Match Review 2012/13

Hi All

Here we go, reliving happy, and not so happy, memories of the season; your best/worst may be different from mine, but I hope I have covered some of them.

Best game

Take your pick from quite a few very excellent displays by Southampton – Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea at St. Mary’s; Manchester United and Manchester City away. Against these top clubs Saints scored 12 goals and conceded 9; not bad for a ‘struggling’ side.

Manchester City (H)

Apart from the winning, it was the manner of the win – dominant in all areas of the park, never giving them time to rest, aggressively chasing and winning the ball back; the other notable highlight was Gareth Barry’s excellent back pass into his own net whilst under no pressure whatsoever!

Liverpool (H)

Rickie Lambert scoring against the club he supported as a youngster and his home town team; Jay Rodriguez’s super run from the half-way line at the Liverpool defence to shoot, pick up the rebound and coolly slot it home for Saints third goal.

Chelsea (H)

Another shock for one of the big boys! The one-two between Steven Davis and Jay Rodriguez for Saints first was made in footballing heaven, only to be eclipsed by Rickie Lambert’s stunning free-kick giving Petr Cech absolutely no chance in the Chelsea goal; the other highlight was the Chelsea fans singing ‘Championes’ in a dire effort to make themselves feel better having seen how their team was demolished.

Manchester United (A)

You can get no higher praise than Sir Alex Ferguson telling the world’s press that Southampton were the best team they had played at Old Trafford this season; a magical second half performance by Saints could not quite enable them to take at least a point which would have been thoroughly deserved, United was struggling to contain a rampant opposition and only just managed to hang on for a win – breathtaking!

Manchester City

What a game to welcome you back to the big time, away to the champions of the premier league; a City side pack to the rafters with talent, international stars from across the globe. Saints were in no mood to stand back and admire them, they went at them and at 2-1 up Saints fans were in dreamland, unfortunately it didn’t last and valiantly they succumbed to two late goals from City.

Worst game

Another bunch to pick from – home games against Wigan, Sunderland, QPR, and West Brom come readily to mind; too many points dropped at home to quite poor opposition, it was just that despite all the possession and pressure Saints could not make the break through that would have seen them go on to win the match. Against these teams Saints scored 1 and conceded 7; a complete contrast to the games highlighted above, why?

Wigan (H)

After the euphoria of what might have been in the first game, this was utter disappointment. Southampton’s first home game back in the top division, and they lost; Saints had the upper hand, pressuring Wigan for all of the second half but they could not break through their defence; a defeat was an injustice but you must put away chances in this league.

Sunderland (H)

Oh dear! How did we lose this one? Sunderland had no more intention of playing expansive football, than I had of becoming a Jedi knight! One attack, one goal, game over! Aaaaaaaarhhh!!!!

QPR (H)

Billed as the return of the hated one (the Northam fans made themselves heard, loud and clear about that); Harry Redknapp returned to St. Mary’s for the first time since taking the club down after being relegated from the premiership. Saints looked flat in the first half and although they got back into the game with a late first half equaliser; camped in the Rangers half, and their ‘keeper having a super time in goal and having enough chances to win the match, it was not to be, then QPR nicked a second to steal all three points – Harry had the last laugh, again!

WBA (H)

Saints had had a terrible game away to Albion earlier in the season, so, with the reverse fixture it would have been nice to have a little bit of revenge, but no! This game came after a run of six unbeaten, oh my it was bad, scored 0, conceded 3, red cards 2 (Ramirez and Fox, until this game not a red card in the last 41, and that was Fox at Birmingham); so, all-in-all it was awful! Best sent to the very back of the memory bank and forgotten for all time, end of story!

Player Review 2012/13

Hi All

That’s it, another successful season done and dusted. I’m sure that all Saints fans are happy enough at this stage, even though season ticket prices for next season have just been announced!

Let’s have a look at the team from back to front:

Goalkeepers

It was a bit of disaster at the beginning of the season; Nigel Adkins did not seem to know which one to pick and make number one. A bit of the old guard fending off a young challenger; but despite a rotation of all three ‘keepers, none managed to keep the position for too many games.

Kelvin Davis – club captain; we all know how good he can be, a bit wayward with kicking, but a brilliant shot stopper; made a few starts. but was displaced during the season, only to reappear as the main man by the end again, will always do his utmost to stop a shot.

Paulo Gazzaniga – young, hungry, but inexperienced; needs time to develop as the number one at the club, he could not elbow out either Davis or Boruc to reclaim top spot

Artur Boruc – plenty of experience at the top level, Poland international as well; he had a dodgy start at West Ham, however, he proved me wrong by improving hugely as the season progressed, but didn’t finish as the number one either; generally, excellent distribution.

Defenders

Nathaniel Clyne – a superb buy from Crystal Palace (now an England U21 player); lightning quick down the right wing, has been unchallenged in that position since he was installed there at the beginning of the season; he will only get better as he matures and gains more experience, an absolute quality right back.

José Fonte – formed a good partnership with Hooiveld/Yoshida, but injury meant he lost number one status and found it difficult to regain that place, but towards the end of the season he once again was first choice ahead of Yoshida.

Jos Hooiveld – improved enormously this season, despite his three own goals (score the other end Jos, please!), he coped better as the season went on, and you could almost see his confidence glow when up against some strong attackers.

Maya Yoshida – without doubt a very good central defender; formed a great double act with Hooiveld and dealt with most attackers effectively and efficiently for most of the season; lost his place late into the season to Fonte again.

Luke Shaw – not yet eighteen, but what a prospect (the ‘big’ clubs are sniffing around already), hopefully will sign a permanent contract when he is eighteen this summer; I struggle to think of an attacker that has got the better of him this season; he has been solid at the back, but gets forward on the left with a good turn of speed.

Danny Fox – has found it very hard to become the first choice at left back over Shaw; he got his chance late on, but blotted his copy book by getting a red card for an amazing tackle against Albion at St Mary’s, so his season was over three games early; very good for delivering crosses that count.

Midfield

Morgan Schneiderlin – absolutely fantastic!; the most tackles and interventions in the premiership this season; he has not become a just very good player, he has become an outstanding footballer, it bodes well for the future (glad Saints have him on a long contract), he is the driving force in midfield, and the pivotal link between the defence and attack, not more I can say about him really, his football is exquisite.

Jack Cork – along with Schneiderlin, one of the most influential players at the club; early season injuries hampered his progress, but boy did he make up for it when he was fit again; his reintroduction into the side coincided with Saints improving form, he was essential to this improvement (how he has not been selected for England I do not know!) and his box-to-box style of play is invaluable (another on a long contract).

Steven Davis – yet another success story; Saints captured Steven from Rangers last summer and he has been a real bonus in the middle, not always in the starting eleven earlier in the year, but can come on as a substitute and make a big difference to the midfield’s ability to dominate the opposition; offers stability and experience in the middle; should score more goals.

Adam Lallana – the team captain; always skillful and tricky for the opposing players to deal with, on the left of midfield he can cause havoc with the opposition’s defence; had a bit of a stuttering season with injury and form, but a tireless worker, contributes goals and has Southampton running through him like a stick of rock.

James Ward-Prowse – a young, talented and ever improving midfielder; gradually getting more match time (but difficult to get a regular start considering the players he has got to displace), and has shown that he is not phased by playing with the ‘big boys’; he has produced some very good displays against top quality opposition.

Forwards

Jason Puncheon – fell out of favour with the club and fans, but he has turned things around since his arrival back at St Mary’s; he has scored some very important goals this season, caused defences problems with his speed down the left wing, and has assisted in getting Saints to where they are now; looks a settled and natural top flight player, and has signed a contract extension as well.

Gastón Ramírez – an expensive buy last summer; he has shown glimpses of sublime skill and a goal scoring ability that impresses, but his displays to be amazed at have been ephemeral; may need a second season to really settle into English football (still very young) and show his true worth; the second Saints player to see red this season in the same game as Fox.

Jay Rodriguez – what an improvement from this fabulous striker; since the turn of the year he has not looked back, game after game he has improved and scored valuable goals, his quick pace and his running at defences caused fans to gasp in anticipation, not always an end product, but more of this to come from him next season.

Rickie Lambert – what can I say about him that will do him justice; his first season in the top flight and what a success, the joint top English goal scorer (and still not selected for the national squad – an absolute outrage!) in this division, wonderful goals from open play, free kicks and penalty kicks (100% record so far); he always gives his all.

Next: Match review

Player of the season

Hi All

Now that the season is over, the Saints Alive and Kicking Player of the Season can be announced.

Despite a rogue vote (from one of our competitors) I can safely say that it was all correct and above board; accusations of vote rigging by individuals have been found to be groundless.

The top three players were: Rickie Lambert, Jack Cork and Morgan Schneiderlin

The winner is: Jack Cork, with 30% of the vote

Congratulations to him, and the runners-up.

2011/12 winner: Rickie Lambert

2012/13 winner Jack Cork

2013/14 winner ?

Southampton 1 Stoke City 1

Hi All

While it would have been nice to end with a win, Saints fans cannot be anything but happy about the outcome of their first season back in the premier league.

So, a late afternoon, Sunday kick-off, what would the motorways be like?; hopefully not full of weekend drivers slowly wending their way who knows where?, but a nice clear run to set the touring party up for a good lunch, followed by an even better match.

Well, the first part of it went OK, both the M25 and M3 were moving quite freely (except the usual delays around the J5/J7 road works; another whole season to go with them yet), and this allowed a quick pit stop at Winchester for a take-away double macchiato (keep me going until lunch time), even getting into the city was effortless, no long queues along Bassett Avenue etc.

Plenty of time to wander  along to Turtle Bay for the final visit of the season; this has been a good lunching stop this year – highly recommended by all of the party (even the irregular members); Caribbean curries of all sorts – veggie or non-veggie!

Oy! Get out of the way!

The first half got off to a superb start for the Saints supporters, only to be dashed by the vigilant lino on the far side; Lambert had latched on to a loose ball, off the post from an Adam Lallana shot and smashed it into the Stoke net, only to be flagged off-side. Stoke adopted the two tactics that are characteristic of their game, the long ball to Crouch up front, and the long throw-in into the box; their style of football is not to my liking, but it can be effective.

Stoke set up to pack defence and midfield (4-5-1), and to force Southampton wide, there was absolutely no room to try and go throw the middle of their defence. Saints huffed and puffed, but could blow the Stoke house down; they had a few half chances and good possession from the back to midfield, however, in the final third, very little to get excited about; the upshot of all that was a scoreless first forty-five minutes.

Half-time 0-0

Half-time team talk

The general consensus was that Saints needed to change their shape and get down the wings more to get behind the Stoke defence; no good trying to over the top, they have spent their entire season coping with that from their opponents. Apart from that, the main interest was in the Doctor’s new trainers (another pair readers, yes!), I jest, there was almost no interest in his shoes at all.

It was anticipated that the second half may be a carbon copy of the first, but two minutes into the half a Luke Shaw slip allowed the Stoke winger to get away and cross the ball into the box, Crouch got in front of Jose Fonte and glanced a header into the far corner of the net out of Kelvin Davis’ grasp. A shocked Southampton side had to move the ball more quickly and put more pressure on their opponents goal, but as hard as they tried, they were resisted by Stoke’s stonewall tactics; but, pressure final told when Steven Davis had his shot saved by Begovic only for it to land at the feet of Lambert, who calmly tucked it away for the equaliser (no more than Saints deserved)

#15 for the season!

Southampton continued in the same vein as the rest of the match and went in search of a winner but it did not materialise; however, on reflection it was, probably, a fair result – Saints non-stop pressure, and dominant possession, against Stoke’s dogged defending, hoping to nick a winner.

Saints fans applaud Owen – well done!

Stoke brought on Michael Owen for the last fifteen minutes of the match, the last fifteen minutes of his career; in his younger days he was a deadly marksman, in and around the box, but injuries took their toll and he played a lot less games than he should have. The Saints crowd gave him a fabulous reception, when he come on, and a t the end of the match – I do not like some of the songs they sing, but they showed themselves at their best on this occasion – well done Saints fans!

Man of the match

The touring party was split on this one, the candidates being: Jack Cork, Rickie Lambert and Morgan Schneiderlin, but the winner was Jack Cork – he was everywhere on that pitch, working in tandem with Morgan, hassling Peter Crouch, and linking well with attack and defence.

End of season time!

Look out for the review of the season – coming soon!

Thanks!

As usual, Nicola’s timing was spot on this season!

Mucho gracias, Mauricio!

Love him, or hate him, you cannot ignore him. It’s good news for Southampton that the man who has guided the club to success after success for the last four season, Nicola Cortese, is staying at the club – congratulation Nicola!

Likewise, it is also good the Mauricio Pochettino is staying; since arriving at Southampton he has taken a good side and made them even better, so well done Mauricio!

 

 

Boring!

I don’t know about you, but my Project manager has a list as long as her arm (luckily that’s not very long) that I have to complete before 17 August; the good news is it’s Ashes year, so in this ‘dead’ time when no football of any consequence is played (who shouted ‘what about England’?); I repeat, when no relevant football is being played, I shall be on ‘gardening leave’!

Sunderland 1 Southampton 1

Hi All
Did it the hard way,  but we are going to be playing premier league football next season.
More to follow…..

Another game, another point, which makes it almost certain that premier league football will back at St Mary’s next season. It would need a twelve goal defeat to Stoke on the final day for Aston Villa to over haul the Saints on goal difference; also, Sunderland must get a point at White Hart lane against Tottenham, and Wigan must win both of their remaining two games. Likely? I do not think so!

Southampton dominated the game, and Sunderland’s best player was their goalkeeper, who made save after save to keep the Saints out and earn Sunderland a vital point (Saints had 70% possession in the first half, but did not capitalise on it).

After three games without a goal it was good to see the ball hit the back of the net again; Jason Puncheon did well to get his head to a James Ward-Prowse cross, which Mignolet saved, but, while on the ground, he got a boot to the rebound and hit it high into the net – no more than Saints deserved.

Pochettino’s double substitution paid off quickly when Puncheon and Ward-Prowse combined, but Rodriguez and Lambert both had chances earlier in the game to seal a win. However, I would guess that all Saints fans are happy that the season will, probably, end on a successful note, whichever position we finish in – the higher the better – after next Sunday’s home game against Stoke City.

Rumours!

Nicola Cortese on his out of St Mary’s? This is being reported on BBC football; apparently the Liebherr family trust that owns the club may be looking to change the management structure and Cortese will no longer have the final say in all things Southampton, so he will clarify his position by the end of the month.

How true this all is, I have no idea!

Black Cats vs Saints

Hi All

Edge of your seat time!

This is one not to lose; even if Saints do not win, they must not lose, under any circumstances, not now or ever! Do I make my point?

Sunderland will be missing keys players, but Di Canio will have them fired up for this; the up side of that is that they will get frustrated if the goal does not come, and they can cause themselves problems – witness two sendings off in the last two games (although Saints are no model of virtue at the moment!), however, we tend not to be so rash as recent events would have anyone believe.

So, a fully fit Southampton should be able to come away with at least a point from the Stadium of Light on Sunday; a win would seal their safety beyond doubt. Having seen some of the game against Stoke, neither Sunderland, nor Stoke showed much to be in awe of, but football can trip you up if you are not prepared; both games may be battles but Saints have got to stand toe-to-toe and slog it out, if necessary.

On any ‘normal’ day, Saints footballing abilities would be more than enough to take six points from these two matches, but the end of a season is not normal; nerves kick in and get the better of some players, that is when the ‘senior’ players need to be leading the team to victory. Southampton have not be scoring much in recent games, so it’s time to get those ‘Roy of the Rovers’ boots out and improve the goal difference tally; we have had so many fabulous performances this season, that to falter at the final hurdle would be such a shame.

Vamos que rojos!

Voting!

Poll closes Sunday at 17.00

David Moyes

Congratulations to him on being appointed United manager – tough job; let’s hope Saints make it tougher for him next season!

Tottenham Hotspur 1 Southampton 0

Undone by an old boy, and late in the game!
I think Saint’s fans will be disappointed that the team came away without a point.
The team had chances to take the lead,  but as in other games this season it proved to be costly.
More to come……

Reading the Sunday morning papers does nothing to cheer Saints fans other the fact that we are still playing well (Albion game aside), and should not be losing these games. But, how do you stop a goal such as Bale scored; he got just enough space to hit a superb strike that Boruc had no chance with, many teams have tried to stop him but have failed – and that is probably why he picked up lots of awards this week.

Yet again Saints had enough chances to wrap the game up, especially in the first half, however, it is still all up for grabs and two wins over the next two weeks will mean Southampton have a had a good enough season to build on for next year. The nucleus of the side will be there in August, and if the squad can be strengthened some more then a top half finish should be realistic.

Before that though a little matter of Sunderland and Stoke; the former fighting for their premiership life, the latter safe but the manager under pressure to improve the results – no better time to win that at the end of one season, leading into the next.

The stats for the Tottenham game show more possession, more passes, more balls retrieved, etc, etc, but the main statistic unfairly condemned them to another defeat – just about a fair summary of the season as a whole!