Match Day Thread Southampton vs Portugal, 12pm Sunday, 14th February (Amazon Prime)

Any news on KWP?...we really don't need another period with a makeshift RB.

 

Sounded serious from Ralph’s comments

 

Oh great!...

 

It was madness to not get in cover for the fullbacks and could ruin the end of this season.

 

But we tried

 

Yeah, waiting for a big 6 club to throw us a bone!...that turned out well.

 

I think someone on here said it was hamstring.

 

Very apt as Ralph is now hamstrung by his lack of a natural replacement. He could be out for weeks.

 

To add my voice unecessarily to the masses 12 hours late but... Bullshit. Utter, Utter bullshit. If I were semmens I would be raising hell with the FA and refs officials because this is past being unfortunate now its like they are actively managing the outcome of games. I'm so over it and something needs to be done and addressed by the club. Damn the consequences.

I felt right from the off with the decisions against Peters that this ref had it in for us and I've never seen a ref blow so quickly for such a marginal penalty call. Contrast that with the Wolves handball and you dont need much else. On top of the ****ing ridiculous and wrong VAR calls, with the VAR can sort this out and VAR cant do anything with that. With the refs refusing to change their calls in front of the review monitor the game ahs gone to complete ****.

 

We should be questioning them constantly. But take in the context or don't say anything. We have been ****ed over by almost half our first team out injured and we have been both exceptionally unlucky with offised and actively managed out of games by the referee's. With those factors absent we wouldn't be in this situation, I would bet my house on it. So question Ralph's ability to cope with those things but don't ignore them as though tactics and subs alone can fix the lack of cover, the results and the damage to morale. Its part and parcel.

 

With KWP sidelined, what are your thoughts on 3 4 3? Quite a number of teams are playing in this formation, including next weekend's opponents. Good luck to KWP in his recovery.

 

First thoughts are that we were quite awful when Ralph came in and tried it. However, we are much better individually since then. We went 3 at the back against Wolves, I dont know if it worked, couldnt tell through the red mist. Anyone else know if it worked?

 

Probably mirroring what has already been said but with everything else going on at the minute I can't seem to get too upset by the defeat. The way they use VAR is just spoiling the game as a spectacle and I'm starting to wonder whether I need a break from football. Fortunately, we're not alone to suffer at the hands of incompetent officials and I honestly don't think we'll get sucked into a relegation battle. We might get sucked into a cup final which would be cool.

My main worry is Ralph. It's one thing for me to say I have more important issues in my life right now but this IS his life. I really feel for the guy and hope it all comes good soon. As it should. As it will.

I'll always support Saints. It's in my DNA. But not top of the list.

 

It’s ok, we signed one in the window as we had this problem back then.

 

So much this, and this is precisely where the binary thinkers are making my brain itch.

 

It'll be interesting if Ralph's decision to go three a the back today to replace KWP is something which he'll continue to take forward in KWP's absence.

Stephens can of course fill in at RB, but he very much hampers us going forward. Did Ralph decide against that today just because we were already losing, or because he's decided that a formation change would be a better solution instead?

It was going to a back three (with Bertrand moving inside and Targett coming in at LWB) which allowed Ron to turn around our results when we were going through a bad time under him.

 

Trouble it's sometimes more difficult, like now to keep it off the top of the list, you're right though. Somebody once said to me shouldn't you save yourself a load of trouble and support xxx club etc? My reply to him was, in my best Hampshire accent was, 'look mate, when you're born less than a mile from The Dell, your Grandfather was a season ticket owner, the whole family, including the wives went to the Boxing Day match, when lunch was determined by the ko time, you get taken to your first match and hear the roar of the crowd (when Saints scored) for the first time, you're on the bus there and back surrounded by red/white scarves and the only conversation is about The Saints, do you honestly think I would even think about supporting another club? Mate, look up the word support and try to understand what you're reading, if you can!

 

Since I've stopped smoking we've lost 4 league games and been ****ed over by VAR/officials in 3 of them.

**** you football gods.

 

Well done for stopping smoking. It gets easier but never really goes away.

Kind of like the imaginary people in’A beautiful Mind’.

 

Just watched that again for the first time in ages. Great film.