Hull played a high line on Tuesday, especially in the first half, and while we let them play in front of us we didn't let them pass as much once they got closer to goal. I mean obviously it would be great to always win the ball, but the discipline and patience we show without the ball has improved greatly. It allows us to reserve our energy and I have noticed we often let teams 'play' in front of us, which makes their football look pretty but is often ineffective. This is my conclusion as to why so many teams say they are unlucky against us or that they played poorly, it is the less visible things that we do well now .
I'll be totally honest with you and admit that I was always the type of supporter who couldn't accept that the opposition were allowed to bring the ball into Saints half of the field. I've never really shaken that off in all the years I've followed them. I've always preferred games where the opposition didn't get a sniff. The closest that has happened in recent years was Saints 4-0 Spurs in the FA Cup. With my logical hat on, I know that football is about attacking and defending, and just doing the right things to beat the opposition. Trouble is, I witnessed the 1970s Leeds 7-0 Saints game, and it left a bad mark, that has never quite gone away. Forest, the other night, made me feel surprisingly better.
