Soton (H) - An improvement despite the result

[metalblade]

You can play well as a team but at the end of the day if the players aren't good enough you will struggle. That and the players who are good enough are not showing up.
Make no mistake we will be looking over our shoulders at relegation all season.

 

[Danetheblade]

Yes, it was all down to that one plater.

Campbell's earlier miss, the ref choosing to ignore 2 very blatant fouks in McGuiness, Hamer constantly making the wrong shoot/pass decision, all had no bearing on the game.

Cannon worked hard when he came on, but didn't even get a sniff of a chance. Quite what anyone was supposed to do, I don't know, but fuck it, let's all pile on the scapegoat.

Genuine question, what did he actually do?

 

[LBA_Blade]

Another positive was something different off the training ground in the second half with the free kick routine, created a great chance rather than going over the wall directly passing out wide to try and whip it in from a different angle

 

[I should coco]

I’m not scapegoating Cannon. I’m blaming whatever idiot keeps deciding to bring him on. If you’re chasing a game he isn’t going to be the answer.

So if you are not 'scapegoating him', why the sarky comment about giving up on the game, by putting him on?

If it's a witty dig at Wilder,
do you still think RS was the answer, and should have been given more time, to completely destroy us?

 

[Sean Thornton]

I thought we were alright, they were slightly better.

Not a great game but if we play like that regularly then more often than not we will get a result

“Alright” isn’t going to get us climbing up the table.

 

[I should coco]

Genuine question, what did he actually do?

It's not a genuine question, though, is it, if you really didn't see any of movement and positions he took up.

 

[JasonEllis]

Shows how opinions differ, I thought we were rubbish again unfortunately (albeit perhaps less rubbish than other games this season).

 

[Blademan89]

We were dreadful

Its been our best performance all season.

And ir was far from dreadful or that Southampton was shockingly bad as well and there for the taking.

We played some alright stuff through he middle with davies, which was the best plsyer on the pitch for me, they couldn't get near him.

 

[Danetheblade]

It's not a genuine question, though, is it, if you really didn't see any of movement and positions he took up.

Yeah, it is. I know what I saw, I’m just interested in what you saw.

 

[Nick Jansky]

So if you are not 'scapegoating him', why the sarky comment about giving up on the game, by putting him on?

If it's a witty dig at Wilder,
do you still think RS was the answer, and should have been given more time, to completely destroy us?

Do you think bringing Cannon on is a positive step for a team needing a goal? What do you think he brings in that situation? Do you think you are seeing something that the rest of us aren’t?

RS needed to go. That certainly doesn’t mean that Wilder is beyond criticism. He will, quite rightly, be judged on what he does now, not what he did in the past.

 

[Sean Thornton]

Yes, it was all down to that one plater.

Campbell's earlier miss, the ref choosing to ignore 2 very blatant fouks in McGuiness, Hamer constantly making the wrong shoot/pass decision, all had no bearing on the game.

Cannon worked hard when he came on, but didn't even get a sniff of a chance. Quite what anyone was supposed to do, I don't know, but fuck it, let's all pile on the scapegoat.

One decent flick on. What you’d expect tbh. He’s shown next to nothing yet keeps getting chance after chance. Not sure what the situation is with Ings fitness but he put in far more than Cannon in less time. I don’t give a monkeys who made the final decision to sign him anymore but l’d like to know what CW and his staff see in him this season that makes them think he could change a game.

 

[dc_blade]

I’ve been plenty critical of Wilder in the past but I do think it was better than it has been. We looked dangerous when we won the ball back high up and moved it quickly. He’s made us look like an actual team and I think we competed better.

But when we have to play back to front we really struggle. This has been a problem for Wilder for a year now and no signs of solving it. Unless Gus summons up one of his wonder balls we have no idea how to create.

 

[PrestwichBlade]

Its been our best performance all season.

And ir was far from dreadful or that Southampton was shockingly bad as well and there for the taking.

We played some alright stuff through he middle with davies, which was the best plsyer on the pitch for me, they couldn't get near him.

No, it was dreadful. Second to everything, sloppy in possession, too many players with poor body language and the manager goes missing in action again. I honestly think some think it was alright, purely because we got a chance to get aggro with the referee

 

[Davalon]

Ok first half, not so good second.

Lots to iron out.

Ref crap but papering over the cracks putting the blame on him.

Too many players below par or not up to the task given them.

As for the obsession with working it back to Cooper from every dead ball within 70 yards of our own goal.

I feel sorry for Cannon because despite his lack of fight, fuck knows who decided he was a good fit for how we've continued to play him bar a couple of games.

Complete waste of time bringing him on most weeks in the position we do. May as well try something different.

 

[Rudders]

I’ve been plenty critical of Wilder in the past but I do think it was better than it has been. We looked dangerous when we won the ball back high up and moved it quickly. He’s made us look like an actual team and I think we competed better.

But when we have to play back to front we really struggle. This has been a problem for Wilder for a year now and no signs of solving it. Unless Gus summons up one of his wonder balls we have no idea how to create.

Some classic Wilderball play tonight slow build up down the left to work the ball into the corner, don’t get the cross in or behind the defence, turn back then go right back into your own half and then slowly up the other wing.
It’s what England under Southgate did in virtually every game.
I think it’s generally modern football and it reduces the impact of the high press but by heck it’s boring

 

[3Cheers4Ramirez]

It would help massively if we stopped capitulating at the BL end

It's pathetic

Been a problem for a while, and has happened to varying degrees every game this season

Must be the big scary away fans

 

[Maltby_blade]

No, it was dreadful. Second to everything, sloppy in possession, too many players with poor body language and the manager goes missing in action again. I honestly think some think it was alright, purely because we got a chance to get aggro with the referee

No we think it was alright because we watched it. We weren’t second to everything at all, was very little between the teams.

 

[PrestwichBlade]

No we think it was alright because we watched it. We weren’t second to everything at all, was very little between the teams.

Dear god

 

[Tezza1889]

Green shoots and all that, we looked a threat tonight all game, never mind the result, its getting better gradually.

The Wilder thing, lets not over react, he's got frustrated and fucked up, not the end of the world is it?

He gives a shit, sometimes it backfires on him, like tonight..

 

[loyalblade95]

Genuine question, what did he actually do?

Has to do better, but one time tonight he got some space between 2 defenders pointing at the ground for O'Hare to give him the ball on the edge of the box, and O'Hare just ignores him and played it out wide instead.

If he gets that ball played through to him, he's ready to move away from his defender into the box for a shot at goal, but no one gives it to him, so we don't get a good chance on goal.

Granted he has to improve, but if that's Ings or Campbell calling for a through ball like that, we'd have been crying out for O'Hare to play it to them, so by default O'Hare should play that ball to Cannon.

 

[Danetheblade]

Has to do better, but one time tonight he got some space between 2 defenders pointing at the ground for O'Hare to give him the ball on the edge of the box, and O'Hare just ignores him and played it out wide instead.

If he gets that ball played through to him, he's ready to move away from his defender into the box for a shot at goal, but no one gives it to him, so we don't get a good chance on goal.

Granted he has to improve, but if that's Ings or Campbell calling for a through ball like that, we'd have been crying out for O'Hare to play it to them, so by default O'Hare should play that ball to Cannon.

Ahh. So made one run then. 10 Million pounds.

 

[loyalblade95]

Another point, this time in regards to Campbell, as good as that goal was, he's got to score that chance in 2nd half.

If that's on target it's in, and that changes the game.

 

[loyalblade95]

Ahh. So made one run then. 10 Million pounds.

Maybe so, but if strikers are making those sort of runs, players (especially O'Hare) have to play those sort of passes when the opportunity arises.

If that's Campbell or Ings in that situation, and O'Hare doesn't play the ball, we'd be criticising O'Hare for it.

 

[Danetheblade]

Maybe so, but if strikers are making those sort of runs, players (especially O'Hare) have to play those sort of passes when the opportunity arises.

If that's Campbell or Ings in that situation, and O'Hare doesn't play the ball, we'd be criticising O'Hare for it.

True, though I’d be expecting a lot lot lot more for 10M worth of striker. Granted he didn’t set the fee, but he offers absolutely nothing game after game, rarely makes runs, doesn’t link play, has the strength of a newborn giraffe. Just poor all round.

 

[Addison]

Thought for 30 minutes we were better than we have been. Problem was Southampton won the midfield battle and our lack of fitness showed. Peck is not playing well and Southampton as every other team this season have done just played around him. In his defence he's not helped by Hamer wandering all over the place. Once behind we lacked the ability to get back into the game. That is a big failing and unless we address it we will languish at the bottom for a while. Teams that regularly concede goals the way we do are heading in only one direction. Goalkeeper going through a bad spell doesn't help. A lot to solve before the next game.

 

[Bladesman]

We seemed better in my view and I am someone that wanted Wilder gone.

You can start to see the difference between Wilder and Selles quite easily in just 3 games. Despite xG stats, we have started scoring at least and tonights goal was a quality goal FYI.

Another day another ref and tonight finishes a draw.

 

[Eric_Brooks]

No we think it was alright because we watched it. We weren’t second to everything at all, was very little between the teams.

You’re right, sometimes we were 3rd to the ball

 

[loyalblade95]

We seemed better in my view and I am someone that wanted Wilder gone.

You can start to see the difference between Wilder and Selles quite easily in just 3 games. Despite xG stats, we have started scoring at least and tonights goal was a quality goal FYI.

Another day another ref and tonight finishes a draw.

Not watched the highlights yet, but if Cannon does have hold of McCarthy for Peck's disallowed goal, it's just one of those unfortunate 50/50 decisions that can go either way.

I've seen enough of those situations where it's gone either way, and tonight was just one of those where it didn't go for us.

Tom Davies looked really good but understandably couldn't do 90 mins, especially with Hull on Saturday.

Given his individual performance, we were always going to look weaker in midfield without him, it would have been the same last season if we'd have subbed Souza off.

 

[blades_95]

An improvement on Selles & the Charlton game for sure, still a pretty typical Wilder 2.0 performance.

The big concern for me is how little we adapt to the game & opposition in front of us under Wilder. Southampton had a couple of decent chances & a dodgy pen and could easily have been level at half time. They make 2 proactive HT changes & turn the game around, start pressing us, score 2 goals & we look all at sea. They then adapt again & see the game out pretty comfortably.

Meanwhile we wait until 70 mins to make 2 like for like changes, same formation same approach. Only in the last 10 minutes when they’re sat behind the ball do we change to 2 up top.

From around 50 minutes to 80 minutes we were poor & offered very little, just letting the game pass us by. No sustained possession or any real pressure, until it all got a bit desperate against a team sat in.

 

[bonobo]

We were definitely better despite our obvious limitations. but we still went soft when Soton came at us 2nd half and that is really a compounding weakness that means the margins go against you, when you get a dodgy ref or Ross Stewart has a barnstormer, like he did today. But I did feel we rallied at the end, which we have often struggled to do...and we did create chances throughout the match ..which is definitely an obvious improvement