Match Day Thread Southampton v Arsenal Sunday 16th December 2018 13:30.. the Welcome Ralph Thread

I like in the celebrations at FT Charlie has words of encouragement to young Valery........nice touch.

 

We still have mistakes in us - witness Romeu dwelling on the ball. But today it didn’t feel like those mistakes would cost us the game. And they didn’t.

 

MOTD is still on. Who knew?

 

Finished the game beating the mighty arsenal with 3 academy players on the pitch.

The futures bright.

 

Oh bugger off you kill joy. Same old negative Vin...

 

Ooooh please tell me we're getting an orange away kit!

 

Remarkable the change. Always difficult to know whether the feelings are yours or the players/atmosphere. I never believed we would win that game before kick off. After we went 2-1 I didn't believe but I started to believe at 2-2. Now that is a transformation. For the last 12 months we would have completely folded and panicked on the edge of our box. We would have cleared it no further than their players on the edge of our box. We would have probably capitulated 4-2. To win this game 3-2 even thought Arsenal were definately off colour is a remarkable thing. And only 1 week in under a new manager.

We played forward passes today that went clean through the midfield and had Arsenal scrambling. I don't think we have done that for 2 years.

 

I think most have us at one point or another have said the same Fran. Great players in there somewhere but more often than not, no sign of them on matchday. So often they have been able to turn up and eek out a draw against Man City only to throw away 3 points against Huddersfield. I do now believe that we will see who can cut it and who can't. I can't wait personally.

 

At other times I felt like we fell into our old ways. Romeu was guilty of it, as was Armstrong, falling back to the 18 yard box and letting them play towards us. I suspect that Danny will be showing a few replays of those situations. We pressed well in their half though so no complaints.

 

We are on a Roehl!

 

He's a much better header of the ball than I thought!
When he arrived he was on fire, thinking so much quicker than our play, he was in a different game and quickly got dragged down to the slow, cautious approach. Hopefully the new style will be more like his Liverpool level. Touch wood, the intensity doesn't catch him out physically, we really need him for the whole season.

 

If Ralph wants an orange mankini kit, it's fine by me..




Edit. Actually we are not at this stage yet.

 

A selection of strong photos from Saints...

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That was just as fun the second time around!

 

Tbf virtually all the pundits seem clueless about us. Alan Smith today said that Austin is always a huge goal threat. What was that stat about him having 2 shots on target all season before today?

 

In all fairness I don't think Aubameyang gives much thought to it. Guy is ****ing rapid and there won't be a centre back in the world who can match him for pace.

 

You can’t expect them to know about us really, there are twenty whole premier league teams to learn. It’s not like they get paid huge wages to know this stuff or anything

 

A bit like the interviewer on that Sky clip earlier, who mistook Charlie Austin for Charlie Adam...

 

Wonder if Mark Hughes watched today from his holiday?

 

I agree, but it is more and more the big 6 and everyone else. They are incredibly lazy/out of date with basically all the other teams except for whichever small team is current flavour of the month. It is why SSN or whoever will spend 99% of the time talking about the big teams as they are appealing to a far bigger audience than any of the other teams.