I was at a different match to most of you today

[Icy Gull]

Yes we got out thought by Burley and in the first 15 we could have been 3 down. I thought that had something to do with the quality of Fuller in particular and the fact that some of the best corners I've seen this season came in one after the other.

At no stage did I feel that the team weren't trying though, as plenty of opinions on here seem to suggest. We had our chance with CKR to pull it back and it was all over shortly after that. We matched Southampton pretty well after the break and although CKR missed our best chance, he also was instrumental in us posing what threat we did.

Southampton had better players than us throughout the team and huff and puff wasn't enough today, but accusing the players of lack of effort and not being up for it is an easy option when it was clear that were outclassed and out thought when it mattered.

Pissed off but not shocked

 

[Dave the OAP]

you were at a different game

 

[Yorkie]

No, you were at the same game as me.

We were beaten by a better team.
Some supporters just cannot admit that.

 

[Ernest]

No, you were at the same game as me.

We were beaten by a better team.
Some supporters just cannot admit that.

I think most people agree with Easy 10 .....

After the lethargic, gutless display by the players today, its probably just as well. I don't think I could take another fixture of "false hope". Today truley was do-or-die. Beat a piss-poor Southampton, and with the results having gone how they went today, we'd have been in with a REAL sniff of somehow getting out of this. The team showed again today that they just don't have the quality, which we've obviously known for a while. What was even worse though, was that they showed they don't even have the fight any more. They came out in the first half and played as though it was an end-of-season kickabout with nothing to play for. No spark, no drive, no leadership. Players really just going through the motions.

 

[Dave the OAP]

of course we were beaten by a better team,no shit sherlock, as we have been most of this season, it was the manner of the defeat that makes us all differ.

We all have opinions and if we all agreed with what you said every week, or what I said most weeks we would all be certifyable.

I think some people ought to realise that not everyone has the same opinion as everyone else and as such not everyone is wrong!

 

[Yorkie]

You need money to buy quality. Something the club doesn't have.

 

[London Irish]

Fuller was superb today. Interestingly, he is so sick of being abused on Southampton supporter messageboards that he rarely gives interviews any more, hope he doesn't choose the phone-in route like Big Mac.

Chaplow gave an exhibition in box to box midfield play, despite the fact that (with respect to Charlie) we had our 3 most talented central midfielders on the pitch.

Respect to Burley - he got the tactics right. McGhee backed the fans' call for 4-3-3 and an attacking formation but, like so many charge of the light brigades, it was brave but not effective.

Thank god for Crewe who have kept our dimly flickering hopes alive. We win at Ipswich and the Wendys lose and the miracle is still on. Never say die

 

[Dave the OAP]

You need money to buy quality. Something the club doesn't have.

well that is where you may be wrong

I met a very interesting person today who has some very radical views ( and this is no bullshit)

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Yes we got out thought by Burley and in the first 15 we could have been 3 down. I thought that had something to do with the quality of Fuller in particular and the fact that some of the best corners I've seen this season came in one after the other.

At no stage did I feel that the team weren't trying though, as plenty of opinions on here seem to suggest. We had our chance with CKR to pull it back and it was all over shortly after that. We matched Southampton pretty well after the break and although CKR missed our best chance, he also was instrumental in us posing what threat we did.

Southampton had better players than us throughout the team and huff and puff wasn't enough today, but accusing the players of lack of effort and not being up for it is an easy option when it was clear that were outclassed and out thought when it mattered.

Pissed off but not shocked

I'll agree with most of that. Our goal lived a charmed life in the first part of the first half until we tactically restructured from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2 to protect our flanks, started to get into the game then gave away a silly goal. Thought we came out of the blocks quickly in the second half and created a number of chances, CKR forcing the keeper into a save then having a header kicked off the line before missing a glorious oppotunity one on one. Then they score another from bad defending.

In all honesty we are a League One club struggling to stay in the Championship. We succeeded against expectations last year because we had the momentum from the Play-off victory. We hit our peak at the back end of last season and its been a struggle since. If we do the miraculous and stay up again we will face another struggle next season.

 

[London Irish]

you were at a different game

No, he was definitely there, two seats along from me. But don't hold that against him

 

[Dave the OAP]

No, he was definitely there, two seats along from me. But don't hold that against him

 

[London Irish]

well that is where you may be wrong

I met a very interesting person today who has some very radical views ( and this is no bullshit)

Mussolini's grand-daughter?

 

[clapham_gull]

well that is where you may be wrong

I met a very interesting person today who has some very radical views ( and this is no bullshit)

Does he play poker ?

 

[Easy 10]

Sorry, but that first half we really needed to come flying out of the traps and put them on the back foot from the off. The team started in 2nd gear and barely picked it up from there. Is that McGhee's fault ? Or is that the players fault ? I dunno, but to come out like that in what was really our "last chance saloon" was beyond disappointing.

I'm not one for blindly slagging the team, but that really was a limp effort today. I know what I saw, and no way was that a 100% blood-and-thunder effort. I can accept it if we're simply not good enough. What I can't accept is when they don't give it everything - and today, they just didn't.

 

[Gully]

Yorkie is partly right in saying you need money to buy quality, the alternative is that you develop your own, this is something we are getting right at the moment but people just need to be patient to allow the talent to realise its' potential.

 

[Yorkie]

Sorry, but that first half we really needed to come flying out of the traps and put them on the back foot from the off. The team started in 2nd gear and barely picked it up from there. Is that McGhee's fault ? Or is that the players fault ? I dunno, but to come out like that in what was really our "last chance saloon" was beyond disappointing.

I'm not one for blindly slagging the team, but that really was a limp effort today. I know what I saw, and no way was that a 100% blood-and-thunder effort. I can accept it if we're simply not good enough. What I can't accept is when they don't give it everything - and today, they just didn't.

I would disagree and say today we were not good enough.
Southampton were better than us.

 

[Dave the OAP]

No he doesn't

I cast your memeory back a few months when the press went overboard about the Argentinain connection...well, seemly it wasn't as far fetched as it may have seen.

As I said a very interesting conversation.

( I used to work for local and national accountants and it is amazing who you used to work for turns out to be in later life, when you thought they were complete arses at the time..
)

 

[Les Biehn]

Yes we got out thought by Burley and in the first 15 we could have been 3 down. I thought that had something to do with the quality of Fuller in particular and the fact that some of the best corners I've seen this season came in one after the other.

At no stage did I feel that the team weren't trying though, as plenty of opinions on here seem to suggest. We had our chance with CKR to pull it back and it was all over shortly after that. We matched Southampton pretty well after the break and although CKR missed our best chance, he also was instrumental in us posing what threat we did.

Southampton had better players than us throughout the team and huff and puff wasn't enough today, but accusing the players of lack of effort and not being up for it is an easy option when it was clear that were outclassed and out thought when it mattered.

Pissed off but not shocked

I was suprised how much grief CKR was getting, I thought he was excellent. He put in loads of effort in the first half when he was out wide, and showed flashes of talent that went over most players head, Southampton's included.

I didn't think Fuller and Rasiak were that great up front, posed Hinsh and McShane some problems but nothing exceptional.

We were out thought rather than out fought. Burley's teams play intelligent football and unfortunately our players (perhaps because we started with only 3 in the middle) were given the runaround in midfield, especially by Chaplow who looked like a prem player (which of course he is). The lads seemed to give it everything.

It needed Carole on earlier for one of the midfielders or Hart because there was a lot of space between the front two and the midfield that he would have slotted into nicely, I often think he looks more effective playing short one twos in the 'hole' rather than providing support or crosses down the wing.

 

[Lord Bracknell]

I think most people agree with Easy 10 .....

After the lethargic, gutless display by the players today, its probably just as well. I don't think I could take another fixture of "false hope". Today truley was do-or-die. Beat a piss-poor Southampton, and with the results having gone how they went today, we'd have been in with a REAL sniff of somehow getting out of this. The team showed again today that they just don't have the quality, which we've obviously known for a while. What was even worse though, was that they showed they don't even have the fight any more. They came out in the first half and played as though it was an end-of-season kickabout with nothing to play for. No spark, no drive, no leadership. Players really just going through the motions.

Blimey. Ernest putting the blame where it belongs.

I'm shocked.

 

[London Irish]

Sorry, but that first half we really needed to come flying out of the traps and put them on the back foot from the off. The team started in 2nd gear and barely picked it up from there. Is that McGhee's fault ? Or is that the players fault ? I dunno, but to come out like that in what was really our "last chance saloon" was beyond disappointing.

I'm not one for blindly slagging the team, but that really was a limp effort today. I know what I saw, and no way was that a 100% blood-and-thunder effort. I can accept it if we're simply not good enough. What I can't accept is when they don't give it everything - and today, they just didn't.

Yet NSC had a discussion on team formation and selection and 95 per cent of contributions were in line with not just his selection today but also EXACTLY the formation he put them out in. If McGhee is wrong, so were the most vociferous fans of NSC. It's possible, not saying definitely, but highly possible.