Saints vs Chelsea Post Match Thread

[alehouseboys]

very poor support and hardly any songs.

 

Applies to the home support too tbf. Again.

 

 

Cracking backs to the wall display. Well deserved point.

[musesaint]

Apart from the one that should have been a penalty!

 

Disagree . Ref got that totally right ... Never a penalty

[OttawaSaint]

Great performance against assn excellent team. They put us under enormous pressure but we kept them at bay.

 

I thought Pellè had a good game coming back to win balls with his back to goal and laying off well. He was getting kicked and pushed a lot by their center backs.

 

Ref was awful. Every Prem ref seems to be whistle happy falling for every dive but then not give clear cut ones for the fouls buy a big team.

 

He got the penalty decision correct though so I will give him that. I watched it a few times and it is clear that Fabregas went looking for it and went to ground making sure to tuck his leg under Targetts outstretched leg (target slipped as did a few Chelsea players in that part of the pitch).

 

Really pleased with that point as I thought they might have got one in stoppage time at the end, ref went over a minute past the 94.

 

Wanyama. Fonte, Toby excellent today, as was Morgan, shame he had to take one for the team at the end.

 

Bring on Arsenal!

[70's Mike]

Toby MOM for me, as he has in many other games imo, problem is the majority of his work is so efficient it goes unnoticed.

agree with the comment earlier about Tadic , seems to disappear when going gets tough although he did play ball for Mane's goal

[musesaint]

What a performance today! Makes the disappointing and unjustified losses to the Arse and Manure even more gutting

 

And what an emense performance from Matty Targett ... Didn't put a foot wrong ... and the Fabregas dive was NEVER a penalty

 

Something which struck me again today about Chelski is how adept they are at playing the tactics...drawing fouls they should never get and always in the refs ear complaining ... Terry especially was at the ref non stop all game ..tw*t

[Ziggy]

Toby for me. Magnificent. Loved the game today and thought the crowd were superb. Chelsea fans very quiet.

[OldNick]

I can't see how people can argue that it was not a penalty.Targett slipped ,lost control and slipped into Fabregas. It brought him down and so I think the rules would say it was a penalty. Is there a rule that would exclude a slip making it not a foul?

[SNSUN]

Fonte MOTM for me. He made a number of interceptions and was impressive at the back. At one point Hazard got away from 3 of our players near the byline but there was Fonte with the vital interception.

 

Besides that, the whole defence played well, as did Wanyama and Mané. Pellé held the ball up well but didn't play too well I thought, and assist aside Tadić was poor.

[dubai_phil]

Cracking game.

 

Despite half our regular crew being away for Xmas holidays we still drew 19 Saints fans to Barasti.

 

Even (Golfing moment) earnt the respect of Rory's Caddy JP who (as an Everton fan) was there to watch his mob get turned over.

 

11 out of 10 for everyone today and IF Clyne had played we'd have never conceded. Jose had to throw all 3 strikers on & got nothing. No gripes at Maya though he got turned for the goal.

 

Awesome performance and Lol at Jose moaning in the post match interview (as did the TV Studio crew over here)

[BadgerBadger]

Great performance against a very good team. RK ability to shuffle the pack and get such organisation into the team is huge bonus

[scotty]

I can't see how people can argue that it was not a penalty.Targett slipped ,lost control and slipped into Fabregas. It brought him down and so I think the rules would say it was a penalty. Is there a rule that would exclude a slip making it not a foul?

 

Fabregas slipped deliberately after toe-poking the ball past Targett, then left a trailing leg to try and con the ref into giving a pen. Stonewall yellow for diving.

[aqbadger]

Agree with all of that. Great performance, but Pelle isn't quite there at the moment

[St.Patrik]

I saw the game on Swedish telly and no way that was pen - Targett never touched him and removevall his arm - then the exelent player Fabergas decidec to "die" and screamed for a pen - so Ref was spot on.

 

But sure mr.Mouriniho is right - the refs has an hidden agenda against his teams - yeah right !!

[Stoozer]

Thoroughly enjoyed the match and was proud of our defending and organisation. Credit to Yoshida doing ok somewhat out of position and a good debut for Targett. Alderweireld was immense today. Shame about Morgan's Red but to me, he had little choice other than make the tackle.

 

The only downside was the rather unpleasant Chelsea fan chanting aggressively to a mother and young son Saints fan on the way out through the coaches. Seriously, a grown man in his fifties, even a Chelsea fan, should have more decency than that. Oh, and of course the two "Saints fans" sitting behind me week in week out who want 100% perfection 100% of the time from our players and are only happy when slagging off our players.

 

Top four and above Liverpool, Arsenal and Spurs (and Everton). Well chuffed.

[Whitey Grandad]

I can't see how people can argue that it was not a penalty.Targett slipped ,lost control and slipped into Fabregas. It brought him down and so I think the rules would say it was a penalty. Is there a rule that would exclude a slip making it not a foul?

 

No, there's no such rule, but I wouldn't have given it. Was Fàbregas tripped, or did he trip over Targett's leg. I've watched it again at home a few times and it certainly looks as though Fàbregas is already going down and tries to make the most of it. His reaction suggests to me that the ref was right. On this occasion at least. The rest of the game he was in Chelsea's pocket.

[Graffito]

Have to see the penalty shout on TV but from the other end of the Kingsland it looked like an obvious dive. Who cares anyway. Apart from that incident, the ref fell for their falling about all afternoon. Just seen Mourinho's interview. He's thinking about his next game in making those comments.

[kpturner]

Fabregas slipped deliberately after toe-poking the ball past Targett, then left a trailing leg to try and con the ref into giving a pen. Stonewall yellow for diving.

Seen the replay now - and I think you are looking through rose-tinted spectacles. Targett slipped and took Fabrigas' right foot out. Seen penalties given for less than that, and we would be whinging if it had been the other way around. I think we got lucky - and it was definitely not a yellow.

[SaintBobby]

Great point. About the hardest earned ever.

 

Toby MotM for me, especially as he switched to right back with such ease.

[Whitey Grandad]

Seen the replay now - and I think you are looking through rose-tinted spectacles. Targett slipped and took Fabrigas' right foot out. Seen penalties given for less than that, and we would be whinging if it had been the other way around. I think we got lucky - and it was definitely not a yellow.

 

You're right, some refs might have given it but I still think Fàbregas pretended to be tripped rather than being accidentally tripped.

 

I strongly suspect the yellow card was for his over-reaction, dissent in other words.

[kpturner]

Great point. About the hardest earned ever.

It certainly was a great point - but hardest earned ever? I don't think so.

[Charlie Wayman]

One minute's loss of concentration through over-confidence and we draw a match we could have won.

 

Despite all their gifted players, Chelsea didn't create much at all, with no shots on target except the pass into the net from an unchallenged runner. Chelsea 'though in all honesty were a much better organised and gifted team and we didn't get a sniff in the second half. Very lucky boys but what the hell, we get a point they lose two and we're still 4th.

[Leicestersaint]

Good point. What has gone wrong with Tadic (although great pass for Mane to score from)?

[Batman]

Good point. What has gone wrong with Tadic (although great pass for Mane to score from)?

 

He is playing premier league football

It is tough for many who come from a far weaker league

[Saint Billy]

Definite penalty for Chelsea but hey ho that's footy.

 

I thought we did well especially with a make shift back line although we did ride our luck in the last half hour.

 

My main concern is that we cannot seem to roll over the so called bigger teams and we tend to play them with a fear factor.

[S-Clarke]

Definite penalty for Chelsea but hey ho that's footy.

 

I thought we did well especially with a make shift back line although we did ride our luck in the last half hour.

 

My main concern is that we cannot seem to roll over the so called bigger teams and we tend to play them with a fear factor.

 

Why would anyone expect us to roll over the bigger sides? They're better than us, we need them to have off days if we're to have a chance - and a lot of luck.

 

Today, we had a hell of a lot of luck!

[scotty]

Seen the replay now - and I think you are looking through rose-tinted spectacles. Targett slipped and took Fabrigas' right foot out. Seen penalties given for less than that, and we would be whinging if it had been the other way around. I think we got lucky - and it was definitely not a yellow.

 

 

The ref gave just about every call to chelsea bar that one. I couldn't see anything in that penalty call except fabregas deciding whether he had a chance of making or scoring a goal, then deciding the best option was to try and draw a foul. The ref had a decent view of it, and while I can see Whiteys point that dissent might have been the reason for the yellow, I can't agree on that either. He showed the card far too quickly for that, I'm sure it was for an obvious and cynical dive. Then again, its hardly surprising given chelseas antics all over the pitch today, they got away with most of their play acting.

[kpturner]

The ref gave just about every call to chelsea bar that one. I couldn't see anything in that penalty call except fabregas deciding whether he had a chance of making or scoring a goal, then deciding the best option was to try and draw a foul. The ref had a decent view of it, and while I can see Whiteys point that dissent might have been the reason for the yellow, I can't agree on that either. He showed the card far too quickly for that, I'm sure it was for an obvious and cynical dive. Then again, its hardly surprising given chelseas antics all over the pitch today, they got away with most of their play acting.

I agree that the ref gave the yellow for a dive - and fortunately for us the ref got it wrong. It wasn't a dive.

[corky morris]

Toby mom for me. Thought Mane was fouled before their goal. Hazard is pure quality IMHO. Thought ref was very inconsistent throughout. Chelsea fell over & they got a free kick. Pelle couldn't breath near a Chelsea player without a free kick being given against him. Fantastic point.

[Kokakole]

Good point. What has gone wrong with Tadic (although great pass for Mane to score from)?

 

He's been off the boil generally over the past few weeks, but today I don't think he was bad. He worked hard even though he didn't see much of the ball, his delivery was better, and - and this is crucial considering how little possession we had - produced a real quality pass to set up Mane. It looked easy, but he made it look this way; how many of our other players would have weighted that pass perfectly?

[scotty]

On a side note, I did the usual score prediction with another poster from here before the game. One of us usually calls it right, and I think I'm currently just ahead on pints owed, but today he called a 3-1 defeat and I reckoned we'd lose by at least 4 goals. Bedwetters of the world unite, we have nothing to lose but our dignity.

[ThorpG]

Toby mom for me. Thought Mane was fouled before their goal. Hazard is pure quality IMHO. Thought ref was very inconsistent throughout. Chelsea fell over & they got a free kick. Pelle couldn't breath near a Chelsea player without a free kick being given against him. Fantastic point.

 

I agree, I thought at the time Mane was fouled. Hard to tell sometimes though, he is a bit partial to going to ground easily...

 

Would fit well into the Chelsea team, they seemed to struggle to stay on their feet. Seeing big guys like Matic and Mikel hitting the deck after the slightest of touches got pretty boring after a while...

[Batman]

For all of west hams plaudits

They allowed arsenal to have 21 shots on goal today

 

Throw in the 28 or so against Chelsea. That is an incredible amount really

[ThorpG]

For all of west hams plaudits

They allowed arsenal to have 21 shots on goal today

 

Throw in the 28 or so against Chelsea. That is an incredible amount really

 

Odd isn't it - I genuinely think we are a far superior side to West Ham, yet the table says these is not much between us... Rose tinted glasses, I guess...

[Lazlo78]

Great point and a nervy finish. I agree with most of what's written in this thread except the assessment of Pellè: I thought he should be applauded for his effort today! He battled two physically dominant CBs and gave them loads of problems. Chest layoff for the goal was wonderful and he kept looking for opportunities to set up teammates. No, not everything worked, but he was up against the best defense in the league today. Second half he received a long ball with Terry coming racing from behind - he kept the Chelsea man away and passed the ball. You don't see many strikers holding their ground against Terry in a situation like that... Also worth mentioning that he kept battling from right midfield after Morgans red card - while no workhorse he really does fight for the team.

 

Let him know that the fans can see past who scores and who does not. Keep cheering him up with songs etc and he will maintain his self confidence - and he really is a confidence player

[Bucks Saint]

On a side note, was having a beer and meal in Ocean Village after the match and was joined (kind of) by no less than 3 Saints: Toby plus mates, Maya plus mates and Matt Targett plus female. All three calm, friendly and happy for a quick chat although most fans left them in peace. All a credit to the club. Cheers

[ART]

Toby was indeed incredible today but those scumbags at the Sunday Mirror gave him the lowest rating of both teams.

[DrZuess1979 the 2nd]

Defiantly seen those given (pen)

But he was going down before targett made contact

Evens itself out over the year (long getting vollied into the air)

[cambsaint]

Having read Rule 12, there appears to be some discretion for the referee if as happened today the offending player lost their footing unintentionally. It was quite clear on the TV that there was no intent to foul on the part of Targett. It also appeared to me that Fabregas appeared to look at Targett's leg and make absolutely certain that he fell over it rather than jump over it which I am certain he could have easily done and have been in a very dangerous position. I also was certain that mane was fouled in the build up to Chelsea's goal.

Anyway the rule is that the referee is the only and final arbiter so whatever whingeing Mourinho makes stands for nought. I must add that the pundits frequently don't seem to have actually read the rules when they pontificate.

Am I biased-of course but no more than Mourinho.

Apart from that a superb team performance against the league's best team and without both first choice full-backs although Targett was magnificent.

Refererence the West Ham position, there is a massive difference in goal difference and over a season goal difference is almost always a very accurate indicator of final positioning. In the bad old days when we where invariably fighting relegation, I always awtched GD like a hawk and it was never wrong.

Finally I trust that Mourinho will be subject to FA disciplinary action for his inflammatory comments about the refereeing today.

[DT]

Have to say, watching it again, what a pass from Fabregas for their goal. Some player.

[DT]

Him and Hazard will secure the championship

[Sour Mash]

Him and Hazard will secure the championship

I thought Hazard was ridiculously good, such a class player, he's above anyone else in the Prmier League currently.

[Batman]

Watching the reply

I would be very annoyed had we not got that penalty

[Sour Mash]

Toby mom for me.

Has he had anything even coming close to an average game for us yet? Absolute class every week in my eyes.

[Batman]

Has he had anything even coming close to an average game for us yet? Absolute class every week in my eyes.

 

He is brilliant

[Appy]

Has he had anything even coming close to an average game for us yet? Absolute class every week in my eyes.

 

Burnley is the only one that springs to mind.

[Gingeletiss]

Having read Rule 12, there appears to be some discretion for the referee if as happened today the offending player lost their footing unintentionally. It was quite clear on the TV that there was no intent to foul on the part of Targett. It also appeared to me that Fabregas appeared to look at Targett's leg and make absolutely certain that he fell over it rather than jump over it which I am certain he could have easily done and have been in a very dangerous position. I also was certain that mane was fouled in the build up to Chelsea's goal.

Anyway the rule is that the referee is the only and final arbiter so whatever whingeing Mourinho makes stands for nought. I must add that the pundits frequently don't seem to have actually read the rules when they pontificate.

Am I biased-of course but no more than Mourinho.

Apart from that a superb team performance against the league's best team and without both first choice full-backs although Targett was magnificent.

Refererence the West Ham position, there is a massive difference in goal difference and over a season goal difference is almost always a very accurate indicator of final positioning. In the bad old days when we where invariably fighting relegation, I always awtched GD like a hawk and it was never wrong.

Finally I trust that Mourinho will be subject to FA disciplinary action for his inflammatory comments about the refereeing today.

 

They are actually Laws, but I agree with your assessment.

[Batman]

Watching MOTD

Seeing hull batter Leicester but not score is like our game away to Leeds the other year

[DT]

I thought Hazard was ridiculously good, such a class player, he's above anyone else in the Prmier League currently.

 

Also seems to - annoyingly - love playing against us!

[Hamilton Saint]

Has he had anything even coming close to an average game for us yet? Absolute class every week in my eyes.

 

Indeed. The best new player for us this season.

[Hamilton Saint]

Having read Rule 12, there appears to be some discretion for the referee if as happened today the offending player lost their footing unintentionally. It was quite clear on the TV that there was no intent to foul on the part of Targett. It also appeared to me that Fabregas appeared to look at Targett's leg and make absolutely certain that he fell over it rather than jump over it which I am certain he could have easily done and have been in a very dangerous position. I also was certain that mane was fouled in the build up to Chelsea's goal.

Anyway the rule is that the referee is the only and final arbiter so whatever whingeing Mourinho makes stands for nought. I must add that the pundits frequently don't seem to have actually read the rules when they pontificate.

Am I biased-of course but no more than Mourinho.

Apart from that a superb team performance against the league's best team and without both first choice full-backs although Targett was magnificent.

Refererence the West Ham position, there is a massive difference in goal difference and over a season goal difference is almost always a very accurate indicator of final positioning. In the bad old days when we where invariably fighting relegation, I always awtched GD like a hawk and it was never wrong.

Finally I trust that Mourinho will be subject to FA disciplinary action for his inflammatory comments about the refereeing today.

 

Agreed. But instead of criticizing the ref directly - and on his own behalf - he took the weasel's route and claimed there is a "campaign" against Chelsea. It really is disgraceful behaviour coming from a manager. You can see his influence on his team. They are constantly trying to con and pressure the ref.