Graffito

What a load of old cabbage. So Puel lucked his way to the final, luckily beat Inter and luckily finished 8th in the league. All because the opposition was rubbish. I mean, they must have been rubbish if we beat them.

So here starts the quiet summer LR wants. Business model, quality recruitment etc etc etc. All very sensible, but it doesn't half get on my tits every single time the better players go, especially to the likes of them.

I think it probably was largely for defensive reasons, with the three becoming a five when defending. We have the players for it, if we keep them. I would have liked to have seen Austin and Gabbiadini together last weekend, if only for 10 minutes, as I think two would benefit both.

"It's not only about league position" - agreed. It's about style and "entertainment" and Stoke City is a byword for those. For goodness sake, they are still relying on the lob to Crouch at the back post to score a goal. (And our dim defenders didn't track his movement to the back post - he's big enough that you can't miss him- leaving 6ft 7ins against 5ft nothing. 1-0 and we lose the game). Nonetheless they support their team. Vote with your feet or even boo at the end if you must but booing and singing against players and manager during the match is an own goal in my book. It isn't support, it's pathetic.

Did you boo? Did you sing along to "You're getting sacked in the morning" or that old classic "You don't know what you're doin"? Stoke have had a worse season than ours. I didn't hear any of the above from their supporters. Quite the opposite.

That's a fair point which I acknowledge. I referred to the lack of pace as the single most likely reason for players hanging back. It's true that there are so many variable factors, not least the quality of the opposition. I'm also highly concious of the fact that football fans tend to focus on our team only. My knowledge of other teams tactics is a bit patchy for instance so if an opposition manager makes a tactical switch during a game I wouldn't necessarily pick it up, though it could be a game changer. The upshot is that we tend to blame poor old Claude for everything. Having said that, I've come to,the conclusion that we are overly cautious largely because of lack of pace in midfield and it is CP's decision to play that way. A good example is Tottenham at home, when we dominated for twenty minutes, then inexplicably to me at the time, sat back for the rest of the match. With the right personnel, I would expect to see CP play more progressive football next season.

Good OP. Lack of pace in recovery is the single most likely reason for players hanging back when they should be supporting the lone striker. Gabbiadini really is a forlorn figure and no target man. By contrast we tend to advance as a unit, which is predictable, slow, and easy to defend. This is overly cautious from Puel in recent home games and not sustainable because it renders the striker virtually redundant for long periods. It was a minority view on this forum during the window that we needed a Schneiderlin type player, but it was a correct one.

Are they bullsh1tters?

Was he involved in the second goal as well?

For my benefit, since I am not ITK, would you kindly identify "every ITK (that is) awash with snippets that his position is under threat", and what are their credentials. If you can't provide credentials then just names will do and I'll make up my mind from that.

Horse's mouth or horses arse? Yet wait, there's a lot more to it of course. Let's have it then.

You're forgetting about the fixture schedule. The additional games need to be seen in the context of an unhelpful and frankly quite bizarre fixture schedule. Your judgements may or may not be correct but surely they should be based on all of the facts.

We didnt score because we didn't get enough players in the box enough of the time.

No, and it's not Theresa May either. It's someone else who likes to shaft the opposition. Someone who may or may not be a tactical genius.

1. The game is won by the team who commit fewer errors. 2. Football favours whoever provokes more errors in the opposition. 3. Away from home, instead of trying to be superior to the opposition, it’s better to encourage their mistakes. 4. Whoever has the ball is more likely to make a mistake. 5. Whoever renounces possession reduces the possibility of making a mistake. 6. Whoever has the ball has fear. 7. Whoever does not have it is thereby stronger.

Puts to bed the theory that puel has lost the dressing room. Instructions carried out to the letter but for a breakaway goal, as in the semi final.

It meant much more in those days to win the FA Cup. Euphoria's a good description. I came out of Wembley feeling 10 feet tall.

I don't expect Reading to go up but should they do so it would of course mean Saints, Bournemouth, Brighton and Reading in the PL, leaving another local club conspicuous by its absence. Expect the bitterness to go off the scale.

What were Puel's tactics and set up and what should he have done differently to beat Chelsea?

Agree. Add Fabregas. Costa for diving, as fcking usual.

Harry Redknapp.

A woman in the Gents under the Kingsland at half time a couple of seasons ago.

Beaten by a better side. Disciplined performance by City. Lost in midfield. Look at the spine of their team compared to ours, goalkeepers excepted. As others have said, disappointing we didn't take it to them more but they were tough opponents. Not three goals better but deserved the win.

Puel gets a mention in a BBC article about the future of the much maligned Checkatrade Trophy: Shaun Harvey (EFL) on the problem of developing young players: "It is a concern there is great talent in this country that is not getting an opportunity to experience senior football as early as a lot of clubs would want. "Let's be under no illusions. The EFL Trophy, on its own, is not the answer. But I certainly think it is a big part. What goes alongside it is a manager like Claude Puel at Southampton, who rather than play players out of position, has chosen to give young players a chance, having seen them come through, not just in the academy but also in a real game situation, where winning does matter." Elsewhere the article notes that Jack Stevens started Saints first match in the Checkatrade and finished up playing in the EFL cup final.

I disagree with you, from which you infer that I'm unable to be objective. You've lost me on that one. Look, you may be right, technically, I haven't had the benefit of replays so can't be certain, but even if Long wasn't quite ready, wouldn't it have been in the interests of fairness and the spirit of the game, to allow a few seconds for him to come on? Anyway, it's all a bit futile. The points are lost and I would prefer to look forward to slagging off next week's muppet. Let's just agree to differ.