Southampton 3-2 West Ham Utd (19/08/17)

[smuts]

Hopefully Reid isn't out for too long. Having one of Fonte and Oggy is bad enough let alone both of them ballwatching, running in treacle etc.

Give me Ginge over Fonte any day. Let Fonte go and open a tattoo parlour or something back home and bring in Smelling (not that he would want to come) would be the ideal solution.

Watching the Zabaleta foul again he's probably done that dozens of times in a City shirt and never been pulled up over it....welcome to West Ham.

[Morocco Mole]

Our two today made 9 defensive contributions - Danny Drinkwater usually makes 10 on his own - Romeu made a dozen today.

Tells it's own story doesn't it?

I thought Bilic was justified in dropping Obiang after last week but in hindsight it was probably the wrong call painfully highlighted by the positive contribution he made when he came on today.

Damned if you do damned if you don't sometimes.

[ballantine]

Not getting the praise by some with Sakho. Apart from the assist on Hernandez's goal, I thought he looked lazy and not interested. Hernandez and others were trying to press even with 10 men and he was jogging around.

This. Sulky piece of ****. Almost pissed me off as much as the ref and Arnautovic. 9 men fighting for their lives out there. Him, couldn't be arsed to run one meter that didn't have the potential to make him look good in the papers tomorrow.

[Yea Why Not]

Was good to see Rice get a start but Noble over Obiang was an odd one for me. Both were poor last week but Obiang is usually head and shoulders the better player for me

[trevshead10may1980]

Was good to see Rice get a start but Noble over Obiang was an odd one for me. Both were poor last week but Obiang is usually head and shoulders the better player for me

Why? Noble was our best player at OT, and Obiang was utter pony, had a real off day.

[Yea Why Not]

Why? Noble was our best player at OT, and Obiang was utter pony, had a real off day.

I thought they were both poor last week. It was like watching a League two midfield take on a top teir. The gap was huge. Obiang for me just has far less off days and is simply the better player imo. I still think Noble has a role to play but shouldn't be starting ahead of Obiang

[kayahammer]

I saw that Rice was starting today and thought that it was a move to tighten up defensively. Then I saw that he was replacing our best defensive midfielder. I didn't really get that. I'd have played Rice and Obiang (or Obiang and Zabaleta)

Obiang was fantastic for his cameo. Rice and Nobes are too similar - sideways and backwards for the most part.

Obiang has to start against Huddersfield. I'd give Rice the nod over Nobes.

[Yea Why Not]

Noble should have also been sent off yesterday. I've seen a lot of people complain about the Tadic tackle but Noble's is without a doubt more of a red card

[smfc]

Was comfortably thinking I'd be in bed with a hot toddy for my man flu by the time we were on MoTD and bugger me we are on first.

Seems like everyone at the BBC watched a different game to me, Tadics tackle wasn't even shown and the handball didn't make it either. By the time the pundits including the loathesome Linekar were congratulating the melon of a ref for getting everything right I realised I'd slipped in to the twilight zone, those cold capsules must be strong.

Second penalty I have no ****ing idea how that can be a penalty, if it is there should be about 8 or 9 a half every game. I've seen the same referee ignore rugby tackles in the box.

Challenge for Slav now, I dare say though that nothing will change and that he will stick mostly with those who put the effort in and fought back (reasonably well you could add).

Which is a shame as that means Noble will play again (should have been off for a straight red too). And Ayew as well sadly, who I hadn't even noticed was playing at all during the first half.

On a brighter note it is a complete pleasure to see Little Pea doing what he does. it has been a long time coming that we get someone up front who knows where the goal is and takes chances like that.

[Morocco Mole]

Noble should've played as the '10' with Rice and Obiang behind. Ayew benched.

[ryanrc]

Fonte is rightly getting a panning on here but for some reason lazy Ogbonna seems to be getting away with it as per. The way he half heartedly jogs back for their first goal is shocking imo and I don't see how fans seem to rate him. Such a terrible cb.

Chicharito looked class but apart from that very few positives from today.

[Yea Why Not]

Noble should've played as the '10' with Rice and Obiang behind. Ayew benched.

Noble a better 10 than Awey? :shock:

[Colours never run]

Not from me, Ry. I see it all with him. Shocking defender at this level and I make Fonte just as bad if not worse.

[Crossd_Hammrs]

Gabbiadini strolling through our midfield and between the centre halves. Criticism levelled at Fonte, but what was Oggy doing? Just seemed to watch him.

Yes, everybody on here has been slating Fonte for that first goal, but it was Ogbonna's man.
Oggy played him onside by not keeping the line. Oggy was facing the player, whereas Fonte was facing and covering the threat of the winger with the ball. Oggy stopped tracking Gabbiadini once he had made his run into the space behind Fonte, on Fonte's blind side. Having played him onside, Oggy should have continued to track him until Fonte had a chance to get goalside.
Perhaps Cresswell or Hart needed to tell Oggy there was nobody else in the centre. But I really don't see how Fonte can be blamed in this attack.

[Crossd_Hammrs]

MOTD is about story telling - we know this from the Leicester season.

The story of today's match was that Southampton finally scored and won at home with a proud perfromance.
Ultimately Southampton overcame their poor form, West Ham's spirited comeback, and a ref that didn't send off a second West Ham player to fairly win the game at the death.

Criticising the decisions the referee didn't give in our favour would muddy the storyline.

I noticed the BBC's live reports skippped over the Tadic and Lemina tackles, dismissed the handball as being below the shoulder and villified Arnautovic and Noble. All of Southampton's attacks were high-paced, incisive and exciting, whereas West Ham's possession and attacks were summarised as quiet spells for the home side.

The match stats themselves tell a different story: Southampton had far more possession yet made committed twice as many fouls. West Ham had more shots on target too.
Adds up to distorted match reporting, which I wonder if might be what MotD use as the basis for selecting highlights.

[Yea Why Not]

I've watched the full game back and here's my take on the main decisions. Firstly, it was a difficult day for the ref.

Arnie deserved to go. Correct decision
The handball in their box wasn't a penalty. Correct decision
Fonte penalty. Correct decision
Zab penalty. Maybe slightly harsh but for me correct decision
Tadic tackle. Very debatable. Dead between a yellow and a red for me. When that's the case I'd like to see players stay on personally so correct decision, just.
Noble tackle. Definite red in today's game. Incorrect decision

So for me the only decision he got clearly wrong was the Noble tackle

Just my opinion. I'm sure other people will see it differently

[Billydinho]

I think arnie's red card and ensuing abuse will be a turning point for him. At Stoke they're happy with a player who can pass more than five yards and run a bit with the ball so their talented players get a free pass to act how they want.

Arnautovic will have learnt quickly that being a c*nr doesn't get you very far here unless you're on the board.

[Jumby]

Watching MOTD, what a load of b*ll*cks. I can't believe how they've dressed this up. Jermaine Jenas shouldn't be commenting on anything, I hate that pr1ck, as dull as they come.

If Arnie deserved a red then so did Lemina, his elbow on Arnie, that went unpunished, clearly stoked up our Austrian headcase.

Charlie Austin is a smug c**t.

[Jumby]

I've watched the full game back and here's my take on the main decisions. Firstly, it was a difficult day for the ref.

Arnie deserved to go. Correct decision
The handball in their box wasn't a penalty. Correct decision
Fonte penalty. Correct decision
Zab penalty. Maybe slightly harsh but for me correct decision
Tadic tackle. Very debatable. Dead between a yellow and a red for me. When that's the case I'd like to see players stay on personally so correct decision, just.
Noble tackle. Definite red in today's game. Incorrect decision

So for me the only decision he got clearly wrong was the Noble tackle

Just my opinion. I'm sure other people will see it differently

The Tadic challenge not being dealt with properly and then the Lemina elbow being missed sparked that challenge from Noble, no question. The Lemina elbow is what wound Arnie up. If the game is reffed properly neither the Noble or Arnie incidents happen.

Call me biased but, think about it, I'm right, I'm always f**king right :lol:

[Morocco Mole]

Noble a better 10 than Awey? :shock:

Yup. Ayew was poor last week and is never a 10 in a million years. Not in this league anyway. Doesn't show for the ball, doesn't want it centrally. Offers nothing whatsoever without the ball either. A total passenger again today. A midfield three of Obiang, Rice and Noble would've competed far better.