Article: West Ham v Saints match thread Football Southampton

I have a feeling, that before long someone else is going to be on the end of a Villa type performance, it won't take much to bring on a change of fortune, it just needs the bits of the jigsaw to fall into place.

 

Really want it to be tomorrow.

 

We really need this...don't want to play Spurs with only 4 points on board.

 

Very true! would be huge pressure to get a home win. Quietly confident we will get something tomorrow though. Hope Carroll got a cold in Poland!

 

Extracts from a Fat Sam pre match interview.

Southampton were promoted with you last season and received a lot of plaudits for the way in which they played. Does it satisfy you that they were unable to match you in the transfer market and points wise so far this season?

SA: "Well they have matched us because they signed a £12million player in [Uruguay midfielder] Gaston Ramirez during the transfer window. We only have Andy on loan and we paid a lot less than that so I think that they have gone out into the market and spent big like we all have to. What I do think is that we have coped with the Barclays Premier League very well at the start of this season and I also think we had a group of fixtures that were less challenging than Southampton's. From a Premier League point of view our experience is probably better than theirs so hopefully that will be a telling factor on Saturday. Our confidence is also very high because we have been very good at home. I am hoping to see the same kind of performance that I saw against Aston Villa, Fulham and Sunderland. If we play like that we will create opportunities and have a very good chance of winning the game."

Would you agree that Southampton have a Barclays Premier League attack with the likes of Adam Lallana and Rickie Lambert, but a Championship-standard defence?

SA: "I don't know and I do not think Nigel Adkins will look at in that way. Perhaps you in the media look at it that way because they have scored and conceded a lot of goals. There are two ways of playing the game and that is in possession and out of it. If you do not get both right you do not win. What you do out of possession in the Barclays Premier League is just as important as what you do with it, especially during your first season. If you can get both of those on an equal par you will do well. It is usually more difficult to score goals than it is to concede. Southampton have found it easier to score but in doing so they have left a lot of gaps. We suffered the same problem against Arsenal. As we got better in possession they hit us on the break twice and we found ourselves 3-1 down."

 

makes a change for him to not have a dig. Well done Fat Sam.

 

I like that Fran

 

I know it's really annoying cos I'm now feeling my total dislike of him is unfair! Grrrr!

 

[h=3]Nigel Adkins insists he has a lot of respect for West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce ahead of Southampton’s trip to Upton Park on Saturday.[/h]The 47-year-old has maintained the Saints’ attacking brand of football which helped achieve promotion to the Premier League, with the south coast club scoring in all but one of their opening games this term.
Meanwhile, Allardyce’s West Ham have earned a reputation as a side which adopts a more direct approach, with the Hammers currently in the top half of the table.
“They [West Ham] have had a great start to the campaign,” said Adkins.
“They’re in the top 10 at this moment in time, they’re very effective in how they play, and I’ve got a lot of respect for Sam Allardyce and how he’s done in football.
“I’ve always listened to him over the years when I’ve gone on coaching courses and he’s presented, because there’s a wealth of knowledge you can pick up.
“It’s about winning games of football. Obviously here at Southampton, we’ve got a certain brand of football which we want to develop and promote.
“We’re looking forward to maintaining that.”
He added: “It’s a brand of football we want to promote but we’ve also got to win.
“It’s an important thing to remember – can you play winning football but also a brand of football that your club wants to be associated with.
“Obviously here we’ve got a Southampton way, we want to bring our youngsters through into the first-team and get it right.”

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Nigel is praising him now! Grrr!

 

Well I wouldn't argue with much of that.

 

I just watched Nigel's latest interview on player and it's pretty clear he is prepared to be very ruthless to keep us up. Some of our current squad could be waving goodbye in January I think. Sad but if we want to continue to improve and progress I suppose its inevitable!

 

west ham is going to be a very difficult game and our defence coupled with no ramirez - i think we're going to be in for a rough ride. I'd take a point now for sure.

 

Southampton have dropped 11 points from winning positions this season, the most in the Premier League. If they had won those points, the Saints would be second in the table.

 

He came off injured in the last U21 game, no idea how bad it was though.

 

Good stat but I think in reality it's only the United game I feel we were really robbed in.

 

should be a cracking atmosphere. Gutted Im not going, i only live just down the road - might try a tout on the day.

 

But if you consider every point that has been dropped from a winning position by all teams in the Premier League, we probably wouldn't be quite so high.

 

In the event that Richardson, Butterfield and Clyne are all missing for tomorrows game...would you expect/want Yoshida to deputise once again? Or do you think/would you prefer that another option is tested? I wonder if it's too soon for Stephens to be tested.

 

Score: West Ham 2-2 Saints

Scorer: Lambert, Rodriguez

Team:

---------Gazzaniga--------
--Clyne Fonte Yoshida Fox--
----S.Davis Schneiderlin--
Puncheon --------- Lallana
-----Lambert Rodriguez ---

Subs: K.Davis, Hooiveld, Shaw, Chaplow, Reeves, Mayuka, Guly

 

Is Fox fit?