Saints 0-1 Newcastle - Reaction

[Mr Brightside]

Strange to read this having been at the game.

 

I thought we played very well with ten men, and the feeling seemed to be shared with those others in attendance. Actually enjoyed the game and thought we were well-organised and NUFC struggled to break us down in the second half, until an individual error late in the game from a player who hasn't played a league game in 5 months. Not the usual sense of inevitability and inability to hold teams at arm's length.

 

Felt we were the better side before the sending off. Fans were great all the way through. JWP was fantastic, again. I think we're on the right track and I'm enjoying watching us play again these days. Maybe I'll be proved wrong and we'll plummet and be relegated / narrowly avoid it, but I don't see it based on the evidence.

 

This for me. Enjoyed it too, as did my boys. Ok, so we weren't great before the sending off, but we were hardly getting played off the park. The sending off seemed to unite everyone with a sense of injustice, best atmosphere in ages. Great to see people in the Kingsland standing up singing and encouraging others to do the same. Think we all feared the worst after the red, maybe not a Leicester type capitulation, Newcastle aren't good enough, but a heavy loss nonetheless wouldn't have been a surprise. But they dug in really well and deserved a point.

 

So yes, there have been a lot of dreadful home performances recently (ok, last few years) but this definitely wasn't one of them.

[derry]

I said a similar thing and got slated for it, saying I never say anything positive. Valery made the big mistake but arguably you could say Stephens should have been across covering. He was the same for the three Newcastle chances in the first half, just ball watching whilst Newcastle players were in acres of space round the six yard box. I really want to like Jack Stephens but unfortunately he just isn't a good enough centre back and he's proven it over and over again. Some people on here say I am negative and just say things to wind others but if people get wound up because I have something against poor players not marking properly, tackling properly clearing properly and they do it over and over again whist the club don't address it then I would say the problem is them not me.

 

Stephens has a habit of being equidistant from all the opposition in his box. It's uncanny, it's like he's playing his own game of zonal marking but no one told any of his teammates. At times he looks completely disorientated as if he's just played the spinning-the-broom on your head game at a BBQ after a few beers.

 

You both are right on the money. Maybe centre back isn't his position. I think he has the makings of a holding midfielder in front of proper centre backs, Neither JWP or PEH actually fill that roll but roam all over the place. Really only Bednarek can be considered as Danso hasn't showed, Vestergaard is a cluster****. If we are going to improve we need a couple of uncompromising, ruthless good in the air centre backs, ball playing optional.

[hughieslastminutegoal]

I looked at Newcastle's goal on Sky news I couldn't believe that we had eight players picking up three opponents. It looked like we were 3-3-2 with Valery on the right and two centre backs in the middle the ball was launched and Maxima was still in the centre circle, Initially Valery was under no pressure but tried to control the ball, Maxima and the two other kept moving, Valery was dispossessed and Stephens was too late in making a challenge.

 

What really annoyed me was Stephens standing like a statue ball watching and leaving Valery uncovered and still failed to move until Valery had lost the ball. Any decent centre back should immediately the ball was played towards Valery have moved right and behind Valery to cover him whilst the others picked up the runners. Had he done this instead of a desperate late lunge he would have probably cleared the danger at least forcing Maxima away from goal. He regularly gets caught ball watching, cosmetically pretty on the ball but a **** poor defender.

 

....Stephens standing like John Stones ball watching...

 

So he could be worth a fortune..............

[Manuel]

You both are right on the money. Maybe centre back isn't his position. I think he has the makings of a holding midfielder in front of proper centre backs, Neither JWP or PEH actually fill that roll but roam all over the place.

Said this for a long time. Perhaps our lack of CB is more pressing than our lack of holding midfield position right this minute. Maybe another experiment we can try once we're safe.

[Chez]

Utopia is great but even the players you mention regularly get caught out. Change the players for ones that can play that way but we can't afford to do that. We are short at the back in skill terms and particularly in pace and power both on the ground and in the air. We've had the money but wasted north of £100m on donkeys. We certainly aren't either smart enough or ruthless enough. I don't want to come out of SMS feeling the way I have after winning very few matches over the last four seasons watching inflated meaningless possession passing going nowhere and being mugged. I don't want victims like Valery losing games, I'd sooner see it in the back of the stand.

 

Your last sentence sums it up for me and that isn't the back four interpassing sideways and backwards pulling us out of shape. It's how we get results away, win the ball quick pass to midfield or forward, quick movement to break the lines and create chances. Stephens 40yd chip to Ings against Spurs in the league was what I'm looking for. He had the time, but closed down smash it out of danger.

 

A couple of seasons ago we were desperate at Everton for a win 1-0 up seconds left. Bertrand gets caught on the ball and rolls it upfield, pass to Davies who scored end of game, back of the stand, game over, a good win. Last week against WHU, McCarthy passes it short to JWP out right, quickly closed down so passes it down the line WH pick it up maybe three passes and we're one down. McCarthy kicks long no problem, or JWP puts his foot through it no danger. We've done similar things on numerous occasions and paid the penalty. Pretty doesn't cut it when in the bottom half of the table.

 

Equally I have watched so many games where we have turned the ball over cheaply because we have lacked composure or not had the players willing to risk passing it out from the back, eventually we got tired trying to win the ball back, the space opened up and we conceded a late goal. You might not be able to remember the specific hoofed clearance that caused the goal like you can with the examples above, but the end result is the same.

 

We will have to agree to disagree with how we want the side to play. Hoof ball certainly isn't my idea of utopia.

[derry]

Equally I have watched so many games where we have turned the ball over cheaply because we have lacked composure or not had the players willing to risk passing it out from the back, eventually we got tired trying to win the ball back, the space opened up and we conceded a late goal. You might not be able to remember the specific hoofed clearance that caused the goal like you can with the examples above, but the end result is the same.

 

We will have to agree to disagree with how we want the side to play. Hoof ball certainly isn't my idea of utopia.

 

I don't disagree with your ambitions for the team, I'd love them to play like some of the top teams but it's impossible to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and there lies the problem. I'm a pragmatist and believe that if the way they are trying to play isn't compatible with their abilities then play in a way that reduces the problems. We can't handle direct teams because of the way we try and play against them. Away we are fine because we reduce our defence possession and play most of our game in the opponents half whilst having plenty of cover at the back. I'm really advocating two things, pass it forward quickly and break the lines. If we are under pressure at the back put a strong foot through the ball.

 

Liverpool often play the ball around at the back but they also have no compunction in belting the ball up front and often score that way. Another thing that inhibits us at the back is both our goalkeepers are dire when it comes to passing the ball. I reference McCarthy at WHU, no way should he have put JWP in trouble so he lost the ball for WHU's first goal. Gunn against Huddersfield last season another.