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

Actually, I would agree with you, and I was there.
In the first half alone, there were two moments where I felt we weren't getting the rub, both from crosses into the box.
From one, the ball seemed to hit a defender on the hip, and fell perfectly for a defender to clear, when it could have gone anywhere.
The other was a cross that skimmed off the top of a defender's head. We had at least two players in front of goal, yet the ball flew straight into the keeper's hands.

Maybe we're getting similar luck at the other end, but it does seem that if it weren't for bad luck, we'd get no luck at all.

 

We did play "some" decent football under Koeman. Just nowhere near as much as many people seem to remember. There was a lot of hoof and a lot of the same as we have now with the odd great game inbetween. Nothing has changed this year from the Koeman years, just we aren't getting the odd result that glosses over the fact that we didn't play much better than the teams we love(d) to make fun of.

Loved Adkins as a manager and as a person, was cool to Poch as a person but loved the football albeit frustrated with the lack of Plan B but Poch visibly moved us forward in terms of playing style. Koeman moved us backward in playing style and club philosophy.

If anything the only hope I can think of is that Puel is suffering because of taking over from the aftermath of Koeman's reign. I like how he is bringing the youth through but on the pitch things are worrying.

My gripes with Koeman are purely over the style of football and performances. Can't really argue with the results of those 2 seasons even with the slumps however I am one that likes to be entertained and I call things for what they are.

Yes its a results based business BUT many on here turn results into good performances which are not one and the same.

 

We have somehow managed to dominate everyone of our European games and have created enough chances to win the entire competition. I'd love to know how many chances the opposition have had in all the games. Not many.

So, basically we should have topped the group easily but somehow haven't. I don't know if its just we haven't got the players (all but one of the stats i.e. goals scored, suggest that the players ARE good enough), or whether its just the, 'rub of the green'. My only comment is that there does appear to be a lack of 'passion' however you quantify that. The away game in Israel was the most obvious example, it looked like a training runout (a bit like Hull).

Anyway, the Middlesborough game has just taken on a massive significance.

 

Did we?
Sparta Home, they were awful and we were gifted the opening goal through a dodgy penalty.
Be'er-Sheeva away, like a pre-season friendly, only worse.
Inter away, played good in spells, but the home side were terrible and there for the taking
Inter home, got lucky with an own goal
Sparta away, appalling
Be'er-Sheeva home, soporific

I think overall, we were lucky, not unlucky. I can't recall us peppering the opposition goal with loads of efforts in any game.

 

One loose pass on the right cost us. Even then, I thought Foster was going to save the shot. Their player did well to push it just beyond Foster but not beyond the post. If Yoshi's header had been on target we'd've all been celebrating the comeback of the tournament. Still W2 D2 L2 isn't a bad return for our first crack at the Europa group stages. We just need a striker come January.

 

Say what you like about Koeman (and I agree with Imps that we got a bit unattractive and long ball at times under him) we did score more goals and it wasn't just down to Mané.

The question we have to ask ourselves is how much the poor goal scoring is down to Puel's tactics and how much is down to the poor transfer window in the summer.

 

Agree with that, we did play well in parts but we certainly didn't dominate all the games. Certainly not last night.

I think people mistake possesion and terroritory for dominating. Simply having a lot of the ball doesn't win games.

If it did, then it would be Spurs who are Champions and in the last 16 of CL.

I'm getting annoyed with hearing that we're unlucky or not getting rub of green etc.

It happens too often to be that. We're just toothless.

 

I get the feeling that you are very good at highlighting all of the negatives in the games, very seldom do you mention any positives however few they are, unbalanced posting paints a worse picture that what it actually is and is constant morale basher for those that don't know better.

 

I still can't shake the feeling that the club failed to grasp just how much this meant to the fans.

So disappointing.

 

First... and probably last (at least for a while). Which is the point really, isn't it? For the club and the players themselves, what an opportunity & experience wasted and no guarantee they will get another one.

(and it we were in one of the poorest groups as well. Inter with 5 players unable to play and a pale shadow of what they were. Sparta were bang ordinary and Be'er Sheva were well organised, but be honest, Championship quality and full of journeymen players)

 

Awww diddums. Well, you are free to go give those who "don't know better" a cuddle.

 

I will still say what I was saying after the game. Puel,the board and players are all to blame.

I know a lot will disagree with me but for me Long isn't good enough (nor is Jay). He is ok as a guy that puts in his all for a team, but not as a striker. So the only striker we have is Austin, whoevers idea it was, needs to admit they were wrong and help Puel get at least one forward in Jan. For those saying about youngsters, forwards are our weakness. We have 3 decent youngsters (with one injury prone and the another still injured) that need another season at least.

On to midfielders:

Yes we played deep last night, but we haven't on other days and looked basically the same. We have 6 centre mids that all play the same kind of way and like sitting back. We have no attacking centre mid what so ever.

Redmond, yes the abuse aimed at him was disgusting. But damn he needs Puel to have a word with him. He was mouthing off Bertrand for hell of a lot of match. He also called Beers manager something. He needs to go to therapy or learn to carm himself down or he will end up being sent off.

Defence:

Nothing much wrong with it apart from we like to have at least one brain fart every game. But then I wouldn't like to be under the pressure they are with a forward line that can't score. Cedric didn't play that well last night, but that's because he didn't have help from the midfield.

Forster isn't the Forster we know. Nerves/form have got to him atm, shame we only have Taylor or I wouldn't mind giving him a rest.

 

This.

 

£274 pounds...certainly had more enjoyable ways of spending that kind of money. It was like an MOT - went in for one thing and came out needing three others (having said that, Hampshire Dentists on Soton Highstreet...nicest dentists I've ever been to).

Back to Puel, I'll give him praise when it's due and his inclusion of youth to the first XI is fantastic, so that's one positive.

 

I think it is the manner in which we played in those games, compared to the manner we play in others, such as last night, Palace, Prague away etc that frustrates the fans.
I really don't understand how, in one game, our midfield players will make good forward runs, including into the box, making us look like a good attacking side, when we get games like last night when midfielders only offer the man on the ball an option to pass square or backwards.
Are they playing to order, or are they just being too cautious?
The guy who scored for Hapoel, was regularly in space between our back four and the midfield. He didn't always receive the ball, but he at least offered a forward pass option, in a more central position, when Hapoel were trying to build an attack.
I also noticed that Hapoel often had four across the front, when they had possession, looking for quick, early runs from deep to exploit the space. They got behind Cedric a few times in the first half, doing this.
In our case, it is generally one of the forwards dropping back into that area, further reducing our attacking options, as our midfielders don't generally run beyond them.

We are capable of playing good, quick attacking football. We just need to do it more often.

 

It's a real bug bear of mine. Another is confusing shots with chances...

"How can you say we didn't create any chances, we had 12 shots!"

 

Hapoel have obviously done their homework and ti would surprise me if they had to watch more than 2 or 3 games to work out that they could leave 3 men up the field and the rest of their team in their box while we danced from side to side around the 18 yard line. Every time they booted it out they had men ready to sprint to attack us and we are lucky they weren't a decent side. This is what other teams will do to us in the Prem. They will work out they don;t need all 11 behind the ball because we won't shoot unless we've intricately passed it with multiple 1 2s through the centre of the box.

On the flip when we lose the ball we leave only the CF up and everybody else congregates in their "lines of 4" (5 including the spare man) and when we attack our players have to make a huge amount of ground to try and counter attack.

We play to cliches. Like robots. We used to do the same under Koeman. Pelle or Long up front and everybody else behind the ball. Attack and we want to walk the ball into the net. The difference under Koeman was other teams were getting 11 men behind the ball. Teams now are realising they don't need to and leaving 1 or more players further up the field.

How many times when Bertrand or Cedric (or other player) cross the ball in and our whole attack and midfield are on the goal line? Why is it when a cross is headed or punched out we have no-one on the edge of the box and the opposition players have 20 yards of free space to pick the ball up and counter us?

Why is it when we defend our whole team compresses into the box so when we clear it we have no-one outside out box to pick the ball up.

It is mad for this to still be happening. It is like watching Harry Enfield's "Charles Charlie Charles" Arsenal team. So easy to play against as long as you can clear the ball from your defence and have players outside the box when in attack because the Saints are all stuck together.

 

I have to particularly agree with this bit. Saw it plenty of times last night.

 

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Nice one. They must all be on another forum then because I haven't seen one post here defending last night.

 

Think it was more of a general point to be fair mate...

I was pleasantly suprised this morning when I saw no one had tried to defend that ****e. As the performance was utterly indefensible.