kyle04

.... as opposed to the one in the green shirt...

Ivan Golac, great player, was there for "that" goal....

... like you would need to point that out at the introduction. "F*** me, so he is ! Er, what I meant was...."

While a couple of idiotic chants in a crowd of 30,000 hardly constitutes a "storm" as the headline indicates (typical Journo over-reaction, some things never change), this is unacceptable behaviour regardless of any mitigation put forward. It was at best dis-tasteful back in the day (and not remotely funny), now rightly viewed as disgraceful. The culprits could do well to watch a few documentaries about the Holocaust, which even now nevers fails to shock no matter how many times one reads or hears about events in that darkest of times...

+1 Theres very little consistency regarding many penalty awards. Handball for instance must be "deliberate", no defender is going to deliberately handle the ball and give away a certain goal, save the odd occasion when saving a goal bound shot with the keeper beaten, but this is very rare. So the ball hits hand/arm when in an "unnatural" position, that too is quite subjective and down to the refs judgement. VAR would help the ref make a more informed decision here I believe, but would still leave plenty of room for debate. We've all seen many "soft" penalties awarded when very little (or no) contact has been made between defender and attacker, equally defenders routinely impede attackers at corner kicks for instance, some instances resemble rugby tackles and are rarely punished. These things are not spur of the moment decisions made by players, they are taught it from a very early age, to the point where it's become instinctive. No one likes it but it's an unsavoury part of the game at almost every level. I think the only way to more consistency would be VAR, but this may lead to the game being protracted to the point of losing the pace and rhythm of football which makes it such an attractive spectator sport, and would only be available at the highest level of the game.

After a demoralizing first half, where 0-3 wouldn't have flattered Spurs we were hoping for a little better in the 2nd, What we got was a complete transformation. The atmosphere was fantastic, Saints were utterly dominant as Spurs just disappeared from the game. Some might say we had a little luck here and there (how the ball reached Valery for his goal , through 3 defenders I'll never know, but it was a brilliant scuffed shot which fooled Loris), but to maintain the level we did against a top 4 side was hugely impressive. The referee was the usual PL star struck variety with very few decisions going our way but we kept going. Austin must be done now surely, I think Sims is ready to start games. Although ineffective out wide in the 1st half, JWP , with Armstrong, were a strong combative midfield in the 2nd. His free kick was awesome, I said to a mate I thought it looked too close but he managed to get it up and over, keeper no chance. And we hung on for the last 10 minutes when Spurs woke up a bit. The reaction of the players at the final whistle said it all, and most of the fans stayed on to applaud them off the pitch. Great day, but we only moved up one place , and it's still all to do....

This scenario happens too often to be coincidence (not just SFC but in general), this game typifies the PL. Teams like Saints have to work very hard to gain positions where our players are fouled in the box but penalties against the top 6, and Man U in particular, are rarely given. This refereeing bias is never really debated by the media cos they're all s**t scared of the backlash and mostly have vested interests. Man U may finish top 4 because of this result while winning f*** all, SFC may be relegated as its that close at the bottom.

**** all stoppage time now MU have scored....

Priorities first - we're grinding out results. The last 3 PL games , 7pts when 0-3 would once have been expected. Most of the team have been lauded already but my opinion of Long is becoming more positive . The lad lacks technical ability for sure but is a real warrior who gives 100% every time. JWP is improving by the week and repaying Ralphs faith, Shearer would have been proud of that strike today, and his corners were consistently good today. Redmond very good again - does he ever get tired..?

Typical cup tie really, evenly contested and quite enjoyable in parts, could have gone either way, both sides had good moments and bad. A lot of inexperienced players out there for us, I thought they did OK but too many young heads to expect a cohesive performance. Ramsey and Johnson look promising, Gallagher had some moments but ran into traffic mostly. Redmond very good again despite poor finish and woeful penalty. Cedric's poor crossing exposed again. JWP solid and improving under Ralph, dead ball delivery a little erratic still. Long was, er Long, tried hard and fluffed a golden chance. Ely looked completely lost out there, despite good assist for our 1st though. I feel there is a good player in there somewhere but at the moment he lacks any confidence and purpose. It's a shame we lost because another cup tie or two would have given players like him more game time possibly. Unless forced I don't think RH would risk playing him in the PL based on what hes seen so far. Oh well, no trophy this season....

Whilst Ralph's tenure so far has been encouraging a lot is being assumed with this question. The increased fitness and performances of the players, the introduction of younger squad members has been a refreshing change from the festering mess left by Mope and Hughes. Whether it will be enough for the progress we all hope for remains to be seen. I would hope he stays another season at least regardless of this one, the club need a little (relative) stability in the hot seat from a manager with a clear vision.

Yes I suppose overall, I just hoped for more from him given his ability. Just my opinion....

Another nearly but not quite player for us, re Boufal, Tadic etc, but at least he had some great moments. Our attacking options are critically low now if Ings can't play : Long, Austin, Obafemi..... Barnes ? Maybe Vest can get on the end of a corner or two, JWP free kick, Hoj screamer...... help !

I would have settled for a 2-goal defeat TBH. The PL has come to this, the lesser teams playing at half strength when a result seems very unlikely anyway. Little wonder the league is so lop sided. In reality had City wanted to, it could have been 5 or 6. The lads tried hard but knew they were beat before they stepped onto the pitch, and the last 25 minutes were a demoralising embarrassment to the PL (20% possession in the 2nd half). I'm not even annoyed by the performance or the result, it was entirely predictable. Hoj needs a serious look at himself though, the game was lost, City were taking the p***, just keep yourself free from injury and don't get carded, entirely irresponsible from our captain and best player, and we have no suitable replacements. We have 3 very tough games next and will struggle without him.

Not sure what to make of this if true. Cedric appears to be on his way thats for sure. 1) RH is resting Valery after a run of games with a view of reintroduction later. RH thinks Ramsey is worth a go in a free hit match. 2) RH deems Valery not good enough after a fair chance. Cedric not an option for some reason. Ramsey one alternative, and sends a positive message to the rest of the younger players. If Ramsey fails, which wouldn't be a disgrace given what he'll be facing, then what ? I'd rather he stick with Valery for a while and let the lad learn as the season progresses. Players can take years to develop (re Lallana), and he hasn't played that badly really. IMO it may just be a rotation issue...

A real struggle last night, we never looked in control of the game at any point, although ultimately we were done by the ref for their 2nd, but it was a brilliant counter. We will have a few games like this when we need a bit of luck maybe to get a result, certainly the next 2 ! WHU had several injuries but were more energetic, physical and moved the ball well. Our wing backs were caught high up the pitch when our moves broke down on several occasions. Going forward Ings and Redmond couldn't get going and we created very little. Vest had a good game IMO and seems to be improving with every game. Valery and Targett were naive at times but are still learning the trade. As has been pointed out we looked jaded from the 1st minute, I fear for the City game as there is little time for recovery, and little in the way of stand in players if we rotate. WHU were the better team for sure, but we weren't demolished and might have scraped a point. But let's be realistic, we are a relatively poor side fighting to stay in the division, not a potential top 10 outfit, yet, and there are 4/5 teams worse than us...

Agree, although McCarthy had little chance with both goals. Carroll should have been sent off. We could have nicked a slightly lucky point, now were back in the mire.

To compare, Liverpool have more "pedigree" than City will ever have, for what thats worth. They won everything in an era when players from north of Hadrians wall were considered foreigners. The big spending Chelsea, City and Utd have left them behind for a good few years, so they can't be blamed for joining the circus to recreate past glories, Yes they have asset-stripped SFC recently, if it wasn't them then someone else would have done it. The fact that we've largely wasted their cash isn't their fault. The current PL model is unsavoury for sure, but compared to other leagues there are more contenders at the top which on paper should make it more interesting, although historically only 6 clubs have won the PL, if you discount Blackburn (94-95) and Leicester (15-16) that leaves 4, with Chelsea, City and Utd winning from 1992 onwards. So a Liverpool title would be a refreshing change IMO...?

Without indulging in unnecessary personal abuse, I disagree with the OP's suggestion. The bottom 4 certainly look as bad as we were under Hughes. Hudds look like they will be adrift at some point and won't make it to 30 points IMO, Cardiff and Burnley are not PL quality but will pick up points at home here and there. Fulham are improving and have been unlucky in the past 2 games. Newcastle are erratic but will probably survive despite Rafa's assertion that it will be a "miracle" if he keeps them up. My prediction is 32 points to stay up, Saints 14th. Hudds, Burnley and Cardiff to do down.

Yes, in 2 games we have gone from zeros to heros ! I was hoping this would happen under Hughes, as at the arse end of last season there was a definite upturn in performances when he came in, but as we all know he was out of his depth (the 3 year contract still baffles me - did he hold us to ransom....?). The 2 wins so far have come against sides who performed poorly in those games, Arsenal had a makeshift defense and an off day, Hudds are just poor full stop. What does it matter, we'll take the points. If we can get 4 points from the next 2 games we can genuinely say we have the Mesiah in our camp ! The reasons are simple, hard work and tactical nous, the rest follows if the players are half decent (most of ours are).

Excellent post. Aside from the improvement in results, and it is early days, there seems to be much more grit about the team. The last 2 games demonstrated this when the opposition scored against us. Under Hughes we would have lost the Arsenal game and drawn against Hudds more than likely. This is bourne out of a surge of confidence amongst the players, and a belief in each other and the system they are required to play. The transformation is remarkable thus far. If/when we do concede the team knows we have the ability to score ourselves. Under Hughes we panicked when under pressure (re Brighton), Under Ralph we continue to play our football. It can only get better...

Having attended many games in the 80's and 90's for example, fan behaviour inside the ground has definitely changed. The frequent taunting by opposing fans has all but ceased it seems to me. Most of the banter was harmless, some humorous, some quite nasty depending on circumstances, but it added to the atmosphere, with the usual SFC culprits situated in the west stand or the Archers. The introduction of all seater stadia saw a sea change in fan behaviour. SMS is comfortable with a good view of the game, personally I prefer the standing terraces, even though I couldn't see properly a lot of the time ! In all my time watching SFC I don't ever recall stuff being thrown onto the pitch (which was only about an inch from the terraces) , except bogroll and confetti post World Cup 78.

Well she did get the name wrong (Charlie "Adams")....

Great energy from all the lads, kept their heads up after being pegged back twice. Vest was immense today and put the Cardiff shocker well behind him. Long and Chas put in a shift, pleased Chas got the winner, and called the team over at the end for the celebratory huddle. Redmond looked like the player we all hoped he could be, hope his injury not too serious. Targett much improved with good ball delivery. Romeu did Ok despite getting caught for their 2nd equalizer, he will improve I'm sure. We did lose possesion at times and need to move the ball quicker in congested areas, so lots to work on but we finally got a result. Maybe this is the catalyst for a Saints revival..?

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