We need to learn pretty quickly as this rate of yellows isn’t sustainable! I wonder what counts as dissent? Norwich crowded the ref several times and seemed to be moaning at him quite regularly but didn’t get any yellows during those occasions.
Did you see it on tv or since? I didn’t think it went out on byline but looked like it did for a throw before that. Only saw it at the game though so couldn’t be certain.
Up until the soft penalty, the only criticism I had of the referee was the way he allowed them to surround him on more than one occasion. It's another area where referees are meant to be stricter this season - but not once did he book them for it. But by and large, I thought the referee was good.
Back from the game. Some thoughts off the top of my head before bed... Pros: - The attacking play looked decent - I didn't find it boring going to St. Mary's - The passing style is definitely bedding in now, there are patterns of play - Smallbone looked more comfortable a bit higher up the pitch second half - Shea Charles looked promising to me - Ché and Arma keep scoring, should keep both their confidence and their transfer appeal up - I'm confident we will address the current pain points with performances/the squad in general - We went behind more than once in the game and showed spirit to fight back, less feeling sorry for ourselves and more pulling together - I thought the St. Mary's crowd was more positive (and patient, for the most part) than I expected for Martin's first home game Cons: - Holy ****, the transitions - As much as everyone is lamenting defence, I think the midfield massively let them down, nowhere near enough help - First half was poor: Alcaraz, Tella and KWP stood out to me as being really below par - We still look three or four significant pieces away from being able to compete seriously season-long - We've had about 50 shots in three competitive games so far, so far we have scored seven but shipped eight... - People are/were getting on Bazunu's back needlessly for goals that aren't his fault - Holy ****, the transitions again!
Oh and best plus point of the day: Shortly after we won promotion to the Premier League, when my old man was still working shift patterns full-time and I was finishing education and starting to work, I said to him that when he reached retirement and I ended up with a job that meant I wouldn't have to work weekends, I would be buying us both season tickets at St. Mary's as a thank you for introducing me to Saints. I was born and grew up in Essex, he still lives there now, so trips to see Saints play have always been a rare treat for us over the years... Anyway, today was game one for us attending St. Mary's as full season ticket holders. Complimentary photo of Arma's first penalty below please log in to view this image
Just going to say it again as he isn’t getting enough credit, but (yes against a tiring defence) Sam Amo-Ameyaw looked so, so good again when he cane on. He is has Edozie’s ability to beat a man but an incredibly subtle eye for a pass. Got bullied off it once early on and after that he seemed determined to give as good as he got. #fanboy
Not sure that the first ball was all over the sideline, but the one over the goal line, definitely was over, it should have been a goal kick. VAR would have proved it or even a simple replay, I actually saw it for real! The lino on the far side was a bit behind and would have struggled to see it. Nathan was correct.
Wish I did! The people traipsing up and down the stairs and blocking the action might get a bit grating as the season goes on… (sitting in an aisle seat)
You know what, when Che came on, I actually thought he's looking a bit chubbier than usual. But yeah, those legs can handle carrying around a bit of extra gut fat, no probs.
At fault for Norwich's goals; 1: Edozie for not covering Manning. Manning was dragged in to the centre, and that left the Norwich RW (or RB?) with an ocean of space. Also Bednarek's marking of Sargeant was sh*t; lost him too easily. Simple header. 2: No one at fault. Just a great hit. 3: Stephens for me. He wasn't marking anyone, and looked lost when bodies started moving around. His job to organise the defence too. 4: Manning no question.
A couple of reasons why JWP leaving could turn out good: 1) Arma on spot kicks will do a world of good for his confidence. Already has three goals, compared to last season where he went into every game having only scored one all season. 2) We will have a lot more variety with our set pieces now. Sure we will lose a few goals from direct free kicks, but our corners will become a lot less predictable. (Also, Prowsie would have missed at least one of those penalties).
