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NEWCASTLE 1 SAINTS 0
February 18
Saints played the price for a season of player churn with 3 of the previous starting line up cup tied for the trip to Newcastle. With another rash of injuries, it was hard to tell who eventually took the field, at least not from the far off visitors' section at St. James' Park - this ridiculous ground has no big screen, an inaudible PA system and TVs in the refreshment area that convey no more useful information than adverts for Black & White merchandise. Post match, four of us discovered that we could only suggest 8 certain starters, and that included at least one who turned out not to be playing. What's worse, some of those who were on the pitch were confidently dismissed as absent. Putting together personal experience, the web site match report and MotD highlights, this seems to have been what happened. Saints started with 3 centre backs (none of them Higginbotham) and fought hard to keep a clean sheet at half time - the goal posts and Bialkowski provided formidable barriers when shots did get through. We lost Lundekvam and Pahars at the break but a better balanced side began to create chances of their own in an exhilarating period of play - Jones (pictured) and Madsen both had time to get in clear shots at goal from within the area. It was somewhat against the current run of play when N'Zogbia evaded a couple of tackles and released Dyer who scored the game's only goal after 68 minutes. Shortly after, Saints made their final substitution, so when Bialkowski went down with a bizarre, self inflicted and bad injury in the closing stages, the only option was to put Blackstock in goal. Had the scores been level, Dexter's eccentric 'keeping would have frayed the nerves. As it was, we were reflecting that if safe-hands Blackstock and 9 mates could keep Newcastle at bay, what a shame that one piece of ordinary defending decided the match.
LSSC Man of the Match: Darren Powell. It would have been Bialkowski, but it was largely his own fault that we finished with only 10 men.
ANOTHER BLANK AT ST. MARY'S: WILL THE NETS GO IN A COST-CUTTING MEASURE?
SAINTS 0 PRESTON 0
February 15
With a whole bunch of new signings and loans, Saints could have done better than be faced with rampant Reading one week and the new Preston Invincibles the next - a side who equaled the famous unbeaten run of their illustrious 19th century forefathers by avoiding defeat at St. Mary's. Saints were the equal of the play-off hopefuls for much of the match, but once again finished badly in the last half hour and were probably grateful for the point. They could have done with a goal to boost morale, though: nothing at St. Mary's since hapless Milton Keynes visited, so maybe the nets will be the next to go in a cost cutting measure?. Madsen came mighty close to breaking the duck but Nash pulled off an outstanding save, while 15 minutes from time Chaplow struck the foot of the post from distance. However that was about the last time Southampton ventured anywhere near the visitors' goal and the closing stages were quite vexful as the side seemed to have little idea of how to retain possession. This was all once Preston had substituted Ormerod, who fortunately gave a familiar performance. North End looked as though they were after just the single point from the beginning, and that attitude may have cost them two.
LSSC Man of the Match: Alexander Ostlund who could be making a late bid for player of the year.
THE BEST WE'VE SEEN UNDER BURLEY
READING 2 SAINTS 0
February 10
More new signings meant the team Saints sent out at Reading was very different to the one that featured in the last away game - no bad thing really. But some things don't change and appallingly sloppy defending (by Dyer, tackling back) led to Lita putting the hosts ahead after just 15 minutes. They added a second shortly before the break when Doyle got on the end of a route one clearance and finished clinically - a neat skill by the forward but maybe not the best ever defending by Powell or goalkeeping by Bialkowski. That killed the game as a spectacle as Reading were content to run out 2-0 winners. There is a more positive side to the report, though. The football played by Southampton up to that second goal was the best we have seen under Mr. Burley, so maybe the first signs that he has a group who can play the game his way. In that period, Rasiak missed quite an easy chance, Madsen forced Hahnemann into a clumsy save and Ostlund hit the bar. Rasiak in particular showed that strength, mobility and experience make all the difference when leading the attack: Jones, Blackstock and Fuller only possess all three between them. He brought the best out of Madsen, compared with the Dane's disappointing debut, while Ostlund impressed again. Chaplow was the pick of the new boys, while Wright also did well in a deeper role.
THE JOY OF ALEXANDER OSTLUND
SAINTS 0 DERBY 0
February 4
If Harry Redknapp's policy of loaning out our players to Championship rivals was difficult to follow, how about George Burley's idea of giving them away? Derby's Tomasz Hajto was the first to return in opposition colours, and he'll be closely followed by Brett Ormerod. Hajto also managed to make the papers, appearing to be confused by the role of our director of football. He isn't alone there. Derby are so bad that they've just had to sack their manager, but they still deserved to win this game. Saints gave debuts to Ostlund and Madsen but the latter had to be taken off at half time amid unfavourable comparisons to Ali Dia. The nearest thing we had to a goal in the whole match was a frightening scramble in the Southampton goalmouth just before the 45 minutes. Saints improved a bit after the break and Jones shot too close to the goalkeeper when he should have scored, but I still felt Derby were playing the better football. Indeed we were lucky as not many sides will survive three edge-of-area free kicks without Idiakez getting a shot on target. Further loan signings are eagerly awaited, because the sort of team we put out for this game might mean we won't even be playing in the Championship next year.
LSSC Man of the Match: Alexander Ostlund. I knew he reminded me of someone, but I've now been told who it was - the man from the Joy of Sex books.
PLYMOUTH 2 SAINTS 1
January 31
Gillett was replaced by cup-tied Surman at Plymouth, and this was a positive move as the youngster looked every bit a creative midfielder - how long since we've had one of those? The problem was Saints were delivering very little end product as a unit. There were plenty of passes strung together, and I don't have any problem with our players passing to each other, but we had a sum total of zero shots at goal in the first half. The opposition can't score when we've got the ball, but we did have to keep out Plymouth's more direct approach when possession was lost. Unfortunately the defence were indecisive when dealing with a long throw just before the break, and Chadwick drilled home a shot from the edge of the box. It was increasingly difficult to see how we were going to trouble the home defence, especially as the long throw weapon had been transferred out to Derby and Sunderland. However, Oakley bent his back into an effort that found Plymouth to be as indecisive as Saints, and Surman arrived late to equalise with a header. The game was fading nicely into an away point when yet another long throw swung it for Plymouth. This time, though, they needed the intervention of referee Hall who spotted something in the gloom caused by technical problems with the Home Park floodlights: Wotton scored from the spot, but no-one really knows why the penalty was awarded. Saints mounted more attacks in the remaining few minutes than the rest of the game, but Jones's header was brilliantly pushed onto the bar by Larrieu.
LSSC Man of the Match: Andrew Surman. The goal swung it for him.
LEICESTER 0 SAINTS 1 (FA Cup)
January 28
by Eric "I'm back" Shadick
I suspect most fans were expecting a more enthusiastic use of the Niemi and Walcott millions than a free transfer and a loan signing. Jim Brennan and Darren Potter is all we have so far, and both came into the side against Leicester. As you would expect of Mr. Burley's investments, both looked comfortable on the ball (unlike some of Harry's boys) and Saints were able to dominate the first half in terms of possession. However, Blackstock didn't have the best of days while Pahars and Dyer were often pulled back into a 6-man midfield that included Simon Gillett after an injury to Prutton. Our best, maybe only, opportunity before the break was a Pahars header that inched past the post - but it was one more effort than woeful Leicester managed. As usual the opposition got more into the game as Saints again failed to sustain their level of performance. With Quashie now lined up for a return to the Premiership, the big names may have gone, but we still have a long name left; Southampton were indebted to Bialkowski when some poor coverage let in Hammond, and the keeper's save may have been the decisive moment in the match. Then Jones appeared for the last few minutes and was rewarded in injury time as he scampered after Potter's hopeful forward header to score. Even later, Pahars should have made it two but wasted a great position, and that allowed The Foxes a chance to put everyone forward for a last free kick. Saints held firm, for once.
LSSC Man of the Match: Jim Brennan, although his lack of pace may cause problems in time.
SAINTS 0 CRYSTAL PALACE 0
January 25
by Terry "Tickets" Trevis (Eric Shadick is still on holiday)
Much improved performance from Saints against Crystal Palace following the appalling showing against Ipswich. George Burley made six changes bring in Baird, Prutton, Ormerod, Jones and two eighteen year olds for their debuts Andrew Surman (a lad from Bitterne) and Barosz Bialkowski in goal. So much for my choice of Paul Smith as man of the match in the last game. Both debutants gave excellent performances, with Surman not only showing a fine touch and good passing skills, but also winning possession on many occasions with some finely timed string tackles. The main difference between Saturday and tonight though was the determination shown by the whole team, they fought for every ball and were fully deserving of a point form this game, with Claus, Oakley and Prutton all putting in good performances, although had the linesman and referee not missed a clear handball in the penalty area in the second half we might have sneaked a win
It was a game of few chances, the best of fell to Palace for whom Johnston was a constant threat. Fortunately he was the only Palace player who looked like scoring they looked very much a one man team, although we be grateful to have one player scoring consistently for us, despite good approach play Ormerod and Jones never looked capable of scoring, although Pahars who again completed 90 minutes looked more dangerous and had two good efforts well saved by their keeper. Off the field the fans red card protest didn’t amount to much, and when play was in progress. Any protest songs were quickly drowned out by the other supporters, and the Saints fans gave the team the backing they deserved throughout the game, especially when Saints came under heavy pressure towards the end of the game. Overall a much better performance, lets just hope we can get a decent goalscorer, then perhaps we’ll be able to look forward with expectation
LSSC Man of the Match: Claus Lundekvam (Difficult task looking after Andy Johnston but stuck to his task well and kept Palace’s goalscoring opportunities to a minimum.
SAINTS 0 IPSWICH 2
January 21
by Terry "Tickets" Trevis (Eric Shadick is on holiday)
Those members who witnessed the QPR defeat, probably felt things couldn’t get any worse, unfortunately they were wrong. George Burley chose to discard the youngsters, apart from Dexter Blackstock and recalled Kenton, Pahars and Delap. After a couple of promising moves from Saints, Ipswich moved down filed and Alan Lee outmuscled Powell and scored with ease. Lee proved to be a thorn in Saints side the whole game and despite playing mainly on his own up front for Ipswich consistantly won the ball against the ineffective Claus and Powell, how Saints could do with a player like Lee and old fashioned centre forward who wins the ball in the air, holds the ball up enabling him to bring his teamates into the game and scores goals, (everything Saints have been lacking up front all season), if it hadn’t have been for 2 fine saves by Paul Smith he’d easily have completed his hat-trick.
As for Saints they were clueless, after scoring Ipswich put five across midfield and crowded out our players, only Belmadi showing any promise or invention, we just had no idea how to break them down and we never really looked likely to score. Ipswich won everything in the air , with Naylor dominant at the back, and they were quite content to watch us play the ball sideways and backwards and it was no surprise when Lee burst through to settle the game. The performance by Saints was one of the worse I’ve witnessed in 40 years, and there looks very little promise, too may experienced players are just going through the motions, major changes are needed. During the second half, it all got too much for the majority of the supporters, and at least 70% of the fans when prompted stood up, when the chant stand up if you want Lowe out started around the ground, including many from the executive lounges! The only bright spot is that Ipswich have shown that bargins are still available in the transfer market, Alan Lee cost only £100,000 from Cardiff, it’s about time we started finding players like this. If we can do so the future might be brighter, but I fear for the future of the club based on this performance, as we’re know in a relegation battle again.
LSSC Man of the Match: Paul Smith (Difficult due to poor performances by majority of the team, although Belmadi showed touches of class and Prutton some passion, but for his two quality saves from Lee goes to our keeper)
QPR 1 SAINTS 0
January 14
Southampton's line up at QPR included both Walcott and Dyer, which seemed odd for the cramped Loftus Road pitch. Certainly something was very wrong with either tactics or attitude as Rangers bossed the Saints for most of the first half. Their only reward was a penalty which looked dubious but came at the end of some scrappy defending: Cook shouldn't have been allowed to get in a free shot; Smith should have held onto it; Higginbotham's clearance should have been more positive than straight up in the air; Higginbotham's challenge when the ball eventually came down should have been less physical. Langley scored from the spot, and you couldn't say that it wasn't deserved. In fact a second goal wasn't out of the question, and Furlong did put the ball in the net after another half-stop by Smith, but was offside. Fuller came on for Dyer after the break, and Saints enjoyed a bit more possession. They could hardly have had less, but it still wasn't very encouraging. Then Quashie was tripped just inside the box and he had the chance to equalise from 12 yards. Unfortunately the spot kick came back off the post, the first time a missed penalty has cost points since Mark Crossley saved from Mattie. Mr. Burley suggested we could have gone on to win the game had Quashie taken more care with the penalty, and I must confess the thought did cross my mind. But on reflection, there was precious little evidence on the pitch to support that claim.
So that's it, after nearly 15 years of consecutive match reports in Waterloo Sunset and a lot more years of football before that, I'm off to Sri Lanka. But LSSC won't let you down - Terry "Tickets" Trevis will take over for the next couple of games.
LSSC Man of the Match: David Prutton, but not an easy decision for the select band of supporters discussing such deep matters in the Crown & Sceptre afterwards.
SAINTS 4 F.F.K.A.W/MILTON KEYNES DONS 3 (FA CUP)
January 7
With the Cup draw pitting Burley's Boys against the franchise formerly known as Wimbledon, currently bottom of the league formerly known as Division 3, an easy passage into round 4 looked assured. As ever Saints made heavy weather of breaking down a determined defence, but Dyer's probing pass was knocked on by Blackstock into the path of Prutton who completed the move. There was little to disturb Paul Smith, who was rumoured to be close to becoming Southampton's number 1. That was until the 60th minute when a half stop fell into the path of Lundekvam, and for once he found the back of the net. The wrong net, though. Claus looked far from fit and shouldn't have been playing, but the error did set up a memorable passage of play as Saints immediately introduced Walcott. His first contribution was a run and cross which ended with a shot by Quashie into the top corner. Then fellow sub Fuller tried to feed a pass into the flying winger's path. Both keeper and full back had it covered, but panic set in and Walcott put the ball in from a difficult angle. 3-1 would have been a nice win, but Saints conceded a free kick on the edge of the box, and Rizzo's shot was deflected past Smith. Worse still, the former Wimbledon contributed a rather nice goal as well, when Edds scored in the 84th minute. I was quite looking forward to a trip to the National Hockey Stadium, but Kenton stayed up after a corner and his scuffed shot found its way into the net to spoil that train of thought. Either side of Kenton's goal, Walcott had great chances to add to the goal glut. A draw better than a Saints win? I need a break from all this…
LSSC Man of the Match: Nigel Quashie, as he should be against this standard of opposition.
SAINTS 2 BRIGHTON 1
January 2, 2006
What is it with these modern players? Just when we are bemoaning Southampton's 10-strong injury list, along come Brighton with 11 men out. And they still manage to drop their star striker for disciplinary reasons. Saints emerged from the game with 3 welcome and overdue points, but also overtook the visitors in the injury stakes after Crainie and Kenton limped out of the fray. Crainie had done his bit in the first half, though, with an exciting run up the wing before slipping the ball through to Blackstock to score. For a long time it seemed that was as good as it got, because it only took an outclassed Albion 10 minutes to pull back the deficit; Mayo's goal looks softer every time you see the replay. Although Niemi had been forced into a brilliant save from one of Brighton's few corners, a whole series of similar situations for Saints threatened little. Belmadi had hammered a fine first half shot against the bar and went close after the break, but it took the introduction of Prutton and Ormerod to pose more serious questions for the visiting defence. With Dyer now in more of an inside right position, a run into the box and a low cross created an 87th minute chance which Blackstock finished. It wasn't pretty, but it was a win.
LSSC Man of the Match: Dexter Blackstock. It's goals that count.
CARDIFF 2 SAINTS 1
December 31
We've learned a lot about life in the Championship; I guess we always knew we'd end up paying near Premiership prices for sub standard football, but the poor quality of the referees was a bit of a surprise. Not as much as suffering 4 consecutive defeats in this company, though. Cardiff had gone even longer than Saints without a goal but some pretty awful defending by centre backs Kenton and Mills in the left back area let them set up Ledley for the easiest of chances after just 5 minutes. Worse was to come when a simple pass by Ledley opened up Southampton down the middle and Campbell scored with ease. Saints actually clawed their way back into the game, and Blackstock was able to beat defenders and goalkeeper to Jones's head-on to reduce the deficit. But as we all know, Southampton fall away badly after the intervals and it was Cardiff who dominated the second half and ended up good value for their win. George Burley has been faced with a list of injuries, as did Paul Sturrock 15 months ago. The super-fit Liverpool side of the 1980s won the League with few more than a dozen players players. My conclusion is Saints are nowhere near fit enough, and you only have to work out second half 'results' for further proof.
LSSC Man of the Match: Dexter Blackstock. The goal lifted him above a lack-lustre bunch.
SAINTS 0 SHEFFIELD UNITED 1
December 28
Powell returned against Sheffield United to give the defence a more orthodox look, be he was to limp out of the action later. Up front, Jones replaced Walcott and that gave much needed form to the attack - but for the first time this season you felt that a Saints line-up that was still ravaged by injuries was actually second best on paper. It didn't seem like that in the first half, but clear chances were still few and far between. It seemed Southampton's best opportunities would come from the mismatch between Dyer and Unsworth, who is looking decidedly lardy these days. However, United reorganised at the break to protect Unsworth, while Saints are still suffering the curse of the half time team talk. A very disappointing performance after the interval saw all 3 points go back to Yorkshire thanks to a rare goal in Southampton by Neil Shipperley, the only player in the league carrying more weight than Unsworth. The difference between top and mid table is largely down to confidence: Sheffield United have it and rarely looked like losing the lead, although Blackstock might have rescued a draw had he connected with a late header.
LSSC Man of the Match: Kenwyne Jones, but we ought to create more from his physical presence.
WATFORD 3 SAINTS 0
December 26
The optimism of the new era soon evaporated at Watford, with news of a team selection that seemed to have been made by the Director of Football - only Crainie survived from the entire defensive unit (including goalkeeper) at Norwich. Injuries and suspensions didn't help, but surely someone in the club could have suggested that Delap at centre half wasn't a good idea? At the other end, the selection was more adventurous than foolhardy, with Dyer partnering Ormerod and Walcott. It wasn't going that badly, but then an innocuous move pitted Henderson against Baird and Watford scored the first of their 3 goals from deep crosses. The defending was worse for number 2, and again the key player was Henderson who set up Carlisle for the easiest of finishes. Hajto came off the bench in a bid to shore up the defence but he only succeeded in putting another cross past Smith for an o.g. But that was as bad as it got: Hajto had a positive effect at the back and Saints still had the lion's share of possession. Our best moment came after a goalmouth scramble as Dyer tee-ed up an overhead kick that came back off the bar.
LSSC Man of the Match: Nathan Dyer, who added a bit of sparkle to the attack and did his bit tackling back to help the struggling Baird.
NORWICH 3 SAINTS 1
December 17
A thoroughly miserable afternoon in cold and snowy Norwich had actually begun quite well; a slick move down the left resulted in Belmadi stroking the ball home from McCann's cross. However, Saints failed to build on an ideal start, and Ashton headed home a free kick to issue a warning that Kenton and Powell might struggle against class + brawn (as opposed to just the latter quality, as had been displayed by Luton's forwards). Ashton scored again after the interval, and again from a set piece. By now it had become clear to me that if Saints fell behind, then they would not come back. I just didn't think things would be quite as bad as they turned out to be. For a while, Niemi was playing Norwich on his own, but eventually Ashton reacted faster than a host of Saints defenders to score his third. Manager Harry #2 responded by replacing both his starting forwards (Walcott and Jones) with Best and Fuller, while Ormerod also made an appearance: however most of us felt that the real problem was in midfield. Not a £25 match ticket well spent, despite the Chairman's handouts of seasonal fayre on the train.
LSSC Man of the Match: Antti Niemi, not a difficult decision.
Now we're on the march with George's army. A bit of a departure for the club to go straight to the best qualified and realistically interested party instead of firstly making a disastrous attempt to promote from within. In an ideal world, George Burley will hang around for at least 10 years and the club will enjoy a period of success unparalleled since… well, since we last had a manager who hung around for 10 years. However, we are the Saints and there always have to be doubts. Burley has a track record of falling out with his bosses, and Southampton's executives have a track record of having to cope with managers who seem to fall out with them. And then there is the spectre of Sir Clive, now with an even grander job title but a man with even less experience of proper football than our beloved chairman. Good luck George; you may need it.
A BETTER FOCUS AND A BIT OF LUCK IN THIS WRETCHED COCA COLA CHAMPIONSHIP
SAINTS 1 LUTON 0
December 11
After a week to work on the first team squad, would Dennis and Harry #2 improve things for the visit of Luton? Well, Jones started the game, which has to be a positive move, but with McCann coming into the side, there was no room for Belmadi. Back to Square One, I fear. Luton at Kenilworth Road had been the nearest thing we've seen to 'The Beautiful Game' in this wretched Coca Cola Championship, but they showed a harder edge to their play at St. Mary's. They were probably shading things in terms of chances, until Walcott found himself on the left wing, and able to outpace Foley. Goalkeeper Brill was expecting an easy backpass, and so found himself well out of position, but it was an exquisite lob from Walcott that brought his best goal so far. What had changed was either a greater level of concentration, or maybe a bit of luck because our opponents' finishing wasn't all it could be. Either way, Saints were actually able to hold on to this lead. This was despite Niemi having an unusually nervy and even temperamental afternoon. And despite the usual substitution of Kosowski, which suddenly allowed Underwood much more freedom down the visitors' left flank. It was also despite Jones losing the plot a bit towards the end, and a bit more attention to avoiding the offside trap might have let substitute Best in for a second. Finally, the win was despite playing the closing stages with 10 men - Delap departed following two bookable offences that were both unarguable and unnecessary.
LSSC Man of the Match: Darren Kenton, marking Steve Howard - a physically intimidating player who wasn't afraid to make the most of his assets.
SAINTS 1 BURNLEY 1
December 3
All branches of the media have taken the opportunity to refer to the south coast managerial shenanigans as a soap opera. It's more like the X Factor, with the bitching and politics a distraction from second-rate performances. Harry Redknapp was no longer in charge for the visit of Burnley, but with Dennis Wise (the poison dwarf) and Dave Basset (Harry mark 2) taking over, there was little discernable change. Not surprising at such short notice but the visitors were hardly confronted by new thinking, with Ormerod leading the attack, assisted by Walcott. How typical that Folly, who had played well enough at Wolves, was replaced by Prutton, who can scarcely be match fit. It took a determined run into the box by Delap to give Burnley's defence something different to think about at last. Delap was summarily upended by Hyde and once skipper Oakley had talked Kosowski out of the job, Higginbotham dispatched the penalty. As usual Saints turned round ahead, and as usual they failed to hold the lead. Burnley were offering no discernable threat until Branch got away from Delap and delivered an inviting cross for Akinbiyi, the division's leading marksman, to score. With Lundekvam and Svensson injured, Saints had to rue having to play second choice centre backs in Powell and Kenton. Jones, Fuller and McCann were all tried in an attempt to regain the lead, but it is difficult to remember either side having a further attempt on goal. Despite changes at the top, this was same old Southampton, always drawing.
LSSC Man of the Match: Djamel Belmadi - but what do I know? He was substituted by McCann.
WOLVES 0 SAINTS 0
November 26
A good turnout of Saints fans for the early kick off in Wolverhampton were frustrated by yet another draw. In fact most were bemoaning the quality of football, but I have to say that I've seen worse, and against worse opposition. However, a fussy referee, Wolves' over-cautious passing game and Southampton's usual impotence didn't make it a lunchtime to remember. As ever Saints were on top in the first period and Ormerod twice had chances against Postma in one-to-one situations, but couldn't beat the keeper. He also claimed a handball after he was denied on the follow up when Postma beat out a Kosowski free kick; the rather odd decision was 'offside.' Wolves only came close right at the end of the first half but it took brave defending by Delap and Higginbotham to keep them out - Higginbotham emerged for the second half with a heavily bandaged head wound. Walcott missed in another 1:1 situation but otherwise the match continued its weary way until Mr. Hoddle replaced Anderton with a useful Korean called Seol and Mr. Redknapp made a series of changes few Saints fans could fathom. Niemi, the crossbar and a few desperate lunges gained yet another single point, as Saints once more performed badly towards the end.
LSSC Man of the Match: Danny Higginbotham. We kind of guessed that the blow on the head wouldn't have done much harm.
HULL 1 SAINTS 1
November 22
At Hull, Kosowski and Powell replaced McCann and Fuller from the shambles that had finished the match against Leeds, but other changes were Hajto reverting to full back, with Delap in midfield. Once again it all went very well… at first. A neat move saw us move the ball across the pitch successfully and give Kosowski a chance which he finished well. Hull had several escapes, but Saints weren't creating enough clear chances considering the amount of possession they enjoyed. Even the local paper called the first half ridiculously one-sided. We were approaching the danger period of Harry's half time talk, when the players decided amongst themselves to even things up. First Oakley hit a poor crossfield pass that set up Elliott, and then from the resulting corner, Higginbotham's attempted big clearance only went a few yards and as far as Barmby, who couldn't believe his luck. Things actually got worse in first half injury time as a clash between Oakley and Woodhouse resulted in a mass brawl. Quashie's white boots meant he was easy to spot in the thick of it, and was dismissed as a result. All of a sudden we were second favourites in a game that should have been sewn up. In the wake of Simon Clifford's dismissal, I would suggest that the club invest in a psychiatrist instead of more fancy coaches. In fact Southampton reorganised pretty well after the break, and remained well on top, but I don't think any of us were surprised that there were few chances to win the game.
LSSC Man of the Match: Michael Svensson. He hasn't hit the self destruct button at the back.
SAINTS 3 LEEDS 4
November 19
With Pahars available, Harry Redknapp sent out a 4-3-3 formation against Leeds, and it ran the visitors ragged. The Latvian occupied the left forward position and scored the first, although he was actually on the other flank when he nodded in Svensson's header from a corner. Walcott, on the right, was shown the touchline by Kilgannon with inevitable results. A nice pull-back after a devastating turn of speed allowed Quashie to shoot into the bottom corner. When Harding handled on the stroke of half time and Quashie sent his penalty into the top corner, it scarcely seemed to matter that Ormerod in the middle wasn't doing too much.
But then we lost the game. Pahars went down with a knee injury just before the interval and was replaced by McCann, while Wise and Lundekvam were replaced by Fuller and Hajto at the beginning of the second period. With Wise on a yellow card after a rare Lundekvam 'goal' had been ruled out because the free kick was taken too quickly, you can understand if sensible precautions and obvious disappointments led to the changes. In fact they were injured, but it did appear that we thought the game was as good as won. Indeed that's how it was turning out until Butler headed in a 71st minute corner for what should have been a consolation. Leeds' second goal was a disgrace as they were allowed to take a quick free kick fully 10 yards from the right place and clearly in view of the referee. Blake scored after play went on. Presumably we didn't protest too much as we still had the lead with just over 10 minutes left. Then Higginbotham handled and Healy scored from the spot. This time Saints would have been concerned that they should have been compensated after Harding had barged Walcott off the pitch immediately beforehand. By now, people were leaving in droves, and international defenders were performing like juniors. When Miller scored to take all three points back to Yorkshire, it was no surprise.
LSSC Man of the Match: Nigel Quashie, who was far and away the best player on the pitch. Leeds had been best served by referee Williamson, who we do not want to see again.
LEICESTER 0 SAINTS 0
November 5
Sometimes a match is so eventful that it is difficult to compose a concise match report. And sometimes the performance is so good, or bad, that further comment seems necessary. However the match at Leicester City falls into neither category. It is hard to find anything meaningful to say about it. Walcott retained his starting place, and failed to add to his goal-a-game record, but at least his pace did force home 'keeper Rob Douglas to race out of his cage and then be forced into a foul tackle to stop the winger. However, this was somewhere near the corner flag, and only a caution resulted. Saints had a few 'almost' moments when passes just failed to unlock the Leicester defence, but really there were not to many of those to report either. The home side were on top for the first 15 minutes and again towards half time and finally for the last 15 minutes. Otherwise Saints were in control, so a draw seems fair. Just a shame it wasn't more exciting. At least the beer was good. Most of us thought so, anyway: we were amused when Reg refused to drink a pint of John Smith's because it didn't taste nice… isn't John Smith's always supposed to be like that?
LSSC Man of the Match: Nigel Quashie, after a vote on the return journey. I didn't think anyone stood out.
SAINTS 2 STOKE 0
October 29
Injuries suffered at Millwall meant Saints had to make changes for the visit of Stoke, but Walcott retained his place for his third start. He'd scored on the last two, and looked as though he had wasted no time in making it three. Saints broke quickly from a first minute attack and when Mbuyi (a.k.a. Junior, depending which papers you read) deliberately handled Fuller's through pass, the ball fell nicely for Walcott to run on and fire past Simonsen. Unfortunately referee Olivier brought play back and booked the defender for his indiscretion. Some would say that the end result showed that it prevented a clear goalscoring opportunity, but Walcott's goal and a Walcott-related sending off would arrive before the interval. Once again the goal was a breakaway; this time Quashie supplied the ammunition while the finish was more subtle than the earlier blast. Then Broome caught Walcott in the face as he attempted to wrestle him off the ball, and was dismissed on the linesman's advice. Mr. Olivier needed no such assistance when deciding to dismiss manager Boskamp for his protests. Stoke had been causing trouble on our right flank, where Delap occupied the full back position, but for the second half, Sigurdsson switched wings and had little more effect. It shouldn't have mattered as Saints ought to have enough class to finish off a full complement Stoke, never mind 10 men. We had to wait until injury time for further cheer, when Quashie supplied a low cross. Even then, it was completely missed by Jones, but the ball fell to Belmadi who scored easily.
LSSC Man of the Match: Theo Walcott, although the second half finishing will provide this week's homework assignment.
MILLWALL 0 SAINTS 2
October 22
Svensson's exclusion at Leeds was to make certain he was available at Millwall to cover Hajto's suspension. Crainie moved to full back, while Walcott retained a starting place. After an excruciating 20 minutes, home full back Vincent attempted a backpass. He probably saw Walcott way in the distance out of the corner of his eye, while goalkeeper Marshall was totally oblivious to any danger. They now know better, after Theo intercepted with ease and scored unchallenged. This was the best moment of a game that often threatened to get out of hand, with players at least claiming injury from off the ball incidents. Fuller may well have been lucky to stay on the pitch after a challenge left Lawrence holding his head, but he was still there to double the lead by heading in McCann's free kick. A sending off was inevitable, and Ifil won the race when a horrible challenge on Higginbotham was his second bookable offence. Millwall seemed to deploy their remaining forces in a 3-3-3 formation after the break, and that caused Saints more problems than it should have. But there were inevitable gaps at the back, and Walcott was about to run into one when baulked by Williams. A straight red card would not have been harsh, but Williams even escaped his second booking and eventually Walcott limped off with cramp. Fuller also made way in case things got even nastier, while the late introduction of Wise from the bench had more to do with sentiment than winning the game.
LSSC Man of the Match: Martin Crainie, who impressed all observers.
LEEDS 2 SAINTS 1
October 18
Saints were without the injured Svensson for the visit to Leeds, which meant a first opportunity for Crainie in his preferred position of centre back. Desperation probably accounts for the inclusion of Walcott for his first start. Neither move looked good early on as Hulse had a header saved in the first minute and Walcott finished desperately tamely when well placed. Then Hulse was unchallenged as he headed Leeds in front and minutes later Blake finished well, but it was the second goal we conceded from a set piece. However, I thought it was missed marking by Lundekvam rather than Crainie that was to blame at the back, while Walcott made up for his earlier miss with a shot that was powerful enough to get over the line, despite Sullivan's parry. Both sides had chances to alter the 1-2 scoreline before the break, with Lewis's cross against the angle coming the closest. Saints then took the game to their opponents, although Blake was unlucky as Leeds again struck the post. It was Walcott who should have made the difference, but he sent a lob agonisingly past the goal and then missed badly as he tried to get to the rebound after Sullivan had saved from late substitute Jones. Well, it was way past his bedtime. So the run of draws ended in defeat, but plenty of plus points (our man of the match, for example) in a very open game. Mr Redknapp is quite right in saying that there is nothing to be scared of in this division, but it's going to take a run of positive results instead of draws to make us contenders for automatic promotion.
LSSC Man of the Match: Neil McCann. By some way his best performance for Saints.
SAINTS 1 HULL 1
October 15
Lundekvam was supposed to be out for a few weeks, but returned to face Hull after only missing the match at Preston. Pahars was supposed to return to solve our goalscoring problems, but he managed to find a way of missing his first start since Clive Woodward was a rugby coach. The extra solidity provided by the renewed Svensson/Lundekvam combination was largely wasted on Hull, who would've been quite happy with extending Saints' seven game Championship drawing sequence. We've missed plenty of chances this season, but there is just as much a problem creating them for the forward line to squander. As it was, all Saints had to show for their 1st half possession was a 42nd minute goal. It was a splendid effort, though, with Oakley bringing back memories of the strike that ended Portsmouth's interest in last year's F.A. Cup. We were actually quite fortunate to turn around in front as Hull stormed back before the break and were only denied by a goal-line clearance and a Niemi save. Saints created a bit more after the break, but the ball always seemed to fall to the wrong person; for example it was Lundekvam who just failed to get a decisive touch as the ball trickled past a post. Then Ellison unleashed a stunning shot from a tight angle that would have surprised himself, along with 23,000 spectators and, crucially, Antti Niemi. So another draw. A proven striker was again desperately missed, but we should have enough class: we can choose from current or near-current international players in Niemi, Baird, Hajto, Lundekvam, Svensson, Delap, McCann, Quashie, Belmadi, Kosowski, Jones and Fuller, while Pahars and Wise have the experience at that level. Hull had, er, Nick Barmby.
LSSC Man of the Match: Matt Oakley for the goal.
PRESTON 1 SAINTS 1
October 1
Lundekvam faces a layoff because of stomach muscle problems, so the surprise (and very welcome) return of Michael Svensson at Preston was timely. Saints had Fuller and Ormerod up front, and again gave every indication that they were capable of dominating the game. That ought to have become reality after they got their long-awaited spot of luck in front of goal: Powell's tame shot bounced in off home defender Davidson. Kevin Bond seemed to have taken over Harry's meet-the-press role after the game (well, at least it wasn't Sir Clive) and he was spot on with his analysis of the performance after that lucky deflection - effectively saying that the team seemed to expect everything would then go according to plan. Well, it didn't work out like that, as a spirited performance from Preston in the second half came dangerously close to snatching all three points. Their equaliser was a fine shot by Agyemang and they had plenty more positive moments. Hang on, though: Preston had previously only scored once at Deepdale all season, and that back on 8th August! This was another under-achieving afternoon for Saints.
LSSC Man of the Match: Michael Svensson. An earlier and more encouraging comeback than we'd dared hope for. However, he didn't seem as dominant in the air as he used to be, and a dodgy backpass just after Preston's goal might have caused a rethink in favour of Powell.
SAINTS 0 READING 0
September 28
After a disgraceful performance against Plymouth, what would Saints do against a far better team in Reading? Raise their game is the answer. I doubt if Reading have been given many stiffer tests in the Championship in the last few years, but the goals were still not wide enough. The pattern was set after just 45 seconds when Quashie burst through but somehow managed to put the ball past the post. This was to prove to be the most glaring miss, but you could tell that no-one out there could call themselves a natural goalscorer. Meanwhile, Hahnemann in the visiting goal played a blinder, including an astonishing point-blank save from Fuller: the same sort of involuntary save that Camp had made for Derby a week or so back. The problem is, the longer the drought goes on, the more anxious the players become, and then the less likely they are to score. Pahars might be the answer, but his brief appearance showed him short of match fitness, or maybe not the player he was a couple of years back anyway. Still credit to Saints for dominating one of the better sides in the Division. There was also a touch of the Premiership, with referee Poll showing up some of the complete idiots who have officiated Southampton matches this season. A good job he didn't spot Powell elbowing Doyle though.
LSSC Man of the Match: Claus Lundekvam. A lot of players looked good, but we can point to moments when each should have done better in front of goal. No danger of that from Claus.
SAINTS 0 PLYMOUTH 0
September 24
The experimental selection at Mansfield that delved into the Southampton youth and Scotland international squads was swiftly abandoned for an unchanged Championship starting team. However a bit of the unusual was needed to break down a determined Plymouth Argyle team who were nevertheless limited by technique and ambition. Our team were jeered off at half time, but I don't recall anyone summoning up the energy to register disapproval at the end. The only clear cut chance fell to Fuller, but he often misses anyway. Ormerod and Fuller between them offered very little, and Jones and Walcott from the bench made no difference. I suppose the real problem was with the midfield; Kosowski, for example, needs to be given more of a mission to create. It was even possible that Plymouth might have snatched the points, but they panicked when given a rare sight of goal. This was a pretty dreadful waste of time and money.
LSSC Man of the Match: Dennis Wise, for the third Championship game running. A rare touch of class in a nondescript league.
MANSFIELD 1 SAINTS 0 (LEAGUE CUP)
September 20
It was handy that a break in the fixture list allowed us to watch Hampshire win the Cup; but there's a price to pay, and midweek matches are piling up. Mr. Redknapp's selection was even more radical for the visit to Mansfield than it was in the last Carling Cup round: 11 (yes, eleven) changes from Sunday's starting line up meant surely the youngest 1st team Saints have ever put out. Unfortunately the match served to confirm Harry's pre-season opinions: his youngsters are either not ready or not good enough, while some of the old lags are just plain 'useless.' League form indicates Mansfield are one of the worst teams around, but losing manager Carlton Palmer over the weekend had done them no harm and they will look back on a very competent second half and an unlikely win courtesy of Coke's goal. Saints just didn't get enough possession in midfield, and Delap and McCann should be made to explain this performance to their respective national managers. I'll exempt Chris Baird from that as he's my man of the match, after there was just a suspicion that Smith might have advanced sooner to stop Coke. Never mind the youngsters, a team with 4 more-or-less current internationals (Jones as well, remember) should not lose to Mansfield.
LSSC Man of the Match: Chris Baird.
DERBY 2 SAINTS 2
September 18
Saints began brightly against Derby and only a brilliant save from Camp foiled Oakley in the opening minutes. In all honesty, we continued to run rings around our opponents for some time, but inevitably the foot went off the gas at times, and Idiakev gave warnings that his skill with the dead ball could cause us problems. Once again, Championship opponents looked there for the taking, and Southampton came out for the second half determined to do something about it. Fussy referee Miller was awarding free kicks at will to both sides, and Wise swung one over that just beat Lundekvam's lunge and bounced off the post. But the midfielder's quick thinking after another foul broke the deadlock - a smartly taken free kick found Fuller who crossed for Ormerod to surprise a few of us with his finish. As the defending got more robust, referee Miller became a liability for Saints but the penalty decision for handball by Higginbotham seemed fair when seen on TV. Idiakev's too-clever-by-half kick was saved by Niemi, but not to the satisfaction of a linesman. The second attempt scored, but by now Southampton had turned on the hapless Miller. The last 10 minutes were not pretty: Mr. Miller had lost control of the game and Saints had lost their heads. Idiakev planted another free kick into the danger area and Davies put Derby ahead with 5 minutes left on the clock. Then Hajto departed for a second caution; County had been exploiting his lack of pace, and this was an incident waiting to happen. Finally a long clearance caused havoc in the home defence. Goalkeeper Camp's out-of-area headed duel with Wise was an unequal battle, but the ball fell to Fuller whose lob into the unguarded net was perfection. The scheduled 4 minutes added time stretched to 6, but we hardly expected anything different from Mr. Miller. Oh, and he sent off Harry Redknapp as well.
LSSC Man of the Match: Dennis Wise, dammit. But they're not making it easy to find anyone else.
IPSWICH 2 SAINTS 2
September 13
With Jones again sidelined and Prutton starting a lengthy absence, Saints brought in Ormerod and Wise and moved Oakley wide for the visit to Ipswich. Kosowski was also selected to start. It was going very well until the game was brought to an abrupt halt by a floodlight failure. The advertising hoardings advertising sponsors Powergen were still ironically illuminated, as too was the whole ground after a short delay. However, modern lights need time to build up to full power and what was now a captive audience just had to wait… and wait. It seemed to me that there was little discernable difference in the situation at 8:15 and the eventual restart at 8:30. And whilst we all appreciate the need for players to warm up again, there was no reason they couln't have done that in the (alleged) gloom. At least it made no difference to Southampton's dominance, but we don't deliver in the last third of the pitch and although the manager bemoaned missed chances, we didn't create as many as we should have. Of course everyone knew what would happen next: an Ipswich goal. We'd have had a good guess about how it would be scored as well, and Naylor duly headed home a corner. Saints replied in similar fashion after the break, with Powell our scorer. An away win was very much a possibility but a corner produced scuffed shot from Garvan that somehow found its way in. With 30 minutes left to chase the game, Saints had it all to do, but Quashie hit the post and Hajto saw a spectacular shot saved before Wise headed home Oakley's deft cross. This was an entertaining affair, but it is only Coca Cola football, so I chose to leave early rather than be stranded in London after a late finish. The web site report suggests a miss by Ormerod and then an offside goal in jury time by Lundekvam.
LSSC Man of the Match: Dennis Wise. Doesn't mean you have to like him, though.
SAINTS 1 QPR 1
September 10
Out of form QPR followed Crewe to fortress St. Mary's and like Crewe were comprehensively outplayed. However they became the first team to breach our defences in the Coca Cola Championship at the stadium when Shittu was inexplicably left unmarked to head home a 32nd minute corner. Saints only stayed behind for 5 minutes before the unlikely figure of Higginbotham rifled home a free kick from the edge of the box. But, just like Crewe, Saints had trouble finishing Rangers off and, just as with Crewe, we were foiled by the inspired form of the visiting 'keeper. But only so much can be put down to bad luck on the day. I didn't think too much of some of the players Harry was showing an interest in, but it isn't right for the board to fail to back his transfer plans when the problem he was trying to resolve is costing us a place with the front runners. Jones was again our best forward, but there was little variation to our play. Kosowski came on for his debut, but he was keeping Walcott and Dyer off the bench and, contrary to Redknapp's view, didn't contribute too much in this game… despite some raking 50 yard passes to him from Hajto: although they were long, the description of 'Pole to Pole' by the LSSC chairman was poetic license.
LSSC Man of the Match: Tomasz Hajto, a bit slow and prone to bad tackles… but he certainly can pass.
COVENTRY 1 SAINTS 1
August 29
Coventry's Ricoh Arena is still unfinished, which means a 23,000 capacity limit. More than enough for those wanting to see the Saints match, but the limit seemed generous, certainly for evening games until they can sort out a safer exit route to the pubs and parking spaces of nearby Longport: an ill-lit and inadequate footbridge crossing followed by an unlit canalside walk seemed like an accident waiting to happen. Proceedings on the pitch also gave cause for concern, once a slick move down the left was converted at the near post by Scowcroft. With a lead to cheer, the Arena's acoustics sounded impressive, while Saints were struggling against the physical presence of Adebola and some good deliveries at set pieces. However, Adebola eventually went off injured and a mix up between defence and 'keeper allowed Fuller an opportunity. It seems he didn't do much scoring for his previous employers, but a first goal in over a year quietened things down. Southampton grew in stature after the break, and they may have been disappointed to come away from a difficult fixture with only one point. Ormerod (in for the injured Jones) headed a ball which bounced tantalisingly on the bar before Powell put the rebound over, but we should have created more opportunities. It looks as though few teams in this league should scare us, but we don't create enough scares of our own.
LSSC Man of the Match: Darren Powell, although it was a lot easier for him once Adebola went off.
SAINTS 2 CREWE 0
August 27
Saints enjoyed an easy afternoon in the sun as they took on a poor Crewe side. We were already well on top before Belmadi scored a superb individual goal after 10 minutes. However, Saints failed to put further distance between them and their opponents before the break, with stand-in keeper Turnbull foiling Quashie and Jones, while Jones also hit the post. Inevitably there were moments when the visitors ventured forward, and there was always that nagging doubt that one might not be enough. In retrospect, there was nothing to worry about as Niemi was hardly employed throughout, but a disallowed Fuller goal and another strike of the post after the break meant the game stayed alive. Eventually Belmadi pulled the ball back for Quashie to fire home, but even 2-0 was disappointing against a team whose best player was their goalkeeper, closely followed by the goalposts. At least Dyer livened up the closing stages.
LSSC Man of the Match: Djamel Belmadi. A goal and an assist capped a good performance.
SOUTHEND 0 SAINTS 3 (LEAGUE CUP)
August 22
Harry was as good as his word after promising to give youth a chance in the League Cup match at Southend. Normally that's a mistake for a club with our limited resources, but the way matches in the lower leagues pile up, it has to be a sensible approach. Mills made his debut and Dyer was given his first start, while Crainie, Folly, Blackstock and Jones also made the line up. None of the lads let us down, as Saints stayed in control of what could have been an awkward fixture. The game needed a lift, though. It came shortly before half time when Mills was denied by former Saint Darryl Flahaven but Blackstock folowed up to score. It took a brilliant save by Smith to deny Goater and the action soon sped up to the other end. This time when Flahaven was tested, he made a mess of Prutton's shot and eventually the loose ball fell for Dyer to score. Wise came on for the second half and Saints looked pretty good for a while. Eventually the game started to drift as it was clear that a comfortable win would result. It was sealed in the closing stages when substitute Ormerod just reacted sufficiently to be given the credit for deflecting Delap's shot past Flahaven. Probably a game that appealed more to those interested in how last year's youth squad is progressing than to Sky Sports usual audience.
LSSC Man of the Match: Nathan Dyer, a majority LSSC view. Sky gave the champagne to the under-age lad as well but I was more impressed by Mills.
SAINTS 1 NORWICH 0
August 20
Things looked good early on against Norwich but Prutton missed a great chance because his left foot is like his temper: unpredictable. With Jones and Fuller once again in tandem, there was nothing subtle about our attacking play but Jones caused enough worries for Fleming to lead into a challenge with arms raised, and a penalty resulted once the ball hit them. It's a long time since we missed from the spot in a competitive match, but in the absence of Pahars we no longer have an obvious taker. Quashie stepped up… and missed. However, he had plenty of company whilst taking the kick, led by Belmadi. Fortunately several Norwich players followed Belmadi, which gave the referee cause to demand a retake for encroachment and Quashie just about obliged this time. Powell was badly caught in possession, giving Ashton a great chance to level, but Niemi produced a fine save to preserve a half time lead. Jones might have extended that advantage after the break, but from then on it was our defence holding firm against the Norwich forward line which was enhanced by a succession of attacking substitutions. We lost Lundekvam who appeared to be badly hurt in a goalmouth scramble, but our other replacements seemed to be for the sake of action rather than towards any definite plan.
LSSC Man of the Match: Nigel Quashie. But he'll have to improve the penalty technique, or pass the job on to someone else.
SHEFF WEDS 0 SAINTS 1
August 13
Saints went to Hillsborough without Fuller's dodgy knees and 39 year old Wise, but it hardly mattered against woeful Wednesday, who had a whole cast of absentees - including on-loan Leon Best. We still lined up with two big strikers, only this time it was Blackstock who accompanied Jones. Prompted by Belmadi, they did pose some problems for the home defence, but after 90 minutes we only had one goal to show for what was a surprisingly easy fixture. That came after about 20 minutes when Jones took advantage of a slip up but he still had plenty of work to do before scoring a good goal; two away strikes in two games won't do his confidence any harm. Neither goalkeeper was stretched very often, but with Wednesday chasing the game for most of the match, Niemi's inactivity is the more remarkable. Walcott eventually replaced Blackstock, and again threatened more than he delivered, and we were also treated to the sight of Delap up front for the last 5 minutes.
LSSC Man of the Match: Kenwyne Jones, whose good early season form continues.
LUTON 3 SAINTS 2
August 9
Hajto moved to the middle to cover Lundekvam's enforced absence at Luton. Little else changed from the Wolves game, but this time there were goals all over the place. Oakley set us on the way to what most people expected to be three points when he profited from Luton's hesitancy to clear. Saints did rely on Niemi to keep the lead but we seemed to be coping alright until some complacency started to creep in towards the interval. Sure enough, Nicholls duly fired in a fine equaliser to serve everybody right. It didn't spoil our half time as an unnecessary excursion out of goal by Brill allowed Jones to head Saints back in front, a goal which seemed to please him just a little. Our problems were coming at the back, and it was down to the reluctance of defenders to attack the ball. This was a week when Michael Svensson's comeback began, and not before time. Saints protested after Brkovic (the smallest man on the pitch, after Wise) was allowed to head Luton level from a corner, but our players should appear a bit tougher. The introduction of Walcott alongside Fuller and Jones suggested that Southampton were going for the win; Luton, though, had a surprise in store when Morgan fired in an injury time winner that recalled van Piersie's strike at Highbury last year. With victories over Palace and Saints, it's no wonder Luton's fans went home happy. It wasn't a totally bad performance by our side, but to see some people applauding it at the final whistle was odd.
LSSC Man of the Match: Matt Oakley, probably for the goal as much as anything.
SAINTS 0 WOLVES 0
August 6
The moment we'd been dreading with varying degrees of uncertainty over the last several years finally arrived on 6th August 2005: the return of lower grade football to Southampton, with Wolves the opponents. Hajto, Belmadi and Fuller made their debuts, the last named in partnership with Jones up front. Belmadi showed he has some neat touches in areas where it didn't really matter but he can't be blamed for the offensive tactics that seemed to be to get the ball forward for the big strikers as soon as possible. It wasn't pretty, or successful for that matter. With the defence still unable to cope with set pieces (Cort hit the bar) and the midfield failing to track runners (Niemi forced into diving saves), it wasn't an impressive first half. Miller was only denied by a brilliant Niemi save after the break, but we saw a much improved performance from Saints, helped by the introduction to two more debutants. Wise replaced Belmadi, but I look on this as a backward step: Lawrie Mac threw him out 20-odd years ago and I can't think that his behaviour has improved since then. Walcott's introduction was at the other end of the age scale and he threatened to liven up the later stages, although he tries to dribble through defenders rather than round them. Priorities were changed when referee Kettle missed two bad fouls on Saints players before dismissing Lundekvam for what was the game's third scything tackle in 30 seconds.
LSSC Man of the Match: Tomasz Hajto. I hadn't had a very high opinion of him, but surprisingly could find few people to support his endorsement as man of the match. Niemi was the only credible alternative.
AND WE'VE STILL GOT BELMADI ON THE BENCH: pre-season games
Southampton opened the 2005/06 campaign at Fir Park, Motherwell; scene of the dramatic end to the previous SPL season when injury time goals from former Saint Scott McDonald denied Celtic the title. This time he had a frustrating evening as the principal victim of FIFA's new offside rule - and LSSC's long distance travellers agree with Harry: it's a disaster.
We all thought new signing Darren Powell was playing, and looking distinctly sluggish, but the first half centre back was later revealed to be a Senegalese trialist who didn't make the grade. He was replaced by Powell in the second half, but having made up my mind, I didn't pay much attention to him!
Southampton's half time changes meant that they played two different XIs, both a mixture of expected starters and young hopefuls. The second half performance was distinctly better, largely because of an un-named sub who we now know to be Djamel Belmadi. Andrew Surman gave Saints the lead towards the end of the first period and emergency striker Rory Delap set up a fine Brett Ormerod goal after the break. Foran pulled a late goal back for 'Well (who actually didn't play very well at all). After the game, the Scottish FA have decided to operate the old offside rule, pending clarification of interpretations from FIFA!
Next was a trip to Rugby Park, Kilmarnock - splendidly improved since last we visited in the Branfoot era. Denis Wise made his first Southampton appearance in an even longer time but was he overshadowed by Belmadi. Wise, however, stepped in ahead of Belmadi to give Saints an early lead as Killie struggled early on. However, they soon had some joy at the expense of Greek international Konstanidis, who looked very poor at left back and a cross against Niemi's bar nearly leveled the scores.
Again there were plenty of half time substitutions in a split team but Belmadi and Konstanidis stayed on, the latter now in midfield. Belmadi and Pahars combined to set up Crouch who put Saints two up but a trip by Quashie allowed Naismith to pull one back from the spot. Pahars crossed again for Crouch to score his last Southampton goal, but an inexperienced defence let Di Giacomo score a very late second Killie goal. Along with Crouch, this turned out to be Jacobsson's last outing for the club.
Since then, split teams (including trialists) played non-league opposition on the same night: the stronger line-up (featuring Frannie!) won 4-0 at Eastleigh and the other beat Weymouth 1-0. We now play at Bournemouth (a 1-1 result: ed) and Yeovil. The home friendly is against former Belgian giants Anderlecht on 30th July before we face former English giants Wolves at the traditional time of 5:15. There seems to be some sort of fixture at Woking in between, but it remains to be seen how strong a team that will be.
Meanwhile, regular readers may wish to recall my prediction of a succession of British has-beens and European never-weres arriving. But at least it was nice to see Walcott and Surman given chances on tour.
Anderlecht
The only home friendly was against Anderlecht, who will be gracing this year's Champions League. Not for long, in all liklihood, but it was understandable that they did not put out their strongest side shortly before an important UEFA match. Did Southampton not spot this possibility? It doesn't really matter as they probably tested us to just about the right level. Also Saints couldn't put out their star player as Niemi seems to have examined his July pay statement and found Rupert had put relegation clauses in the small print of his contract. Smith was soon beaten from the penalty spot after an injudicious challenge by Delap, and he had no chance with a deflected shot on the point of half time that put the ball in an unguarded corner of the net with tracer-like accuracy. In between, Kenwyne Jones had scored twice, and although the goals were courtesy of defensive cock-ups, they rewarded him for making a nuisance of himself to defenders again. Jones in fact completed his hat trick soon after half time with the best goal of the game, and that was enough for a 3-2 win. Hajto is now officially a Saint and played in a sort of defensive right side position that wasn't really right back as Baird and Delap also covered that area. Maybe Sir Clive has already taken an interest in our team tactics?
LAST WORD ON LAST SEASON
The normally coveted Man of the Season award is a bit of a joke really. There were 25 different Man of the Match winners, seven in the first seven games then 10 in 12. And the winner was hardly given an outing until Christmas:
They were:
7 - Peter Crouch
6 - Antti Niemi
3 - Kevin Phillips, Nigel Quashie
2 - Fabrice Fernandes, Rory Delap, Anders Svensson, Andreas Jakobsson, Paul Smith
1 - Graeme LeSaux, Neil McCann, Mikael Nillson, Jelle Van Damme, Dexter Blackstock, Danny Higginbotham, Jason Dodd, James Beattie, Kasey Keller, Claus Lundekvam, Martin Crainie, David Prutton, Henri Camara, Matt Oakley, Paul Telfer, Brett Ormerod, Uncle Tom Cobleigh (winner v. Portsmouth away).
Since relegation Rupert has persuaded the manager to stay. Why he should want to is another matter. In their first 16 Premiership matches, Saints accumulated a dozen points, including two home wins. In 22 under Harry they added another 20 points, including 4 wins (1 away). This may represent painfully slow progress, but league position is the object of the exercise, and the team slipped down the table.
The reason Mr. Redknapp isn't being lauded as the new Alan Ball is largely down to Matt LeTissier not being around - but Redknapp was hired to keep us up, and he failed. The long awaited transfer window dealing was actually handled better by Bryan Robson: poor Callum Davenport must be a contender for that worst ever Saints XI which crops up in pub conversations, and Olivier Bernard's lack of obvious interest may even make him an outsider for the hotly contested left back spot.
Championship football is going to be a very different matter, but expect talented younger players such as Folly and Griffit to drift away as they find first team places filled by Harry's familiar procession of British has-beens and European never-weres. Of course it could be very different; this time next year we could be reflecting on how a solid rearguard featuring Paul Smith, Michael Svensson, Martin Crainie and surprise loan signing Wayne Bridge enabled a free scoring attack to express itself through the direct wing play of Leandre Griffit. We'd even forgive the club's management their nonsensical flirting with Clive Woodward if that happened...
