There are just two points between 6th and 12th, so let's not be so dismissive. We are better away from home and against mid-table sides that open up and we played consistently better today. Most teams will have blips.
We have been in similar positions in recent seasons, and we've got back on track, but mid table seems pretty competitive this season. Not sure where the points are going to come from right now. Maybe a freshen up with a little more squad rotation.
Yup. The defence has been our problem this season. Last season we conceded 13 goals at home, this season we've already conceded 11.
Very frustrating - our wastefulness in front of goal is grating now. Not sure what the answer is, but we look so shaky at the back it's all a bit nerve wracking. Tricky games coming up too, so a bit of reinvention needed.
Actually, we haven't won against a mid-table-or-better side yet this year. Chelsea, in 14th, is the highest-placed team that we have defeated.
Yes, I know but you feel teams like Palace and West Ham are like us - better on the road. Hopefully we can some points there.
Hmmm... Tale of Two Cities. Bertrand, Mane, Pelle, VVD were good. Thought Romeu and Juanmi both looked sharp when they came on. Cedric was shaky, Wanyama a little sloppy. Didn't think we got quite enough from the midfield today. We looked very good for stretches, awful for others. Should have done better, could have been worse. Overall, a bit frustrating but there are also things to build from here. Luckily for me, I completely missed the Liverpool game. As it is, I find myself only moldy disappointed and the comments here seem a little harsh. But probably if I had seen it I would be in a similar mood.
Whilst this was a game we should have won, coming back for a draw was a relief. Imagine how we'd feel after a 4th consecutive loss. If Villa could take a point of us, there is no reason to think we couldn't get an unexpected result in another match. That's it...that's all I have
I think that although I am disappointed at falling for the hype from various management teams and various boards about Southampton's plan to challenge the elite and becoming regular 'euro-babes' I should be happy. Saints are much better than the Saints of old, we are no longer relegation fodder and even now it would be a major surprise for us even to flirt with the lower reaches of the league however it is disappointing because I foolishly fell for the hype and believed it for some reason. I think the board may well have believed it as well. I think reality has come home to roost now and we should start to be happy about not being that relegation fodder team we once were. Thinking we should be beating everybody will only cause meltdowns for mid table finishes we once could only dream of. When I said on last week's thread, that I was thinking about nostalgia and going to watch the mighty Imps and then checking the videprinter when I got home, I was mainly saying it metaphorically. I remember the days of hearing MLT had scored a hat-trick only to learn when I got to the final score at pub or home we had still lost. I remember getting to quarter finals or semis and dreaming then seeing the teletext show our losses as they updated. However I am still here. I don't support this club for glory, I support it because I love it. I loved it before I could watch every game online. I supported it when I was watching Lincoln City. I wore my Saints shirt in the Lincoln end at 3 games (Colin Clarke/Danny Wallace in the 80s and home and away in the nineties.) I will continue to support this club but I will not buy into any more of the hype unless it is realistic and proven and shown. My club is still alive. It will definitely still be PL next season. It may have more successes than it used to be because this club is better than the Pre relegation club however I am back at ground level now after years of being on cloud nine. We would have been satisfied with today's result a decade or more ago and that is all we should need to know. We are a better club than we were a decade ago.
Koeman's post-match comments on the BBC are spot on today: "Southampton manager Ronald Koeman: "Normally you don't sign for one point at home, but it's a point. We make it difficult for ourselves. We had three or four big chances to score and then we concede. "Straight after half time we had some difficulties but they showed great character to come back and draw the game. We deserved more but OK, it's about scoring goals and creating chances. That was not the the case today. "Last year we were 4-0 up against Villa [when Saints won 6-1] and we didn't start as well as today! But we didn't score and that is the detail in football. For the first time in maybe two seasons we conceded such a soft goal from a corner. "We played well in the second half, maybe it's a good result. We have had three or four defeats in a row and it is a knockback. You have to believe and we did that. "It was windy for both teams - but it wasn't Stoke!" "" - BBC
A draw after creating a lot of chances is a lot better than a loss, but we need to win these games as there will be a lot of harder games.
Yeah, I love clean sheets. It gives you the best chance of winning games, particularly at home. This was a game I expected us to control. If we kept our composure and concentration one goal should have been enough against a poor Villa side. Conceding first was a really bad situation to be against a side like Villa that loves to park the bus. Disappointing.
Did you have a bet on this game that you lost? We aren't going to go down, I can't see us getting into Europe this season either. It's not like it's the end of the world getting a point after the run we've had. The way we're playing right now finishing 10th would be quite good. Even something like 12th wouldn't be the absolute end of the world, but we want to finish as high as possible obviously and this was a game we should be winning.
The way Cedric is playing recently (and Yoshida at right back) I wouldn't be surprised if Koeman looks for a first choice right back in January to displace Cedric and have Cedric as back up.
I keep remembering Pardew's comment about Southampton being a thoroughbred that doesn't like mud. They don't play in mud very often in the Premier League, but it seems that they are unsettled by anything other than perfect weather conditions. I'm in no way excusing them, but the wind definitely caused a few passes and second balls to go astray, and possibly accounted for Pellè's gaffe for the Villa goal. Anyway, we can look forward to being knocked out of the FA Cup by either Eastleigh or Portsmouth now!
