Match Day Thread Southampton v West Ham United Saturday 6th February 2016 KO 17:30

When Saints were playing ManU at OT the other week, there was a throw-in awarded to us in the final minutes of ordinary time, and a combination of Bertrand and Targett were taking an absolute age to get it done. I started laughing at the sheer coolness of Matt when he sauntered up, appearing to collect the ball, and then walked slowly into a receiving position. What seemed like half an hour later, Ryan took the throw-in. Not a ManU fan or player gave them any grief whatsoever. The Saints fans just cheered.

 

I detest timewasting. I detest it when other sides do it, I detest it when we do it. It's cynical and a bit of attention to it earlier in games would stamp it out. There's no point booking people for timewasting when it's been going on for fifteen minutes. First sign of it should result in a final warning to the captain that the next incident will involve a card.

Hopwever, there was a point on Saturday when the Clatts started giving Fraser grief when the ball came like a bullet out of the crowd and sailed 20ft over his head so he had to run to it (and he was running). That made me laugh.

Vin

 

Difficult because football is so tribal. Would many care if a player we signed left his previous club with bad feelings as he tried to force a move? Probably not. If the winning goal we scored was shown to be six inches offside, would we be demanding a replay? I think not.
If a player is expected to live up to the standards of, well, a saint, then they would correct the claim that the ball came off their opponent when it didn't for a corner, and theoretically tell the ref if the ball did clip their hand just then, actually. I think this is probably unrealistic.
The standards I expect is that our players should not dive where no contact was made or roll around as if in agony when only clipped. The grey area is the "entitled to go down" bit. Here is where the authorities need to legislate. Issuing 5 match bans retrospectively for any obvious simulation would soon drive out the real cheats and if the cheating is not obvious then I guess I can live with it- provided the time they misjudge one, they are caught bang to rights.

 

The thing about the WHU penalty appeal was I thought Valencia deliberately moved his left leg across towards Maya to incite the contact.

Anyone else notice that or should I go get some spec's!

 

They said the same on Sky and neither pundit thought it was a penalty but said they wouldn't have been surprised if it was given.

 

I feel like they just got their legs tangled accidentally at a point where really neither player had more right to the ball than the other. And then everything that happened after that was a chain reaction for which neither player is to be blamed (other than Valencia hamming up his fall a bit).

No foul, no dive was the correct call for me.

 

Genuinely Fran, most of my moaning at refs is done from watching the game live at the ground and before I've seen it on the television, let alone a replay.

Take the Arsenal game. I thought Mason was appalling for both teams all night, just from what I saw at the game.

 

Just maybe though referees should be seeing the fouls more often as well as looking out for the divers maybe they should be given more help in the penalty area. It's a thought any way....

 

I shall have another look at that.

 

Good but...it should happen every time.

Another thing. Why is the ref allowed to play advantage for a few seconds before coming back for a free kick yet if there is a foul in the box but a shot is despatched they don't pull it back.......ever?

 

In a kind of utopian world I'd agree with the idea of also booking a player for 'making a meal' of something. However, in reality to do that you'd need to wait until the player gets up and runs around at the very least, which is absurd (and would just mean that the players faking it would just limp a little longer).

Why? Well they may be many things, but referees aren't doctors, and as we well know, many of the worst injuries are from the most innocuous looking challenges. So sorry, but that one is a non-starter for me.

 

I think too many people expect everything to be perfect and every decision right.....the differences of opinion on here after viewing the action many times shows how impossible that is. To keep the action moving we give the power to one person with help from 2 linesmen,,,,so we have to accept his view of it (and I'm willing to bet most decisions are right as arguments are usually over 1 or 2 incidents rather than dozens). Perhaps the game should be stopped regularly while the spectators are canvassed for their opinion....though that may be coloured by loyalty....because human beings are not perfect and, incidentally, not mind readers either.

 

I'm all for doing things retrospectively if needs be. The video evidence is there.

Since we're talking about our pet hates, mine is players with outstretched arms holding off opposition players in a way reminiscent of a rugby handoff. I don't think you'll find this anywhere in the laws of the game. If that had happened when I was playing I can imagine a few karate chops and arms being wrenched from sockets (not literally of course).

 

Wouldn't it just? Here's hoping anyway....

 

You've illustrated a scenario of the point made by Koeman about the out of possession 5-3-2 formation. He said it means we end up surrendering possession because we lose a midfielder. So basically we play more of the game without the ball.

Interesting point Martin Keown made on MOTD3 was that he thought we played brilliantly against Arsenal recently, yet there were several of our own fans who thought we were being mullered [their word]. Just goes to show that it's just as important to be able to play the game well out of possession as it is whilst having the ball.

 

Very true, both Fergies United & Peps Barcelona were both brilliant without the ball as well as with it!

 

Our % possession isn't high in recent matches and yet the results have been good...shows it isn't the be all and end all in football. You just need to be in possession when you score.

 

The point I was trying to make, albeit not very clearly, is that with Davis in the side (or A N Other "proper" midfield player) we have someone in a central midfield position, filling up gaps and being available to link defence to attack.
Against WHU and Man Utd, our formation was more 3-4-2-1, when we had the ball and 5-2-2-1 when we didn't.
Long and Mane (v WHU) and Mane and Tadic (v Man Utd) patrol the width of the field chasing the ball, but none have the tactical awareness to drop into a deep central position, when Clasie chases a player out wide.
There were times, against WHU, when this happened, with Mane or Long cutting off a back pass, but neither cutting out the square ball releasing a WHU player on a free run through the centre.
Just my opinion, but if we play with 3 CBs and 2 wing backs, then we can only afford to go with 2 out and out strikers.
Another factor in the surrendering possession scenario, is that the lack of an advanced midfielder, to come short and link attacks, leads to longer passes to the front, which get cut out or miss their targets.

 

Yes - a very good point. I thought that we gave Song (him of the super-80s shorts ) far too much room and a decent AM might well of hurt us ...........

I, for one, will welcome back Steven Davis, though I still think Prowsey has done enough this season to warrant a start .......