Southampton vs. Villa Post Match Thread

[SoccerHQ]

We weren't atrocious today and that's what Garde needs to hammer home.

We could've easily been 3-0 down in 20 minutes just like last year though.

A point is decent as we didn't deserve anything really but can anyone see this squad getting another 30 points, we have no chance.

We got exactly what we deserved. Until they start awarding goals for sticking it over the bar or points for having 20 minutes of good pressure without capitalising, then its little more than could have would have.

They could have been  two up against Liverpool, but they got what they deserved.

O.k when we start playing like that and miss a hatful in first 20 minutes but at least have coherent attacks then I'll start to believe we can stay up as we'd have a basis to win games then. There is a reason Southampton are comfortable in mid table with no danger at all of being relegated, you could see that today even if they couldn't finish their dinner.

A point is o.k if we can build on it e.g. scrap a point against an Arsenal side with half it's team in A&E next week, Sunderland played alright against them today and weren't far off a point. Then go to Newcastle and win and then maybe beat West Ham aswell.

Or will it be a false dawn like v Man. City as the reality again is we create very little going forward.

I know which one is most likely.

[PaulTheVillan]

Other than the first 10 minutes, I thought it was pretty even.

Some better decision making in the final third and we could have had more.

Veretout is looking better and is a much better option at free kicks and corner.

Okore was very good.

[PaulTheVillan]

We weren't atrocious today and that's what Garde needs to hammer home.

We could've easily been 3-0 down in 20 minutes just like last year though.

A point is decent as we didn't deserve anything really but can anyone see this squad getting another 30 points, we have no chance.

We got exactly what we deserved. Until they start awarding goals for sticking it over the bar or points for having 20 minutes of good pressure without capitalising, then its little more than could have would have.

They could have been  two up against Liverpool, but they got what they deserved.

O.k when we start playing like that and miss a hatful in first 20 minutes but at least have coherent attacks then I'll start to believe we can stay up as we'd have a basis to win games then. There is a reason Southampton are comfortable in mid table with no danger at all of being relegated, you could see that today even if they couldn't finish their dinner.

A point is o.k if we can build on it e.g. scrap a point against an Arsenal side with half it's team in A&E next week, Sunderland played alright against them today and weren't far off a point. Then go to Newcastle and win and then maybe beat West Ham aswell.

Or will it be a false dawn like v Man. City as the reality again is we create very little going forward.

I know which one is most likely.

Southampton were fucking awful in the first 20 minutes. Missed loads of chances.

[SoccerHQ]

They still created lots of stuff through quick passing and one twos. Football I want to see us play at some stage this side.

Is that much different to us missing a few first half chances v Watford last week and people declaring that was the best we've played in ages.

[Bad English]

Southampton were fucking awful in the first 20 minutes. Missed loads of chances.

PTV has a point: you have to be particularly shite not to score against Aston Villa from four or five chances

[preston28]

It's going to be interesting what happens when Richards is back fit. Does he drop Lescott? Does he drop Okore?

Could play Richards at right back or CB in a 3-5-2 formation? However I'd like an Okore - Richards CB patnership with Calamity Clark at LB and Lescott on the bench.

[BoskoDjembaSalifou]

Great point
The empire has just struck back
Utv

Yes. We also have Jar Jar Binks at number 39.

I wish we did!

[David_Nab]

Throught the midfield after the first 20 mins or so where pretty decent.Sanchez and Gueye put in alot of work the latter looked more like he did in our early games in season.season. Veretout it seems has been told to support the attacks more and he was defenitly  trying to run past Gestede at times and put in one lovely cross after he got away from 3 Soton players only for Gestede to completely miss the ball

Hutton looked very nervy at times but got better and made one great block from a Davies goal bound effort

Bacuna was ok his pace helped against Mane but at times looked akward , I would edge him over Richardson for now

CB's grew into game Okore was rusty but got better and Lescott had his best game for us.

Sinclair covered alot of ground ( stats showed he had most sprints in the team) but didn't do alot with the ball

Gestede was better won more flicks on's and laid ball off but overall his movement is poor and his is pretty slow

Overall fairly positive performance

[UK Redsox]

Southampton were fucking awful in the first 20 minutes. Missed loads of chances.

PTV has a point: you have to be particularly shite not to score against Aston Villa from four or five chances

Some of their misses were absolute shockers. Villa should have been dead and buried after 5 minutes.

In isolation a point away at Southampton is a good result. In reality, after riding their luck in the first 15 minutes or so, this is the type of game that Villa needed to win.

PS - thanks for nothing Chelsea

[ROBBO]

Gestede is woeful a lumbering giant with absolutely no co-ordination between brain and feet we must get someone to replace him, Thought Okore did okay in his comeback game and the midfield after a shaky start was decent. Sinclair defends well that's why he stayed on but was useless when attacking. Southampton were poor for most of the game as were we.

[footyskillz]

I feared a repeat of the 6 conceded watching early on! It's a credit to nthe team and a great point. I think Ghana is the best player today for his effort. I'm concerns at parts with Sanchez performance again today who likes to give away cheaply. But the villa boys deserved that and if sub Westwood had composure to score would have been a 3 points.
Let's see how the injuries are for villa as well as arsenal for next week.

[footyskillz]

Gestede is woeful a lumbering giant with absolutely no co-ordination between brain and feet we must get someone to replace him, Thought Okore did okay in his comeback game and the midfield after a shaky start was decent. Sinclair defends well that's why he stayed on but was useless when attacking. Southampton were poor for most of the game as were we.

Agreed his complete hash of a miskick and missing ball when veretout did neat play to pull back was quite something. Doesn't seem to be clinical when only a few chances fall his way needs to gather confidence but overall villa had the luck

[LeeB]

Gestede is woeful a lumbering giant with absolutely no co-ordination between brain and feet we must get someone to replace him, Thought Okore did okay in his comeback game and the midfield after a shaky start was decent. Sinclair defends well that's why he stayed on but was useless when attacking. Southampton were poor for most of the game as were we.

Agreed his complete hash of a miskick and missing ball when veretout did neat play to pull back was quite something. Doesn't seem to be clinical when only a few chances fall his way needs to gather confidence but overall villa had the luck

It was the kind of opening Benteke would have calmly slotted into the corner.

[supertom]

January it's essential that we sign 4 good players throughout the spine of the side, to ensure we stay up. The midfield is a bit of a non-entitiy really. Gana and Veretout are both okay players, but I think it needs to be one or the other. Sanchez is a liability.
As far as Gana goes, he's pretty tidy but then does he impose himself on a game like other midfielders in this league can? I'm not too sure. Just looking at Kante for example at Leicester. He looks a cut above Gana.
What we need in a midfield 3 really, is a good holding player and a good playmaker. In the middle you can have a decent box-to-box player. Gana or Veretout could fill that role. Their kind of in the middle. They're good enough to get by in this league without excelling in my opinion.

Up front we need a spark from somewhere. Stoke put out a front four today that absolutely pisses all over our attacking options. It's like the winner of the worlds smallest penis competition walking into a bog and then standing at the piss troth next to Ron Jeremy while he's unloading his tank. There's just no comparison. And that is a side who is 10th and won't get much better than that.

In goal I thought Guzan looked decent, one flap aside, but still, we have to be ruthless. Based on 18 months he needs replacing ASAP. He has a month to replicate today's performance. To pull his level back up to 2012-14. If he does so, maybe we can keep faith in him and then concentrate on other positions.

Left back needs immediate addressing (groan...we're still saying this). And we need a good CH. Stoke haven't conceded while Shawcross has played. Now Shawcross is nothing more than a middle of the road Prem CH but he takes a big steaming dump over every CH at our club. He's McGrath-esque in comparison to anyone we have here.

Today was better, but we need to build on it. We looked more like a team, which was promising, but we still need far more cohesion. But trouble with the Villa is, we often take a step forward then two steps back. If we can pull something out of Arsenal by the grace of McGrath and then get a win against Newcastle, we could kick on. It's a big if.

[Clampy]

We did ride our luck in that opening few minutes and like a few have said, we could have easily been a couple of goals down. I thought we deserved the point though. We battled and played some nice stuff at times. It wasn't always pretty but it's not going to be. It's a bloody good point away from home, I just hope it gives them the confidence to build on it.