Another Saints player (forgot who) said that there are lots of players who can sprint over a short distance but Shane gets faster and faster as he runs.
Ralph also got right the formation change in the first half dropping Simms into midfield and after halftime when he made the substitutions putting 5 at the back and four across the middle.
That would be a nailed on 7th and a possible 6th without VVD or Mane! Take out the OGS factor and first game against Cardiff and we would be 6th!
Great anticipation from Shane for his goal, moving onside before applying a lovely finish. Feel a little guilty about writing him off now. Maybe we'll get offers this summer!
Just got back. Superb day all round. Couldn't have gone better. I have been saying it for months and now everyone can finally agree that WE ARE GOING TO BE FINE. Redmond and Sims were outstanding. Sims should definitely get good game time between now and the end of the season. Few nervy moments at the back but we thoroughly deserved the win. Thought Ralph got the double sub spot on as well - the personnel and the timing.
My Sister still has never seen us lose... nephew and his team mates apparently got a good reception at ht too. Good stuff Saints.
We can move on to new worries like; Ralph's extension. Redmond new deal. Boardroom replacements. And anything else that crops up tomorrow! Good day. Safe now indeed.
I think that the results this weekend mean that we will be safe. However, I feel that credit is due to Wolves for playing some excellent passing football and would probably have put in the best performance by a defeated team at St Mary's for the last few seasons. They looked really accomplished on the ball and to win against a team who play that well is a compliment to Saints. I think Wolves had 68% possession in the first half. As far as the Saints are concerned, Redmond was immense but I felt the team did not gel until Ralph made the substitutions which effectively changed the match. Not quite sure if it was technical genius because it was clear Sims had run out of steam and we had lost the midfield for the first twenty inutes of the second half. Once we changed the formation, we looked like increasing our score with both Yoshi and Benarek coming close. It is strange going through the emotions watching this current edition of the Saints team. Going forward we sometimes look sublime but Vestergaard always seems like a disaster waiting to happen. Graned he has improved considerably of late yet he is capable of making some poor decisions. Unfortunately, both Yoshi and Stephens are also capable of making errors too so it was good to see we did not concede a stupid late goal. Bring on Bournemouth so that we can give these upstarts a pasting. Got to say that, even with a game in hand and being five points clear, it cannot be fun being a Brighton fan at the moment and think it us clearly now between the most likely Cardiff and themselves who will occupy the last place. I like Houghton and am not a fan of Warnock yet seeing Brighton get relegated would make the season that little bit more interesting.
Win our game in hand and home game against them and we will return to our rightful position as South Coast Champions...
I'm just ecstatic that exciting football, great goals and electric atmosphere has come back to matchdays at SMS, cheers Ralph...
