Saints 2 Fulham 0 - Post Match Relief

[Wes Tender]

Vestergaard was rarely marking Mitrovic. Yoshida picked him up. Not sure which game you were watching Les.

 

Did I say that he did? I said that I thought that he was selected as an option to counter Mitrovic's strength and bulk. I was offering an opinion on team selection, not commenting on the performance of the defence during the match. It isn't like you to get the wrong end of the stick through misapprehension, Shurlock. But do you really believe that everybody who watched the match will have the same opinion on the performances of individual players anyway? Or is only your opinion valid?

 

I didn't comment much on the defence, but it was mostly solid throughout. Yoshida with his experience much better than Stephens would have been, Vestergaard becoming better every match and Bednarek effective and reliable, as I say, the bedrock of the defence.

[stevegrant]

It’s not about giving him a break. He did ok today, certainly solid defensively. But as a wing back you are an important attacking outlet, and he didn’t really do anything of note going forward. He made himself available, and was trying to do the right things, but his crossing needs work and not much else came off for him.

I think a lot of that was to do with how Fulham (bafflingly) set themselves up. They basically had no right-hand side at all, with Odoi - a centre-back, and a largely rubbish one for this level at that - playing a nominal full-back role but kept getting dragged inside, which gave Bertrand and Redmond a laughable amount of space down that flank. On their left side, they had proper cover, so it made sense for us to try to exploit their right flank with two of our better wide attacking players combining to pretty good effect.

[mrfahaji]

I think a lot of that was to do with how Fulham (bafflingly) set themselves up. They basically had no right-hand side at all, with Odoi - a centre-back, and a largely rubbish one for this level at that - playing a nominal full-back role but kept getting dragged inside, which gave Bertrand and Redmond a laughable amount of space down that flank. On their left side, they had proper cover, so it made sense for us to try to exploit their right flank with two of our better wide attacking players combining to pretty good effect.

 

Fair argument, and a good reason why he wasn’t as much of a threat as Bertrand, and perhaps found it harder to make an impact, but still true that when he did have the opportunity to put a cross in he didn’t deliver (no pun intended). Of course It could be that Bertrand made just as many poor crosses but had so many opportunities that he also had some good ones...!

[S-Clarke]

We needed that win for sure, it was a game of poor quality to watch though! We certainly edged it because we pressed and harried Fulham at strategic points in the game - not all game. We were very fortunate in the fact that Fulham offered very little and were particularly ****e.

 

I thought JWP had an extra bite to his game and won tackles I never imagined him winning a year or so ago, there was one instance in the first half where his tackle helped us break away and line Hojberjg up for a shot.

The defence was particularly comfortable, dealt with Mitrovic well – but I could sense he was getting frustrated as he had no one really coming in to support him, so it was a lone man show at times and easy for our three to mop up around him.

 

Wing backs were ok, Bertrand was better because of the space Fulham afforded down the left side – he was in tons of space and had the time to send over some delicious crosses at times. Not enough in the attacking sense from Valery though I felt, solid enough on one-ones with Babel but didn’t really offer threat on the right side – which meant we did seem a bit lopsided.

 

I thought Redmond was busy but lacked a little bit of final product at key moments. He’s certainly miles better than he was last year though without question. Austin, whilst he was battling, was very short on quality. It’s frustrating watching him try and move around and come deep for the ball, he’s not the type to do that.

 

Overall it was a fantastic win in a game of little quality. Still lots of work to do, but it seems to me that it’s just 1 position up for grabs now in the drop zone.

[verlaine1979]

Interesting to contrast the way that Cardiff played against us and the way that Fulham did. Two relegation zones teams playing a third, they both have very experienced managers, but the way Ranieri set out Fulham tactically played into our hands. Cardiff parked the bus and attempted to hit us on the break or from set pieces, but I couldn't believe the amount of space that Fulham allowed us.

 

Many might have raised eyebrows at us playing three CBs for a home match, but arguably Vestergaard was needed as muscle and height against Mitrovic, Yoshida provides pace and an aerial threat at set pieces and Bednarek is increasingly the defensive bedrock. But it allowed us five across the midfield, which meant that we were able to deploy Bertrand and Valery out wide, stretching Fulham out to create the space for Romeu, Hojbjerg and Ward-Prowse to flourish and provide the service for Redmond and Austin up top. Some have been critical about Valery's contribution, suggesting that he had not offered much going forward, but at most times during the match, he was in the same acres of space out wide that Bertrand was and either Bertrand offered the more experienced outlet with Redmond ahead of him, or right footed players on the ball favoured passing to the left. Valery acquitted himself well enough, but the Bertrand/Redmond axis was back to old times in effectiveness.

 

For much of the match, the midfield played with good intensity, pressing the ball well and with the width available, the crossed balls from the left particularly meant that we were able to get behind the Fulham defence often. Redmond was closed down effectively, but Austin put himself about well with good movement and positioning and caused problems with a few shots blocked and even a goal which was disallowed. With injuries to Ings and Obefemi, Austin has the chance to step up and he is beginning to look leaner and fitter than of late under the Hassenhuttl regime. If he puts in the same amount of effort as he did last night, he tires towards the end, and the option of fresh legs from Long was a good one for his pace and nuisance value, if not for his scoring prowess.

 

Because of our shortage of striking options because we sold Gabbiadini and then suffered the inevitable injuries to Ings and Obafemi, we are down to Redmond, Austin, Long and Gallagher/Sims, the latter two seemingly not adjudged to be realistic options. It is therefore just as well that we possess a goal threat from our midfield and potentially our defence. Ward-Prowse in particular is slotting them away, and Hojbjerg, Armstrong and Romeu have all shown the ability to shoot from outside the box, with Yoshida good in the air at set pieces.

 

Just a thought that occurred to me during the match. Because Redmond was generally well marshalled by Fulham's defence, I wondered whether it would have been a really effective tactic to have him on the halfway line when we are defending corners. He adds little to us defensively, but would be a scary prospect for any defence with his pace if he received the ball early out of defence. Surely the three CBs offer us that choice?

 

We have some difficult fixtures coming up, but a competent performance last night, even against poor opposition, will have given us a confidence boost. It is a shame that we aren't playing Mourinho's Manchester United, but the team selected last night with maybe Armstrong playing, (instead of which player?) and the general tactics employed will be the most effective against the top teams if we play as we did against Arsenal and Everton, pressing high and closing down their flair players.

 

Redmond's flat out pace is pretty average - he gets reeled in pretty easily when we're on the break.

[RedWillie]

Brighton are well and truly in the mix. Poor run of form, game in hand is against Chelsea and we have to play them.

[saints-cris]

Brighton are well and truly in the mix. Poor run of form, game in hand is against Chelsea and we have to play them.

 

In the mix, but if us and Cardiff lose on Saturday and they win they'll be 5 points clear, so some breathing space there.

[Batman]

He did OK, but seems to lack any real pace/turn of speed which he needs to be effective in that role - why anyone thinks he'll be off to a bigger club in a year is beyond me. My opinion of course.

 

He Offers almost nothing as an attacking threat, which is vital for our system

 

Yet some are suggesting he will be snapped up by the big boys soon. Quite a bizarre opinion in my view.

 

He is steady defensively, poor attacking option but getting there. Probably should not be playing and we did try to sign a right back.

[captainchris]

Not at all, why would you say that? Could you not see that our players were getting sloppy and kept losing the ball in the last 15 minutes? That despite being against a team who weren’t exactly lifting their game in that time.

 

My comment wasn’t on the overall performance, which I thought was decent enough, just on our lack of fitness. Fulham also had a couple of clear cut chances - probably better than any we had. I respect that you are usually positive even in the face of a defeat and appreciate reading your post match comments while everyone is busy consigning us to relegation, so I’d have thought you might also appreciate when people point out specific concerns following an otherwise encouraging performance/result, rather than dismissing them as trolls or imbeciles.

Objective opinion outside of the extreme ‘Happy Clappy’ rose tinted glasses spectrum is strictly forbidden on this site....

You make a very valid observation born out by the number of late goals and pocession we concede in the last 15 - 20 mins of games but don’t let that get in the way the occasional happy ending masking the aspects of our game that are there for all to see which are causing us problems.

[Super_Uwe]

Just the result we needed last night.

 

Takes a little bit of pressure off the games against United and Spurs. Hopefully we can play with a bit of freedom and get a surprise result or two.

 

Worst case scenario is we will have 27 points from 30 games.

[Give it to Ron]

In the mix, but if us and Cardiff lose on Saturday and they win they'll be 5 points clear, so some breathing space there.

 

How? We are level on points.

 

 

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[Whitey Grandad]

Not at all, why would you say that? Could you not see that our players were getting sloppy and kept losing the ball in the last 15 minutes? That despite being against a team who weren’t exactly lifting their game in that time.

 

My comment wasn’t on the overall performance, which I thought was decent enough, just on our lack of fitness. Fulham also had a couple of clear cut chances - probably better than any we had. I respect that you are usually positive even in the face of a defeat and appreciate reading your post match comments while everyone is busy consigning us to relegation, so I’d have thought you might also appreciate when people point out specific concerns following an otherwise encouraging performance/result, rather than dismissing them as trolls or imbeciles.

 

I tend to agree with you. Valery in paarticular seemd very tired both mentally and physically in the latter stages. I am only singly out Valery because He was operating right below me but he missed a crossfield pass and very quickly afterwards failed to get back to cover his man which resulted in a corner to them. He did much the same thing against Cardiff which led to their first goal.

 

There was a noticeable difference between our players and some of the Fulham midfield at this time too but fortunately they were not very effective. I'm surprised that we did not use an extra two substitutes both to slow down the game and to bring on frsh legs.

[kermitsaint]

You being serious? he gets 45 k a week, he is like the 15th highest paid player at the club.. Even Ely is on nearly double what JWP is on..

Why is his pay rate relevant? He is massively over hyped regardless of his pay.

 

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[Give it to Ron]

I tend to agree with you. Valery in paarticular seemd very tired both mentally and physically in the latter stages. I am only singly out Valery because He was operating right below me but he missed a crossfield pass and very quickly afterwards failed to get back to cover his man which resulted in a corner to them. He did much the same thing against Cardiff which led to their first goal.

 

There was a noticeable difference between our players and some of the Fulham midfield at this time too but fortunately they were not very effective. I'm surprised that we did not use an extra two substitutes both to slow down the game and to bring on frsh legs.

 

Who would you have taken off? the midfield were settled and winning nearly everything Romeu, Hojberg and JWP MOTM, Redmond was our only danger going forward and caused them issues all night and lifted them if going off, Long had only just come on.

We couldnt lose a defender or disrupt that pattern so not sure where we could change TBH I did think this at time and said to mate I couldnt see any subs helping....Stephens in midfield was a suggestion but after his performances lately think Ralph may have got the Ranieri treatment at first misplaced pass.

I like Armstrong think he offers us something extra but last night couldnt see where he could or who to take off only Redmond but as explained above not an option. Players dont like being subbed.

[Dark Munster]

Vestergaard was rarely marking Mitrovic. Yoshida picked him up. Not sure which game you were watching Les.

It's becoming a bit of a concern that our 6' 7" giant seems to be bottling out of marking opponents with the biggest arial threat. The same happened against Burnley and Crouch.

[Give it to Ron]

It's becoming a bit of a concern that our 6' 7" giant seems to be bottling out of marking opponents with the biggest arial threat. The same happened against Burnley and Crouch.

 

Last night it was where Mitovic was playing - against the defender on that side Yosh - later he switched and was pulling on Bednarek .

[trousers]

Ranieri sacked

[Whitey Grandad]

Who would you have taken off? the midfield were settled and winning nearly everything Romeu, Hojberg and JWP MOTM, Redmond was our only danger going forward and caused them issues all night and lifted them if going off, Long had only just come on.

We couldnt lose a defender or disrupt that pattern so not sure where we could change TBH I did think this at time and said to mate I couldnt see any subs helping....Stephens in midfield was a suggestion but after his performances lately think Ralph may have got the Ranieri treatment at first misplaced pass.

I like Armstrong think he offers us something extra but last night couldnt see where he could or who to take off only Redmond but as explained above not an option. Players dont like being subbed.

 

Not Stephens, I agree there. Certainly not Stephens. God No!

 

I would have thought that Armstrong on but I can see the dilemma about who to replace. Possibly PEH or JWP. If the team is trained properly then another midfielder who is drilled in the same system should not have been a problem. Quite a few of them seemed to have heavy legs in the last ten minutes or so. If nothing else somebody could have gone down for lengthy treatment so as to give evrybody a breather.

 

Whether players like being subbed or know shouldn't come into it. If it's for tactical reasons then they should accept it. They're not all overpaid goalkeeprs with big egos.

[Batman]

Ranieri Sacked

[Saint Albert]

Ranieri sacked

 

Good of them to wait until after the Saints game to do it. They’ve been on a terrible run, looked especially poor against us and their supporters sounded like they were at the end of their tether with him.

[Micky]

Ranieri sacked

Ranieri Sacked

Twice in a day, pi ss poor manager!

 

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[Charlie Wayman]

He still offers nothing in attack, which for a wingback, is vital

 

Decent defensively, nothing going forward

 

He's a young lad on a very steep learning curve and needs a lot of guidance from the senior pros to become a complete player. Quite noticeable how Bertie was giving him a lot of advice last night.

 

I thought Bertie was magnificent last night, tremendous leadership and commitment throughout. Perhaps the burden of being captain made it harder for him? Whatever there were clear signs last night that his was enjoying his football again and even more important was playing for the team. Hope this means he won't be off in the summer. if he stays fit and performs like this every week Southgate will have no option but to re-call him and Japa

[Saint Albert]

How? We are level on points.

 

 

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A Brighton victory against Huddersfield would leave them 5 points clear of Cardiff, who would still occupy the last relegation spot if both they and Saints lose this weekend.

[Give it to Ron]

A Brighton victory against Huddersfield would leave them 5 points clear of Cardiff, who would still occupy the last relegation spot if both they and Saints lose this weekend.

 

Sorry thought you meant of us. I think it’s a 2 horse race us and Cardiff.

 

 

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[mrfahaji]

Who would you have taken off? the midfield were settled and winning nearly everything Romeu, Hojberg and JWP MOTM, Redmond was our only danger going forward and caused them issues all night and lifted them if going off, Long had only just come on.

We couldnt lose a defender or disrupt that pattern so not sure where we could change TBH I did think this at time and said to mate I couldnt see any subs helping....Stephens in midfield was a suggestion but after his performances lately think Ralph may have got the Ranieri treatment at first misplaced pass.

I like Armstrong think he offers us something extra but last night couldnt see where he could or who to take off only Redmond but as explained above not an option. Players dont like being subbed.

 

I probably would have taken Redmond off near the end (ie 80 minutes), but only because he was looking shattered and was struggling to keep possession. Having Long up front who is unable to keep the ball didn't help him in that regard.

[mrfahaji]

I agree that JWP was excellent and possibly MOTM, but one thing that irks me about him in particular is that he often picks a backwards ball when a forward (or sideways) pass is on. Nothing wrong with keeping things simple/safe, but often the next pass after the 'safe ball back' will just be a hopeful lob forward. It feels a little bit like JWP is passing the buck on making the risky pass. There were a couple of specific examples - one in the second half where Hojbjerg was tucked in and it wasn't a massively risky pass, but JWP played it back to Bednarek, who was then under pressure and had to boot it clear. Similar occasion in 1st half but I can't remember who the other players involved were.

 

I realise that after his excellent display it seems churlish to criticise him, but sometimes it's easier to pick out specific weaknesses when someone has a good game rather than when they are generally awful!

[mrfahaji]

Redmond's flat out pace is pretty average - he gets reeled in pretty easily when we're on the break.

 

It seems some people will never understand this. Having quick feet doesn't necessarily equate to straight line speed.

[mrfahaji]

We needed that win for sure, it was a game of poor quality to watch though! We certainly edged it because we pressed and harried Fulham at strategic points in the game - not all game. We were very fortunate in the fact that Fulham offered very little and were particularly ****e.

 

I thought JWP had an extra bite to his game and won tackles I never imagined him winning a year or so ago, there was one instance in the first half where his tackle helped us break away and line Hojberjg up for a shot.

The defence was particularly comfortable, dealt with Mitrovic well – but I could sense he was getting frustrated as he had no one really coming in to support him, so it was a lone man show at times and easy for our three to mop up around him.

 

Wing backs were ok, Bertrand was better because of the space Fulham afforded down the left side – he was in tons of space and had the time to send over some delicious crosses at times. Not enough in the attacking sense from Valery though I felt, solid enough on one-ones with Babel but didn’t really offer threat on the right side – which meant we did seem a bit lopsided.

 

I thought Redmond was busy but lacked a little bit of final product at key moments. He’s certainly miles better than he was last year though without question. Austin, whilst he was battling, was very short on quality. It’s frustrating watching him try and move around and come deep for the ball, he’s not the type to do that.

 

Overall it was a fantastic win in a game of little quality. Still lots of work to do, but it seems to me that it’s just 1 position up for grabs now in the drop zone.

 

Agree with pretty much all of this. Although, at least Austin was getting in some threatening positions from crosses, and he did well to put Redmond in for the goal. I know that's not much, but at least it was something. Long came on and just did all the frustrating Shane Long things without much of the positives we used to see. Not sure why Gallagher doesn't get a chance, but from Austin & Long I think the former seems the better bet.

 

I know Mitrovic missed a couple of good chances, but I did wonder about how we would fare with him up front.

[striker]

One thing I noticed was the players reactions. When Romeu scored they all went crazy. They obviously were desperate to win, and they played very hard. It's good to see them really into the match like the fans.

[doddisalegend]

It seems some people will never understand this. Having quick feet doesn't necessarily equate to straight line speed.

Comparing Redmond to others in the team when closing down, on the press, or counter attacking and he certainly appears quicker than a lot of our other players.

 

Whether Redmond is particularly quick or not he is one of our quicker players right now compared to the likes of Austin, JWP, Romeu and Hoj.

 

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[Manuel]

Romeu's was a great strike. Nice to see someone belt it for a change (and hit the target).

[mrfahaji]

Comparing Redmond to others in the team when closing down, on the press, or counter attacking and he certainly appears quicker than a lot of our other players.

 

Whether Redmond is particularly quick or not he is one of our quicker players right now compared to the likes of Austin, JWP, Romeu and Hoj.

 

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He seems to have decent acceleration. And yes he does appear one of our quicker players in those situations, but that's also more of an indictment of our team's woeful lack of pace - wish that wasn't the case.

 

Verlaine's comment was in response to "He would be a scary prospect for any defence with his pace if he received the ball early out of defence" - in this situation it doesn't really matter how quick he is in comparison to the rest of our team, what matters is whether he can outsprint the opposing defenders over medium/long distance, and in my opinion he doesn't possess enough pace to do this.

[Wes Tender]

He seems to have decent acceleration. And yes he does appear one of our quicker players in those situations, but that's also more of an indictment of our team's woeful lack of pace - wish that wasn't the case.

 

Verlaine's comment was in response to "He would be a scary prospect for any defence with his pace if he received the ball early out of defence" - in this situation it doesn't really matter how quick he is in comparison to the rest of our team, what matters is whether he can outsprint the opposing defenders over medium/long distance, and in my opinion he doesn't possess enough pace to do this.

 

So which of the Fulham defenders would have beaten him for pace, for example?

[OldNick]

I have only watched the 30 minute highlights on Sky, but it seems to me that Charlie is fitterand sharper than he was. He did one or 2 decent touches and he was prettysharp getting in front of the defender when Bertrands cross came across the box. Okhe didnt quite get there but he got in fromnt of the defender. Good sign IMO

[stevegrant]

I have only watched the 30 minute highlights on Sky, but it seems to me that Charlie is fitterand sharper than he was. He did one or 2 decent touches and he was prettysharp getting in front of the defender when Bertrands cross came across the box. Okhe didnt quite get there but he got in fromnt of the defender. Good sign IMO

I'm not normally one to defend Austin, as overall I don't think he's anywhere near good enough for the role that we've largely asked him to perform over the last couple of years, but he's always been pretty quick over a couple of yards, especially in the penalty area - it's when he's had to do work outside the penalty area where he's come up short (and a long way short in many instances), probably no more so than the reverse game at Craven Cottage where he mustered just 16 touches of the ball in 69 minutes, in a game where we had around 70% of the ball.

[Charlie Wayman]

I'm not normally one to defend Austin, as overall I don't think he's anywhere near good enough for the role that we've largely asked him to perform over the last couple of years, but he's always been pretty quick over a couple of yards, especially in the penalty area - it's when he's had to do work outside the penalty area where he's come up short (and a long way short in many instances), probably no more so than the reverse game at Craven Cottage where he mustered just 16 touches of the ball in 69 minutes, in a game where we had around 70% of the ball.

 

Clutching at straws a bit Steve. Think back to Ricky Lamberts mobility and holding up abilities as well as his ability sin the box and you realise that Austin is so limited that it is amazing he ever made it to the PL. If people are grateful for small signs of improvement in Austin then it shows only how low our expectations of our strikers have sunk.

[OldNick]

Clutching at straws a bit Steve. Think back to Ricky Lamberts mobility and holding up abilities as well as his ability sin the box and you realise that Austin is so limited that it is amazing he ever made it to the PL. If people are grateful for small signs of improvement in Austin then it shows only how low our expectations of our strikers have sunk.

I think its a bit disrespectful to say you are surprised he made the PL. He has been hampered by some bad injuries that really has stopped him showing his real potential. I hope Ralph has upped his fitness and he did look a tad quicker. Ted McDougal couldn't trap , pass , or tackle but he was a goalscorer and his other inabilities didnt stop him being a top striker for us. Having Phil Boyer alongside him did help of course.

Frankly we need him to up his game and if he could score 5 goals from now, he will be priceless

[mrfahaji]

I'm not normally one to defend Austin, as overall I don't think he's anywhere near good enough for the role that we've largely asked him to perform over the last couple of years, but he's always been pretty quick over a couple of yards, especially in the penalty area - it's when he's had to do work outside the penalty area where he's come up short (and a long way short in many instances), probably no more so than the reverse game at Craven Cottage where he mustered just 16 touches of the ball in 69 minutes, in a game where we had around 70% of the ball.

 

Agree. He was absolutely atrocious at Craven Cottage but he at least got in some dangerous positions in the box on Wednesday.

[mrfahaji]

Clutching at straws a bit Steve. Think back to Ricky Lamberts mobility and holding up abilities as well as his ability sin the box and you realise that Austin is so limited that it is amazing he ever made it to the PL. If people are grateful for small signs of improvement in Austin then it shows only how low our expectations of our strikers have sunk.

 

But isn't that exactly the point? Our expectations HAVE sunk, because the general consensus is that we should have signed a striker and that Ings is the only player who looks good enough and he is injured. So we're choosing between Gallagher, Austin and Long. Who knows about Gallagher, I'm surprised he hasn't been given a chance, but given that those are the options, at least Austin did a few things well when he played!

[mrfahaji]

So which of the Fulham defenders would have beaten him for pace, for example?

 

You said "a scary prospect for any defence" rather than "Fulham had a slow back line", so the implication is that Redmond has bags of pace in terms of Premier League players. I reckon Armstrong is quicker (and certainly Long, although even that seems to be waning and he is awful at everything else).

[stevegrant]

But isn't that exactly the point? Our expectations HAVE sunk, because the general consensus is that we should have signed a striker and that Ings is the only player who looks good enough and he is injured. So we're choosing between Gallagher, Austin and Long. Who knows about Gallagher, I'm surprised he hasn't been given a chance, but given that those are the options, at least Austin did a few things well when he played!

I think the fact that Gallagher only gets on the bench when literally every other option is unavailable says a lot. I'd be amazed if he's still here next season - should be plenty of takers in the Championship, he's proven himself capable at that level.

[hypochondriac]

I think the fact that Gallagher only gets on the bench when literally every other option is unavailable says a lot. I'd be amazed if he's still here next season - should be plenty of takers in the Championship, he's proven himself capable at that level.

Well it could be with us in the championship!

[Wes Tender]

You said "a scary prospect for any defence" rather than "Fulham had a slow back line", so the implication is that Redmond has bags of pace in terms of Premier League players. I reckon Armstrong is quicker (and certainly Long, although even that seems to be waning and he is awful at everything else).

 

I would say that Redmond is faster than most PL defenders. My saying that his pace being scary for any defence is predicated on him being on the halfway line at set pieces against us well into our half. As I say, he adds little for us defensively, but it would require a couple of defenders to stick close to him in the event of a quick ball clearance towards him. But I take it that you accept that Fulham's defence for a start wouldn't have felt secure with that strategy?

[Bad Wolf]

I think the fact that Gallagher only gets on the bench when literally every other option is unavailable says a lot. I'd be amazed if he's still here next season - should be plenty of takers in the Championship, he's proven himself capable at that level.

 

Has he? I know a few Birmingham and Blackburn fans that would disgaree with you.

[verlaine1979]

I would say that Redmond is faster than most PL defenders. My saying that his pace being scary for any defence is predicated on him being on the halfway line at set pieces against us well into our half. As I say, he adds little for us defensively, but it would require a couple of defenders to stick close to him in the event of a quick ball clearance towards him. But I take it that you accept that Fulham's defence for a start wouldn't have felt secure with that strategy?

 

He isn't faster than most defenders. Put Redmond up against most decent fullbacks (which is who'd usually end up marking him in this tactic) and Redmond would get smoked over the twenty or thirty yards of a breakaway. He's got a decent burst, but his topline speed is low.

[mrfahaji]

I would say that Redmond is faster than most PL defenders. My saying that his pace being scary for any defence is predicated on him being on the halfway line at set pieces against us well into our half. As I say, he adds little for us defensively, but it would require a couple of defenders to stick close to him in the event of a quick ball clearance towards him. But I take it that you accept that Fulham's defence for a start wouldn't have felt secure with that strategy?

 

I agree with Verlaine above. I think Redmond is a decent outlet for defending corners because he can get the ball under control and keep it, but very much doubt he would be able to knock it past the defenders and beat them for speed.

 

In fact there was one time in the match where Redmond did pick the ball up and had chance to do exactly as you describe but he didn't have the pace for it (it was during the second half, don't think from a corner but generally a 'break' opportunity). Maybe one on one he might be alright but as soon as a second defender is able to cover the angle then he ends up having to cut back for a pass.

 

He's having a great season btw, so this isn't a slight on him - god knows where we'd be without his ability to run at defenders with the ball at his feet - it's just a misconception (in my opinion) that one of his main attributes is straight line speed.

[trousers]

Got a feeling we might sneak a draw up at Old Trafford.

 

[emoji38]

 

Yep, you were right to laugh. Not even close...

[St_Tel49]

Objective opinion outside of the extreme ‘Happy Clappy’ rose tinted glasses spectrum is strictly forbidden on this site....

You make a very valid observation born out by the number of late goals and pocession we concede in the last 15 - 20 mins of games but don’t let that get in the way the occasional happy ending masking the aspects of our game that are there for all to see which are causing us problems.

Sorry to be picky but opinion is inevitably subjective. How can it be anything else?

[St_Tel49]

Objective opinion outside of the extreme ‘Happy Clappy’ rose tinted glasses spectrum is strictly forbidden on this site....

You make a very valid observation born out by the number of late goals and pocession we concede in the last 15 - 20 mins of games but don’t let that get in the way the occasional happy ending masking the aspects of our game that are there for all to see which are causing us problems.

duplicate post for some reason

Edited 5 March, 2019 by St_Tel49
duplicate post