[Albion] "Attack, attack, attack, attack, attack..."

[martin tyler]

In cold light of day it was a good point. Think Southampton fans would be more unhappy than us.
We were organised defensively but I can understand people’s sentiments of lack of attacking at times as it’s hard to defend for 75 minutes once we got 1 up.
Problem last night in my opinion were the 2 wingers were really on the pitch to nutralise the threat from the Southampton fullbacks. March v Bertrand was all to do with having pace against pace. Problem then is when we win it in midfield we have 1 out ball all game to Murray or then Ulloa. Problem then is it’s got to be a great ball into then for them to hold off 2/3 players and relink to the midfield again. Neither has the pace to get in behind defences meaning teams like Southampton can just squeeze up the pitch and compact the space between the lines.
But CH won’t go chasing a game we are already winning like that. He’s got teams to survive before and I expect this tactic for all our remaining away games still. At home we need to find a way to win and I think we will have to let some players like Propper, knockaert, Izquierdo march to play a more natural attacking game.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Like at West Brom when we took Izquierdo off after 45 minutes ?

That was a like-for-like swap from memory... hardly a proactive change that changes the pattern of the game

 

[Mo Gosfield]

We started well, should have scored after 45secs. Really strong first 20mins. BUT, and this isn't tactical, Saints started to come at us, we didn't retreat as such, we failed to retain possession (again). We got in good positions but our quality is lacking sometimes. Shouldn't confuse tactics with player's performance and the opposition pressure.

Many PL sides earn 3 points through defending for their lives, see Swansea v Liverpool - we have to learn that you cannot make the mistakes that lead to set pieces.

I'm not annoyed about our tactics, I'm annoyed we gave away free kicks when we didn't need to, and man for man didn't defend as well as we should have.

As a side, we have been giving cheap free kicks away ( in dangerous areas ) for the last 3 seasons now. Main culprits...Stephens, Bruno, Knocky and Solly. A tug here, a nudge there. All petty, unnecessary and lazy stuff. At Championship level, we got away with it much more. There isn't the level of quality to exploit it. Different in the PL. These guys are razor sharp for the half chance.
Last night was a prime example. Solly gives away a really cheap, soft and totally unnecessary free kick in a dangerous area. You knew Ward-Prowse was going to whip it in towards the far post and you just knew we would struggle to defend it. Result = Goal = two points lost. Another costly mistake and how many more are there going to be?

 

[chaileyjem]

That was a like-for-like swap from memory... hardly a proactive change that changes the pattern of the game

Our last 2 wins (in the cup admittedly) came directly from the introduction of subs.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Chris has been here three years and played basically the same tactics away from home for all three of them. Why people are getting surprised at this now is weird, especially after all the success we've had during this time.

I would ponder that this stout defensive play away from home, as opposed to trying to play open and aggressive, possibly suits a team chasing promotion better than one fighting relegation, but I'm not certain of that.

I do know that a point away at saints is pretty decent in the final analysis.

I also know that we have to go through this period of weaning previously spoilt fans off winning every week, that will take time

 

[theboybilly]

Can we start putting somebody at the back post at free kicks and corners please? thought by and large it was a decent performance let down by the final ball. We cannot seem to make the opposing 'keeper work rather than send the ball skywards when in a great shooting position. It all seems so rushed. I came away feeling a whole lot better than I did from The Hawthorns I have to say

 

[Betfair Bozo]

No the musings of some idiots who think they know more about coaching and managing a premier league team then CH. They completely overlooked the double change at half time by Southampton which improved them going forward. But seem content that we abandon defending and end up losing 2-5 so they can say, well we gave it a go, and wasn't it entertaining.

An away point which moves us up to 15th with a home game to come on Saturday.

I would be more worried if I was a Southampton fan, of their 13 games remaining 8 are away from home, and this includes a sequence of four away in a row where points will be hard to come by.

The odd thing is, and I am sure you would agree, those Southampton HT changes you mention (Boufal for Tadic, an attacking MF who doesn't defend for an attacking MF who is slightly more positionally disciplined, and Carillo for Romeu, a striker for a holding MF) SHOULD have provided way more scope for us to break on them than it did. It's a good away point in the cold light of day but when the misplaced passes are being booed and the home team is jeered off at half time you can't help but think it's a missed opportunity.

 

[Gazwag]

It was hilarious that the attack broke down and they hit us on the break really quickly four on three.

I was half expecting a sarcastic ‘Defend, defend, defend, defend, defend.’

There was that chant afterwards

 

[Machiavelli]

No the musings of some idiots who think they know more about coaching and managing a premier league team then CH. They completely overlooked the double change at half time by Southampton which improved them going forward. But seem content that we abandon defending and end up losing 2-5 so they can say, well we gave it a go, and wasn't it entertaining.

An away point which moves us up to 15th with a home game to come on Saturday.

I would be more worried if I was a Southampton fan, of their 13 games remaining 8 are away from home, and this includes a sequence of four away in a row where points will be hard to come by.

I agree with much of this, but we're now in squeaky bum month, and that point will begin to look like a poor one if we don't pick up a minimum of six, probably seven, points from February's three games. I'm not terribly hopeful we will.

 

[Gazwag]

Yes I was there, and enjoying a quality defensive display.

If there isn't a lucky deflection off Izquiredo on the drilled free kick, we probably would have come away with a win, .

If he wasn't standing in a the most ridiculous position I have ever seen to defend that free kick it would never have happened and they probably wouldn't have scored from it. It was the only time all match he actually found any space for himself.

 

[Birdie Boy]

As a side, we have been giving cheap free kicks away ( in dangerous areas ) for the last 3 seasons now. Main culprits...Stephens, Bruno, Knocky and Solly. A tug here, a nudge there. All petty, unnecessary and lazy stuff. At Championship level, we got away with it much more. There isn't the level of quality to exploit it. Different in the PL. These guys are razor sharp for the half chance.
Last night was a prime example. Solly gives away a really cheap, soft and totally unnecessary free kick in a dangerous area. You knew Ward-Prowse was going to whip it in towards the far post and you just knew we would struggle to defend it. Result = Goal = two points lost. Another costly mistake and how many more are there going to be?

That was nowhere near the last post. Lol.
He went for the low shot into the front post because we had Solly in the wall and Izquierdo behind him. Why was he behind him? If he had been in the wall it would not have been a goal.

 

[Guinness Boy]

I do know that a point away at saints is pretty decent in the final analysis.

Were you there? Let's not muck about, Southampton were dreadful in the first half and rightly booed off by their own fans. A decent side at this level would have buried them before the teams went in for a break - instead we invited them back in to the game.

On last night's performance both teams are going down. It was sub-Championship quality all round.

 

[Machiavelli]

Can we start putting somebody at the back post at free kicks and corners please? thought by and large it was a decent performance let down by the final ball. We cannot seem to make the opposing 'keeper work rather than send the ball skywards when in a great shooting position. It all seems so rushed. I came away feeling a whole lot better than I did from The Hawthorns I have to say

Perhaps for corners, but not at free kicks. To do so is just plain daft, it means that the opposition can push up on to the goalkeeper and can't be offside, and will lead to more goals conceded

 

[Wardy's twin]

Chris has been here three years and played basically the same tactics away from home for all three of them.
I would ponder that this stout defensive play away from home, as opposed to trying to play open and aggressive, possibly suits a team chasing promotion better than one fighting relegation, but I'm not certain of that.

I do know that a point away at saints is pretty decent in the final analysis.

I also know that we have to go through this period of weaning previously spoilt fans off winning every week, that will take time

I think most fans are realistic and don't expect us to win every game far from it. Pretty much EVERY fan I spoke to felt getting 17th would be an achievement this season.

What causes concern to most fans I speak to is a we don't appear to have a plan B and that Chris's substitutions are not as good as some of the other managers.

Last night's game was calling out for someone to control the midfield and we had no one who could do that the ball was being given away and coming back very quickly as another attack. Maybe a change in formation (because we can't get new players in) needs to be considered where there is more midfield strength.

 

[Stumpy Tim]

Our last 2 wins (in the cup admittedly) came directly from the introduction of subs.

What's that got to do with my point? My point is CH very very rarely changes a formation during a game to change the pattern.

 

[Tim Over Whelmed]

Ive written it on another thread...but.. no league goals from open play away from home since November 4th at Swansea.

and that was lucky in a dour game!

 

[Billy the Fish]

Of more concern to me was the number of unforced errors. On occasions we looked like a team that didn’t know each other.


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This is directly linked to to the way we were playing. I've seen a lot of comments on here about individual errors and how bad the midfield was, but if Stephens or Propper receive the ball in the middle and our wingers are in full back positions, Gross had gone missing and our only outlet up front is marked by 3 defenders, it puts them under enormous pressure with very few options for a pass.

 

[wellquickwoody]

I also know that we have to go through this period of weaning previously spoilt fans off winning every week, that will take time

Sorry, my bad that I had not realised we have been winning EVERY week for the last 43 years! Scummers were there for the taking last night, no ifs, no buts, just a wasted opportunity. CH has done a great job here, and we should thank him for what he has done, and TB will back him come what may this season. Whether we survive or not in the Prem, CH will be judged by the first half of next season, he really does need to learn to attack.

 

[The Merry Prankster]

The while atmosphere at Southampton when we went 1-0 was resigned. They were there for the taking and we let them off the hook. The attack attack attack was sung at West Brom too.

The reality of our situation is that we don't get into the early 30 points by end of Feb we are probably doomed as the fixtures after that are so tough.

Last night was the stop of the four games that REALLY matter. We have to be getting some wins and last night was a fantastic opportunity to get one against a team low on confidence, even lower after we went 1-0 up. Their crowd turned against them. It was there for the taking and all we did was sit further and further back.

We have a limited team in terms of talent but I think Hughton underrates them, always talks up the opposition. Southampton were poor and we should have taken advantage of that instead of letting them back in the game. We are at least as good as some of these teams, but we are conceding ground far too easily when in strong positions. For anyone that went regularly last season, this is nothing new either. There were plenty of games where Hughton did exactly the same as last night, but got away with it because the Championship is weaker. Villa stands out. ten men and we still decided to drop back and defend. Come on, we are better than this.

Hopefully Locadia will change things, but I am very worried he will just drop into the current 4-4-1-1 system which is clearly not working. Same old thing every single away game.

This. Expecting to get flamed but we weren't and aren't a Premier League ready side and we are managed by a lovely man with a very limited repertoire. I'm fully expecting us to go down because what we are doing clearly isn't working and we don't have a manager capable of changing it.

 

[Easy 10]

This is directly linked to to the way we were playing. I've seen a lot of comments on here about individual errors and how bad the midfield was, but if Stephens or Propper receive the ball in the middle and our wingers are in full back positions, Gross had gone missing and our only outlet up front is marked by 3 defenders, it puts them under enormous pressure with very few options for a pass.