15 Nov 2013 17:41:05
Just on to congratulate your club and your fans for a great season so far. i'm not a fan of any prem team but watching match of the day southampton is the team I look out for simply with the atmosphere around the ground. hope yous kick on next 5 or 6 games (few hard ones in there)
Btw I am a celtic fan and was just wondering what you all think of wanyama down there. I have saw quite a few games where his passing is ropey at best but I feel he's starting to hit good form with you and you have a real player there. all the best for a top 4 place
KieranBhoy
Can't honestly say he's hitting top form, while the team has been superb Wanyama still has an awful lot to learn and has split opinion. His last game against Hull was not good at all
Nice to hear from you KieranBhoy.
Victor is doing OK. He is really good at winning the ball, but his use of it is the problem. IMHO this is only to be expected, he is still adjusting to the team and the Premiership, not to mention our style of play (which must take some time to adjust to. )
Considering he was playing against Hull carrying an injury, not too worried about that performance. If you are going to have a poor game, no better one than one your team win 4-1!
Saint Martin
As previous poster said, Victor has split opinion but Saint Martin is his biggest fan
Hey Saint Martin I know you think victor is "clean in the tackle" but I heard he crocked one of Saints squad in training last week, not so clean then?
See we have a few comments on here from people who seem to have never played the game! My memories are of as many, if not more, injuries in training than during a match. It happens, every club, every week. If it doesn't, then it means you have pretty meaningless training sessions.
I'm not blinkered to Victor's weaknesses but he has helped tighten up the central defensive positions by winning the ball frequently ahead of the CBs and enabling the team to win the ball much higher up the pitch. This is a big part of the way MP wants the team to play and was almost totally absent from England's performance against Chile. Yes, he has to be slicker in his distribution but you can't distribute the ball if you haven't won it first!
Saint Martin
I think big Vic is a big part of our success this season and in one or two games has been close to man of the match. Even managing a great roulette spin a couple of games ago plus an offside goal (pity).
In others games he has had not had such great moments, but he always puts in a good shift and is a major part of the reason for our great deffence statistics recently that has moved us up the league.
Have you seen the post on: http://www.football-rumours.co.uk/southampton-rumours.php
"the one dimensional Wanyama who has the ball skills of a drunken elephant"?
. not sure what Saint Martin is talking about re "people who seem to never have played the game"? Xabi Alonso was quoted recently saying tackling is dead. He's won the World Cup! And I'm pretty sure there aren't many people in football that feel passing accurately isn't vital. After all what's the point of winning the ball anywhere on the pitch if you give it straight back to the other team?
OMG tackling is dead?!
How do you respond to that Saint Martin?
I guess there isn't much point, and now I can see why some people don't rate Wanyama with statements like that.
You do know we have commited more fouls than any other BPL team this season with our high pressing high tackling style of play?
To the nameless person (if you post nonsense best not to add a name)referencing Alonso, suggest you have a look at Saints defensive stats. this season compared to last-is this all down to Lovren? Take a look at the best German teams and see if they have given up tackling.
If you can't understand what the manager and the side are doing, why do you bother supporting the team- or do you?
Yes, Victor does give the ball away but that is often when he is trying to be too expansive and if he can just simplify his passing until he has the confidence to move on he will be fine. The games he has played well in, this is what he has done.
He looked miles better than Fellaini when we played at Old Trafford, who is a good comparison as he has the same number of games playing for his new club as Victor.
Saint Martin
Have we really committed more fouls than anyone else this season? That has surprised me, but I read the Alonso thing too. Refs in Europe don't like fouls and Poch gave away the Michael Owen pen. Might have a point if we get inti Europe.
Crickey Saint Martin gets defensive over Victor. He's got an excuse for everything, I'm beginning to think he might be Vic's agent? Crickey Saint Martin gets defensive over Victor. He's got an excuse for everything, I'm beginning to think he might be Vic's agent?
Saint Nicholas
Hi Saint Nicholas, soon be Christmas!
"Defensive" yes, but only in the definition of his role. He is playing as a DEFENSIVE MF, that is his key function and he does it pretty well (apart from his mistake against Hull. ) He is not expected to be the playmaker within the side but I have always agreed he needs to be more accurate in his distribution and playing alongside Morgan I do believe he can add this to his game. What I find surprising is that we get people posting on this site who make comments about sides not needing to tackle which IMHO implies they have never watched Saints play, and then use this to criticise a player. (Based on recent European tackling stats. it would also imply Morgan doesn't understand his role either!)
By the way, if you don't tackle to win the ball and then are able to have control of the ball for 60%+ of the game-as Saints often do-how do you gain control of the ball? Suppose you just have to wait for the other side to make a mistake and give it to you? Might work in the playground but not in the Premiership.
But then, perhaps you would prefer a 6-1 result on Saturday (remember?) with Saints 1 coming from a defence splitting pass from Victor?
Victor was added to the squad to bring some solidity and he is doing that. Of course he is not without weaknesses to his game but then no player is, especially at his age. But I stick with my view that he makes Fellaini look pretty average by comparison (£27m?) and remember he has been playing in the Premiership for some time, whereas Victor has not.
Saint Martin
Be honest Saint Martin, you are Wanyama's agent aren't you? Got to be.
If you went to the supermarket to buy cheese and when you got home you realised they'd given you butter you'd be a bit miffed wouldn't you? Or would your reply be "if you leave it long enough it will turn into cheese?
Feillani isn't our concern so I don't buy that argument I'm afraid.
Seasons greetings to all.
Saint Nic
I think some people give big Vic a hard time because all the Celtic fans were saying that he was far too good to come here.
In return some of our fans are now saying that we are far too good to have him in the team.
What actually matters is that MoPo thinks he is good enough and should be in the team (just a I do and Saint Martin does). The fact that other people can't see why even when it is explained to them is for them to wrestle with.
Idunknow
Well Saint Nic, I will have to bow to your superior knowledge. Perhaps you could also share it with those who have nominated Victor for African Player of the Year. (Stupid me, must have been his agent. )
If I was buying cheese I hope I am bright enough not to walk out with butter. I suspect NC and his staff do not share your problem either.
Saint Martin
All this talk of Cheese and Butter. It's crackers
Idunknow, not sure anyone is bothered about what Celtic fans think. Reading other posts including St Nic's, the problem with Vic is he's not looked as good as people thought he was going to be. Re African footballer of the year, who's the competition? Read some posts on saintsweb that were taking the micky about that very subject. A few people are now starting to wonder if one game against Barca is what we paid £12m for rather than all the other games against pub teams in the Scottish prem. did Poch chose Wanyama or Cortese? Maybe he has to play him? I have heard rumours to that effect.
What are people's thoughts on Ossie? Read an article in the Mail a couple of days ago saying he's flopped at Saints and flopped playing for Italy in their last game.
Don't shoot the messenger
A full list of African players nominated (all 25 of em) can be found at:
http://www.360nobs.com/2013/11/5-nigerians-make-cafs-25-man-shortlist-for-african-footballer-of-the-year/
Expectations can be unrealistic. Saints pay £12m for Victor (only recently turned 22) Man Utd. pay £27m for Fellaini who is 26 next week. I may not be a professional mathematician but my expectation would be that Victor should be seen as "a work in progress", whereas Fellaini "the finished article"-especially considering their relative experience in the Premiership. On that basis I would view that Saints have done their homework and made the better signing. I don't expect that to become clear until the end of this season, at the earliest.
NC and the staff at Saints do prefer either developing players through the Academy or signing players with potential to become much better.
As for comments in the Mail, well we know what to expect from them! But they are all in the same category. Just look at todays Times where Lallana is praised for his performance last night and then given a rating of 4 by another "expert"! Absolutely clueless, and treating their customers who have just paid a £1 to be informed with total distain. No wonder NC can't stand any of them.
Saint Martin
Please stop going on about Fellaini, it's getting boring now and honestly I have to agree you sound more and more like Wanyama's agent with every post.
We get it you love him.
Saint Bored!
Have we signed Feillani, have I missed something? As Saints fans aren't we bothered about how well our players do rather than other teams?
Cork cost £750,000
Morgan cost £1.2m
Steven Davis I think was free
as was JWP
If Cork was £750,000 and Victor £12.5m that means Vic is 16. 66 times better than Cork.
Vic's only 10. 41 times better than Morgan.
Saint Mathematicain
Daily Mail says Victor has been a brilliant buy, Lovren even better.
Ossie poor though.
Couldn't have said it better if I'd have been Wanyama's agent! And we all know what to expect from the Mail.
Saint Martin
{Ed001's Note - I haven't had a chance to watch them. I normally prefer them to the full internationals, though I know Ed003 was not impressed with what he saw at the beginning last night. I saw him saying something about the game when I got a chance to glance at our editor's widget last night. I had visitors and apparently it is rude to ignore them and watch footie, though I would say it is rude to visit when there is footie on personally!}