Looked at the match statitics and was astonished we'd had so much of the game. In fact, we slightly edged it. Someone told me before that stats don't show everything, but I was at the game and thought we were backs to the wall for two thirds of match. Was this engendered by fear? Secondarily, how do they arrive at the statistics? Presumably, some computer system and not a bunch of lads with stopwatches.
Fran if we keep more passing going in our half then that will eat up more statistics than a team knocking the ball in behind us and keeping us pinned back. Obviously if this is happening we would be under the cosh a bit but statistically better on paper. I missed yesterday as I returned from holiday, but there is one stat that we were best for: goals. Goals win games!
You were very fortunate, fatletiss. At one point I actually shrieked with fear, then realised I wasn't at home but in the ground with other fans laughing at me! A game where the win was everything, but I suppose we can take from the match the fact that we can win pretty and ugly. Great start to season.
Sounds like a good one to miss for two reasons! When fixtures came out I hadn't bought season ticket, and had booked holiday. When I saw which game I would miss, it took one decision away from me. I couldn't have taken my 10 year old to that. My wife has already said we're not going to Pompey game. I don't mind saying this, because of where we sit and the safety of my ten year old not and my father. It's a shame, but that's the way it is.
Its wasn't so much a backs to the wall display apart from the goal mouth scramble at our end we contained Millwall, but I personally would of liked to see us do that sort of thing further up the pitch, it was very much like a number of displays last season where we did a job and came out on top, if you look at the stats and look back at a game sometimes you can see things in a different light
I don't actually have the nerves to watch a football match. Please Saints, could you quickly score three goals in every game so I don't need valium.
If you are talking about the possession percentage, I think they just pluck a number out of thin air. If you look at different reports on the same game they usually vary wildly, even the shots, fouls figures can be different. So I really wouldn't pay much attention to those, you can only really tell the story of a game by watching it.
After singing the praises of our boys after the Barnsley and Ipswich games, I have to admit yesterday's performance was not up to the same standard. But in truth, I didn't expect it to be and I'm delighted with the result. You really have to give credit to Millwall, who obviously did their homework on how we've been playing and for the most part stifled us. They kept Lallana quiet and generally worked extremely hard with two and sometimes three players around the ball. The problem with teams who set up like that is that quite often flair is sacrificed for organisation and games tend to be pretty drab as yesterday showed. That is why I felt totally satisfied with the result because we took one of the few chances we were able to create. On another day that game could easily have been a nil-niller or even a defeat. On to Leicester.
We did struggle to get the ball down and play it, but then again Milwall were a very physical, long ball side. We were fortunate that they didn't score, but the lads battled so hard that they deserved the win. It will be nice to have a week off, recharge the batteries, and get that electricity back for the game at Leicester. I would be happy with a draw, but I can see us getting another win, their back line looks suspect and they conceded two poor goals again yesterday. COYR
