Man City 1-0 Southampton - Match Thread

[qwertyell]

Honestly, we'll probably do okay. City have looked quite poor this season (for them) - they move the ball even slower and more predictably than we do.

Wolves defended very comfortably against them the other day, before succumbing to a last gasp set piece.

It'll probably be similar to the Arsenal game - we'll hang in there for a while, maybe start thinking an unlikely result is on the cards, and then lose 3-1. 

It won't be a cricket score. 

 

[Pamplemousse]

Man City winning 4-0 atm with pretty much their strongest team minus Ederson. We know Pep likes to rotate so maybe he'll change a few things for Saturday.

[Andy Hill]

JS is back so as long as we manage to fit him in to the team we will be OK. 

[Turkish]

3 hours ago, qwertyell said:

Honestly, we'll probably do okay. City have looked quite poor this season (for them) - they move the ball even slower and more predictably than we do.

Wolves defended very comfortably against them the other day, before succumbing to a last gasp set piece.

It'll probably be similar to the Arsenal game - we'll hang in there for a while, maybe start thinking an unlikely result is on the cards, and then lose 3-1. 

It won't be a cricket score. 

 

behave yourself you clueless cretin

[Turkish]

2 hours ago, Andy Hill said:

JS is back so as long as we manage to fit him in to the team we will be OK. 

this team needs Jack. I feel better when Smallbone plays too. Both HAVE to start

[coalman]

10 hours ago, Pamplemousse said:

Man City winning 4-0 atm with pretty much their strongest team minus Ederson. We know Pep likes to rotate so maybe he'll change a few things for Saturday.

They can play their kids if they want. Turn it into a Carabao Cup game

[SuperSaintWill]

It's going to be like facing a fucking firing squad.

I'm going and i'm not taking a blindfold.

I like to look my executioner in the eye and take it like a man.

Edited October 24 by SuperSaintWill

[Suhari]

I'm getting so jaded with watching us now. I watch every game and this one will be no different (and it won't change: I support through good and bad), but it's hard to enjoy and even harder to get excited as part of the build up. Numb expectation of another dullfest loss.

Even in our previous tough times, like the great escapes of the 90s, we were 'plucky Saints' and at least had obvious effort, determination and spirit in the squad and the performances. RussBall seems to deliver the opposite of effort and determination.

The most interesting thing for me in this match is what mysterious line-up will he go for? Presumably Shoehorn will be back in? Guess Manning will remain. So we could see six at the back, with two of them stepping up to MF when we have the ball. Could be fun.

Hats off to the fans making the trip up. Hope you can get some enjoyment!

[LiberalCommunist]

I’d like to just press the skip button for this one. 

[Football Special]

To be fair they do have Spurs away a few days after us in the Carabao, would make sense for City to play some youngsters against us as Pep is always moaning about the number of games. 

Will THB be the only ex-City player in our side? With Baz injured, Edozie on loan and Larios still recovering it's a shame they won't get to show Pep he was wrong to sell them. 

[Suhari]

RM will absolutely jizz in his pants if Pep gives a compliment on our playing style.

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

11 minutes ago, Suhari said:

RM will absolutely jizz in his pants if Pep gives a compliment on our playing style.

What I’d prefer to hear him say is

“those dirt bastards kicking our players, it’s a fucking (or Spanish equivalent) travesty that they walk out of here with a fucking point!!!”

after they’ve laid siege to our penalty area for 99 minutes (actually only 2 mins added time but…you know) but we miraculously escape with a 0-0.

Nah, we’re getting mullered ain’t we…

[Oldandtired]

2 hours ago, Suhari said:

Could be fun.

No.

[Challenger]

5 minutes ago, Oldandtired said:

No.

Indeed, no fun watching this lot die a death of a thousand fuck ups.

[Turkish]

3 goals conceded is par these days, reckon we could easily concede double that to give the world wide TV audience some brilliant entertainment 

[Totton Saint]

I watched Pele's greatest goals the recently. Mane and Tadic were playing too. What a difference in playing style compared to today's funeral sludge.

Tactics have sucked the life out of most English football these days.

[Holmes_and_Watson]

3 hours ago, Suhari said:

I'm getting so jaded with watching us now. I watch every game and this one will be no different (and it won't change: I support through good and bad), but it's hard to enjoy and even harder to get excited as part of the build up. Numb expectation of another dullfest loss.

Even in our previous tough times, like the great escapes of the 90s, we were 'plucky Saints' and at least had obvious effort, determination and spirit in the squad and the performances. RussBall seems to deliver the opposite of effort and determination.

The most interesting thing for me in this match is what mysterious line-up will he go for? Presumably Shoehorn will be back in? Guess Manning will remain. So we could see six at the back, with two of them stepping up to MF when we have the ball. Could be fun.

Hats off to the fans making the trip up. Hope you can get some enjoyment!

The control that Martin wants from each sequence in the game has the result that we're not a side who takes advantage of a shift in momentum. Where others sense something to take advantage of, with the crowd behind them, Martin is concerned about the risk of overcommitting. We get more of a reset than going in for the kill. Last season, we got sides where that worked nicely. But it does lack spirit, with the team's effort and determination being focused differently. If we struggle, it looks very flat.

[coalman]

6 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

The control that Martin wants from each sequence in the game has the result that we're not a side who takes advantage of a shift in momentum. Where others sense something to take advantage of, with the crowd behind them, Martin is concerned about the risk of overcommitting. We get more of a reset than going in for the kill. Last season, we got sides where that worked nicely. But it does lack spirit, with the team's effort and determination being focused differently. If we struggle, it looks very flat.

If you can't set up a side to defend when you've got 11 players in your own half you're going to have even more trouble defending against a break.

Edited October 24 by coalman

[Micky]

I reckon this'll be the result that firmly nails us to the bottom of the Premiere League this season.  Wolves won't beat Brighton but they won't get the drubbing that we're going to get.  Bottom of the league come 5 o'clock Saturday, then two massive games before going to Anfield for another bumming.

[OttawaSaint]

Russell Martin will fall to his knees in tears as his brave boys survive a double digit thrashing, bravely only losing 9-0...

Edited October 24 by OttawaSaint

[hypochondriac]

We did better than I thought we would against Arsenal. I'm going to go with a 3-1 loss. 

[breeza]

Any away pub recommendations?

[franniesTache]

3 minutes ago, breeza said:

Any away pub recommendations?

It's manchester, a city that basically has some of the best pubs in the country. Around picadilly, print works, the northern quarter, and oxford road you've got a ton of brilliant pubs.

Our fans will ignore these though and end up in a 'Spoons where they can sing songs at minimum wage staff who are wishing they hadn't swapped their shift with their mate

[suewhistle]

Years since I've been to Manchester so can't help on pubs but I do recall the decent prices and Joseph Holt's pubs delivering in larger barrels due to their turnover. In Southampton drinking in a 'spoons will save you £3 a pint, which is not to be sneezed at, but in Manchester I wouldn't bother unless a quick one on the way somewhere else.

[Micky]

1 hour ago, breeza said:

Any away pub recommendations?

Yep, every one you pass, you're going to need to be well inebriated in order to endure this one...!

Edited October 24 by Micky

[saintquin]

I'm really trying to find something positive to say about this game but, I just can't think of any!

 

[Holmes_and_Watson]

15 minutes ago, saintquin said:

I'm really trying to find something positive to say about this game but, I just can't think of any!

 

I know. Radio, TV and press are going to breathlessly drone on about how City threw it away, and what a sudden crisis for the title it all is, while we get none of the credit.

[BarberSaint]

1-1.

[die Mannyschaft]

City 5-5 Saints 301/1 or 1-1 20/1

Could be anything if you factor in added 9 mins 2nd half, a red card here and there, VAR, and the now usual 5 subs. 

I'll go for an early goal from Saints or og City, then.....

 

[OneMrsWallace]

My heart always says we'll win. Unfortunately my brain is whispering 'no chance you deluded muppet'. 

[Badger]

3 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

I know. Radio, TV and press are going to breathlessly drone on about how City threw it away, and what a sudden crisis for the title it all is, while we get none of the credit.

I think I’d cope without us getting the credit listening to 5Live on the way home and on MOTD somehow. 

[Osvaldorama]

13 hours ago, Football Special said:

To be fair they do have Spurs away a few days after us in the Carabao, would make sense for City to play some youngsters against us as Pep is always moaning about the number of games. 

Will THB be the only ex-City player in our side? With Baz injured, Edozie on loan and Larios still recovering it's a shame they won't get to show Pep he was wrong to sell them. 

No wonder he always compliments us in his press conference. 
 

We’ve funded them signing good players by spending tens of millions on absolute shit

[SW11_Saint]

How many tickets did we get allocated for this one? Well done to those travelling… 

[Midfield_General]

On 24/10/2024 at 07:57, SuperSaintWill said:

It's going to be like facing a fucking firing squad.

I'm going and i'm not taking a blindfold.

I like to look my executioner in the eye and take it like a man.

Sadly I think it will be more a case of turning round, bending over, closing our eyes and taking it like a bitch. 

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

1 hour ago, SW11_Saint said:

How many tickets did we get allocated for this one? Well done to those travelling… 

Taking up the full allocation - that’s 3,000 traumatised souls trudging back down the motorways then. I tip my hat to those ‘brave’ (and probably battered) troops.

[Midfield_General]

Just watched the press conference. RM: "We just have to keep on doing what we're doing".

"It's the last thing they'll be expecting! Over the top lads!" 

[skintsaint]

Glad to see my crude paint skills haven't diminished after all these years...

[derry]

42 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

Just watched the press conference. RM: "We just have to keep on doing what we're doing".

"It's the last thing they'll be expecting! Over the top lads!" 

FFS he talked about missing Smallbone. Leicester couldn't believe their luck with the incompetence he showed last week. Stephens to be shoehorned in this week. At least  the tough tackling  Smallbone is missing for a while. If he plays either of those and fails to bring ABK and Onuachu back into the equation it will really demonstrate how incompetent we are.

[austsaint]

29 minutes ago, derry said:

FFS he talked about missing Smallbone. Leicester couldn't believe their luck with the incompetence he showed last week. Stephens to be shoehorned in this week. At least  the tough tackling  Smallbone is missing for a while. If he plays either of those and fails to bring ABK and Onuachu back into the equation it will really demonstrate how incompetent we are.

There’s many reasons to doubt RM’s competence to manage in the Prem; but his continuing belief that Smallbone is a Prem midfielder ranks high up for me that he has to go.

[coalman]

Christ, his body language is terrible in the press conference. Arms crossed, looking off to the side. That's before you get to the content of saying things like "we need to keep doing what we're doing", "we had no control over the sending off" and "we need consistency on the pitch". And needing to reiterate how people are just interested in who gets the sack first instead of maybe the fact that he's scored fewer points than Nathan Jones in the same number of premier league games.

[Turkish]

22 minutes ago, coalman said:

Christ, his body language is terrible in the press conference. Arms crossed, looking off to the side. That's before you get to the content of saying things like "we need to keep doing what we're doing", "we had no control over the sending off" and "we need consistency on the pitch". And needing to reiterate how people are just interested in who gets the sack first instead of maybe the fact that he's scored fewer points than Nathan Jones in the same number of premier league games.

Probably wants it over and done so he can get stuck into the lentil stew with Lucy has knocked up for him.

[Weston Super Saint]

2 minutes ago, Turkish said:

Probably wants it over and done so he can get stuck into the lentil stew with Lucy has knocked up for him.

Wait, what? Lucy is knocked up?

[Turkish]

2 minutes ago, Weston Super Saint said:

Wait, what? Lucy is knocked up?

you'll have to check the CoT thread for that level of itknesses im afraid

Loose lips sink ships and all that 

[Pamplemousse]

1 hour ago, derry said:

FFS he talked about missing Smallbone. Leicester couldn't believe their luck with the incompetence he showed last week. Stephens to be shoehorned in this week. At least  the tough tackling  Smallbone is missing for a while. If he plays either of those and fails to bring ABK and Onuachu back into the equation it will really demonstrate how incompetent we are.

ABK clearly doesn't want to play for us.

[Pamplemousse]

I see in his press conference, Pep said that RM shouldn't change anything and defended his stubborn game plan. Classic. 

[coalman]

9 minutes ago, Pamplemousse said:

I see in his press conference, Pep said that RM shouldn't change anything and defended his stubborn game plan. Classic. 

Pep is nothing but thorough in his preparations.

[trousers]

24 minutes ago, Pamplemousse said:

I see in his press conference, Pep said that RM shouldn't change anything and defended his stubborn game plan. Classic. 

 

[Midfield_General]

In a season full of increasingly weird statements and decisions, this Smallbone thing is starting to look like one of the weirdest. I've got nothing against him as a competent, tidy enough Championship midfielder, and he played Armstrong through for the play-off winner of course so he'll always have a tiny bit of Saints history for that, but who, who has actually watched him play at Premier League level, looks at him and thinks "I feel so much better when he's on the pitch", let alone actually vocalises that thought, and let alone a professional manager? 

I don't doubt that Will's a great lad to have around the place. The more limited players usually are because they know they've got way fewer options elsewhere, so they have to try and hang onto their places in as many other ways as possible. But beyond that it's so hard to see any form of rational justification for that sort of glowing tribute. He doesn't really run, doesn't tackle, doesn't win headers, has got a reasonable eye for a pass but isn't exactly Pirlo, doesn't score many, doesn't really track back. It's baffling. It's Elyonoussi all over again. Even if we mere mortals can't see it, what would his stats show that RM Is so impressed by? It can only be racking up short, safe, sideways passes to drive up that all-important possession %. I literally can't think of anything else. 

JWP had his limitations but had something of a trump card in being worth 10 goals a season from free-kicks. Aribo will also never be the greatest but he has had some good spells (he was excellent first half against Leicester for example), is increasingly getting stuck in and winning physical battles, has good close control to retain the ball and can play out of some really tight situations. I just don't see what Will's 'thing' is meant to be. 

I do think that maybe RM is running out of ideas now that his only style of play has been found wanting, and now he's falling back on 'the lads he can trust', so those are the ones he's bigging up ahead of the inevitable backlash when he puts them in the team over better players. Trust to do what though, I'm not sure, because the ones who seem to fall into that category (and we all know who they are) are the ones who have been proven time and again not to be up to the required standard. Very odd indeed. 

Edited October 25 by Midfield_General

[saintant]

9 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

In a season full of increasingly weird statements and decisions, this Smallbone thing is starting to look like one of the weirdest. I've got nothing against him as a competent, tidy enough Championship midfielder, and he played Armstrong through for the play-off winner of course so he'll always have a tiny bit of Saints history for that, but who, who has actually watched him play at Premier League level, looks at him and thinks "I feel so much better when he's on the pitch", let alone actually vocalises that thought, and let alone a professional manager? 

I don't doubt that Will's a great lad to have around the place. The more limited players usually are because they know they've got way fewer options elsewhere, so they have to try and hang onto their places in as many other ways as possible. But beyond that it's so hard to see any form of rational justification for that sort of glowing tribute. He doesn't really run, doesn't tackle, doesn't win headers, has got a reasonable eye for a pass but isn't exactly Pirlo, doesn't score many, doesn't really track back. It's baffling. It's Elyonoussi all over again. Even if we mere mortals can't see it, what would his stats show that RM Is so impressed by? It can only be racking up short, safe, sideways passes to drive up that all-important possession %. I literally can't think of anything else. 

JWP had his limitations but had something of a trump card in being worth 10 goals a season from free-kicks. Aribo will also never be the greatest but he has had some good spells (he was excellent first half against Leicester for example), is increasingly getting stuck in and winning physical battles, has good close control to retain the ball and can play out of some really tight situations. I just don't see what Will's 'thing' is meant to be. 

I do think that maybe RM is running out of ideas now that his only style of play has been found wanting, and now he's falling back on 'the lads he can trust', so those are the ones he's bigging up ahead of the inevitable backlash when he puts them in the team over better players. Trust to do what though, I'm not sure, because the ones who seem to fall into that category (and we all know who they are) are the ones who have been proven time and again not to be up to the required standard. Very odd indeed. 

Clearly someone who always thinks he knows better than everyone else.

[Suhari]

19 minutes ago, Midfield_General said:

In a season full of increasingly weird statements and decisions, this Smallbone thing is starting to look like one of the weirdest. I've got nothing against him as a competent, tidy enough Championship midfielder, and he played Armstrong through for the play-off winner of course so he'll always have a tiny bit of Saints history for that, but who, who has actually watched him play at Premier League level, looks at him and thinks "I feel so much better when he's on the pitch", let alone actually vocalises that thought, and let alone a professional manager? 

I don't doubt that Will's a great lad to have around the place. The more limited players usually are because they know they've got way fewer options elsewhere, so they have to try and hang onto their places in as many other ways as possible. But beyond that it's so hard to see any form of rational justification for that sort of glowing tribute. He doesn't really run, doesn't tackle, doesn't win headers, has got a reasonable eye for a pass but isn't exactly Pirlo, doesn't score many, doesn't really track back. It's baffling. It's Elyonoussi all over again. Even if we mere mortals can't see it, what would his stats show that RM Is so impressed by? It can only be racking up short, safe, sideways passes to drive up that all-important possession %. I literally can't think of anything else. 

JWP had his limitations but had something of a trump card in being worth 10 goals a season from free-kicks. Aribo will also never be the greatest but he has had some good spells (he was excellent first half against Leicester for example), is increasingly getting stuck in and winning physical battles, has good close control to retain the ball and can play out of some really tight situations. I just don't see what Will's 'thing' is meant to be. 

I do think that maybe RM is running out of ideas now that his only style of play has been found wanting, and now he's falling back on 'the lads he can trust', so those are the ones he's bigging up ahead of the inevitable backlash when he puts them in the team over better players. Trust to do what though, I'm not sure, because the ones who seem to fall into that category (and we all know who they are) are the ones who have been proven time and again not to be up to the required standard. Very odd indeed. 

Your last paragraph nails it.

A competent manager finds a way to get a solid number of the best players on the pitch and working together, in a system that plays to their strengths. RM seems to prefer having his buddies/'yes men' aligning to his way, regardless of ability. Blinkered, stubborn and selfish.

I fully expect JS and WS to start tomorrow.