I thought having watched Sky's extended highlights tat Gaston did OK. Yes he gave the ball away a couple of times but some of his through balls were inches away from being perfect. I agree with LT laces he can only improve.
We looked pretty good on TV in the 1st half and you would expect a bombardment secondhalf. We have to start scoring more goals to give a bit of breathing space.
Boruc - 8 Clyne - 6 Yoshida - 5 Hooiveld - 6 Shaw - 7 Puncheon - 7 Schneiderlin - 6 Cork - 6 Ramirez - 6 Rodriguez - 7 Lambert - 6 Think Boruc was man of the match because he managed some great saves which ensured we took all three pts and not just the 1. Dont think Saints were all that good tbh and were probably second best to villa, especially in the second half. Dont seem to create enough good chances in front of gioal but i guess one reason for this is because they have become more defensive. However Saints dont seem clinical enough when chances are made. Puncheon who has been one of Saint's best players this season going forward is a good player, but he isnt good enough really. If he had a better right foot, better final ball and a better shot he would be an exceptional player. He also often leaves clyne exposed. Rodriguez is lively going forward and much quicker than Lambert but his final decision making is terrible but I guess as his confidence increases he will get better. Is he really better than Sharp though? I'm not sure and really would have like to have seen him get a go at the premier league. A great win for saints though and a good day out. Never been to Villa park before but its a fantastic stadium.
Without my usual lengthy explanations, I'd go - Boruc - 8 Clyne - 6 Yoshida - 6 Hooiveld - 6 Shaw - 8 Cork - 6 Schneiderlin - 7 Puncheon - 7 Ramirez - 6 Lambert - 9 Rodriguez - 7
Absolutly agree with a 9 for Lambo. His passing and through balls for Jay Rod were real class. Trouble is that Lambert needed to be on the end of his own passes and then we would have been ahead by two or three. If we could get Ramirez to make those passes, Ricky would be leading top scorer in the league. How some poster believe he was not in the game much is amazing.
It's probably because he didn't do much in the way of a striker role, so if you didn't watch his movement and notice how often he started attacking moves by dropping deep, pulling defenders around and making space for Rodriguez and the wingers, then it would probably seem like he wasn't doing much. What he does off the ball is just as key as what he does with it. Contrary to popular belief, I think this is actually his best role and it explains why he used to play some games in midfield.
It also makes you wonder if Sharp could have had a key roll, that predatory instinct could have been lethal, even without the massive burst of pace. But then we didn't start out that way, so it all ifs & buts.
Before yesterday I would have said the reverse: he sees things his team mates don't and when they cotton on to him they'll look even better.
