Match Day Thread Southampton v Tottenham, Wed 28 December, KO 7:45pm

Yep,I agree with this 'shorter'version,I have left games we've lost and been fairly happy - we'd tried our best,I don't feel we need to win every time but I do want to be entertained at the end of it.
I'm ok with 1-0 wins some are great games,but I'll be pissed off if we see a series of not wanting to loose,not attacking,no ambition football.

 

Saints, of course, not even close.

City vs United? Wouldn't excite me as much as an Old Firm game, or even Cardiff vs Swansea. But i'd go if i had nothing else on.

 

To paraphrase von Clausewitz: Football is war by other means.

On the other hand, to paraphrase Marx: Football is the opium of the people.

Neither of these is true today, but as Ian says above, football as the outlet for aggression in industrial working class communities began in the 19th century and continued until the Taylor Report and the advent of the Premier League. Football is no longer as geographically tribal as in those days, partly because of the almost universal live televising of PL games, and partly because of the comparative speed of travelling around England. However, most people, if they fall in love with football at all, and I don't mean flirt with it amongst a load of other competing sports, fall in love with a particular club above all others. If that's the case, then the entertainment argument falls flat, as you would rather see your team grind out a 1-0 win than get beaten 5-4 in a thriller. Ultimately of course, you want your club play exciting football and win every game, but how many clubs actually do that, ever?

So I'm with Channon and Fats, and Ian. I support Saints, no matter what revolting filth they serve up.

 

And so will/have I,including the Branfoot period (and one or two others) the difference for me as a paying "customer" is if the club want me to continue paying them then I want entertaining.
I know it's NOT too much to ask,acceptance of poor standards ain't on.

 

100%.

I try to make sure I am in my seat before the game, and try not to leave before half time for a drink/toilet break. Normally though I need a toilet break on about 45 mins, so depending how desperate I am (trust me it's been hit and miss before ) I sometimes have to leave before the end of the first half. However, I wait until there is a natural break in play and then go past everyone so they don't miss any of the game. Likewise, if I'm a bit late coming back I sit on the top of the stairs on my level, waiting for a good moment. On Wednesday I did leave when the 4th goal went in (rare for me to leave early - i can count on one hand the amount of times I've done it), but again, no one missed the game because of me. I also needed the toilet again. Getting old

 

You're very good at "interpreting" people's opinions FLT....no, I actually think that Jose had a storming game throughout, bailing out VVD on a couple of occasions and was fully commited and his distribution was excellent also.

 

I always enjoyed Saints' games when we played a team managed by Brian Clough. You always felt they came to play and to win.

 

And God knows we've played some crap over the years. I remember coming out of Wolves, decades ago. We'd won 1-0 (Micky, of course) and we were bloody horrible.

"Do you watch that **** every week?" enquired one of the more intelligent Wolves fans (others were asking if I would like to go home in an ambulance for some reason).

Before I could answer, an old gnarled 'Ampshire lad shouted back

"****ing right, son. And we loves it!"

 

I used to think that the performance was more important than the result. That changed for me the year we were relegated from the Championship. We played some pretty stuff but it was like some nice schoolboys being kicked off the ball by the bigger boys. Horrible season, awful results-some nice stuff but we lost and the result has always been first ever since.
Having said that, the best game I saw from purely football point of view was the 2-2 on a Tuesday night, Jan 2014 against Arsenal. Scintillating game of football which I felt privileged to have witnessed.

 

I was definitely at the wrong venue. His passing was poor and the number of times he lobbed a ball up towards a CB was countless.

 

30,000 people go to a football match and each of them sees a different game.

 

Yep

 

Laying into Puel and Boufal on Soccer Special. Stelling and MLT saying worst performance they've seen from a professional footballer from Boufal

 

Raised this on other thread, but am told he wasn't that bad. I'm going with the idea that it wasn't a good team performance and hoping for better today.

 

That's utterly ridiculous.

 

Yeah it struck me as pretty over the top. Stelling was going mental on him. Seemed pretty like the whole "OMG we're English need to show PASSION and DESIRE". If you don't run 1000 miles in a game then you aren't doing your job, completely ignoring any actual football ability. Said all the Saints fans around them at the game were booing Boufal and saying how **** he is which doesn't surprise me at all.

 

Did they fail to also say he was still the most likely player to create something.

I was very disappointed in Glen Hoddle when as England Manager he failed to see himself in Le Tiss. Now I'm disappointed if Matt is criticising Boufal.

 

They both said they were shocked he came out for the second half as he was so bad in the first half, also said that he is only starting because he cost so much money, which Merson and Stelling said was a waste of money.

 

As an "old school, Little Englander" I can honestly say that for me Boufal was probabaly one of the best performers in the game. maybe not so much the second half but the first he was looking very very good and quite often he was simply struggling for options after his brilliance.

Second half I would not be surprised if he had not given up like the rest of us.

The guy was coming up with tricks, beating players easily and the rest of the team was standing and watching.

 

To be honest Sophie was pushed back to cover Hojbjergs absence, not a position where he is going to shine, but he never gave up, despite being double teamed, which created the opportunity to lose possession, which made it look worse than it was. He is a bit of a luxury type player that would excel in a side that was on top of its form, but we are sliding in to a dog fight situation which will need a more robust approach.