Match Day Thread Southampton v West Ham United Saturday 6th February 2016 KO 17:30

So, a yellow for you, like he gave the Spam players for the exact same tackle?

 

Yeah

 

Don't forget Cedrics cheeky loop towards our top corner..

Hideous game, great result, we've crumbled when put under this kind of pressure too many times so seeing us dig in and grind out a result with our backs to the wall was awesome.

Maya or Clasie MOTM for me.

 

I most certainly can!

 

Wanyama banned for 5 games. So Romeu will get his chance.

 

I agree, twice!

 

I think it might be appealable...

 

Weather doesn't help. Windy and pissing down.

 

And Clattenburg proved his doubters correct - every game he seems to make a least one big rickett - yet many think he's the best. I cannot agree.

 

He is the best.

 

Going to concentrate my comments to the positive; great defensive display and a well earned victory. Maya was excellent tonight; had his hands full with Valencia but managed him well. Clasie was very impressive and is becoming a dominant force on the team. Loved the way VVD put AC in his pocket in the second half. Pleased that Romeu will get a good run out over the next few weeks - he covered a lot of ground when he came on.

 

IMO, he has the great knowledge of the laws of the game and skills-wise is the best ref. But he gets too involved in the game and with the players.

Wanyama got the red I think because he'd been making a bunch of niggling fouls and then mouthing off a bit. And Clattenburg doesn't have much tolerance for that. But who knows? Maybe he was consulting with the linesman.

I honestly don't have too much of a problem with the red. It was a really stupid challenge. Mistimed rather than malicious, but you go in hard like that when you have no chance and get nowhere near the ball... I mean, if you have to guess whether a professional soccer player is really just that awful at defending or if maybe there was a bit of red mist involved I can't blame a ref for going with the latter.

But you have to be consistent. That's what bothers me. If that was a red, then Valencia should have gotten one as well. Especially knowing that you just gave the same borderline call to Saints and massively altered the game, and especially after everyone should be on their guard since one player has already been ejected.

 

Not sure it was a big ricket in fairness to him. It was one of those that had it been a yellow, everyone would have said "that could have been a red", though when they are we're all a little surprised. I think it was a yellow, but it had an orange tinge to it. Wrong decision, but only just. Rest of the game I thought he got right.

 

Wanyama got a red because the West Ham players got into Clattenburgs head.

 

Think after that display Romeu would get his chance even if somehow there was no ban. One red card, okay. We know Wanyama plays physical and sometimes you make a mistake. But three red cards in one season, and the last two coming on incredibly stupid tackles almost one right after the other... there's just no excuse.

Plus Romeu has been playing really well.

 

Exactly. My main problem is that he was going for the yellow at first and then changed his mind due to the West Ham reaction.

 

Just seen the challenge and reaction, mark noble really is a little skidmark isn't he.

 

Excellent, excellent result.
Sometimes wins like this are even more satisfying than beating Arsenal 4-0, for the guts and fight shown by so many.

Personally, I don't have a problem with Vic's red card, but do have with the challenge from behind, on Romeu and the over the top challenge on Bertrand, that could/should also have been red cards. Inconsistency again.
One nit picking moan about the line up.
Neither Mane nor Long understand the need to drop deep, in the centre, when either Clasie or Vic/Romeu get pulled wide. One of the main reasons for WHU having so much possession, even before the red card, was the space we gave them between our strikers and midfield. At times Clasie and Vic were about 40 yards apart, a gap Davis would naturally drop into. So, on that basis, I would always play with just two out and out strikers, when playing with three CBs and wing backs.

Did I say that was an excellent, excellent result?

 

Now that's how to win awa.... Oh wait.

 

What a fantastic result though. We could finish 5th this season which would be great.