Good save from Baz at 1-0. Manning didn’t cover himself in glory there allowing the opening. Could have changed the outcome?
I thought we were excellent in the first half; we had intent, harried and really looked hungry. Second half was always going to be like it was as Leeds had to chase the game and we had to soak it up. I think if we had held on for another 5-10 mins, we wouldn't have conceded at all. The only nerves were from us the fans I think in the second half. We are the scarred ones lol. RM got his selection right, and made good subs at good times. Arma leading by example and two really well taken goals. Alcaraz is pure class, Kameldean an absolute menace. I loved it when the ref had a 'chat ' with Charly. Lol all I was thinking was Charly hearing effectively white noise and replying "Si, ok" Good result against a good team, Let's take the good times when we can.
One blemish was Downes letting the ball bounce for their goal instead of getting his head on it. But haven't seen replay yet so that might be a bit harsh. THB and Bednarek were both very good.
My cup 1/4 full is back to half full, I am nothing but a fickle footie fan! Anyone got a highlights link? It's been a bad day and the only light has been a win against Leeds.
I have enjoyed seeing the improvement in Edozie this season, getting to the byline regularly and cutting in, but I have been critical of his ability to pick out a cross or pass when he does it. Today Sulemana showed him how to do it. The way he backed the defender into the box and then took the time to look up to see what was on, is something we have been missing all season. And we finally had a midfielder choosing the right time to get into the box. Likewise the pass to Adarma. Many would have been looking to get a shot off and the opportunity might have been wasted. Hopefully he will be up for it on a cold and windy night (I haven’t looked at any forecasts) in Stoke.
I used to work with a bloke from Leeds. This was during the David O’Leary, charge for glory period. They had a great side, and this guy followed them all round Europe. Nice bloke most of the time, good company, but the combination of drink and Leeds Utd made him unbearable. I gave up going drinking with him in the end because he kept nearly getting us into fights, leaving me trying to to smooth over the ruckus. Nearly got himself murdered in Barcelona by all accounts, and I’m not surprised. Funny guy though, great sense of humour most of the time.
Very impressed with the commitment of Charley and Sulemana today. All well on a sunny Saturday afternoon at St Mary's, they need to follow it up with the same determination on a cold Tuesday night in Stoke.
The comments about the yellow cards actually pleased me, because we have been a soft touch for far too long. Not happy that other teams get away with it, but then their fans say the same about us. Don’t want the yellows becoming reds, but tactical fouling/ game management is used against Saints, so we can, within limits,’ manage’ the other team. The point in having back up players isn’t just for injuries, it is for suspensions too.
It is RMS "Piss the League." HMS is for Devonport, Chatham, Lossiemouth and that place 30 km to the south-east!
Even in victory, I thought there were areas for improvement. We got caught offside badly a few times. We didn't see, or chose to ignore, a number of runs in behind their defence. We sometimes lacked awareness as to how much space we had, and choose to make a short pass when there was the opportunity to instead bring the ball forward. But these are the sorts of things that can, and hopefully will, be improved as the season goes by. More time on the training ground, more matches under their belts. That said, we could do with Martin finding a relatively settled starting XI. It will help that process.
