Match Day Thread Saints vs Spurs, Sat 18th March 3pm

This one takes place the day after Paddy’s day. We have an Irishman in goal, so granted the luck of the Irish, we can expect a clean sheet for Saints. Could do with Shane Long back for this one, but in truth it’s not luck we need in front of goal, it’s actual miracles.

Anyway, here’s some pictures;



State of that pitch ffs. Not that WHL would have been any better, that place was like Paschendale in January.



R.I.P. Dean Richards. Life is short, and we are fragile, even the toughest of us.



Sacked in the morning, you’re getting sacked in the morning…

Has there ever been a better atmosphere at St Mary’s than that January night, 20 years ago? If there has, I wasn’t there…

 

Saturday 18 March

SOU

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15:00

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TOT

Referee: Simon Hooper. Assistants: Adrian Holmes, Mark Scholes. Fourth official: John Busby. VAR: Tony Harrington. Assistant VAR: Simon Long.

 

Will Hooper be an improvement on Michael Salisbury, the ref for Saints v Brentford? Will he understand time wasting, and feigned injuries, and respond to them? I can see an entire squadron of porcine aviators lining up....

 

Should be. He's actually been one of the better referee's this season from what I've seen of him. Fair play to him, because he was Lee Mason level awful for the first few seasons.

 

Can see us winning this one. I know, I know...

 

Well done Archie nice pics and clip. Here's hoping it's start of a run that takes us to survival. We can get get something from this. What that will be, will be known after the customary game of two halves Saturday afternoon. I'd rather clap me hands than wet me bed

 

In gratitude for the thread I’ll forgive you for reminding me of the first time a footballer broke my heart Archers. Martin Chivers came second only to Big Ron in my young heart

 

I agree with that, he has certainly coped with the VAR and has got a lot more confident with his decison making, I think he recognises that his mistakes can be corrected and it's less responsibility on his shoulders alone.

 

You must be on some top quality gear

 

Same **** as for the MU, Chelsea and other unexpected successes.

 

Gotta get through the day somehow!

No, they’re a mess at the moment, and fiercely inconsistent. They’ll also come at us, which means we won’t need to find space, like we did against Brentford (and which we’re horrible at).

I mean, you’d not put money on it, but I think it’s a better game for us than Brentford was.

 

Can we practice crosses please. We are absolutely **** at them. Onuachu had no service at all, and with someone so tall its baffling.
Raya had the time of his life last night.

 

If you gave me a ball in a crossing position, and told me to cross it but avoid the 6ft 7 guy in the middle, I’d find that really hard!

 

Antonio Conte has confirmed Hugo Lloris is still not back for Spurs this weekend.…….big Fraz it is then.

 

I was watching from The Northam End, but it seemed that as soon as 'Tall Paul' Onuachu got on to the pitch, especially in their penalty area, all crosses from Saints were fired low along the ground. This may have been an attempt at a double bluff, as Brentford would be expecting high balls to Onuachu, so they may not be ready for low crosses, but it was probably an indication of our players inability to cross.

 

They started the second half brightly with drilling low balls into the near post, admittedly they were from KWP and his good movement to create them, then it just felt like it kinda lumbered back in the first half again.

 

So, forget about aiming shots for the corners, just aim near his feet.

 

If Tall Paul gets some minutes, and if I was in charge, I would be telling him to position himself outside the back post, on the fullbacks, most of whom tend to be shorter than the CBs. Work a switch with the wide player cutting inside in the hope that TP can knock the ball back into the middle of the box. And make sure that at least 2 midfielders are following in as well.

 

Great night I remember well. Would like some of those players in our current team. Ain that season Beattie, Niemi and M Svennson were some players

 

With Bridge and Dodd, what a defence we had. Didn’t concede many with that team, and Beattie had the outstanding two seasons of his career with us.