***soton v city official match thread***

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

They are not very good team. They are well trained team on a good run. World of difference.

well trained team with the heart and determination to make our very good team look piss poor. We looked like a championship side for most of that game.

That's what I'm saying. If ourlot had shown similar effort we would win them ninetynine times out of hundred.

[PrezIke]

I am pleased overall, Soton are really a good team and not many teams will win here.

We are obvious better and better, let”s win with Arse next week and challenge the title.

I agree although not sure I fully understand that 2nd line. Not good performance obviously but mostly that was down to Soton.Their style of play smothers City where they like to build the play and they are very fit so they never stopped closing down.Plenty of our players were below their best of course but it's a point from a tough game and it did take a world class strike to stop us winning.

Well, imho, City from a month ago would have lost today, but now we look more composed at the back, dunno if Demichelis or Pants is the reason, but our defence was good today, even if we mixed up a thew times. Look at our offside trap, it was flawless, even if the assistant got it wrong
Yeah, we were mediocre, but we still got a point from a place where normally we would had lost. I think our mistake was to go back after Sergio missed that chance to make it 2-0.

Overall i am pleased, but this might go to shit if we will not beat Arse.

surely kompany's presence helps?

demichelis makes some good challenges and with his positioning compared to garcia as a defender, but that isn't saying much. with the ball he is about as poor as lescott at times, and can get bullied sometimes. i think we would be better with a healthy nasti because he is more composed, and that helps us against teams like this.

panti has also been a bit better than hart this year, except for a few occasions, and with his delivery today which seemed below par.

[Ted Hughes]

I am pleased overall, Soton are really a good team and not many teams will win here.

We are obvious better and better, let”s win with Arse next week and challenge the title.

I agree although not sure I fully understand that 2nd line. Not good performance obviously but mostly that was down to Soton.Their style of play smothers City where they like to build the play and they are very fit so they never stopped closing down.Plenty of our players were below their best of course but it's a point from a tough game and it did take a world class strike to stop us winning.

Well, imho, City from a month ago would have lost today, but now we look more composed at the back, dunno if Demichelis or Pants is the reason, but our defence was good today, even if we mixed up a thew times. Look at our offside trap, it was flawless, even if the assistant got it wrong
Yeah, we were mediocre, but we still got a point from a place where normally we would had lost. I think our mistake was to go back after Sergio missed that chance to make it 2-0.

Overall i am pleased, but this might go to shit if we will not beat Arse.

surely kompany's presence helps?

demichelis makes some good challenges and positioning compared to garcia as a defender, but that isn't saying much. with the ball he is about as poor as lescott at times, and can get bullied sometimes. i think we would be better with a healthy nasti because he is more composed, and that helps us against teams like this.

panti has also been a bit better than hart this year, except for a few occasions, and with his delivery today which seemed below par.

Lescott hardly ever gives the ball away, Demichelis gives it away regularly.

Why does this make Lescott 'poor' on the ball ?

[dazby]

Garcia was fantastic when he came on.



That is all.

[PrezIke]

I am pleased overall, Soton are really a good team and not many teams will win here.

We are obvious better and better, let”s win with Arse next week and challenge the title.

I agree although not sure I fully understand that 2nd line. Not good performance obviously but mostly that was down to Soton.Their style of play smothers City where they like to build the play and hey are very fit so they never stopped closing down.Plenty of our players were below their best of course but it's a point from a tough game and it did take a world class strike to stop us winning.

Well, imho, City from a month ago would have lost today, but now we look more composed at the back, dunno if Demichelis or Pants is the reason, but our defence was good today, even if we mixed up a thew times. Look at our offside trap, it was flawless, even if the assistant got it wrong
Yeah, we were mediocre, but we still got a point from a place where normally we would had lost. I think our mistake was to go back after Sergio missed that chance to make it 2-0.

Overall i am pleased, but this might go to shit if we will not beat Arse.

surely kompany's presence helps?

demichelis makes some good challenges and positioning compared to garcia as a defender, but that isn't saying much. with the ball he is about as poor as lescott at times, and can get bullied sometimes. i think we would be better with a healthy nasti because he is more composed, and that helps us against teams like this.

panti has also been a bit better than hart this year, except for a few occasions, and with his delivery today which seemed below par.

Lescott hardly ever gives the ball away, Demichelis gives it away regularly.

Why does this make Lescott 'poor' on the ball ?

lescott seems nervy when he looks to pass or decides to dribble when being closed down. demichelis has been poor as well, which was what i mean to point out, and that nasti is the best of the three in that area i think.

EDIT: i also think while demichelis has not been good and has given away possession cheaply, he still appears more composed than lescott. he just doesn't make all the right decisions nor is he that great of a passer anyway. it may also be that some of the moves demi liked to use, like playing his way out of trouble to make a more effective pass, may not be as easy to pull off when you aren't as pacey as you once were.

[Ted Hughes]

As I thought.

It's what people think Lescott looks like, rather than what he actually does, which is used to judge him.

[Dubaimancityfan]

Have to be happy with the point under the circumstances. An improvement on last season when we lost embarrassingly. 4 points from 2 away matches has to be seen as an improvement. Not convinced with Martin partnering Komps but it seems Pellers likes to have 2 right footed CB's !!!

[Ted Hughes]

Have to be happy with the point under the circumstances. An improvement on last season when we lost embarrassingly. 4 points from 2 away matches has to be seen as an improvement. Not convinced with Martin partnering Komps but it seems Pellers likes to have 2 right footed CB's !!!

Win one draw one away, plus the occasional important big game win, would probably put us right in the mix by the end of the season, but it's the manner of the last two performances which worries me.

Players playing so far below their capabilities.

[Beefymcfc]

A points better than nothing but the performance was not good at all. After scoring I thought we'd kick on but we went backwards.

Shame, since Chelsea lost, we could've made some ground there.

A point better than last season, so still cheerful.

[PrezIke]

As I thought.

It's what people think Lescott looks like, rather than what he actually does, which is used to judge him.

i hear you as i know lescott has a high pass completion percentage, but his decision making and passing do not really generate much in terms of our counter attack, or really just getting it started faster. he will usually just give the ball to another nearby player who likes to dribble or make a long pass. demichellis likes to dribble more and is a bit more creative, which suits our style of play, i think.

he's a stop gap player anyway. this is an area that needs improvement on the team, clearly.

[Beefymcfc]

Have to be happy with the point under the circumstances. An improvement on last season when we lost embarrassingly. 4 points from 2 away matches has to be seen as an improvement. Not convinced with Martin partnering Komps but it seems Pellers likes to have 2 right footed CB's !!!

Win one draw one away, plus the occasional important big game win, would probably put us right in the mix by the end of the season, but it's the manner of the last two performances which worries me.

Players playing so far below their capabilities.

The last performance wasn't too bad considering our poor away form, it was just those last 10 minutes or so where we thought we could just go for a lie down.

[Bridge'srightfoot]

Really shitty performance. I'll take the result just about but really not happy with that.

[Beefymcfc]

On the Demi/Lescott debate, if you've got 2 players who have equal strengths then surely you play the best player in that position?

Lescott everyday of the week for me, Demi just doesn't look confident.

[PeterParker]

On the Demi/Lescott debate, if you've got 2 players who have equal strengths then surely you play the best player in that position?

Lescott everyday of the week for me, Demi just doesn't look confident.

I am still amazed why Bobby changed the best defensive partnership in the world at that time, Vinnie and Lesco, We had 3 best defence seasons in a row and he changed it and all went to crap.

Imho, i was always convinced he blamed Lesco for that goal Cisse scored in the game with QPR.

[Tesl]

Imho, i was always convinced he blamed Lesco for that goal Cisse scored in the game with QPR.

Well, from memory that pretty much was all his fault so its quite reasonable to blame him for that one.

That said, since we won the game anyway I'd hope that was mostly forgotten about and mostly forgiven. Its a strange situation when everyone seems to want Lescott to play except for two intelligent successful managers though, seems reasonable they must know something we don't. Can't think what though.

[Sideshow Bob]

Really shitty performance. I'll take the result just about but really not happy with that.

A team like Soton shows just how poor our work rate can be. We were second to every loose ball for the entire match.

[chef]

Did'nt see today's game but southamptons Luke shaw featured heavily in the radio commentary , how did he play and is he as good as the hype linking him to other clubs ?

[twosips]

Did'nt see today's game but southamptons Luke shaw featured heavily in the radio commentary , how did he play and is he as good as the hype linking him to other clubs ?

Yes. Imagine Clichy's pace and dartyness but with the ability to actually take players on and cross a ball. He'd improve our team immeasurably.

[Ted Hughes]

Did'nt see today's game but southamptons Luke shaw featured heavily in the radio commentary , how did he play and is he as good as the hype linking him to other clubs ?

For his age, looks a very good prospect, but I would have looked good v Zabba today. He got almost every decision wrong for 90 mins.

[twosips]

As I thought.

It's what people think Lescott looks like, rather than what he actually does, which is used to judge him.

i hear you as i know lescott has a high pass completion percentage, but his decision making and passing do not really generate much in terms of our counter attack, or really just getting it started faster. he will usually just give the ball to another nearby player who likes to dribble or make a long pass. demichellis likes to dribble more and is a bit more creative, which suits our style of play, i think.

he's a stop gap player anyway. this is an area that needs improvement on the team, clearly.

That's not the centre backs job ffs. I want a defender who defends well - not goes on mazy runs up the pitch and tries through balls.