Saints view of last nights game

[Royal With Cheese]

http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?37171-Saints-1-Reading-3-The-Wake

A few spactard comments (not half as many as on KUMB mind) but in general very complimentary.

[Terminal Boardom]

It was a terrific game. The scoreline lies, but that's the way it happens sometimes. I look forward to both teams being promoted and will have no hard feelings at going up in second place to Reading.

However, if WHam somehow overtake us I will have to set fire to a tramp.

[chilipepper91]

Bloody hell, I've read the first 2 pages - knee-jerk doesn't do justice! I thought Saints were really good in possession but as is typical against Reading, we're so difficult to play through. But they now seem to all be doubting auto, and even going up through the playoffs! I wonder if the reaction would have been the same if it was reversed.

And as we always do, we did a job. We're a team on a roll, we've won the most away games in the division, I wouldn't be too worried by that. See you next year saints.

[loyalroyal4life]

Anyone at the game last night will realise just how unpassionate their fans are, comments backing this up do not really look out of place!

[Once were Biscuitmen]

On the whole a far more realistic take on the game than you would get from most fans.

A bit like Reading crowd really I thought, without a goal to get behind there were only a couple of noisy sections.

[St Pauli]

Anyone at the game last night will realise just how unpassionate their fans are, comments backing this up do not really look out of place!

Disagree, thought their support was very good, apart from when they had just gone behind which is understandable really, very good reception from their fans after the game as well. Apart from the fight at the station.

[Barry the bird boggler]

Anyone at the game last night will realise just how unpassionate their fans are, comments backing this up do not really look out of place!

Disagree, thought their support was very good, apart from when they had just gone behind which is understandable really, very good reception from their fans after the game as well. Apart from the fight at the station.

Fight at the station? Perhaps that goes a little way to explaining TVP's presence at the Reading end.

[royalZILLAAA]

FAO any saints fans lurking here, looking forward to seeing you (and hopefully another South coast club) up there with us next year.

[Rex]

I was reading this last night. Fairly reasonable reaction i thought to the loss, but for them to worry about being robbed etc and now having to look over their shoulder at WH is something that we as supporters would do in the same position. It was a match that would have pushed them further towards winning the league, BUT i hope they hold it together and WH foul up in the playoffs.

The reaction from both sets of supporters was a classic to and fro of hope, elation and doubt which to be on the receiving end is never a great feeling.

[St Pauli]

RE fight at station: It was handbags. Four guys involved max and it lasted about 30 seconds.

[anR]

Outside West Quay this morning some guy with his girlfriend muttered something about points. "Blinding", I said to which he aggressively said, "You was lucky, very lucky!" I don't remember any of our goals bouncing off a defender, mind...

[LoyalRoyalFan]

I thought the Southampton fans in the Northam (?) Stand were very good. Fantastic atmosphere by both sets of supporters and a proper game of football to boot.

[Friday's Legacy]

I do agree with one of them though - if we play backs to the wall football in the Premiership and allow teams to have 12 to 20 shots a game, we will get murdered.

We need to spend this summer as highlighted in another thread.

If Saints play that style of football next season then they will easily do a Norwich, no doubt about it. Their wing-play was superb. Lallana (sp?) was immense, and Lambert will eat teams up with service like that.

[From Despair To Where?]

To summarise then, Southampton were by far the better team apart from goalkeeping, defending and taking chances.

Well that's ok then, at least we weren't better than them in 3 of the more crucial areas of the game.

[Snowball]

Saints were SLAUGHTERED at Elland Road, and according to stats their keeper made 15 saves

Who won? Oh, Saints.

Who should have won?

[FiNeRaIn]

I do agree with one of them though - if we play backs to the wall football in the Premiership and allow teams to have 12 to 20 shots a game, we will get murdered.

We need to spend this summer as highlighted in another thread.

If Saints play that style of football next season then they will easily do a Norwich, no doubt about it. Their wing-play was superb. Lallana (sp?) was immense, and Lambert will eat teams up with service like that.

I agree, except lambert is much better than holt IMO. Their whole game play is the same though, its get it out wide to the wing or fullback and cross deep to lambert, they never fizz rockets to the near post or back towards the 18 yard box....they always cross deep. They've destroyed teams at this level with that, but sure you'd think premiership teams will be wise enough to have a gameplan for that as its pretty predictable. They will also not get anywhere near as much time on the ball as they do in the championship to gradually work it out wide. Out of the two current teams though I think they'd do better than us definitely. We can't sit back and absorb pressure against teams the way we are now, we will be hammered. Two first signings...Sig and Jordan Rhodes please, throw Kevin Doyle in there also.

[John Peel]

Outside West Quay this morning some guy with his girlfriend muttered something about points. "Blinding", I said to which he aggressively said, "You was lucky, very lucky!" I don't remember any of our goals bouncing off a defender, mind...

You're absolutely right there! Think I'll use that when I get the inevitable 'you were lucky' comments by my Saints work colleagues on Monday.

The fact is, yes they battered us first half but it's not like were playing that badly. And after they score their deflected goal I thought we came back into it and matched them. In fact, their goal was the best thing that could have happened. It spurred us on. Only weak spot was our centre mid, which was not great at times, although Mullins did come back into it second half.

Also, our first and second goals were well worked. And the first one came from the cross of the season.

Comments I heard after the game about them battering us for 90 mins are therefore slightly blinkered IMO.

[SCIAG]

We can't sit back and absorb pressure against teams the way we are now, we will be hammered.

I can't see us being able to play like that at Old Trafford and get a result.

[FiNeRaIn]

Outside West Quay this morning some guy with his girlfriend muttered something about points. "Blinding", I said to which he aggressively said, "You was lucky, very lucky!" I don't remember any of our goals bouncing off a defender, mind...

You're absolutely right there! Think I'll use that when I get the inevitable 'you were lucky' comments by my Saints work colleagues on Monday.

The fact is, yes they battered us first half but it's not like were playing that badly. And after they score their deflected goal I thought we came back into it and matched them. In fact, their goal was the best thing that could have happened. It spurred us on. Only weak spot was our centre mid, which was not great at times, although Mullins did come back into it second half.

Also, our first and second goals were well worked. And the first one came from the cross of the season.

Comments I heard after the game about them battering us for 90 mins are therefore slightly blinkered IMO.

Its not luck when you do it week in week out. The last three away games West Ham, BHA and Now southampton the home side has dominated for long periods, we've defended like gods and hit goals on the counter.

If they think its luck, they aren't very bright football fans and probably started following the game last season.

[79Royal]

Only weak spot was our centre mid, which was not great at times, although Mullins did come back into it second half.

I thought Tabb and Mullins were too close together first half. When ALF came on and McAnuff moved inside, Mullins dropped a little deeper and Jobi was a bit more mobile than Tabb (who still looks injured to me). As soon as that happened, we looked a lot better through the middle.