Saints 1 Norwich 0 - For Once We Score A Late Winner!

If you truly believe that it is all down to Claude Puel, then you are an extremely naive and deluded soul.

So who takes training, who picks the team and who decides on the tactics? If not Puel then why are we paying him a small fortune for doing nothing? Maybe it's you who is naive and deluded.

even the solent commentators said we play sleep inducing football, we got a slice of luck at the end but tbh our performance didn't deserve the win.

Utter nonsense, only one team was looking to win - 20 shots versus their 3

Last 20 mins was like the siege of the Mafeking !

Sure, we don't put away our chances but we did deserve to win !

Redmond did his best to overhit the pass and long to miss it.

If you truly believe that it is all down to Claude Puel, then you are an extremely naive and deluded soul.

This kind of post is very entertaining. Basically just name calling of anyone who dares question Claude. If he isn't the one instructing the team to play this dire brand of slow, defensive football then I'd love to know who is. New players are a must but a change in style or (if Claude isn't capable of it) manager wouldn't go a miss either!

So who takes training, who picks the team and who decides on the tactics? If not Puel then why are we paying him a small fortune for doing nothing? Maybe it's you who is naive and deluded.

I bow to your superior knowledge....

Utter nonsense, only one team was looking to win - 20 shots versus their 3

Last 20 mins was like the siege of the Mafeking !

Sure, we don't put away our chances but we did deserve to win !

Exactly. Maybe even one new striker away from significantly more success. At the moment the problem's not with Puel.

Thats the highlights!!!

No this is ‪http://bbc.in/2iSLJG7‬

I choose to be pleased with the result

It was hard to work out which was the Prem side again we had chances and wasted them, sideways Jim football, McQueen edged MOM for me. Been home 15 minutes just about thawed out thank feck it did not go to extra time.

This kind of post is very entertaining. Basically just name calling of anyone who dares question Claude. If he isn't the one instructing the team to play this dire brand of slow, defensive football then I'd love to know who is. New players are a must but a change in style or (if Claude isn't capable of it) manager wouldn't go a miss either!

So the players are completely free from blame? JayRod, Redmond Long and several others are all completely innocent of missing a fückload of chances? Have you seen how many chances we create? Is Les Reed innocent of not adequately replacing Mane, Pelle, Wanyama etc etc? Is Kat innocent of not providing enough of the cash required to really push on, for allowing all our best players to be sold?

Still think it's ALL down to the manager do you?

Exactly. Maybe even one new striker away from significantly more success. At the moment the problem's not with Puel.

It's too simplistic a view to think a striker will fix everything. As long as we continue to play in front of teams at a snails pace then nothing will ever happen. ever. Pace is so important in the modern game, not just the 'atribute' of a player...but the speed the game is played at, the quickness of the passsing. We will not achieve a thing in this league if we continue to play at the pedestrian pace and in front of teams.

So the players are completely free from blame? JayRod, Redmond and Long are all completely innocent of missing a fückload of chances? Have you seen how many chances we create? Is Les Reed innocent of not adequately replacing Mane, Pelle, Wanyama etc etc? Is Kat innocent of not providing enough of the cash required to really push on, for allowing all our best players to be sold?

 

Still think it's ALL down to the manager do you?

The players aren't free of blame for poor performances. There does seem to be too many players in our squad who are free of quality! That's the saving grace for Puel; until he gets the chance to put more quality on the park, it's unfair to write him off.

It's too simplistic a view to think a striker will fix everything. As long as we continue to play in front of teams at a snails pace then nothing will ever happen. ever. Pace is so important in the modern game, not just the 'atribute' of a player...but the speed the game is played at, the quickness of the passsing. We will not achieve a thing in this league if we continue to play at the pedestrian pace and in front of teams.

What he said - and don't tell me the style of play has nothing to do with Puel.

Listened on Solent, didn't sound too hectic.

McQueen sounded like the MOTM, Wonder if you could play him and Bertrand in the same eleven.

Will need to crank up several gears to get anything against the gooners, but stranger things have happened.

Dreadful performance overall, was bored stiff watching that but we won.

The players aren't free of blame for poor performances. There does seem to be too many players in our squad who are free of quality! That's the saving grace for Puel; until he gets the chance to put more quality on the park, it's unfair to write him off.

This is it, until Claude is backed properly by the club it's unfair to call for his sacking.

So the players are completely free from blame? JayRod, Redmond Long and several others are all completely innocent of missing a fückload of chances? Have you seen how many chances we create? Is Les Reed innocent of not adequately replacing Mane, Pelle, Wanyama etc etc? Is Kat innocent of not providing enough of the cash required to really push on, for allowing all our best players to be sold?

 

Still think it's ALL down to the manager do you?

Never said I thought it was all down to the manager but I do think he should take more of the blame than you seem to. Also, as for creating chances, I've been to plenty of games this year where we've created next to none. As difficult as it is to hear, a £20m striker wouldn't suddenly make us good!

 

Still think it's ALL down to the manager do you?

There are several faces complicit to the position we find ourselves in as you rightly stated. Unfortunately Puel went on record at the end of the summer transfer window saying he was happy with the depth and quality of his squad, or words to that effect. So either he was mis-judging his squad, he was paying lip service to the fan base as he had been told that was his lot from Reed or his tactics, training and motivation is in question. The buck stops with the Manager rightly or wrongly. Always has and

likely always will.

It's too simplistic a view to think a striker will fix everything. As long as we continue to play in front of teams at a snails pace then nothing will ever happen. ever. Pace is so important in the modern game, not just the 'atribute' of a player...but the speed the game is played at, the quickness of the passsing. We will not achieve a thing in this league if we continue to play at the pedestrian pace and in front of teams.

Good post, nail on the head for me.

Listened on Solent, didn't sound too hectic.

McQueen sounded like the MOTM, Wonder if you could play him and Bertrand in the same eleven.

Will need to crank up several gears to get anything against the gooners, but stranger things have happened.

Wonder how McQueen would do in one of the shuttler roles. He's versatile enough: shown he has a good engine, can defend and be disciplined and pull out wide and get forward.

sounded like a right Fecking treat

 

House of fun is St Mary's

You might grace it one day!!

I choose to be pleased with the result

Me too. Lots of smiling faces tonight as we left the ground. In truth though, for many, that was cos they didn't have to stay an extra half hour.

Not getting the love in for McQueen tonight? ... apart from his final cross, every other one seemed to hit the 1st Norwich player!

Did the crowd boo at HT or FT?

No, HT was weird, no clapping or booing from the Saints fans, just silence.

That was proper **** though, completely disjointed performance with very little quality on display. I only cheered the goal as it meant I'd be able to go home.

All I can say is....thank you Shlong. I was really debating whether I was going to sit through 30 more minutes of that!!

Not getting the love in for McQueen tonight? ... apart from his final cross, every other one seemed to hit the 1st Norwich player!

To be fair, he was the only one busting a gut in the final throws of that game. For the final cross alone he deserves all the praise. I think the referee even said thanks.

Only the second game of the season that I haven't seen so won't comment, albeit it sounded dull on the radio. However can we all celebrate the fact that we had six academy graduates in our starting line up and still progressed. Surely that is a big positive, and we have rested senior players ahead of a gruelling three games in six days starting Sunday

I'm not sure which is more dull atm, watching Saints or watching England.

@OptaJoe: 1 - Southampton have scored exactly one goal in each of their last seven home games in all competitions. Singular.

Dreadful performance overall, was bored stiff watching that but we won.

Me too, just got home, bloody freezing. I think the players suddenly realised that they'd have to be out there another 30 minutes if they didn't do something.

Only one team looking to win it, but we still setup with a relatively defensive midfield who offer nothing in front of goal.

We used to have a reputation of playing exciting, attacking football. That's gone now, we're now the boring team that pass around the back and can't score a goal.

We're still playing like we did in the UL games and nothing I've seen gives me confidence that the manager can turn things around and get us back to our best.

Well Shlong did his very best to head it straight at the goalkeeper who was so surprised at his generosity that he threw it straight back to him to eventually kick it over the line from 4 1/2 inches.....

We really do need someone who can take easy chances...

Not that is by any means the only issue ...

...

OK, I was there...

It was cold!

We were not good but infinitely superior to Norwich who were awful

Martina was awful

McQueen, Stephens, Maya were good, Clasie ok, Oriel and Redmond added forward impetus when they came on

No booing any stage...apart from decisions!

Very few left early, less than a norma;l league game I'd say

Some of you feckers who do all the moaning should take in a game once in a couple of seasons perhaps...thought the crowd, sparse though it was, tried to lift the team in the second half as we struggled to get going and stayed with the team...supporting it's called!

Only 9 fans left in the ground when we scored.

 

Hope a couple post on here

You really are an utter plonker.

It was a teamful of strangers who looked like they had never played together before. Lots of short passes going astray.

Great result. Six more performances like that with the same result and one nil draw and we have won two cups.

I personally dont care if we win ugly I just like winning.

At half time, Claridge on 5 Live summed it up perfectly - the system doesn't suit the players.

It should not have taken as long as it did for us to score. In fact this match should never have been played at all.

Now. Important game Sunday - simply have to grab the three points against Leicester.

OK, I was there...

 

It was cold!

 

We were not good but infinitely superior to Norwich who were awful

 

Martina was awful

 

McQueen, Stephens, Maya were good, Clasie ok, Oriel and Redmond added forward impetus when they came on

 

No booing any stage...apart from decisions!

 

Very few left early, less than a norma;l league game I'd say

 

Some of you feckers who do all the moaning should take in a game once in a couple of seasons perhaps...thought the crowd, sparse though it was, tried to lift the team in the second half as we struggled to get going and stayed with the team...supporting it's called!

Just got back and this is how I saw as well. Some pathetic comments on here from people not at the game.

I actually thought JWP played well but by the same token also thought he would make a decent Championship player.

We could have played with a rush goalie as Harry Lewis a virtual spectator.

Respect to the 1,000 or so Norwich fans who made the trip.

What a truly awful performance from what was a Prem side last year

Arsenal tickets are £15

Nice I'll be up for that.

Team and Puel on a hiding to nothing it seems. They'd have got stick from the ****s on here no matter what, strong team, weak team, win or loss.

It's ****ing pathetic.

MOTD purring about the match. Just said they're putting the whole 90 mins on the red button so all fans can enjoy it.

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?!

Team and Puel on a hiding to nothing it seems. They'd have got stick from the ****s on here no matter what, strong team, weak team, win or loss.

 

It's ****ing pathetic.

Not as pathetic as we are at the moment.

All we ask is for a decent performance. As someone who's watches and investes £700 + into the club every year, I think I'm entitled to moan if the team are continually performing as they are.

Sky report describes Long and Rodriguez as statuesque. Is that fair?

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You take that did you?

Wonder how McQueen would do in one of the shuttler roles. He's versatile enough: shown he has a good engine, can defend and be disciplined and pull out wide and get forward.

He'd do well imo. At Southend he played midfield, out wide and up top. He's a clever disciplined player who'd do well pretty much anywhere I reckon.

He'd do well imo. At Southend he played midfield, out wide and up top. He's a clever disciplined player who'd do well pretty much anywhere I reckon.

Have been wanting us to find a way to play him and Bertrand in our "first team" for a while. Maybe wide left as per Arsenal in the League Cup?