Match Day Thread Saints vs Middlesbrough, Sat 27th Sept, 1500

Think Ronnie was right back. Did well by what I saw. Performance was miles better I'm pleased to say.

 

@Le Tissier's Laces need new thread for Tuesday!

 

Three CBs. Fellows was RWB.

Boro didn't play with a left winger either, meaning that Targett was their only real outlet on the left, thereby enabling Fellows to focus almost exclusively on the attacking aside of being a WB. Edwards indirectly admitted that we'd surprised him in that respect, which maybe explains why they hadn't set their team to double up on Fellows on that side in order to try and expose him defensively.

 

Bit late to the party on this one.

Best performance of the season, unfortunate to draw.

Yes its been an underwhelming start, but we are coming off of the back of the worst season in the clubs history there was bound to be a recovery period.

There has been a definite uptick in performances since Still altered the starting line up; Wood, Quarshie and Edwards much better in defence than Stephens and Harwood-Bellis.

Adam Armstrong is just a different class at this level.

This needs to be the platform that we build upon, anyone who is moaning from this result needs to get real, this was the early frontrunners in blistering form and we were unlucky not to win, after a really strong performance in midweek.

Hull was an absolute joke performance, but Still and the players have clearly responded, he is now starting to figure out his strongest XI and it shows.

There is a significant negative in that I don't think we have the finishing quality to get promoted, we are missing sitter after sitter and only really scoring the odd banger, you need to be piling on simple finishes to challenge at the top. Downs has had a poor start and some of our fans on social media have put in their best effort to make him feel as unwelcome and unsettled as possible. Stewart can't possibly have a future at this club, he is miles off, injury history or not. Archer seems a shadow of the player he once was (pre-Saints), but probably still remains our best chance if we can get him firing.

The club absolutely ****ed it with strikers in the transfer window (again) and I reckon it will be the difference at the end of the season.

But yesterdays match is not one to get mardy about, it was our best performance of the season against a good side and is a good platform to build on.

 

I wonder if we might look at the loan market in January. Obviously that won't help us for the next three months, and by then any realistic chance of a top two finish might potentially be over. But there would still be ample of matches left to climb the table from wherever we might finish 2025.

Off the top of my head, Piroe, Flemming and Awoniyi are all struggling for game time already in the PL.

 

To be fair, I have mentioned it, but this is a Saints Forum about football so I won't go into it, Saints are nothing to do with it. I have had a rough 9 years in my family and personal life, a rough one, let's just say I'm the only one left with my wife, we had a serious thing happen recently, so I am under a lot of mental pressure. My outlet has been, like nearly everyone on here, Southampton for over 50 years. This last few years, even the promotion season, have been a bit depressing, so far in the last year and bit we have seen 3 league wins, we have broken Football League records, that are from 1800s by the way.

When do we as fans get a break? When do I feel happy about Southampton on Saturday afternoon? When do I see us utterly play someone off the pitch without passing it back and forth along the halfway line?

Let me know in 30 years time at the seance, I'll be looking out for you fans

 

Just out until the afternoon, but will get on it then.

 

Football is just a distraction from life, so yeah, when the football offers only another negative that isn’t great. I have had a **** few years too, so I feel you. Hopefully real life improves somewhat so you can laugh about Saints again.

 

Thank you. Don't worry it sort of sounds worse than it is when you type it out. I'm okay but Saints do depress me, then I remember those days as a carefree young lad, and I used to get 'peed-off' with the results. Suddenly I think nothing changes. Yesterday's game really got to me more than some of the other ones this season.

 

I have taken the attitude that we are not a good team and are on a journey of rebirth. That may apply as equally to myself as the team!

 

It's nice to see two of our own doing well at a good club, Matty Targett and Alfie Jones. Matty in particular after being out of favour at the Toon, he's always had a great left peg.

 

Would have loved him back. Big upgrade on Manning, who defends crosses by getting a safe 15 feet away first.

 

Stay strong man and chin up

 

I wasn't hugely impressed by Jones, but Targett was good. He just about managed to live with Fellows, whereas most LBs in this league I think would have ripped to shreds. I would have been very interested to have re-signed him on loan - he's one of those players who is too good for the Championship, but not quite good enough for the PL.

If Boro had a big CF, you could see him scoring a bundle of goals from the delivery on either side of Targett and Ayling.

 

I have to say that this performance was as expected. The result felt like a disappointment but I expected Middlesbrough to win before the match.

I though we played really well although not convinced by Stewart up front. Think we will need to upgrade in the January window and move him in and loam Downs out to a lower league squad. I thought Armstrong and Charles stood out but this is clearly Still's than with the fresh faces being an upgrade.

 

My apologies - I must`ve seemed flippant. I hope you catch a break soon.

 

Best performance of the season came with Stewart spearheading the attack. It’s no coincidence. He can win the ball in the air, hold it up, pass well, and he presses with pace and energy.

None of our other strikers can do much of that, and it was a huge reason why we were dominated in every game last season. If every time you put the ball into the opposition half, they deal with it easily and unchallenged, then you are going to find yourself constantly being pegged back in your own half.

If he stays fit, Stewart is going to become a big player for us this season. That’s a big ‘if’ though, considering his history. Second half yesterday he was clearly struggling (and lo, Boro began to gain the upper hand). Hope he can play another 60 mins on Tuesday but maybe should wrap him up til next Saturday.

 

Think he got written off way too early due to his injuries. The scouts saw something enough to bring him here and it's also not a coincidence that as he's got more game time this season he's got better..