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Saints Pre Season Thread


Mallagroth

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I do like being able to listen to the manager (a) speaking English (although it didn't bother me that MP didn't) and (b) be smiling and enthusiastic when being interviewed (I always thought it a shame that MP came across as being a bit aloof).

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Back from the game and thought I'd share a few thoughts.

 

Are Brighton really that bad or did we actually play quite well?

 

I thought Isgrove was too lightweight, but then I really watched him more closely. Wow what an engine and a lot of speed. He had a good game and he's earned another chance.

 

I can't say we really missed any of the players who have left. I thought JWP stepped up and played very well with VW.

 

Fonte played very well and always tried to run at their left midfield and then passed to Clyne in space. The tactic worked brilliantly and that's how the first came. Hey what a tackle in the first half. The noise of the ball.

 

Had a nice chat with Mr Reed before the game and he was very nice and answered my questions with a lot of honesty.

 

I will give you one piece of info. He is working incredibly hard, but we haven' t yet got any more deals over the line.

 

I came away very positive tonight.

 

I think if MS goes JWP will step up.

 

VW was very good tonight.

 

Taggart looks like he will shortly become a real star.

 

I think the future is bright.

 

???????

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Back from the game and thought I'd share a few thoughts.

 

Are Brighton really that bad or did we actually play quite well?

 

I thought Isgrove was too lightweight, but then I really watched him more closely. Wow what an engine and a lot of speed. He had a good game and he's earned another chance.

 

I can't say we really missed any of the players who have left. I thought JWP stepped up and played very well with VW.

 

Fonte played very well and always tried to run at their left midfield and then passed to Clyne in space. The tactic worked brilliantly and that's how the first came. Hey what a tackle in the first half. The noise of the ball.

 

Had a nice chat with Mr Reed before the game and he was very nice and answered my questions with a lot of honesty.

 

I will give you one piece of info. He is working incredibly hard, but we haven' t yet got any more deals over the line.

 

I came away very positive tonight.

 

I think if MS goes JWP will step up.

 

VW was very good tonight.

 

Taggart.jpg looks like he will shortly become a real star.

 

I think the future is bright.

 



Ah Taggart..

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Very good performance indeed, albeit against an utterly dire Brighton team.

 

Big upsides for me:

 

1. Wanyama was utterly dominant, ran the middle third of the pitch while he was on and now seems to be able to pass well too!

 

2. Isgrove (90 mins) and Targett (45 mins) both looked very good indeed. 1st time I've seen either of them play for any measurable period.

 

3. Tadic. Flashes of real quality.

 

4. Clyne - amazing in the first half. Basically a lethal winger.

 

5. Steve Davis - maybe he will a sung rather than unsung hero soon?

 

Downsides:

 

1. Pelle. Not awful. But a bit meh

 

2. Cork. Not his best game ever....looked a tad off the pace.

 

3. Design flaw in our shorts. Both Fonte's and Wanywama's split at the crotch!

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A tricky away friendly and we seemed quite comfortable. People saying Brighton were bad but lets not hide it could of been our play making them look so.

 

Leverkusen will be the real indicator of where we are at.

 

Tadic looks good at least as Adam did. Clyne links up with him so well already. Like the look of that.

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I kinda hope we lose to Bayer now, just so we don't go into the Liverpool game with any sort of complacent attitude.

 

I can't imagine anyone will be complacent at Liverpool because we've played well against Brighton I'm looking forward to Bayer it should be a much sterner test. Really hoping we get in Forster and a decent CB before Liverpool I think we are looking decent elsewhere (though some extra players won't hurt) but I don't want Yoshida and Fonte as our first choice CB really.

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Very good performance indeed, albeit against an utterly dire Brighton team.

 

Big upsides for me:

 

1/. Design flaw in our shorts. Both Fonte's and Wanywama's split at the crotch!

:blush:

 

Both players enjoying playing for Southampton just a tad too much :uhoh:

or being a tease to the Brighton Fans.

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How quick is Isgrove? Absolutely electric pace even in the last minutes of the match. He must be at Theo acceleration levels there.

 

Looks to have come on a lot under Koeman as well. I know highlights can be deceptive but he seems to be playing the right final ball everytime and some great link-up play with Tadic and Pelle. Could he be the one that surprises us this year?

 

Anyone at the game with a more detailed perspective?

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My thoughts...for what it's worth

 

Pretty hard to tell just how good or bad we are as Brighton were simply dreadful. Home support shocking as well.

 

We were neat and tidy in the build up but once again the final ball was lacking

 

Good to see big Vic back...going to be a big player for us this year.

 

Thought the LB did well considering he will not have trained with the rest of the team.

 

As sussexsaint said Pelle looked desperate to score and totally hacked off with the service he was getting, however it will come. I think he is going to be a good signing. In some respects he is very similar to Rickie. Good first touch and always looks to play the intelligent pass. Once he scores his confidence will grow.

 

Tadic is starting to show us now why he is so highly rated. Some nice touches and good delivery from set plays. His confidence seems to be growing each game and he he seemed to enjoy hearing his name chanted at every opportunity!

 

Isgrove for me is slightly frustrating. He clearly has pace to burn but sometimes seems reluctant to take on his man. At the end of the second half (for the first time in the match) he knocked it passed his marker and then did him for speed easily, setting up a chance for Pelle I think. Not sure if it's a lack of confidence but cant understand why he doesn't do this more often. Over 20 metres I can hardly recall seeing anybody quicker. Having said that he works his socks off and deserves his chance in the team.

 

One thing that struck me yesterday though and has continued from last year is the bond between the team, even with the new boys. You still get the feeling that they are still "on the bus" and genuinely enjoy playing for the club and each other.

 

One final thing. To the idiot in the toilet at half time who was trying to head butt a fellow saints fan for no reason...why don't you just fxxk off..a total prat

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This sounds all very encouraging.

 

From a club in supposed disarray, we have won all our pre-seaon matchs so far including a CC play-off team last season at their own place.

 

RonKo seems to have them focussed and if we can strengthen in a few more places we are going to be OK.

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This sounds all very encouraging.

 

From a club in supposed disarray, we have won all our pre-seaon matchs so far including a CC play-off team last season at their own place.

 

RonKo seems to have them focussed and if we can strengthen in a few more places we are going to be OK.

 

I did read that Brighton have also lost six players from that team this summer so I don't think we can read too much into this.

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Hopefully this is nothing to do with Gaston not playing. It doesn't seem very substantive. Still think he could be a good player for us with the right management / system.

 

http://www.insidefutbol.com/2014/07/31/sevilla-lodge-enquiry-with-southampton-over-gaston-ramirez/152902/

 

Well, if the Board let him go, that will be yet another Krap Statement of intent

 

And if they let him go on Loan, that will be even crazier

 

SFC - Open All Hours - Sale Of The Century - Run by Forked Tongues

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It's difficult to comment on specifics from those highlights, but what I think you can see is a bit more urgency in attack... a desire to work the ball wide, to get crosses in, to feed the front man and play off of him, for the full backs to push forward not just to provide width but also to run in behind... If I had to choose a word, I would say it all seems a bit more dynamic than what we had last season in attack.

 

We need to see how it translates with better players and against better opposition, but I can see it might be a bit more exciting to watch, even if it means we are less controlled in possession and perhaps more open to attack ourselves.

 

This is purely speculation based on cumulative highlights so far, but that seems to be a common theme.

 

A follow up to my comment about on 21st July, but highlights from yesterday just seem to back up my initial thoughts. Some quick one-twos, full backs and wide players getting in behind the opposition, and all seemingly with a little more urgency than perhaps we had last season where the emphasis was on total control of the ball and choosing your moment.

 

What I haven't seen enough of yet is how we play when the opposition have the ball, which was of course the key feature of Pochettino's tactics.

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No it's not. It's a nightmare to get to, the concourse is way too open/windy and it appears that they spent £100m on one stand.

 

I like it. Looks good, its on a main road and at a train station, great bitter from the keg (why cant Saints do that?), padded seat with enough room that your knees arent earmuffs for the person in front.

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I like it. Looks good, its on a main road and at a train station, great bitter from the keg (why cant Saints do that?), padded seat with enough room that your knees arent earmuffs for the person in front.
Still in the middle of nowhere, tough to get to and from, the two side stands are excellent, but the ends look absolutely tinpot. Improvmenet on the Withdean I guess.
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What's struck me most is how relaxed Koeman's been about the player departures and arrivals in every interview.

He's too experienced to be naive imo, and I can't believe that he's spinning bull**** on behalf of the board (no need to, he knows they're lucky to have him and part of his success is due to sticking to his own opinions and beliefs), so I think it can only be that having spent more time with the squad than anyone, he can see that they're not playing any worse than before and have the potential to do as well or better than last season's squad.

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I think our pre season opponents have been weak and I'd have liked a stronger test. Leverkusen will provide that I'm sure but it may be a little too late. It's alright winning games and keeping clean sheets but it provides a false positive when the opposition has been as weak as it has. How will we react to going a goal down for instance?

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Spoke to this bloke in a pub back in Brighton after the game. He's their match/opponent analysis man. Has been at Swindon and Bournemouth too.

 

I spoke to him before the match as I was practically sitting next to him. Thought I'd have a few digs. He's good friends with Sammy Lee.

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A follow up to my comment about on 21st July, but highlights from yesterday just seem to back up my initial thoughts. Some quick one-twos, full backs and wide players getting in behind the opposition, and all seemingly with a little more urgency than perhaps we had last season where the emphasis was on total control of the ball and choosing your moment.

 

What I haven't seen enough of yet is how we play when the opposition have the ball, which was of course the key feature of Pochettino's tactics.

 

We seemed very effective at getting the ball back last night, but not sure how much that was down to the level of opposition.

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We seemed very effective at getting the ball back last night, but not sure how much that was down to the level of opposition.

 

Fair point, but I was still interested to know if we were playing a pressing game, if so was it quite high still, in a similar vein to last season, or not?

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Fair point, but I was still interested to know if we were playing a pressing game, if so was it quite high still, in a similar vein to last season, or not?

 

Still high - though tbh I didnt notice the pressing as much, probably because we had most of the possession.

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So Ronald says we'll have a very busy weekend bringing in three players so that they can be fully involved for the last two weeks of training.

 

He seems like a straightforward honest sort of guy.....

 

Kreuger - no timetable

 

Koeman - over this weekend

 

I want to believe this, please let it happen.

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So Ronald says we'll have a very busy weekend bringing in three players so that they can be fully involved for the last two weeks of training.

 

He seems like a straightforward honest sort of guy.....

 

Kreuger - no timetable

 

Koeman - over this weekend

 

I want to believe this, please let it happen.

 

I'm hoping for a keeper and a centre back at least.

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I kinda hope we lose to Bayer now, just so we don't go into the Liverpool game with any sort of complacent attitude.

 

I would prefer us to concede first and go on to win, or at least equalise. Coming back from behind to win simply did not happen with Pochettino, so I would like to see that it is possible. I do not think a win would create complacency anyway, only give us the much needed confidence which no doubt took some damage over the course of the exodus.

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Was there meant to be a board meeting today, with some changes rumoured ?

 

Think this was an ITK post from someone on Sunday/Monday (possibly Guan).

 

Why would there be board changes honestly, there aren't many of them to start with, they're doing a great job, making money, isn't that what boards do?

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Minor chortle this evening. True Sports was showing the Spuds v Chicago Fire game.

 

Yes, Spuds won quite easily by the look of it, BUT the American 'Taters were giving Spuds stick for the way they played the ball around, left Soldado isolated in the box and basically slagging off MP's tactics.

 

Reading some of our reports maybe the managerial change will give us exciting football this year instead of just pretty stuff?

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Swansea have had an awful pre season, watched them (with a pretty strong team) get taken apart by Minneapolis (at best a low championship/L1 team.

 

A strong bet for relegation I think!

 

Pre-season results mean zilch, you can win all your games and go down, or lose all your games and just have a standard season.

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