I'll be pernickety and say that Adam was level and onside, but J-Rod was offside, and apparently interfering with play. Of course, Lambert was just offside when the ball was delivered, but was not seen to be. Quite a comedy of errors there from the officials.
I've always thought their In-Play product was really good, and traded to the best odds you'd get anywhere else. They'll also lay a bet, can't get more than about £500-£1000 in front anywhere else without having your account shut.
Not much chance of me racking up that much! As I say, I am very much a part-time gambler. I think I spend about £20 a year on it just to add a bit of extra interest to things, and tend to just about break even (but it's no great loss if I don't). All that complicated stuff doesn't interest me really.
Matty must want to smack him so hard on occasions, when he comes out with his clumsy comments. Of course, it is deliberate.
Finally got around to watching the extended highlights from Sky. Few quick thoughts:- JWP - take a bow, comfortable in possession, picks a nice pass. Dead ball delivery that we have been crying out for. The lad will get his fair share of time on the pitch this year despite our earlier concerns when Wanyama was signed. Lovren - Looks well settled and very happy to be here. Hell of a tackler and didn't see him do anything wrong, the commentator couldn't get enough of him, for a first competitive match I am really pleased. Chambers - What a debut for a young lad, that block in front of goal saved the day. I expect to see him drop back to the bench as Clyne's game is more rounded, but what a confidence booster today was for Calum. Wanyama - Beast. Surprised he didn't pick up a yellow for persistent fouling, and with a different ref on a different day he'd have to tread a little lighter, but very impressed with what I saw. Schneiderlin - Just tidies up everything, dictates the pace and ensures calm prevails, fantastic again, the scary thing is we have got used to it.
We looked extremely good whenever shaw attacked down the left. It was great to have a bit of defensive stability however I'm not sure West Brom were really up to testing us out. When morrison got in a bit of space in the final 3rd he sliced us open, thankfully anelks touch was poor. Other than that they didn't pose much of a threat. It's difficult to see whether it was good defending or bad attacking that kept their chances to a minimum. Clearly we didn't allow them much space apart from that anelka chance which is a huge positive, but I would say that the defence kept it's shape under less pressure than it can ordinarily expect. There was some mention of this being an effective use of a plan b, for mine it was a similar set up with a less extreme press. Having ward-prowse as a defensive wideman worked very well but limited us going forwards as seen by Lambert being far too isolated. TBF though Lambert spoke in his interview of his respect for their central pairing and they did do a very good job on him.
Also saw highlights on Sky...we had a lot of patient possession without many chances. Brom were a lot more involved in the second half, but the defence held. Amazingly I think WBA were more involved than I gathered from Merson...he was so pro-Saints on Soccer Saturday, I assumed WBA weren't on the pitch Great penalty from Rickie...keeper guessed correctly, but couldn't get to a ball with that power. Great save from Boruc, but the close range clearance from Chambers was also crucial. Watched Mauricio interview on Player. It was suggested that people were surprised at his team selection and was Puncheon injured that he was left behind. He smiled and said no one is injured, I can only pick 18, and, why surprised, everyone I picked is a Southampton player. That is why I am the manager. Lallana said that he saw how much Chambers enjoyed the game and was made up for him that it went so well. Great team spirit.
Agree with all of that 36. On Wanyama though, I think he got away without a yellow because if the ref had given him one, he would have had to give Yacob a second, and he probably didn't want the match to kick off like the one at St. Mary's did last season. WBA won the yellow card race 4-0, and they probably deserved more, they were very physical, especially Olsen and Yacob as you would expect.
The excerpts on MotD suggested that WBA are a pretty average side and whilst i would have been pleased with a draw, the win means a good start to the season. I think we will beat Sunderland next week even if the highlights suggested they look better than the result suggested. Wondered if anyone else things that this is one of the weakest PL's for ages. Cardiff looked poor on TV last night and Stoke seemed to have picked up where they left off last season. I was surprised how easily Swansea were brushed aside too and Arsenal looked like they would struggle to make an impact this season even with fresh signings. They are a team in decline. if you add the fact that teams like Hull and Palace to the list of those likely to struggle this season, there is no reason why we shouldn't finish above mid-table. I wouldn't be surprised if we picked up quite a few wins away from home this year.
It looks that way but I think it's too early to be writing teams off. Arsenal had a terrible first half of last season by their standards but still finished fourth, and I don't imagine they will be giving up their position in the top four without a fight. As for the others, any team can lose or have a bad game on any given day and I wouldn't be jumping to any conclusions based on one game.
For people saying Wanyama should have been booked for persistent fouling - I also thought he gave away a fair few fouls, but it turns out he had as many as Morgan, and fewer than Lallana.
Certainly can't judge until after at leat 6 games. Different fitness levels and new signings bedding in etc
We had a lot of games like this last season where we dominated the first half and gradually let the opposition back into the game and eventually ended up losing. This time we showed more resilience and came away with an unlikely win (unlikely only because at that point in the game I felt we were second best). So, a huge improvement on the one hand. However, there was too much that was reminiscent of last season to be entirely satisfied. A lot of possession and some great play in the first half did not lead to numerous chances and goals. We lost our way a bit and I felt that despite some great last-ditch tackles and blocks we looked a little suspect at centre back. It was huff and puff rather than calmness! Boruc had a typically unpredictable game making me feel on edge the whole time until he came good with that amazing last minute save. I suspect we will just have to get used to it. Rodriguez looked lively without really threatening and so on. However, we won a game that last year we would probably have lost. And there are many positives, not least the performances of the three 18 year-olds. Fantastic really. Obviously we have to now follow this up with a home win next week. Ideally, one that is slightly more comfortable.
I know JRod hit the crossbar, but what does everyone think of the foul given against Lallana leading up to the opportunity. What is a player supposed to do when pinned between two players?
I would say that basically he was just well marked. I thought it was a foul. Lambert has developed a way of backing into players and managing to win space (or sometimes free kicks in his favour) but Lallana's was just a blatant push.
Lose the challenge? It was a clear push of the kind that strikers are always trying in order to get a bit more space, and often getting away with it, as Lambert did with his header against Chelsea last season, but you can't really complain when they are spotted.
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That last photo is fantastic. Two 18 year old full backs from our academy starting in the Premier League, how many other clubs can boast that over the last few years? Very proud.
