Match Day Thread Stoke City v Southampton, Wed 14 December, KO 8:00pm

I don't think they are fat. Other problems maybe.

 

I'd like to hope so, but I can't really see it, I'm afraid. We're fairly comfortable in mid-table, and we're in the midst of a possible sale...I'd be quite surprised (though pleased) if we went for anything more than a warm body. Which might still be an improvement.

 

15 shots, 4 on target. no chances though....

 

That is just unkind

 

Indeed. Me, you, Qwerty, a few others. We're expecting the same sort of outcome, unfortunately. (Which again, ultimately stems from failing to invest over the summer.)

 

See this is why I find so many of the criticisms this season baseless, and this isn't just a dig at you SFTW - it's everywhere. We changed to our classic 4-2-3-1 at halftime at the weekend and after months of complaining (which started with very valid points)... No-one bloody noticed, and it hasn't been a slight tweak but a very marked one. We continue with it tonight and yet I still see so much stuff about Puel's 'system' - I know a few people personally who are still blaming the diamond when we haven't played it in two months!

All people see is the narrative, which is so easily constructed and so impossible to break down.

 

Which of those was a clear cut chance? Maybe one, when Jay was late for a tap in. Bertrand had a decent shot. Otherwise their goalkeeper had nothing to do. For 70 minutes against 10 men, that's a piss poor return.

 

I really thought game time was going to help J-Rod, but it actually looks to be having the opposite effect. The Boro miss was nearly unbelievable, tonight was err bad, one more game like that and we'll have to tape of the Itchen bridge!

 

Watching the highlights, why do we have know one who can take a decent free kick, in the past there was LeTiss, then Beats, them SRL, now er have JWP doing a gentle back pass - Strewth

 

It's all very open in the middle of the table...we will go up and down like a yo-yo, but I fully expect us to be in the top 10 come May....probably 7/8th. Going out in the Europa was massively disappointing....mainly because we did better than we probably thought pre-season and a chance was missed....but don't forget we were on the same points as Hapoel and had a better goal difference. We are in the semis of the League Cup....so lets hope for progress in that and/or an FA Cup run. Remember this is Claude's first EPL season.

I hate that we can't score goals as it makes matches joyless and stressful. It's not as if we aren't creating chances and we know we are a better side than at least half the league. It would be super if this tiny tiny issue is sorted.

 

How many crosses did we get in the box when no one was in there? Bertrand at least did it twice, if we had a decent striker that stayed in the box it would have a least added to our shots. That is our biggest problem, we have no focal point to our attacks. Bring in a player like Pelle and we would be winning far more games.

 

Moaning, what is Moaning?

Over the past several seasons we are mostly realistic enough to know that we won't win the league, and may have a small chance of a cup final, but the one thing we have come to expect and appreciate is that we have for most of the time, played a good attack minded brand of football.

IMHO this did not need to change this season, but it obviously has for whatever reasons? Puel / club being sold / players unrest (Fonte)? Who knows.

I know we have the same points as this time last season, but I'd rather see 21 points with 21 goals scored than the same number of points with 14 goals scored. No one who watches us regularly can deny that we now play a very slow build up, with few chances created. This is making a few natives restless as we heard at the last home game against Boro, which also had a poor attendance.

A few who sit near me have started suggesting that if this is the brand of football we are going to play, they will consider not renewing their season tickets next season, as £1000 plus (X2 tickets and match day spending), could be spent elsewhere?

Just saying.

 

The 4-2-3-1 was mentioned in the match thread way before you slipped in your cryptic post. It was noticed. Formation changes does not mean that the instructions to players are not the same. It just means a different formation still played conservatively.

 

Is this the clubs new direction?
(I couldn't tell if you were being sarcastic or not?)
I think our plan of sell players when their value is high is starting to bite us in the ass. Eventually it was going to catch up with us. I just hope the board has the foresight to notice this, and be a bit more aggressive in January.

sorry, autocorrect.

 

Mikey, I never really pay much attention to a starting formation because that is all it I'd and players move to where the game dictates. The overriding factor for me is intent, and we seem to be intent in keeping the back door shut, rather than knocking on the oppositions door. We then blame our front man for missing the one chance that was created in the game, which seems harsh, scoring has been a problem the last two or three seasons, but at least then we were creating a bucket loads of chances

 

We have adopted the West Bromwich way, while they have adopted the Southampon way.

 

It is a dangerous game, particularly as we're expecting to lose both of our starting CBs in the next eighteen months. Our defense is the only thing keeping us from being relegation fodder; getting the right replacements will be the highest-pressure transfers we'll have made since returning to the PL.

 

Swear some of you watch a different game to me. If we had a striker who staid 80% of the time in and around the pen area we have far many shots/goals. The crosses etc and still being put into the box but there is just no one there or if there is they mess it up. This is a striker issue not a team issue.

 

We all want goals. It's how we respond to disappointment that defines our character.

 

No striker on the box, is that because they are not decent or are they playing to the managers instructions?