Southampton 2 Rovers 0

[Alan75]

Posted: Oct. 25 2003, 20:18 by Big A on fans messageboard forum

In many ways we were unlucky to lose here.   Both sides were awful really.  4-5-1 does not work.   We were just pinging balls forward and they were sent straight back at us all the time.   Cole had no support and we never looked like scoring.

I thought Ferguson looked good today, neat and tidy.   Todd and Taylor looked solid and times and then made silly errors.   Both were guilty of not winning clear headers and one of them (Todd I think) was ball watching for their second.

Thompson did quite well on the left but he's obviously not a left winger, Tugay didn't click today and Emerton kept misplacing passes.

One thing that worried me was Friedel.   He made some good saves but looks far less confident than last season and dropped a few under pressure.

Saints were as bad though really - they looked good in defence but when you're playing against one man it's not hard.   Beattie's free kick gave them a lift and we pushed men forward - they caught us on the break with the second.

Second half going forward we were a bit better but we were hampered by having 10 men / playing 4-5-1.

The team put in a bad performance but imo GS' tactics were at fault as well (doesn't mean he should be sacked though).  4-4-2 would have offered more of an attacking threat and pumping long balls at Andy Cole when he's up against two giant Scandanavians would never have worked.  

Saints were there for the taking, they were as nervous as we were but Strachan was more positive and Beattie's free kick won it for them.

Edited by Alan75