I was at a different match to most of you today

[Icy Gull]

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.

We couldn't get the ball and were chasing shadows, I think that makes it pretty hard to put a team on the back foot under those circumstances. Unfortunate that last weeks win seems to have signaled Burley's turning round of a team that shouldn't be down the bottom. Interesting that a Saints fan on the phone in reckoned it was the best he's seen them play this season and then slagged us off for not being up for it

 

[Les Biehn]

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 must admit I thought it was tactically limp, they were always first to the ball in midfield, our three in the middle were closely bunched togeather giving them space toplay it round which was really our undoing.

 

[London Irish]

Re: Re: I was at a different match to most of you today

I was suprised how much grief CKR was getting, I thought he was excellent.

Agreed, much better than at Millwall last week I thought, chased the ball well despite getting little opportunity early on.

Tragedy he missed the glorious chance. You'd back him to have the touch to take it round the keeper, but the goalie did well. Should have tried the shot, but how easy is it to say that in hindsight.

 

[Les Biehn]

I think those one on one situations with a lot of space to run into are difficult, players get caught in two minds, at first they usually think they are offside, they have the defence breathing down on them etc...

 

[Easy 10]

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

Southampton were no great shakes, but then they barely had to break sweat to cut right through us. Time and again there were unchallenged crosses raining into our box, or midfielders striding though onto our exposed defence - we could easily have been 4 down at half time.

I think someone made the point on the phone-in today. It was quite obvious after 10 or 15 minutes that the 4-3-3 wasn't working and we were getting overrun in the middle of the park...so WHY wasn't it changed sooner ? Do we HAVE to wait until we're chasing the game before we change things ? I thought that was Svens Law, but it seems McGhee is a fully paid-up subscriber as well.

That apart, it was still a tired, lethargic display with no real fire or determination. We seem to talk the talk in the build-up to these games, but we deserve to be bottom tonight after that.

Woeful.

 

[Easy 10]

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.

Everyones an expert after the event, thats just the nature of it on here. For what its worth, I've not really got involved in whether we play 4-4-2, 4-3-3 or whatever. What I HAVE been banging on about for most of the season was picking a front pairing and sticking with it for at least half a dozen games - something McGhee has consistently failed to do all season.

Water under the bridge though, its all too late now anyway.

 

[Goring Gull]

People can forget that Southampton however poor they may have been were in the premiership last season - they have a far nbetter manager, stadium, support than us, no wonder they beat us - get out on the lash tonight and forget about it ( unless your working all night like muggings here, how they collared me for it i'll never know - the lur eof the almighty pound sign! ). Think about all the wins we'll be enjoying next season.

 

[Theatre of Trees]

Southampton were no great shakes, but then they barely had to break sweat to cut right through us. Time and again there were unchallenged crosses raining into our box, or midfielders striding though onto our exposed defence - we could easily have been 4 down at half time.

I think someone made the point on the phone-in today. It was quite obvious after 10 or 15 minutes that the 4-3-3 wasn't working and we were getting overrun in the middle of the park...so WHY wasn't it changed sooner ? Do we HAVE to wait until we're chasing the game before we change things ? I thought that was Svens Law, but it seems McGhee is a fully paid-up subscriber as well.

That apart, it was still a tired, lethargic display with no real fire or determination. We seem to talk the talk in the build-up to these games, but we deserve to be bottom tonight after that.

Woeful.

We started changing around 15-20 minutes when Hart was pulled back to the left hand side and Reid moved wide right.

 

[Donkey Hoaty]

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

Agree totally Yorkie, even though Southampton are in the lower half of the table there is a massive gulf between us and them both on and off the pitch.

As the paying public we deserve as much as we can get for our money, but unfortunately given the clubs present situation our money doesn't go a long way.

Our time will come all we have to do is keep the faith. Brighton fans are the best in the land

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Saints could have been four up at half-time, they had that many chances. It was only due to poor finishing and some half-decent stops by Henderson that we were still in with a shout going into the second half.

 

[Scotty Mac]

No, you were at the same game as me.

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

the trouble is, we are beaten by a better team every week - that is what pisses people off more than anything

 

[The Oldman]

I wish I could be so kind about yesterday.

As I have said on another thread


"Why was an average Southampton team allowed to run at will at our so called defence. Why could not our so called strikers hardly able to get a shot on target and/or kick the ball with about as much power as a 5 year old girl/boy?

Yesterday was the same as the match at QPR. We came out seemingly devoid of any commitment to the cause and strolled around as if in a practice match. When it was too late we tried to up the game but then wonderkid decides to showboat to his adoring fans. No wonder MM swore.

I'm still so angry at that inept display by "professional" players who are earning more in a week than most of get in a month.

I will love this club 'til my dying day but most of these players I would ship out tomorrow."

I am not sure that with this current squad Division 1 is going to be that easy.

 

[dougdeep]

I wish I'd stayed in the pub.

 

[Silent Bob]

Yes we got out thought by Burley

It's not hard to outthink a manager who doesn;t think at all is it?

 

[Turkey]

No, you were at the same game as me.

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

Southampton have some good players. However, I see every Saints home game and we are good enough to beat them.

Burley did well by playing Brennan left midfield. That meant that when under pressure they could play 5 at the back as he's usually left back.

I said in the Sportsman I was worried about their corners but felt we could do them on the wings. Unfortuantly they dropped Surman/Madsen for Ostlund/Belmadi. That made them much stronger on the wings. The big weakness was Powell at center back but we never worked him enough.

There was not enough effort in the first half. CKR and Hart HAD TO close down the full backs really really quickly. Hammond and Reid had to deal with Chaplow and Wright and then break forward but they didn't. Too slow into the challenge.

McGhee wants to protect the players from criticism at this time which I understand. It was they who were at fault in the first half.

 

[Turkey]

Southampton were no great shakes, but then they barely had to break sweat to cut right through us.

And thats what pisses me off so much. Saints never had to up a gear. When they do, they become more vulnrable. We never got into 'em.

I compare our performance to Cardiff's perfromance at SMS last week. Cardiff were big, strong, got into the tackle and would have won at Ninian Park. As it was Saints got two goals from corners and an inspired Fuller (who I feared. He's very Akinbyi at the moment).

 

[Dandyman]

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.

Well said. I thought Lynch and McShane had ok games and Harty looked like he was trying but as a team effort it was depressing woefull dross.