suewhistle

That's a good observation. It's good that they don't just stand in one place after passing the ball, and I've seen plenty of that in the past when the team (any team) is playing badly. So movement is there, just not very positive movement. Maybe they feel that they don't have the pace if they burst forward and are too scared to leave space behind them, or is it just coaching. Judging by Puel's expressions and gestures I feel it may just be the players' own lack of confidence, as I'm pretty certain he doesn't want them to play _that_ safe. That's where I think Bouffal, and Sims too, the way things are going, are going to be a bit of yeast to what is a pretty heavy pudding at the moment. But if the latter open up the space the midfielders need to follow up more closely and, dare I say it, shoot occasionally?

Wonder if they'll ever sign a toy salesman? ;-)

I bought a couple of bottles of Felinfoel just in case that was how I was feeling after the match, in truth I'm just a bit cold and thank goodness the M27 was only closed for one stretch. Still, I wouldn't be home for another hour if I'd gone by train. Pretty awful match, and Norwich were only there to make an occasional, very, break. McQueen played well and I didn't think he'd make that final cross and was steeling myself for another 30 minutes. Nobody played badly enough to single out although Martina was the most annoying in how he stops the flow of the play and could have had a couple of shots from half decent positions or put in first time crosses. McQueen was worth his place as was Sims, who went through a bad patch then towards the end started to make things happen. Some of us thought Redmond might come on for him, but in the end it was worth him staying on. Long got the goal and puts the effort in, had a decent chance just wide but is really not the sort of striker you want against a team that play 5 at the back. I'm just glad I'm not one of the visiting away supporters, but I dare say they were just as relieved as the rest of us that there was no extra time or penalties. I do wonder what would have happened if we'd got an early goal, would they have still played on the break?!

You really are an utter plonker.

Well, judging by the available parking and the pub it's going to be a small crowd. It's freezing so I'm going to finesse the journey to the ground and leave as late as possible..

I think I might risk the train tomorrow and have a few drinks. There's no strike but Southern are so c**p anyway you can't really rely on them, so I really don't want to see extra time! I'd get so criticised on here for leaving early for the last train...

Quick, before anyone notices - our three attackers included Bertrand?? ;-)

"Nivea? What about your effing dandruff"?

Both the Tadic incidents were in front of me in the Itchen. I thought Tadic made a meal of the one in the picture but it looked like a foul though. The booking for dissent was after he'd just been grappled from behind by Clyne and couldn't quite believe that nothing was given. Nor could the crowd, or rather we could as we were getting used to his decisions by that time...

No, different incident.

That's ok, I'm having a pre-match pint and feeling mellow, but don't let it happen again.. Mind you, they never disappoint, so there's bound to be something turning up (or over) soon.

You'vegot that on an F key, haven't you. :-))

I don't always agree with you FF...

.. and as you've just pointed out, some new ones too.

Bearsy!? Who let you back? Not sure why you were banned in the first place, seeing as there are far bigger anchors left on here..

Thanks. I knew you guys would come good.

Three days without a post on this thread... I need my fix. Rallyboy, Pamplemousse, come on there must be something new down there to laugh at?

I've just had a look at the poster on the wall here in my home office and the fixtuire list had us down for 8 games in January, and now we've got the Norwich replay, and we had a game on the last day of December too. Of course we're going to rotate, and although it may impact fluency and team work to a degree it's not affecting match fitness. We've played some neat, slick football at times. Our issues are lack of concentration in defence (which could well be due to tiredness) and an inability to score, formerly just from our midfield for the last few years, and now it's infected our forwards. Any decline in the performance of players like PJ or Boufal are due to the difference in intensity and frequency of games, not not playing them. Saying all players want to play as much as possible may be true, but even those of you amateurs players will probably admit you played when you weren't 100%, and could have given one of the less regulars a game (or in many amateur teams, had to play to make up the numbers!).

It'sa bit late for me, Trousers, so please explain. Is it Heisenberg's Ttroll Den or summat?

That's well before I'm up... Ta, by the way. :-)

There's a very good photo accompanying the Guardian match report: Yoshida looking accusingly at Romeu and the latter appearing a bit distraught..

Most of us on here wonder what your nurse has been giving you... Neither the happy pills or the sedatives appear to be working.

That's just what I said here in the pub...

Er... he along with Cedric were in the final of the European Championship. The return of all the players was staggered depending on how long they were there. My only source of rumours is here, so it's a rapidly spinning world of stories that disappear up their own fundament. So I've heard that he's been acting billy-large-cojones in the changing room? Could be. He didn't play in the Europa but perhaps the assumption was that he'd play later on? It's a funny time to ask for a transfer, so one would assume that there's been unofficial interest? What I have seen with my own eyes is him playing below the level I've come to expect: I appreciate he's getting older and slower, and one would have to ask how much is this a factor in both his and the club's actions. China, anyone?

Until the goal I thought Everton looked as bad as us, we'd plenty of decent moves and I was reasonably happy with our perfomance, but what manager plans for his two experienced centre-backs to make such stupid mistakes, or even to lose a player at the beginning due to the crap infrastructure and organisation of the home club. That team has no spark to it beyond Boufal and right at the end JRod's pathetic toe from the latter's set up sums up the whole situation. Criticise by all means, but choose your targets carefully. Calling for the manager's head is the knee-jerk reaction in these situations. To look on the bright side and clutching at straws a bit at least it shows we'd better not sell our best centre-back in a hurry!