Pre-Season Slaughter: Southampton

[Yankee_Jack]

There was nothing friendly about this fixture at the start of last season … boys against men, lazy against the applied, incoherence against coherence … no matter your perspective it wasn’t pretty. 7-1 defeats are an embarrassment and a disgrace.

In hindsight, it told us everything we probably already well knew, that Andy Pandy would struggle to organize a piss-up in a brewery, and indeed he did. Just past mid-season, with astonishingly one of the best defensive records the Championship had ever seen, he trashed it in favor of something else. If we really cared, we’d figure out what the something was, but why? It was never obvious to Andy Pandy and only the detailed analysis of @CroJack could give it any form whatsoever.

Now for reasons largely unknown, Andy Pandy has departed, and today Tate steps up for match #2. A friendly it shall not be. If Tate has any management chops, today is the day he needs to put it on display. Today is the day we shall see how the near future is likely to unfold. Brace for a lesson, only the exuberance and raw talent of our youngest is likely to save us.

 

[ivoralljack]

I hope we put up a decent show at least and not allow Soton free licence to strut their stuff without getting in their faces. @Ladygargar will be there today with her daughter and, as it's her birthday today, I hope the Swans will give them, and us, something to cheer.

I shared a pre-birthday dinner last night at her place with her family and we had a delicious Chinese takeaway. There was so much of it I brought home about half a dozen cartons full of food the six of us couldn't manage to scoff! Easy dinner tonight then with no cooking for me. Just wait for the ping then get busy with the chopsticks!

 

[CroJack]

There was so much of it I brought home

Happy day for Hector.

 

[Yankee_Jack]

Benda gives us so much more than Woody

 

[The Blobster]

Good save from Benda after Dhanda went to sleep

 

[The Blobster]

Woooohoooo, og forced by Cullen

 

[Yankee_Jack]

Cullen’s cross was begging to be attacked … mis-hoof works just as well

 

[The Blobster]

And immediately tied by saints as swans go to sleep with no defence on our left flank

 

[Yankee_Jack]

Benda nutmegged

 

[ivoralljack]

Bidwell totally out of position for that goal as he'd been drawn into the middle. Just didn't occur to him that someone would run off the ball into the space he should have been covering. Poor goal to concede. That apart I think we've been doing okay and passing the ball around in a tidy fashion. A lot better than we've seen in the past few games.

 

[KVetch]

Benda has looked very good up until that goal. I haven't seen this lineup but I like it, more attacking options that usual.

 

[The Blobster]

All to easy , outpaced and outpassed and it's 2-1 to saints

 

[Yankee_Jack]

We have nothing solid in midfield. They are playing through it and overwhelming our back line

 

[The Blobster]

Cabango and Bennett looking dodgy in Central defence

 

[ivoralljack]

We have nothing solid in midfield. They are playing through it and overwhelming our back line

Was thinking the same and we're definitely missing Grimes and Fulton in there tp knit things together.

 

[KVetch]

Hopefully the returns of Fulton and Roberts will help us on the defensive side. It seems like they are working a deal for Grimes on the cheap.

Was thinking the same and we're definitely missing Grimes and Fulton in there tp knit things together.

 

[The Blobster]

Walsh off with a knock , is he the new sicknote?

 

[Yankee_Jack]

Walsh is done. Williams … this kid looked busy against Forest Green.

 

[The Blobster]

Corey entertaining with a dribble out of defence !

 

[CroJack]

Not so bad. I feared worse. Obviously we need a proper manager because we look pretty disjointed.