Saints fan here. What a crazy game! Thought a draw was just about fair although we got out of jail somewhat with what looked a soft penalty in added time. Really impressed with your Brazilian player, Sara I think? Both defences were an absolute shambles but plenty of attacking talent on both sides. I look forward to travelling to Norwich for the return fixture.
Soton got out of jail twice. On BBC Radio Norfolk Darren Huckerby stated that any player would have gone over for a penalty. Referee was conned.
He was certainly looking for the penalty, but Giannoulis did nudge him from behind, which is dangerous. Some refs would give it and others wouldn't.
Hello All . I normally say this before the first game of the season , yes even when we are in different divisions Good luck for the season . Love Norwich . Lovely City , my sister used to live in Cringleford .. like I said Lovely part of the world , but an absolute pain in the arse to get to from Dorset .
Your absence was noted. I was wondering where you had got to, especially as we were going head-to-head today. Nice to see you here bud On the balance of play, a draw was probably about right, given that Saints dominated for large periods but I can't help feeling a bit bitter about the late questionable penalty and question marks over the disallowed goal (maybe I am not up to speed on the offside rules). Whatever, it was a point more than I thought we would get from it before kick off, so will take it
Unfortunately not been able to follow the game too closely today. Certainly didn't see that scoreline coming. Southampton 31 shots on goal?? Looking forward to the highlights later and to getting to my first match this season in a couple of weeks. Enjoy the rest of the weekend all.
The take away from today was seeing some real grit and determination from our team. That's all I want - win, lose or draw.
Good to see you as well TC , and the other names I know . F1 is my first love . Take a casual interest in the football , but it , like all sports , it’s just a cash cow , and the gap between the rich and not so rich is getting ever wider sadly .
Just watched the highlights, wow that was exciting. That final penalty though, I was more concerned by I think it was Gibson pulling a players shirt in the box and thought it was going to be awarded for that, not the player who 'won' the penalty. Sargent was very alert when it was awarded to drag angry NCFC players away so they avoided unnecessary bookings. Predicted it would be a draw and would have been happy for a point before the game, but ph so close to a very good win
Kenny makes a good captain, he will undoubtedly be a key player this season . Undefeated all through pre season too
Agree with that. His role is perfect for the captaincy as he and Sara are at the core of Wagner's tactics. Yesterday was an even better indication of how stronger the team is now. As Kenny says: "Character is something that towards the end of last season was a fault. We’re showing that in abundance now – last week with a last-minute goal because we’ve got the confidence and belief in our ability to go to the very end. Coming back against a team like that is excellent. It is a disappointed dressing room, but on the whole, because you can see the strides we are taking, I think we will reflect on it with a lot more positivity in the days ahead." That positivity was built in the preseason and carried on in the first two games. In part, that is down to recruitment that is more down to Wagner than Webber. The Pukki and Sargent pairing stuttered, but Josh's partnership with Barnes has been tailored to fit Wagner's tactics. Fassnacht has looked a skillful replacement for Dowell and we have yet to see what Sainz can add to the mix. Rowe and Springett have both matured into the first team with some style and we seem to have overcome the 'creativity' fears. In defence, replacing Aarons with Stacey was another brilliant move which could also earn us up to £12m. That cross for Sargent's opening goal was a thing of beauty and his defending is also better than Max's. Fisher has been a real bonus Webber gem. Duffy's handball was unfortunate, but he has brought a solidity and organisation to the defence to which DW has also contributed. Our transitioning out of defence brought praise from Rusty and the Gibson-McLean-Duffy partnership is at the heart of that. It's early days, but my feeling is that things will get even better from here.
I find myself wondering if last season would have worked out much better if we had moved on and replaced Pukki & Aarons a year earlier.
I know the highlights can be misleading, but one of the really noticeable bits (to me) was our height in midfield - or at least ability to retain possession from balls in the air. Up front too - a shout out to Barnes for his target man role and his layoff for the first goal. It looks to me like that adds another dimension to our play.
I would give it a moment’s thought, but I really don’t think that’s the issue. Both Pukki and Aarons would have thrived off the fast paced, high movement game yesterday from the highlights I have seen and the last 25 minutes which I watched
I got the impression that Pukki lost his appetite & wanted out , same with Max. Losing every week & getting relegated is probably pretty depressing as a player
Seeing it live I thought it was a penalty. Watching the replay W-P bends over and shoulders into Gianno. Not much Dimi could do. Bad call by the ref.
