Match Day Thread Southampton v Sunderland Saturday 5 March 15:00

Lazy defending at its worst. Yoshida always seems to be at the heart of these situations unfortunately, but today I think Cuco should have snuffed that cross out had he been awake and not milling around behind Defoe.

But really, what can any team expect with close to half their first team out now (including Fonte now, and Cedric, who I assume has a slight knock). As much as its a shame to lose Jose, I thought that tackle of his was class, if definitely a red. He still got the ball in a superbly innovative, athletic fashion, and took one for the team. Who'd believe that Saints would be the most red-carded team in the PL this season?!

 

My thoughts too. He did his very best to make a blatant hauling down of a striker clean through on goal, nearly look like a legitimate tackle. I've never seen anything like it.

As soon as the ref blew it was always going to be a red, and I was suprised by the shock of the fans around me.

 

If you are a "fiery abrasive character" - and fair enough if you are, no one has any business judging you - then you should expect to spend quite a bit of time defending yourself. That's just gonna happen. And if you're going to post on a Saints forum that - and I paraphrase here - the team is ****, the manager is ****, and we should sell half the squad, then expect to get called out on it. Especially after a game that's left all of us, not just you, feeling a bit pissed off.

Be abrasive by all means, but don't be surprised if that means you rub some people up the wrong way and they react.

 

Funny how people remember things differently. What I remember from B'mouth at SMS is us having about 20% possession in the second half. Obviously they remembered it too because this week they played both halves like that.

 

Haha, yes, can almost see him getting away with it on another day, given the wild inconsistencies of ref's decisions. His luck had finally run out at that point, though. What a run of games with no red cards for a CB, though.

 

I guess this Forum is not for you, try Saints Web or the Echo site, much more suited to your aggressive stance, the Forum runs fine without you, rubbing the regulars up the wrong way is always going to get you some grief, personal abuse isn't welcome either, if you can't take it don't dish it. Your choice, put your point of view over, that's fine, if someone disagrees, that is their right. If you are genuine, no problem, but we have in the past been subject to wrong'uns that were no more Saints supporters than a Martian invader, whose only intention was to wind up as many people as they could. The Moderators are extremely good and won't tolerate any nonsense, as I said it is your choice, behave or walk away.

 

Mr Friend would probably have let him get away with it, and may even have given us that penalty for hand ball in the first half! That's fate for you.

 

And he's only 26. We should have gone for him when he left Spurs, he's a 7/8 goals a season midfielder.

 

Really..?!

 

Well, probably, may be?

 

Sam's reaction when we scored was enjoyable to watch, unless you are a Black Cat fan.

 

I felt for the Sunderland fans as it's a killer to let one in right at the end of the match. We've all got the T-shirt. However, my happiness overcame my better nature.

 

Shows how the game is perceived in different ways.
There's us being unhappy at a dull and dreary performance, that nets us 1 point after losing our captain and going behind, whilst BFS is hailing it as a fantastic performance, from his lot, when they were every bit as drab as we were.

Two points, I noticed about Martina.
The Jack Rodwell chance, first half. Martina was totally out of position, allowing the overlap, which then drew Fonte out of position, in an attempt to close down the cross, leaving space in the middle, for Rodwell.
Second half he had time and space to hit a hard and low cross, along the 6 yard box, for a Mane tap in, at the back post, but he made the wrong choice and pulled it back - to a Sunderland player. In his defence, most of the crossing was poor, with a few exceptions.
Something the summariser noticed about him. In his hurry to get forward, he often went too soon, giving Clasie no pass out to the flank, resulting in Clasie having to go back to Fonte/VVD.

 

Well put...it's easy to be "an abrasive character"/ keyboard warrior sat at home tapping out vitriol on your little laptop. I am all for free speech and polite disagreement but fighting talk isn't acceptable

 

We were down to ten men and only one CB. I think pretty much every manager in the world will bring in another CB to replace Fonte in that situation.

Also, I said this before but IMO Bertrand was probably technically at "fault" for the goal. I put "fault" in quotes because it was really more of combo of miscommunication, somewhat lucky bounce, and Sunderland having an extra man.

IMO, people are focusing on Dafoe being wide open as the problem, when to me the problem was the build up. Kirchoff's flick was just about perfect, nudging it past VVD and right between Bertrand and Yoshida.

Bertrand I think could have gotten there first, or if not at least mess up Kone's timing. But it would have meant him running towards his own goal while trying to clear behind and/or possibly drawing a penalty. So a bit of a tricky play. Yoshida also might have gotten there, but again it would be close and potentially get called a pen if he mistimed, plus he was marking Dafoe.

So each of them thought the other shoud get it. Bertrand ducked out of the way, and Yoshida hesitated a split second. Which meant that all Yoshida could do at the end was make an awkward lunge that was easily defeated and Dafoe was wide open with Yoshida having left him. Dafoe just took a step to create an angle and applied a simple finish. Martina could not have gotten there in time.

But TECHNICALLY, I think that ball should have been Bertrand's. Because Yoshida was marking a man in a dangerous area, and Bertrand was not. But really, it was a tricky play. In the end I have to agree it was terrible defending because no one attacked a loose ball right in front of the goal and that can't happen. But I can also understand why it did. Sometimes it's a fine line. I was less perturbed by the goal than I was by some of the other sloppy defense (Forster on crosses, a couple of bad backpasses) earlier.

 

Matt Targetts only appearance was on the front of the Match Day Magazine, was anything said about his absence?

 

That's pretty well put. My only caveat with it is that we don't wish people to "dish it out" so that other people have to "take it". Just a reasonable exchange of views. Nobody has to get heated about it, even with a passionate subject like SFC, and why we don't win the title every season at a canter.

 

I've waded through several threads today, and the thought has just occurred to me who Jose gave the Captain's armband to when he left the pitch. If it has been revealed on here, my apologies, but please just tell me. Ta.

 

Beyond belief! Behave or walk away?

I haven't never once posted that the manager is **** nor the the team is ****, please show me where I have?????