MATCHWATCH : Southampton (h)

[paddy20]

Really need to work on the defence and get some organisation and consistency. Can't do it until they sort the goalkeeper out, Button should be a step up on what we currently have so hope that deal works out asap.

Bournemouth mate said he was terrible there

[CountryRoyal]

Really need to work on the defence and get some organisation and consistency. Can't do it until they sort the goalkeeper out, Button should be a step up on what we currently have so hope that deal works out asap.

Bournemouth mate said he was terrible there

You mean the 4 appearances he made 14 years ago?

[Brogue]

It's going to be an expensive shirt personalisation if we sign the trialist! Full name: Olamide Oluwatimilehin Babatunde Oluwaka Shodipo

That has to be a cut and paste.

Give us a ‘o’ chant would be fun

[paultheroyal]

Really enjoying Matty Carson's tenacity. Hope we see more of him this season

+1 He looks a real good player to me, dare I say possibly better than NGW.
That was a decent 2-4 loss considering we were playing a very strong Southampton team.

Was that the left back? If so, quality. Paultheroyal approval. Never shirked a challenge, strong, fight, lots of energy.

[paultheroyal]

Would think bringing Wing, Savage, Mbengue, Dean and a GK (if not Jokull) would go a long way to helping matters

Add AC as well and it’s a different story

Then just add one more in CM and a winger (couldn’t really judge Shodipo) and we’ll be good.

Carson, Senga, Craig, Ehib, Abbey, Dorsett, Abrefa, Camara all look fine for back up.

Hutchinson, Yuadom and a rejuvenated ejaria (because he won’t be going anywhere) plus more new signings… that team starting today will be very different

[Hound]

Ejaria out til sept with the knee injury, so yes won’t be going anywhere

[Snowflake Royal]

My stream cut out; what was the second goal like?

Hilarious.

Shadipo (?) broke in behind, held off his defender and then passed a fairly tame shot across their goalie, who proceeded to dive and palm it in his own net back behind him.

[Snowflake Royal]

Would think bringing Wing, Savage, Mbengue, Dean and a GK (if not Jokull) would go a long way to helping matters

Add AC as well and it’s a different story

Then just add one more in CM and a winger (couldn’t really judge Shodipo) and we’ll be good.

Carson, Senga, Craig, Ehib, Abbey, Dorsett, Abrefa, Camara all look fine for back up.

Yeah, we defended not very well, but I didn't see much protection from midfield. Saints played through them, and not enough tracking. Given our midfield was a 19 year old with promise and a trialist I don't expect us to sign, I think we will look better when we have a senior midfield.

[Hound]

My stream cut out; what was the second goal like?

Hilarious.

Shadipo (?) broke in behind, held off his defender and then passed a fairly tame shot across their goalie, who proceeded to dive and palm it in his own net back behind him.

Defending for that goal was horrific

Shodipo showed some good pace though

[Hound]

Would think bringing Wing, Savage, Mbengue, Dean and a GK (if not Jokull) would go a long way to helping matters

Add AC as well and it’s a different story

Then just add one more in CM and a winger (couldn’t really judge Shodipo) and we’ll be good.

Carson, Senga, Craig, Ehib, Abbey, Dorsett, Abrefa, Camara all look fine for back up.

Yeah, we defended not very well, but I didn't see much protection from midfield. Saints played through them, and not enough tracking. Given our midfield was a 19 year old with promise and a trialist I don't expect us to sign, I think we will look better when we have a senior midfield.

Yep tbf the trialist lad might be ok to go into our u23s. Same with Binden, but wouldn’t want them first team at this stage

You’d expect Wing, Savage and sounds potentially like Amos still to make a big difference

[Snowflake Royal]

My stream cut out; what was the second goal like?

Hilarious.

Shadipo (?) broke in behind, held off his defender and then passed a fairly tame shot across their goalie, who proceeded to dive and palm it in his own net back behind him.

Defending for that goal was horrific

Shodipo showed some good pace though

On the back of that performance, it would be a no for me. Some good pace, but broke forward twice that I saw. First time heavy touch and shit ball across into a crowd, second time scored, but with a poor shot the keeper should be embarrassed to have conceded to.

Maybe one for the future, but not the immediate first team plans.

Only one game, and there's something there though.

[Stranded]

Shodipo has an excellent record in L1.

80 apps, 13 goals, 4 assists. Goal every 337 mins. Definitely worth a go I think, if he fits the system.

[Royal_jimmy]

Shodipo has an excellent record in L1.

80 apps, 13 goals, 4 assists. Goal every 337 mins. Definitely worth a go I think, if he fits the system.

This

[Hound]

Shodipo has an excellent record in L1.

80 apps, 13 goals, 4 assists. Goal every 337 mins. Definitely worth a go I think, if he fits the system.

This

He’s probably worth a go. Obvs free, has some good experience and a bit of pace

Difficult to really judge on today as Martin’s side stifle the life out of any game and he barely got a touch, but on paper a solid signing

[Jackson Corner]

I’ve never seen a meaningful preseason friendly. For a start we are playing catch up we have a new manager new players coming all the time, so I really would not be too bothered about this game. I remember in the early 80s we played West Bromwich Albion at Elm Park it was when Ron Atkinson was manager of Albion they had Bryan Robson, Laurie Cunningham, Cyril Regis and Brendan Batson. Who won the game 4-2 and played superbly West Brom went on to finish in the top five of the first division and we were relegated to division four.

[Clyde1998]

Would think bringing Wing, Savage, Mbengue, Dean and a GK (if not Jokull) would go a long way to helping matters

Add AC as well and it’s a different story

Then just add one more in CM and a winger (couldn’t really judge Shodipo) and we’ll be good.

Carson, Senga, Craig, Ehib, Abbey, Dorsett, Abrefa, Camara all look fine for back up.

Hutchinson, Yuadom and a rejuvenated ejaria (because he won’t be going anywhere) plus more new signings… that team starting today will be very different

Yeah. The central midfield is probably the most important area of the pitch and the three players I expect to be our main three central midfielders this season weren't in the squad today (of our current squad). No Mbengue either, no doubt a few more signings before the season starts and hopefully injured players returning means we should be stronger by the time we reach the Peterborough match. We may have a stronger squad against QPR on Tuesday.

If that was our full squad for the season, I'd think we'd struggle to finish higher than 15th at best this season. Whereas with all our players available (Yiadom, Mbengue, Hutch, Wing, Savage, Ejaria and Carroll all spring to mind as missing players - almost all would be straight into the starting XI), we're probably top six in terms of strongest squads in the division. That's without considering additional signings.

It seems a lot of the younger players did quite well, while Smith and Knibbs appear to have played well. Seems like a good experience for the players and no-one should read too much into anything.

[under the tin]

Really need to work on the defence and get some organisation and consistency. Can't do it until they sort the goalkeeper out, Button should be a step up on what we currently have so hope that deal works out asap.

We've been conceding too easily for years now.
Bowen could do a lot worse than bring in someone like Wally Downes for a few months purely to work on the defence.

[PieEater]

You have to wonder what preseason games are all about if we're not going to play our first team. They need to get match fitness, work out how to play together, and try out the new manager tactics.

People say the results don't matter and it's all about fitness. Well it seems it's not even about that if they don't play.

[South Coast Royal]

Hound wrote:-
Soton full of quality players but playing Martins awful boreball (pass, pass,pass, lose it, dive, foul) which we worked out fairly well after the first 15. Actually a bit embarrassing to concede the goals they did, and Azeez should have made it 3. Rubbish at the back but obvs sone quality further forward.

"Rubbish at the back"-That's why they are now a Championship side.

[Hound]

Hound wrote:-
Soton full of quality players but playing Martins awful boreball (pass, pass,pass, lose it, dive, foul) which we worked out fairly well after the first 15. Actually a bit embarrassing to concede the goals they did, and Azeez should have made it 3. Rubbish at the back but obvs sone quality further forward.

"Rubbish at the back"-That's why they are now a Championship side.

Yep and will stay that way unless they sort it

The chap who lost the ball on the first goal is the one they are asking £50m for isn’t it? Nuts