| 01:00 - Jan 1 with views | |
| | | |  |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 10:14 - Nov 3 with 1400 views | jordan_sibley |
Pochetinno and Koeman had better players. Our best 11 now are frankly rubbish. | |
| |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 10:20 - Nov 3 with 1393 views | green |
Our players don’t appear to be as good but we seem to be lacking fitness, organisation and any sort of spirit. Losing to Man City on it’s own isn’t the issue it’s the general downturn that’s more disappointing. | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 10:20 - Nov 3 with 1393 views | DorsetIan |
I think Hughes is up there with the best at manager-speak. He is always calm, always measured and finding positives in every performance but I am not sure he ever says anything worth listening too.
The quote you have given is a perfect example. What he has said is probably true, but what's his point in saying it? It's not exactly mind games. Can only presume he just softening us up for a defensive performance where we don't have the cheek to anger City by scoring a goal.
He's a plodder. But that's now seems to be the Southampton Way. | |
| |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 10:53 - Nov 3 with 1360 views | Ripleys_revenge |
Yes absolutely. We will of course set up with 11 men in our own half, as you would pretty much expect us to against City. But my point is that this is hardly any different to how we have set up this season against any team.
I do accept the enormous gulf in class between us and the top six, between us and pretty much the top 10-12 to be fair. And I understand an amount of pragmatism is needed in terms of how we set up, but it is quite soul destroying seeing us take this same approach into every game. Against newcastle, am I alone in thinking that yes we were the better side, but it's not like we ripped them apart?
I think there's a difference between being realistic in what we can achieve with our squad and just being plain defeatist. Sadly I think Hughes is more of the latter - yes we are low on confidence, we are seriously lacking in terms of physical fitness but surely the more we hole up and try to 'keep it tight' the less likely we are to breaking out of this.
Hughesy's experience and calming influence was perfect for us last season, so credit to Les Reed for that (not an often heard phrase on this board I know...)! But we can't be sitting off teams for fear of making them "angry"! | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 11:59 - Nov 3 with 1316 views | Ron11 |
They ended up losing 7-2 because they dropped back deep and let City come at them.
Where have we seen that before?  | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 13:13 - Nov 3 with 1254 views | kingslandstand1 |
It would also depend on the manner of the loss. If their 1st goal goes in after 10 mins and the heads drop and there is no attempt to fight back and at least try and have a go, that will be the most disappointing element of a defeat, as if that happens it will be a landslide | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 05:30 - Nov 4 with 1026 views | ericofarabia |
Like sitting back and soaking up the pressure worked well for us at Anfield ...... 3-0 down at HT and Liverpool had barely broke sweat or even put us under pressure FFS. Absolute embarrassment to be a Saints Fan that day.
Lets get back to give the big boys a bloody nose and let them know they've been in a match not a training session. | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 09:41 - Nov 4 with 933 views | Leslie_Hughes |
It is as simple as this. We are a shadow of the sides we had then. We had lots of goal threats. Strong in the air if we went direct or got the ball wide (lambert/pelle/Rodriguez), creative players like Lallana/tadic, pure pace like Mane. We had an embarrassment of riches at the back and in midfield. We are awful compared to these days. Pedestrian football, weak at the back, uninspiring midfield/wide players, and awful strikers. The one area we are stronger is in goal. If we’d have had Gunn/McCarthy playing in the league cup final I believe we would’ve won it!
We’ve had the guts ripped out of our side in such a short period of time, and you can totally understand why people are sick of turning up week in week out to watch this current dross! | |
| |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 09:53 - Nov 4 with 922 views | ericofarabia |
City are looking at setting a club record of 7 league games without conceding and our goal scoring machines are looking at setting a club record of 6 consecutive blanks .... it's got either 4-4 or a Shane Long 1-0 win written all over it!!
Did I read somewhere that the bookies were offering worse odds for Sane to score a hat trick than a Saints win ... and the team line ups aren't even out!!  | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 10:08 - Nov 4 with 905 views | ericofarabia |
Just for Sh!ts and Giggles had a quick butcher's at Ladbrokes site .... there odds for 5 different players likely to score a hat trick than for a Southampton win at 28/1.
City odds for correct score include ...... 4-0 7/1, 5-0 12/1, 6-0 22/1 and 7-0 45/1
Saints to win 1-0 .... 66/1. surely a fiver on a win at 28/1 and a draw at 17/2 instead of a pie and pint is worth a punt?
Mind you I think as much alcohol as can be drunk might be the order of the day!! | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 12:12 - Nov 4 with 840 views | underweststand |
We really need a few good breaks because whatever else one says, our "strike force" has been totally ineffective so far this season. Just 6 league goals in 10 games (with 3 to Ings and Hojbjerg (2) and one from Bertrand) but with Austin, Long, Gabbiadini and Redmond yet to open their account.
The fact that we are breaking records for "not-scoring" in games is a condemnation of our poor finishing when (once again) we are in the Prem. top 6 for shots made. We have never recovered from the loss of Pelle and Mane, and Boufal and Carrillo clearly did little to replace those talents.
Tadic was one of our most inconsistant players last season and he took an immense amount of stick from fans on this site (and others). The fact that he is showing up well in a v.g. Ajax side is perhaps shows up more of a difference between a poor Dutch league, and a very competative Premiership. Once again we started a season with 4 new players, and only Danny Ings having any sort of Prem experience, it will take time for the others to find their feet at this level. Sadly it's time we can ill afford.
IMHO Mark Hughes is a realist in that having had a good goal-scoring career himself , he also realises just what it means to have long, "dry spells" when you just can't score.
Whether he should go into the dressing room with hot cocoa and soft words - or wielding a baseball bat - is open to conjecture. I don't envy him the task.
You might console yourself with memories of previous "poor starts" (like James Beattie's in the 2002-03 season), who failed to score until the 10th game of the season, before going on a scoring streak ending with 23 Prem. goals in May - only one behind " Golden Ball" winner Thierry Henry. AH ...those were the days.
What we are looking at it football reality, and half-a dozen other clubs around us surely have some of the same questions. Defeatism is trying to find lots of excuses when you finish 18th in May. | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 15:59 - Nov 4 with 763 views | Matt_Finish |
Our team away last season at City was:
Forster
Cedric; Yoshida; Hoedt; van Dijk; Bertrand
Romeu; Lemina; Hojbjerg; Redmond
Long
So virtually the same team and we only lost by a goal in 7th minute of added on time | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 16:05 - Nov 4 with 753 views | Ron11 |
So it appears that the motivation level is a lot lower one year later. | | | |
| Hughes: defeatist or realist? on 16:56 - Nov 4 with 717 views | Matt_Finish |
and that really worries me | | | |
| |
By continuing to use the site, you agree to our use of cookies and to abide by our Terms and Conditions.
