven't got pace up front you need to pass the ball quickly which we did with Morgan and Cork last year. Now we look stodgy and very average and Morgan looks lost without Cork. Don't be fooled by the league position because if we continue to play like this we will drop like a stone.

[Wes Tender]

We made a rod for our own backs by conceding a goal so early on, before we had got into our stride. Who was at fault for gifting Giaccherini that free header? I presume it was Lovren's responsibility. But having gifted them the dream start, you could tell that Sunderland had an Italian manager, as they employed all the cynical tactical tricks that typify the stereotype. They put everybody behind the ball forcing us to try and break down a dogged defence and then they tried to hit us on the break. Their players fell down all over the pitch if our players breathed too hard on the back of their necks, fooling a very poor and naive referee into awarding them numerous free kicks. Then they had probably been primed to try and wind up Osvaldo in an attempt to get him red-carded and to waste as much time as possible by walking slowly off the pitch when substituted, staying down feigning injury to break up the rhythm of play, etc.

 

Despite having several gilt-edged opportunities, we wasted several of them by placing free-headers into the arms of their grateful goallie, when a yard or two either side would have us running away with the match 3 or 4 goals to the good.

 

But there were several reasons to be happy with another point and the maintenance of an unbeaten start. Several players appeared to be improving on their form from last season and that might be down to the quality of the new signings and the preparation that has brought through the academy players to fit seamlessly into the senior team. Lallana and Ward-Prowse in particular were both excellent today. JW-P was reckoned to be the one to warm the bench with the plethora of midfield talent we now possess, but after two stand-out performances, he is quickly earning himself the first name in midfield slot in the team selection, which is some achievement with Wanyama, Lallana, Ramirez, Schneiderlin and Cork to choose from. So another game with three 18 year olds on the pitch, none of whom looked remotely out of place, with other young players also in the team. They can only get better with experience and growing belief.

 

During the first half, we looked short of the guile to unlock the Sunderland defence, but with the introduction of Clyne, Osvaldo and Ramirez, we were much improved, with some delightful interplay. With flair players like Ramirez, Osvaldo and Lambert playing together, it was interesting to observe them floating into interchanging positions so that it must have been a nightmare trying to man-mark them. I wonder though whether the introduction of Puncheon would have produced something different that could have produced the win? A shame that we have let him out on loan really.

 

Thank God for the wonderful ball in from JW-P and the goal from Fonte, another who appears to have formed a decent partnership with one of the new signings. The last five minutes we were up and at them with some purpose and they were hanging on to keep the point.

 

I will relish seeing on MOTD whether our goal should have stood, but at least De Canio had the good grace to admit that we were the better team and deserved all three points.

[tomf05]

What is most hilarious is the difference of views apparent which may well just be caused by the view from each seat, I must have watched a different game to a couple of people on here or maybe there are already just some scapegoats emerging!

[sidthesquid]

I thought JWP was MoM by a distance. Playing in a position that players mature into like that he is truly going far (hopefully with us!)

Lallana was a close second - everything positive we did through him.

This was not a JRod sort of a game - no space to run at people, all tight control with his back to goal.

First half Wanyama was everywhere, second half he barely saw the ball. His physical presence will be great for a wet Tuesday at Hull, but we missed Cork's ability to seamlessly progress the ball forward without any fuss.

Chambers looked amazingly assured for a kid in his second ever start.

Osvaldo is a maniac - legend in the making I think

Gaston doesn't deserve to make the current starting XI

If we can truly maintain this form we will be fine despite today being immensely frustrating.

[CanadaSaint]

Who was at fault for gifting Giaccherini that free header? I presume it was Lovren's responsibility.

 

Wes, he wasn't Lovren's man - he was too busy marking the big guys towards the front post. You can't waste someone like Lovren on a midget.

 

I think he was JWP's man, but I was less than impressed with Boruc as well. It wasn't a clanger by him but I've seen him come for much tougher cross balls than that one.

[itchen]

...

Edited 24 August, 2013 by itchen

[70's Mike]

4 points from 2 games, not bad because imo we have not reached top form yet.bit concerned about lack of width if teams do what Sunderland did both this and last seasons, keep wide men wide and limit amount of overlapping we can do.

[Batman]

Wes, he wasn't Lovren's man - he was too busy marking the big guys towards the front post. You can't waste someone like Lovren on a midget.

 

I think he was JWP's man, but I was less than impressed with Boruc as well. It wasn't a clanger by him but I've seen him come for much tougher cross balls than that one.

it was either JWP or Chambers man as chambers at least, was marking no one when it went in

[Roger]

I thought JWP was MoM by a distance. Playing in a position that players mature into like that he is truly going far (hopefully with us!)

Lallana was a close second - everything positive we did through him.

This was not a JRod sort of a game - no space to run at people, all tight control with his back to goal.

First half Wanyama was everywhere, second half he barely saw the ball. His physical presence will be great for a wet Tuesday at Hull, but we missed Cork's ability to seamlessly progress the ball forward without any fuss.

Chambers looked amazingly assured for a kid in his second ever start.

Osvaldo is a maniac - legend in the making I think

Gaston doesn't deserve to make the current starting XI

If we can truly maintain this form we will be fine despite today being immensely frustrating.

 

How can you say gaston doesn't deserve to make the line up. Was absolute class when he came on and miles better than j rod.

[Georgie]

Lol game of the day on sky sports. Every other game must have been really bad!

[70's Mike]

it was either JWP or Chambers man as chambers at least, was marking no one when it went in

 

Sorry to say it was Chambers

[lloydie]

That ref was genuinely one of the worst i've seen in a long, long time! Lee mason, hang your head in shame. Man of the match, JWP! Thought the team played well but Lambert, Jay Rod and Wanyama looked a bit below par in my opinion.