![Image for Analysis [Saints & Sinners Edition]](https://cdn.thehotspurway.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/snack-logo.jpg?width=800&aspect_ratio=16:10){kind=logo}
Good morning.
Boy there really is an attitude out there that we need to beat everyone 8-0 or it’s open season to groan. 3 points and the job done. Bill Nicholson did say it wasn’t just about winning but winning well. I one hundred percent agree with him. But that’s in an ideal world and we don’t live in one.
A game of two halves indeed. The issues are pretty straightforward. We dominated the first half and the second half was a joint effort of the Saints giving it their upmost and our lot wanting to get in out the rain and slip their jazzy beats headphones back on.
The sense of relief that we won – or based upon the harum scarum of the last 50 minutes – the sense of relief that we’d got away with it was palpable. And rightly so. Much improved with Bale on the wing but elsewhere what we miss in every department is wit. One knock on effect of Modric and van Der Vaart leaving has been the lowering of the team’s collective IQ. The closest we had to passes that made a real difference came from Huddlestone. 90% of the balls he pinged about were superb. Unfortunately 89% were in the first half.
We played a first half that was built upon mostlt tight, fast passes. More triangles than a Dairy Lea factory. But the second half degenerated into a cup tie between two old Second Division sides hoofing and huffing in the rain. Desperately sad to watch and nothing much to be proud of.
– Distribution of a dyslexic postman. I’m not too worried his ball saving so much. It’s this burning desire to hoof the bloody thing into the void at every opportunity. I don’t recall us winning possession from even one of these old school clumps upfield.
– He’s about as convincing as a carthorse in a wedding dress. Somebody make it stop.
– Solid. Only real negative was him passing to Brad who then passed to Southamptom.
– Everything on his side, including me. More please.
– Returned to form in the first half, looked half dead in the second.
– How long can he keep up doing the work of 3 men? Somebody find out whats keeping The Rolling Stones alive and give our boy some.
– Quite exceptional in the second half, joined the Witness Protection Program in the second.
– We should sell him in January. To B&Q or Wickes.
– The pigeons sitting on this statue must have got heavy as he could barely move at all after 50 minutes.
– Pinged and whizzed then fizzled out.
– As winning away goalscorers go, boy he’s unexciting.
– I was actually so angry he made me giggle. Put me in a coma of hysterical despair.
– A man that has inherited a squad pretty thin on brains that doesn’t particularly like playing for longer than an hour. The return of Kaboul and Moussa can’t come quick enough. Brad & Hugo’s roles need to be urgently reversed. If Walker cannot be improved in training then Naughton must replace him.
I don’t know how unfit Ade is but Defoe is so selfish and gormless I don’t know how much more of him I can cope with. This was Southampton, a team that have conceded more goals so far this season than anyone since 1804 or something. Come on.
I watched this with a laptop on my knee and it ruined my ability to comfortably watch Scum v Manure.
We should have sorted this game by half time. Defoe is just too excitable. Always offside and as selfish as a poor lover.
Huddlestone added to his assists, LLL, and produced a killer ball. Then reverted to type. Square, back and occasionally to Lennon.
HH is correct. We need a brain. Dembele to come back soon, please – though not against Norwich. We need him for the difficult fixtures against Citeh, Arse and of course, WIGAN!
Lloris. Why no Lloris. AVB is an intelligent man. Surely he can see Brad’s pass completion stats for himself.
I’ve said it before. We are hard-up up front. If we make it to the end of December with both Ade and Defoe intact we will be lucky…depending on their form. I could not comprehend a Dempsey up front.
Is he biding his time for a performance of a lifetime? Good grief he IS unexciting H.
Huddlestone added to his assists, LLL, and produced a killer ball.
I’m glad you are keeping count Bruxie!
Then reverted to type. Square, back and occasionally to Lennon.
Oh yes, you must be right because we improved a real lot when Huddlestone went off and Livermore came on, didn’t we?
We were crap before Hudd went off. 50-odd minutes and buggered.
We all know about Livermore. No need to rub it in.
But I’ve made the point to you several times that whilst you are berating Tom mercilessly, you have no other option or suggestion available to you. Livermore is the other option. That’s it.
Tom is not going to take us to the next level.
He is not a winner and does not take a game “by the scruff of the neck…”
He’s mid-table.
Dembele was missing on Sunday. No need for either Tom or Livermore when he’s fit.
We haven’t replaced the playmaker role adequately to provide back-up. Somebody must have told AVB that Tom was a great asset. Wrong.
Somebody must have told AVB that Tom was a great asset. Wrong.
Doesn’t look that way. He was packing him off to Stoke and starting Livermore at the beginning of the season. Do you think you sometimes give AVB too much credit? :whistle:
Hudd was injured at the time of Livermore’s airings.
Or hadn’t you been following?
I can hear them saying…”Wait until Tom is back, he’ll show them…”
Hudd was injured at the time of Livermore’s airings.
No he wasn’t.
Hudd was injured at the beginning of the season.
What season are you in?
No he wasn’t you raging buffoon!
So what was he?
Unavailable?
He was recovering from injury…not fit…still isn’t and needs to go.
Livermore got his place because Tom was not ready.
Injured in other words.
Why the hostility?
I thought you’d mastered irony for a few brif moments.
Stik it!
So we sent an injured player up to Stoke then?
https://twitter.com/TomHuddlestone6/status/236798682660495361
‘Raging Buffoon’ is hardly the most hostile attack I could think of. Are you that sensitive old fellow?
now then now then you 2 in the 1 and 9s
When will Avb learn that bringing on Jake ffin i want to be on The only way is Essex i am crap the worst Tottenham player ever pass it backwards Livermore means that we will struggle. Everytime he comes on we are poor and concede. Why does Avb play soo negative when we have a lead, he is thick to keep doing this time after time.
Defoe made me want to smash my tv up, he always moans that he aint getting a game but when he does he is unbeleivably crap and selfish. I could of scored more than him with the chances he has had.
I guess the answer is because Thudd is nowhere near fit to play more than 50-60 minutes and there’s nobody else. Dembele and Parker out..we have Sandro, a half fit Huddlestone, and Livermore…that’s it! Same with Defoe, we don’t know for sure…but we’re told Ade was not fit.
Last window AVB wanted Moutinho or another central another no.9 striker, and possibly a wider player.
What he got was a last minute paper over the cracks player signing in Dempsey. Decent pro, works hard, but not a world beater and can’t play in the positions we thought he could (ie wide or centre mid).
So what else can AVB do? He’s probably not happy about it either, but he’s getting on with it.
Quite exceptional in the second half, joined the Witness Protection Program in the second.
Surely witless…(um..rather like me)
A game of two second halves.
:whistle:
I think the switches to Lloris and Ade are inevitable. AVB is trying to instil some squad spirit born out of meritocracy, and also keep everyone on their toes. He needs commitment and the genuine fear of being dropped in order to get his pressing game going, and also squad players he can rotate in and perform.
Everyone in the squad (bar Bale) has a rival to beat to get and keep a shirt. It gives him greater power and authority and makes players work harder.
All the top CL Managers have this, and allows them to compete on all fronts. We didn’t have this under HR hence the traditional post Xmas collapse – so I can see what he’s trying to do.
Jammie, ‘…..spirit born out of meritocracy’, don’t you mean mediocrity?
Defoe really had a shocker..again..guy just doesn’t (want to) learn..
He might not be exciting, but honestly don’t think Dempsey’s as bad as people on here (want to) make him look, though..
Sig’s actually the one who’s disappointing so far imho