26 Aug 2018 08:50:55
The game yesterday was in my opinion pivotal in that Mark Hughes has observed the fact that in the Games against Burnley and Everton, we had awful first halves, which then turned into better second halves.

Why therefore did we not stick to the same side (either) that had decent second halves?

When seeing the Team Sheet on arriving at the ground, I was gutted. Why are we continually reverting to Shane Long, after 37 games of no cutting edge its madness.

They said on Football Focus that Southampton have the lowest goal per game in 2018 (from Jan 1st) in the Premiership, less than a goal a game.

To me its obvious that Stuart Armstrong should have started and so should Gabbiadini alongside Danny Ings.

We are suffering at the back and although Hoedt had an okay game, the pairing of Soares/ Hoedt to the right of defence has cost us! Last week Hoedt was that bad that he didn't deserve a start and Yoshida/ Vestagaard as CBs would have been preferable.

Harry Maguire then shows the weakness perfectly in added minutes and scores the killer punch, poor!

I like Soares a lot, but his height caused a problem yesterday especially with high balls that he couldn't direct away from Leicester players.

Yes we played better football, yes we pressed better for the first 70 minutes but the "Cutting Edge" is not there is it?

Shane Long runs around and tries his best, work ethic is fine but he is not at Premiership level, no goals, and very little creativity. He does he best but his best is not good enough.

Bright Points

Lamina put a shift in and was our best player. Vestergaard headed everything and other than getting done on pace occasionally was good. Redmond in the first half was very good, he ran and ran with purpose, second half I think he wan out of steam (not surprising) .

Great goal by Bertrand and he worked hard. Still not convinced that he is a Captain.!

Mo Elyanussi was okay in the first half but was clearly knackered by 50-55 minute but Hughes left him on, mistake should have put on Ward Prowse.

Hojbjerg then attempts "Cheating" and is rightly sent off. what a totally stupid thing to do! Personally, I wouldn't let him in the first team for three games to teach him a lesson, and not pay him either!

We then bring on Romue, in an attempt to salvage a point, didn't work, poor substitutions by the manager in my opinion.

Im convinced that we need to stop trying the same old same old!

Lets stop using Shane Long and Charlie Austin. please!

Sam Gallagher is either good enough to be given a run of games, or let him go! We have lost Sims on loan, I get it but wouldn't that have been a plan yesterday if he was on the bench?

No Gabbiadini even on the bench. why?

Matt Target - Sam McQueen and Ward Prowse all hanging around like Haemorrhoids come on, we have to be smarter in Team selection and either trust these youngsters or what.? Carry on using Shane Long and Charlie Austin, leave Gabbiadini in a restaurant somewhere for the afternoon and end up with two games to go at the end of the season needing 3 points to stay up? Is that a bloody plan?

Okay its 3 games in, there is hope of aligning things, but the manager has to quickly stop doing the same things, using the same strike force that caused us to score very few goals and end up in the Poo last year.

Im bored writing this now, loosing as we did yesterday, completely flattens the weekend, little point in buying a paper, little point in watching Motd, instead I could take the dog for a walk. if I had one!

Have a good Bank Holiday fellow sufferers, and go and buy a dog or something!

Pee'd Off Pete.

1.) 26 Aug 2018
26 Aug 2018 09:51:40
We as Saints fans are realistic and I had hopped we would be competing for somewhere between 7th and 12th this season. maybe we will, and I would be happy with that after last season. The problem is you should be getting points against the teams playing for those places (Everton, Burnley, Leicester) we have not in the first 3 games. could be a long season. Look at Bournemouth with a great start to the season and dare I say it doing things how we used to.