Reluctant praise for David Moyes' 'well drilled' squad was the order of the day from many Southampton fans following Tuesday's goalless draw, as we take a look at the best of the comments from an opposition forum in the latest edition of the OV...
"Far too slow and far too unimaginative. I think we have been found out and can no longer break the lines as we did earlier in the season. WHU defended well in depth, not only could we not get through them but we didn't win many balls in their box either. What is becoming self evident is that although we are hard to beat we are nowhere near creative or fast thinking enough to score many goals especially now in this league where everyone seems intent on keeping clean sheets. Of course we are not the only culprits but we need to up our game if we do not want to end up in mid-table mediocrity."
- Charlie Wayman
"Expected three points but after watching the game, I’m happy with one. West Ham played well, defensively excellent. Despite being 0-0 it was a good game to watch."
- Plastic
"In our last four games all the opponents have set themselves up not to be beaten. West Ham were likewise but hoping to convert any scraps that might be there, they defended like their lives depended on it, which was helped by our sometimes wayward passing, stumbling control of the ball, repetitive balls for the likes of Dawson to head away (there was a bloke making his first appearance since coming from Watford - and metaphorically knocking on Moyes' door with his performance). Time for Ralph to earn his corn and work out a way of negating teams who are now digging themselves in when they play us. At least it’s another point in the pot rather than a plucky defeat: keeps the tally ticking up."
- John Boy Saint
"Just seen the Dawson/Adams incident. Yeah he probably didn’t mean it but what’s he swinging his boot like that with Adams’ head right there? VAR must have taken a look, but based on how quickly they reviewed the offside goal they were asleep at the controls. Red card all day long."
- OttawaSaint
"Adams getting a kick in the head was an accident, Theo getting studded down his calf so late it was off the ball was definitely not, and a proper referee would have dealt with that."
- rallyboy
"Accident or not, Dawson endangered an opponent and that has to be a red card. He basically kicks Che’s head like a football with a decent amount of force. Che is fortunate to not be in a similar situation to Jiminez and I’m sure he was affected by it for the rest of the time he was on the pitch. Surprised how quickly he got up really."
- goodymatt
Talk about putting your body (and head) on the line ?
— Amazon Prime Video Sport (@primevideosport) December 29, 2020
Don’t worry Che Adams is up and running again#PLonPrime #SOUWHU pic.twitter.com/GSW1OCzThg
"Credit to West Ham who made it very difficult for us and they looked the more likely to score towards the end. Again we looked slow and bereft of ideas, our tiny squad is costing us now as after the first eleven we have very few options to come in and do a good job. Just compare our bench to West Ham's. Really need to freshen things up with a couple of new additions in the transfer window, the fact Long is still our backup striker tells you all you need to know. We've had a fantastic year but you can't afford to stand still in this league and we are looking a bit stale right now."
- LuckyNumber7
"Typical Moyes/West Ham set up to make things difficult for us - and they did so. A point was not a bad result in the end, as they were in the ascendancy towards the end of the game. Had the Ings goal been given (I'd be interested to see what would have happened had the lino NOT put his flag up) it would have been a much different game as West Ham would have had to come at us more, leaving gaps."
- SNSUN
"Imagine if we had Antonio. Have always felt we need a big bully up front. Che is strong but Antonio is something else. Definitely need to get a striker in on loan if Shane Long is the answer."
- DT
"West Ham are a good side. They're well coached, have good players and have been able to make decent big money signings (in Bowen and Benrahma) that would get into our starting 11. Contrast against this, we've got a threadbare squad with about 14 players suitable for first team Premier League football. This is our bad run of form.... narrow defeats to Man United and Man City and draws vs rapidly improving Arsenal and Fulham and a strong West Ham."
- Saint86
"West Ham defended resolutely. Dawson marshalled them superbly at the back. You have to factor the opposition, it's not just Saints being poor."
- jasonb
"I've noticed this high line defence at free kicks - what on earth is it about? Soucek should have scored, he wasn't offside as Bertrand was a little slow getting back and was playing him on. That's not the first person in recent weeks who could have scored either. It's a very, very high risk strategy and I'm not sure why we are doing it. It doesn't benefit us at all, doesn't allow us to attack any quicker or break...it just seems daft."
- S-Clarke
"I guess we need to remember that we’re actually tied 5th, with the difference being a lack of goals. Where’s the problem? IMO our play is so predictable. We cycle the ball the same way nearly every attack...it’s no surprise we’ve been found out! Make no mistake - West Ham pressed us better, won more second balls and had more attacking intent. We were lucky to survive Stephens' mistake, but to be fair he did well again...certainly not the worst player on the pitch."
- Saint Fan CaM
"Could've been better, could've been worse. West Ham well drilled defensively - we needed Ings's offside goal to count as Moyes came here to block out our midfield running play and wait until the last 15 minutes to bring on attacking pace to pinch it. Almost worked for them. So glad it didn't. A draw against them is a step in the right direction after losing the last five. Stay positive."
- Vancouver Saint
"We battered them for the first 10-15 minutes, if Ings' goal had stood it would have been a different game. West Ham were deep with lots of men behind the ball, we've never been good at breaking down sides like that. We defended well and a point was fair. Ralph probably hoping we have a month break for Covid now. A top half finish would still be an achievement for this squad."
- JRM
"Brilliant game for the neutral, though."
- CB Fry
* Comments originally published on Saints Web.
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