Not quite sure that is strictly accurate. He has rotated a lot, but then we have had more games this season that any since we've been back in the top flights. It's pretty obvious that players cannot play every game when at one point we ended up playing on a Thursday Sunday Wednesday Saturday Thursday Sunday schedule due to europa league and league cup fixtures. Then we had 3 games in 8 days over the holiday period and again find ourselves playing Liverpool midweek. He hasn't had that much of a choice when it comes to rotation, but I think it isn't an unreasonable arguement that he has rotated a little more than most would. However, I really don't think it'd make a difference to how our season has gone. What would make more difference is if we had a few more options in terms of attack which isn't Puel's fault.
Got to say that the 3rd Round of the FA Cup is one of the best dates in the football calendar. I was disappointed that we did not get a home tie and wanted to see something that made up for the rubbish against Palace last season. Ideally I like to see us draw teams that we don't play in the league, especially if it is a low level team that I haven't seen for a long while. Lower level teams tend to treat the competition with the respect it deserves. If you watch non-league football toy tend to find that all the little clubs love being in this competition ever if there are about 5-6 rounds from making this stage. It is a great competition and I only hope that Puel treats it with respect and puts out a decent team. Cup football is the ideal opportunity to play attacking football because playing for a draw is pointless. It will be fascinating to see what kind of match takes place and whether Redmond can rise to the occasion of playing against his former team. It is a potential banana skin and , I believe, a really tough tie for Southampton as we are catching Norwich at the wrong time. The ideal tie for me would have been a derby against Portsmouth but they limped out earlier in the competition. It would have ben superb to mete out some punishment against our Fratton Park foes and I was disappointed that it was not to be. There are fewer cup ties as appealing as playing against Portsmouth and it encapsulates a lot of what football is about. Not quite sure that Norwich has quite the cache but I am sure that will be wanting to teach higher level opposition a lesson.
I love the 1st and 2nd rounds proper Ian. It is where the real magic of the cup is when non-league teams can come up against a league team. Definitely my favourite date on the calendar.
FLT I have been to a number of the preliminary rounds to watch Winchester City and the magic of the cup percolates right through to these stages. Earlier in the season see demolished Truro City, a giant killing act in it's own right yet one of the most bizarre sensations of these stages was watching us play against New Alresford about 3 seasons back at the beginning of August and realising that the swallows flying over the pitch would have flown to Africa and returned by the time that the semi finals would have been played. I don't like playing the final on Saturday evening as it is wrong.
Yes, it is weird having summer FA Cup games. I played in a few of the qualifying rounds and played in the 1st and 2nd round too. I was 4 minutes from playing Arsenal away in the third round (replay depending) as we lost 2-1 to Cambridge United with their winner coming 4 minutes from time. Imagine the intrepidation of playing a replay, with the draw having the winner away to Arsenal. Steve Williams, my hero, was playing for Arsenal then too
Agree with resting players, we looked knackered against West Brom. The normal mantra of "we need a game soon after a bad defeat" does not ring true for us ATM. McCarthy Martina Stephens yoshida McQueen Reed classie Redmond jwp seater Long Bench: no first 11.... maybe boufal
https://southamptonfc.com/news/2017...-pre-norwich-city-southampton-emirates-fa-cup Virgil fancies himself as a Zulu warrior
Haha, I watched all the highlights too! You could always rely on Ulathorne for some amazing own goals, albeit not up to Frank Sinclair' standards! Didn't recognise one of Southampton's players - the centre back with Monkou, Matthew Bound??
No idea who he was but see he played five times for us and that was his only appearance for us that season!
They seem to be practising kicking the ball at a rectangular frame with a string net behind it. What's all that about?
