Southampton v Newcastle United- Official Build Up / Matchday Thread

I'm saying that when we have had a stronger squad we have had better performances with Pardew in charge and that the depths we are sinking to are in large part thanks to Ashley's non-interest. I agree that Pardew is a limited manager - if he were to be sacked tomorrow I'd be happy because it would suggest that Ashley wants better and may actually be trying to do something about it. He won't be because Ashley has never shown an interest in pushing NUFC towards it's maximum potential. We are a team that is producing nothing of immediate worth from our youth system and that has signed four first team players in 4 transfer windows. In the same time period have sold our best striker and our best and most creative midfielder. How much money any team spends is not important if the players signed (or brought up from the youth system) are good enough and strengthen the club. Every season all other clubs in the Premier League try to push on, increase the quality of their playing staff to increase their chances of success. Whilst the other 19 clubs are doing this, we are a team who repeatedly fail to invest and who sell any player who shows any level of real quality on a consistent basis. You can blame Pardew for some daft decisions in some games and certainly poor tactics last season and sometimes this season, but the real reason for the consistent mediocrity (and worse) is MA.

 

Some people must not realise how average some of (most of) our players are when they think that another manager will come in and we'll magically be challenging for the league title, or champions league, or finish 7th, or whatever they think "our true potential" is meant to be. Pardew was on the radio this week saying how we need to address the lack of creativity in the side in the summer so he's aware of what the team's shortcomings are but whether the Fat Controller will give him the tools to succeed is another matter. I, like most people, recognise Pardew's limitations as a manager but I don't think Ashley would replace him with someone vastly better so I don't see the point of starting from scratch with someone else. We will spend money in the summer (we have no choice) but whether we get the flair and pace we require I seriously doubt, and if we don't there is no manager around who could polish the turd that our relegation bound squad will be.

 

No I have double checked and they still have the same number of points , as do Newcastle AFTER playing Southampton

 

Well that was a waste of a day and quite a few quid. Got a taxi to the pick up point for the coach to Southampton and then a long tiresome journey down to St Mary's Stadium to watch our bunch of pathetic overpaid useless prima donna's couldn't care less performance against a team that we should have beat but who wanted to win it more than us and that's exactly what they did.

That over paid, over rated, clueless cockney f**king bastard Pardew should be given the bullet and never allowed to show his ugly mug in Newcastle again and the useless shower of **** players should be made to reimburse us for the ticket and travel expenses that we incurred going down to support them. They get as much a week as some people get a year and wouldn't miss it. They don't deserve supporting and I definitely wont be renewing my ST next season after having to go through that embarrassing inept performance. A tradesman would be sacked if he did his job as badly as they did theirs today, it just wasn't football.

The Southampton fans were gracious enough not to rub our noses in the dirt and were very sporting and friendly and seemed genuinely sorry for us.

The coach journey home seemed even longer than the journey down and was much quieter and sombre than I've experienced before and it isn't as if we haven't been beat before, but this took the cake.

Rant over for now.

Going to hit the sack and hope I wake up to find out it was all just a nightmare I've had, but I can't even kid myself about that.

By the way, Pardew OUT!

 

Just found the NUFC report on the game which covers it much better than me.

Quite a bit longer too.
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Three lions - ten lambs.

Southampton 4 Newcastle 0

England trio Jay Rodriguez, Ricky Lambert and Adam Lallana enjoyed the freedom of St. Mary's on Saturday afternoon, as United somehow escaped a landslide defeat despite a pathetic showing.

Rodriguez netted in the final second of an opening half that the Saints had completely dominated - fashioning a dozen scoring chances before finally beating Rob Elliot, who despite conceding four goals in the match was the only Newcastle player to emerge with a shred of credit.

Any notion that donning the "lucky" yellow change shirt would help us in this battle for eighth place were soon dispelled in an atrocious display that left Alan Pardew squirming with embarrassment in his stand seat.

Far from projecting his self-proclaimed winning mentality on the dressing room after serving a three match stadium ban, the United manager's return - and team selection - had a thoroughly debilitating effect.

Taking Paul Dummett out of the firing line after a three game stint, Massadio Haidara returned at left back for his first league start since April 2013. Tim Krul's knee injury meanwhile saw Elliot make his seasonal league bow.

With Loic Remy missing once again, Luuk De Jong paid the price for his lack of impact and was dropped in favour of Hatem Ben Arfa. That policy had a catastrophic effect on the rest of his colleagues, seemingly tired of his variable effort levels and questionable commitment to the team.

Unfortunately though, that manifested itself in the rest of the outfield players seemingly downing tools in an opening 45 minutes that rivaled the shambles that was the first half of the last derby match. Inept doesn't describe it.

Southampton started well and after Lambert put his seventh minute effort into the side netting, missed a succession of chances - Elliot twice denying Lambert, Rodriguez once, and seeing a raft of other opportunities whistle past his goal.

As early as the 23rd minute, Cheick Tiote and Mike Williamson had to be separated by team mates as a verbal spat threatened to escalate into something more.

Just when United seemed to have survived though, Lambert had time and space to roll the ball across the area to Rodriguez to open the floodgates. Pardew will surely have taken full advantage of his permitted return to the dressing room to say a few choice words, but may as well have saved his breath and queued for a pie...

Ben Arfa failed to reappear for the second period and was sacrificed for De Jong, while Davide Santon came on at right back in place of the troubled Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.

Saints doubled their lead within five minutes though, when a cross floated to the back post by Lallana found Lambert who casually thumped it into the roof of the net.

Having taken a 2-0 lead at Spurs the previous weekend before losing momentum and ending up on the wrong end of a 2-3 loss, Maurico Pocchetino's side began to snooze in the sunshine and United enjoyed some possession.

However that failed to see the creation of a single scoring chance and once Southampton rediscovered their rhythm, their third goal following almost immediately.

Lallana slammed in the goal of the game after taking a pass from Jack Cork and setting off towards the United goal, pulling the trigger from outside of the box as our defence back-pedalled and leaving Elliot grasping air.

With virtually no support or service, Papiss Cisse finally registered Newcastle's first shot on target after 72 minutes only to be denied by the legs of Artur Boruc.

Elliot then pulled off a double save three minutes later to foil James Ward-Prowse either side of Lallana hitting the post, as more home goals looked inevitable.

Perhaps the lowest point of a shambolic day came with four minutes of normal time remaining as United came forward with something approaching competence and Dummett delivered a fine centre from the left.

Right in front of the away support, the ball arrived at an unmarked De Jong towards the far post just six yards out. A header, a shot, a chest or even a thrust of his gonads at it would surely have got him a first Newcastle goal.

Instead though he allowed the ball to brush harmlessly against him before Yoan Gouffran vainly attempted to steer it home. The attacking instinct of a cuddly toy.

Take your pick on who he reminds you of: thoroughbred carthorses such as Guivarc'h, Andersson, Pingel, Kuqi or McDonald. Bring back Leon Best; he's more fit for purpose than this complete and utter bloody duck egg.

The final nail in the coffin came with on 89 minutes, when yet more woeful defending allowed Rodriguez to turn and fire across Elliot to equal our worst defeat this season.

Having tried to urge the team on during the game, many of those still in the away end after full time deservedly booed and abused the players, who cut short their attempt to applaud the crowd and sloped off.

Elliot did receive a better reception for at least keeping the score down (even if his distribution is pathetic) as he tossed his gloves into the crowd.

While our criticism is across the board though, it has to be recorded that a large part of the problem here came firstly by the lack of viable alternatives to our "first XI" - and the miserable excuse for performances served up by senior players like messrs Tiote, Coloccini and Sissoko. Quite what planet Gouffran now inhabits is also unclear.

Overdue ticket price reductions may have slightly eased the burden, but the cost of travel and the time taken to attend games like this simply cannot be justified when the reward is as miserable and gutless as today. The remaining games this season at Stoke, Arsenal and Liverpool stretch out before us like a prison sentence.

If Old Trafford and White Hart Lane were high spots this season, then this was an all-too predictable low point. When ripped to bits on this ground last season, we trotted out the midweek Europa League refrain - now it seems we're no longer capable of even playing midweek Premier League matches and functioning afterwards.

It can be argued that Everton had a motivation to win in midweek that we lacked, as they attempted to attack a European spot. The same cannot be said of Southampton though, who began the day trailing us by two points and have as little to play for as Newcastle.

They appear to have sort of ambition, structure and spirit though, in contrast to the con men masquerading as footballers who receive support they do not deserve.

Final word to one the four lads in the away end who had cycled here from Tyneside and raised a few grand for cancer charities in doing so. His verdict on the game?

"all we wanted was 90 minutes effort".

Every outfield Newcastle player here today should be fined for this effort-free abomination of a performance and the proceeds given to those charities - having the brass neck to draw a wage for this is simply shameful.

 

But apart from that you had a good day ?

 

Sorry Bruce but really my feelings are certainly with you , some form of recompense should be given to the 2000 Newcastle supporters that travelled down to Southampton, the lack of effort was something that was hard to believe, I thought Southampton were good but by no means brilliant , they will never again get such an easy game

 

I am looking at the bigger picture and to how we have got into this mess due to poor decision from the owner and senior management over the last 7 years.
The scoreline should have been more tbf.
So yes we should be beating teams like Southampton and that's not taking things away from you lot.
I have a lot of respect for the way your club has been run and the players you are bringing through is no fluke

 

You are living in the past. "teams like Southampton" what does that even mean? They are a top 8 side with a better team, bigger resources, a better youth system, a better manager, more ambitious. The list is as long as a monkey mackem arm.

 

Oh yes, excellent.

 

Pleased you've noticed that DMW.

 

No we are living in the past

 

Not as good a day as when your relagation is confirmed that my friend will be an amazing day.

 

Saw quite a few Southampton fans crowding around one of our guys before the game and laughing and asking if they could take his photo.

This is what it was all about.

He was wearing this t-shirt.

 

please log in to view this image

 

Fair comments.
Must say I think you guys are under performing and genuinely thought you would do better this season.
I thought none of your guys was really up for it on Saturday which surprised me, felt sorry for the decent Geordie lads we got talking to after the game.

 

Thought you had a bar at the ground where away supporters could get a drink, couldn't get one anywhere. Managed to get a coffee from a fish and chip stall just outside the ground. At least you can always get a drink at our place.