Southampton Banter Archive February 01 2015

Use our rumours form to send us soutthampton transfer rumours.

01 Feb 2015 22:35:35
Cheer up guys we are stillin the top 4.
I always find it amazing how peoples opinions switch as soon as we have one bad result, we all knew it would be tough with arguably or best 3 players out, but I thought we did everything but score in the first half.
Taking reed off for mane was a risk and it didn't pay off, leaving that big hole in the centre for shelvey to run into, but would we have been happy if we had sat in and it had ended 0-0?
Get behind the team, the next couple of weeks will be tough but as our injured players come back we should be able to kick on again.
Excited to see who is coming in tomorrow, I have a feeling they have someone completely unexpected up thier sleeves.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

Given that we weren't at full strength and Swansea are a very good team, just like when we played them at the Liberty Stadium, a draw would have been a good result. Arguably this was just a role reversal of that game, they dominated us in that first half, like we did to them today, but this time it was their player who got into a good position rather than ours to snatch the 3 points.

We just need to keep playing our possession game, be more clinical, hopefully be at full strength for the rest of the season and watch the rest of the teams around us drop points against each other. The more draws between these teams the better.

Agree0 Disagree0

01 Feb 2015 20:48:01
Watched Tonny Vilhena come on for the last ten minutes of the Feynoord game today. He played an attacking midfield role, and even the commentators said they don't see him as a defensive midfielder. So how's he meant to be a Cork replacement?

Believable0 Unbelievable0

01 Feb 2015 21:26:44
Finally someone else sees it, I've been saying this for days, he's more like a Lallana than a Cork. Probably coming in to ease the attacking options, though an actual striker would be better

Don't think we're going to get a replacement for Cork 'til the summer when Clasie hopefully comes in. We're not missing Cork with Reed in the team and more playing time for him can only be a good thing

Agree0 Disagree0

Claise in the same game was class. He ran midfield. he can do it all. Tackle, pass, and even for a little bloke he still won things in the air. We need players like him. Not just a replacement, but a step up from what we had/have.

Agree0 Disagree0

Clasie's quality, I said on another post he's like taking the best bits of our midfielders and mixing them into one person. Still got a lot of improving to do but he'd be a top signing imo

Agree0 Disagree0

01 Feb 2015 18:16:50
Awful performance today, the squad really got found out. Pelle was terrible didn't work hard at all, didn't hold the ball up, didn't win a header and was static in the box. Gomis looked twice as good. Nobody to bring on for him. Bertrand now suspended for 3 games and lightweight Targett in his place. Kiss goodbye to euro hopes. Never had a chance with such a small squad. Only 6 on the bench today, what an absolute joke.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

01 Feb 2015 21:49:00
I'll agree to a point.
I don't get why we only had 6 on the bench, could've used an Isgrove/Sims/McQueen on there today.

Though I thought we were by far the better team until Reed went off, when he went it left a massive hole through the middle that Shelby eventually found. Unless Reed's picked up injury it was a silly move and it should have been Tadic going off.

Someone needs to tell them to just have a shot though, we're looking like arsenal of 6/7 years ago just trying to walk the ball into the net

I don't think it's a lack of effort from Pelle he just looks absolutely knackered at the moment, need to bring in another striker and give him a break for a couple of games 'cause he's been off it more often than not since that bad run before xmas

Silly tackle from Bertrand, mistimes that and it's a potential broken leg. Don't think Targett's all that bad of a replacement though, done alright against Chelski, playing time is only going to be a good thing for him

as i've said before, it's not the size of the playing squad that'll cost us, it's the fact we tried to compete in everything.
Poch played a weak team in the cups 'cause he realised we didn't have the squad to compete in both league and cup and got absolutely slated for it.
Koeman's wanted to go as far in everything as possible and we've picked up needless injuries, not just little niggles that have kept them out for a game at a time, full blown injuries that have taken them out for 4/6 weeks at a time, in EVERY round, which IS starting to cost us now.
We've got the same chance of winning the league and FA cups in 2/3/4 years as we do now, we don't have the same chance of finishing in the top 4 - concentrate on that

Agree0 Disagree0

Agree about Reed that he shouldn't have been taken off. He is looking like a great player and prospect.
We needed another strike option yesterday and will definitely need an out an out striker for the rest of the season rather than the attacking midfield/wingers we have to support Pelle.
The first half was great possession and pressure wise but Swansea defended well in numbers.
Teams are now coming to us and playing this way and hoping for a breakaway goal rather than coming to attack us as in previous years. Nice to have the respect but we need to put our chances away or this is likely to happen again.

Agree0 Disagree0

01 Feb 2015 18:14:55
I make that seven times Forster has been beaten from outside the box this season. That seems a lot.

Koeman didn't cover himself in glory either: taking off Reed and leaving a weak midfield two of Davis and Ward-Prowse, who couldn't tackle a Happy Meal between them, left Saints wide open for the counter attack and brought Shelvey right into the game.

In the end it was all very predictable: slow, ponderous, build up play, very little actually created, appalling final ball, poor movement up front, what few chances that did crop up were fluffed.

This is how sides will play against Saints for the rest of the season - sitting back, difficult to break down, hitting them on the break. And that's why they've no chance of finishing in the top four. No-one's going to come to St Mary's and play open like Sunderland did (back in those happy days when Tadic wasn't a total passenger).

It wouldn't surprise me if Saints pick up more points on the road between now and the end of the season than they do at home. Defending deep and hoping to nick a goal seems to be their best hope of winning games.

Their attacking play is pretty clueless and one-dimensional when compared to the best sides in the league. No disgrace in that, but let's be realistic.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

01 Feb 2015 18:11:11
24 hours to find another striker!!!

Believable0 Unbelievable0

01 Feb 2015 18:08:44
In my opinion we have gifted them the win. Where was the intensity from the backline during the second half? Shelvey would of had a brace were it not for the post.

The attacking side of things was unfortunately classic Saints, and most worryingly that was arguably with our strongest frontline. Plenty of chances there but no end product, suggests we need another striker right?

Much like the first half of the season, our league position will be determined by the form of the teams around us which at the moment is very good.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

The team lost all shape and balance once Reed went off and Mane came on. I don't even know where Mane was supposed to be playing - him and Elia seemed to be both be on the left wing at the same time.

The defence was totally exposed, they had nothing in front of them. Ward-Prowse is a promising player, but he's something of a liability wherever he fills in. As a number 10, he can't finish to save his life. Playing deeper, his lack of pace, physicality, tackling and any kind of defensive instinct allows even average footballers like Shelvey to have a field day.

Agree0 Disagree0

Very strange taking reed off for mane surely it shouldve been tadic who was awful

Agree0 Disagree0

01 Feb 2015 17:57:20
Saint. Its tight for that top4 race. Going to be interesting. Still stick by my claim you will fall away

Believable0 Unbelievable0

01 Feb 2015 17:55:11
Well. that was pants.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

01 Feb 2015 17:55:05
Well that was a shocker, we desperately need a proven striker and equally more quality of depth if we are going to retain the CL spot. V. disappointed

Believable0 Unbelievable0