Millwall 0-1 Saints - Match Thread

[Dark Munster]

28 minutes ago, Saint_clark said:

He pushed over the one they caught up with. 

As they say, when wolves are chasing you, you don’t have to outrun them, just be faster than the fat guy in your group. 

[Kenilworthy]

2 hours ago, Saint Billy said:

I remember a long long time ago when Keegan was playing for us, after the game at QPR, three of us were trying to get to my car and we were directed by police down this long road and told to hide our colours, Half way down the road we were onset by 30 QPR looking for blood. They caught up with one of our group of three and beat the shit out of him. Sounds like things haven't changed much.

Keegan never played for us against QPR. We didn't play them between 79 and 83. Could it have been the 1-0 win away in Feb 79?

[EssEffCee]

4 hours ago, for_heaven's_Saint said:

Leaving the ground was a joke too. I get that the station was shut so we had to go another way but forcing 3000 fans to squeeze between all of the coaches was just dangerous. 

Yeah you can tell the ground was designed primarily to combat hooliganism.

[OnceaSaintalwaysaSaint]

It also goes to show the benefit of having a balanced side rather than chopping and changing the personnel each week. In fact, with Bree in for Manning, it's difficult to see who is the weak link. Possibly Smallbone, but poster boy won't be left out anytime soon. 

With Stewart hopefully ready before Christmas, if he comes good, then there really will be good times ahead. 

[Master Bates]

Sorry if already posted

 

[Saint Billy]

4 hours ago, sfc4prem said:

How did you get away from 30 odd adults? Were you just a bit more pacey? 

Not at all, ran out of puff so stood my ground but by that time a bunch of saints fan came the other way and we welcomed the cavalry and then it all fizzled out.

[Saint Billy]

3 hours ago, Kenilworthy said:

Keegan never played for us against QPR. We didn't play them between 79 and 83. Could it have been the 1-0 win away in Feb 79?

Perhaps my memory is letting me down, plus I thought we lost. I think QPR had fake turf at the time.

[JRM]

9 hours ago, markr27 said:

Hopefully Bree will be fit for Saturday otherwise it'll be two changes to the defence as I understand Bednarek will be out suspended....

 

KWP Holgate THB Manning doesn't sound watertight!

Bree looked in a bit of discomfort going off, will be a shame if he's out injured for a bit, Bednarek suspension bad timing really need him next week, then have a two week break . 

West Brom attack well on the break , I think we'll really struggle against them next week especially if Holgate and Manning are 50% of our defence. 

[Dellyears]

Nobody mentions Jack Stephens these days, is he out long term? We need him.

[macca155]

3 hours ago, Saint Billy said:

Perhaps my memory is letting me down, plus I thought we lost. I think QPR had fake turf at the time.

They had an artificial pitch 81 to 88, Saints played them 7 or 8 times. I remember one of the games, the bounce was horrendous.

We spent the whole game chanting Subuteo at them.

Also we played Fulham there in the 90s.

Must admit its hard to remember all the London games

Edited 5 November, 2023 by macca155

[Saint Fan CaM]

Great to win especially with a last gasp goal. We did ride our luck at times…e.g. when they got the better of our defence and almost scored by hitting the bar. Generally though, every man did his job.

Think there’s still work to be done, but for me RM has now done enough to demonstrate his way is the right way.

 

[TheAlehouseBrawlers]

15 hours ago, Kenilworthy said:

Keegan never played for us against QPR. We didn't play them between 79 and 83. Could it have been the 1-0 win away in Feb 79?

I reckon it could have been 79, it was a lively day. There was a lot of Saints fans there, we had the big open terrace at one end but around kick-off a big mob of 'Warrens' announced their presence in the home end and played up until the OB ushered them out and down the side of the pitch up to the away terrace. There was trouble at half time too. After, we had just walked past the BBC in Wood Lane when we heard a 'commotion' somewhere, looking back down the road something was going on. I think there was a bit of hurt pride that day for the home boys. May tie in with what Saint Billy is saying.

[east-stand-nic]

12 hours ago, JRM said:

Bree looked in a bit of discomfort going off, will be a shame if he's out injured for a bit, Bednarek suspension bad timing really need him next week, then have a two week break . 

West Brom attack well on the break , I think we'll really struggle against them next week especially if Holgate and Manning are 50% of our defence. 

Season defining moment next week against WBA. Shame we will not be at full strength as likely that will cost us. They are hitting form. Cannot see us winning that one sadly.

[JRM]

55 minutes ago, east-stand-nic said:

Season defining moment next week against WBA. Shame we will not be at full strength as likely that will cost us. They are hitting form. Cannot see us winning that one sadly.

Agree I think a draw would be a good result with a patched up defence , good side WBA 

 

[Lighthouse]

8 minutes ago, JRM said:

Agree I think a draw would be a good result with a patched up defence , good side WBA 

 

It’d be an acceptable result, I can’t in all honesty say it’d be good, especially given the results we had in September and the draw with Rotherham.

[gio1saints]

Watching Liverpool get that injury time goal away to Luton just brought back all those ( many) times that was us conceding late late goals despite our brave performance against so called “ better” teams. 
Now it’s Saints who are the so-called “better team” more often than not in this league and it’s Saints getting those late late equalisers or winners. Deservedly or not. Played well or not. 
 

It is a good sign. It is a sign of resilience and belief  - resilience and belief that has been absent for far too long and which was so evident by its absence so often in seasons past.
 

Seven matches unbeaten does not mean we are past it - it’s still apparent at times out there especially the wobbly moments -  but it’s certainly good evidence that at last Saints are building something that is sustainable - a belief that, after years of being basically uncompetitive, that our football is good enough to be competitive at championship level and with this style in particular, hopefully EPL next season. 

And I mean competitive- not cannon fodder and a team to be pitied as being plucky losers or “ hard workers”  week after week as we get dicked by the top 15 and just hoping to avoid bottom three. 
I think this team , it’s mentality and it’s intelligence, technical skill and patience under RM are showing SOME good signs of that all season and MORE of it is evident each game . It’s a learning process and it seems to be happening. 

Yes there’s still some nonsense play to iron out for sure . We are still learning and football is still able to produce random ball bounces, injuries, suspensions, muddy pitches, rebounds and lucky or unlucky breaks for and against anyone - but the signs are promising and consistently so. Increasingly we are the masters of our own results. 

Let’s be clear though - it’s not a linear process - so it is to be EXPECTED when we lose to another team or it goes horribly wrong in a match or series of matches. Defeats and fuck ups are all part of the learning process. And you often learn more from the fuck ups than the easy wins. We are NOT Man City. 
 

It’s now game seven of our 30 match unbeaten run 😉😇COYS! 

Edited 6 November, 2023 by gio1saints

[spyinthesky]

I remember when we were first promoted to the top tier in 1966, we were in mid table for most of the season until Ted Bates signed full back Dave Webb who, if my memory is correct, scored on his debut at Wolves in a 1-1 draw, sometime in March/April.
Myself and a few mates from school were part of a small group of Saints fans who made the journey.
The team then went on a run of around 10 games unbeaten and ended up as runners up to Man City.
We need a similar run of games to get into the top 2 as results in the play offs are so uncertain.

[AlexLaw76]

2 hours ago, spyinthesky said:

I remember when we were first promoted to the top tier in 1966, we were in mid table for most of the season until Ted Bates signed full back Dave Webb who, if my memory is correct, scored on his debut at Wolves in a 1-1 draw, sometime in March/April.
Myself and a few mates from school were part of a small group of Saints fans who made the journey.
The team then went on a run of around 10 games unbeaten and ended up as runners up to Man City.
We need a similar run of games to get into the top 2 as results in the play offs are so uncertain.

Our run-in this season is pretty tasty...

[Hamilton Saint]

4 hours ago, spyinthesky said:

I remember when we were first promoted to the top tier in 1966, we were in mid table for most of the season until Ted Bates signed full back Dave Webb who, if my memory is correct, scored on his debut at Wolves in a 1-1 draw, sometime in March/April.
Myself and a few mates from school were part of a small group of Saints fans who made the journey.
The team then went on a run of around 10 games unbeaten and ended up as runners up to Man City.
We need a similar run of games to get into the top 2 as results in the play offs are so uncertain.

The away game versus Wolves was March 12th. It was an eleven-game unbeaten streak that followed (six wins and five draws).

Saints were runners up to Man City, and played them away for their last game of the season on Wednesday, May 18th. It was a 0-0 draw, which clinched promotion by one point.

I was at boarding school at the time in Shropshire (near Market Drayton)--in Form II of grammar school. Before that final game, Saints were even on 53 points with Coventry City, and had a +9 GD over them. The morning after the evening game, I rushed up to one of my teachers and asked him for the result. Football was a big deal at the school and we had kids from all over the country--supporters of Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle, Man U, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, etc. So the importance of this game was understood by most of the school's pupils and teachers, and I knew that the staff had a daily newspaper up in their common room. The teacher kept a straight face for a moment and told me that Saints had lost to Man City 0-10. My face fell for a moment, but the outlandishness of the score was hard to believe. "No!" I exclaimed in a combination of disappointment and disbelief, before my teacher admitted the real score a moment later; it was a 0-0 draw. Southampton were promoted to the First Division for the first time. Ecstasy!

[spyinthesky]

19 minutes ago, Hamilton Saint said:

The away game versus Wolves was March 12th. It was an eleven-game unbeaten streak that followed (six wins and five draws).

Saints were runners up to Man City, and played them away for their last game of the season on Wednesday, May 18th. It was a 0-0 draw, which clinched promotion by one point.

I was at boarding school at the time in Shropshire (near Market Drayton)--in Form II of grammar school. Before that final game, Saints were even on 53 points with Coventry City, and had a +9 GD over them. The morning after the evening game, I rushed up to one of my teachers and asked him for the result. Football was a big deal at the school and we had kids from all over the country--supporters of Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle, Man U, Man City, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, etc. So the importance of this game was understood by most of the school's pupils and teachers, and I knew that the staff had a daily newspaper up in their common room. The teacher kept a straight face for a moment and told me that Saints had lost to Man City 0-10. My face fell for a moment, but the outlandishness of the score was hard to believe. "No!" I exclaimed in a combination of disappointment and disbelief, before my teacher admitted the real score a moment later; it was a 0-0 draw. Southampton were promoted to the First Division for the first time. Ecstasy!

We were certain to go up unless we lost 6-0 to the champions Man City away on the last (midweek) game of the season.
Certainly dont remember the 9 goal difference with Coventry.
Malcolm Allison, I think was Manager or Asst Manager at Maine Rd at the time and was quoted in the press as saying City were looking to spank us 6-0.
There was no internet at the time and me and a couple of pals went to a local pub managed by a keen Saints fan who was in phone contact with someone up in Manchester.
We were too young to drink so hung around outside until the good news came through.
Recollect we played Man City first game next season at The Dell with Terry Paine scoring in a 1-1 draw in front of a paltry crowd of less than 20k with many supporters put off by a hike in prices.

[Badger]

1 hour ago, Hamilton Saint said:

 

Saints were runners up to Man City, and played them away for their last game of the season on Wednesday, May 18th. It was a 0-0 draw, which clinched promotion by one point.

; it was a 0-0 draw. Southampton were promoted to the First Division for the first time. Ecstasy!

I always thought promotion was clinched with a 1-1 draw away to Orient (Terry Paine scoring). 

[davefizzy14]

Excellent result for us and carries on the momentum that we are building. Seven now unbeaten. Lovely work from Arma and a smart finish from Ryan Fraser KWP my MOTM, just absolutely class Alcaraz also class under RM we are building something special