Whitey Grandad

There were several attempts at tackles on Hazard and personally I didn't think that any of them warranted a free kick but that's not the point as it wasn't my decision. Dean signals for Advantage after the second challenge but that doesn't mean that was where he considered the foul to have taken place. Pointing back upfield just means that once he was satisfied that there was no advantage he had blown for an earlier foul. In any case, a referee is entitled to change his mind at any time before the games restarts and let's be honest, the free kick was taken way upfield and passed out to the wings. The kick was aken from where one of the attempted challenges took place. Our players weren't ready for it, but they should have been. It's no good bleating like schoolkids "Please Sir, I wasn't ready". As for Shane, he recovered enough to have a shot and neary score so he can't have Advantage as well. I don't think it was a foul anyway, Shane slipped before he got up and then slipped again and kicked the ball against his other foot.

That doesn't follow. And you can't win unless you score goals.

What do I want? Firstly, I want to be entertained, I want to be roused, I want to feel some passion about the game that I’m watching. I want to see some effort, unforgettable moments, something that gets me up out of my seat with a smile. I expect us to finish higher than 44 points. I don’t expect us to win a trophy, but that would be nice once in a generation. Above all I want to see us go all-out to try to win every game.

It’s a sad part of modern professional football that this cheating ‘gamesmanship’ goes on, and has been since I started going over 50 years ago. From The Times this morning: “Southampton are too nice and that has got to change, says Mark Hughes” Mark Hughes stood in his technical area wishing he could see more fouls, more cynicism from his players as they conceded three goals in eight second-half minutes that could come to define the hellishness of Southampton’s entire season. It is not over, not yet, but when these two teams meet again on Sunday in the FA Cup semi-final, the occasion could feel macabre rather than carefree. Hughes said it was “difficult” for him to watch the team let a two-goal lead slip away so dramatically. “It was that case of thinking, ‘Come on guys, you need to understand what’s happening here’,” the Southampton manager said. “Sometimes you have to have the ability, some would say it’s a skill, to knock people over in the right areas of the field. We are probably a little bit too honest in that regard.”

Let’s start with 1 out of the next 1 and then take it from there.

It wasn’t nearer our goal, but do you realise how pathetic it is complaining that the kick was taken a few yards further infield? It doesn’t matter where Dean was pointing, it’s not as though he had sprayed a pile of shaving foam on the spot. It was actually taken from where he thought the offence had occurred. They took a quick free kick, we were caught out by it. We should have used every trick in the book to break up the game but there was a lot of inexperience out there. Højbjerg was childish when he kicked the ball into the stand and got booked for it. That held him back from then on.

It wasn’t 46 points it was 44. Sense of entitlement? Quite the reverse. I can’t get excited over finishing 8th, marginally higher than all the other anonymous teams that finished within a couple of points of us. We weren’t 8th best, we were 12th least worst. What did we win? What prize did we get? It was an awful season and I hope and expect for better.

We shall never know, of course, but we were declining under him in the later stages.

We must beat Swansea. And a couple of others, but Swansea away is the crucial one.

Yep. I’m not worried.

It’s a football match, not a Boys Brigade concert.

That’s true, but this has been a regular feature for several seasons.

Do you think Puel would have got more? ‘Past performance is no indication of future performance’

Drums do not make an atmosphere. They’re a bloody irritation and are feebly pathetic. Excitement on the pitch creates atmosphere.

He’s in a different league!

Came on at 90+2 minutes. You could be forgiven for missing him.

What on Earth have the last 2 games got to do with Puel?

48 points??? The football was worse than boring.

Targett is a shît Left Back.

On 46 points with a goal difference of -7 The team in 13th position had 44 points. I don’t call that a good season.

And Long. He slipped at least four times. Mind you, the opposition never seem to have any problems.

They were worse than that. The swear filter won't let me say what I really think.

Can I be greedy and ask for both?

You can say that again.

3 in each of the last four league games. Did you forget Newcastle?