Match Day Bournemouth v Southampton, Sunday 18th December 13:30
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HarvSFC
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Surprised Mark didn't start this thread weeks a go. 
Probably the closest the two teams have ever been going into a match, Bournemouth are even considered favourites by many, which is quite frankly weird.
However, we're still above them and we've been shite this year.
Wonder if Sky will try and build this up as a fierce rivalry.
Probably the closest the two teams have ever been going into a match, Bournemouth are even considered favourites by many, which is quite frankly weird.
However, we're still above them and we've been shite this year.
Wonder if Sky will try and build this up as a fierce rivalry.
AFCB_Mark
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Above us by 2 or 3 GD currently? We've been up and down past each other all season. It is pretty weird how close we are, despite both going about our play so differently. We score loads and concede plenty for good measure. Saints have a stout defence but bore the pants off even their most enthusiastic supporters.
We do come into this on the back of a smash and grab 1-0 over Leicester which was built on a proper old fashioned defensive shift. We can do a bit of both on our day. But I certainly wouldn't expect two clean sheets in a row. I think this has a 1-1 draw written all over it.
I don't think either side knows what their best 11 is, I certainly struggle to decide ours. I do hope we don't put Francis at Right Back, he needs to be in the middle with Cook and Smith needs to be RB. That'd make our shape so much better. Ake can slot in on the left or in midfield. Round pegs = round holes please! In attack is where our real decisions start, Afobe or Wilson up front? Pugh (excellent on Tuesday), King, Ibe, Fraser et all out wide? Hard to choose standouts, they're all handy on their day but none are nailed on starters.
It's South Coast Super Sunday Harv and you love it. Immensely enjoyable evening game last season...(although it's probably been erased from Saints memory). Such a shame it has to be on a Sunday this time.
We do come into this on the back of a smash and grab 1-0 over Leicester which was built on a proper old fashioned defensive shift. We can do a bit of both on our day. But I certainly wouldn't expect two clean sheets in a row. I think this has a 1-1 draw written all over it.
I don't think either side knows what their best 11 is, I certainly struggle to decide ours. I do hope we don't put Francis at Right Back, he needs to be in the middle with Cook and Smith needs to be RB. That'd make our shape so much better. Ake can slot in on the left or in midfield. Round pegs = round holes please! In attack is where our real decisions start, Afobe or Wilson up front? Pugh (excellent on Tuesday), King, Ibe, Fraser et all out wide? Hard to choose standouts, they're all handy on their day but none are nailed on starters.
It's South Coast Super Sunday Harv and you love it.
Immensely enjoyable evening game last season...(although it's probably been erased from Saints memory). Such a shame it has to be on a Sunday this time.
Jamie_SFC
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Shite kick off time, glad I missed out on a ticket due to a howler from the ticket office.
Twitter is tedious as fuck with our happy clapper mongs constantly wanting to bite to everyone calling it a derby. It is a derby, It's just not a rivalry. Easy pickings for Bournemouth fans on social media though.
I can't see us winning. We're boring as fuck. Best hope is a draw which will probably include us parking the bus.
Twitter is tedious as fuck with our happy clapper mongs constantly wanting to bite to everyone calling it a derby. It is a derby, It's just not a rivalry. Easy pickings for Bournemouth fans on social media though.
I can't see us winning. We're boring as fuck. Best hope is a draw which will probably include us parking the bus.
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There are a few 'characters' popping up on twitter whose obsession with us is verging on the worrying. I'm sure it's going both ways but boy those people need to calm down.
Fantastic game at home to Saints last year; I can only agree with the above that the awful kick off time will really suck out a lot of atmosphere, Dean Court under the lights is when it's at its' best; Sunday afternoons it gets very... sleepy. Hopefully a full-blooded start will kick everyone into action; you get the feeling that with back to back home wins under our belts we need to start fast and try and capitalise on a Southampton team whose confidence probably isn't at its best. I can't see us changing the team from Tuesday; it's probably not our strongest side but we look like persevering with it, even with a slightly odd back four (Who were heroic on Tuesday)
Whenever we are favourites is normally when it goes tits up; we still thrive on being the underdog. As always it feels like Bournemouth results hinge on the first goal. You always fancy us to score; it's just keeping them out that remains our perennial problem.
Fantastic game at home to Saints last year; I can only agree with the above that the awful kick off time will really suck out a lot of atmosphere, Dean Court under the lights is when it's at its' best; Sunday afternoons it gets very... sleepy. Hopefully a full-blooded start will kick everyone into action; you get the feeling that with back to back home wins under our belts we need to start fast and try and capitalise on a Southampton team whose confidence probably isn't at its best. I can't see us changing the team from Tuesday; it's probably not our strongest side but we look like persevering with it, even with a slightly odd back four (Who were heroic on Tuesday)
Whenever we are favourites is normally when it goes tits up; we still thrive on being the underdog. As always it feels like Bournemouth results hinge on the first goal. You always fancy us to score; it's just keeping them out that remains our perennial problem.
Jamie_SFC
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I recognise most of these happy clappys from St. Mary's. They're the kind who wear their home shirts over jumpers and always sing about the shite down the road. The mongs fail to understand the difference between a derby and a rivalry. You can bet the first thing you hear from our fans tomorrow will be the "we are Southampton, we don't care about you" followed by "there's only one South-Coast derby", these were pretty funny chants from a 'banter' point of view back when we were in league one but they're just cringeworthy now.
I'm personally all for this Saints/Bournemouth fixture. It's a local fixture after all, we all want those right? Hopefully Brighton join us next season. It's not like we will be playing the Skates anytime soon unless they fluke a cup tie against us.
AFCB_Mark
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We missed a sitter to go 2-0 up just before Saints equalise. Then they missed a sitter that should have taken them into the lead. Draw maybe about right so far.
HarvSFC
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Get PEH off for Long ASAP. Puel needs to change his shitty system if he wants the forwards to start scoring again and Rodriguez (who no longer has any pace) could work well with Long. Rather than him being isolated as he is currently and will be throughout the match.
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Cracking finish/game in general from Rodrigues, where's he been all season?
We weren't at the races second half, Saints wanted it more and their supporters showed how much they cared, 45 minutes of basic saints dominance.
The big difference between the sides for me was our right / their left, Francis / Smith and Bertrand / Boufal. Even for large parts but down that side it was such a miss match it was untrue.
We were good for parts of the first half, but froze. Saints deserve the win.
We weren't at the races second half, Saints wanted it more and their supporters showed how much they cared, 45 minutes of basic saints dominance.
The big difference between the sides for me was our right / their left, Francis / Smith and Bertrand / Boufal. Even for large parts but down that side it was such a miss match it was untrue.
We were good for parts of the first half, but froze. Saints deserve the win.
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PDS
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Our worst home performance this season, and by a long, long way.
Those first 10-15 minutes we were all over them, our football was fast, attacking and they couldn't cope. They equalise with their first chance of the game and well, we just crumbled. Agree with Mark, the game was lost due to our pitiful right hand side, and the excellence of Boufal/ Bertrand.
Our defending continues to be embarrassing, and we continue to go from world beaters one week, to relegation fodder the next. It's strange, and very, very very confusing. As good as were first half Tuesday, we were fucking woeful today and rightfully lost. It's disappointing because I don't think there's a lot between the sides, but they were so much better on the day.
Also Virgil Van-however-it's-spelt is an absolute colossus. In a league where nobody (apart from Chelsea) can defend, he sticks out like a sore thumb.
Those first 10-15 minutes we were all over them, our football was fast, attacking and they couldn't cope. They equalise with their first chance of the game and well, we just crumbled. Agree with Mark, the game was lost due to our pitiful right hand side, and the excellence of Boufal/ Bertrand.
Our defending continues to be embarrassing, and we continue to go from world beaters one week, to relegation fodder the next. It's strange, and very, very very confusing. As good as were first half Tuesday, we were fucking woeful today and rightfully lost. It's disappointing because I don't think there's a lot between the sides, but they were so much better on the day.
Also Virgil Van-however-it's-spelt is an absolute colossus. In a league where nobody (apart from Chelsea) can defend, he sticks out like a sore thumb.
AFCB_Mark
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Assuming that was the chance shortly before the equaliser? It was guilt edged for 2-0, and if taken given Saints record it'd have been a giant step towards job done.
But we missed and moments later it was 1-1. That's football. Games turn on chances like that.
Although you can't expect to turn up for only the first 15 or so mins then go to shit and expect to get a result.
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Some reflections on the game in the cold light of day.
We got the usually crucial first goal for ourselves, thanks to a delightful ball from Wilshere, with Ake ghosting past Holberg. Yet another goal for the big man, turning into quite a prolific goalscorer for us. And a lovely diving header it was too!
That should have been the key to us settling down into our usual rhythms, and should have increased the lead. However we never got that chance to settle because of how fast the equaliser came, and I'm quite upset with the lack of fight put up by Smith and Francis when Bertrand came inside. Excellent finish with accuracy and power - though should Boruc be beaten at his near post like that?
Conceding moments after missing such a good chance ourselves looked to have completely rocked us, and the goal showed how easily Saints had the better of us down that flank with Boufal, something they pressed on with throughout. It was a painful miss-match to watch yet something Howe did nothing to address the entire game.
Holberg and Reed in general as a central pairing did not get into the game much and did not look comfortable, but I don't think we exploited that, the most obvious chink in Saints side, nearly enough. And the reason we didn't was because of the Arter/Wilshere with King at 10 setup - it's all wrong. Get another midfielder alongside Arter and push Wilshere back up to 10 and we'd instantly look more composed and stronger in that area. We could have dominated that central area I feel, that was a missed opportunity. Puel quickly realised the issue and perfectly closed it off with introducing Davis at half time. Davis has been excellent against us a few times down the years and yesterday was no different. Indeed he setup Rodriguez moments after coming on.
At that point we collapsed second half, and we never looked likely to get a goal or indeed create a meaningful chance. Saints are as advertised very well organised at the back (despite the change with Fonte dropping out) so giving away goals like that was always going to be hard to recover from. But we didn't test them nearly enough, as the usual zip just wasn't there. Instead it was Saints out Bournemouth-ing Bournemouth, doing exactly what we'd normally do by cleverly building attacks with fullbacks sweeping forwards.
I did think that as long as we keep it at 2-1, you never know - and with the likes of Fraser to bring on we've been known to come good later on plenty of occasions. Would have liked to see Gradel though, his spark was exactly what we might have needed to unpick the organised Saints setup. Perhaps more so than Fraser's out and out pace - as pace is nothing without some space to work in (which that defence was unlikely to afford us once they got in front).
Obviously the outstanding strike from Rodriguez settled it. Howe in his pre match press conference spoke about what a good player Rodriguez was for him at Burnley, picked him out as a potential match winner and talked about his qualities. Time will tell whether yesterday is the start of a proper comeback for him or a one off burst against his old manager.
It was a catalogue of problems and mistakes for us all in all. A shed load of issues for Howe to ponder on. The shape is disjointed, Smith is not a midfielder, Francis not a right back, King not a no10, the list goes on.
However - we're 10th at Christmas. 10th!
And 10th despite loads of things we can work on and I think we can fix with some minor adjustments to personnel and shape, it's hard to get too pissed off or down regardless of how disappointing yesterday was. The first half of the season has been a success with little sign of the much pundit spoken about "second season syndrome".
We got the usually crucial first goal for ourselves, thanks to a delightful ball from Wilshere, with Ake ghosting past Holberg. Yet another goal for the big man, turning into quite a prolific goalscorer for us. And a lovely diving header it was too!
That should have been the key to us settling down into our usual rhythms, and should have increased the lead. However we never got that chance to settle because of how fast the equaliser came, and I'm quite upset with the lack of fight put up by Smith and Francis when Bertrand came inside. Excellent finish with accuracy and power - though should Boruc be beaten at his near post like that?
Conceding moments after missing such a good chance ourselves looked to have completely rocked us, and the goal showed how easily Saints had the better of us down that flank with Boufal, something they pressed on with throughout. It was a painful miss-match to watch yet something Howe did nothing to address the entire game.
Holberg and Reed in general as a central pairing did not get into the game much and did not look comfortable, but I don't think we exploited that, the most obvious chink in Saints side, nearly enough. And the reason we didn't was because of the Arter/Wilshere with King at 10 setup - it's all wrong. Get another midfielder alongside Arter and push Wilshere back up to 10 and we'd instantly look more composed and stronger in that area. We could have dominated that central area I feel, that was a missed opportunity. Puel quickly realised the issue and perfectly closed it off with introducing Davis at half time. Davis has been excellent against us a few times down the years and yesterday was no different. Indeed he setup Rodriguez moments after coming on.
At that point we collapsed second half, and we never looked likely to get a goal or indeed create a meaningful chance. Saints are as advertised very well organised at the back (despite the change with Fonte dropping out) so giving away goals like that was always going to be hard to recover from. But we didn't test them nearly enough, as the usual zip just wasn't there. Instead it was Saints out Bournemouth-ing Bournemouth, doing exactly what we'd normally do by cleverly building attacks with fullbacks sweeping forwards.
I did think that as long as we keep it at 2-1, you never know - and with the likes of Fraser to bring on we've been known to come good later on plenty of occasions. Would have liked to see Gradel though, his spark was exactly what we might have needed to unpick the organised Saints setup. Perhaps more so than Fraser's out and out pace - as pace is nothing without some space to work in (which that defence was unlikely to afford us once they got in front).
Obviously the outstanding strike from Rodriguez settled it. Howe in his pre match press conference spoke about what a good player Rodriguez was for him at Burnley, picked him out as a potential match winner and talked about his qualities. Time will tell whether yesterday is the start of a proper comeback for him or a one off burst against his old manager.
It was a catalogue of problems and mistakes for us all in all. A shed load of issues for Howe to ponder on. The shape is disjointed, Smith is not a midfielder, Francis not a right back, King not a no10, the list goes on.
However - we're 10th at Christmas. 10th!
And 10th despite loads of things we can work on and I think we can fix with some minor adjustments to personnel and shape, it's hard to get too pissed off or down regardless of how disappointing yesterday was. The first half of the season has been a success with little sign of the much pundit spoken about "second season syndrome".
PDS
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We fit in so well in the Premier League
