Monk the magnificent

Last season, we played Amat instead of Leon - that didn't work either.

We knew what to expect, yet still couldn't combat it.

Strikes me that sometimes a team has a bogey side. At present, it seems to be West Ham at Upton Park for us.

 

I agree with this but as i have said earlier that monk will have learned from this and hopefully revert Ki back and keep the legend as a bit part player..

 

Nice to hear from you Norway, and agree with your first post, but it was no surprise to me to see the way Ki has taken off this season, I always saw quality in the lad, and he has been one of my favourite players this season. Today was a day to forget indeed, but Bartley is coming into his own, while Rangel had an absolute mare of a game, cannot see him lasting much longer at this level, can you?

 

I don't think Southampton have been out of the top 4 but i wont be backing them for a champions league place.

Positions in the league mean fook all at this point in time, something you were reminding us of when Laudrup had us in 9th .

As for Monk doing a fantastic job, i think he is doing really well but when you look at the squad and the investment it's not exactly miricle working

 

it was Rangels poor attempt at a challenge that cost us the first goal he simply didn't get off the ground, nothing to do with Bartley. He were not man to man with him and others have to take responsibility as well.

 

Well that is true but i think we have all seen over the last few seasons that leon away at West Ham isn't the best option, shelvey would have worked better IMO if only because Leon is still getting into top gear and tactically we didn't look like we were going there to pass them to death, negating one of leons major strengths.

I honestly thought we had turned the corner against such teams but maybe its back to the drawing board on that one.

 

That must rank as the worst performance I have ever seen from Rangel, he surely can only get better?.....................

 

Agree. There will be times to play leon but today IMO certainly wasn't one of them!

 

It was a game for Shelvey to be fair, but he has not aspired to much either this season.

 

Fair point Norway. Perhaps Monk read too much into the victory over QPR and didn't select a "horses for courses" team.

 

I think most would agree that the full back spots needed work in the summer, we have been lucky with Rangel this season in that Monk has appeared to cut his exposure in going up and down,leaving him some gas in the tank to actually defend! i don't think i have ever seen Rangel give away so much ball playing for us, he was truely shocking, maybe the whole team was out on the p!ss last night ? lol

 

Agree Phil, this was a game to start him in.

 

Looked like it, they'll be on it tonight too, think I'm going to join them after that showing!...................

 

The only worry with Shelvey is, would he have contributed to their set pieces?

 

He would have had more presence but I doubt he'd have lasted 90 minutes, his head seems to be somewhere else completely. But what were we trying to do? I couldn't tell if we were defending and hoping for a break, going long ball, trying but failing to play a passing game, keeping close to Carroll or giving him freedom of the pitch. It was a mess and not for the first time.
The usual subject has claimed Monk will learn from this ... really? Why should he learn from this and not any of our other away games?
I do not blame Monk, solely - it is club decision not to strengthen in positions we were / are weak and the clubs decision to pay £8 million for a player no better than one who was forced out to keep the new boss happy.

But I do get hacked off with his and his sycophants excuses.

There was a thread talking about our great squad but really who do we have in reserve? Apart from Fernandez that was as strong a team as we can play.
(Shelvey and Taylor - arguably) but we keep going back to the inactivity in the transfer market over a DCM to partner/ take over/ offer a difference to Leon. It was evident all last season and still is.

 

Bartley ran away from Carroll on the first goal , so he could secure a spot with nobody around lefty , Carroll was suppose to be Bartley's man all game , it was clear to see .

 

Agree with most of that but it is only one game he's been .... shocking. Maybe he doesn't like weeks off.
I though Jazz Richards was outstanding given how little game time he's had. Unfortunately he won't get 30 games 'to 'get up to speed' like Taylor has had.
I have always thought Jazz was worth persevering with but his play this season has been much better than I expected (as has Ki's). He has played left and right full back with four different players on his inside, quite a feat for an irregular player. His passing is really spot on so I was surprised a few passes went astray in the first half today and his tackling is accurate and strong. He doesn't take any nonsense from the opposition either.

 

I have always rated Jazz, and new he could handle this level, but he has always been given bit parts by all of our last three managers, I hope Monk develops him as he has what it takes, Ki has been one of our stand out players this season, and why I was gutted when our previous manager froze him out....................

 

There was more too it than that with our previous manager Dragon, after all he played him in the first season, but we all criticised Ki for not being good in the DM role, he was too soft for it, he went out on loan to Sunderland and has come back a much better player, if anything we should be thanking our previous manager, not blaming him.

 

Ki was awful for us in his first season, as Swans says.
What do you do with a player who won't play in the position the manager picks him? At least he wasn't sold! The difference between experience and petulance, maybe.