Saints 1 West Ham 3 - Post Match

[Convict Colony]

Gabbiadini and Ward-Prowse the only positives out of that for me.

 

What !!

[Winnersaint]

 

Do they put something in the carrots in Norwich or is everyone like you?

 

Isn't there a saying about being "normal for Norfolk"

[Mr X]

Surely noone can argue that we have become a worse team under puel, we were doing ok at the start but the more we took on board his formations & tactics the worse we got! The only reason we were ok at the start is because the players were still playing in the style they knew, We have now shipped nine goals in four games!

 

 

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[Saint Fan CaM]

Not a good display, with only Gabbiadini looking a positive. I do not blame the players for this however. Puel and Black are to blame for not getting the best out of a largely gifted group of players - the coaching and method is just not good enough and they are dragging us down.

 

I also hold Reed accountable for allowing the CB situation to have developed into a shambles - Stephens and Yoshida as a pairing provide us with almost L1 levels of ineptitude. If we win the cup it will be a miracle. Something significant needs to change to ensure we're not dragged into a relegation tussle...6 defeats in 7 should be a clear indication that the management of the team is not up to the job.

[scotty]

Isn't there a saying about being "normal for Norfolk"

 

I watched "Back to the Future" in Norwich. Near the end I suddenly thought "bloody hell, he's going to f*ck his mother!!"

 

Luckily, the usher saw them too and threw them out of the cinema.

 

 

(That's about the only grin I can muster after yesterdays debacle.)

[LeBenali]

Right now I'd be happy with Nigel Pearson until the end of the season, he may be able to get some fire back into the players bellies, and is capable of helping teams survive (we ourselves are an example of this).

 

And yes, I know how ridiculous this sounds considering we could have had Pellegrini or Garcia in the summer had we (Reed) not been so arrogant in our demands.

 

 

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[red&white56]

Yay 14th and no trophy, with another 14th place to look forward to next season.

What a fuçking waste of time.

 

How long have you been supporting Saints? Look at our history, look at our competition - if we get a top 10 finish then we are doing well. Right now we are slipping back. I think we have a squad capable of a top 10 finish, but it's not working right now.

 

i just hope the backroom boys are looking at this and trying to come up with something different.

[derry]

What is really killing us is the management's obsession with playing deep keeping possession for the sake of it, not pressing and having a slow tempo. Usually when first we have the ball deep, two or three front players make a run and when the ball is passed sideways instead of up to the runners they find themselves with nowhere to go. Offside is usually the result if the ball is eventually played up.

 

There needs to be a fundamental change because the players aren't as bad as the performances. If the manager can't see this he has to go because it stands out like a dog's balls.

Whatever the formation we need to start from the front, start pressing hard, close down the opposition and play with a high tempo, lose the ball, gang up to get it back and try and get the ball up to the attackers quickly.

 

Davis, JWP and Clasie physically don't suit, put in Hojbjerg with Romeu then play four attackers, Gabbiadini with either Long and or Rodriguez with a choice of one of Sims, Redmond Tadic or Boufal and go for a physical presence and a bit of height. We have far too many physically lightweight and/or slow players. Boufal for all his qualities can't be bothered to track back more than ten yards before he gives up, Redmond JWP and Davis can't tackle, Clasie can tackle but is slow and negative.

 

We need to change back to the way that suits the players. Puel deserves the sack for unnecessarily completely changing from day one, first the diamond then the 4-3-3. With staggering complacency Puel continues to play the same way even though it doesn't work.

 

Yesterday Rodriguez showed the way with a superb early chip over the top that put Gabbiadini clear for his superb goal. Stephens lost Carrol for the first goal, The whole team after clearing the corner just stood inside the area, nobody came out to press the ball and allowed the shot for the goal, Davis not for the first time waved his foot at the ball and gave Forster no chance for the third. Forster was expecting Carroll to go across him but Carroll finished with his swinger just inside the near post, for the second it looked like with all the bodies in front of him he didn't see the ball until the last second. At the time I thought he was absolutely useless but on reflection he had little chance with at least two.

[Charlie Wayman]

Right now I'd be happy with Nigel Pearson until the end of the season

 

And yes, I know how ridiculous this sounds

 

 

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So why bother posting such rubbish?

[alehouseboys]

https://southamptonfc.com/news/2017-02-04/match-report-southampton-west-ham-united-premier-league

 

That's a very inappropiate photo of the advertising hoarding behind the players trudging off.

[Forester]

I feel that there is a hell of a lot of unfair stuff on here. A few thoughts from me, having been at Swansea and all booked up for Sunderland Saturday that feels like a really big game now:

 

- Some comments that have been made don't actually reflect the match. Rehashed quotes on boring sideways football. But that wasn't what happened yesterday. We had twenty odd shots, created a lot, and I thought looked much more threatening across the front three, including when Redmond (who was woeful at Swansea) came on.

- Linked to this, Manolo looked a class act. Very rarely gave the ball away, looked bright off the ball too and can hold it up. Very promising

- The fundamental problem was our centre back and holding midfield position. I am a supported of Reed, who has done a great job over six years. But he has messed up in January, not Puel, having publicly stated that Fonte would NOT leave unless replacement was lined up. He has failed to do this and let Puel down. If you read the usually ultra loyal Puel press conference comments in the run up to the window closing its obvious he was angling for a new centre back.

- Puel has taken us to a cup final, if we had won yesterday we would have been top half and so calls for the sack are mad. But now we have limited centre back resources until VVD returns I think he will have to consider a change in formation. Option one is 4-2-3-1. Like most I rate Romeo highly, who is much more of an attacking force and technically gifted than Wanyama. However, he doesn't shield the centre backs as well as Wanyama did. And I think we need to switch to two holding midfielders, logically that would be Clasie as the second one. Alternatively, we go 3-5-2 with McQueen and Cedric as wing backs and use Bertrand as third centre back which we know he can do well as unde Koeman.

 

So overall there were some positives, it wasn't a boring sideways passing affair, but unless we change our defensive formation we will carry on leaking goals

[Mr X]

https://southamptonfc.com/news/2017-02-04/match-report-southampton-west-ham-united-premier-league

 

That's a very inappropiate photo of the advertising hoarding behind the players trudging off.

They won't let us down ! Hmmmm

 

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[Crab Lungs]

People who keep quoting shots and crosses as 'chances' really, really don't understand football.

[Window Cleaner]

People who keep quoting shots and crosses as 'chances' really, really don't understand football.

 

Certainly not some of the "shots" that I saw sailing into row Z against Swansea the other evening. Punting it 5 yards over the bar and 10 feet wide is not a "shot. It's a gift ball to the opposition. Van Gaal made Utd's players cut that out, he was of course lambasted for "negative football" but it was exactly that before..

[eelpie]

- The fundamental problem was our centre back and holding midfield position. I am a supported of Reed, who has done a great job over six years. But he has messed up in January, not Puel, having publicly stated that Fonte would NOT leave unless replacement was lined up. He has failed to do this and let Puel down.

 

Reed messed up in the summer and January.

He has been complacent, and his conceit will not admit catastrophic mistakes, mainly:

Selling Mane (cheaply)and Pele without fit proven goalscoring replacements.

Gambling on Puel's experiments and appointing Black, losing Sammy Lee.

Selling Fonte without backing up with a fit, skilful replacement at CB

Edited 5 February, 2017 by eelpie

[derry]

Certainly not some of the "shots" that I saw sailing into row Z against Swansea the other evening. Punting it 5 yards over the bar and 10 feet wide is not a "shot. It's a gift ball to the opposition. Van Gaal made Utd's players cut that out, he was of course lambasted for "negative football" but it was exactly that before..

 

In the last five minutes we put at least four half way up the Chapel. Most of our shots yesterday were just speculative having run out of ideas and were mostly viewed by Randolph sailing into the Northam or Chapel or worse like Redmond's shot last week that didn't even make the goal line shanked over the touch line. We really only should count shots on target and work on improving that.

[Saint_Ash]

I feel that there is a hell of a lot of unfair stuff on here. A few thoughts from me, having been at Swansea and all booked up for Sunderland Saturday that feels like a really big game now:

 

- Some comments that have been made don't actually reflect the match. Rehashed quotes on boring sideways football. But that wasn't what happened yesterday. We had twenty odd shots, created a lot, and I thought looked much more threatening across the front three, including when Redmond (who was woeful at Swansea) came on.

- Linked to this, Manolo looked a class act. Very rarely gave the ball away, looked bright off the ball too and can hold it up. Very promising

- The fundamental problem was our centre back and holding midfield position. I am a supported of Reed, who has done a great job over six years. But he has messed up in January, not Puel, having publicly stated that Fonte would NOT leave unless replacement was lined up. He has failed to do this and let Puel down. If you read the usually ultra loyal Puel press conference comments in the run up to the window closing its obvious he was angling for a new centre back.

- Puel has taken us to a cup final, if we had won yesterday we would have been top half and so calls for the sack are mad. But now we have limited centre back resources until VVD returns I think he will have to consider a change in formation. Option one is 4-2-3-1. Like most I rate Romeo highly, who is much more of an attacking force and technically gifted than Wanyama. However, he doesn't shield the centre backs as well as Wanyama did. And I think we need to switch to two holding midfielders, logically that would be Clasie as the second one. Alternatively, we go 3-5-2 with McQueen and Cedric as wing backs and use Bertrand as third centre back which we know he can do well as unde Koeman.

 

So overall there were some positives, it wasn't a boring sideways passing affair, but unless we change our defensive formation we will carry on leaking goals

Great post, sums up my thoughts.

[LeBizzier69]

What I will never understand is why a manager and his team can't say "this clearly isn't working with these players - let's change the system and see how they cope with that for a few weeks". Just seems a complete lack of flexibility in formation/system.

I hate seeing us sit so deep without the ball, especially being used latterly to high pressure/pressing football. Just looks so negative.

[Adkins' Bus]

There have been games this season that I have been hugely unimpressed with our tactics and style of play. The sideways passing takes any life out of the game. However, I really don't believe that is why we lost today. I feel people are reacting more to the result than the performance. My observations from today were:

 

Gabbiadini looks an excellent acquisition and may well be able to hold the ball up effectively. He has quick feet and close control so the ball sticks to him and he can bring others in. Contrast that to Rodriguez, who was simply awful. The ball regularly bounces off him, he's ponderous and always turns into trouble. I'm not Redmond's biggest fan, and was disgusted with his last minute long shot, but he made a big difference when he came on.

 

James Ward-Prowse is too slow to make a difference at this level. He tries hard but never quite gets there, and he isn't forward thinking enough to have much impact in the final third (although he did well to get a header in near the end). He's also not as brilliant at set pieces as people like to make out.

 

Thought that Bertrand was arguably or best player today. Gabbiadini and Romeu were also decent. Davis was ok but can't shoot for toffee and we lose so much from not having a goal threat from midfield. We've known this for a long time.

 

West Ham were not particularly good today - I certainly didn't see them "bullying" us in a more professional display until the last 20 minutes when they sat back on a two goal lead and we were tiring - just as Swansea weren't that good on Tuesday, but they were both able to score against us without working especially hard for it. This isn't because our tactics allowed them to cut us open at will, but rather because we have a handful of weak links in the team that cannot be depended on for 90 minutes. Stephens & Yoshida weren't too bad but they were poor for the equaliser. The second goal should never be going in but Forster is so slow, just as he was for Sigurdsson's makeshift volley, and the third goal was a bit lucky but nevertheless got absolutely no reaction from Forster who was rooted to the spot. Had Forster been in goal for West Ham at least two of our shots would have gone in.

 

I don't disagree that our style of play could be better at times, and I'm certainly not convinced that Puel is the right manager, but I really cannot believe how many people immediately lay blame for today's defeat at his feet when we have glaring weaknesses all over the pitch, but particularly at GK, CB and CM. the spine of the team. Great. Puel cannot be held accountable for not having good enough players, unless it's for team selection.

 

This is a very fair assessment of the game

[hackedoff]

going to go through the bottom of this league quicker than a vindaloo through a baby.The warning signs have been there,so no excuses.

[Window Cleaner]

going to go through the bottom of this league quicker than a vindaloo through a baby.The warning signs have been there,so no excuses.

 

But Leicester will get there before us.

[hackedoff]

But Leicester will get there before us.

 

If only one team went down,then this would be beneficial.

[fanimal]

If only Yoshida had booted the ball instead of letting it go through; If only Davis had twice run out of puff in front of goal after beating several players; if only Manolo had connected properly we would have drawn or won!! The crucial moments were the quick equaliser and conceding just before HT. I said at HT the next goal would be key; had we scored which we could and should have we would have had the momentum with us. So frustrating when we recall how many times we got in behind them in the second half. Not all gloom and doom, but we need 11 fighters next week no lightweight powder puffs.

[East Kent Saint]

Leicester managed to hang on to their forwards but seem to really miss Kante plus Mahrez has fallen apart since his move didn't happen in the summer. Vardy looked out of sorts after not moving to Arsenal but the team are not playing as well this season leaving him isolated up front . At the back Huth and Morgan look slow and their defence looks porous like ours !

So hanging on to players is not the answer but refreshing the team is but not wholesale big name transfers that don't get played a la Man U under Van G .

[Lighthouse]

If only one team went down,then this would be beneficial.

 

I'm trying to figure out how many teams are going down.

 

I've been reliably told by some on here, we're as good as down. Leicester and Bompey are in similarly poor form, so surely they go down too. Palace just got battered by Sunderland and Hull beat Liverpool. Boro lost 3-1 at home to West Ham, so they've got to come down too. Swansea beat us last week, so they're staying up. Watford, have just won 2 in a row, so they're staying up but before they lost 6 out of 8, which is similar form to us, so they're going down.

 

As far as I can work out, Sunderland, Swansea, Watford and Hull are definitely safe and we're going down with Watford, Palace, Bompey, Leicester and Boro.

[The Cat]

As far as I can work out, Sunderland, Swansea, Watford and Hull are definitely safe and we're going down with Watford, Palace, Bompey, Leicester and Boro.

 

Ha. If people thought we had a lot of games this season it will be nothing compared to next season in the Championship with 27 teams.

[Dark Munster]

Right now I'd be happy with Nigel Pearson until the end of the season, he may be able to get some fire back into the players bellies, and is capable of helping teams survive (we ourselves are an example of this).

 

And yes, I know how ridiculous this sounds considering we could have had Pellegrini or Garcia in the summer had we (Reed) not been so arrogant in our demands.

 

 

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I've said it before, bring him in at least as fitness/sports science coach. Look at physioroom injury table, we're regularly at the top and Leicester regularly at the bottom.

[musesaint]

Feel sorry for Leicester... but at least they're slightly *s*hi**ter than us .... as we slide towards the championship we need all the help we can get!

[mrfahaji]

I feel that there is a hell of a lot of unfair stuff on here. A few thoughts from me, having been at Swansea and all booked up for Sunderland Saturday that feels like a really big game now:

 

- Some comments that have been made don't actually reflect the match. Rehashed quotes on boring sideways football. But that wasn't what happened yesterday. We had twenty odd shots, created a lot, and I thought looked much more threatening across the front three, including when Redmond (who was woeful at Swansea) came on.

- Linked to this, Manolo looked a class act. Very rarely gave the ball away, looked bright off the ball too and can hold it up. Very promising

- The fundamental problem was our centre back and holding midfield position. I am a supported of Reed, who has done a great job over six years. But he has messed up in January, not Puel, having publicly stated that Fonte would NOT leave unless replacement was lined up. He has failed to do this and let Puel down. If you read the usually ultra loyal Puel press conference comments in the run up to the window closing its obvious he was angling for a new centre back.

- Puel has taken us to a cup final, if we had won yesterday we would have been top half and so calls for the sack are mad. But now we have limited centre back resources until VVD returns I think he will have to consider a change in formation. Option one is 4-2-3-1. Like most I rate Romeo highly, who is much more of an attacking force and technically gifted than Wanyama. However, he doesn't shield the centre backs as well as Wanyama did. And I think we need to switch to two holding midfielders, logically that would be Clasie as the second one. Alternatively, we go 3-5-2 with McQueen and Cedric as wing backs and use Bertrand as third centre back which we know he can do well as unde Koeman.

 

So overall there were some positives, it wasn't a boring sideways passing affair, but unless we change our defensive formation we will carry on leaking goals

 

Hallelujah, someone that watched the same match as me, thought I was going mad for a while!

[Mr Biscuits]

Now I've calmed down......

 

Not strong enough at the back

Not good enough up front (I'm hoping Gabbiadini changes this but he can't if he doesn't get the supply)

 

 

One win will make a massive difference but I can't see us getting it.

[DuncanRG]

One win will make a massive difference

 

What really worries me is that we've been saying this all season, and when the wins come they don't mark a turning point. That, to me, is a symptom of a team which isn't fully together, something which also comes out in a fair few player interviews when they call for unity.

Edited 5 February, 2017 by DuncanRG

[Jonnyboy]

People who keep quoting shots and crosses as 'chances' really, really don't understand football.

 

You'll be telling me the sitters in the box that have been squandered all season long by Rodriguez, Long, Redmond, Austin, JWP, Davis etc etc weren't chances then.

[sloppy-giuseppe]

Hi. This is my first post on here, so a little bit of background to start with.

I have been a member for some time, but only as a ‘reader’, never intending to post really, as I now live in New Zealand. But I was a season ticket holder at the Dell from 1988, and then at St Mary’s until 2005.

 

Things are not going well at the moment, so I’ve come out of my shell to say what I think. I’ve always tried to support the Manager, [even Branfoot] as when things go wrong it’s not always their fault.

 

But to my mind a good Coach is not the same as a good Manager. It’s a different job, and I think the two have become confused over recent years, with lots of examples! Mourinho is a good manager, [ although he lost my support over the Eva Carneiro affair], and he employs good coaches to look after that side of things.

 

A manager is a more ‘Executive’ person, who should dictate playing styles, tactics, selections to fit those, transfers, substitutions etc. It’s a very different job. Far too often good ‘Coaches’ are appointed ‘Manager’, and found wanting. A manager has to devise a system to suit his players, or buy players to suit his system. One or the other. At the moment, it seems to me that we are not playing the system to suit the players we have.

 

There’s no doubt that we have been very unlucky with injuries, that as a ‘small’ club we cannot afford. Not in this quantity. I know a lot has been made of our ‘wonderful’ Nursery system for young players – but you can only introduce one or two at a time, or too much is expected of them.

 

The last thing you get with young players is ‘consistency’.

 

As for Puel – I do think he’s a bit inflexible. I think I would like a change, but I don’t think it will happen, unless we go down. Which will be too late, of course.

 

Frankly I don’t give a damn about the Cup. The old ‘League Cup’ was always a bit of a joke – and so will this be if we win it and go down.

 

Although we are not quite in the relegation Zone yet, we are most certainly in relegation Form.

 

That’s all I have to say. Will be quiet now for another 10 years !

[alehouseboys]

What really worries me is that we've been saying this all season, and when the wins come they don't mark a turning point. That, to me, is a symptom of a team which isn't fully together, something which also comes out in a fair few player interviews when they call for unity.

 

It's what we do, (if we) win a game...we change the team. No continuity, "don't change a winning side" was always a popular saying, same with strikers, if they start finding the net, stick with them.

[charliemiller]

Things that need to change ..........

 

1) We have a Goalkeeper who clearly is carrying a injury , he now has the worst shots on target to saves ratio in the football league , saturday three shots three goals . Change now .

 

2) Saturday he picked a side that was crying out for 4 1 2 1 2 with boufal playing in the hole and width from the full backs ...but no stick boufal out wide and jay rod ...in some sort of 4 1 2 3 . Boufal is best playing number 10 .

 

Pick the best team and formation and stick to it for gods sake

[Wes Tender]

I feel that there is a hell of a lot of unfair stuff on here. A few thoughts from me, having been at Swansea and all booked up for Sunderland Saturday that feels like a really big game now:

 

- Some comments that have been made don't actually reflect the match. Rehashed quotes on boring sideways football. But that wasn't what happened yesterday. We had twenty odd shots, created a lot, and I thought looked much more threatening across the front three, including when Redmond (who was woeful at Swansea) came on.

- Linked to this, Manolo looked a class act. Very rarely gave the ball away, looked bright off the ball too and can hold it up. Very promising

- The fundamental problem was our centre back and holding midfield position. I am a supported of Reed, who has done a great job over six years. But he has messed up in January, not Puel, having publicly stated that Fonte would NOT leave unless replacement was lined up. He has failed to do this and let Puel down. If you read the usually ultra loyal Puel press conference comments in the run up to the window closing its obvious he was angling for a new centre back.

- Puel has taken us to a cup final, if we had won yesterday we would have been top half and so calls for the sack are mad. But now we have limited centre back resources until VVD returns I think he will have to consider a change in formation. Option one is 4-2-3-1. Like most I rate Romeo highly, who is much more of an attacking force and technically gifted than Wanyama. However, he doesn't shield the centre backs as well as Wanyama did. And I think we need to switch to two holding midfielders, logically that would be Clasie as the second one. Alternatively, we go 3-5-2 with McQueen and Cedric as wing backs and use Bertrand as third centre back which we know he can do well as unde Koeman.

 

So overall there were some positives, it wasn't a boring sideways passing affair, but unless we change our defensive formation we will carry on leaking goals

 

A very fair summary.

 

I think that Gabbiadini will prove to be a very astute buy judging by his performance on Saturday. He will probably solve much of the problem we have had with finishing up front and seems to be the sort of player who could form a decent partnership with our other forward players.

 

Now that we don't have the fixture congestion for the rest of the season, we can play a more settled team, but our recent form reflects the loss of key players through injury. I do wish that others on here who blame Puel for bad results would make some sort of allowance for this, which is not something that he can be held responsible for. We have had awfully bad luck with injuries, arguably more so than any other team at our level.

[wild-saint]

For what its worth I thought Jay Rods first half performance was as bad as any I have ever seen. well worst since Ali Dia (and thats saying something). Jack Stevens isnt strong enough and doesnt read the game well enough to be considered a premier league Centre back. Yoshida will always struggle without a top drawer defender alongside him.

 

Gabbiadini looks exactly what we are missing up front. A good finisher, strong enough to hold the ball up, mobile / decent pace and makes really good runs.

 

We will have enough to grind out the wins to stay up but we are in a fight for sure.

[Graffito]

For what its worth I thought Jay Rods first half performance was as bad as any I have ever seen. well worst since Ali Dia (and thats saying something). Jack Stevens isnt strong enough and doesnt read the game well enough to be considered a premier league Centre back. Yoshida will always struggle without a top drawer defender alongside him.

 

Gabbiadini looks exactly what we are missing up front. A good finisher, strong enough to hold the ball up, mobile / decent pace and makes really good runs.

 

We will have enough to grind out the wins to stay up but we are in a fight for sure.

 

Rodrigues had a poor first half but, and it's a big but, he played Gabbiadini in for his goal. It was the kind of ball our midfield failed to play all match yet which Gabbiadini and Long were looking for. Oh and comparing JR's performance to Ali Dia is just plain ridiculous.

[benjii]

Rodrigues had a poor first half but, and it's a big but, he played Gabbiadini in for his goal. It was the kind of ball our midfield failed to play all match yet which Gabbiadini and Long were looking for. Oh and comparing JR's performance to Ali Dia is just plain ridiculous.

 

Agree.

 

On the whole he was sloppy and sluggish and it was right to take him off. But he still did what none of our midfielders managed all match and played a genuinely incisive forward pass.

[Matthew Le God]

Rodrigues had a poor first half.

 

Well he is 73 years old!

 

 

[mrfahaji]

Agree.

 

On the whole he was sloppy and sluggish and it was right to take him off. But he still did what none of our midfielders managed all match and played a genuinely incisive forward pass.

 

I do recall a great ball in behind from Davis with the outside of his foot that Gabbiadini was just offside for. I know I'm clutching at straws...

[AK]

I thought JayRod was deliberately playing badly as if he was sulking over not getting a January move. It was by far the least effort I have ever seen him put in,mind you he still made more of a telling contribution than most of his team mates.

[benjii]

I do recall a great ball in behind from Davis with the outside of his foot that Gabbiadini was just offside for. I know I'm clutching at straws...

 

That's true. I discount it due to the offside but in fairness it was a good pass!

[Graffito]

Well he is 73 years old!

 

 

 

Thanks for the nice photos. He's looking very well for 73 isn't he?

[fanimal]

Jay Rod was clearly injured FGS cut some slack please same as with FF who had no chance with the 3 goals as per usual other team has 4 OT and 3 go in via 2 deflections. You cannot make it up….

[oldsaint]

I feel that there is a hell of a lot of unfair stuff on here. A few thoughts from me, having been at Swansea and all booked up for Sunderland Saturday that feels like a really big game now:

 

- Some comments that have been made don't actually reflect the match. Rehashed quotes on boring sideways football. But that wasn't what happened yesterday. We had twenty odd shots, created a lot, and I thought looked much more threatening across the front three, including when Redmond (who was woeful at Swansea) came on.

- Linked to this, Manolo looked a class act. Very rarely gave the ball away, looked bright off the ball too and can hold it up. Very promising

- The fundamental problem was our centre back and holding midfield position. I am a supported of Reed, who has done a great job over six years. But he has messed up in January, not Puel, having publicly stated that Fonte would NOT leave unless replacement was lined up. He has failed to do this and let Puel down. If you read the usually ultra loyal Puel press conference comments in the run up to the window closing its obvious he was angling for a new centre back.

- Puel has taken us to a cup final, if we had won yesterday we would have been top half and so calls for the sack are mad. But now we have limited centre back resources until VVD returns I think he will have to consider a change in formation. Option one is 4-2-3-1. Like most I rate Romeo highly, who is much more of an attacking force and technically gifted than Wanyama. However, he doesn't shield the centre backs as well as Wanyama did. And I think we need to switch to two holding midfielders, logically that would be Clasie as the second one. Alternatively, we go 3-5-2 with McQueen and Cedric as wing backs and use Bertrand as third centre back which we know he can do well as unde Koeman.

 

So overall there were some positives, it wasn't a boring sideways passing affair, but unless we change our defensive formation we will carry on leaking goals

 

Rubbish comments 21 shot cant remember their goalie making a decent save open your eyes, statistics mean nothing only the score at the end of the game. counts. I did not think we would win at any stage of game and look at the score we lost and we lost 7 out of eight so no improvement at all just getting worse . There was no sideway football becuse they pinned us ( we pinned ourselves ) in our half 80% of the game ,just kick anywhere football by saints. God help us all if you see any positives in our Manager lose to Sunderland hes gone.

[AK]

Jay Rod was clearly injured FGS cut some slack please same as with FF who had no chance with the 3 goals as per usual other team has 4 OT and 3 go in via 2 deflections. You cannot make it up….

 

If he was clearly injured , it begs the question why did they play him? If you can tell from the stands that he's injured you would have thought the manager might know from seeing him in training and all the up to date sports science equipment and information we have.

[Forester]

Rubbish comments 21 shot cant remember their goalie making a decent save open your eyes, statistics mean nothing only the score at the end of the game. counts. I did not think we would win at any stage of game and look at the score we lost and we lost 7 out of eight so no improvement at all just getting worse . There was no sideway football becuse they pinned us ( we pinned ourselves ) in our half 80% of the game ,just kick anywhere football by saints. God help us all if you see any positives in our Manager lose to Sunderland hes gone.

What an elegant reply. Could you be troubled to check the number of shots ON TARGET for us and them, and then post again please? Look forward to the update, many thanks

[mrfahaji]

Rubbish comments 21 shot cant remember their goalie making a decent save open your eyes, statistics mean nothing only the score at the end of the game. counts. I did not think we would win at any stage of game and look at the score we lost and we lost 7 out of eight so no improvement at all just getting worse . There was no sideway football becuse they pinned us ( we pinned ourselves ) in our half 80% of the game ,just kick anywhere football by saints. God help us all if you see any positives in our Manager lose to Sunderland hes gone.

 

Unfortunately this just sums up how ludicrous some opinions can be. "Only the score at the end of the game counts" - maybe in terms of points and league position, but not in terms of analysing what went wrong. People see we lost and seem to work backwards to find a story that fits. If you think the entire game was played in our half then you must not have watched the game. If anything the opposite is true, West Ham were happy to sit back and let us have the ball rather than 'pinning' us back. West Ham barely had any attacks all game and I felt we still had a way back into the game until about 70/75 minutes when we were starting to tire and looked like we were running out of ideas. A friend of mine (non-Saints fan) said to me yesterday after seeing MOTD, "their first goal... seemed... pretty easy?" and that's just it. West Ham didn't have many chances, but equally they didn't NEED many chances, we gifted them goals and a two goal lead which most Premier League teams are capable of defending.

 

And in terms of Randolph not making a decent save, I'll grant you that he didn't do anything breathtaking, but Ward-Prowse had a shot from a similar position to Obiang and Randolph tipped it round the post, Ward-Prowse also hit a free kick that he did well to get over and save - funnily enough when it happened we said that had Forster been in goal it would have gone in and then West Ham scored their free kick from a similar position a few minutes later - and he also tipped over a JWP header. Add to that Gabbiadini hit a snapshot over which he should have scored from and suddenly your argument falls a little flat. But I know, I know, we lost so everything from the first minute to the last must necessarily have been awful.

[ALWAYS_SFC]

Rubbish comments 21 shot cant remember their goalie making a decent save open your eyes, statistics mean nothing only the score at the end of the game. counts. I did not think we would win at any stage of game and look at the score we lost and we lost 7 out of eight so no improvement at all just getting worse . There was no sideway football becuse they pinned us ( we pinned ourselves ) in our half 80% of the game ,just kick anywhere football by saints. God help us all if you see any positives in our Manager lose to Sunderland hes gone.

 

 

Were you "watching" it on a web commentary page...