A comprehensive win against the Canaries that shows some people that we have the quality we just needed the kick start.

Saints kept their second clean sheet of the season in a row in the Premier League and it was this basis that allowed us to dominate the game and win easily, of course the sending off of Whittaker for a second yellow card in the first half was a help, but the writing was on the wall for the Canaries long before he was heading down the tunnel.

At the centre of much of Saints play was Dusan Tadic who looked sharp and inventive, add to that Romeu looked the part in the centre and Soares maruading down the left touchline and we looked to have a good pattern to our play, not to mention Pelle leading the line well and Mane running everywhere.

But for all our good ply we needed a goal and up to that moment on the very cusp of half time, there was always that nagging feeling that something would go wrong.

But one Pelle scored with a swivelling shot from close range there was never any doubt in the second half and Norwich looked like they were just looking for damage limitation, indeed their only shot on target came in the 2nd minute of injury time at the end of the game.

Of course there are still a few things that Saints need to sharpen up on, but when you consider that we still have Clasie and Bertrand to come back from injury, Wanyama to come back from sulking and perhaps a new signing, then we should be able to start to play with the swagger of last season.

First half though the crowd was restless, last season when we passed the ball around and kept possession it was seen as great possession football, this season there are those ho thought it was negative and lacking imagination.

But those people were proved wrong on the stroke of half time when a great move down the right saw Mane put in Pelle who smashed the ball home from fairly close range.

Ths was the break Saints needed and when Tadic curled home a great goal just after the hour Norwich were finished although in fairness Saints didnt let them get started. Tadic got his second after Pelle's header was well saved by Ruddy in the Norwich goal but Tadic was fastest to react to the rebound to make it three.

That has turned this into a good start for Saints Premier League season, not a great one but a good one that sees us only two points behind Manchester United in 5th as we sit in 10th.

We now have something to build on and if we do that in the coming weeks there is no reason why we should not replicate last season.

Photo: Action Images

halftimeorange added 10:16 - Aug 31 I didn't feel that the crowd were restless. I was truly surprised at how positive everyone was. In fact I have a continual detractor sitting right behind me and even he was praising our display. I did agree with him though that JRod needs a goal from open play to give him confidence. Romeu showed that given space his distribution can be every bit as good as Schneiderlin's (Morgan didn't play well yesterday) and his tackling was quite fierce but fair. I could see why Chelsea invested in him and he looks to be a bargain. If we keep Sadio then his link-up play with Cedric is going to give opposition defences a terrible time. Very encouraging after the disappointment of Thursday - when the team was set up incorrectly. That was the main reason for our early Europa exit.

4

WestSussexSaint added 10:18 - Aug 31 A game we would have won even without the sending off, although that helped. It was pleasing that recent tactics of hoofing it up to Pelle were replaced by neat, incisive passing which played to the teams strengths and Norwich had no answer for. All the players did well yesterday, but particular mentions to the two young boys, JWP and Targett. Targett had his best game in a Saints shirt, causing Whittiker problems which I suspect contributed to the sending off. He was also stronger defensively than I've seen recently. JWP was superb in the deeper midfield role with Tadic and Mane creating the width he was spraying passes around with accuracy and was the lynchpin of many of the attacks. Both have had question marks in my mind at least but went someway to answering them yesterday. Just need to get through to 6pm tomorrow with the addition of VVD and no exits and I think we can enjoy the rest of the season.

4

mgprobert added 10:24 - Aug 31 Good to see JWP get some praise - his tackle won the ball to set up Mane to assist Pelle for the important 1st goal. Unlucky to hit the post with a free kick - ones going to go in soon! Both full backs had their best games yet for Saints and that was a big part of our overall improvement - good to see confidence returning and everyone wanting the ball.
2

lotus added 10:37 - Aug 31 although i am glad on the victory and the score i think this is not it.the team is using too much high balls to the center of the deference instead of trying to go inside.it was very much the case in the game in Denmark;and everton which were fruitless.maybe clasie would change this behavior;otherwise it would be a tireless banging on the wall. i wonder if whittaker would not been sent of and a better team in front,this type of play could bring the same result.

-1

IWOZTHERE added 10:39 - Aug 31 What a relief with so many 'stand out ' performances by certain players who last week were being written off! Just need good news on a c/b now. However, don't let the Board off the hook. Keep asking what they are doing with THE MONEY?
1

NewburySaint added 11:07 - Aug 31 Back to how we were at our best last season is what was called for, and that's exactly what we got yesterday. Playing out from the back (that's the 1st time this season that I've seen Stekelenberg pass or throw it short to 1 of the defenders or a midfielder coming to collect it), possession football and football with attacking intent. And equally as important, Tadic being moved back to the left hand side where he was at his best last season, and in particular in tandem with Bertrand-it's no coincidence that, that was his best game in a Saints shirt since, er, the last time he played on the left which I reckon was about Nov / Dec last year. There will be tougher tests ahead than Norwich at home though but lets still enjoy the 3-0 win!

2

SanMarco added 11:12 - Aug 31 IWOZTHERE: It is always possible they are keeping it safe, ready to spend as and when it is needed. Correct me if I am wrong but there is no suggestion that it has gone is there? This game shows that we don't need Victor - I wish he had starting being a great big baby a few weeks earlier. That would have been a juicy 20 million more for IWOZTHERE to worry about. As it is I would no longer even have him down as first choice.

0

saintsnutcase added 11:38 - Aug 31 Tadic should play on the left and get into the box more. He is actually a good finisher. And Mane is showing us how a player should respond to a contractural commitment. Wanyama is over rated, especially by himself. We have to overcome this madness of players walking out sooner or later, and sticking Wanyama in the reserves would be a good start.
0

saintsnutcase added 11:44 - Aug 31 To Iwozthere Where did all they money go? I think Cortese wrote off about 30-40m on fees and wages to Gaston and Osvaldo, unfortunately. And the overspend on the training ground cost another 40 odd million. We have had to work ourselves out of that mess. We are incredibly lucky to have the owners we have. Otherwise we could have been back in real financial trouble.

0

ExiledSupporter added 12:15 - Aug 31 Yes, agreed so much better than Thursday's horrible performance, but rather re-inforces the extent to which we depend on Mane for creative pace up front and Tadic when on form playing cultured balls into the area with his lefty foot (and drifting into the area from the left when the ball is coming in from the right). Romeu also looked the part with easily his best game so far, less rash and more focused and vastly better distribution. Also heartened by JRod's wholehearted second half appearance. But some of our previous failing were there for all to see for most of the first half eg. woeful crossing (too much dependence on Pelle's considerable talents for shielding the ball and knocking it down for others with his back to goal; we need to get him threatening the goal more often with crosses that give him the opportunity to use his heading power more directly, as in our third goal. I think our second was a little fortuitous because I don't believe that was where Mane had intended to put the ball that ended up at Tadic's feet. Secondly we do not have enough creativity in the middle of the field, Davis has many qualities but he doesn't have enough ingenuity...we need a true No. 10 to play balls into the channels and to organise between the lines; I am completely at a loss to understand why we didn't go for a Cabaye or Payet during the summer (seems like a big failure of our illustrious analytical systems not to have identified his fantastic stats in the French leagues). Clearly we are not going to get one of these in this window and perhaps this will be Clasie's role in the coming weeks. Perhaps we could try once more to re-invigorate Ramirez while he is still on our books, if he can ever keep fit? I also felt that we only got back to a pressing game after the dismissal, before then there were several occasions when we conceded considerable space in front of our defence which teams better than Norwich will make much better use of. If we get VVD I hope he is bringing some considerable pace with him because for all his other qualities I don't think this is one of Fonte's greatest talents, though against Malmo it didn't seem all that apparent in Van Dyke's game! But

2

DPeps added 13:20 - Aug 31 Good result and performance, albeit against a team that already look relegation candidates. I've read a lot of criticism aimed towards the club over the last few days from saints supporters. Clearly some of this criticism is ridiculous (e.g. sack the board, string Les up), but at the same time I think there are some issues with how the club is run. The teams around us (Stoke, Palace etc) have bought in real quality, and I'm not sure we've shown the same ambition. Also after all the hard work last season to get into Europe in the end it was a pretty awful performance against pretty average opposition. For the moment I'll trust the board know what they're doing. We need more than just a CB this window

0

IWOZTHERE added 13:26 - Aug 31 Dear SanMarco and saintsnutcase.........Ok I'm a bit obsessed with the 'missing millions' but I'm not the only one. I was under the impression that much of the debt had been 'serviced' outside the sort of surpluses I go on about, but even with them there should still be a substantial excess. I'm not suggesting there's anything sinister going on (apart from suspicions about profit related bonuses for a certain individual?). Anyway, I think a statement from the club over this would go a long way towards pacifying cynics like me!

0

IWOZTHERE added 13:30 - Aug 31 Dear SanMarco and saintsnutcase.........Ok I'm a bit obsessed with the 'missing millions' but I'm not the only one. I was under the impression that much of the debt had been 'serviced' outside the sort of surpluses I go on about, but even with them there should still be a substantial excess. I'm not suggesting there's anything sinister going on (apart from suspicions about profit related bonuses for a certain individual?). Anyway, I think a statement from the club over this would go a long way towards pacifying cynics like me!

0

BoondockSaint added 15:28 - Aug 31 Finally! I've been ranting since the middle of last year: Put Tadic on the left and Mane on the right! Any money we have should be spent on raising Mane's wages to keep him. Any of you who were saying we should get Lovern back hopefully saw him yesterday. You know how all the Ramones took "Ramone" as their last name? Apparently all the Saints players have taken the last name "Ifhestays" according to the announcers and pundits. Iwozthere-Remember, when you buy a player, the cost is not just the purchase price, but the wages. Sign a player for huge wages, everyone else wants a more. We have a relatively small stadium, and no high end sponsor. People go on about so many million in TV revenue, but all the rest of the teams got money as well, so it doesn't change the status quo it just inflates prices. And now Citehad just spent 78 million on a player because "Fair Play rules have been relaxed" Bribe the right people and you get your way. If things stay the way they are, the Prem will wind up like La Liga, two super rich teams, Citehad and Chelski and the rest of us feeder teams.

0

SanMarco added 18:11 - Aug 31 IWOZTHERE: Hard to avoid cynicism when it comes to football! Like you I would be interested to know the stats on income and expenditure and what the plans are for the surplus.
0

corkcitysaint added 20:18 - Aug 31 Oh why didn't we play like this against the Danes, even in the first leg. Back to our footballing style again. And why can't Tadic play like that every week.. Couldn't be happier with the result and style of play. Very positive and just what we needed before the break. Climbing to 10th does look a lot healthier than 19th.. What a difference a few days makes.
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Chelsea Polls