What a week it has been for Saints, Seven Days ! Seven Points ! Seventh Place ! Although one win doesn't everything hunky dory, it does show we have the foundations to still make this a great season.

I have to admit that when I saw the team for this game I was a little baffled, I could see no logical reason for leaving out either Jose Fonte or Steven Davis, both have been two of our more consistent performers both in this season and for several years previous.

Indeed it is not as if we need to rest players to keep them fresh, after this game there is a full ten days of rest before we take on Spurs at St Mary's.

So I was a little worried that this might be the game that the fans really turned on Claude Puel, even after this victory I can still see no logic in these selection decisions.

Early doors it looked like protest might be on the cards, Bournemouth came out of the blocks as expected and although we handled it fairly comfortably, we gave away a soft goal allowing Ake to ghost in and head home as our defence stood like statues and watched.

For five minutes or so it looked like this would be a repeat of last season's debacle, but once Ryan Bertrand showed the attacking players how it was done with a superb run and shot across Artur Boruc into the far corner the game started to swing.

Although Bouremouth rarely troubled Fraser Forster from then on in, we still looked disjointed in the midfield and to be blunt Harrison Reed is no Steven Davis, but in the main we held our shape and looked to be getting on top of the game.

At half time Claude Puel realised the error of his ways, on came Davis for Reed and within minutes of the restart we were in front and in control of the game with Steven Davis the instigator.

A superb little run followed by a dink over the keeper across the goal may have gone in itself, but wit a defender closing in to clear Jay Rodriguez slid in to make sure.

From then on it was Saints in command and the Cherries did not look at all like getting back into the game, the central midfield trio started to click, Hojbjerg, Clasie and Davis bossed the centre and played simple balls to the attacking three and we could have increased our lead.

I have to say though our second substitution was also strange, Boufal seemed to be starting to run Bournemouth ragged, yet he was taken off on the hour mark as he seemed to be on top of his game, the change although taking a little something away did not upset our momentum too much.

But 2-1 was a slender lead and you always have the feeling with Saints that they have the ability to switch off late on and concede, however this was not going tobe one of those days and when Jay Rodriguez hit his second a sublime swivel and shot into the top corner from outside the box, you knew it was three points for the visitors.

Jay Rodriguez was the man of the match for many, those who said h was finished over the past few weeks have been doing so based only on the fact that he hasn't been able to get in the team and had only scored one Premier League goal not only in this season but last year as well.

They hadn't been taking into account that strikers need to be playing games reularly and find their touch, J Rod has had that this week, yes he didn't score in the first two of the week, but the signs were there, the first goal yesterday put a spring in his step and he looked back to if not his best but getting there, the second goal showed that he still has that talent and ability to score goals of all types.

So a tough game for Saints but one that showed that this squad has the ability to achieve things this season, of course not everything is perfect but at this stage last year we had 21 points, this year we have 24, last year we had scored 21 goals, this year we have scored 17, last year we were 12th this year 7th (Ok it might be 8th after tonight) but these stats show that things are not as bad as some would have you believe, yes Claude Puel still has his doubters, but he is doing the job quietly and functionally and perhaps the fact that he does not have the personality of Ronald Koeman is clouding the judgement of some.

I can't end the review without mentioning the Saints fans, they stayed behind the team from start to finish, even after Bournemouth scored and it would have been easy to turn on the manager.

But the Saints support was loud and created an atmosphere that was lacking in the home sections who seemed to rely on a few hundred behind the far goal who in fairness have probably been there for the last 15 years and a block to our left who seemed to have started following the Cherries in the last few seasons since that stand was built and seemed to want to go through their repertoire of every Premier League standard song, surprisingly they were very silend after the 14th minute, deathly quiet after the 48th and just red seats after the 85th.

But it was great to see Saints back on track, great to see a spring back in our stride in the second half, yes there are still things to be addressed, but if we do so then 2017 could be a landmark year in Saints history.

Photo: Action Images

hmmm added 10:46 - Dec 19 Just because we don't have a game for 10 days doesn't mean the players aren't tired, mentally and/or physically, and hence need a rest. See Eddie Howe's remarks on the performance of his team after 3 games in a week. Hence Puel's decision to rotate. We were much fresher/more energetic than Bournemouth, particularly in the second half. Hence, 7 points in 7 days. Regarding points vs. last year. Yes we are ahead now, but we will have to go some to match last year's total, as we will need 39 points from 21 games to reach 63. Much higher than the current points per game rate.

3

SaintNick added 11:03 - Dec 19 Your right last seasons second half was phenomenal, however if we can win a couple over Xmas/New Year it will give us something to work on. I think it will be hard to hit sixth again, but if we dont win the league cup then United/Liverpool will and that means that the Europa place will probably go to the league
4

arthurfane added 11:07 - Dec 19 Three goals of real quality - great run and finish by Bertie, quality build up by Davis and Boufal for the second, and a moment of magic from JRod for the third. A great second half performance, and hopefully a sign that the goal drought is over and good times are coming. 7th in the league and a cup semi final - can't complain! Regarding the Fonte decision - there's something going on there definitely, this isn't just rotation. We all saw the pre-match chat between the two of them, and we know that Jose can handle the games as he's done in previous seasons. I can't say though that Yosh doesn't deserve his chance - yes he's always a little nerve-wracking to watch, but is a quality defender and rarely lets us down these days. Would've thought our captain would play that game though. Feel he'll be off fairly soon as looks v disenchanted at the moment. Davis definitely changed the game, but unlike you Nick, I can see why he didn't start this game. I feel he's been off the boil recently and Reed deserved a chance (sadly didn't take it though)...

0

SanMarco added 11:19 - Dec 19 Great win and I am delighted for JRod. It is not that people are saying he is 'finished' - more that he may never reach his previous heights and there is still a long way to go on that. A brilliant second goal to show that it is still there though. I agree with hmmmm re stats. I would be delighted with, say, 56 pts and 7th or 8th. One win against a poor Bournemouth doesn't, of course, make us world beaters but this was much, much better than Hull and Palace. I hope the board doesn't use one great goal from JRod to decide we do not need up front strengthening. Redmond may be showing signs of improvement but he isn't going to score many and Puel clearly doesn't like Long. I agree on strange selection and sub decisions but at least he brought Davis on. Good to see Clasie beginning to play better too. God knows what is going on with Fonte. The next match will be a much harder test!! PS - I will be cheering on Liverpool tonight as pipping Everton to seventh is a realisable ambition...

6

LordDZLucan added 11:34 - Dec 19 The system we play asks so much of the guy at top. Up until yesterday nobody, and that includes Charlie Austin, has looked up to the job. But once JayRod scored a carbon copy of the one he missed against Middlesbrough he started to look the part. If he can carry on in that vein then problem solved. As for Jose I don't understand what's going on there. We should not be looking to sell him unless someone is offering ridiculous money i.e. £15m+. Are Man Utd. really going to offer that? I doubt it. So we should be telling him to knuckle down and shut up. He's got 18 months left at good money - where's the problem?

6

PatfromPoole added 12:55 - Dec 19 When Nick talks about the Saints fans being right behind the team from the start, does this include the ironic cheering of Hjojgberg a couple of times in the first half when he managed to pass the ball to one of his own team? It was a poor game between two sides who could barely keep possession. Neither side looked a top-half side. Boscombe completely capitulated after our equaliser. Very odd given how they came back against the Liverpool.

0

highfield49 added 13:01 - Dec 19 The game showed what an influential figure Romeu is for the team. I thought Clasie had another good, solid performance but neither Reed nor Hojbjerg particularly stepped up to the plate in Romeu's absence. Delighted for JayRod, together with the goals he held the ball up well and laid off decent passes to supporting players something that's been missing all season. As for Fonte, is it in any way possible that a loan deal for Spiderman could be on the cards if he does indeed go to Utd. Surely that would be a win, win for all concerned?

3

bstokesaint added 13:03 - Dec 19 San Marco, sadly I have seen a number of Saints' fans using the exact words "Jay Rod is finished", which is plain ridiculous. When a player is struggling it is a fan's duty to support the player and not get on his back, especially when the rest of the team are also not playing to their best of their ability. I still think getting him out on loan might have been a better idea at the start of the season, but hopefully this will give him a confidence kick. I'm well chuffed for him and certainly won't be giving up on him that easily. I wasn't actually expecting us to win yesterday. I still feel we are literally dragging ourselves to the midway window where we can buy some more attacking quality to paper over the lack of goals so far this season, which ultimately resulted in that early Europa exit. We can't get that back but we can build on the league position. As well as being 3 points ahead of the same stage we were at last season we also have the same amount of points now that we had in the 2013-14 season when we finished up with 56 points. So there's another target to aim at.

2

GeordieSaint added 13:06 - Dec 19 I think he subbed Boufal as he was looking very much like a man who was going to do something silly and get a second yellow. He was on his last warning with the tackles after a couple in the first half before he was rightly booked for diving. Good management I thought to add to the game changing sub.
9

saintmark1976 added 13:30 - Dec 19 A very welcome result against what I thought was an exceptional poor Bournemouth team. Nonetheless you can only beat what is in front of you and that we did. Is it any coincidence that thinks have looked up since being knocked out of the Europa Cup? Credit to the manager for making all of the right calls in regard to Fonte, Reed and Boufal. My only concern is that the board do not take JRod's long overdue return to some form as an excuse not to purchase at least one striker in the upcoming window.

6

Horndeansaint added 13:51 - Dec 19 Well said Geordie Saint. There is far more to managing than just keeping a player on because he is playing well. Boufal was playing well but what would everyone say if we went down to 10 players? To give you a clue and I hope my eldest son will forgive me for quoting him, with his excellent lip reading skills and knowledge of the finer details of the French language, he was able to accurately translate what Claude said as Boufal came off the pitch. For those of you who don't possess the same skills, it went along the lines "You can knock off the bottom lip stuff sunshine, if you hadn't dived in the first half and got booked you would still be on the pitch you bellend."

4

SaintPaulVW added 14:12 - Dec 19 Just great to see JRod back on the score sheet. Hope these 2 goals help boost his confidence. The defence looked solid. Midfield started slow but was working well in the second half. Boufal is starting to have his moments, although the dive was a bit weak. Davis injected that bit of direct play in the second half and we looked better for it. Seventh place, when some were again predicting a relegation deathspin a few games ago. COYR!

3

SaintNick added 14:22 - Dec 19 I think Hojbjerg had a poor start but grew into the game, watching the highlights I was surprised at how many of our attacking moves that Redmond was involved in, including battling for the ball and preventing the defender clearing which let Rodriguez fire in our third. One swallow doesnt make a summer, but there was eough there to suggest we have a lot to build on, a signing or two in January could be very good for us

4

pintsizedsaint added 15:05 - Dec 19 Good game. Not a masterclass by any stretch of the imagination, but a solid performance at a tricky ground. On not starting with Fonte: You can argue the rotation principles, although I also suspect there is more to this too. I fear Fonte’s head has changed since the Euro win – and him and his agent have tried some aggressive tactics to get SFC to relent and give him an extended contract. It’s not worked. As I’ve said here before, no player is bigger than the club – and you can’t help feeling that Puel is using the rotation policy to enforce this principle with Fonte. In any event, Puel has done a great job of getting Yoshida’s confidence back up – and I thought he put in a measured and confident performance yesterday. On not starting with Davis: I agree with other posts here – Davis has had a bit of ‘on/off’ form recently and Puel obviously felt that Reed was worthy of a chance. It didn’t work out so Puel changed it at Half Time. Nothing wrong with that! Boufal was taken off because he was fast becoming a liability and a red card was becoming likely. I’m going to continue to be part of the minority and believe that Redmond is doing well. His contribution was excellent yesterday and he never stopped. Yes, his finishing could be better, but his time will come I believe. It’s a sign that Puel pretty much picks Redmond every game that he obviously sees a lot of technical potential with Redmond – so we should give him some slack. J-Rod: What a 2nd goal! That’s why fans would never make good managers: 90% of us would have sold him/loaned him out by now! Of course, who knows whether he will kick on, but it goes to show that goalscoring is a lot to do with confidence and exposure to chance (i.e. game time) – and the best managers know how to coach strikers to do that. So, overall, I’m happy with SFC and Puel. Yes it could be prettier to watch. Yes it would be great if we could be in the EL and also ‘doing a Leicester’ this season. But we are doing well and that bodes well for the next half of the season. Onwards!

2

BoondockSaint added 15:30 - Dec 19 Happy with the 3 points. Happier for J-Rod as were the team (and most of the Bournemouth team!) This still doesn't solve our need of goals, it will be great if J-Rod can go on a run, but we still need to buy. But lets remember, this was still Bournemouth and we could easily have been 2 down early on, but hopefully this builds some much needed team spirit. One complaint: I wish Forster could hang on to the ball when he makes a stop! Is the something wrong with his gloves? Maybe he needs a new sponsor?

1

stmichael added 15:41 - Dec 19 As a chief bed wetter I have found myself in an unusual position of sticking up for the club and manager recently whilst others have been very vocal in criticizing. I personally can see why Fonte and Davis were rested recently as both are key players for their national team. We have played 7 games more than AFCB season yet we were sharper and stronger and fresher. There is a reason for that and it is rotation. Rotation also means that Yoshida and others like him are playing regularly and therefore ready for games like yesterday. Unlike others I also don't think we should spend big on a striker. We have 3 perfectly good options up top and a young guy to come back from a good loan. One big signing makes them all redundant and its not necessary. being more positive with what we already have is the answer like yesterday. If we need to spend it is probably best saved for centre backs as the long term future of both of ours is less than secure. Big mention for Jordy Clasie who like ex saints at Liverpool is showing that you should not write players off in their 1st season. Starting to look the part now.

0

SaintNick added 16:24 - Dec 19 May I suggest that aliens have captured stmichael and replaced him with a clone, on behalf of his family ask them to return him forthwith
0

dillydog added 16:25 - Dec 19 Living in Bmth and supporting the saints is very sweet today, My local less than a mile away, was a very good place to be after the game.
2

redwight added 19:12 - Dec 19 Think I'm with stmichael on the question of a new striker. Unless Saints are going to break the bank, I'm not sure how a fourth striker of similar ability makes any sense. It will also reduce the amount of game time JRod gets and everyone seems to be of the opinion that that is what he needs more than anything else. At least one CB is needed. Regardless of what happens to Fonte, we are an injury and a suspension away from a crisis and obviously even more so if he goes. As for squad rotation, CP seems to be highly selective in using it as an argument - VVD has barely had a break (league cup excepted) all season. Doesn't seem to have affected his form either. And finally, I think we should lay off Hojbjerg. He is still a youngster - his time will come.

0

SaintBrock added 19:56 - Dec 19 Maybe Boufal was replaced so as not to over extend him. I doubt he is anywhere near match fit after his lengthy lay-off and the coaches will not be acting as randomly as many seem to think. His re-introduction will be a carefully planned, monitored and executed process and the greater probability is that he was slotted in yesterday for 60 minutes and probably also for the next couple of games. As for Fonte, had it not occurred to anybody that in training Yoshi might be considered by coaches to be better than Fonte in speed, stamina and concentration right now? Yoshi might be first choice on merit not just through rotation. The cynic in me suggests that we'll see a lot more of Jose after the 'Mercato' ends. Nobody seems to have worked out that if Jose is not playing and therefore not being put in the 'shop window' that interested clubs will lose interest rather rapidly? More sinister things than that happen in football after all... "All's fair in Love & War.

3

theholsaints added 22:10 - Dec 19 The best part of Puels management skills have been to have the balls to play the likes of McQueen, Hesketh, Sims, Reed and even Olomola so far this season...with Gallagher out getting some serious development, not all have paid off 100% yet but I think they all will do so soon.
1

Jesus_02 added 00:44 - Dec 20 Great result obviously, good to see Jay Rod shine again, history says that players don't ever get back to their best after cruciate ligament injuries but the lads touch seems to still be there, he just needs games and to avoid injury. Another who needs games is Hoeburg who seems woefully off the pace at times and seems to switch off alarmingly regularly. Unfortunately this is a natural floor of rotation. Romeu has been class but he seems to have played most. Classie, Hoeburg and even Davis don't seem to be up to their best without game time. And yes we do need a striker, not that Jay isn't good enough but we need a deferent type of striker. We don't have a player that can hold the ball up to allow others to join in attack and we don't have anyone that's a real threat in the air... basically we miss Pelle and he still needs replacing

1

TeamCortese added 09:30 - Dec 20 Great result! I don't care what people think of the opposition. A win's a win! Let's not downplay our victories but rather revel in them. Bournemouth genuinely thought they were better than us going into the game and we gave them a humbling lesson. SOUTHAMPTON ARE AND ALWAYS HAVE BEEN THE TRUE KINGS OF SOUTHERN FOOTBALL! With regards to the individual performances I have nothing but words of joy for JRod. I knew his attitude had changed upon watching him against Boro. He was desperately unlucky not to score. Even against Stoke I thought he at least put in a good shift. All I can say is congratulations to Jay and may his goal run continue :) Everyone else put in very good performances and I thought Steven Davis in particular really changed the game. His introduction in the second half along with Bertrand's early goal were crucial. Boufal is also coming along. I genuinely think with the right attitude we have a potential EPL player of the season in our team. He is truly talented. He has as much talent in the attacking third as VVD has in the defensive. The difference between him and VVD is attitude and consistency. When I think of his style he feels like a blend of Neymar and Hazard. What he needs is discipline from Puel and decent strikers to feed off of for assists and goals. Puel needs to find a way to fit him and Tadic in the team along with the new striker in Jan. With the greatest respect to Long, Redmond (and even J Rod) they simply are not enough to keep us in contention for European qualification. Redmond in particular is very frustrating. He is very technically gifted but his decision making is what let's him down. Scoring goals can change that but it's his attitude that matters the most--especially when it's around the final third.

2

SaintJez added 10:30 - Dec 20 The key to whether we "need" a new striker is it depends on who / what you can get. Is there a proven 20+ goals a season striker out there playing at a good level? if so, they will add something for us. If not, we're probably better working with what we have. Prior to getting injured J Rod was in the England squad and one of the hottest players in the league. Prior to that spate of form (if fans remember that far back) many didn't think he was good enough to merit a place in the saints team. What we're really saying there is that he is a confidence player. He has physical attributes many strikers would die for but he's missing that bit of devil that the best has. When his confidence is up, he reacts quicker and is more dangerous. On that subject, although his second goal was marvellous it's the first goal that actually pleased me more. That showed anticipation and an eagerness to get himself in there to tap it over the line before the defender cleared. he missed similar chances in the previous 2 matches and was perhaps guilty of being on his heels earlier in the game when Redmond crossed (albeit I will let him off that one as he did hold his ground waiting for a, not unreasonable, cutback). The second was an astonishing piece of skill and an ok shot to take on given the match state but, in general terms, hitting a ball that is behind and underneath you on the spin from 25 yards has a pretty low success rate. I'm not trying to be a killjoy on a moment of absolute joy but really just trying to highlight that it's being there to score goals like he first one that defines the great strikers. Saints make a chance like that every week but we don't often have a player there to tap it in.

1

IanRC added 00:30 - Dec 21 First things first, great performance by JRod and hopefully the first of many outstanding performances. Davies was superb and I am amazed he remains so under rated. Don't understand why Redmond stayed on the pitch and Boufal went off, only one of them looked like scoring. The concerns over Boufal's yellow card the only plausible explanation but I thought he controlled himself well despite provocation from them. I really look forward to watching him in future weeks. Can't go without a word about Clattenberg, we certainly won despite him again, how Wiltshire was not penalized on the edge of the box in the first few minutes only he will know.

0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Charlton Athletic Polls