Post Match Southampton 2 Leicester 0

[Matt_B]

Our fans are entitled to whatever opinion they want. Especially the valiant and vocal lovelies that have seen us score once in six away games this season at frightening expense.

To say different is extremely arrogant.

They are indeed, and it's the opinion of some of us that some fans are fickle boneheads.

 

[Brown Nose]

Fickle bonehead fans ?

Nigel Pearson has done in general a fantastic job in his 2 spells at LCFC. That said, this is a ruthless business. Plenty of us were shocked when Southampton departed company with Nigel Adkins after he had achieved a similar record at Saints. Palace were hopeless in their 1st 10 prem games, before Holloway made way for Pulis.
Depends what you want from your team. Would you be happy to spend £50-£100 and travel on a 300 mile round trip, to watch your team hoping to scrape a 0-0 with no chance of anything better, or lose 6-2 with a team that had some ambition regarding crossing the half-way line?
10 long years in the wilderness, surely we can't sacrifice this opportunity without at least giving it a go.

My view exactly. I will always respect and be thankful for the positive things NP has done for the club. Last season was terrific. But he doesn't look like a Premier League manager to me at all. He's had his big fat contract and bonus's so he's been very well rewarded for the work he's done. But if we think we can do better now, we should do so without a second thought.

 

[londonfox]

I can't understand anyone wanting to lose 6-2 over drawing 0-0.

I don't either but in spite of our negative tactics were not drawing 0-0

 

[Brauny Blue]

I can't understand anyone wanting to lose 6-2 over drawing 0-0.

Missing the point. I don't want a drubbing, I want to see us give ourselves a chance of winning a game, rather than hanging on for grim death in the hope of snatching a draw. A gamble ? maybe, but to get relegated without putting up a fight would be criminal in my eyes.
Still don't understand your comment about Pulis ?

 

[tedfoxxx]

Missing the point. I don't want a drubbing, I want to see us give ourselves a chance of winning a game, rather than hanging on for grim death in the hope of snatching a draw. A gamble ? maybe, but to get relegated without putting up a fight would be criminal in my eyes.
Still don't understand your comment about Pulis ?

Spot on, it's a bigger gamble to set up like we have been recently. Concede a single goal and it's game over.

 

[turnstileblue63]

Cannon fodder.

 

[turnstileblue63]

That bloke on the radio saying pearsons on £45k a year a d pulis would want £200k a year :icon_roll:icon_roll:icon_roll:icon_roll:icon_roll

 

[alex]

I was on the radio


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[camberwell fox]

Great, what did you say?

 

[LeeCovFox]

I find it incredible that Pearson is claiming that our poor form is down to the quality of our opponents. We faced stronger opposition in the first few games of the season and we were excellent. Our poor form is down to the way we're being set up for games. Everybody can see it but unfortunately when the chips are down Pearson begins to display the more negative elements of his personality; arrogance and stubbornness.

This league is not that much stronger than the one below. More teams stay up first time around than go down and most of them are nowhere near as strong upon promotion as we were last season. Our current tactical approach is going to get us relegated, I'm afraid.

 

[Profondo Rosso]

Just got back, this was the first game of the season I went to.

First half we were really poor. Southampton's tactic was pretty simple and pretty clear - just get it out to wings and they skinned Schlupp and De Laet time and time again and until we get full-backs who can actually defend I fear this won't be the last of other teams doing that to us. It was only due to a mixture of Wes Morgan and continually poor final balls from Southampton we weren't 3-0 down at the break.

Second half we actually played much better and with more energy second half but as soon as their first goal went in we just crumbled and gave up.

Have to say as well, Schmeichel's attitude for their 2nd goal stunk. His distribution was abysmal all game and he kicked it out of play at least 6 times by our count and also played it to an unmarked Southampton player several time more. For their 2nd he had a simple 10 yard pass to Moore but instead punted it straight to a Southampton player with no one around him. They then played it over the top and scored. Schmeichel then continued to go out and finger point all the defence. It's not that the defence weren't to blame - they were, they stood there, but Christ! Look at your own performance before blaming others.

 

[Matt_B]

I find it incredible that Pearson is claiming that our poor form is down to the quality of our opponents. We faced stronger opposition in the first few games of the season and we were excellent. Our poor form is down to the way we're being set up for games. Everybody can see it but unfortunately when the chips are down Pearson begins to display the more negative elements of his personality; arrogance and stubbornness.

This league is not that much stronger than the one below. More teams stay up first time around than go down and most of them are nowhere near as strong upon promotion as we were last season. Our current tactical approach is going to get us relegated, I'm afraid.

The league is a lot stronger.

 

[LeeCovFox]

The league is a lot stronger.

The bottom third or so is pretty average. Eleven out of the fifteen promoted sides from the last five seasons have survived at the first attempt. Only Newcastle have been as strong as we were upon promotion during that period. We should have enough to be making a better go of it than we are and we're ****ing it right up.

 

[alex]

Went today... Our fans were tremendous, as were theirs in fairness... Stewards all good, great atmos.

Clearly NP had decided to contain and frustrate as opposed to push them back with attacking play. Actually, it worked for 67 odd mins which isn't a bad thing. However, this was the tale of two subs for me and a gamble that we didn't make.

Unless Ulloa had a knock, why take him off for a like for like player? Why take King off for Powell? The system by that stage wasn't working, we desperately needed Nugent or Mahrez on to try and unlock Southampton, or at least pose a different problem. Koeman made his switch and Shane Long scored twice.

That's the Premier League for you, success and failure are based on decisions which whilst NP is currently not enjoying the luck / skill from, just two months ago he was gold.

For me, Cambiasso was the best player on the pitch and actually if we'd been braver and more 4-4-2 at 60mins then we may have got something out of this. Special mention to Schlupp too who I thought played very well. Drinkwater needs a cuddle, he's terribly bereft of confidence at the moment... we need him.

Come January, I fear we need a new striker. Fact.

 

[FOX Franks]

What's going on with Albrighton?!

 

[Lako42]

Thanks for the report Alex...

However, I fail to see what a new striker will do when our current one has to track back into his own half to get the ball?

When we played to his strengths he was absolutely fantastic, the same goes for Vardy when we actually give him the ball.

Our problems lie a little deeper than the forwards Imo.

 

[alex]

Also though, when the ball gets hit up to Vardy and Ulloa, they're not holding on to it. Partly due to confidence at the moment I reckon, but the movement up front looked very Championship from us today. Having said that, it was a very tight system - nothing wide at all.

I wonder why Pearson played Da Laet. Schlupp on the left worked in a wing-back role, Da Laet didnt. Simpson I reckon may have done.

 

[Durham Fox]

We looked much improved to be fair, though clearly setting up pretty negatively. The issue here is now one of confidence and players who looked on a real high at the start of the season look hugely average now. Think Ulloa and Vardy particularly, the switch to a defensive setup has dented our confidence and plain to see hasn't yielded any results. Easy to say change it back but it's probably a bridge too far now.

Pearson a lot to answer for currently.

 

[alex]

Agreed...mainly as today he bottled it. Imagine King being replaced by Mahrez, that could have made a massive difference for us when our momentum was good.

People, believe this, before Shane Long came on and apart from a mad succession of corners, we looked by far the more likely to make a breakthrough.

 

[camberwell fox]

Agreed...mainly as today he bottled it. Imagine King being replaced by Mahrez, that could have made a massive difference for us when our momentum was good.

People, believe this, before Shane Long came on and apart from a mad succession of corners, we looked by far the more likely to make a breakthrough.

I'm not being argumentative Alex but from the stream I was watching there was at least four very good chances they missed in at the most the first 45 minutes and we didn't register a single shot on target or otherwise.

I can't recall Ulloa receiving a cross for him to head goal wards all game.