Match Day Thread Southampton FC v Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Europa League, Thursday 8th December, KO 8.05pm

That is the point though Ides, it will be a long time until we qualify again unless Puell has a personality transplant and plays agreesive football against the scousers

 

Nail on head

 

Think the players are okay, they were last year, it is just the conservative game plan, I hate it

 

The board should have invested more and indeed re-invested more in terms of our playing squad. In terms of goal scorers we just don't have enough. Long and Rodriguez aren't good enough for European football and Austin can't do it alone. We also lack any creativity from midfield. Tadic is quality but for linking attack and defense we aren't good enough.
Saying that, it isn't completely the boards fault (after all, they did get us this far) Puel should have taken Redmond at half time (better yet just not played him). Also we should have played a more high-pressing game. Each time we did press we won the ball - Puel played it far too safe.

But it is what it is. We have the chance to make this season incredible with a league cup win. Do I think we are going to do it? Hell no. But will I hope and pray and sing and support saints until the very end? Of course I bloody will!

 

It isn't just this game. We haven't been able to score all season.

Today:
55% possession
15 shots
5 shots on target

So not like we had no chances, we just can't take them. Now with Austin injured we have to hope for a miracle.

 

With the tactics with those guys sat on the halfway line - really?

 

What also irks me is that this follows the disgrace at Palace. What kind of reaction was that? We can't even get simple passes to team mates and the lack of bodies forward when we attack is mind-bogglingly frustrating.

 

He had a microphone and a camera shoved in his face about 5 minutes after the game, I'd be concerned if he wasn't pissed off.

Agree with both sides here, sort of like a chicken/egg scenario. Is it because we don't have the players that we play like that or is it because Puel is setting us up to play like that. For me the main issue isn't the forwards (although that is still a big concern) it is the lack of a midfielder that will carry the ball forward and drive on, scoring a goal or threading the ball through for an attacker to run onto. All our midfield seem to do is knock it 5 yards or try and spread out wide to Redmond or Tadic. We need more threat coming from deeper centrally to pull defences around more

 

Wow, i'm gutted i am not going to lie! we need to change something, Puel just isn't getting it done. this group was easilly winnable.

 

Ag

 

3 games in between now and Xmas.

Boro at home,
Stoke away.
Bournemouth away.

Austin fit - Boro - win, Stoke -draw / loss, Bournemouth - loss.
No Austin - where's a goal coming from. We can't rely on Van Dijk to play everywhere.

 

Oh well that's that for Europe then, just hope that result doesn't reduce the teams confidence even more.
I somehow think that IF Mr L. was still alive he would have done something to sort this out a couple of years
ago as to me the present controlling group don't quite appear as being fully able to cope. They seem a tad
out of their depth and lack really top level experience.

 

We have the England under 21 captain, a highly related ex Bayern midfielder, they should be goof enough to create decent passes

 

Absolutely ****ing disgraceful.

Not gonna single anyone out as we were ****e all game.

We played like a team that knew a clean sheet would put us through... no urgency just waiting for the sucker punch that inevitably came.

Fair play them... the better team and fully deserved. Almost feel sorry for them for our goal, which I barely celebrated.

Pass, pass, cross... what a load of bollocks... how many **** crosses did we put in? And how many chances did we create?

So ****ing devastated and angry... nothing short of disgraceful.

Not read anything yet btw... now off to absolutely pissed... might catch up later or in morning

****ing useless ****s.

 

Great, our best player for years getting pissrf with our negative tactics, thanks Puell, now piss off

 

Agree, if the game had been played with the cup final attitude that we had been fed by Claude and co, and we had drawn 3-3 or lost 3-2 in a real end to end exciting game then ok, hold your hands up, we tried, we gave it our best shot but they got the better of us. Out there tonight wasn't good enough. The lack of urgency was bewildering. It's a game that we win and going through is guarantee, leave it at 0-0 and yes going through but you are leaving it very fine. Away I can understand the game plan. At home, with the cup-final billing, no. Sort it out Saints because this season has taken a turn for the worse and sadly, it's been all too predictable.

 

Winnable? Yes Easily? No

Yet the fact is we ****ed up big time. Like when we were relegated in 05 with a home defeat against Man Utd, this wasn't a question of losing it on the night but through the campaign. Not attributing blame That's for later, but let's not pretend that it was all about tonight.

No more Thursday night excuses then. Claude, we expect the League Cup, the FA Cup and top six. No pressure then.

 

And not taking our chances.

 

Or Romeu. Romeu has to do so much work all over the pitch and box to box there will always be one moment like tonight where he does something wrong. He was absolutely immense up until that point and I was praying we buy Morgan in January and free Romeu up to surge forward more.