Saints 1-2 Grimsby: Match Thread

[Southner]

1 hour ago, Toussaint said:

His own life coaching book

He needs to get a life. And a new job. 

[rallyboy]

I have no issue with the VAR decisions, or the fact that we were dismal for most of that, I was however surprised to see a penalty given for a mild retaliatory slap, when Djenepo had already been elbowed in the face to stop him but that wasn't a foul.

I was also surprised to discover the off-the-ball shoulder-charge into KWP's head, missed by VAR, wasn't a foul or a card, nor was the two-man tackle from behind with added shirt-pull on Djenepo in the second half.

We lost mainly because we were crap, but giantkillings don't need to be orchestrated by the officials, football is dramatic enough without them helping things along.

As they did tonight.

[Saint Fan CaM]

Don’t really know where to start…it was so poor. I do believe I called this result (but can’t be arsed to check). For a start as soon as I saw Grimsby we’re going with a 3-4-2-1 formation I knew they were going to pack midfield to stifle the game…with us in a narrow 4-2-2-2 their tactic worked. Selles did nothing to change things around when it was obvious a L2 team was able to press a Prem team consistently well and stop us playing. A couple of accurate long balls over the top behind their high line in the first half would have given them something to think about, but no, we dallied around as usual. Fair play to Grimsby - they looked fitter and wanted it more. Selles also got it wrong making so many changes to the starting line up…should have switched players around after the game had been put to bed.

Players I thought were particularly poor - DCC, Orsic, Djenepo, Armstrong, Mara, Aribo, Lyanco.

The rest of the team were nothing special - Walcott, Perraud, KWP, JWP, Lavia, Alcarez, McCarthy, nipper.

Honestly, if this is the standard of football we can look forward to in the Championship (relegation is an absolute certainty), I fear for our place in league 1 the following season because I watch better teams in those lower divisions. There’s a distinct lack of creativity, teamwork and attacking prowess and I suspect it’s partially the players and partially the manner in which they’re being told to play.

Fair play to the Grimsby fans who travelled to support their team, but I mightily peeved that our ‘home end’ supporters are turfed out to accommodate oppo fans…the atmosphere for Saints fans once again was truly awful. We may have as well have played at their ground.

But I’m mostly amazed that I managed to get my thoughts written without resorting to expletives. Night night.

[Southner]

1 hour ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Weghorst can't score so far for united.......you know how it works

An absolute given. Half expecting de Gea to get a brace. 

[Appy]

Fair play to Grimsby. 
 

Have seen moaning about time wasting by them, why the hell wouldn’t they? 

[Yozzman]

1 hour ago, Chez said:

You seriously thought it was going to be a 2 or 3 goal cake walk?  

Not that unrealistic a prediction really. OK  to make fun after the event with 20- 20 hindsight.

[Whitey Grandad]

11 minutes ago, Appy said:

What’s your issue?

I don’t agree. The first would never have been given in the previous hundred years of football history. A clear case of ball to hand. His right arm is in a natural position and the cross hits his hand and knocks it backwards. It’s a ridiculous interpretation of the law and if it is not changed the forwards will give up trying to score goals and just fire shots at defender’s arms.

As I have said above. Not blatant at the time and watching the live replay just now neither of the commentators mentioned it. The referee doesn’t see it as handball even though the ball is obviously deflected but he isn’t up with play anyway.

As you say, the second is really weird and is no more than a touch on the back. It is nothing compared to the forearm smash on Djenepo in their penalty area on 38:35 minutes, barely a minute and a half before the first penalty.

[saintant]

4 minutes ago, Appy said:

Fair play to Grimsby. 
 

Have seen moaning about time wasting by them, why the hell wouldn’t they? 

A goalkeeper going down with cramp twice is taking the piss though - they don't do any running.

[Appy]

2 minutes ago, saintant said:

A goalkeeper going down with cramp twice is taking the piss though - they don't do any running.

Of course, but the least of our worries tonight was their keeper wasting time. 

[Whitey Grandad]

1 minute ago, saintant said:

A goalkeeper going down with cramp twice is taking the piss though - they don't do any running.

I have no problems with teams that come to play and beat us fair and square by better football or by wanting it more but that second half was anti-football. Stop/start with pretend injuries and having to drink four swigs of water before taking goal kicks is pathetic.

[saintant]

1 minute ago, Appy said:

Of course, but the least of our worries tonight was their keeper wasting time. 

Agree, just thought it was weird.

[VectisSaint]

15 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

No need for the infantile insults.

the ‘blatant’ handball was so ‘blatant’ that nobody who was actually at the game thought anything of it.

If that second incident was a ‘strike’ then it should have been violent conduct and a red card. The reaction of Orsi was despicable.

If I had ever given either of those as penalties I would not have left the pitch in one piece. What has happened to our beautiful game?

The first wasn't blatant. But it was clear on replay on TV, and with VAR that is what matters. Lyanco was a touch unlucky, he seemed to misjudge his header, but then he didn't actually need to do anything at all, he's just a clumsy poor footballer. As for the DCC penalty of course the Grimsby player went down like a sack of spuds, made the most of it, but who wouldn't. You can't slap someone in the back, whether you are provoked or not. DCC has clearly shown that he doesn't have the temperament for our game, that's why he was red carded against Newcastle, he is a complete and utter liability. There was no way that should not have been a penalty, he was very lucky not to have been red carded. Still he did redeem himself slightly by scoring, but only slightly. His other effort was unbelievably bad.

Trying to pretend that we lost that game because of two dubious decisions is laughable. We were dire, I have never seen us as pathetic as we were tonight, we were better when we lost 9-0 (both times). Mara, Orsic, Aribo, Edozie, Armstrong really have no case for being in a PL team (not to mention DCC and Lyanco). KWP was disappointingly ineffective, Charly gave the ball away too often, Djenepo tried hard and at least seemed interested and up for a game, Perraud tries hard and gives his all but overall is not very good. JWP made a difference when he came on, but actually did a lot of chasing after shadows, because no one else was trying. Felt a bit sorry for Walcott, that was a very well taken goal, and showed that he has some class, the margin of offside was miniscule but nevertheless it was offside. I actually thought that Bazunu might have got to one or other of the pens, certainly more likely than McCarthy who never saves penalties. 

I think tonight made me finally think I have had it with football, the game has been ruined, my club has been ruined, but I suppose I will tune in again on Saturday to go through the whole depressing process again, ad nauseum until the end of the season. 

[skintsaint]

9 minutes ago, saintant said:

A goalkeeper going down with cramp twice is taking the piss though

Didn't seem to stop him charging down the other end when the whistle went. 😅

[Whitey Grandad]

9 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

The first wasn't blatant. But it was clear on replay on TV, and with VAR that is what matters. Lyanco was a touch unlucky, he seemed to misjudge his header, but then he didn't actually need to do anything at all, he's just a clumsy poor footballer. As for the DCC penalty of course the Grimsby player went down like a sack of spuds, made the most of it, but who wouldn't. You can't slap someone in the back, whether you are provoked or not. DCC has clearly shown that he doesn't have the temperament for our game, that's why he was red carded against Newcastle, he is a complete and utter liability. There was no way that should not have been a penalty, he was very lucky not to have been red carded. Still he did redeem himself slightly by scoring, but only slightly. His other effort was unbelievably bad.

Trying to pretend that we lost that game because of two dubious decisions is laughable. We were dire, I have never seen us as pathetic as we were tonight, we were better when we lost 9-0 (both times). Mara, Orsic, Aribo, Edozie, Armstrong really have no case for being in a PL team (not to mention DCC and Lyanco). KWP was disappointingly ineffective, Charly gave the ball away too often, Djenepo tried hard and at least seemed interested and up for a game, Perraud tries hard and gives his all but overall is not very good. JWP made a difference when he came on, but actually did a lot of chasing after shadows, because no one else was trying. Felt a bit sorry for Walcott, that was a very well taken goal, and showed that he has some class, the margin of offside was miniscule but nevertheless it was offside. I actually thought that Bazunu might have got to one or other of the pens, certainly more likely than McCarthy who never saves penalties. 

I think tonight made me finally think I have had it with football, the game has been ruined, my club has been ruined, but I suppose I will tune in again on Saturday to go through the whole depressing process again, ad nauseum until the end of the season. 

I wouldn’t even call that a slap in the back and compared with the assault on Djenepo it was trivial. If it’s considered severe enough to be a foul then it’s serious foul play. Which it wasn’t.

[trousers]

12 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

But it was clear on replay on TV, and with VAR that is what matters

I agree it was a clear penalty but, as you say, given it was clear on the TV replays, why on Earth did it take the officials 4 minutes to see the blindingly obvious?

 

[skintsaint]

Still pissed KWP and the rest didn't berate the ref to check VAR for the shirt pulling near the end which was obvious. Fannys just took it on the chin.

[skintsaint]

double post 😕

Edited 2 March, 2023 by skintsaint

[Pamplemousse]

Grimsby drew Brighton away, so we'd have been knocked out in the quarters for sure. Every cloud and all that 

[skintsaint]

2 minutes ago, trousers said:

I agree it was a clear penalty but, as you say, given it was clear on the TV replays, why on Earth did it take the officials 4 minutes to see the blindingly obvious?

 

I can only imagine the ref may have thought it came off his head onto his arm, a bit like the 2nd half when one of our shots hit their defender and hit the arm so wasn't given or looked at by VAR.

[skintsaint]

1 minute ago, Pamplemousse said:

Grimsby drew Brighton away, so we'd have been knocked out in the quarters for sure. Every cloud and all that 

Poor bastards have another long trip down then!

[Saint in Paradise]

My wife came into my man cave to check that I was ok as she heard me groaning. After watching about a minute

she remarked that Grimsby have a nice ground. When I corrected her and told her that Saints were at home she

said it sounded like  Grimsby were at home as they were making all the noise. I then very bravely asked her to depart.

 

[OttawaSaint]

Bringing in a few with a view to having them start on Saturday has horribly backfired. 

Now what? I don't trust any of our goalies, none of the defenders, none of the midfield not called Lavia or JWP and I'm not even going to mention our "strikers". Put in the u18 team!

[OttawaSaint]

Actually scratch that, I will mention the "strikers". When we the last time one of our forward players Actually fucking scored? 

I'm struggling to remember that far back until what had become a shitty brown mixture of mediocrity that this cow pat team have served up for more than a season. 

[St Steve]

 

[Crab Lungs]

5 hours ago, macca155 said:

Outrageous and in your time of need as well. I grabbed a packet of chocolate digestives on the way to the match. In case it snowed obviously 😉

I eat nearly all of them on the way home. This bloody team is going to kill me.

They’re gonna kill us both.

Settled for a Double Cheeseburger, without cheese - the Jordy Clasie of McDonalds choices. 

[The Curse of St Mary's]

The pitch looked atrocious. The players looked so slow and ponderous, at times they looked like a pub team with both Lyanco and DCC looking like they had been out on an all night bender. The most saddest thing though is that this team has no heart or desire. They have drained all the soul out of this club. The atmosphere at SMS is non existent, the fans have quite rightly have had a gut full. Why should they cheer on this bunch of spoilt worthless brats?

Play the kids, at least they will in the short term play with some hunger and desire. 

[Convict Colony]

Finally the players have learned.

Put the shit performances in the cup games and get the wins in the league games.

All we need is a win on saturday and we can confirm that the trend has been reversed.

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

7 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

I have no problems with teams that come to play and beat us fair and square by better football or by wanting it more but that second half was anti-football. Stop/start with pretend injuries and having to drink four swigs of water before taking goal kicks is pathetic.

It's up to FIFA/refs to sort this out. Time management/running down the clock which seems to be condoned by commentators is endemic. I quite liked the 10 minutes extra time at the World Cup. It's simple. Book a player and send him off if he continues to waste time. It'll soon stop this nonsense.

But that really is the least of our issues at the moment... 

[Turkish]

3 hours ago, Crab Lungs said:

They’re gonna kill us both.

Settled for a Double Cheeseburger, without cheese - the Jordy Clasie of McDonalds choices. 

This team are more like a box of chicken nuggets, every time you get one it’s alway underwhelming and then seem to get worse with every bite to the point where by the end you’re never going to buy them again, but you do. 

[Shroppie]

9 hours ago, jasonbenali said:

I’m genuinely confused about how poor Orsic has been. Has George Weah been on the phone again as surely that’s not the world Cup semi-finalist?

Disappointed for Theo as was only bit of class all game and for me the VAR frame used was after the ball was kicked. Although he did piss me off by laughing and joking about it like it doesn’t matter.

I thought the same about both VAR offside decisions. Seems that me it's all too easy to engineer the lines by choosing one frame forwards or backwards, especially when it's very close. 

In other games recently we've seen decisions from VAR that looked very strange, including a Rashford goal at the weekend, and it's hard not to think outcomes are being manipulated.

[Lallana's Left Peg]

8 hours ago, saintant said:

A goalkeeper going down with cramp twice is taking the piss though - they don't do any running.

 

He was doing us all a favour, as it meant there was less time for my eyes to bleed in reaction to watching us in possession trying to attack.

[East Kent Saint]

It had the feel of an upset before the game confirmed with the team selection , then the old trying to play out from the back routine that broke down in other half of the pitch . There were a few hopeful signs with the offside goal but the warning signs were there with a few Grimsby break aways . I tried the trick of extending my half time break , expecting to restart to find Saints at least on level terms but that backfired ! AA once again looked to be trying , all going well until the final ball which was always an overhit pass or over long cross , I thought he was supposed to be a striker ie getting on the end of final passes being his 'strength' Without a team of good players threading their way through the opposition I would have thought a faster direct assault forward is required before their defence is all back in position waiting for the breakdown .

[Lallana's Left Peg]

6 hours ago, OttawaSaint said:

Actually scratch that, I will mention the "strikers". When we the last time one of our forward players Actually fucking scored? 

I'm struggling to remember that far back until what had become a shitty brown mixture of mediocrity that this cow pat team have served up for more than a season. 

 

I read that the last time a Southampton striker scored in the league was Che Adams on 12th November.  111 days ago.

[saintwbu]

I get the desire to pin all blame on the players (rightly so) after that absolute shit show. But we just saw probably the worst penalty decision you’ll ever seen, and you will never see one like it again. The ref is lucky no one cares about us, including our own fans, because that would be getting major heat if it was someone else. 

[david in sweden]

I wouldn't blame Selles for the starting selections and it was an anticipated team selection against  L2 opposition

EXCEPT  that I drew breathe ( in horror) when I saw McCarthy in goal !   Don't ask me why ...Nuff said.

We can't have players under contract, and sitting on the bench every week without giving them some game time, and

(on paper) ...Grimsby are the weakest opposition we've had all season.  Result too much % possession and not enough creativity.

Grimsby restricted their attacks to chance long balls whilst our 75% got us little more than 12 shots over the bar,  a couple of  disallowed

" goals " and a VAR set-up that approved two penalties for Grimsby whilst ignoring an equal number of handball shouts against them.

 

S.N.A.F.U. performances from players who ought to know how to score from 15 yards. Our  continued lack of height up front cost us

a win - yet again, whilst even a couple of  L2 defenders took care of our insipid attempts to score.

 

ANALYSIS ...The club has bought too many young players with  "some sort of individual talent ",  who shone in lesser leagues but 

had little or no understanding of team play at a senior level and lacked the support of more experienced players around them. 

With these names " picked out of a hat " before the kick-off , we  should still have won this game comfortably. One of the most

embarrassing results in my 60+ years as a fan, but considering our recent  form perhaps was not totally unexpected.

All credit to Grimsby came with a plan which worked - after we gifted them two goals, scored by a player who had never previously

taken a penalty in his life, and he did it twice.  

 

 

[Kenilworthy]

For older fans this game will have brought back horrors memories of 1974, when we lost at home to Wrexham in the 5th round. Also after having knocked Blackpool out.

[Mr X]

Lyanco is the Brazilian ali dia! passion is nothing without some level of skill.  At least this result puts to rest our already very slim chances of staying up and noone can argue that there's worse teams than us in the premier League.  This combined with the Leeds performance are two of the worst performances ever as bad as anything under Jones thats some feat! 

Edited 2 March, 2023 by Mr X

[Pamplemousse]

1 minute ago, Kenilworthy said:

For older fans this game will have brought back horrors memories of 1974, when we lost at home to Wrexham in the 5th round. Also after having knocked Blackpool out.

Does that mean we're gonna win the cup in two seasons then?

[Lee On Solent Saint]

I don't think there are words to justify how utter shite we were last night. It was a fuckin bottom half league 2 club, yet we conspired to make them look like a decent outfit. They were absolutely fuckin shit, yet somehow we were even fuckin worse. That kind of performance is totally unforgivable. No effort, no passion, no urgency. None of those playing last night are fit to wear our shirt. The club should ashamed and embarrassed this morning. Fans should be refunded the ticket money from the game as it was just a shambolic performance all round. 

[JRM]

2 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

I don't think there are words to justify how utter shite we were last night. It was a fuckin bottom half league 2 club, yet we conspired to make them look like a decent outfit. They were absolutely fuckin shit, yet somehow we were even fuckin worse. That kind of performance is totally unforgivable. No effort, no passion, no urgency. None of those playing last night are fit to wear our shirt. The club should ashamed and embarrassed this morning. Fans should be refunded the ticket money from the game as it was just a shambolic performance all round. 

Agree its going to take a long time to get over this one, times like these we could do with an Italian style ultras group, go down the training ground and barricade them in, make clear to the players they have brought shame upon the club they represent , put a bit of fear into them 

[SotonianWill]

Can we vote for twat of the match?

[FarehamSaintJames]

7 hours ago, OttawaSaint said:

Actually scratch that, I will mention the "strikers". When we the last time one of our forward players Actually fucking scored? 

I'm struggling to remember that far back until what had become a shitty brown mixture of mediocrity that this cow pat team have served up for more than a season. 

We brought in a striker that isn’t going to be too adaptable to playing 4-4-2 pressing. You need pace for that.

Onuachu is 6’8”. Somehow I don’t see him chasing anyone down with his build.

Che Adams is the best of a bad bunch of strikers. 
Dom Ballard I’d have start with him, he showed more determination in ten minutes than Mara and Adam Armstrong did.

[FarehamSaintJames]

1 minute ago, SotonianWill said:

Can we vote for twat of the match?

Lyanco (no ability), DCC (the whack), Orsic (still concussed), Adam Armstrong (no ability), Mara (a lot of jogging but nothing else).

[Lee On Solent Saint]

1 minute ago, JRM said:

Agree its going to take a long time to get over this one, times like these we could do with an Italian style ultras group, go down the training ground and barricade them in, make clear to the players they have brought shame upon the club they represent , put a bit of fear into them 

Much as I would love to see that, it won't happen. As a fan base we have just become used to shit teams and players serving up the same shit week in week out. Opposing fans must love coming to St Mary's. 

[SotonianWill]

3 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Lyanco (no ability), DCC (the whack), Orsic (still concussed), Adam Armstrong (no ability), Mara (a lot of jogging but nothing else).

nice list. only one you’re missing is alcaraz who looked drunk in midfield.

and the not so bad performers:

Mccarthy (did well to come out and claim that 1v1 should start saturday), Djenepo (dreadful ability but he tried to drive us forward, bless him), Walcott (actually looked pretty good has he found his level?), kwp (a typical performance from him) 

[badgerx16]

9 hours ago, trousers said:

I agree it was a clear penalty but, as you say, given it was clear on the TV replays, why on Earth did it take the officials 4 minutes to see the blindingly obvious?

 

If the game had been at their ground the officials wouldn't even have been looking at it.

[SotonianWill]

Just now, badgerx16 said:

If the game had been at their ground the officials wouldn't even have been looking at it.

because they don’t have electricity or screens in grimsby

[Mr Nimbus]

I thought whilst we lacked a cutting edge for the first 20 minutes our attitude towards the game and opponents were decent.

I should have known that Lyanco would do something as reckless as what he ended up doing. 

I'm just so sick and tired of the same players doing the same stupid things over and over again. When we lose to Leicester on Saturday there needs to be an acceptance of relegation and the team should to look like what it will for the following championship season. 

 

[warsash saint]

Did i dream it or did the Grimsby keeper have NO saves to make ???

[Mr X]

1 minute ago, warsash saint said:

Did i dream it or did the Grimsby keeper have NO saves to make ???

Arnie says Affirmative