Match Day Thread Southampton vs Norwich FA Cup Replay 18/01/2017 KO 7:45 PM

This.

It's where I slightly disagree with those who say "it's not just a striker we need, they can't make their own chances. We need an AMC too".

Look, I do agree, but from the games I've seen live this season (and there are many that have seen more, so please feel free to disagree) but I completely feel that a large part of the "play it forward" issue is - well, to who and where. The top end players just aren't giving great options to our midfield - to feet or in the air. We absolutely do need a creative AMC, but I think the addition of a striker with smart movement is more key.

 

Absolutely. It's a one-foot-in-front-of-the-other thing; I think that we need a striker to make the most of what we have...a good one could semi-regularly turn 0-1s into 1-1s, and 0-0s into wins. I think that we could really use a creative central player to change the dynamic thereafter and perhaps make us a legitimately good offensive side.

With a good striker we'll hopefully be ugly-effective; add a good attacking mid and we might be pleasing to the eye.

 

It's just something I've noticed at the live games - people in the crowd giving a big moan at a sideways pass, and I'm looking from a reasonable vantage point and thinking "I don't see the forward/other option". When we do go for it, we lose the ball, which creates more moans.

I just haven't seen smart movement up top. Saying that, I don't really have a scooby so I may be reading it wrong.

 

When we have movement, it's also often just one player doing the moving. It's not that hard for a defense to track a guy, if there isn't another player doing something with the space created (or the player with the ball doing something themselves). Need to give defenders more to think about.

 

5 mill bid for Peter Crouch this month please Saints FC. Let's go off-Black Box.

 

I just know I lack the moral fibre to stay

I've thought this for a few games now. Not in the "lazy football pundit" sense of a big man to stick chances away, but in how (often ignored by said pundits) creative SRL was. JRod must dream of playing alongside someone with his ability to creat chances as well as convert them.

But lets give Long some credit, he did follow up the header and score rather than stand holding his head at his "bad luck".

 

Exactly. Kyle Lafferty was making some good runs last night and it left me thinking why the hell can't our strikers do that?

 

There was little to be cheerful about last night but I think I would be far more disappointed if I w a Norwich fan as their team did absolutely nothing. For me, the overriding disappointment was that Norwich were so dreadful they were there for the taking.

I thought that Clasie looked really good during the first twenty minutes and then faded. The same came be said of JWP. If anything, the more senior players were the most disappointing and I thought that Long was especially so, even though he spent too much time on the wing. Rodriquez looks forlorn. If you had to use an adjective to describe Harrison Reed from a few seasons back it would have been tiger-ish but he seems a totally different player under Puel and didn't really get stuck in other than give away a number of fouls.

The two positives were Sims and McQueen. The former reminds me a bit of Lee Powell , another youth product but he really wanted to make a difference last night and, for much of the game, showed up both Long and Rodriguez. By far the most positive player was Sam McQueen who gave the impression of being fed up with the way the team were playing and decided to take the game by the scruff of the neck. If we fail to more forwards in future matches, surely there must be a case for using him as a winger, especially as he used to play in this position. Other than Sims and McQueen, I would have to say that none of the players on both sides impressed much albeit Jack Stephens didn't have to do much all night.

It was odd to think this was a 3rd round tie in the FA Cup. For me, this has always been one of the games I really look forward to each season. When I was a kid, there was a degree of embarrassment associated with losing to a lower league team. Yesterday Saints gave the impression of wanting a late winner to save the embarrassment of producing another 30 minutes of dire football. Can't imagine that the Arsenal game can be as bad as last night.

 

Add to that I've listened to fans for years and years shout "get it forward"... that's just that old English disease.

 

So a quick scan thru this thread confirms that we're all still having a whinge then? No surprise there. Still, if we can be frustrating, predictable, and toothless in our next three games but somehow contrive to win them all 1-0, that'll be season defining.

Oh, and thank you Shane. I couldn't face the prospect of 30 minutes extra time sitting in that brutal cold.

 

I'd take 0-0 in the worst game in footballing history for the middle of those three games.

 

Long drive for you as well mate!

 

Yep, still think that. At this point in the season, it's all about getting results and building confidence. I'd be ****ing ecstatic if we won our next 3 games 1-0, thanks.

 

Nah, I'm still at my mum's in Bugle Street. Too old for the M3 at midnight these days.

 

Oh that's alright then mate. M3 on a Friday afternoon instead

 

Playing the last post for Jose?

 

And was being wrestled to the ground by their big No. 6 ........

 

The Norwich manager admitted that their game plan was to play defensively...presumably 'and take a chance if we get it'. That is always the hardest type of team to play against....especially when our side is weakened as well. However, we still had 10 shots on target....you'd have thought (if you hadn't followed Saints all season) that we'd have scored more. An early goal (that rarest of birds) might have changed things. Doesn't matter now...it's a win and move on. Arsenal will allow us to play better and we have beaten them in a cup already this season. Why not? Keep smiling.

 

Reading the manager's post match comments I can't believe Alex Neil could say "I wouldn't necessarily say the result was fair..". They created nothing and we had tons of chances in the second half. They got what they deserved for playing negative, although almost worked.

I think the comments about strikers, and other attacking players, not making good runs for the midfield to pick out is a good one. I do wonder how much of this is down to confidence though. It's obvious the confidence throughout the team is low. I think if goals start going in the players will start to make those runs expecting something to come from it. It's a chicken and egg situation really.