Match Day Thread Southampton vs Liverpool 22.02.2015

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Agree to an extent, but it has been the same story for the last 3 home games. We can't just keep being 'unlucky', we really need to solve this breaking down deep/compact defenses.

I certainly feel more confident away from home at the moment, regardless of the opposition.
Totally agree, pissing in and around the box with very little penetration is not unlucky it is ineptitude and has been costing us recently, particularly at home.
 
Yeah I am hypothesizing, but that's what we all do on here isn't it ? :)

The bit in bold is exactly what I'm saying, as it was just so early for us to concede that goal and all my confidence for the game (rightly or wrongly) disappeared as I knew they would retreat.

We've cleared that up then :) :emoticon-0148-yes:
 
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Me too, but we have to consider that as a team that has been in the top 4 most of the season, teams will come and play differently against us. Even Liverpool and Man United have done that. The only teams who came at us have been Chelsea and Arsenal.

We certainly need to shake up how we try and break teams down and to be honest (I'll be shot down now) but we have been a little too long, high and direct for my liking. That is too easy to defend for Premier League teams.

I also think it has been like this for more than the last three home games. Ron has built the team on a strong, hard to beat philosophy and it has been working well for 6 months. Now we need to see what we do to change that up a bit.

Great post and agree with every word. If we can learn to break down stubborn teams like that then there's no real limit to what we can achieve. Also agree re. long/direct. Also that certainly won't work away to a Pulis side next week. I've said for a few weeks now I'd like to see 3-5-2 to return.
 
Great post and agree with every word. If we can learn to break down stubborn teams like that then there's no real limit to what we can achieve. Also agree re. long/direct. Also that certainly won't work away to a Pulis side next week. I've said for a few weeks now I'd like to see 3-5-2 to return.

Yes, I would like to see:

................................Forster...............................

.......Fonte..........Alderwiereld........Yoshida.......

Clyne ........Schneiderlin........Wanyama.......Bertrand

........................JWP/Davis/Tadic/Djuricic..............


..................Long/Elia ..............Mane/Pelle.......

Also leaves a strong bench, whichever of those options we choose.
 
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There you go LTL & FLT - lots of backwards n forwards but we got there and agreed (sort of) in the end <cheers>

That's why I like it when there are lots of replies... it isn't easy to get someone's view within one or even two posts, especially in the written word and even more so when we think it contradicts our own ideas.

The only thing we missed out was abusing each other and name calling.

You *$&! :)
 
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Yes, I would like to see:

................................Forster...............................

.......Fonte..........Alderwiereld........Yoshida.......

Clyne ........Schneiderlin........Wanyama.......Bertrand

........................JWP/Davis/Tadic/Djuricic..............


..................Long/Elia ..............Mane/Pelle.......

Also leaves a strong bench, whichever of those options we choose.


I like the look of that team, I've been saying since before QPR away. I think we look more of a threat and it suits the midfielders we have. Mane has to start next week for me. Try the 3-5-2 for the next 2 games and see how we get on then decide if we're brave enough to play it at the bridge :)
 
Oh sorry Beddytare, but humble opinion or not, I can't let that go. With that type of humble opinion, more games should be 0-0. I can't accept any blame being laid at Forster's door for that goal. None whatsoever.

Clark Kent would have struggled.

Fair enough FLT, we will have to agree to disagree. It would be interesting to hear Forster's point though. Goalkeepers do not like to be beaten from any distance. No my second name isn't Banks, although he was a friend.........
 
Fair enough FLT, we will have to agree to disagree. It would be interesting to hear Forster's point though. Goalkeepers do not like to be beaten from any distance. No my second name isn't Banks, although he was a friend.........

Really? That must have been amazing to be able to discuss what he did over a beer.
 
Fair enough FLT, we will have to agree to disagree. It would be interesting to hear Forster's point though. Goalkeepers do not like to be beaten from any distance. No my second name isn't Banks, although he was a friend.........

It's the banks that got us in this mess in the first place.....oh.....
 
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I totally agree and I am not saying that it wasn't "one of them strikes" It only just beat Forster I would agree, which suggests that he was a tad slow to move. Just speaking as an ex goalkeeper considered to be of a reasonable standard is all....I would have been disappointed to have not saved that from that distance. Before you ask, yes, I had been beaten from distance but glad to say not by too many. On another day Forster may well have got to it. If you ask him though I bet he personally takes some of the blame.
 
Unfortunately the number of decent refs can be counted on one hand. Each week a number of the leftovers will be doled out to the other games. I was surprised that a 5/7 game would get a poor ref. Disappointingly these poor refs are coming at a time when we can't score enough to make up for them. Once we see d'urso as our ref we will no we have reached bottom and are due a decent one.
 
Any mathematicians out there? I'm not but I calculate that at 34 yards out and with ball travelling at 54 mph it would have taken 1.2 secs to travel from boot to goal line. Must admit that at first I agreed with Beddy that FF was a tad tardy but if my calculations are correct I'm not so sure! That said, compared to top class tennis players reactions to a smaller ball travelling at over 100 mph over a shorter distance maybe he's right...here's sitting on the fence
 
First one Forster could've done absolutely zilch about, no goalkeeper past or present is doing anything about that. Don't know why the second isn't being mentioned, I admit I've only seen it twice as I can hardly tolerate further viewings, but it was by no means in the corner and Forster got a hand to it but couldn't keep it out despite it not exactly being a thunderbolt. That pretty much killed the game and didn't allow us to really build any pressure, I know people like to carry on throwing out the 'We wouldn't have scored in a 1000 years' line, but we might still have nicked a point if we kept it 1-0 going down to the wire. Have to say I'm gradually becoming less satisfied with Fraser as the season goes on, but he can still improve so hey-ho.

Also don't agree with going 3-5-2 as an answer to teams who are just going to defend, think about it from a purely personnel viewpoint, to add extra attacking menace we're going to basically replace a winger with a CB? If we want two up top, with Mane or Long playing off Pelle, don't see why we wouldn't just go 4-4-2 (or to tie it up in a more fashionable bow - 4-2-2-2).
 
The first goal Forster had no chance. You give someone like Coutinho that much space you are inviting a shot. Should have been closed down alot earlier.

Personally I think Pelle needs to be dropped to the bench for a couple of games. You can see it is frustrating him not scoring which isnt helping. Start of the season he was thinking about his passes and shots, last few games it all seems a bit rushed and "I will score". He probably needs a bit of a rest, yes he is our only current target man but he has played almost every game. I also think we were a bit silly not to make a move in the window for another 'Pelle' type player so he has come competition. He knows at the moment he is a always going to be one of the first on the team sheet.
 
The first goal Forster had no chance. You give someone like Coutinho that much space you are inviting a shot. Should have been closed down alot earlier.

Yeah don't think it's been said but Vic really is the only person who can take any blame for that one, got sucked right across to one side when we already had a 2v1 out there leaving the space for Coutinho. Minor mistake and unfortunate that Coutinho punished him for it, but a mistake all the same.
 
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I am a goalkeeper and goalkeeper coach and any blame placed on forster is utterly ridiculous. The first was as the summariser put it "right in the postage stamp". Forster got a hand to it because he is a big bastard but it would have been one of the best saves in history if he had got that! He actually gets a hand to most things but I dont think that neccesarily means he should save all of them. A smaller keeper like Foster or Guzan probably would have got no where near the ones he gets to but because he gets a hand to them it looks like he should save them.
The 2nd was more saveable but again, lashed from close range and took 2 deflections. One thing he does struggle with is getting down quickly which is as a result of his size. Rant over
 
West Brom v Saints Referee: Phil Dowd



And, this will cheer people up, Saints v Palace: Martin Atkinson
 
Also don't agree with going 3-5-2 as an answer to teams who are just going to defend, think about it from a purely personnel viewpoint, to add extra attacking menace we're going to basically replace a winger with a CB? If we want two up top, with Mane or Long playing off Pelle, don't see why we wouldn't just go 4-4-2 (or to tie it up in a more fashionable bow - 4-2-2-2).

Depends on how you view that. With 3 CBs the two full backs virtually become wingers, so one could easily argue that you gain an attacking player. 4 defenders or three defenders??