Southampton Banter Archive December 14 2014

14 Dec 2014 08:20:00
Guess I won't be getting that car then chris?!

14 Dec 2014 10:17:23
I'll give you another chance for the car what's your prediction for Tuesdays cup tie ? Just one point now that Pelle is suspended who are we going to play as forwards ? Do we actually have any ? I think Pelle had a really good game again yesterday but he's knocking his head against a brick wall as he has nobody playing off him. Are we beginning to see some chinks in the armour of Koemans tactics like we did last year with Pochettino ? Seems to me if they nullify our full backs we don't have Plan B. I know he didn't exactly light the place up but does anybody think we were a bit silly letting Gaston go on loan especially right now when we could do with someone with a bit of flair and vision, I just hope when Morgan comes back we can get it together again. This cup tie on Tuesday is beginning to look like it's our season even with a long time to go. If we could win the league cup we might have a good finish to the season and start making plans for a run in Europe next season.

In a funny way I think playing with Long (presumably) up front instead of Pelle might help Saints find some fluency in their play.

Despite Koeman often saying he isn't a fan of the long ball, Saints don't half lump the ball up to Pelle a lot. It's their default setting once plan A is abandoned after about 10 minutes.

Without that option they'll have to revert to the incisive passing game that has served them pretty well in the past few seasons.

Then again, I haven't seen the Sheffield United pitch lately - it might be an absolute bog, in which case it'll be lumps-a-plenty.

No idea who'll play. Tadic and Mane should be dropped, by rights. But then who plays out wide? It'd be nice if Rowe, McQueen and Sims were knocking a bit harder on the first team door.

2-1 Saints, my bid. Ugly, nervy, picking up another injury, but muddling through.

14 Dec 2014 18:46:29
Morgan back shortly (Tuesday?), JWP/Toby already back, Jay Rod and Corky back in New Year. Money in the bank, transfer window open in around 3 weeks, 5th in the league. Pelle suspended for a game so we play Long central.

OMG we are doomed!!

I would have liked the 7 points we should have had in the last 3 matches and without injuries our thin squad could probably have achieved it. But our squad depth has been exposed (the wheels have not come off) and I am confident that RoKo will sort this in January.
It is difficult to have Plans B&C when there are few options on the bench.

I see why Chris brought tactics up though because it does have the resemblance to Pochettino last season where by January his eleven players had been found out. Clyne and Bertrand have been much more subdued as an attacking threat in the last 4 games, that needs to change for tomorrow night. However Koeman has proven in previous games he has alternative options off the bench when we have a fully fit squad such as Shane Long against Leicester. Since the Villa game he's been more conservative with making changes early on in games to try to protect any further injury crisis I would suspect.

I honestly don't think that we are playing any better or worse now than earlier in the season. If we had scored that penalty we would have gone on to win. We are just not taking chances and teams are getting that bit of luck going forward against us.
I guess it's a confidence thing, hopefully a win tomorrow will kick things back into gear.
Personally I would love to see mane upfront. He hasn't been playing great, but his pace will terrify their defence, plus he played up top a lot at his old club, to great effect.

16 Dec 2014 21:54:42
The wheels have come off finally for the over achieving team of the Premier League, from the start of the season we never had enough punch upfront and injuries show our lack of depth in the squad, though we would have been happy if we end up finishing 10th considering the fire sale at the start, but losing to League 1 team when close to a League Cup Semi Final isn't good enough.