Other Games 23/24

[Suhari]

Suddenly supporting Leicester.

Always liked them. Happy to finish second behind their record breaking season.

[AlexLaw76]

United 0-2 down at home to Villa 25 mins in.

[Suhari]

2 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

United 0-2 down at home to Villa 25 mins in.

Villa appointed Emery. We got a small Welsh chap.

#choices

[Bad Wolf]

United 2 down at home to Villa. Not even a surprise anymore.

[Lighthouse]

2 minutes ago, Suhari said:

Villa appointed Emery. We got a small Welsh chap.

#choices

Emery’s choices. Villa had a squad where Danny Ings was surplus to requirements, we had a squad where Juan Larios was starting games.

[Ex Lion Tamer]

Ipswich are being opened up by Leicester at will. I don't think they are getting automatic promotion

[CB Fry]

Just you wait until Dave Brailsford gets in that United dressing room. #marginalgains #eyegym  

[sfc4prem]

8 minutes ago, Lighthouse said:

Emery’s choices. Villa had a squad where Danny Ings was surplus to requirements, we had a squad where Juan Larios was starting games.

I seem to prefer your narrative

[sfc4prem]

6 minutes ago, Ex Lion Tamer said:

Ipswich are being opened up by Leicester at will. I don't think they are getting automatic promotion

Equally, Ipswich were splitting Leicester's defensive lines quite a lot. Promising for when we play Leicester away...

[Turkish]

We are better than both of these

[Patches O Houlihan]

It’s a proper match. Leicester’s defence being tested, and resolute so far. Only one moment when Vestergaard has had an oil tanker turning moment. 

[Patches O Houlihan]

Just now, Turkish said:

We are better than both of these

On today’s evidence I agree. Struggle to imagine pulling back 13 points in 22 games on Leicester though...

[saint lard]

Ipswich are battering Leicester. Chance after chance. 

[saint lard]

And there it is. 
off Vestegard. 

Edited 26 December, 2023 by saint lard

[Block41 Saint]

1-1. Fully deserved from Ipswich. 

[AlexLaw76]

Ipswich have been much better than Leicester for the majority of this game

[Patches O Houlihan]

Great finish by Agent Vestergaard!

[Bad Wolf]

ffs

[SW5 SAINT]

If Carling did sets of football results…..

[Patches O Houlihan]

2 minutes ago, Bad Wolf said:

ffs

Don’t worry - it’s now only 11 points to Leicester - we’ve got this!

COYR!

[Jimmy_D]

Tiny bit of disappointment that Ipswich rescued a point and got a bit of a morale boost but the Christmas fixtures have been awesome for us on the whole.

[Micky]

11 minutes ago, Turkish said:

We are better than both of these

I hope so, we need 6 points from them.

[AlexLaw76]

Just now, SW5 SAINT said:

If Carling did sets of football results…..

Leicester would have won!

[sfc4prem]

Not bad. Two points gained on Ipswich. Two points gained on Leicester 😋

[bpsaint]

Almost a perfect day of results really. Would have preferred a Leicester win as nobody is catching them and the effect it would have on Ipswich’s goal difference but still a very good day for us.

Edited 26 December, 2023 by bpsaint

[saint lard]

If I’m honest….id preferred a draw. 
I still think that they both will falter on occasion. 
Its down to us. 

[Patches O Houlihan]

Watching the game I’m sure we can overhaul Ipswich. If we manage to put some pressure on Leicester that would be great. Big matches against our three rivals to come, not least Leeds on the last day. 

[Turkish]

Fully deserved. Nothing to fear from either of those teams. Going to be very difficult to catch Leicester anyway. 
 

Friday Leicester away to Cardiff, Ipswich home to QPR Leeds away at WBA so a decent chance to open a gap to Leeds, Cardiff away is never easy.  you’d expect  Ipswich to win. If we do the business again and results go our way we could be in a very good position Friday evening

[Turkish]

7 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Leicester would have won!

Do you want to win the league or not! 

[AlexLaw76]

1 minute ago, Patches O Houlihan said:

Watching the game I’m sure we can overhaul Ipswich. If we manage to put some pressure on Leicester that would be great. Big matches against our three rivals to come, not least Leeds on the last day. 

We are yet to play away at WBA, Ipswich, Leicester and Leeds (last day). Tasty games

[AlexLaw76]

1 minute ago, Turkish said:

Do you want to win the league or not! 

There is enough dross in this league (comparably) for Leicester not to blow an 11 point lead over us...I am sure.

[Suhari]

Is Jannik a twat or a hero?

Only time will tell.

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, AlexLaw76 said:

There is enough dross in this league (comparably) for Leicester not to blow an 11 point lead over us...I am sure.

Almost certainly true but it's not insurmountable at this point. If they suffered an injury crisis combined with losing players for the AFCON then you never know. 

[allsa001]

I think a draw is a great result, much rather the top 2 share 2 points, than Leicester taking 3.

So much can still happen in this league, 11 points is very doable, considering we staill have to play them.

Even if we don't, we still gained 2 points on Ipsw today.

Still a long way to go, and there will be plenty of twists and turns

[Patches O Houlihan]

11 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

We are yet to play away at WBA, Ipswich, Leicester and Leeds (last day). Tasty games

As we've seen today we are better playing against teams who fancy their chances against us and come out, as home teams are more likely to do, and these three in particular.

The quality of the pressing we have been demonstrating recently when applied to the sides I watched tonight would reap rewards I'm sure.

[Tommy Mulgrew]

2 hours ago, Ex Lion Tamer said:

Ipswich are being opened up by Leicester at will. I don't think they are getting automatic promotion

That reminds me of a game I watched at a stadium not far from the River Itchen earlier this season. 🤫

Vestergard doing his usual stuff in injury time - not that it helps us though: I think Leicester are going to stay top even though we might run them close.

And nice to see Schumacher giving Rooney a roasting in Birmingham.  Shame, too, about the Skates.

COYFS

[HarvSFC]

2 hours ago, Patches O Houlihan said:

As we've seen today we are better playing against teams who fancy their chances against us and come out, as home teams are more likely to do, and these three in particular.

The quality of the pressing we have been demonstrating recently when applied to the sides I watched tonight would reap rewards I'm sure.

The way we walked through Leeds in the first half at home is giving me plenty of confidence too. Will probably come back to bite me firmly on the arse, but we’re a different team to the one that lost against Leicester and Ipswich earlier in the season.

Edited 27 December, 2023 by HarvSFC

[FarehamSaintJames]

Leicester haven’t actually been a great footballing team this season. They’ve just left two players up top with bags of pace and counter attacked.
Great tactic when up against slow defences and teams that press, it’s teams that defend deep that make them struggle.

All that said if it gets you results it can’t be all bad.

[AlexLaw76]

9 hours ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Leicester haven’t actually been a great footballing team this season. They’ve just left two players up top with bags of pace and counter attacked.
Great tactic when up against slow defences and teams that press, it’s teams that defend deep that make them struggle.

All that said if it gets you results it can’t be all bad.

They are really average, sat clear at the top with a GD twice as good as anyone else.

[CB Fry]

9 hours ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Leicester haven’t actually been a great footballing team this season. They’ve just left two players up top with bags of pace and counter attacked.
Great tactic when up against slow defences and teams that press, it’s teams that defend deep that make them struggle.

All that said if it gets you results it can’t be all bad.

They've dropped 13 points in total all season, when has all this "struggling" happened?

[Maggie May]

1 hour ago, CB Fry said:

They've dropped 13 points in total all season, when has all this "struggling" happened?

Agreed.

Hopefully our fans can stay grounded through this purple patch of ours. I can understand why our form could be shrouding the performances of other teams but Leicester have been tearing this league a new one and will likely break records. 

[Saint-Reece]

11 hours ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

Leicester haven’t actually been a great footballing team this season. They’ve just left two players up top with bags of pace and counter attacked.
Great tactic when up against slow defences and teams that press, it’s teams that defend deep that make them struggle.

All that said if it gets you results it can’t be all bad.

You don’t half come out with some shit do you? 

[FarehamSaintJames]

They’ve just been clinical, something we’ve only just started doing.

Rewatch their goals this season and you’ll see counter after counter.

[Turkish]

11 hours ago, CB Fry said:

They've dropped 13 points in total all season, when has all this "struggling" happened?

Yeah but if you take out games the 12 games they've only won by one goal then they've only won 7 games, those 12 games could easily be draws which would mean they'd be 15th just above Blackburn, they might have even lost all of them and if they'd also lost the games they'd drawn then they'd only just be out of the bottom 3. fine margins. They really are struggling if you look beyond their wins, goals, defence and efficiency. 

[The Kraken]

43 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

They’ve just been clinical, something we’ve only just started doing.

Rewatch their goals this season and you’ll see counter after counter.

Leicester’s last 5 games possession stats: 55%, 76%, 59%, 78%, 64%.

Doesn’t particularly sound to me like they’re set up as a counter attacking side.

 

[Gloucester Saint]

Good to see proper use of VAR at Brighton v Spurs - clear shirt tug and denial of getting a shot on goal away, which corrected the obvious error from the ref and Lino in originally not giving the penalty.

[AlexLaw76]

57 minutes ago, FarehamSaintJames said:

They’ve just been clinical, something we’ve only just started doing.

Rewatch their goals this season and you’ll see counter after counter.

I would call SOuthampton the complete opposite of a counter attacking team, largely due to the possession and other stats.

The championship team with stats nearest to us, which suggest our styles are v.similar, is.....Leicester

https://fbref.com/en/comps/10/possession/Championship-Stats

[Maggie May]

Moyes has truly done an exceptional job at West Ham. Imagine if he was given time at United. 

[Turkish]

1 minute ago, Maggie May said:

Moyes has truly done an exceptional job at West Ham. Imagine if he was given time at United. 

And West Ham fans still moan about him. I sat next to one in bar on holiday in October he spent the whole game moaning about Moyes and even though West Ham won even at the end of the game he was moaning they were lucky and it was boring. Plenty of fans sneered at the idea of us getting him. 
to be 2-0 up with and XG of 0.69 shows how amazing he is 

[Tommy Mulgrew]

Despite having a penalty saved, West Ham win 2:0 at Arsenal.  JWP looks to be MOTM yet again.  Rice concedes the penalty.  
 

“Wish we were West Ham.”