Saints 3-1 Fulham - Match Thread

[Baird of the land]

1 hour ago, S-Clarke said:

I just think it removes balance. We saw Vestergaard move to right sided CB the other night, only to quickly revert that right round. He doesn't look as comfortable to me.

I think if we lose Vestergaard, ( if Stephens isn't first choice too), we lose much of the ability on the ball. So far what i've seen of Salisu he looks limited in that regard like Bednarek which i don't think is ideal.

[davefizzy14]

1 hour ago, VectisSaint said:

They can play together at CB, they did yesterday, and last week. We are playing 3 at the back, and they work together very well. It looks like Ralph is heading back to his preferred/original formation of 3 at the back (hence Bertrand's desire not to stay), and Stephens, Vestegaard and Salisu seem to have already built up a good understanding in this formation, with Vest playing slightly deeper than the other two. Bednarek can presumably fit in as well, in place of Stephens if required, though on the evidence of the last few games Stephens is superior, and brings more to the team in terms of his organisation and vocal qualities. If we revert to 4 at the back then Salisu will get opportunities if Vest stays, and they have played together in a 4  already which didn't seem to be a problem (surprisingly, because I thought they would struggle).

 

Exactly this. Yesterday it looked to me like a back three. Jack was outstanding yesterday, he made two goal saving blocks and his leadership qualities stand out. Salisu is dominant in the air and a hugely exciting centre back. Jannik's passing is on another level so all compliment each other very well.

Very comfortable win for us yesterday, good finishes from Che, Tella and Theo. So chuffed for Tella and you could see how much it meant to him good tactics from Ralph to sub Ingsy and Stuart and wrap them both up in cotton wool for next week I honestly don't get the slagging off of Redmond. Yes ok he's been a bit more defensive recently but its probably because hes been instructed to do just that especially with Ryan being out. He puts in a real shift.

Onto Tuesday COYR

Edited 16 May, 2021 by davefizzy14

[Matthew Le God]

7 minutes ago, davefizzy14 said:

Exactly this. Yesterday it looked to me like a back three.

It was two formations... the normal 4222 without the ball and pressing to win the ball back, transitioning to 343 with the ball with Redmond and Walker-Peters as wing backs

Edited 16 May, 2021 by Matthew Le God

[Chickendippers]

3 hours ago, goodymatt said:

Exactly this. I also think the absence of a natural overlapping LB gave Redmond less options when trying to go forward and he ended up trying to do it all himself and wasting it. So naturally defaulted to Ralph’s plan to pass and probe centrally.

That being said, neither Minamino or Redmond affected the game enough yesterday and thought the changes were about 15 mins late.

Prioritising Ings and Armstrong’s minutes was the right decision though with their history of 3 games in a week, so one of Minamino or Redderz was going to play the full 90.

I've not read the match thread yet but I expect Redmond will come in for some flack. I thought he was instructed to play more defensively to cover the 3 at the back to let Walker-Peters to get forward and did a reasonable job but offensively he wasn't very good and rarely took his man on.

[Whitey Grandad]

14 minutes ago, davefizzy14 said:

Exactly this. Yesterday it looked to me like a back three. Jack was outstanding yesterday, he made two goal saving blocks and his leadership qualities stand out. Salisu is dominant in the air and a hugely exciting centre back. Jannik's passing is on another level so all compliment each other very well.

Very comfortable win for us yesterday, good finishes from Che, Tella and Theo. So chuffed for Tella and you could see how much it meant to him good tactics from Ralph to sub Ingsy and Stuart and wrap them both up in cotton wool for next week I honestly don't get the slagging off of Redmond. Yes ok he's been a bit more defensive recently but its probably because hes been instructed to do just that especially with Ryan being out. He puts in a real shift.

Onto Tuesday COYR

I’ve tried to keep out of it but I can’t let that go unchallenged.

Outstanding? Apart from his part in their goal that is. He really must learn to stick with the player and not go chasing the ball. If he could cut out his lapses in concentration and concentrate on his marking rather than relying on last ditch blocks then he might develop into a useful player.

[davefizzy14]

2 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

I’ve tried to keep out of it but I can’t let that go unchallenged.

Outstanding? Apart from his part in their goal that is. He really must learn to stick with the player and not go chasing the ball. If he could cut out his lapses in concentration and concentrate on his marking rather than relying on last ditch blocks then he might develop into a useful player.

Well Efan Ekoku said just that on the Sky commentary yesterday and Dave Merrington said Jack was very good yesterday so I'd rather listen to their opinion thanks mate. 

[Matthew Le God]

3 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

I’ve tried to keep out of it but I can’t let that go unchallenged.

Outstanding? Apart from his part in their goal that is. He really must learn to stick with the player and not go chasing the ball. If he could cut out his lapses in concentration and concentrate on his marking rather than relying on last ditch blocks then he might develop into a useful player.

One mistake for the goal doesn't outweigh everything else a player does in a match. This is how you get fans writing off a player as they focus on the limited number of mistakes they make rather than all the good things a player does during the rest of the 90 minutes. 

I certainly don't want Stephens as a first choice starter for us, but as a 4th choice centre back he is a good option in the squad and we'd struggle to find a better 4th choice option.

[Lord Duckhunter]

4 minutes ago, davefizzy14 said:

Well Efan Ekoku said just that on the Sky commentary yesterday and Dave Merrington said Jack was very good yesterday so I'd rather listen to their opinion thanks mate. 

Didn’t Ekoku mention him as a potential MoM? 

[davefizzy14]

Just now, Lord Duckhunter said:

Didn’t Ekoku mention him as a potential MoM? 

Yes precisely that.

[VectisSaint]

37 minutes ago, Whitey Grandad said:

I’ve tried to keep out of it but I can’t let that go unchallenged.

Outstanding? Apart from his part in their goal that is. He really must learn to stick with the player and not go chasing the ball. If he could cut out his lapses in concentration and concentrate on his marking rather than relying on last ditch blocks then he might develop into a useful player.

Yes he was outstanding yesterday, he did make one mistake whi h of course lead to the goal, but he covered mistakes by others and prevented several other chances. Effing Okuku was going to name him man of the match but his one error made him go with Adams instead. Take your hate blinkers off, and try judging his performance on the play not the player. Since he has been back in the team we have looked so much better, though I wouldn't suggest that is entirely down to him of course. 

[Whitey Grandad]

5 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

Yes he was outstanding yesterday, he did make one mistake whi h of course lead to the goal, but he covered mistakes by others and prevented several other chances. Effing Okuku was going to name him man of the match but his one error made him go with Adams instead. Take your hate blinkers off, and try judging his performance on the play not the player. Since he has been back in the team we have looked so much better, though I wouldn't suggest that is entirely down to him of course. 

I don’t hate Stevens. I’m just not a fan. He’s a liability waiting to happen. As my daughter once said of Benali, “It’s not his fault that he’s not very good”.

Their goal might have been important but fortunately we were good enough to score three but such errors need to be eradicated no matter who makes them. “Apart from that Mrs. Lincoln how was the play?”

There’s no room for sentiment in professional football.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

7 minutes ago, VectisSaint said:

Yes he was outstanding yesterday, he did make one mistake whi h of course lead to the goal, but he covered mistakes by others and prevented several other chances. Effing Okuku was going to name him man of the match but his one error made him go with Adams instead. Take your hate blinkers off, and try judging his performance on the play not the player. Since he has been back in the team we have looked so much better, though I wouldn't suggest that is entirely down to him of course. 

Agree with this. Have been a critic of Stephens in the past, however yesterday he was very good. I think he is one of those players who really struggles against the top class players and is limited in his defending. The problem is that he often gets complacent and lacks ninety minutes total concentration. As mentioned before, as a fourth choice centre back we won't do much better. To be fair to him, he never bitches about being out of the team and just keeps his head down and waits for another opportunity. I certainly wouldn't blame him he if he wanted to start more games and sought a moveone to the likes of one of the promoted teams.

[sadoldgit]

45 minutes ago, Lord Duckhunter said:

Didn’t Ekoku mention him as a potential MoM? 

He did have a good game (apart from his usual brain fart that led to a goal) but it doesn’t mean than he is any better than 4th choice. He is fine as a squad member but should not and won’t be starting every game.

[saintwbu]

I’m hoping that Bednarek’s disastrous form since January has made people realise that there really isn’t much between him and Stephens. Both on their day can be great, both are prone to lapses. Personally for me, Stephens has never had a run of form as bad as Jan has been on this year, and Stephens is more of a leader/fighter, so he’d be my preference to be honest. Bednarek gets away with murder on here imo.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

Just now, saintwbu said:

I’m hoping that Bednarek’s disastrous form since January has made people realise that there really isn’t much between him and Stephens. Both on their day can be great, both are prone to lapses. Personally for me, Stephens has never had a run of form as bad as Jan has been on this year, and Stephens is more of a leader/fighter, so he’d be my preference to be honest. Bednarek gets away with murder on here imo.

Agree that Bednarek can be horrific at times, can even arse up the most simplest of things. Even stranger to think that he is a mainstay in the Polish national team.

[Lord Duckhunter]

7 minutes ago, saintwbu said:

I’m hoping that Bednarek’s disastrous form since January has made people realise that there really isn’t much between him and Stephens. Both on their day can be great, both are prone to lapses. Personally for me, Stephens has never had a run of form as bad as Jan has been on this year, and Stephens is more of a leader/fighter, so he’d be my preference to be honest. Bednarek gets away with murder on here imo.

He’s better on the ball as well. Good passer too. 

[Whitey Grandad]

19 minutes ago, saintwbu said:

I’m hoping that Bednarek’s disastrous form since January has made people realise that there really isn’t much between him and Stephens. Both on their day can be great, both are prone to lapses. Personally for me, Stephens has never had a run of form as bad as Jan has been on this year, and Stephens is more of a leader/fighter, so he’d be my preference to be honest. Bednarek gets away with murder on here imo.

We need better than both.

[S-Clarke]

I don't mind Stephens, he's improved enormously since Ralph has been in. Although, as he saw against Palace (the Benteke chance) he is still liable for an absolute nightmare. Although most of our CB's are, to be honest.

No problem with him being part of our squad, I wouldn't have him as one of our starting centre backs though. 

[washsaint]

There are some right t***s on here - Jack was excellent yesterday and I don;t think it is any coincidence we have looked stronger since he came back in the side.  Certainly even at LB he offered more leadership and control than Bertrand for most of the season.

The posters that say "mistakes can't happen" are clueless - everyone makes mistakes, even the top, top players.

Stephens has leadership qualities that are sadly lacking from our squad.  The comments about Benali sum things up: I would rather have leaders and 100% committed players out there giving it their all rather than players who are not committed and disappear when the going gets tough (which is most of our squad).

[VictiAbNonem]

About 1:45 in Ralph says of Tella

"When I see him, uh, performing like does in a moment, that gives me, yah, a big er . . . . . . . . . . .  uh I enjoy it really to watch it yeah"

I'm sure he wanted to say 'hard on'

Southampton 3-1 Fulham: Ralph Hasenhuttl praises 'biggest talent' Nathan Tella - BBC Sport

[WALK DMC]

33 minutes ago, washsaint said:

There are some right t***s on here - Jack was excellent yesterday and I don;t think it is any coincidence we have looked stronger since he came back in the side.  Certainly even at LB he offered more leadership and control than Bertrand for most of the season.

The posters that say "mistakes can't happen" are clueless - everyone makes mistakes, even the top, top players.

Stephens has leadership qualities that are sadly lacking from our squad.  The comments about Benali sum things up: I would rather have leaders and 100% committed players out there giving it their all rather than players who are not committed and disappear when the going gets tough (which is most of our squad).

I agree with most of what you say, particularly the organisation, commitment and leadership that he brings to the team. But ......... I think it is the high volume of fundamental mistakes that Jack makes that worries the posters. He was clearly at fault for the goal, and nearly gave Palace a route back into the game on Tuesday with another slip. Everyone makes mistakes, but it is the number and simple type of errors that magnify the problem. 

From my perspective, Jack is a valuable member of the squad, but unless he can cut out the number of big mistakes he won't be a member of the starting 11 on a regular basis. 

 

[captainchris]

7 hours ago, Whitey Grandad said:

I’ve tried to keep out of it but I can’t let that go unchallenged.

Outstanding? Apart from his part in their goal that is. He really must learn to stick with the player and not go chasing the ball. If he could cut out his lapses in concentration and concentrate on his marking rather than relying on last ditch blocks then he might develop into a useful player.

Unfortunately that sounded like an excellent description for Bednarek.... 

[Whitey Grandad]

2 minutes ago, captainchris said:

Unfortunately that sounded like an excellent description for Bednarek.... 

He doesn’t make mistakes when he isn’t playing either

[LiberalCommunist]

I've really enjoyed the last few games. We were very much in danger of limping over the line, with bucket loads of fan discontent. But we have been shown a glimmer once again. There's a lot of work to be done this summer, and our recruitment needs to be spot on. But I'm personally really pleased that Ralph has started to get a tune from the lads in the run in. No doubt there's better managers out there, but I wouldn't trust us to find one if he left.

Lets nab six points from the last two, steal 12th, and send off some of the lads to the euro's in good form and fitness.

One week left, lets enjoy it. 

 

[VictiAbNonem]

Who was our last as exciting as Tella youth prospect breaking in to the first team?

They have to have touched the ball in the Premier League, so Jankewitz doesn't count!

[Lee On Solent Saint]

15 minutes ago, VictiAbNonem said:

Who was our last as exciting as Tella youth prospect breaking in to the first team?

They have to have touched the ball in the Premier League, so Jankewitz doesn't count!

I didn't realise he was nearly 22. Very late developer. 

[VictiAbNonem]

5 minutes ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

I didn't realise he was nearly 22. Very late developer. 

He is indeed. But I'm not sure that has to count against his potential for us; we often see younger players who briefly burn brighter and then fade quickly to obscurity.

[Lee On Solent Saint]

Just now, VictiAbNonem said:

He is indeed. But I'm not sure that has to count against his potential for us; we often see younger players who briefly burn brighter and then fade quickly to obscurity.

Absolutely agree. We have had a lot of younger players touted as the next big thing only for them to disappear down the leagues. Sounds like we have been pretty sensible with Tella so far, hopefully he can really push on next season.

[Jeremy]

On 16/05/2021 at 03:58, warsash saint said:

Postives - Tella, Salisu, Adams, another win

Negatives - Having to read the drivel posted by Saint_Clark on this thread!

Noticed this yesterday but my daily quota was up when I did. I know SFA about football but "Drivel's" harsh.  He or she is just expressing an opinion.

[Singapore Saint]

6 hours ago, VictiAbNonem said:

About 1:45 in Ralph says of Tella

"When I see him, uh, performing like does in a moment, that gives me, yah, a big er . . . . . . . . . . .  uh I enjoy it really to watch it yeah"

I'm sure he wanted to say 'hard on'

Southampton 3-1 Fulham: Ralph Hasenhuttl praises 'biggest talent' Nathan Tella - BBC Sport

You're watching too much BBC 😉 

[Saint Garrett]

11 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

Absolutely agree. We have had a lot of younger players touted as the next big thing only for them to disappear down the leagues. Sounds like we have been pretty sensible with Tella so far, hopefully he can really push on next season.

He also suffered a bad injury a few years ago, which scuppered his development somewhat.

N'Lundulu is also 22, Obafemi is still only 20. Personally think he's one worth persevering with for a few years yet if he can get his application right.

[saintwbu]

12 hours ago, VictiAbNonem said:

Who was our last as exciting as Tella youth prospect breaking in to the first team?

They have to have touched the ball in the Premier League, so Jankewitz doesn't count!

Josh Sims was the last player to get me on the edge of my seat who’s come through our academy. Can’t remember who his debut was against, I want to say home to Everton? But he was electric that night, and some other games too.

[NorthLondonSFC]

He was instrumental in everything Southampton did last Tuesday against Crystal Palace.

Danny Ings and Che Adams may have got the goals that night but it is Ward-Prowse who makes my team. The Saints demolished the Eagles and then did the same to Fulham a few days later, with Adams, Nathan Tella and Theo Walcott scoring this time, and Ward-Prowse getting an assist.

Ward-Prowse, in my opinion, has been Southampton's player of the season. They will do well to keep him. He's a Liverpool player if ever I saw one.

[DT]

On 14/05/2021 at 22:11, Saint_clark said:

Showing why the assist stat can be so misleading, it was an atrocious cross that Ings made something out of with a Bergkamp-esque first touch. 

quite

[DT]

16 hours ago, washsaint said:

There are some right t***s on here - Jack was excellent yesterday and I don;t think it is any coincidence we have looked stronger since he came back in the side.  Certainly even at LB he offered more leadership and control than Bertrand for most of the season.

The posters that say "mistakes can't happen" are clueless - everyone makes mistakes, even the top, top players.

Stephens has leadership qualities that are sadly lacking from our squad.  The comments about Benali sum things up: I would rather have leaders and 100% committed players out there giving it their all rather than players who are not committed and disappear when the going gets tough (which is most of our squad).

Agree with this. Leadership and being vocal are important to this team, because we lack 'fight' and precisely that sometimes. JWP is a great player, but not a blood-stirring captain. So yes, if Stephens is getting into that zone, that augurs well. Hurrah

[igsey]

Strikes me that a lot of the comments around Stephens are similar to ones we saw about Yoshida a few years back... good on his day but always has a mistake in him. Yoshi eventually sorted that out. Hope Jack can too, I like him a lot as a player and is also excellent and winding up opposition hot-heads.

[waylander]

20 hours ago, Lee On Solent Saint said:

I didn't realise he was nearly 22. Very late developer. 

Missed a season with ACL rupture

[Medrurkin]

22 hours ago, LiberalCommunist said:

I've really enjoyed the last few games. We were very much in danger of limping over the line, with bucket loads of fan discontent. But we have been shown a glimmer once again. There's a lot of work to be done this summer, and our recruitment needs to be spot on. But I'm personally really pleased that Ralph has started to get a tune from the lads in the run in. No doubt there's better managers out there, but I wouldn't trust us to find one if he left.

Lets nab six points from the last two, steal 12th, and send off some of the lads to the euro's in good form and fitness.

One week left, lets enjoy it. 

 

12th not likely, Newcastle have Fulham and Sheffield Utd to play, and whilst Wilson is injured, St Maximin and Willock should see them off. Frankly, I'll be gobsmacked if we get 6 more points, I'll be very pleased if we got 2.

[Sunglasses Ron]

9 hours ago, NorthLondonSFC said:

He was instrumental in everything Southampton did last Tuesday against Crystal Palace.

Danny Ings and Che Adams may have got the goals that night but it is Ward-Prowse who makes my team. The Saints demolished the Eagles and then did the same to Fulham a few days later, with Adams, Nathan Tella and Theo Walcott scoring this time, and Ward-Prowse getting an assist.

Ward-Prowse, in my opinion, has been Southampton's player of the season. They will do well to keep him. He's a Liverpool player if ever I saw one.

Crooks is such a twat!

[Matthew Le God]

1 hour ago, Medrurkin said:

12th not likely, Newcastle have Fulham and Sheffield Utd to play, and whilst Wilson is injured, St Maximin and Willock should see them off. Frankly, I'll be gobsmacked if we get 6 more points, I'll be very pleased if we got 2.

If Newcastle win both games and Saints draw both... we'd be level on 45 points and Saints currently have the better GD.

Edited 17 May, 2021 by Matthew Le God

[VectisSaint]

20 hours ago, Matthew Le God said:

If Newcastle win both games and Saints draw both... we'd be level on 45 points and Saints currently have the better GD.

GD is currently 3 better, if Newcastle win both and we draw both GD will be at best 1 different. If they win one match by 2 goals and score more than 4 goals than us they would go above us.