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Match Day Thread Saints vs Newcastle Saturday 7th March 3pm

Discussion in 'Southampton' started by Che’s Godlike Thighs, Mar 2, 2020.

  1. San Tejón

    San Tejón Well-Known Member

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    First half Gayle was finding acres of space between the centre backs. Better strikers, which Norwich and Watford have, would have buried us today, on that performance. Three points against either team will be a massive result for us, should we get them.
    It was my Geordie mate’s birthday this week and I told him that Saints would gift him 3 points. I wasn’t wrong. A red card, a silly penalty and an assist is as big a gift as we could give.
     
    #361
  2. Ian Thumwood

    Ian Thumwood Well-Known Member

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    The result today is one with mixed emotions. From the point when Djenepo got the red card and up until we conceded the goal, I thought that we maintained our shape really well with the disadvantage of being reduced to ten men. For this period I felt that it was a good team performance with some excellent contributions from Alex McCarthy.

    However, I have to say that I found the result to be deeply disappointing. For the first ten minutes we battered Newcastle but once they got their game together I felt that Newcastle should have had the game sewn up half time. If we had gone in at the break 3-0 down, I do not think we could have considered ourselves unlucky, Once we conceded the goal, the team seemed acknowledge defeat and the result was never in doubt. I don't think I am being too negative saying this but think it needs to be said that inability to win at home is making me have grave reservations about the ability of Ralph. It is becoming hugely depressing either scraping a draw or getting turned over by a team like Newcastle who are decidedly mediocre and arrived at St Marys with very few ideas.

    Part of me thinks that Ralph has been seriously unlucky. I do not feel that the board has backed his ambition and he is not to blame for the lack of depth in the squad. The injuries to Redmond and Armstrong have been a hammer blow in my opinion and I think that incidents like the red card for Djenepo this afternoon are things that you cannot legislate for. That said, playing both Djenepo and Boufal in the same starting XI has been shown to be risky and, in the circumstances with his bereavement, you do question the logic of selecting Djenepo. Retaining Valery at left back eventually culminated in the error that lead to the goal.

    It is a really difficult situation to judge. I think that Saints have been unlucky this afternoon but, by the same token, they were up against a mediocre and modest Newcastle team from who we should be expected to take the three points. I do not think we will get relegated but I also think we will probably only just scrape 40 points. It is fortunate that there are some woeful teams in the league this season. Come May, I think most fans will look back at 19/20 and think that there has not really been any progress. Those players who were brought in last summer have either shown flashes of brilliance or have failed to make any impression whatsoever. I still think Adams will come good. This afternoon summed up this season for me as I can appreciate both the good and bad elements of the match. The club is going to need to seriously strengthen the squad in the summer but Ralph is also going to have to start churning out results at home. I am beginning to lose patience with him as the progress is so intermittent that it is often difficult to see whether or not we are moving forward under his guidance. Granted the sending off dictated how the game was played this afternoon yet there were signs beforehand that the game would not go our own way. In a nutshell, Ralph needs to start delivering at St Marys. I think fans have been patient enough.
     
    #362
  3. tomw24

    tomw24 Well-Known Member
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    And yet they nearly ballsed it up. <laugh>
     
    #363
  4. Archers Road

    Archers Road Urban Spaceman

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    A bitter pill to swallow. But if we’re determined to find someone or something to blame, it can only be Var. It has to go in the bin this summer, for the sake of the game.
     
    #364
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  5. Romsey_Saint

    Romsey_Saint Well-Known Member

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    Well, result panned out to my prematch concerns. Lawro was spot on with his prediction today: that makes this loss so much more annoying!

    Felt Ralph got the Long substitution wrong today. Given the time left in the game the substitution he should have made was to have brought on Romeu not Adams. Incidently have not conceded twice now as soon as Adams has come on recently? Not saying the poor lad is to blame but somewhat ironic that a nonscoring striker comes on only to see the ball on our net!

    We are on a slump at the moment. We march on, top ten is disappearing, hopefully 16th or above is sustainable.

    Back to the Bombay Sapphire, bit more tonic now that l have had a few.
     
    #365
  6. Archers Road

    Archers Road Urban Spaceman

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    Ralph has nothing to prove to me. A few of the players do, but I can’t fault any of them for effort today.
     
    #366
  7. Libby

    Libby 9-0

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    Norwich.
     
    #367
  8. st_brendy

    st_brendy Well-Known Member
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    I absolutely agreed with that until last Monday.

    But now that Arsenal will be a midweek, I'm annoyed. It'll be off the back on a weekend game now, so less time to recover.

    On the flip side, Djenepo won't be suspended for it (assuming it is rearranged for after the City game), and Redmond has a better chance of being available.
     
    #368
  9. Saintmagic

    Saintmagic Well-Known Member

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    They have a few players I would take, a lot of young talent there imo. Probably too many in the same side though.

    Aaron’s, Lewis, Godfrey, Cantwell and Buendia would all be very good in another side

    Still think on paper Sheff Utds squad is terrible for a PL team, despite how well they are doing
     
    #369
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  10. mowgli

    mowgli Well-Known Member

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    This. So many people pointing out with the benefit of hindsight that the mistake was inevitable given his long lay off. But he looked sharp all game apart from that one moment. He was almost in tears at the end.
     
    #370

  11. Saints Fan4Life

    Saints Fan4Life Well-Known Member

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    Scapegoat of the week, unfortunately.
     
    #371
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  12. St. Luigi Scrosoppi

    St. Luigi Scrosoppi Well-Known Member

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    But we don't win winnable ****ing games.
     
    #372
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  13. mowgli

    mowgli Well-Known Member

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    Harsh. I think we have a decent team that needs to be improved to challenge that top half of the table. Sadly, we will never have a proven quality player like Suarez, De Bruyne or Martial queuing up to join Saints. There best we can hope for is the occasional Walcott, Bale or VVD passing through. What I mean is most of our players will make game changing errors. Ralph needs to minimise them but very few teams eliminate them. Hell, even Stones cost £47m and is criticised for his game changing mistakes.
     
    #372
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  14. Ian Thumwood

    Ian Thumwood Well-Known Member

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    It is a conundrum because there have been moments when everything has clicked and you start to appreciate how good the team could be if they all bought in to what you assume is Ralph's vision. The football is probably more attractive under Ralph when it works than under the previous three incumbents in the manager's post yet the home form is abysmal. I keep wondering when are we ever doing to watch a match where the opposition's forwards are going to be shut out completely and we press throughout the match with the consequence that the victory is comprehensive. We have not really experienced this since Koeman was in charge.

    I always used to go to the home matches expecting a victory or at least a hard fought battle if it was against one of the top teams that particular season. Watching Ralph's teams at home this past 15 months always seems to have the air of expectancy about it yet the results constantly fail to deliver. Granted that we have turned in some impressive away performances under his tenure, I think he has seriously under-achieved at home. It is a strange situation because I feel that Ralph is under performing but I believe he has the ability. We need to start winning at home in the last few remaining fixtures if he is to be convincing as manager next season. I would have to say that given the dross served up by previous managers, the fans have been very supportive of Ralph and tended to get behind him. I think he needs to grind out some results at St Marys that demonstrates that this trust has not been misplaced and would add that this is starting to be a bit overdue.
     
    #373
  15. mowgli

    mowgli Well-Known Member

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    Heard quite a few fans today saying this is their last season at SMS because of VAR. I'm genuinely concerned for the future of our game. VAR is compensating for crap refereeing. What we need are more officials on or alongside the pitch watching play from different angles and conferring before key decisions. Works for NFL (albeit they also have VAR - but the multi angle is still the key).
     
    #374
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  16. Libby

    Libby 9-0

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    I'd like to see what Ralph could do with a CB and CM of his own, every good team needs a spine and we're still lacking in those areas imo.
     
    #375
  17. Libby

    Libby 9-0

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    Nonsense - I was making it all up in the Summer about it ruining the live spectacle remember...



    On the plus side it could be good for the non league game.
     
    #376
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  18. saintrichie123

    saintrichie123 Well-Known Member

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    Was just thinking VVD done a worse challenge than Djenepo earlier in the season and not a sniff of a red card .......funny that.
     
    #377
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  19. thereisonlyoneno7

    thereisonlyoneno7 Well-Known Member

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    2011/12 36
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    Yes. Points to stay up last 5 years........
     
    #378
  20. Saints Fan4Life

    Saints Fan4Life Well-Known Member

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    This is what pisses me off the most. It's the inconsistency between teams getting a decision or not. Usually biased towards the bigger teams, of course.
     
    #379
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  21. ----HistoryRepeating----

    ----HistoryRepeating---- Well-Known Member

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    I'm not even sure its the bigger teams. Its just the inconsistency which is doing my head in. Sheff Utd & Burnley quite often get away with crunching tackles that we seemingly are not allowed to make. Wait till you see Flack later, he does two in the first half and does not even get spoken to. I've got no issues with those clubs, just the subjective nature of the decisions.
     
    #380

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