Palace Build up

We can do them too... COYS

More team changes to come for Saturday but it works.

Fonte and Austin to play for sure

They are on the ropes and will have players missing.

Tough to predict Claude's line-up as usual. I'm predicting 7 changes.

----------Forster----------

Cedric Fonte Virgil Bertrand

----------Romeu----------

-----Højbjerg---JWP------

Redmond------------Boufal

-----------Austin----------

They are in the ropes and will have players missing.

 

Tough to predict Claude's line-up as usual. I'm predicting 7 changes.

 

----------Forster----------

Cedric Fonte Virgil Bertrand

----------Romeu----------

-----Højbjerg---JWP------

Redmond------------Boufal

-----------Austin----------

Looks good to me, Perhaps Tadic on bench too ?

my guess for what Puel will play:

Cedric Fonte VVC Mcqueen

Romeu

PEH JWP

Redmond Austin Tadic

they are on a bad run of form- trust us to end it for them, and Pardew beats us 1-0... thats the alpine in me!

but really on the back of two positive results we should be looking a 2-0 victory, would be very nice, especially as they have no Cabaye too- so, 2-0, Austin and PEH to grab his first goal.

Looks goof to me, Perhaps Tadic on bench too ?

Don't think he's trained yet.

Sims on the bench is good for now - aren't we lucky

Good to have options. Davo sounded good tonight. He could play Saturday, but I'd have JWP in for set pieces.

Don't think he's trained yet.

 

Sims on the bench is good for now - aren't we lucky

 

Good to have options. Davo sounded good tonight. He could play Saturday, but I'd have JWP in for set pieces.

Yes we are blessed with such a strong squad and a management team who know how to get the best out of it...

I'd go with...

Forster

Cedric

Fonte

Virgil

Bertrand

Romeu

Davis

Hojbjerg

Sims

Redmond

Austin

Subs: Lewis, Yoshida, McQueen, JWP, Clasie, Long, Boufal

Injured/Rested/Dropped:

McCarthy, Targett, Martina, Stephens, Reed, Hesketh, Tadic, JRod

Sims on the bench and long starting for me.

There's nothing to gain by rushing him into the team.

Same team that started against Everton but maybe Sims on the bench for Boufal purely to not rush the young man.

The next two league games are very winnable and can really kick start our league campaign chase for 6th.

3-1 win for me as Palace are looking like relegation fodder currently. Austin, JWP and Redmond with the goals. Benteke for them with a consolation.

Don't think he's trained yet.

 

Sims on the bench is good for now - aren't we lucky

 

Good to have options. Davo sounded good tonight. He could play Saturday, but I'd have JWP in for set pieces.

The pattern is for JWP to play with Hojbjerg. Tadić won't be ready.

I'd guess Sims will start with Boufal on the bench, keeping Boufal fresher for Be'er Sheva.

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Forster

Cedric

Fonte

VvD

Bertrand

Rom

Hoj

JwP

Sims

Austin

Redmond/Boufal

Taylor, Yoshida, McQueen, Davis, Clasie, Long Redmond/Boufal

reckon this is the game Pardew will get to save his job so expect them to come out all guns blazing

2-4 to saints

Sims deserves to start after that performance, both JWP and Bertrand should play because Palace are awful at set pieces. I'd expect Fonte, Cedric and Austin to come back in.

Would love to see us score more than 2 goals for once, get some goals for some others besides Austin, like maybe one ofr Redmond and Boufal.

I reckon we might concede, but they'll need to win and won't be confident of keeping it tight.

This has to be the game to rest VVD.

The way the media is building this up about possibly being Pardew's last game, you can just see them nicking this in a dirty 1-0.

This has to be the game to rest VVD.

He has to play and mark Benteke out of the game. We have some easier premier league home games coming up which would be better imo.

He has to play and mark Benteke out of the game. We have some easier premier league home games coming up which would be better imo.

i'd rest him against HBS myself

i'd rest him against HBS myself

Surely that game is too important to **** about with? Game after is boro at home which 'should' be fairly straightforward.

Surely that game is too important to **** about with? Game after is boro at home which 'should' be fairly straightforward.

i think HBS is an easier game

Boro are a decent outfit and as seen, the prem is much harder than the EL

We are riding high on confidence, this is the game where we really click, Palace 0-4 Saints, Pardew sacked!

I'm not too worried about player freshness between Palace & HBS. Saturday to Thursday is enough recovery time.

Thursday to Sunday (HBS to Boro) is when you'd have to rotate 7 or 8 players again.

JWP has to play - Palace are shocking at defending set pieces and that's his speciality!

JWP has to play - Palace are shocking at defending set pieces and that's his speciality!

Is it correct that, save for Austin's Everton goal, we haven't scored a header, or is it only not scoring a header from a set piece?

Any pub recommendations near the ground?

Anyone just watch the live stream of Puel's press conference? He got asked about developing young players and selling them, selling VVD in January etc. He brought every single question back round to talking about the next game

Sky journo was getting nothing from him and joked is this going to be what Puel says in response to every single question he gets about selling players and after consulting a translator Puel then answered by talking about the next game

Think he perfectly understood what was being asked and just instead decided to wind them all up.

Anyone just watch the live stream of Puel's press conference? He got asked about developing young players and selling them, selling VVD in January etc. He brought every single question back round to talking about the next game

 

Sky journo was getting nothing from him and joked is this going to be what Puel says in response to every single question he gets about selling players and after consulting a translator Puel then answered by talking about the next game

 

Think he perfectly understood what was being asked and just instead decided to wind them all up.

I didn't watch it, but this quote is quality:

Southampton FC ‏@SouthamptonFC

Puel on Dušan Tadić: "We need him to come back on his level, that's important. He will wear a mask, but it's a beautiful mask!" #saintsfc

i think HBS is an easier game

Boro are a decent outfit and as seen, the prem is much harder than the EL

Being a Southampton fan living in Middlesbrough, I can tell you now that Boro are not a decent outfit at all!!

They play into our hands.

4-5-1.

VVD / Fonte would have Negredo in their pocket.

Other than that they have Gaston but we all know he was not good enough for us so... I'd be expecting this to be straightforward.

I think in a game not too far away we are going to really hit a team for 4,5 or 6.

This could be the game for me....

i'd rest him against HBS myself

We'll be resting Fonte for that one, like we have for every other EL game.

For the cynics suggesting its so he isn't cup-tied for Europe, you can actually play in the Group stages for one team and the knockouts for another (though I can't remember if it has to be the other competition or not).

Is it correct that, save for Austin's Everton goal, we haven't scored a header, or is it only not scoring a header from a set piece?

I wouldn't be surprised, given the obvious approach not to cross in the air into the box that we adopted in the opening match - it has to be part of the system somehow.

As I was saying at the time, you still need to cross in the air sometimes just to keep the defence thinking they will need to defend it... but we basically have a short team by Prem standards, only Forster and Van Dijk are particularly tall, and unless you've got more than 2 tall outfielders the opposition has always got enough tall defenders to deal with it. Man U murdered us in the air without needing to be decent on the floor, for instance.

We'll be resting Fonte for that one, like we have for every other EL game.

 

For the cynics suggesting its so he isn't cup-tied for Europe, you can actually play in the Group stages for one team and the knockouts for another (though I can't remember if it has to be the other competition or not).

I dunno, Van Dijk is usually rested for League Cup games and Fonte plays but he didn't yesterday. Perhaps a Fonte/Yoshida partnership on saturday with our first choice pairing v Beer Sheva?

Don't need to rest VVD, he's a beast.

We are riding high on confidence, this is the game where we really click, Palace 0-4 Saints, Pardew sacked!

Pardew has been sacked after a 4-0 saints away victory once, let's do it again

Pardew has been sacked after a 4-0 saints away victory once, let's do it again

Very good.

Reckon it will be:-

Forster

Cedric - Fonte - VVD - Bertrand

Romeu

PEH - JWP

Redmond - Austin - Boufal

Personally would rather give Sims a go in place of Redmond, as I think NR's been pants the last few games.

Palace are notoriously bad at defending set pieces this season so makes sense for JWP to play and someone like Austin or even VVD to head them in.

Palace are notoriously bad at defending set pieces this season so makes sense for JWP to play and someone like Austin or even VVD to head them in.

About time Fonte scored too.

I'm hoping we will drop Redmond for this. His form and confidence has dropped dramatically and I think he needs to start coming on from the bench.

Tough to predict Claude's line-up as usual. I'm predicting 7 changes.

 

----------Forster----------

Cedric Fonte Virgil Bertrand

----------Romeu----------

-----Højbjerg---JWP------

Redmond------------Boufal

-----------Austin----------

Reckon it will be:-

 

Forster

Cedric - Fonte - VVD - Bertrand

Romeu

PEH - JWP

Redmond - Austin - Boufal

Decent team

Decent team

Great minds and all that SS

Palace are notoriously bad at defending set pieces this season so makes sense for JWP to play and someone like Austin or even VVD to head them in.

We all know that JWP is supposed to be great at set pieces, yet we never seem to score from them. I have definitely noticed some excellent corners and free kicks from him, but at also some poor ones. So is it that...

a) JWP isn't actually that good at them, but he takes so many that a few of them are bound to be decent, just not enough to be a reliable source of goals.

b) We don't have good enough players in the air to take advantage.

c) Our movement (or general set play tactics) isn't good enough.

d) We have been getting chances but players haven't been converting them.

?

We all know that JWP is supposed to be great at set pieces, yet we never seem to score from them.

WBA @ Home last season

We all know that JWP is supposed to be great at set pieces, yet we never seem to score from them. I have definitely noticed some excellent corners and free kicks from him, but at also some poor ones. So is it that...

 

a) JWP isn't actually that good at them, but he takes so many that a few of them are bound to be decent, just not enough to be a reliable source of goals.

b) We don't have good enough players in the air to take advantage.

c) Our movement (or general set play tactics) isn't good enough.

d) We have been getting chances but players haven't been converting them.

 

?

I think JWP puts a good ball in the majority of the time - I think finishing has let us down.

In the Europa league alone I can think of several chances (mainly VVD!) where we've missed free headers / volleys from his set pieces.

I think JWP puts a good ball in the majority of the time - I think finishing has let us down.

 

In the Europa league alone I can think of several chances (mainly VVD!) where we've missed free headers / volleys from his set pieces.

This is spot on. Virgil could probably be the top scorer in the Europa if he scored the chances he's had from JWP's delivery.

Last time I did Palace was 2005, that Higginbotham goal! Is the Railway Telegraph still overtaken by Saints fans before the game?

This is spot on. Virgil could probably be the top scorer in the Europa if he scored the chances he's had from JWP's delivery.

Probably would be 5 points better off as well.

Don't need to rest VVD, he's a beast.

Yes especially if we are selling him to Liverpool in January might as well knacker him out in December......?

We all know that JWP is supposed to be great at set pieces, yet we never seem to score from them. I have definitely noticed some excellent corners and free kicks from him, but at also some poor ones. So is it that...

 

a) JWP isn't actually that good at them, but he takes so many that a few of them are bound to be decent, just not enough to be a reliable source of goals.

b) We don't have good enough players in the air to take advantage.

c) Our movement (or general set play tactics) isn't good enough.

d) We have been getting chances but players haven't been converting them.

 

?

No one is going to be perfect with their deleries, even Beckham fluffed a few. Plus he tries to put them it at pace, this is a more difficult technique, both him and Bertrand whip the ball in, whereas you see a lot of corners kind of floated in much slower and they are easier to deal with.

I'd say the problem is probably B and D, most of our midfield and forwards aren't that big so you are really only expecting centre-backs, Austin and maybe Hojberg to be real aerial threats.

Forster, Cedric, Fonte, Van Dijk, Bertrand, Romeu and Austin all shoe-ins, obviously.

Redmond will probably play after being rested so that leaves one space for one of Long, Boufal or Sims. I suspect Boufal might get the nod but you'd be pretty happy with any of those starting. It shows the options we have now that it's one from those three as well as Tadic being unavailable. Personally, I think I'd start Sims instead of Redmond but I expect Puel to show faith in Redmond.

So then it's two from Davis, JWP, Hojbjerg and Classie. Very hard to choose. As JWP and Hojbjerg started on the bench I expect it will be those two but, again, what great options to have Davis and Clasie as well. Hopefully Clasie's goal spurs him on.

Four clear days before the HBS match so that game shouldn't even be a consideration for Saturday's selection IMO.

I would consider resting Bertrand for HBS

No one is going to be perfect with their deleries, even Beckham fluffed a few. Plus he tries to put them it at pace, this is a more difficult technique, both him and Bertrand whip the ball in, whereas you see a lot of corners kind of floated in much slower and they are easier to deal with.

 

I'd say the problem is probably B and D, most of our midfield and forwards aren't that big so you are really only expecting centre-backs, Austin and maybe Hojberg to be real aerial threats.

I'd tend to agree with that, but obviously A needed to be one of the options! Our attacking threat is pretty limited to consider Hojbjerg to be our fourth best option...! I guess that's the trade off for having players that suit more of a short passing, high energy game.

Wonderful news. Lawro thinks we'll lose 2-0

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/38159700