A Southampton forum

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Originally Posted by Albionic68

Stats are for games and performances that have gone. We have two bites of one cherry against Southampton to come.

It doesn't matter how much of the cherry we get so long as the overall result falls our way. Fk the stats and fk Southampton.

COYB 😎.

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Very true. Anything can happen but I would be telling the lads to pepper their box with good crosses.

Don't like their manager, don't like the supporters who have got a bit above their station ok they play a bit of football now, but their DNA as Bill Shankley said they are an Ale house football team .
They have a resent dodgy past ,think of Crewe .
Hope and know we are going to win the playoffs COYB

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Originally Posted by boingy

Very true. Anything can happen but I would be telling the lads to pepper their box with good crosses.

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They'll probably be saying the same about us Boingy. We have been poor defending crosses in the box this season even though we have a multitude of six foot plus defenders.

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Originally Posted by TipperaryBaggie

They'll probably be saying the same about us Boingy. We have been poor defending crosses in the box this season even though we have a multitude of six foot plus defenders.

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We’re second in the league for clean sheets! Our problems haven’t been at the back.

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Originally Posted by boingy

We’re second in the league for clean sheets! Our problems haven’t been at the back.

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I'm afraid that I shudder every time a ball is in the air in our box Boingy. We are very good on the deck though.

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Originally Posted by TipperaryBaggie

I'm afraid that I shudder every time a ball is in the air in our box Boingy. We are very good on the deck though.

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I suspect most defences have fell prey to balls in the box including Leicester and Ipswich. Overall we’ve been pretty sound at the back Tipp. We just need to turn up like we did v Leicester minus the defeat.

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Originally Posted by boingy

We’re second in the league for clean sheets! Our problems haven’t been at the back.

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That's very true Boingy, but stats don't tell the whole story and I think Tipp might be referencing some of the woeful defending in some games that have cost us. I know that all players make mistakes but we do seem to have had our share of poor positioning, lack of awareness and sloppy or hospital passes at times this season. If we're to make any progress in the play offs we'll need to cut out any silly mistakes.

As for individual players, Bartley-and even Kipre-have had their off days but have generally been very solid and personally I think that Furlong and Townsend have been better than others have rated them. It's true that they seem better going forward than they are defensively but both have made important tackles and interceptions at the back. Reach too has begun to show why Carlos clearly rates him.

Sometimes I think that the current fad for playing out from the back and too much tippy-tappy football doesn't help either. Much prefer long passes (when we get it right😀) which I thought we did quite well with on Saturday.

As someone else recently pointed out, full backs are required to do more than just defend these days and, to be fair, both of ours -Furlong particularly-have been quite effective going forward and helping to create chances. On the other hand maybe this style of play almost inevitably leads to greater vulnerability at the back?

When we get it right, which we mostly did against PNE, we play some nice football on the deck. S'hampton will make it harder for us to do this than Preston but if everyone is on form and plays as we know they can do then there is no reason that all 3 points on Sunday shouldn't be ours.

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Originally Posted by Omegstrat6

That's very true Boingy, but stats don't tell the whole story and I think Tipp might be referencing some of the woeful defending in some games that have cost us. I know that all players make mistakes but we do seem to have had our share of poor positioning, lack of awareness and sloppy or hospital passes at times this season. If we're to make any progress in the play offs we'll need to cut out any silly mistakes.

As for individual players, Bartley-and even Kipre-have had their off days but have generally been very solid and personally I think that Furlong and Townsend have been better than others have rated them. It's true that they seem better going forward than they are defensively but both have made important tackles and interceptions at the back. Reach too has begun to show why Carlos clearly rates him.

Sometimes I think that the current fad for playing out from the back and too much tippy-tappy football doesn't help either. Much prefer long passes (when we get it right😀) which I thought we did quite well with on Saturday.

As someone else recently pointed out, full backs are required to do more than just defend these days and, to be fair, both of ours -Furlong particularly-have been quite effective going forward and helping to create chances. On the other hand maybe this style of play almost inevitably leads to greater vulnerability at the back?

When we get it right, which we mostly did against PNE, we play some nice football on the deck. S'hampton will make it harder for us to do this than Preston but if everyone is on form and plays as we know they can do then there is no reason that all 3 points on Sunday shouldn't be ours.

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Good post Omeg and yes at times Furlong has been great but on other occasions sloppy. Townsend is ok apart from quality sides and wingers and then he’s poor. The point you make is a good one though - look at Leicester where we played excellent but their 2nd goal was shocking when Townsend switched off and a smaller 37 year old Vardy was allowed to out jump Furlong.

The point being and you have made - any mistakes against a quality Southampton side will be punished. Equally - any east chances need to be converted. Cut out mistakes - convert easy chances and we can win!

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Originally Posted by boingy

I suspect most defences have fell prey to balls in the box including Leicester and Ipswich. Overall we’ve been pretty sound at the back Tipp. We just need to turn up like we did v Leicester minus the defeat.

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While the stats suggest we're tight at the back there are several things to remember. Firstly just as we can be profligate in front of goal so can the opposition.

Palmer has also pulled off a number of very good saves (amongst a few occasions where we could have expected him to have done better) too which is what he's there for of course.

Goals against stats don't tell us when players are out of position and the opposition fail to exploit them either but we know it happens. Quite a bit, especially at both far posts.

And that's before we get to set pieces which are also part of defending. We've conceded 15 goals from them, the second highest in the division from balls generally played into the box from wide areas.

Set pieces aren't open play yet second and third balls following set pieces should be classed as such. What does this tell us? You can read anything into stats but you should never depend on them, a bit like our defence.

Anyway, COYB 😎.

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Originally Posted by Omegstrat6

That's very true Boingy, but stats don't tell the whole story and I think Tipp might be referencing some of the woeful defending in some games that have cost us. I know that all players make mistakes but we do seem to have had our share of poor positioning, lack of awareness and sloppy or hospital passes at times this season. If we're to make any progress in the play offs we'll need to cut out any silly mistakes.

As for individual players, Bartley-and even Kipre-have had their off days but have generally been very solid and personally I think that Furlong and Townsend have been better than others have rated them. It's true that they seem better going forward than they are defensively but both have made important tackles and interceptions at the back. Reach too has begun to show why Carlos clearly rates him.

Sometimes I think that the current fad for playing out from the back and too much tippy-tappy football doesn't help either. Much prefer long passes (when we get it right😀) which I thought we did quite well with on Saturday.

As someone else recently pointed out, full backs are required to do more than just defend these days and, to be fair, both of ours -Furlong particularly-have been quite effective going forward and helping to create chances. On the other hand maybe this style of play almost inevitably leads to greater vulnerability at the back?

When we get it right, which we mostly did against PNE, we play some nice football on the deck. S'hampton will make it harder for us to do this than Preston but if everyone is on form and plays as we know they can do then there is no reason that all 3 points on Sunday shouldn't be ours.

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The style of play really does affect positioning. Full backs are expected to be either at the back, in midfield or even an overlapping winger and to be in those three positions at the exact right time. So if Furlong positively supports the midfield and forward line and one of those midfielders or forwards lose possession he’s then expected to be at the back. It’s a big ask for 90 plus minutes. Done great this season and yes has slipped up a few times but considering the demands on him I’m not surprised!