Southampton verdict.

davygravy said:
We have some very strange people on this board! Maybe they struggle with being positive about anything, when we had so many years of being rubbish?

I didn't see most of the game, I was working but in-between care calls, I sat in the car and watched the first twenty minutes and the last ten. I knew we would be under the cosh in the second half and from what I saw....several of our players were struggling to hold the ball. In that last ten, I saw Rico giving it 100%, battling for any ball that went his way. I saw him link up for a couple of moves down the left as well. I always back any player that gives it everything, simple as that.

I don't get people singling out Rico, when the team as a whole dipped in quality in the second half, after they all had a decent first half. Stacey is a work in progress as well, he wasn't meant to be first choice yet but again, he words his nuts off for the team either way.

'Solanke again is learning but my personal view is he won’t get there' ???? FFS....he's just had two strong games for us, Everton especially, he's linking really well with Callum and working hard up top and going back. He's not our main source of scoring goals because Eddie is obviously asking him to do a certain job for the team. Pretty sure something will drop for him soon enough. But yeah....lets write him off as well. Baffling!

The second half was always going to be a battle and we stood up up to them, even off form. That's not a bad quality to have, especially away from home as the heat rises.

A very solid start to the season then [ when some were suggesting just a week or so ago, that they were concerned....?!?!?!?! ].... I do genuinely think we have members of this group that don't know how to be positive!
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Great Post Davy.... Full on Truth!
 
For me smith and kelly when fit will be the full backs.solanke for me is useless and woukd sell him asap.overall we have a good squad with depth when all fit.2 good young keepers a strong midfield with strenght and flair in cook and brooks and good forwards in wilson king and fraser .also some promising players like kilkenny .shoukd be looking at top half .
 
davygravy said:
We have some very strange people on this board! Maybe they struggle with being positive about anything, when we had so many years of being rubbish?

I didn't see most of the game, I was working but in-between care calls, I sat in the car and watched the first twenty minutes and the last ten. I knew we would be under the cosh in the second half and from what I saw....several of our players were struggling to hold the ball. In that last ten, I saw Rico giving it 100%, battling for any ball that went his way. I saw him link up for a couple of moves down the left as well. I always back any player that gives it everything, simple as that.

I don't get people singling out Rico, when the team as a whole dipped in quality in the second half, after they all had a decent first half. Stacey is a work in progress as well, he wasn't meant to be first choice yet but again, he words his nuts off for the team either way.

'Solanke again is learning but my personal view is he won’t get there' ???? FFS....he's just had two strong games for us, Everton especially, he's linking really well with Callum and working hard up top and going back. He's not our main source of scoring goals because Eddie is obviously asking him to do a certain job for the team. Pretty sure something will drop for him soon enough. But yeah....lets write him off as well. Baffling!

The second half was always going to be a battle and we stood up up to them, even off form. That's not a bad quality to have, especially away from home as the heat rises.

A very solid start to the season then [ when some were suggesting just a week or so ago, that they were concerned....?!?!?!?! ].... I do genuinely think we have members of this group that don't know how to be positive!
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53% of our play went down the left side through Rico and King and yet people're criticising Rico? Also Solanke and Rico have started and played well in 2 games we've won 3-1 but it's like some people think we should've played an injured Smith and Brooks instead and presumably somehow we'd would've won by 4-1? And just to remind the critics - AFC Bournemouth are 3rd, what more do you want?
 
Istabraq said:
For me smith and kelly when fit will be the full backs.solanke for me is useless and woukd sell him asap.overall we have a good squad with depth when all fit.2 good young keepers a strong midfield with strenght and flair in cook and brooks and good forwards in wilson king and fraser .also some promising players like kilkenny .shoukd be looking at top half .
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You haven't actually seen Kelly play a PL game, but you somehow know he's better than Rico? Interesting.
 
Neil Dawson said:
It is possible to have players not play well in a victory just like you can have superstars in defeats and it’s also ok to point that out after the game.

I think the thing to remember is Stacey would have not been bought to play, but to develop. I also think had Kelly and Daniels stayed fit Rico would be back on loan in Spain. I think Eddie can see what we can all reluctantly see (a smashing lad who isn’t quite PL). Rico also got no cover last night from King who is not a midfielder. Solanke again is learning but my personal view is he won’t get there and we blew a lot of cash but again I’ve been wrong before (Danny Ings as Rob likes to remind me) and I sincerely hope I’m wrong again.

To me it makes it even more impressive we can win PL games with players off their level. It’s a sign we are established. In our first few seasons every single player had to be on their level for us to even have a prayer!
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This seems a bit off to me you've applied the wrong description to the wrong player. Rico clearly has what it takes on that first half showing. He now needs to back it up with consistency. He was also good v Everton.

While I agree Stacey needs to develop, he needs to develop a LOT! He needs half an hour on the ball to make a pass. He played back to the keeper from the halfway line on one occasion and was had on toast multiple times both yesterday and last week. He looks like a League 1 player playing a PL team in the FA cup. He's trying hard, no question, but he's coming up exceptionally short unfortunately.

We can't forget he's had a few seasons of first team senior football so isn't completely devoid of experience. If any other player had come into our team playing like that, regardless of age or experience, I've no doubt they'd be firmly in the "not good enough for the PL/failed transfer policy bracket". That you're calling out Rico, who's only played 9 more games for us than Stacey and was never as poor as he was yesterday... Do we think Stacey will be capable of a commanding, assist-laden first half in 9 appearances time, several off the bench? He'll be better but it's quite an ask.

Stacey is the new immune to criticism guy for some reason while Rico is the new Surman/Gosling.

Fwiw I thought Cook was utterly immense and our MoM, King awesome but lacking final ball.

I also want to note the King-esque run for 3/4 of the pitch that Solanke did as no-one else has mentioend it. Real turn of pace and I'd assumed it was Josh until I saw his number as he flew past the halfway line as it was on his side of the pitch. Fluffed it when it came to end product like King, too! But promising IMO. And a decent all-round first half.
 
davygravy said:
We have some very strange people on this board! Maybe they struggle with being positive about anything, when we had so many years of being rubbish?

I didn't see most of the game, I was working but in-between care calls, I sat in the car and watched the first twenty minutes and the last ten. I knew we would be under the cosh in the second half and from what I saw....several of our players were struggling to hold the ball. In that last ten, I saw Rico giving it 100%, battling for any ball that went his way. I saw him link up for a couple of moves down the left as well. I always back any player that gives it everything, simple as that.

I don't get people singling out Rico, when the team as a whole dipped in quality in the second half, after they all had a decent first half. Stacey is a work in progress as well, he wasn't meant to be first choice yet but again, he words his nuts off for the team either way.

'Solanke again is learning but my personal view is he won’t get there' ???? FFS....he's just had two strong games for us, Everton especially, he's linking really well with Callum and working hard up top and going back. He's not our main source of scoring goals because Eddie is obviously asking him to do a certain job for the team. Pretty sure something will drop for him soon enough. But yeah....lets write him off as well. Baffling!

The second half was always going to be a battle and we stood up up to them, even off form. That's not a bad quality to have, especially away from home as the heat rises.

A very solid start to the season then [ when some were suggesting just a week or so ago, that they were concerned....?!?!?!?! ].... I do genuinely think we have members of this group that don't know how to be positive!
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Completely agree
Topfarrier said:
You mean players like Chris Mepham?
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i have never written Mepham off, I just said that he’s not ready to start at this moment in time. I think our results with and without him this season back that up. I have no doubt that he will be a very good player in the future but I don’t think it’s unfair to say that he isn’t quite ready yet.
 
First half very good Second half no so made us sweat a bit

Everyone guilty of giving the ball away in the Second half

Right up there in my top 5 aways ever simply because of the result

Waited donkey's years for this COYR
 
Waz afcb said:
Completely agree

i have never written Mepham off, I just said that he’s not ready to start at this moment in time. I think our results with and without him this season back that up. I have no doubt that he will be a very good player in the future but I don’t think it’s unfair to say that he isn’t quite ready yet.
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Didn't you say he shouldn't be anywhere near our starting 11 and is a back up CB at best?..........not sure how that ties in with 'supporters like yourself' :D preaching that the rest of us give players a proper chance to prove their worth before writing them off!!
 
Topfarrier said:
Didn't you say he shouldn't be anywhere near our starting 11 and is a back up CB at best?..........not sure how that ties in with 'supporters like yourself' :D preaching that the rest of us give players a proper chance to prove their worth before writing them off!!
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I said that at the moment he shouldn’t be near the starting 11, if you look at what I actually said I was very adamant that he would become a very good player one day but needed time to develop and that playing him at this moment in time would cost us goals. I never wrote him off just being realistic, he’s a young lad and not quite ready yet in my opinion.
 
Im happy to accept any line up Eddie puts out now tbh.....it would appear he knows what he wants from his players.....there is a greater amount of positive results than we could ever have expected since we came up....ive sometimes been puzzled by his substitutions but how do we really know what his criteria is on any given 2nd half?

" Look at him scribbling away every two minutes on that effing notebook" said one of my Saints acquaintances last night!"

Hee hee...more power to his pencil!
 
simonhpieman said:
Stacey is the new immune to criticism guy for some reason while Rico is the new Surman/Gosling..
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How much criticism do you think he deserves considering he’s been involved in a total of two games in which we won both scored six and conceded one from open play ?

Edited to say , and your “utterly immense “ Cookie is the one that conceded that really unnecessary penalty , that put us under pressure for the entire second half .
 
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wallmth said:
How much criticism do you think he deserves considering he’s been involved in a total of two games in which we won both scored six and conceded one from open play ?

Edited to say , and your “utterly immense “ Cookie is the one that conceded that really unnecessary penalty , that put us under pressure for the entire second half .
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Cook was fantastic despite giving away a penalty.

Rico was below average despite an assist.

Harry Wilson was ineffectual despite a goal.

One incident doesn’t define a players performance over the entire course of game.
 
DJ said:
Cook was fantastic despite giving away a penalty.

Rico was below average despite an assist.

Harry Wilson was ineffectual despite a goal.

One incident doesn’t define a players performance over the entire course of game.
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Of course it doesn’t . If it did I would say the block Stacey made from probably the best chance Saints had ,a shot just outside the six yard box which if had gone in we probably would have gone on to lose the match was immense and makes him just about one of the most important players on the pitch last night ... but apparently to a bunch of posters he was just crap .

Isn’t a statement like “Harry Wilson was ineffectual despite a goal “ contradicting itself .. he wasn’t ineffectual he scored a goal , you can’t have much more effect than that .
 
South Western Railways are shite...alternative verdict

Pity the poor sods that had to take the bus from Poole at 0030 after that joke of a journey.
 
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