For the people who said our defence wasn't good enough

Well over the course of the season it was and we are now staying up.

We now will strengthen in ALL areas to kick on next season imo

COYR

Our defence was shocking pretty much all season, and I don't see how after today you can say any differently.

Good enough, but just good enough is just not good enough.

Something like 30 points dropped from leading positions ?

How you have the front to say it was good enough is bizarre.

We have been carrying a couple of defenders all season, but sure they will be replaced anyway.

Something like 30 points dropped from leading positions ?

 

How you have the front to say it was good enough is bizarre.

Like it or not, it was good enough in the end...not good enough for you of course, but NOTHING ever is...

Something like 30 points dropped from leading positions ?

 

How you have the front to say it was good enough is bizarre.

It wasn't good enough for survival then? That should always have been our aim this season.

It needs improving, but it has proven to be good enough over the 37 games of this season so far, and after #38 - it still will have been.

Like it or not, it was good enough in the end...not good enough for you of course, but NOTHING ever is...

Nope, you are right. The defence wasnt good enough imo. Deal with it, or find someone else to stalk..

There are a couple of defenders that need to be replaced as soon as this season's over. But I have to saw we've been a bit flat upfront for a while now.

It wasn't good enough for survival then? That should always have been our aim this season.

 

It needs improving, but it has proven to be good enough over the 37 games of this season so far, and after #38 - it still will have been.

We failed to do something about the defence in January despite the evidence of our eyes. Cortese was more interested in changing managers. Mental.

We've been f**king lucky.

We failed to do something about the defence in January despite the evidence of our eyes. Cortese was more interested in changing managers. Mental.

 

We've been f**king lucky.

No we haven´t.

We have been f**king unlucky to not have 7-9 points more from the last 3 months.

No we haven´t.

 

We have been f**king unlucky to not have 7-9 points more from the last 3 months.

'course we have...

Ignore Thrush. He always has been and always will be a clueless c**t.

Nope, you are right. The defence wasnt good enough imo. Deal with it, or find someone else to stalk..

Lol

Look! i know you must be a bit pis sed of at the moment with us staying up but the fact is our defence was good enough

as we were not relegated..try looking at Reading and QPR`s defence... that was not good enough

I guess every team below Man u was not good enough because they did not win the league.

But for the sake of being sensible (you should try it) our defence could have been better as with every club..

'course we have...

He's right alps we've been a lot of things this season but we ain't been the slightest but lucky! I can probably think of 10 games where the football gods mugged us off!

We failed to do something about the defence in January despite the evidence of our eyes. Cortese was more interested in changing managers. Mental.

 

We've been f**king lucky.

Just need a bit more luck with you ****ing off forever and everyone will be happy.

We failed to do something about the defence in January despite the evidence of our eyes. Cortese was more interested in changing managers. Mental.

 

We've been f**king lucky.

There has not been too much wrong with our defence since Cork came back to be fair. The problem recently has been lack of goals. A few too many og shockers agreed, but in general we have been solid when we have had our best back 4 available, Clyne/Yoshi/Fonte/Shaw. Just go to pot when we have to rely on Fox and to a lesser extent Jos. Its strength in depth we are lacking.

Conceded 28 goals in our first 10 games but only 31 in the 27 games after that

Much as I like Jos as a guy, he's a disaster waiting to happen on the defensive front and his 'distribution' is atrocious. Pochettino is clearly looking at left-footed centre backs so he knows the main problems and will have the funds to resolve them.

But, as Anders noted above, we haven't been letting many in.

Game after game we've kept the opposition in it - and thus placed pressure on our defence and midfield - by failing to take our many chances while we've been dominant. It's just as important to me that we sign a clinical striker and a goal-scoring midfielder.

We failed to do something about the defence in January despite the evidence of our eyes. Cortese was more interested in changing managers. Mental.

But we did take action in January.

The last FIVE games AWAY from home have been :- NIL at Norwich; NIL at reading; NIL at Swansea; A Bale special at spurs from their ONLY real shot on goal; Today a deflect shot from sunderland only real shot.

This improvement away from home with the defence is down to us defending as a UNIT which is a big improvement from the 1st half of the season where I felt we were defending as INDIVIDUALS and I put this down to work Poch has done on the training ground.

He came in January and his first action was to get the midfield to "PRESS", and now he has got the team to defend as a "UNIT".

He now needs to turn his attention to us (a) taking our chances especially away from home (b) shooting from outside the area and © how to play against sides like hoofball-sam, or wba who bypass midfield.

It might be better to say - the strikers need to take their chances.........................

Our entire team needs strengthening, but what's the priority? I would have to say defence. Based upon that, I would maintain that our defence isn't good enough.

Our entire team needs strengthening, but what's the priority? I would have to say defence. Based upon that, I would maintain that our defence isn't good enough.

Full back positions are fine, maybe back-up for Shaw, but who would be willing to play second fiddle to a 17/18 year old?

Centre back is the priority, fingers crossed that Forren will be able to step in... someone quick and dominant needs to come in to stabilise us.

We failed to do something about the defence in January despite the evidence of our eyes. Cortese was more interested in changing managers. Mental.

 

We've been f**king lucky.

Since January transfer window the defence we failed to address has let in less goals than;

Villa

Newcastle

Wigan

WBA

Swansea

Fulham

QPR

Reading

Sunderland

Matched Spurs.

Only bettered by one or two goals over last few months by Chelsea, WHU, Stoke and Norwich.

The only teams noticeably better defensively have been Man U, arsenal, man city, Liverpool and Everton.

We did sign a young international CB who it appears is seen as cover / future.

It seems the evidence to those who are running and managing the club was that the defence would be good enough this season.

It seems they weren't the mental ones but, amazingly, yet again they knew better than you!

Sumner window, with club safe for next season is far better time to recruit...if needed?

Every window you say they got it wrong.

Every window they get it right and we improve... Every single window since NC has been here.

No other club is doing that.

Accept it, they know better!

Something like 30 points dropped from leading positions ?

 

How you have the front to say it was good enough is bizarre.

Because we have stayed in the Premier League. Not bizarre at all. Your constant moaning at an amazing achievement given how we started is bizarre.

Well, sod the OP, I for one think that a L1 defender has stepped up and had a damned good season.

Sure we will get better in over the summer, but I was worried about him in the Championship & I was scared to death with him in the PL, yet he has improved every week and his reading of the game and intelligence have made up for his misgivings.

I salute Jose Fonte. He (and others) stepped up to the plate.

Because we have stayed in the Premier League. Not bizarre at all. Your constant moaning at an amazing achievement given how we started is bizarre.

He's a bizarre person, there is one thing having a critical opinion but just trolling the same rubbish when the facts make you look a complete tw*t is very bizarre

Since January transfer window the defence we failed to address has let in less goals than;

/QUOTE]

 

That's rubbish. It should be 'fewer' not 'less'.

Full back positions are fine, maybe back-up for Shaw, but who would be willing to play second fiddle to a 17/18 year old?

 

Centre back is the priority, fingers crossed that Forren will be able to step in... someone quick and dominant needs to come in to stabilise us.

2 CBs for me. If Forren is one of those so much the better.

I thought we were screwed after 10 games, no way we would survive in the premier league, but we have been safe since the Reading game. We have stumbled, but apart from the WBA game the defence has not been the problem, and it has not been for a very long time!

So proud to be a Saints fan, and this season has exceeded my expectations. 2013/14 we will be a premier league team, and after all that 38 points would have been enough

'Good Enough' is right. It was good enough to secure our position and good enough to ensure our goal difference has ensured our safety before the season has ended. So yes, the defence is good enough.

But if we don't improve it, we won't be any stronger next season so we can expect more of the same. Since we are looking to improve season-by-season, I think it's reasonable to say it has been 'Good Enough' this season, but will not be good enough for next season.

'Good Enough' is right. It was good enough to secure our position and good enough to ensure our goal difference has ensured our safety before the season has ended. So yes, the defence is good enough.

 

But if we don't improve it, we won't be any stronger next season so we can expect more of the same. Since we are looking to improve season-by-season, I think it's reasonable to say it has been 'Good Enough' this season, but will not be good enough for next season.

Had Holt banging that Peno in, they might not of been good enough.

They were only good enough because we defended better as a unit and played well going forward. When we had games we played poorly in, we couldn't keep sides out. At other times we should have seen the game out but didn't, Stoke away, Wigan away. Until we start nicking games we're average in, we'll never progress. With our present Centre half situation, that isn't going to happen.

Had Holt banging that Peno in, they might not of been good enough.

 

They were only good enough because we defended better as a unit and played well going forward. When we had games we played poorly in, we couldn't keep sides out. At other times we should have seen the game out but didn't, Stoke away, Wigan away. Until we start nicking games we're average in, we'll never progress. With our present Centre half situation, that isn't going to happen.

You can only judge things on what actually happened. If you can say 'if Holt had scored' then you could bring any of our near-misses, individual mistakes, or the bad decisions that went against us into it and swing the argument back around. Once you move away from fact it's just fairytale stuff.

Who knows, we will not know until next season, and will never know if we are good enough next season with th current team if we change it!

I think this team next season would do better than this season, as they are young, and had a season in the premier league. I also think there will be many teams worse than us.

Of course we will spend, but even this does not mean it will improve the 'team'. We could sight 3/4/5 top class players and still struggle. That is football. We did not change much over the course of the season, but we improved, gained experience and learnt quickly, and at times look a very handy side.

Just about good enough, but I thought the idea of Forren was to improve things. What's going on there ?

Just about good enough, but I thought the idea of Forren was to improve things. What's going on there ?

The future, just you wait!

I think Hooiveld has done a good job for us this season overall, but I pray to god he's not at the club next season. We really need to do better to be able to move on.

If Forren is as good as he's supposed to be, then sign a right sided CB (Micah Richards please!) and have Yoshida and Fonte as able back up.

Our defense isn't given the credit it deserves, though it has been aided and abetted by the discipline of our midfield.

The improvement has been striking.

We conceded 28 goals in the first 10 games. Since then, we've only conceded 31 goals, roughly 1.14 goals per game. That would put us in the top 5 or 6 defenses in the league.

Still its an area that needs strengthening, not least because it would free our midfield to take a few more risks and play more expansively.

I think Hooiveld has done a good job for us this season overall, but I pray to god he's not at the club next season. We really need to do better to be able to move on.

If Forren is as good as he's supposed to be, then sign a right sided CB (Micah Richards please!) and have Yoshida and Fonte as able back up.

I thought Hooiveld was really good today, in fact he's done a solid job for some time now. Ditto Yoshida.

I thought Hooiveld was really good today, in fact he's done a solid job for some time now. Ditto Yoshida.

He was solid again today - although could have cost us a goal on two occasions, deflected the ball away from Boruc for their goal and (as always) was constantly giving the ball away with those chipped long passes. We can, and need to, do a lot better.

Our defence was shocking pretty much all season, and I don't see how after today you can say any differently.

No we haven´t.

 

We have been f**king unlucky to not have 7-9 points more from the last 3 months.

Full back positions are fine, maybe back-up for Shaw, but who would be willing to play second fiddle to a 17/18 year old?

 

Centre back is the priority, fingers crossed that Forren will be able to step in... someone quick and dominant needs to come in to stabilise us.

I wonder if Shaw ends up as a left midfielder/winger?

Erm - a space a mile wide in front of Bardsley where Lallana should have been and Hooiveldt running back towards his own goal line deflects the ball past Boruc - have we been here before.

Our defense isn't given the credit it deserves, though it has been aided and abetted by the discipline of our midfield.

 

The improvement has been striking.

 

We conceded 28 goals in the first 10 games. Since then, we've only conceded 31 goals, roughly 1.14 goals per game. That would put us in the top 5 or 6 defenses in the league.

 

Still its an area that needs strengthening, not least because it would free our midfield to take a few more risks and play more expansively.

Bloody hell all these just about comments, what would you say if we just about won the league, im sure you would still find something to moan about!

Had Holt banging that Peno in, they might not of been good enough.

 

They were only good enough because we defended better as a unit and played well going forward. When we had games we played poorly in, we couldn't keep sides out. At other times we should have seen the game out but didn't, Stoke away, Wigan away. Until we start nicking games we're average in, we'll never progress. With our present Centre half situation, that isn't going to happen.

Im sure a part of our defensive unit saved Holts pen.

Had Holt banging that Peno in, they might not of been good enough.

 

They were only good enough because we defended better as a unit and played well going forward. When we had games we played poorly in, we couldn't keep sides out. At other times we should have seen the game out but didn't, Stoke away, Wigan away. Until we start nicking games we're average in, we'll never progress. With our present Centre half situation, that isn't going to happen.

but but but

They done a job !