Yeah, I get that, I really do TSS - I just think today's one of those "fair play to the other team" days, rather than needing to castigate ourselves.
I must be getting soft in my old age - my only reaction to this was "how lovely that you have three generations of Saints fans together there".......
If Lambert scores six more goals for Southampton, he will have scored more goals for Saints than at all of his other clubs put together.
...and me. So much so I'd already typed "GOAL: Rickie Lambert" into the live updates I was doing. In it went... Hit enter.
I still want him to score one like this for us. Must improve........I kid of course but please Rickie [video=youtube;T3r_a377MaU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3r_a377MaU[/video]
He scored something similar against MK Dons where he hit it on the half volley from 35 yards out - I was there.
[video=youtube;33F168PhU3E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33F168PhU3E#t=40[/video] I give you this, 40 seconds in
Has to be in the premier league. Everybody knows that it doesn't count as good if it isn't Premier League. kid down the street told me that
It is actually really nice having the three of us there. I do laugh, my Dad gets the songs wrong, so I correct him; I then mention a stat about a player and my son corrects me! We usually get to the ground between 40 and 20 minutes to kick off. My Dad and I head off for a coffee and check whatever's on the TV screens, but my son goes straight to his seat with his program and watches the players same up. Reminds me of when I'd be outside the turnstiles waiting for them to be open and then straight in to find a barrier to our the box I'd stand on down in its place.
I agree with the previous statements that one of the problems we have against compact defensive teams is that our wing-play through our fullbacks is frequently a dead end, but I don't think it's as simple as just 'they have to take on their man and get to the byline'. The problem is that because they are just so attacking and there's that fast-becoming-a-cliché from pundits that modern fullbacks are like wingers that we really do treat them like wingers. The reason that we can commit them so far forwards is of course that they have great recovery pace and we usually have good cover from our midfielders, but if they take on their man, lose the ball, perhaps even stumble to the ground or it just breaks better for the other player then they are pretty much done for and we're left open to incredibly dangerous counters. I think the problem today especially for Clyne (Luke too, but I will use Clyne as the clearest example) in the second half is that he was just having it knocked it out to him with his man already closing him down before he'd even touched it and from a standing start there was really not much he could do. We weren't even stretching their defence as all they had to do was have one man coming out and it would nullify any real threat. What we really needed was Adam or Jay getting out there to link up and draw more defenders out to actually stretch the defence, so that even if nothing did come of it and one of them did have to pass back to Davis then the wall of bodies along the edge of the box would have dispersed somewhat and there might even be a reverse ball on to Jay or Adam as they came back across. As it was whenever it came out to Clyne he basically had four options; try a hugely ambitious cross from deep, try and take on his man from a bad position then either lose it or probably try and knock in some likely wayward cross, cut inside onto his weaker foot with which he isn't really going to produce anything, or pass it back to one of the centre-mids and start it all again. None have much benefit and I think he tried all four at different times in the game, although certainly number four most often. I think it's kind of like the whole 'we don't shoot enough from outside the box' thing, sure it would be nice if we could just unlock stubborn defences by just slamming in a worldie through a crowd of players, and it would be nice if our full-backs could consistently skin their man from a standing start and then deftly deliver the ball onto Rickie's forehead, that would be the easy answer, but it's just not going to happen.
If anyone wants to have a look at Dejan Lovren's shift as Guest Twitter on #SaintsFC, it's here: https://twitter.com/SouthamptonFC/timelines/432220677362302976
With a compact, organised defence, who are good at defending crosses, somebody has to be willing to take on a man. Shaw tried towards the end but clyne could have done more. I don't think our fullbacks performed particularly well.
I agree with this. And to Miley, a lot of your post was very true, I just believe that when teams are that tight (and Stoke were very good at that) somebody needs to take someone on, or be played in behind. Your comment about where the full backs receive the ball is spot on, so they either need to have a different starting position or have more support in getting passed opponent or to take some one on. When Shaw tried it we either for a free kick or he pulled an extra man out; it just wasn't often enough. It also needs more movement from a striker, (maybe the need for the option of a more mobile striker for teams like this). There were times in the first half when we broke, or switched platform right to left via Morgan, Jack or the CBs and Luke's (I use him as example as I sit in block 35 so it's the part of the pitch I see clearest) position is either level or behind he man with the ball. If he pushed further forward, the pass could be played in behind the defender and he would be crossing without having to beat the defender or a defender there. This takes out the worry of him losing it as Mikey mentioned and more importantly his cross is now coming in from behind the defensive line. The defenders will then be facing their goal and this the clearance is harder to make. Too many of our crosses from wide are played from, and to, the salve infront if the defender and therefore easier to defend. We must try and turn defenders around..look at Liverpool, Chelsea and City.
