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Upton72

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  1. Classy look about the new site, well done Steve
  2. I'm a bit surprised that a lot of people believe the club should have let this incident go. The referee, by definition, is impartial, neutral and unbiased. If the referee fails those tests all credibility is lost. It's part of what is called "Respect". Referees have sanctions against those who scream abuse at them. Some take a stronger view than others on swearing, others live with it. In no case can a referee show bias. In my view, Clattenburg showed bias and should be disciplined. He lost credibility the moment he made that personal comment. Like other posters, I tend to think it is part of a wider club effort to get him off our games. I only wonder if it now marks Southampton, and Adam Lallana specifically, for the future. Do Clattenburg's mates in the profession close ranks and look for anything that can get back at us. I wouldn't be surprised. But, behind it all, I think the club is right to raise the issue.
  3. It was a Capital One Cup tie and Saints had 11 on the field who had never started a match together. It was an attempt by the coaching staff, as said by Wild Saint, to give a number of people 90 minutes. You could see that Jack Cork struggled after 45 and was barely visible in the 2nd half when our midfield was overrun; but he got his 90 minutes and will be better for it. In the 2nd half, Bristol could easily have won it. Yoshida showed his class, Gaston's stunning volley could hardly be bettered, Jos was Jos, it didn't run for Guly, JWP will mature into a fine player. MP won't have the same side out for the next round unless it's a "no hoper" away to Liverpool; oh!
  4. I've always preferred the talented to the "water carriers" so my bias is there for all to see. Look, he got his first 90 minutes in a long time and he provided the only quality moment of a tie that, and, 2nd half, Bristol could easily have won. He is also the only attacking midfield player prepared to run at defences through the middle. OK, he loses the ball quite often but, come Saturday and Palace "park the bus", he's the only player we've got who can, potentially, unlock a defence. Others have pointed out that "he's only 22". I think that's irrelevant. What's more important in my mind is, he's in a foreign land, (don't say he's played in Italy and that's foreign because players from Latin America feel a geater affinity with Mediterranean countries, less so to England), he's got different pressures, language, culture and those can contribute to a lack of confidence which he alluded to in his Twitter messages. Those 8000 Saints Supporters who were there last night will have seen have much that goal meant to him, even if it was in an empty stadium and the Capital One Cup. He won't play every match and I believe he'll be better at home than away for all the reasons cited in earlier posts, but, I'd like to think he'll come good.
  5. I watched it on Sky and struggled to understand why Cork wasn't even on the bench. I think the points about Wanyama are valid, to which should be added that coming to this league from the Scottish top tier is quite a step and he needs time. As far as I can gather, he's inconsistent at present. It is a squad game and they are all there to put pressure on each other and, hopes MP, to improve all their individual performance levels. It looks like Morgan's game has suffered from Cork's absence but then again it takes time to adjust to a different player being alongside. It'll be fascinating to see MP's selections for the next 3 games. It'll give us a better indication of his capacity to make crucial decisions.
  6. Absolutely fascinating 30 minutes; credit to those who filmed it and to those who allowed it to be filmed; mind you, nothing contentious, no tunnel fights, all seemed very amicable. Interesting, but not altogether surprising that Ramirez & Suarez were comparing notes at half time, seemed reluctant to part. I didn't realise how early the officials arrived.
  7. Is it the time for NA to have a substitute goalie on the bench? Hunt has previous with goalkeepers and i wouldn't be surprised if their big lads targetted Kelvin at corners & free-kicks.
  8. I imagine that very few players come here with a level of fitness described as "Saints fit". Billy Sharp falls into that category. All credit to the medical & coaching staff for giving us a side that can still put maximum effort in on 90 minutes. Just look at how Rickie's fitness has improved compared to the aftermath of that disastrous pre-season under AP. Billy shows good movement and anticipation. Nigel and the team will build on that for this season and next when he'll be much fitter and more acquainted with the system. Billy will play 90 minutes when Nigel decides he can do it at our tempo.
  9. Its an award given by the managers and, with the odd exception, there can't be more unbiased judges of opposing players. In that respect alone Rickie is obviously highly regarded by people who matter. I think he's had a tremendous season, giving all-round quality to the team; just hope the award isn't the "kiss of death" in the way MoM is! (wouldn't mind the "kiss of death" for Gus though.)
  10. He does know his stuff; really knowledgeable and infinitely less biased than he was a season back.
  11. I don't think there's any doubt Humpries either hadn't done his homework or is really biased against the Saints. I tend to think it was the former. Very obvious he prefers the glamour of Formula 1 and it was left to Claridge to place the Saints performance in context, "they've played better than this", which, he's done fairly on the FLS whenever I've seen him. Shearer performed as he does on MOTD, totally anodyne, little insight, and, again, poor preparation.
  12. Just caught up with Hollow's comments on the FLS; much more measured, perhaps he'd had time to calm down and he was very complementary about NA.
  13. Football makes us all see things/players differently; see every post-match reaction above. The shift that Cork put in, particularly 2nd half was terrific and the ground Guly covered was amazing. Let's stress the positives. Thanks to the referee, (where do they get them from), the crowd was a noise and contributed to the passage of play that eventually led to the 2nd goal. We preserved our unbeaten record, that's worth a lot. WHU got stuffed. Keep positive. Blackpool played their football on the ground and were a good passing side. We were worth our point and the timing shows that Nigel keeps them going until the end of full time. I've not heard what Holloway said but nothing surprises me what he says down here. He's not really recovered from the roasting Saints fans gave him after their cup defeat. I'll be interested to see the 2 penalty appeals on the FLS later.
  14. Hull were arguably the best footballing side we've had at SMS. To think what WHU were noted for and then to see just what Big Sam does to his teams doesn't bear thinking about for anyone who appreciated football played at ground level. Still he'll get them promoted and that'll be enough for a time, but not forever with the WHU fans. I can't say that Hull were really threatening and neither were we which was why the first half was devoid of atmosphere. There's absolutely no doubt that Nigel has Plan B should it be necessary and last night it was. Interesting to see the comments about Guly. As some one said, the beauty is that he's so unpredictable. Equally, talking about first touch, for a big man Rickie controls the ball beautifully. We showed character to come back and that's about team spirit.
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