Voting was locked for this match at midnight on Sunday 24th October but you may still add your mini match reports. Note that members and non-members alike were able to vote.

Your Southampton v Burnley Match Reports

codge added 17:20 - Oct 23 Please give me a good reason why Theo gets to start in front off Stuart Armstrong he basically offers nothing anymore.Again a game of lost chances should of won this game comfortably, and why subs on way to late to alter the game.
11

Sadoldgit added 17:35 - Oct 23 An entertaining game of football. Frustrating to miss those chances in the first half but at least we are making the opportunities. Assume that Armstrong didn’t start as he is still not up to match fitness but good to see him back on the pitch, if a little rusty. Livramento, Broja, Diallo and Salisu all looked class today. Ely finally looks at home in the Prem. would like to see the other Armstrong up front with Broja. Would also like to see Walcott on the bench for the rest of the season.

11

SaintPaulVW added 17:39 - Oct 23 Felt like 2 points lost. After Tino suffered a learning experience we slotted back into our groove. We played well in the first half and with a fair wind could easily have been 3-1 up at half time. How Redmond missed ....and Tino shot must have been micrometers off going in off the post, Eli's header so close. Walcott should have done better with his shot etc etc Built on the first half at the start of the second before falling back to earth again. Last 4 minutes was us at our most hopeless trying to get through a packed Burnley defence head on rather than keep playing around the outside. Salisu was awesome, Tion and Broja superb, Diallo has a pin point pass. I thought Perraud had an off game. Eli was industrious but lacked that bit if composure. Walcott again only showed glimpses. Redmond was good, although I'm sure as he didn't score and create 3 goals he will be criticised. Overall we played well, so hopefully we are up for the Chelsea game. COYR

1

I_would added 17:52 - Oct 23 Ralph lost us 2 points today. Walcott managed one of the worst performances ever seen by a professional but Ralph kept him on for 73 mins. Broja off, game over, outcome of draw assured. Diallo muzzled by Ralph and obviously told not to join the attack. Do we not do shooting practice?
-1

wrathoftazz added 18:44 - Oct 23 Same old nonsense from the "small" club. We just about beat a depleted Leeds, we can't beat Burnley and yet some people are actually happy with Ralph? Maybe those fans will be happy with Championship football?? RALPH OUT
-6

leighsaint added 19:01 - Oct 23 What does Walcott add to a team in front of an open goal shoots wide. Redmond 2 yards out open goal in front of you miss Elyounoussi free header misses once more. Adam Armstrong sub on in 88 minute what’s is Hazelnut up tp
9

halftimeorange added 19:12 - Oct 23 Others have asked the three questions that I'd like answers to. Why did Walcott start this game? Why did it take so long for Walcott to be subbed when it was obvious halfway through the first period that he was totally ineffective? Why was Armstrong A brought on in the 88th minute? A number of players didn't give of their best for Saints today. Thanks to Chelsea we had the two outstanding performers in Livramento and Broja. Once Broja went off we had no target man and faffed about around the halfway line when we should have been pressing for a win. Ralph's decisions leave me, at best, frustrated and, at worse, quite angry. And what weak refereeing. Two minutes extra after 45 minutes should have been about seven and at least five in the second what with substitutions.

9

Ali_Diarea added 19:25 - Oct 23 Like others have said, I was really disappointed with the starting line up today. Of the ten outfield players, I can only see Broja ending the season with more than 5 league goals. In which case, Ralph has to change his tactics or do something to accommodate more goal scorers. Replacing Ings’ goals will be hard enough (although Broja looks more than capable), but who is going to score the goals that Che Adams scored last season? Ralph needs to have a major rethink of his tactics and formation before we get dragged into a scrap at the bottom.

10

Bawdrip added 19:53 - Oct 23 Not a bad game but one we could and should have won. Generally a solid pery but two poor lapses by Livermento and Bednsrek for the goals. Like many I thought the subs were too late and have no idea why Walcott started or stayed on the pitch beyond half time. Broja took his goal well and Livermey so unlucky not to get two. Still not sure how Redmond missed 2 yards out. Ball did bobble a bit but had to score!

10

Block8 added 20:41 - Oct 23 For some reason we were drawn into a long ball game that suited them more than us We desperately needed to slow the game down try to play through them but our movement was poor. Theo was dreadful, Romeu was super as usual, Wood bossed our CB's a little too often. despite a couple of clear chances missed by us a point is all we really deserved. Stu Armstrong should definitely have been introduced earlier and Broja was limping for a good 10 minutes before being replaced. The spell when we did play through them looked good but was short lived. Think a point was all we deserved unfortunately!

1

Boris1977 added 01:38 - Oct 24 Hee, hee, finally back home. Watching saints with Ralph at the helm is like watching Syd Barrett experimenting with LSD, it's really surreal. I think I like it in a kind of alternative reality way.
0

mattthelegend added 08:22 - Oct 24 Why Walcott, what has Stewie Armstrong done so badly to not get picked over him, I really do despair with Ralph at times.
8

saint901 added 10:05 - Oct 24 In my view, we lost two points against Burnley because we chose to go toe to toe with a heavyweight slugger, rather than be smarter with our lighter and more nimble players. Saints best player by a country mile was Livramento. Burnley, aside from Cornet, have little guile or craft and instead rely upon a series of long balls to a bully of a centre forward (why was he not at least booked?) or throwing the ball in from wide. They had little in terms of midfield because they never really use it. Their midfield is there to stop the opposition from playing up to what is a static and rigid back 4, sometimes a back 6, and passing around them. That was clearly their tactic and we fell for it. The centre of our midfield (Romeo and Diallo) both had decent games. But, how many times did we see one of them challenge for a ball in front of a Burnley forward who was also be challenged by Bednarak or Salisu? The result was often that a ball dropping into the centre of the pitch was picked up by a Burnley player and not Diallo or Romeu. In short we lacked quality in the centre of the pitch and chose instead to throw long balls into the channels which left Redmond and Walcott chasing against bigger and stronger opponents. Against Leeds (a poorer side with no real tactical plan), we took the ball forward in the midfield and fed Redmond etc with better precision and effect. Boroja won a lot of aerial challenges but I don't recall any of the flick ons reaching one of our players. The right side moving forward worked well but Walcott, once he had pulled his defended inside to give Livramento space, thought his work was done. He then idled with no real further contribution. Elyounoussi was wasted by playing on the left. As we saw against Leeds and others, he is a right sided player and whilst I thought he was no worse than others, he was not as effective. Bedranal and Salisu were also average. Perraud was limited because the players in front of him were not allowing him the space. RH is partly to blame here. He spoke pre match about how Burnley were not just a long ball team and then picked a team with no quality in the centre of the pitch instead choosing to go down the flanks (to cross the ball into the box against 3 or more six foot plus defenders?). Surely somebody with the ability to put their foot on the ball and more it forward toward the Burnley back line, feeding our quicker forwards would have been better. The best player we have for that is JWP who was unavailable. This shows the threadbare nature of the squad. Finally, what was the point of the goal kick routine? McCarthy worries me a lot. His kicking is erratic and his positioning questionable. If he cannot be trusted to kick the ball to a red player, why is he in the team? An opportunity lost in my view because we played to Bunrley's game and not ours. Look at the last ten minutes when we pressed and played on the edge of their box. Unfortunately it also showed a lack of creativity with JWP. An opportunity for two more points lost.

-3

carolinasaint added 16:38 - Oct 24 Agree with the ratings: Broja, Salisu, and especially Livramento were class; the two DMs were solid; Perraud and Walcott were poor. Redmond was Redmond: he did some good things, looking dangerous with the ball at his feet, running at the defense a bit...but poor decisions still plague him after all these years. A couple of posts question how he could possibly miss from two yards out--I'll tell you: if you are at the back post when a cross comes in from the right, hit it with your left foot ffs! How on earth a professional football doesn't have the sense to do this I'll never know. All he had to do was stick his left foot out--he didn't even have to swing it or try to make solid contact! Instead he sweeps with his right, predictably drags it past post, and looks amazed when he didn't score...ok rant over. Overall an entertaining match but it's so frustrating continually outplaying opponents and not getting three points. Last three home games: 53 shots to 17. 3 goals to 3. Not just speculative pops from distance, either: Ely and Redmond have managed to miss from less than two yards out, Walcott and A.Armstrong misses uncontested shots from near the penalty spot, etc. Can't blame Ralph for that. The results haven't been there but the team is entertaining, creates plenty of chances, and outplays their opponents. Have to think we'll come good at some point.

5

KriSaint added 20:28 - Oct 24 Admittedly I had totally forgotten that Burnley - somehow - have bought a very good offensive player whom I remember very well from last seasons Champions League, playing for Lyon. Max(well) Cornet. For 15 mill. Euros. 5-year contract. A fantastic signing. He scored both their goals, and Burnley came away with a point, because we couldn't score more than 2 goals. We should have scored at least 4, and everything would have been ok, but Tino hit the inside of the post and Redmond missed an absolute sitter as did Walcott. We didn't look good in defense when Cornet scored in each half, and McCarthy didn't save us though he had a reasonably good save from a side-footed low, deflected shot from Chris Wood. We gave Cornet too much space on both his goals. I thought we had moved on from conceding such easy goals. But no, not against Burnley, which was such an important match. Disappointing! Broja did well again and scored another memorable goal. This time from a good assist from Diallo and credit to Walcott for the clever run he actually did to try and give as much space as possible for Broja to aim and shoot. In hindsight I would always have started with Armstrong in stead of Walcott, though. And if Armstrong was not fit enough for a starting place, I would have played Tella.

2

codge added 13:43 - Oct 26 Please give me a good reason why Theo gets to start in front off Stuart Armstrong he basically offers nothing anymore.Again a game of lost chances should of won this game comfortably, and why subs on way to late to alter the game.
0