We’ve dropped points to many around us, but not as bad as it could have been. Sounds like we put in a good effort from reading here but we all know where our weakness is - if you don’t score you won’t win and despite three striker options we still couldn’t bulge the net. wasn’t a game I was expecting to win but a draw would have been decent. Other positives… Sunderland , Shef Weds lost, Huddersfield also take 3. Of the bottom eight teams all dropped points, so not a disaster. Need to get a win though, we really do.
Lacking in that final part of the pitch.... Thought we played ok, but they were better than us where it mattered... not surprising with money they have.... Thise 3 points we dropped last week were painful.... didn't expect much today.... Millwall is a big game....
Didn't play too bad but it's the same old same old, We have trouble trying to score. I don't think any of our so called strikers mustered a shot at goal between them. Did Kelman even touch the ball?
End of the world. Cancel Christmas. With the other results no harm done. Interested to hear what those who were there thought.
For about 4 or 5 games, I haven't quite liked our game plan, even though decent results were coming in. We've been too respectful of teams. imo, we needing to be taking the game to teams, whether they're near the top of the table or bottom. We're in a relegation battle; we have to be aggressive and take control of the situation. We can't try and counter attack our way out of this only.
I know I often go on about Dykes, he does an excellent job as a target player, but never, ever looks like getting into a goalscoring situation. The amount of times when Chair and Willock (plus others) are running at retreating defenders looking for a pass, while Dykes never finds a gap, never makes the right run, never gets into a position to recieve, never gets the right side of a defender... Imagine having a Charlie, Clive Allen or Bannister finding space while Chair etc. have the ball? I really hope Marti has a proper striker on his radar! Overall, a really good team effort. Southampton won't get too many points as difficultly as today.
I was at LR. Southampton fully deserved the win. Ref was decent, linos were more or less spot on. Although Southampton got away with time wasting a bit too much. The game was calling out for Willock to be replaced by Smyth long before it happened. It was crazy to bring Smyth on, who likes to cross the ball, and in the same moment take off the only player who can really get on the end of a cross, Dykes. As I said above, I feel we were too respectful; we should have tried to take the game to Southampton, rather than playing counter attack only, which they always absorbed. Dunne MOTM. Mostly decent performances from all. Reggie was a bit weak but Willock should have passed to him several times when he made a good run.
Feeling those dropped points against Plymouth and Wednesday more now (not that we necessarily deserved them). But we could and possibly should have been out of the bottom three now. ****ing huge game on Tuesday .
Agree about Dykes. At the same time, overall, so negative. Jimmy Dunne was more attacking than Dozzell...every time looking for a backwards pass, ideally all the way back to Begovic. Cifuentes was on the line frantically gesturing for the ball to go forward and players kept playing it safe. That doesn't win us games, and ultimately we get punished, as we did today. I'd have shipped Dykes off at half time for Kelmann, and bought on Armstrong earlier. As soon as those two get fit enough, and savvy enough to *pace themselves for a whole game we'll start seeing some end results to long sessions of possession and build up play. Big January coming up, both on and off the pitch. All that said, I was fearing a thrashing today, so it was better than it could have been.
We were decent today, but just lack penetration in the final third. We were generally well organised defensively, but gave away a bad goal just before half-time. Overall we competed well with a team supposedly much better than us.
Frustrating afternoon. Beaten by a better team but not by much. Entertaining enough but needed to score and we're so weak in that area. Good team effort and morale seems high but how long can that continue if we keep losing? Crowd was great today. Saw an article suggesting they are trying to bring Tim 5vowles back in January. An attacking mid fielder and a striker who can score would be a significant help. Onwards.
