Match Day Thread Southampton v Manchester City - The Final Chapter - Sunday 13th May 15:00

The last few games has made me question yet again why the hell we kept Pellegrino for so long. As expected, our team look nothing like relegation fodder with a manager in charge that is half decent. Baffling.

 

Well, the “fans” (the ones who booed constantly because we weren’t playing “exciting” football) got their wish for excitement. Personally, I’d go for mid table safety, supporters who get behind the team and lift the player. Perhaps that makes me a happy clapper? So be it ......

 

It was actually the perfect result for me, because I was second in my fantasy league and the guy who was top (congratulations for winning it, Andy ) had McCarthy, Cedric and Pierre in his team and stood to get something like 15 more points if he had a clean sheet. However, despite me closing the gap, I couldn’t quite make it. If only I’d chosen a different captain last week!

But, fantasy league notwithstanding, I was sad that we just had it nicked off us. However, a great performance and a few of those next season and we’ll be mid/upper table I’m sure.

Now on to the World Cup and England ...... it’s the hope that kills you

 

Well they did change it eventually and we are safe. Blue line.

 

luckily there are very few who think we'll win the world cup!

 

"see you next season" that's a contract right? just the rest of the team to sort out then

 

I thought Andre Mariner had a good game, any errors were down to his linesmen, particularly the Kingsland guy, he missed the fact that the ball had gone out for a corner when Hojbjerg took it in to the corner near the end, you can tell from the reaction of Cedric and Pierre that he had got it wrong. He did make a couple of other bad calls in the offside department and I am convinced that the last free kick was taken from the wrong place and the ball was rolling when it was taken. Can't find any replay footage to confirm my suspicions.
http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/sa...oodness_that_s_over/?action=success#gallery81

 

Your not that desperate are you?!

 

Bloody hell, I've already received an email from SFC asking if i want to register for a season ticket next season - not sure what that says?

 

I wondered that as well.

 

Giz'us yer money.

 

yep

 

Give Mark the job, then watch the money flood in.

 

Got back late last night and not had chance to read through all the posts, so apologies if the following has been said.

2 observations on Hughes.

He had no room for sentiment, just focused on getting the right result. All supporters wanted our latest hero gabbiadini on the pitch and it would have been easy to make the change to appeas the supporters and as much as I wanted a gabbi appearance Hughes stuck to his plan. Fair play.

Hughes led the lap of honour and was greeted with a chorus of Mark Hughes red army as he approached the kingsland north. Rather than accept his reception he graciously turned to his team behind him to say it was the players who deserve the acknowledgement.

The Man City fans who I walked to the stadium with from wetherspoons rated him for bringing players like Kompany to the club..

I like him a little bit more each day.

 

Totally agree on your first two points. Thought exactly same. Really wanted Gabbi on but ...., Showed a bit of class hurrying off but clapping fans & pointing to the squad. Fair play MH. I felt he could do a job for us but after WH & then Arsenal & Chelsea thought it was too late. He’ll always hold a rather special place for me now. Really hope he gets a contract & is supported by Gao / board.

 

City were having a purple patch (their only purple patch of the match, as it happened) quite early on in the second half. Austin, as expected, wasn't helping us with trying to cut off the supply at source. And Redmond was going through an awful little patch. It led to me asking for JWP and Long, for Austin and Redmond.

Within two minutes, Hughes made those two exact changes.

The credit that I give Hughes for that isn't simply as a result of him making the two changes I wanted. He could have used other players, if he'd wanted. The main point was that he saw what was going on on the pitch, and reacted. (The fact that his changes matched mine was just icing on the top.)

Granted, for some people it was hardly an act of genius by Hughes. I mean, I could see it! But MP wouldn't have made those changes; well, not until City's purple patch had led to a goal. City's purple patch basically ended with those subs. Stopping the game to make subs can do that. (Did people see Austin running - well, moving quicker than he had all game - to the other side of the pitch, once he'd been given the instruction that he was coming off, just so that he could then take a longer walk off, thereby killing the game further? It's small things like that; Hughes has the awareness that MP simply didn't.)

 

Interesting stat I've come across.

We're 10th this season for time spent in the lead and spent more time winning and less time drawing or losing than Everton in 8th

http://www.soccerstats.com/timing.asp?league=england

Everton were obviously better at making sure they were winning at the right point in the match...

Edit: fixed link?