When the team was announced at 6.30pm on Wednesday evening there weren't many in agreement with Ralph Hasenhuttl about his selections, but as i said in the preview, sometimes you just have to trust the manager to get it right.

Even the Saints official twitter feed joked after the game that there was still time to delete all those pre game tweets as Saints supporters to a man were astonished with the 9 changes made to the side that hade beaten Norwich & Everton in the last two home games.

I had to say as i walked to the ground I was already writing this verdict in my head, I was going to say that although I still back Ralph Hasenhuttl to the hilt, that sometimes managers sometimes get it wrong and this was one of those things.

Those around me were in agreement, that we appeared to be throwing away a real chance of an FA Cup semi final place.

But 2 hours later the same people on the same route were buzzing, they had seen a great performance by what was essentially our second XI plus James Ward Prowse put in a sterling performance with Ralph Hasenhuttl making the right substitutions at the right time.

In truth for the first 10-15 minutes it seemed that Ralph had made a blunder, the Hammers had a grip on the game and were roared on by their fans, whilst Saints supporters seemed subdued by the line up with the hope driven out of them.

Slowly but surely though we started to get a grip on the game, it was bit by bit and for a while although we were playing well we were still giving the ball away far too often and we lacked bite up front.

But then came one of those moments, from 35 yards out Romain Perraud smashed an unstoppable shot into the far corner and suddenly the crowd were on their feet and had found their voices.

It was still an end to end game that Saints held by a fragile lead, but we had something to hold and the crowd were believing again and more importantly so where the players.

At half time Ralph made 2 changes, on came Armando Broja for the injured Shane Long and on came Stuart Armstrong for the out of sorts Moussa Djenepo.

I felt sorry for Djenepo, things were not going right for him, it was not for a lack of effort or trying, it just wasn't happening, in truth he was the wrong player for the moment, he is an impact player, you want him taking on the opposition back line, but he was having to play too deep to have an impact.

In the second half we looked better shaped and after 58 minutes Hasenhuttl's game plan was starting to emerge, the idea was for the fringe squad to get us through the first half and then gradually the manager would bring on key players.

On came Tino Livramento for KWP and we thought we would step up another gear

But it didn't pay off at first, within 2 minutes the Hammers were level, corners were dangerous, we lacked height in the centre of defence and indeed the whole team, Willy Cabelerro had a decent game overall but he should have dealt with the inswinging corner , palming it on to a West Ham player and Antonio stabbed home from close range.

Suddenly the game had swung again and it could have gone either way, but with just over 10 minutes to play it changed again, Broja was through on goal, as he lined up his shot on the keeper from close range he seemed to be brought down, the crowd bayed for a penalty, the ref waved away appeals and it looked over, but then came VAR, the ref looked at the screen and then pointed to the spot.

James Ward Prowse obliged and with 10 minutes to go Saints had a lead, another sub, this time Nathan Redmond for Will Smallbone and we had something like a full side out there on the pitch and a lead to defend.

West Ham initially had a go, but now it was an even more determined home side, they were thwarted at every turn, Nathan Redmond hit a piledriver that Areola in the West Ham goal somehow clawed out and you sensed this was our night.

On came Romeu for 7 minutes of injury time and the roof was raised when Broja in the 5th minute of injury time put the game to bed with a trademark run and goal, to end the Hammers hopes.

In the away end it was a fire drill of massive proportions, literally everyone turned at the same moment and headed to the exits.

So Saints are in the quarter finals of the FA Cup for the second season running and indeed the third time in five years and yet two hours earlier few of the Saints support would have given us a cat in hells chance.

As mentioned i was one of them, but luckily enough I didn't take to social media to air my grievances.

Sometimes though you just have to trust the manager, as I have often said he has slowly but surely built a squad not just a team, in truth the starting line up last night was probably as good as the one we had 4 years ago when although we reached the semi finals we almost went down, that is how far we have come on in that time under Ralph Hasenhuttl, yes it has been a tough time, but now we look to have come through it and can now move forward.

I still think that ralph did make a few changes too many, but in the main the players stepped up to the plate, the makeshift central pairing of Stephens & Valery dug in and played well, Will Smallbone in midfield was not spectacular but was tidy and kept the ball well, Ibrahima Diallo gave a battling performance worthy of Oriol Romeu .

Up front Adam Armstrong was mobile and never stopped running and proved that as a forward you don't always have to score to make a contribution and have a good game.

But at the end of the day it was another special evening at St Mary's and we are in the quarter finals of the FA Cup and we can dream for a day at least, perhaps that bubble will be burst if we draw Manchester City or Liverpool away, but until then we just need to keep our fingers crossed for the draw to be in our favour.

That for me means the lowest ranked side we can get at home.

So if we have a man of the match for this game and in truth it was again a typical Saints performance of late, the sum of all parts of the team rather than individuals, then it is Ralph Hasenhuttl, he stuck to what he though was not only right but the best thing to do, despite literally the entire fanbase disagreeing and he made the right changes at the right time, he once again showed that he has the tactical nous to take us forward.

Just one request for him though.

Please don't do it in the next round !

Photo: Action Images

PaleRider added 10:48 - Mar 3 Why do so many of our "supporters" whine before a ball has even been kicked? It's really sad to see. Even if you have doubts, as I did, keep them quiet until after the game and then judge. RH got it right last night - what he recognised that none of us did was West Ham were knackered. The bench was his plan B. He may not have the luxury next round but let's see what happens.

9

wessexman added 11:07 - Mar 3 Good on Ralph. I am not going to pretend I was not worried when I saw the team sheet. I was one of these mugs who traipsed up to Sunderland for that cup tie when Poch sold us out. We are safe in the league...beginning MARCH!!!!....so, go for a cup run. Ralph came through last night. Next round he might not get this fortunate if he does this again.
5

Bawdrip added 11:11 - Mar 3 After my usual 2.5 hour drive to a home match I could have watched on tele I was very angry at us fielding a reserve side. Made sense to rest 2 or 3 players given fixtures ahead (though with relegation a remote possibility I would have kept the same side and prioritised the cup) but resting 9 was crazy! I know we could use 5 subs and it worked in the end but was a huge gamble. We almost paid for it against Coventry and for much of the first half last night it looked like it was going to prove a disaster. With an international break after the quarter finals I trust he won't do it again. As for the game. We'll a great night again. We rode our luck earliy on but deserved the win with a stronger second half side. Two brilliant goals lit up the night. I didn't think it was a penalty and was surprised VAR gave it. Viewing the highlights I still wasn't sure but saw a photo this morning in the paper which suggests it was the right decision. All in all a great evening. Loved the tribute to Ukraine pre match. Only down side (team selection apart) was the idiots coming on to the pitch after the penalty.

2

Consigliere added 11:15 - Mar 3 Spot on reporting. I'll wager there wasn't a single one of us who didn't think "Really" when we saw the team sheet but that just goes to show why Ralph is the manager and we aren't. Great all round performance and hard to pick a stand-out player though full marks to Smallbone for coming into the team and doing so well and of course the goal scorers. The only downside I see to this is that Mr Broja may have priced himself out of our market - hope not!

9

Centurion added 11:29 - Mar 3 I understood completely what Ralph was doing. Indeed I predicted the move he would make even before the team selection was made. Ralph obviously deems it very important to finish as high up the league as possible as well as progressing in the Cup He was confident that some of our fringe players could take the sting out of Wham in the first half. The fact we got a lead was a bonus. The players clearly knew the plan and it worked perfectly. It was a risk to some extent, but victory requires bravery. As I called it before the match started, 'masterclass strategy'. Well done Ralph and the squad. Trust the manager.

6

halftimeorange added 11:40 - Mar 3 I think it's grossly unfair to suggest a team starting with Perraud and KWP was JWP plus a second eleven. Perraud had to do his own and Djenepo's work at the same time throughout the first half and, although KWP didn't have his best game, I still think he's a better RB than Livramento who, once again, was dispossessed for refusing to beat his man on the outside. True, Stephens and Valery were solid and Smallbone was tidy for an hour. Diallo began erratically but, improved with better players around him. As for Adam Armstrong, he made several Gabbiadini style runs but, as with the Italian, nobody tried the ball over the top hence he got no chances. I don't think our current style of play suits his talents. Our style will have to be modified, however, when Broja inevitably returns to his parent club. With the sort of wages he must be on as a youngster they'll welcome him back with open arms given the impending sale of the club if anyone can afford and will want to buy it in these uncertain times. Let's hope fate is on our side for the next round draw.

4

Bawdrip added 11:48 - Mar 3 Yes Ralph's plan might have worked but if West Ham had taken their chances they should have been 2-0 up before we scored. We were overwhelmed at the start. I understand Salisu and Bednarek may have had minor niggles but making so many changes was over the top. With a possible Wembley appearance and potential route in to Europe a more cautious approach would have been better. West Ham did look a tired side and trips to Liverpool and Seville could be damaging for them. It was a very enjoyable evening in the end with a great atmosphere again.

3

beynali73 added 12:42 - Mar 3 Good report Nick but I agree with others above - we rode our luck and west ham were sluggish all night. Maybe Ralph did factor west hams fatigue into his selections and game plan but he could not legislate for our players giving the ball away cheaply in dangerous areas or west ham missing very good chances. But Ralph took a risk and it paid off handsomely and once the big guns came on and settled into the game they eventually killed it off - although we did make hard work of it. The players that came in did an exellent job and although there were misplaced passes and not much created in the first half, on the whole the build up play was assured which is impressive considering the majority of those players do not play much first team football together. Long was hard working as ever, when he got that freekick on the halfway line on the stroke of halftime when there was nothing on summed up his work rate and why he's so valued by the majority of Saints fans. A special mention to Will Smallbone too. He's had a hard time of it over the last year but he put in a very tidy performance and I hope he continues to develop and gets stronger and enjoys a decent career with us. I felt for A Armstrong - his confidence is shot and he made a few decent runs but didnt get the pass We will indeed need him and a different game plan if Broja goes back to Chelsea. To echo others above well done Ralph - but please in the next round just make a few changes to the starting 11. Taking risks too often will eventually catch up with you. COYRs

1

KriSaint added 12:54 - Mar 3 West Ham surely looked tired. They didn't spend in january, and I can se them easily both miss out on the top six and loose both matches vs Seville = sour taste for the club and their fans. The club directors must take the responsibility for that. Ridiculous bench during some time now. But who cares :-D WE ARE SAINTS FANS AND ARE ON THE UP! I was as ignored as (almost) everybody else when I saw the starting 11, but in Ralph we trust. My MOTM: JWP. Q-final home draw, please. Middlesbrough , Everton/Boreham Wood or Palace would be good.

1

pwithers123 added 12:58 - Mar 3 I was also suprised by the selections - however the players brought in were all in the squad - are well paid professionals - and all want to be playing and will perform given the chance.. In addition the number of games played is large - and the Saints high press is not to sustainable unless you fully rotate. So - Ralph put the trust in his players. They responded to his trust in them - as they have all season - and before. Who did not start at Norwich - who started last night - Caballero, Perraud, Stephens, Diallo, Long, Armstrong, Djenepo. All are experienced Premier League players who have given some great performances for Saints. Hardly risky selections. Who are more risky selections : Smallbone - young player coming back after injury. Valery - young player being groomed in a new position. So Ralph should be congratulated by us all - before the game :) - for trusting in his players - that is how Saints have worked well. Encouraging players to give their best. There will always be some players playing better than others at any point of the season. Does that mean we should only play the best 11 ? That can never work in the Premier League. It is too physically punishing. Great credit to Ralph - he had the guts to do what West Ham did not - i.e. Rotate his squad and trust in his squad - All of them

5

davidargyll added 13:00 - Mar 3 Very good article Nick Right there on the money. A couple of points I would make: Moyes clearly thought/hoped we would roll over having seen - or maybe even guessed in advance - that Ralph would field a (much) changed side, ie we would struggle against a PL side in decent form. But he also surely made a mistake in thinking that his unchanged team wouldn't flag towards the end. Where RH was so clever was that his youngish fresh team could keep pressurising them knowing that in the back of their minds the FACup was secondary to the Champions League and so would conceviably only give 95%, especially if they went behind. And so it proved, especial;l;y when are subs came on. If I was a Hammers supporter I would be really hacked off with Moyes for having further exhausted his first team, unnecessarily as it turned out. As for us, everybody had their moments, some better than others: Dear Moussa, he is a walking comedy isn't he? His teammates don't know what he going to do, the fans certainly don't know what he's going to do and I suspect even HE doesn't know what he's going to do; unpredicatble isn't the half of it, but at least he provided us with a load of laughs. Will Smallbone I thought was good in parts, I guess is still nursing his injury and understandably did seem to be a little hesitant. Being quite slight in build he did get bullied a bit but certainly made up for it in a couple of bits of real skill, including just putting it over the bar in the last kick of H1. Willy Caballero was sublime with a couple of saves although did make a bit of a horlicks for their goal, but he is such a commanding presence, I would be more than happy to see him in the shirt next season Romain Perraud I have been carrying a candle for for a while, a real grafter. And having seen what I thought was goal of the season by Stuart A, then a blinder by OR, and now an absolute barnstormer from him, I don't think I can even begin to close the book. Just keep them coming boys...! Armando, well what can you say? I just hope all those critics who last week complained he was looking grumpy are having a serious case of word-indigestion. And a word about Ralph: not only did he play a blinder but he also entirely qualified his selections by talking about trust, that he has in the players in return for them trusting him (that they will get to play). A rarity I would suggest amongst managers. And his going round the ground whipping up the crowd well after the final whistle was just wonderful. In Ralph WE trust and we are so lucky to have him. So as for Bawdrip's comment, go wash your mouth out with soap, thank goodness you're not the manager. PS as for the next round, do you think there is ANY team who will be happy to be drawn against us???

4

KriSaint added 13:01 - Mar 3 + Forest/Huddersfield of course. All in all it looks like 50 % chance for a - at least - decent cup draw :-D
0

Colburn added 13:27 - Mar 3 I have to admit I was a little disappointed by the amount of changes, more do than the personnel, because its harder to gel on the pitch with a lot of change. However, after the first 10/15 minutes, the team grew into the game and I'm surprised to read comments still questioning those decisions after the event. It is the system which is solid and our squad has variety combined with the ability to play in different positions. Valery was my motm, closely followed by Stephens and Perraud. The two at centre back deserve more praise than being described as solid, they were immense in every department, including their distribution. Valery hardly allowed Antonio a kick and had him on toast all night, he also played a perfect game positional, always in the right place to clear away the danger. The same for Stephens, magnificent throughout, only once beaten by the pace of Bowen and Yann was there to cover.. Smallbone was superb too, he bossed his moments, winning the battles and connecting up the play whenever in possession, I would go as far as to say that he is the next best no.10 after Stuey, ahead of Elyonoussi, Djenepo and Redmond, certainly in the near future, he is a great asset to our team. They all did a marvellous job last night but these four players deserve huge credit for stepping in from the cold and being equally as good as those they replaced. Perraud has everything and his goal has been coming.. Just didn't expect a strike like that to break his duck. Well done Ralph and the boys, tactics and plans spot on, carried out by a together bunch of hungry, determined lads who look happy and assured in their work. Over the moon with things at the moment and possibly playing better than we did under Koeman overall. As for Broja... My goodness.. I would put all our summer funds towards him as we don't need to do other business, the way the squad is performing now. Put every penny towards his transfer, etc.. I can dream!

4

SaintPaulVW added 14:04 - Mar 3 Very good article. Just a few points. Diallo and Djenepo both looked very rusty in the first half. Both were very hesitant and looked off the match pace. I think it shows that they both need more game time. However it's tricky when the team is on a winning run. Diallo picked up in the second half but in the first was very hesitant. Smallbone showed them how to do it. In the mix for MOTM despite only playing his second game this season. Martin Keown was raving about him and Ralph's tactics on the BBC. Good to see Redmond back. Produced his usual energetic performance. Defended all over the pitch and almost scored. With solid performances from them both, you would hardly have noticed it was Valery and Stephens playing. Ralph's tactics of flooding the midfield stopped West Ham's attacks before they even started. In the battle for that England place JWP looked head and shoulders above Declan Rice. Be interesting to see if Southgate can come up with a new excuse to overlook him. Ad Arm also looked really lively. Definite Che style adaptation to the demands of thePL taking place. His electric pace is such a weapon. Again like Che, he just needs to find that composure in front of goal. Finally great work by the crowd the atmosphere sounded great. Extra respect to the girl giving a special cheery wave to the West Ham fans which got shown on BBC. Things are looking good at the moment. Roll on Mr Ings and his Villains. COYR

3

ExiledSupporter added 14:38 - Mar 3 Yes fantastic performance...and so unexpected when I saw the line up...and groaned with frustration. we have a squad of very much improved players and made Wham's squad depth look like ourselves in the darkest moments of last season. Until recently my faith in Ralph had been slowly declining, but after the last couple of wonderful months, that's all banished. Now I'm worried that he may be dragged away by some wealthy predatory club at the end of the season...perhaps Man U (ugh) perhaps Spurs etc, perhaps one of the major European sides. sign him up now and pay him very well...don't repeat the mistake that we made with Koeman. The point is that to keep him we have to remunerate him according to his value to us and we have to demonstrate that there remains a will to aspire beyond a mid table, survival position. Like Koeman we mustn't let him think that the grass is greener elsewhere even though I like to think he has no particular wish to leave, but ambition needs to be encouraged not suffocated. So two other lessons from last night 1. we need at minimum two strong, tall, fast strikers (like Adams and Broja) in preference to two fast, shorter, less robust strikers without the ability (like Armstrong and Long) to intimidate large quite mobile centre backs like Wham's defence last night. Adams has got good speed and a fast turn and i am sure he will get more relevant to the squad, but we will have to be as patient as we were with Che in his first 18mths. We need to play more intelligently to exploit his talents. And like many others I fear Broja's development has made it inevitable that Chelsea will want him back at the end of the season 2. a very similar lesson. We cannot afford to take the field with less than one central defender with height and assertiveness and obstinacy (like Bednarek and Salisu and perhaps Lyanco) in every important game we play. Otherwise we will be dominated in the air in our box and have little threat at corners in the opposition box. Nevertheless I did think Stephens played an excellent game last night for which he deserves much credit, he led the defence effectively.

1

HythePeer added 14:44 - Mar 3 For me, for the first time, the manager did it all right using all 5 subs. Starting with presenting chances to out of favour players to start. Changing things at half time and introducing more later on. The odds would be against Saints winning the FA Cup even if they were in the final, so it is right to experiment at this level.
2

SaintNick added 14:47 - Mar 3 Those who said we rode our luck have a point, but we also rode our luck in the win against Spurs and the draws against Manchester City & Manchester United, in fact we always ride our luck in virtually every match, even Norwich had a couple of chances they should have buried. Some of those trying to point out that we got away with a few things last night will are the ones saying that we should have played the same XI as at United were we could have been 3-0 down before they scored due to getting caught on the break

1

SanMarco added 16:54 - Mar 3 Ralph makes 9 changes and we win = genius Ralph makes 9 changes and we lose = idiot. We won so he is a genius That is the logic of football. If those of us still around look back in 20 years time on the great second FA Cup win of 2022 we will not be worrying about team selection in the fifth round. I actually think Ralph did get it wrong and was saved by how poor West Ham were - but so what, who cares, we WON. f he does it again in the quarters though...

3

JoeEgg added 17:36 - Mar 3 "Ralph makes 9 changes and we win = genius Ralph makes 9 changes and we lose = idiot. We won so he is a genius" Have to agree with SanMarco - the LOGIC of football. Well football fans. Ralph probably got a bit lucky and was saved by two factors. One how tired and poor in the world. Broja may not be a necessity when we play the likes of Norwich ; but when its Man Utd or West Ham he just becomes too hot to handle and the whole team looks so much stronger. I just cant see any way we are going to be able to hang on to Broja at the end of the season.

0

JoeEgg added 17:49 - Mar 3 JoeEgg added 17:36 - Mar 3 - sorry for missing words in first comment - nothing unusual for me! "Ralph makes 9 changes and we win = genius Ralph makes 9 changes and we lose = idiot. We won so he is a genius" Have to agree with SanMarco - the LOGIC of football. Well football fans. Ralph probably got a bit lucky and was saved by two factors. One how tired and poor West Ham were on the night. Secondly although Broja may not be a necessity when we play the likes of Norwich ; but when its Man Utd or West Ham he just becomes too hot to handle and the whole team looks so much stronger. I just cant see any way we are going to be able to hang on to Broja at the end of the season. Will Ralph's luck hold? Bring on Danny Ings!!!

1

ItchenNorth added 19:01 - Mar 3 The first half was pretty woeful and we survived that that 45. Rice ran the show for West Ham in the first, but a fantastic goal gave everyone a lift. Ralph made the changes at half time that were necessary, one due to a knock/ injury and one because their performance was just not there. The second was much better and we had the luxury of being able to bring on better players from the bench. I still hate VAR, but ill take it and JWP despatched the pen calmly. Broja's goal was so typical of his game. Power, strength and a tidy finish. It was a brilliant goal. Happy days In Ralph we trust.

1

WestSussexSaint added 20:04 - Mar 3 Home QF tie against Man City. I won’t lie I was hoping to avoid one of the big 3 left but we are at home and I back our boys against anyone at St Mary’s. Ralph seems to have Pep’s number when it comes to tactics as well.
2

SanMarco added 20:33 - Mar 3 I think the thumbs up I just gave you was probably more in hope than expectation WestSussex. I suppose we were fortunate in our last two quarter final draws so were due a toughy - at least it's at home.
0

Blogs 31 bloggers

Fulham Polls