Saints 1 Spurs 1 - Post Match Reaction

[wadesmith]

I have similar feelings about Long's goal to orbit of Halley's comet ratio.

 

Yes. I feel Davis's best hope is that Watford slow down sacking managers.

[Jonnyboy]

Watching Bertie being interviewed on motd 2.

...

Does he dye his moustache?

[Donatello]

Not cos you are a thick cnt then?

 

[Saint Pete]

Over hit passes, slowed game down, mis placed passes, needless fouls, fell over, painfully slow...........enough??

Would rather have Sims in the side.

 

Sorry, but you are clueless if you think Tadic was poor today.

 

Watch the highlights tomorrow and you will see that Tadic was involved in nearly all of our best moments, even when moved out of his best position on the left.

[Donatello]

Nope. Gabbi for me any day. Long offers nothing other than pointless running.

 

Which, funnily enough, is a fair summary of Gabbiadini at this time, with his skillset, in this side, with these players/team-mates. Ultimately, both of their all-round games are vastly lacking.

[Heisenberg]

Finally a midfield three of Romeu, Lemina and PEH. It worked, too. Really good pressing all round and they rarely settled on the ball. They missed Erickson badly though.

 

Nice to be able to be remotely positive for once.

 

Only caught the 2nd half but thought Lemina looked sloppy. Few poor passes and loose touches.

 

Thought comparatively to Dembele at Spurs he looked poor.

 

Hoping its a small blip, but since his injury seems to have dropped ability levels

[Lighthouse]

Which, funnily enough, is a fair summary of Gabbiadini at this time, with his skillset, in this side, with these players/team-mates. Ultimately, both of their all-round games are vastly lacking.

 

He does at least offer intelligent running, finishing ability and some understanding of the offside rule.

 

Not saying that Gabbi has been good, far from it. I'm saying he is the one with the capacity to improve, based on past performances. Long will forever be the 5 goal a season, handsome Brett Ormerod he has been his whole career.

[Pamplemousse]

Only caught the 2nd half but thought Lemina looked sloppy. Few poor passes and loose touches.

 

Thought comparatively to Dembele at Spurs he looked poor.

 

Hoping its a small blip, but since his injury seems to have dropped ability levels

 

He was very good in the first half, he seemed to be quite tired in the second half, which I think is why he dropped off. Probably should've been subbed slightly earlier

[Pamplemousse]

He does at least offer intelligent running, finishing ability and some understanding of the offside rule.

 

Not saying that Gabbi has been good, far from it. I'm saying he is the one with the capacity to improve, based on past performances. Long will forever be the 5 goal a season, handsome Brett Ormerod he has been his whole career.

 

Long played well at Watford but his good moments came when he was out wide. I wouldn't be against him becoming our automatic right winger and Gabbiadini/Austin/new striker playing centrally.

[Simon3737]

Watching Bertie being interviewed on motd 2.

...

Does he dye his moustache?

 

It does look like it!

 

He came across very well in that interview I thought. I’m a big fan of MOTD2 having an intelligent discussion at the side of the pitch, rather than in a studio with fancy graphics etc.

[saintwbu]

Only caught the 2nd half but thought Lemina looked sloppy. Few poor passes and loose touches.

 

Thought comparatively to Dembele at Spurs he looked poor.

 

Hoping its a small blip, but since his injury seems to have dropped ability levels

 

Always very good on the ball but I often worry about his decision making and his choice of when to keep simple and when to try something more adventurous. However Dembele wouldnt have had any impact whatsoever if that ****ing idiot Kevin Friend could do his job. 6 times Dembele fouled one of our CM’s as they attempted to break, if he’d have been booked for the second one like he should’ve been, he’d have been treading on eggshells for the best part of an hour.

[Donatello]

He does at least offer intelligent running, finishing ability and some understanding of the offside rule.

 

Not saying that Gabbi has been good, far from it. I'm saying he is the one with the capacity to improve, based on past performances. Long will forever be the 5 goal a season, handsome Brett Ormerod he has been his whole career.

 

All true enough, and in sides playing to each of their respective strengths, Gabbi would certainly score more per season, but that's somewhat irrelevant since that isn't the reality of the situation. I personally feel in our current climate that it's a complete toss up between the two, and I'd base it primarily on the strength of the opponent (i.e, weaker teams (where the goal is to win) = Gabbi, stronger teams (where it's a bonus to win) = Long.

 

So, yeah, I would've played Long today if fit, because his style of play would've been more conducive to getting us a result. I guess that wouldn't give either of them much chance to build a run of form though

Edited 22 January, 2018 by Donatello

[Donatello]

Long played well at Watford but his good moments came when he was out wide. I wouldn't be against him becoming our automatic right winger and Gabbiadini/Austin/new striker playing centrally.

 

Can't say I was much of a fan of that under Koeman in 14/15.

[woodsaint]

Was a very good display from the team, they certainly ran themselves into the ground which was pleasing to see. Looking forward to big games against Brighton and WBA, a few observations -

 

1. Stephens needs to toughen up. I know Kane is a class player but Stephens was bullied on so many set pieces. If we dont bring a right sided CB in then id prefer to see Maya back in

2. When we are sitting in, our defensive midfielders have a tendency to drop right on top of our CBs, giving opposition players too much room on the edge of the box to get shots away. We have certainly conceded in this manner a number of times this season (Palace second goal recent example), this needs addressed

3. Again our frontman was isolated too often, hopefully we can address this through buying a pacy winger who can get up in support. Hojbjerg did ok in the advanced role but would rather see him in defensive midfield alongside Lemina.

 

Hopefully if we can add a few additions, keep the workrate high and address some of the problems above, we'll be ok

[Jonnyboy]

this.... and if that handball goal had been disallowed last weekend against Watford we would be feeling a whole lot better.

 

would be in 14th place, 2 points off 10th place.

 

Has the ref from that match commented or the player been sanctioned?

[Vancouver Saint]

This. Let's get ****in' positive for a change.

 

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Agreed Mikey.

 

Made the fatal mistake of reading this thread before posting - can't believe the negativity about that game from some.

 

I am the first to admit that I had us down for a heavy spanking and that MP is a clueless muppet that would be truly exposed - wrong on both counts today.

 

That display showed that the players were playing for him. He put a decent starting line up - and I applaud his bravery for putting Obafemi on...we needed the threat of a pacey outlet up front to keep their defenders back - had he converted that chance would we have been crediting him with a masterstroke? (I doubt it). Crowd support sounded great on the telly too.

 

I am not convinced by MP - but I want to be fair to him too.

 

A point gained for me and a first glimmer of hope that we can turn this around with a motivated squad and a bit more bite up front.

[Heisenberg]

He was very good in the first half, he seemed to be quite tired in the second half, which I think is why he dropped off. Probably should've been subbed slightly earlier

 

Always very good on the ball but I often worry about his decision making and his choice of when to keep simple and when to try something more adventurous. However Dembele wouldnt have had any impact whatsoever if that ****ing idiot Kevin Friend could do his job. 6 times Dembele fouled one of our CM’s as they attempted to break, if he’d have been booked for the second one like he should’ve been, he’d have been treading on eggshells for the best part of an hour.

 

Makes sense. I like him. Could be great for us

[OttawaSaint]

Dunno if I’m just drunk and rambling but something felt a bit different today. Team seened to be more together, more focussed, more up for a fight. Could we have turned the corner?

 

Hopefully we beat Watford with something to spare and carry that into the Brighton game and beyond.

[Heisenberg]

Dunno if I’m just drunk and rambling but something felt a bit different today. Team seened to be more together, more focussed, more up for a fight. Could we have turned the corner?

 

Hopefully we beat Watford with something to spare and carry that into the Brighton game and beyond.

 

Thought the same after the Man united 0-0

 

We then followed up with the performance against Palace

[Manuel]

I'm all for trying youngsters but to put the kid on up front for the last 10 was a risk to far. it should have been Redmond. The kid froze, not his fault

Good point and happy for that but another 1-0 lead lost

The kid has a bit of pace though, and there were a few occasions today when that pace could have paid dividends. I thought it was worth a shout.

[doddisalegend]

Wasn't a bad game at all to watch, conditions were rank though. Pitch doesn't seem to be able to handle the rain much anymore, it was awful against Palace and was equally as awful today. Hopefully they can sort the drainage out.

 

Anyway...onto the game. Overall a really positive performance I felt, pressed them well, won the ball high up by anticipating their errors and created some good openings. From the outside as a natural you’d say that was two good teams on show today, it kind of underlines that we really are in a false position with the players we have.

 

I like the midfield of Lemina, Hoj and Romeu - but for me....I'd swap Lemina and Hoj. Keep Hoj in midfield and push Lemina into the more attacking role, I think he has more pace and strength to cause a problem. We do lack that big arse powerful CB who will leave centre forwards on the floor. Stephens is alright, but (I think it was Stephens) was literally brushed out of the way by Kane, he just moved him aside which underlines his lack of strength.

 

Bertrand had a good game, proper attacking outlet on the left. Cedric also had a good game doing similar down the right, but our left side is easily our strongest area. What you would say though is that this team is crying out for pace, there were opportunities in that game where JWP and even Hoj had space in front of them, but they didn't have the pace to get away.

Pace in the attacking third would make a real difference to this side, I still think we have some really good players in this team. Our next run of games is where I expect us to start pulling ourselves around. We've shown in this game, at Utd and even v Arsenal that we are better than where we are. Maybe it will now finally dawn on everyone that we are actually in real danger.

 

yes there were balls played over the top or round the corner that players with pace could have exploited (helped by spurs high line) but JWP, Tadic and Gabbi just weren't quick enough to take advantage which makes it very comfortable for the opposition defence. I figure that's why long still gets games (shame he ends up shanking the ball into row z) because he offers real pace. Strangely at the end when we brought on the kid (who looked scary quick) we stopped playing those sort of balls when they looked like they would have been perfect for him.

[doddisalegend]

Decent. God it’s nice seeing a keeper who is mobile. Unlucky with our final touches. Glad Erickson wasn’t playing though. We’d have lost. First time I’ve seen a selection before the game and thought he had it about right. Especially no Redmond. Perhaps he’s turned the corner.

 

 

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I still have to pinch myself when I see McCarthy come out and claim a ball at a corner or come of his line to sweep up a through ball. He even got down quickly to a long range shot all things I'd forgotten a keeper was allowed to do.

[doddisalegend]

Only caught the 2nd half but thought Lemina looked sloppy. Few poor passes and loose touches.

 

Thought comparatively to Dembele at Spurs he looked poor.

 

Hoping its a small blip, but since his injury seems to have dropped ability levels

 

yes his passing was poor at times but his tackling, interceptions and breaking up of Spurs play was very good he did a very good job of shielding the saints backline.

[alpine_saint]

yes his passing was poor at times but his tackling, interceptions and breaking up of Spurs play was very good he did a very good job of shielding the saints backline.

 

So he's potentially our new Big Vic ???

[Halo Stickman]

A good combative performance that lifted the crowd and brought hope for the future. The three draws against Arsenal, Man Utd and Spurs, plus our performance at Man City, shows we can get results against the top sides; but, as everyone knows, it's our inept displays against the so-called lesser teams that have left us in this relegation struggle. Right now it feels like the Brighton match is the one that will shape this season's final destiny; I reckon, results-wise, it's our most important match for several seasons. I would like to see the same starting eleven as yesterday with the exception of Long for Gabbiadini and Yoshida for Stephens.

 

Back to yesterday: Bertrand my MOTM, just ahead of PEH, JWP and Tadic.

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Agreed Mikey.

 

Made the fatal mistake of reading this thread before posting - can't believe the negativity about that game from some.

 

I am the first to admit that I had us down for a heavy spanking and that MP is a clueless muppet that would be truly exposed - wrong on both counts today.

 

That display showed that the players were playing for him. He put a decent starting line up - and I applaud his bravery for putting Obafemi on...we needed the threat of a pacey outlet up front to keep their defenders back - had he converted that chance would we have been crediting him with a masterstroke? (I doubt it). Crowd support sounded great on the telly too.

 

I am not convinced by MP - but I want to be fair to him too.

 

A point gained for me and a first glimmer of hope that we can turn this around with a motivated squad and a bit more bite up front.

 

It was a good performance but we have had glimmers of hope before only to come horribly unstuck in the next match.

[John Boy Saint]

All this carping on about Jack Stephens getting bullied by Kane for their goal and he ain't a Premier League centre back, well firstly guess what he is a Premier League centre back, and like many other centre backs playing for other teams he had done to him what Kane has been doing to many supposedly better centre backs for a while now. So get off his back he did hell of a lot of good stuff yesterday away from that moment.

In fact the whole team did well, yes Spurs were missing Eriksson but they have enough menace about them in the rest of the team to put in a performance, Kane, Alli, and Son are leathal as a trio playing together, then add in Dembele with his get out of jail free cards he played everytime he trashed a Saints player - when Romeu got booked you could see him standing off just a little afterwards, if he had been booked as he should have been in the first half the Sours midfield would have been playing with a slow puncture. But the front trio were kept pretty quiet overall due to some hard work, our midfield trio of Romeu, Lemina and PEH were instrumental in that, the three of them each have skills to compliment each other keep that trio together and they will become a formidable combination.

Think the 3 goals in 2 games for JWP really put some petrol in his tank, thought he had an excellent game and was playing at a level we have seen glimpses of. Folks commented about us looking knackered at the end, we for starters we know Pochettinos training regime for fitness, but despite the bulging bank balances the players are still human, to find yourselves in the bottom 3 of the league, up against a side who can rip you to shreds in minutes, who had spanked you 5-2 only a month ago, the effort to keep Spurs at bay not only took physical exertion on a dirty afternoon but probably used up a fair bit of mental energy too.

Still like many have said already this result counts for nowt if we don't get a better result v Brighton.

Still nice to drive away from Southampton feeling a bit more positive than I was driving into the City a few hours earlier.

[Wes Tender]

If we beat Brighton....

 

Spurs were below their usual level today, we couldn't raise ourselves to make the most of it and showed no improvement over our already known weaknesses. (Defensive assertiveness and forward threat, Spurs scored for us......)

 

 

Spurs were well below their usual level against us, as were Arsenal, Man U, and City when we played them. It couldn't possibly be that we disrupted their normal style of play, closed down the space to deny their passing games, and won the midfield battles sufficiently to deny them gaining momentum against us, could it?

[DT]

Looks like there's a pattern here. The players seem to be able to get up for games like this against the top opposition, but when it comes to MP trying to enthuse them to be prepared to attack teams we need to beat, he can't do it. Need to be able to build on this result and fully go for it against Brighton. Or perhaps we might have a new man by then...

[alpine_saint]

Spurs were well below their usual level against us, as were Arsenal, Man U, and City when we played them. It couldn't possibly be that we disrupted their normal style of play, closed down the space to deny their passing games, and won the midfield battles sufficiently to deny them gaining momentum against us, could it?

 

More likely they were expecting a pushover and were surprised some resistance was put up.

[Shroppie]

Surprised we didn't see Sims yesterday. Don't think he even made the bench. Hope he's not injured again.

 

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[ALWAYS_SFC]

Agreed Mikey.

 

Made the fatal mistake of reading this thread before posting - can't believe the negativity about that game from some.

 

I am the first to admit that I had us down for a heavy spanking and that MP is a clueless muppet that would be truly exposed - wrong on both counts today.

 

That display showed that the players were playing for him. He put a decent starting line up - and I applaud his bravery for putting Obafemi on...we needed the threat of a pacey outlet up front to keep their defenders back - had he converted that chance would we have been crediting him with a masterstroke? (I doubt it). Crowd support sounded great on the telly too.

 

I am not convinced by MP - but I want to be fair to him too.

 

A point gained for me and a first glimmer of hope that we can turn this around with a motivated squad and a bit more bite up front.

 

It was a good performance but we have had glimmers of hope before only to come horribly unstuck in the next match.

 

Looks like there's a pattern here. The players seem to be able to get up for games like this against the top opposition, but when it comes to MP trying to enthuse them to be prepared to attack teams we need to beat, he can't do it. Need to be able to build on this result and fully go for it against Brighton. Or perhaps we might have a new man by then...

 

Like the away fixture at Wembley..

[trousers]

Dunno if I’m just drunk and rambling but something felt a bit different today. Team seened to be more together, more focussed, more up for a fight. Could we have turned the corner?

 

Hopefully we beat Watford with something to spare and carry that into the Brighton game and beyond.

 

Thought the same after the Man united 0-0

 

We then followed up with the performance against Palace

 

Having attended both the Utd away game and yesterday's home game, I echo OttwaSaint's observation that something felt different yesterday. Yes, the team's attidtude at the Old Trafford game was positive but the vibe yesterday was up a notch or two. It's a gut feel but I came away from yesterday's game feeling that we could have genuinely turned a corner. I didn't come away from the Utd game with that same feeling. Maybe its one of those intangible vibes you get from being at the game rather than watching it through the filter of a TV screen. (that last comment wasn't meant as a jibe against the 'armchair fan'... it's just a matter of fact that you get a bigger picture feel about games when you're there).

 

All that said, it could all go tits up again vs Brighton and WBA. If we don't bust a gut for 90 minutes in those two games I'll happily hitch a lift on the pessimist bandwagon.

Edited 22 January, 2018 by trousers

[Depressed of Shirley]

This. It was also against a team fielding several reserves and in atrocious weather conditions.

 

Dangerous to draw too many inferences...

 

See I thought that Davefoggy's comment was ridiculous, and then you come in and trump it. You are a very strange poster, and definitely not a Saints fan at all.

[Greenridge]

Surprised we didn't see Sims yesterday. Don't think he even made the bench. Hope he's not injured again.

 

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Hasn't he only played one full 90 minutes since his returning from injury?

[Fitzhugh Fella]

Having attended both the Utd away game and yesterday's home game, I echo OttwaSaint's observation that something felt different yesterday. Yes, the team's attidtude at the Old Trafford game was positive but the vibe yesterday was up a notch or two. It's a gut feel but I came away from yesterday's game feeling that we could have genuinely turned a corner. I didn't come away from the Utd game with that same feeling. Maybe its one of those intangible vibes you get from being at the game rather than watching it through the filter of a TV screen. (that last comment wasn't meant as a jibe against the 'armchair fan'... it's just a matter of fact that you get a bigger picture feel about games when you're there).

 

All that said, it could all go tits up again vs Brighton and WBA. If we don't bust a gut for 90 minutes in those two games I'll happily hitch a lift on the pessimist bandwagon.

 

I think, like the fans, the players respond to matches against "bigger clubs". The fans were up for from the beginning but the crux will come v Brighton.

[shurlock]

Having attended both the Utd away game and yesterday's home game, I echo OttwaSaint's observation that something felt different yesterday. Yes, the team's attidtude at the Old Trafford game was positive but the vibe yesterday was up a notch or two. It's a gut feel but I came away from yesterday's game feeling that we could have genuinely turned a corner. I didn't come away from the Utd game with that same feeling. Maybe its one of those intangible vibes you get from being at the game rather than watching it through the filter of a TV screen. (that last comment wasn't meant as a jibe against the 'armchair fan'... it's just a matter of fact that you get a bigger picture feel about games when you're there).

 

All that said, it could all go tits up again vs Brighton and WBA. If we don't bust a gut for 90 minutes in those two games I'll happily hitch a lift on the pessimist bandwagon.

 

It's also a very different experience watching your side at home and away -regardless of performance.

[mrfahaji]

My hope is that the idea of relegation hadn't crossed the players' minds earlier in the season, hence why they couldn't muster the same level of enthusiasm/performance against the lesser teams. Now that we are in the bottom three maybe they won't be under such illusions now. But then, it's the hope that kills you!

[alpine_saint]

See I thought that Davefoggy's comment was ridiculous, and then you come in and trump it. You are a very strange poster, and definitely not a Saints fan at all.

 

Depends on your definition of "fan".

 

Mine is not to persistently spout happy-clappy pap...

[trousers]

Depends on your definition of "fan".

 

Mine is to never spout happy-clappy pap...

 

Fixed it for you

[Batman]

have we bottomed out?

yesterday was a proper battling performance against a very good side.

 

We should have beaten Watford and going into the Brighton game eyeing up 10-12th place.

 

We have to get a scoring forward in and simply have to beat Brighton. a draw is no good.

 

win that, and I will start to think we will be fine.

[shurlock]

have we bottomed out?

yesterday was a proper battling performance against a very good side.

 

We should have beaten Watford and going into the Brighton game eyeing up 10-12th place.

 

We have to get a scoring forward in and simply have to beat Brighton. a draw is no good.

 

win that, and I will start to think we will be fine.

 

Should we survive and get to mid table, can imagine Les turning it into a positive - how there was never any kneejerk reaction, how we kept our focus when others were losing their heads and how we trusted the systems and processes in place and saw the job through. He's going to be a pig in s**t.

[doddisalegend]

Should we survive and get to mid table, can imagine Les turning it into a positive - how there was never any kneejerk reaction, how we kept our focus when others were losing their heads and how we trusted the systems and processes in place and saw the job through. He's going to be a pig in s**t.

 

 

Meh if we survive he can spout as much propaganda crap as he likes I won't care one bit.

 

Its hardly like anyone listens now anyway the last two seasons have rather killed the Southampton way.

[Depressed of Shirley]

Depends on your definition of "fan".

 

Mine is not to persistently spout happy-clappy pap...

 

My definition is someone who actually wants the team they support to gain points, not someone who wishes they would lose so they might sack the manager. You ought to go to some games, you might get more of an idea as to what is going on.

[saint1977]

yes there were balls played over the top or round the corner that players with pace could have exploited (helped by spurs high line) but JWP, Tadic and Gabbi just weren't quick enough to take advantage which makes it very comfortable for the opposition defence. I figure that's why long still gets games (shame he ends up shanking the ball into row z) because he offers real pace. Strangely at the end when we brought on the kid (who looked scary quick) we stopped playing those sort of balls when they looked like they would have been perfect for him.

 

Agree with you both, been crying out for pace for a long time but with some more experience and quality. I didn't mind MP having a gamble, we know what Redmond can do already and as he's falling out of favour, I'd loan him back to the Championship where he might be more comfortable with the standard and free up a third squad place for a new signing. For me we need a CB with height, a very rapid winger and a centre forward with physical presence. Sign all three and we might have a chance of getting out of trouble. If not, I just can't see it, as positive as yesterday was. Targett out on loan, Redmond needs to do the same and would need to replace Gabbiadini if he leaves. That's without the VVD warchest.

 

Over to you Les. Tick tock.

[saint1977]

I think, like the fans, the players respond to matches against "bigger clubs". The fans were up for from the beginning but the crux will come v Brighton.

 

Dunno, full house, key game, they'll bring a full allocation and make some noise, should bring the Northam and Itchen/Kingsland North into life.

[Cabrone]

Have to say a point against Spurs is nothing to be sniffed at, I thought we'd get thrashed so well done the players and egg on my face.

 

Got to keep it going now, still a steep hill to climb. Manager isn't going anywhere so got to hope we can pull out of this.

[captainchris]

Was a very good display from the team, they certainly ran themselves into the ground which was pleasing to see. Looking forward to big games against Brighton and WBA, a few observations -

 

1. Stephens needs to toughen up. I know Kane is a class player but Stephens was bullied on so many set pieces. If we dont bring a right sided CB in then id prefer to see Maya back in

2. When we are sitting in, our defensive midfielders have a tendency to drop right on top of our CBs, giving opposition players too much room on the edge of the box to get shots away. We have certainly conceded in this manner a number of times this season (Palace second goal recent example), this needs addressed

3. Again our frontman was isolated too often, hopefully we can address this through buying a pacy winger who can get up in support. Hojbjerg did ok in the advanced role but would rather see him in defensive midfield alongside Lemina.

 

Hopefully if we can add a few additions, keep the workrate high and address some of the problems above, we'll be ok

Excellent observations not picked up by our Manager ...

[Faz]

Excellent observations not picked up by our Manager ...

 

How do you know this?

[suewhistle]

Well, that was better and the icing on the cake was Southern Railways being on time BOTH ways! Chatting with the Spurs fans on the way home: they were complaining about the ref but I bought up the subject of Dembele..

 

We played much more on the front foot until tiredness set in. Not sure Lemina is fully match fit but he was a lot snappier than in recent games and helped our higher press.

 

It's a shame Sims isn't up to speed yet as I feel he'd have taken that late chance, but it's interesting to see a 17 year old debutante on against Spurs. Pellegrino talked about his pace, but if I went conspiracy theory for which this board is renowned it might be a subtle hint to Les about the resources available. Either way, the crowd were positive, the kid got appearance money and invaluable experience and his mates in the U23s (er.. U18s?) will all want to emulate him.