Saints 'B' Team

[SuperSAINT]

15 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

1-1 Sims 

2-1 down 

[Dusic]

U18s lost to Brighton too.

Poor start for both teams this year. With also no players in the Eng U16 to U21 squads its a pretty poor showing from what is supposedly one of the top Academies in the country.

Interestingly Brighton have signed 5 or 6 players from around Europe this summer (and in the last 2 or 3 years) specifically to start in their U23s. We rarely ever do this, perhaps a missed opportunity?

Edited 3 October, 2020 by Dusic

[SuperSAINT]

Northampton v Saints B tonight in the EFL trophy. KO is at 7.30pm.

[captainchris]

It’s pretty obvious that despite various changes in management structure and personnel our quality of recruitment below the first team has been nothing short of abysmal. All this c AP about recruiting from the age of eight is really a bit of a stretch. There are plenty of lads who don’t begin to look like players until they are 16... 

Really we seem to be a generation behind at this moment in time when it comes the quality of our reserves and youth... 

 

[SuperSAINT]

 

[egg]

One nil down. Our old boy Joseph Mills scored. 

[Ed Rooney]

Wow.... Valery is toilet 

[S-Clarke]

4 minutes ago, Ed Rooney said:

Wow.... Valery is toilet 

Is it being streamed anywhere?

[Ed Rooney]

2 minutes ago, S-Clarke said:

Is it being streamed anywhere?

EFL i follow 

[SuperSAINT]

4-0 FFS

[GDog07]

1 hour ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

Quite sure at least six of those players starting have been near or in our first XI over the last year and a few just recently been playing Premier League football this season and they’re getting destroyed by a mediocre League One side.

Quite sad if that’s what we’ve got to show for our academy now.

[beatlesaint]

Who is this Kegs Chauke the media team have highlighted then?

Less said about Valery the better. I bloody hope KWP stays fit !!

[SuperSAINT]

1 minute ago, beatlesaint said:

Who is this Kegs Chauke the media team have highlighted then?

Less said about Valery the better. I bloody hope KWP stays fit !!

17 year old, centre-mid. 

[trousers]

1 hour ago, SuperSAINT said:

 

Poor result tonight but that looks like a bit of a makeshift line up. Only one centre back for example? There doesn't seem to be much consistency with our B team line ups so far this season so little chance of any gelling taking place. If we're gonna be serious about this concept of the B team shadowing the first team then I'd hope to see a bit more consistency in the line ups. (That said, I guess we can't / won't play the same line up across different competitions)

[SuperSAINT]

1 minute ago, trousers said:

Poor result tonight but that looks like a bit of a makeshift line up. Only one centre back for example? There doesn't seem to be much consistency with our B team line ups so far this season so little chance of any gelling taking place. If we're gonna be serious about this concept of the B team shadowing the first team then I'd hope to see a bit more consistency in the line ups. (That said, I guess we can't / won't play the same line up across different competitions)

I remember from previous years, the international call-up's mean a few players are missing.

[trousers]

7 minutes ago, beatlesaint said:

Who is this Kegs Chauke the media team have highlighted then?

 

[Dusic]

Quite a few in that side with first team experience so thats a shocking performance.

Something not right at U23 and U18 level - our record over the past 2 or 3 years has been awful.

[Harry_SFC]

2 minutes ago, Dusic said:

Quite a few in that side with first team experience so thats a shocking performance.

Something not right at U23 and U18 level - our record over the past 2 or 3 years has been awful.

Kinda backs up Ralph's thinking about getting Brandon Williams in on loan. A lot of our youngsters just aren't up to scratch yet, the others just aren't and won't be good enough (Valery, Slattery etc) 

[SuperSAINT]

14 minutes ago, Dusic said:

Quite a few in that side with first team experience so thats a shocking performance.

Something not right at U23 and U18 level - our record over the past 2 or 3 years has been awful.

Coaching? Recruitment? or both?

[Dusic]

10 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

Coaching? Recruitment? or both?

Both IMO.

I mentioned before, Brighton have signed a number of players for their U23s specifically and it helps to improve the quality generally which then helps the one or two that really have a chance of being first team players. We rarely do that and seem to have a mix of players who should have left ages ago, and U18 players who are still a million miles off the first team.

I mean, the win rates for U23 and U18 over the last 2 or 3 years must be less than 30%. There are no Saints in the Eng U16 to 21 squads.

Totally trading off our past reputation.

Edited 6 October, 2020 by Dusic

[SuperSAINT]

10 minutes ago, Dusic said:

Both IMO.

I mentioned before, Brighton have signed a number of players for their U23s specifically and it helps to improve the quality generally which then helps the one or two that really have a chance of being first team players. We rarely do that and seem to have a mix of players who should have left ages ago, and U18 players who are still a million miles off the first team.

I mean, the win rates for U23 and U18 over the last 2 or 3 years must be less than 30%. 

 

Results really do seem to have been bad for some time.  I wonder if Dan Ashworth played a role in their improvement?  

Been a long time since the days of Georges Prost.

Is Horseman still caretaker boss? 

Edited 6 October, 2020 by SuperSAINT

[trousers]

IIRC, in the season we won the Premier League 2 Cup (or whatever it was called), we had a pretty stable u23 side who had played together consistently. Repeating what I said earlier but every u23 / b team line up these days seems to be significantly different to the previous game. That surely can't help with player gelling which is a key influencing factor on team performance, can it?

Edited 6 October, 2020 by trousers

[SuperSAINT]

4 minutes ago, trousers said:

IIRC, in the season we won the Premier League 2 Cup (or whatever it was called), we had a pretty stable u23 side who had played together consistently. Repeating what I said earlier but every u23 / b team line up these days seems to be significantly different to the previous game. That surely can't help with player gelling which is a key influencing factor on team performance, can it?

Tonight was def different due to call up's.  We just seem a bit soft, with a knack of conceding late.

- Beat Arsenal away.

- Got smashed by Chelsea 4-1

- Lost to Stevenage 2-1 in the EFL trophy  (91st min winner)

- Drew with West Ham 2-2 (2-0 up, conceded in 88th min)

- Lost 2-1 to Spurs (84th minute winner)

[captainchris]

6 minutes ago, trousers said:

IIRC, in the season we won the Premier League 2 Cup (or whatever it was called), we had a pretty stable u23 side who had played together consistently. Repeating what I said earlier but every u23 / b team line up these days seems to be significantly different to the previous game. That surely can't help with player gelling which is a key influencing factor on team performance, can it?

While you say the reserve teams etc are inconsistent In personnel  one would suspect their opponents are mostly in the same boat so not sure the reasoning for poor performances cuts any ice.
The alarming thing which points to other factors is that not one of the players under the first team looks at all decent. Not one even looks the part.

There is a serious issue there. 

 

[Simon3737]

On a positive note, one disadvantage the B Team has is that quite a few of our under 23s are unavailable to them because they’re in the 1st team!

[SuperSAINT]

18 minutes ago, Simon3737 said:

On a positive note, one disadvantage the B Team has is that quite a few of our under 23s are unavailable to them because they’re in the 1st team!

Should throw Diallo & Salisu in to give them a boost   

[disconnect]

Some terrible results recently but it’s wrong to write off these players. Valery has had good games for the first team, but is potentially suffering from some personal issues which may or may not be affecting the young man. Slattery was highly regarded and think shows some promise, and Vokins did ok in his couple of appearances for the first team. Tella potentially not much more than bags of pace but shows good commitment and sure will learn from having someone like Walcott around. Jankewitz looks like he could be the real deal in a couple of years time too. 

[Dusic]

Best player from the B team so far this season has just moved to L1 on loan, which is telling.

There is nobody in this team who is going to make the step to the first team anytime soon.

[Pilchards]

We have a couple of superstars in our academy but the problem is they will only blossom with better players around them.

We need to sort our U16, 18’s etc as the pathway is stumbling IMHO.

[SuperSAINT]

Interesting to see how the B-team does now we’ve lost 2 of our better forwards.  Good chance for others to step up...

I suppose Tyreke Johnson will take up one of the spots. 

Edited 17 October, 2020 by SuperSAINT

[Over land and sea]

Under 18s beat Leicester  8 [EIGHT]-2 earlier

U18s v Leicester City U18s

 

[trousers]

Just now, Over land and sea said:

Under 18s beat Leicester  8 [EIGHT]-2 earlier

U18s v Leicester City U18s

 

The future's bright...

[SuperSAINT]

3 hours ago, Over land and sea said:

Under 18s beat Leicester  8 [EIGHT]-2 earlier

U18s v Leicester City U18s

 

Wow!  Fantastic result! (Don’t think they had won yet this season).

interesting to see Mitchell & Olaigbe back playing for U18’s as they’ve been with the B-Team a fair bit.

Good to see Babic chipping in with goals, too.

[SuperSAINT]

Not messing about!

 

 

Edited 18 October, 2020 by SuperSAINT

[SuperSAINT]

1-0 down.  Getting battered according to stats.

[northam soul]

22 minutes ago, SuperSAINT said:

1-0 down.  Getting battered according to stats.

Not a single pass in the whole game, no wonder we are pathetic 😁

[SuperSAINT]

Obafemi sent off

FT

Edited 18 October, 2020 by SuperSAINT

[stevy777_x]

At what point do we start pointing the finger at the coaching staff?

[qwertyell]

22 minutes ago, stevy777_x said:

At what point do we start pointing the finger at the coaching staff?

Should've been years ago. Our fabled youth development has been in total disrepair since Georges Prost left.

[stevy777_x]

16 minutes ago, qwertyell said:

Should've been years ago. Our fabled youth development has been in total disrepair since Georges Prost left.

I m surprised we haven t brought it specific youth coaches who know how to apply pressing and Ralph s style, people who really believe in the philosophy

[Dusic]

There is a Serbian midfielder in the U18s, Goran Babic who has been at Saints for a while, and has also been in England (and Serbia) age group training camps.

Has scored a few at the start of the season and from watching the goals of the U18s win vs Leicester last weekend, he looks a player.

One to watch.

[SuperSAINT]

1 minute ago, Dusic said:

There is a Serbian midfielder in the U18s, Goran Babic who has been at Saints for a while, and has also been in England (and Serbia) age group training camps.

Has scored a few at the start of the season and from watching the goals of the U18s win vs Leicester last weekend, he looks a player.

One to watch.

Makes a few incisive through-balls in the highlights video. 

[vin]

1 hour ago, Dusic said:

There is a Serbian midfielder in the U18s, Goran Babic who has been at Saints for a while, and has also been in England (and Serbia) age group training camps.

Has scored a few at the start of the season and from watching the goals of the U18s win vs Leicester last weekend, he looks a player.

One to watch.

Good write up on him here:

 

https://www.theguardian.com/football/ng-interactive/2020/oct/07/next-generation-2020-20-of-the-best-talents-at-premier-league-clubs

[daldridge7]

Did any one else see the Obafemi red card for the B team? They were waiting for a corner to come in, one of the Rovers defenders says something to him, and Obafemi just proper slaps him. This was really petulant from Obafemi, and Ralph was watching. I think he's very lucky we don't have many options up top, otherwise I could see Ralph permanently dropping him to the B team.

[SuperSAINT]

Yeah, I saw it. N’Lundulu did well to get him away.  Even he had a “WTF” look about it. 

[trousers]

1 hour ago, daldridge7 said:

Did any one else see the Obafemi red card for the B team? They were waiting for a corner to come in, one of the Rovers defenders says something to him, and Obafemi just proper slaps him. This was really petulant from Obafemi, and Ralph was watching. I think he's very lucky we don't have many options up top, otherwise I could see Ralph permanently dropping him to the B team.

 

1 hour ago, SuperSAINT said:

Yeah, I saw it. N’Lundulu did well to get him away.  Even he had a “WTF” look about it. 

Is there a link to where we can watch this? cheers

[daldridge7]

11 minutes ago, trousers said:

 

Is there a link to where we can watch this? cheers

It's the last clip of the highlights package https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2020-10-19/b-team-highlights-southampton-fc-0-1-blackburn-rovers-premier-league-2-2020-21. N'lundulu is shouting "Mikey what are you doing!" as he pushing him off the pitch. The B team so far has looked really strong on paper this season with plenty of league experience for this level, but the results have been appauling and the performances have been no better than last season despite the renewed approach. I'm not an expert in U-23 football, but you would have thought a Saints B team should be able to take Rovers U-23s even though Rovers do seem to have the top goalscorer in the league.

[Charlie Wayman]

Obafemi doesn't impress even at that level. I hope his career is not gong backwards.

No excuse at all for what he did whatever the provocation. 

Hard to see why our goal was disallowed.

[trousers]

31 minutes ago, trousers said:

 

Is there a link to where we can watch this? cheers

 

19 minutes ago, daldridge7 said:

It's the last clip of the highlights package https://www.southamptonfc.com/news/2020-10-19/b-team-highlights-southampton-fc-0-1-blackburn-rovers-premier-league-2-2020-21. 

Cheers 👍

 

1 hour ago, daldridge7 said:

Did any one else see the Obafemi red card for the B team? They were waiting for a corner to come in, one of the Rovers defenders says something to him, and Obafemi just proper slaps him. 

It may be a combination of my aging eyes and the camera angle but as far as I could tell, Obefemi shoved the Blackburn chap in the chest. Thought it had to be on the face for it to be a red card? As per the screenshot below, N'lundulu's preventative hand is actually closer to the Blackburn player's face than Obafemi's is.

Not tyring to defend Obafemi for the sake of it, as it was a daft thing to do regardless, but I couldn't see anything that warranted a red card (i.e. contact with face), unless my understanding of the rules are wide of the mark of course.

(By the way, talking of camera angles, that pitch level view was nigh on impossible to watch - the panning was far too fast due to the camera being too low. Need to get some elevation.)

Edited 20 October, 2020 by trousers

[trousers]

p.s. do U23 red cards get carried across to the Premier League?