Saints U23s v Chelsea U23s. Tonight @ 7pm @ St. Mary's

Haven't been watching. Have any of the youngsters impressed?

Haven't been watching. Have any of the youngsters impressed?

Alfie Jones looked very very good.

Alfie Jones looked very very good.

Only watched bits of it, but I would agree with this.

Caceres touch/distrubution/positioning predictably on an extremely high level. You can see he's played and trained with some of the worlds best players for most of his career. Boufal playing the stroppy primadonna was disappointing, he's obviously frustrated at failing to nail down a position in the first team.

Haven't been watching. Have any of the youngsters impressed?

Sims looked decent other than that not particularly. More worryingly none of the seasoned 1st teamers looked very good playing against a bunch of Chelsea kids. Caceres looked ok but he's probably had more testing games.

Defensively very sound although rarely troubled. Caceres looked tidy and composed. Midfield mixed bag, Reed tenacious in the tackle, Boufal well what was he playing at tonight? Up front no threat whatsoever but not much service. Hesketh missed the only clear cut chance.

Caceres has grown into this game, he is apparently now 6' 3".

Must have found a pair of Corteses shoes stuffed down the back of a radiator.

Caceras used the ball very well

Didn't have a lot to do defensively

Pretty mediocre gane

Sam McQeen and Harry Reed saw a lot of the ball

All others fairly in and out.

It would be very difficult for a neutral to appreciate that Boufal and Hodjberg cost over £25m in combined transfer fees on that showing

Feel really sorry for Jay Rodrigues.

Just a shadow of his former self

Though my the keeper looked decent. Solid and good with his feet. Impressed with Valery. In fact, the entire back four. Reed played well. Hesketh and Sims in spells. Boufal was dreadful and clearly not interested. JRod seemed to put the effort in and did ok but never really got any chances beside the early one he scuffed. Pretty disappointing.

Caceres touch/distrubution/positioning predictably on an extremely high level.

In hindsight it's too bad he didn't play in the cup final (no disrespect to Stephens).

Caceras used the ball very well

 

Didn't have a lot to do defensively

 

Pretty mediocre gane

 

Sam McQeen and Harry Reed saw a lot of the ball

 

All others fairly in and out.

 

It would be very difficult for a neuxtral to appreciate that Boufal and Hodjberg cost over £25m in combined transfer fees on that showing

 

Feel really sorry for Jay Rodrigues.

 

Just a shadow of his former self

I thought the pair of them looked no different to the lads who had come through the academy, then you say over £25m combined transfer fees, the should stay in the U23s until their attitudes buck up, (no doubt get the Boufal is great brigade on my case now, "he has to be in the first team": played like he had ball sized holes in his boots tonight!!!). Fair play to Caceres looked pleased to be playing football, bet Alfie Jones liked playing alongside him....... he had a good game too.

Cacaeres looked good.

JayRod seems so out of sorts. With Charlie Austin coming back soon, I would be surprised if he even makes the bench as he must surely be behind Gabb, Long and Austin. You always hope that injuries such as his can be overcome and former glories regained.

positive reviews for Cacaeres

http://www.footballfancast.com/social-media/southampton-fans-impressed-by-top-class-martin-caceres-as-he-makes-his-debut

JayRod seems so out of sorts. With Charlie Austin coming back soon, I would be surprised if he even makes the bench as he must surely be behind Gabb, Long and Austin. You always hope that injuries such as his can be overcome and former glories regained.

I think it's s dead cert that Jay is off in the summer. Let's see if we can get anywhere close to £20m for him from WBA.

I think it's s dead cert that Jay is off in the summer. Let's see if we can get anywhere close to £20m for him from WBA.

No chance. Be lucky to get half of that.

No chance. Be lucky to get half of that.

Maybe. WBA did get around £15m for a striker who'd been on strike, failed a drugs test & had 6 months left in his contract though.

Boufal now been hauled off and straight down the tunnel not a happy chap

Very petulant and unnecessary reaction. His booking was justified. He drew a little foul - no malice involved, and then got up and pushed the young Chelsea player quite hard in the upper chest area. He could have got a straight red for raising his hands at him. Really stupid but the Ref showed restraint and gave a yellow.

He obviously had to come off because a red was likely with his attitude at that point.

He blanked Martin Hunter and Jaidi as he walked down the tunnel. Hunter shook his head in despair and sent Kelvin D down after him, hopefully to tell him not to act like a child, but Boufal didn't re-appear. Obviously thought he is too important to see the game out with a bunch of kids.

I thought the black box was designed to avoid players who behaved like prima-donnas.

I think it's s dead cert that Jay is off in the summer. Let's see if we can get anywhere close to £20m for him from WBA.

Bought him for £7million, we should be aiming for double that I reckon. £20million is unrealistic.

Bought him for £7million, we should be aiming for double that I reckon. £20million is unrealistic.

You are forgetting that he's English so probably can add £10m onto a realistic price.

Very petulant and unnecessary reaction. His booking was justified. He drew a little foul - no malice involved, and then got up and pushed the young Chelsea player quite hard in the upper chest area. He could have got a straight red for raising his hands at him. Really stupid but the Ref showed restraint and gave a yellow.

 

He obviously had to come off because a red was likely with his attitude at that point.

 

He blanked Martin Hunter and Jaidi as he walked down the tunnel. Hunter shook his head in despair and sent Kelvin D down after him, hopefully to tell him not to act like a child, but Boufal didn't re-appear. Obviously thought he is too important to see the game out with a bunch of kids.

 

I thought the black box was designed to avoid players who behaved like prima-donnas.

Well le gaffer was in the stands so you can bet he wasn't happy with the strop.

You are forgetting that he's English so probably can add £10m onto a realistic price.

So by that logic, we can expect £10,000,050 for Isgrove?

What is it with us and record signings.

So by that logic, we can expect £10,000,050 for Isgrove?

Isgrove is Welsh, ha!

Thought the Chelsea keeper did well. Dominated his box claiming crosses in a way that FF could learn from.

Highlights:

https://southamptonfc.com/news/2017-03-06/highlights-southampton-under-23s-chelsea-premier-league-2

I watched the game last night and was impressed with Caceres and how confident he was on the ball. Showed a nice couple of touches in and around our penalty area when in a tricky position that got a warm round of applause from the brave souls at St Marys last night.

I am quietly confident he will slot into the back four well. However he has probably had harder training sessions than last nights game, only the training staff will know if he is sharp enough to the likes of Kane and Ali.

I was really hoping that last nights game would be a bit more full on to test him but both teams seemed to cancel each other out and there was hardly a single shot for either keeper to worry about.

Little bit concerned about Boufal. He is without doubt a very talented young man and I have to remember he is only 23 and playing in a foreign country and everything that goes with that. (My eldest is 22, lives in London because of work and suffers from bouts of homesickness)

I'm hoping his stroppy performance last night was just frustration of having to play with the U23's and the lack of any real quality around him......I'm sorry but Jrod needs to move on to kick start his career again (very sorry for the lad)

Caceras looked ok but always hard to tell quite how sharp he is for the speed of the Premier League in such a game. The u23s are due to play next Monday night again, this time away to Manchester United at Old Trafford, I'd play a strong team in that again with the aim to keep match fitness up.

I've seen Jones play a few times at centre back, definitely looks like a good prospect.

Considering Chelsea have so many players out on loan I thought the team they managed to put out was decent, must have so many young players stock piled there.

I watched the game last night and was impressed with Caceres and how confident he was on the ball. Showed a nice couple of touches in and around our penalty area when in a tricky position that got a warm round of applause from the brave souls at St Marys last night.

I am quietly confident he will slot into the back four well. However he has probably had harder training sessions than last nights game, only the training staff will know if he is sharp enough to the likes of Kane and Ali.

I was really hoping that last nights game would be a bit more full on to test him but both teams seemed to cancel each other out and there was hardly a single shot for either keeper to worry about.

 

Little bit concerned about Boufal. He is without doubt a very talented young man and I have to remember he is only 23 and playing in a foreign country and everything that goes with that. (My eldest is 22, lives in London because of work and suffers from bouts of homesickness)

I'm hoping his stroppy performance last night was just frustration of having to play with the U23's and the lack of any real quality around him......I'm sorry but Jrod needs to move on to kick start his career again (very sorry for the lad)

Thanks for the report - hoping Carceras get's a call up for the Spurs game. Sorry to hear about the Boufal spat dummy. I can understand his frustration in not nailing down a spot given who we are playing on the right wing/inside right at present. If we want to beat Spurs, Boufal needs to be involved.

We presumably knew all about Boufal's attitude when we signed him (a French friend said he's brilliant, but an idiot who doesn't care about the team when we signed him), so we probably should have known that playing him in a reserve match wouldn't go down well. And before anyone says 'he's a professional' or 'he should be proud to put on the shirt' etc etc, allow me to welcome you to the last decade of world football.

Only watched bits of it, but I would agree with this.

He coasted through the game and his distribution from the back was brilliant - especially in tight situations and when he was covering. I think a loan beckons next season but he looks really good.

Question - is Alfie Jones better than Stephens?

Question - is Alfie Jones better than Stephens?

Alfie doesn't have the game experience, but at his age, he's very accomplished.

Question - is Alfie Jones better than Stephens?

I think it's impossible to tell. Stephens would have coasted through that game too. Stephens has more experience than Jones so I would suspect he is better. Jones looks very good but at the same age so did Stephens. It's great to have another prospect at centre-half as I think its the hardest position to make a break in within the modern game.

I think they are similar in many ways.

Some of the posts on here are pretty unfair, so not sure if the posters actually went up to SMS last night to watch.

Hojberg played very well especially in the second half when he had found his touch and was strong on forward runs to their box.

Carceras was excellent as you might expect, read the game well, good movement. Always alert and moving to cover / intercept and great on the ball. Always running into space to provide an out ball for the goalie. It looks to be a case of strength and stamina now his quality is assured. Alfie Jones looks a prospect. McQueen was in and out certainly better in the second half but poor in first when all he did was pass backwards and did no runs down the wing.

Boufal got really badly done by the Chelsea No 6 right on his recently injured foot, it hurt him and he was ****ed off with it, understandable as the Chelsea guy had given him the roughhouse treatment all night. If it turns out his foot has been injured again having maybe not properly healed then no wonder he stormed off as he did. Could be a season ender for him. Having said that he was off at 58 minutes so that must have been pre-arranged to give him match time.

Our strikers were nothing short of inept all night, they created absolutely nothing between them people will focus on Rodrigues who was very poor indeed and lazy, gave the impression he couldn't be Rrsed. The academy boys fared little better just a couple of good moments from Sims but little else. Harry just zipped about all night running and crunching, he seems tireless.

Question - is Alfie Jones better than Stephens?

Potentially yes but he is very young still .....i actually though he looked a more mobile composed defender than carceres last night