Ricardo's report v Southampton.

[ricardo 7,395]

Having overdone the festities a bit, I decided not to bother seeing the New Year in and trundled off to bed at eleven. Rather pointless really because when the clock struck twelve it was like the first day of the Somme round my way and in marked contrast to the opening minutes at CR which could have been played out in a morgue for all the noise that was generated.

Russel Martin had the visitors well drilled in pass and move possession football and in retrospect it was probably sensible of Wagner not to try and go toe to toe with them. For the home crowd however it was dispiriting to realise that we had fallen so low as to be unable to match a team of Southampton's calibre. They were buzzing round our box for all of the opening eight minutes of the contest and a cheer went up when a ball was finally lofted into their half to break the spell. Then Sainz picked up a rare loose pass and sprinted half the length of the field before shying miles over the bar.

For all their possession, Saints carved out very few real chances as Hanley and Duffy held firm in the City area. A couple of shots and headers flew high or wide and Gunn seemed calm and collected as he dealt comfortably when high balls were thrown in. City were living on scraps but finally managed a few probing breaks that showed promise. Just after the twenty minute mark City had the ball in the net as McCallum latched on to a cross from the right that Hwang couldn't quite get to. There wasn't much complaint at the time but looking at the comments at halftime it appears that it was one of those that VAR might have ruled as a goal. All I can say from my view above the River End, the flag went up immediately and there was little dispute from players or crowd.

I thought Sainz looked very bright today and as well as doing his defensive work he was always looking to run with the ball. This he did to good effect a couple of times and only a strong block prevented a shot on target as he dropped a shoulder and found himself a shooting position. On thirty five minutes another break down the City right gave Stacey a chance to pull the ball back into the area where Rowe was looming. It all happened quickly but it did look like he was completely cleaned out from behind as he shaped up to shoot. Darren England saw nothing amiss however. I admit here that I broke my new years resolution not to swear at referee's

Just before the half ended Armstrong, who was a constant menace to the City defence, struck a post but on balance I think we deserved to go in all square.

I had my grand daughters husband with me today who has often been a Jonah as regards results but he did redeem himself a few times so I think the curse has passed. He is really a Man U supporter so probably deserves some sympathy at the moment.

I wondered if Wagner would sling Sargent on for the entire second half but he resisted the urge until well past the hour mark. The pattern of play didn't change much from the first half but I began to feel much more confident of the defence being able to repell borders than has been the case for much of the season. Hanley had shown his pace, muscle and experience a few times first half and he and Duffy were mostly confident and composed. He made a brilliant tackle in the box after the ball had broken kindly for Saints and the rest of the back line managed to usher the ball to safety as Saints stepped up the pressure.

With twenty minutes left there was finally a mistake as a low ball in from the right seemed to go right through Kenny and left Gunn and Hanley bamboozled as Armstrong netted from about a yard out. It was disappointing and I was beginning to think that was that but to their credit the home side refused to die. Idah came on for Hanley as Wagner pushed men forward and Sargent began to show a bit of menace.

With over ten minutes left City sprang quickly forward from midfield with Rowe and Sara interchanging and a defence splitting pass took Sargent clear and holding off a defender he slipped it past Lumley into the far corner of the net. Minutes later a break down the left brought the crowd to their feet and I couldn't see who was almost on the end of it. Judging by the ohh's and ahh's it was close.

To be honest I predicted a one all draw earlier on the prediction thread so was well satisfied considering the balance of play. Armstrong might have sneaked it in time added but Gunn, who looked solid all afternoon, was well placed to save. In the end I thought we were well worth a point against a team that will more likely than not, be going up in an automatic position come May.

Hanley and Sargents return are big pluses and showed today how much they have been missed. I also thought Sainz had one of his best games so far. Rowe was mecurial with a mixture of good and bad while Sara and Nunez were both quietly effective.

Best Wishes to all for a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

 

[The Raptor 1,227]

Fantastic report as always. A high standard set for the year!

Sargent got man of the match for his 35 (ish) minutes which says it all. It was easy to blame injuries when we weren't playing well but as you say we've clearly missed him and Hanley. 

 

'against a team that will more likely than not, be going up in an automatic position come May.'   Love the sly dig against another local team as well.

[ricardo 7,395]

1 hour ago, The Raptor said:

 

Sargent got man of the match for his 35 (ish) minutes which says it all. It was easy to blame injuries when we weren't playing well but as you say we've clearly missed him and Hanley. 

 

 

May well have been more in the mix had we not had those two out for half a season.

Edited January 1 by ricardo

[mrdi 373]

Hanley returning was the big plus point for me today, how we’ve missed his presence on the pitch. Sargent’s finish was a thing of beauty, too. 

[dylanisabaddog 4,965]

I haven't seen highlights but I also sit in the river end and like you was a bit baffled we didn't get a penalty for the challenge on Rowe. It looked absolutely stonewall from where I sat. The ref made several strange minor decisions. 

[Daz Sparks 1,160]

Good report Ricardo. I had low expectations for the game, but seeing that Hanley was back and Josh on the bench, gave some encouragement. Despite the fact that we could barely touch the ball first 10 minutes, we seemed able to cope. Getting to my point, I think Wagner's tactics worked, and although a very flat atmosphere, we looked solid and could have won. We have played much worse than that this season.

[Dean Coneys boots 1,406]

Replay on live stream suggested no penalty but it should have been a corner. The goal should have stood however as Hwang was not offside 

[DraytonBoy 159]

Surrendering possession and space for an hour until Sargent came on was not pretty to watch but a draw against Saints will be seen as a decent result and the gap to 5th and 6th is still only a few points. Three tough games coming up, a fully fit Sargent is the key to having a shot at the play-offs as he stretches the opposition which Hwang or Idah simply can't do.

[Midlands Yellow 4,025]

11 hours ago, ricardo said:

Having overdone the festities a bit, I decided not to bother seeing the New Year in and trundled off to bed at eleven. Rather pointless really because when the clock struck twelve it was like the first day of the Somme round my way and in marked contrast to the opening minutes at CR which could have been played out in a morgue for all the noise that was generated.

Russel Martin had the visitors well drilled in pass and move possession football and in retrospect it was probably sensible of Wagner not to try and go toe to toe with them. For the home crowd however it was dispiriting to realise that we had fallen so low as to be unable to match a team of Southampton's calibre. They were buzzing round our box for all of the opening eight minutes of the contest and a cheer went up when a ball was finally lofted into their half to break the spell. Then Sainz picked up a rare loose pass and sprinted half the length of the field before shying miles over the bar.

For all their possession, Saints carved out very few real chances as Hanley and Duffy held firm in the City area. A couple of shots and headers flew high or wide and Gunn seemed calm and collected as he dealt comfortably when high balls were thrown in. City were living on scraps but finally managed a few probing breaks that showed promise. Just after the twenty minute mark City had the ball in the net as McCallum latched on to a cross from the right that Hwang couldn't quite get to. There wasn't much complaint at the time but looking at the comments at halftime it appears that it was one of those that VAR might have ruled as a goal. All I can say from my view above the River End, the flag went up immediately and there was little dispute from players or crowd.

I thought Sainz looked very bright today and as well as doing his defensive work he was always looking to run with the ball. This he did to good effect a couple of times and only a strong block prevented a shot on target as he dropped a shoulder and found himself a shooting position. On thirty five minutes another break down the City right gave Stacey a chance to pull the ball back into the area where Rowe was looming. It all happened quickly but it did look like he was completely cleaned out from behind as he shaped up to shoot. Darren England saw nothing amiss however. I admit here that I broke my new years resolution not to swear at referee's

Just before the half ended Armstrong, who was a constant menace to the City defence, struck a post but on balance I think we deserved to go in all square.

I had my grand daughters husband with me today who has often been a Jonah as regards results but he did redeem himself a few times so I think the curse has passed. He is really a Man U supporter so probably deserves some sympathy at the moment.

I wondered if Wagner would sling Sargent on for the entire second half but he resisted the urge until well past the hour mark. The pattern of play didn't change much from the first half but I began to feel much more confident of the defence being able to repell borders than has been the case for much of the season. Hanley had shown his pace, muscle and experience a few times first half and he and Duffy were mostly confident and composed. He made a brilliant tackle in the box after the ball had broken kindly for Saints and the rest of the back line managed to usher the ball to safety as Saints stepped up the pressure.

With twenty minutes left there was finally a mistake as a low ball in from the right seemed to go right through Kenny and left Gunn and Hanley bamboozled as Armstrong netted from about a yard out. It was disappointing and I was beginning to think that was that but to their credit the home side refused to die. Idah came on for Hanley as Wagner pushed men forward and Sargent began to show a bit of menace.

With over ten minutes left City sprang quickly forward from midfield with Rowe and Sara interchanging and a defence splitting pass took Sargent clear and holding off a defender he slipped it past Lumley into the far corner of the net. Minutes later a break down the left brought the crowd to their feet and I couldn't see who was almost on the end of it. Judging by the ohh's and ahh's it was close.

To be honest I predicted a one all draw earlier on the prediction thread so was well satisfied considering the balance of play. Armstrong might have sneaked it in time added but Gunn, who looked solid all afternoon, was well placed to save. In the end I thought we were well worth a point against a team that will more likely than not, be going up in an automatic position come May.

Hanley and Sargents return are big pluses and showed today how much they have been missed. I also thought Sainz had one of his best games so far. Rowe was mecurial with a mixture of good and bad while Sara and Nunez were both quietly effective.

Best Wishes to all for a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

 

Happy New Year Ricardo, great report once again. 

[Vegueros 7]

Yes, wishing you a very Happy New Year Ricardo from one of your many longtime readers. 

[ricardo 7,395]

2 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

I haven't seen highlights but I also sit in the river end and like you was a bit baffled we didn't get a penalty for the challenge on Rowe. It looked absolutely stonewall from where I sat. The ref made several strange minor decisions. 

Yes, it did look like he was completely taken out from  behind by the defender. I was not impressed by Darren England's performance at all. Far too quick to wave the yellow card.

[Conrad 176]

3 hours ago, dylanisabaddog said:

I haven't seen highlights but I also sit in the river end and like you was a bit baffled we didn't get a penalty for the challenge on Rowe. It looked absolutely stonewall from where I sat. The ref made several strange minor decisions. 

Radio Norfolk (having seen a replay) said that it wasn't a penalty, but should have been a corner.

[dylanisabaddog 4,965]

2 hours ago, Conrad said:

Radio Norfolk (having seen a replay) said that it wasn't a penalty, but should have been a corner.

I had an excellent view of it. I thought he took the man and the ball. If you're Norwich it's a goal kick. If it's Liverpool you get a penalty. 

[dylanisabaddog 4,965]

2 hours ago, ricardo said:

Yes, it did look like he was completely taken out from  behind by the defender. I was not impressed by Darren England's performance at all. Far too quick to wave the yellow card.

I had quite a good view of the Sara yellow and didn't think it was a foul. I may be wrong but having said that, the City Stand people murmered angrily. 

[SteveN8458 64]

2 hours ago, ricardo said:

Yes, it did look like he was completely taken out from  behind by the defender. I was not impressed by Darren England's performance at all. Far too quick to wave the yellow card.

Lower Riverend, just to the right behind the goal.

It was a penalty from where I sat, same from those around me.

[nutty nigel 7,557]

21 hours ago, ricardo said:

Having overdone the festities a bit, I decided not to bother seeing the New Year in and trundled off to bed at eleven. Rather pointless really because when the clock struck twelve it was like the first day of the Somme round my way and in marked contrast to the opening minutes at CR which could have been played out in a morgue for all the noise that was generated.

Russel Martin had the visitors well drilled in pass and move possession football and in retrospect it was probably sensible of Wagner not to try and go toe to toe with them. For the home crowd however it was dispiriting to realise that we had fallen so low as to be unable to match a team of Southampton's calibre. They were buzzing round our box for all of the opening eight minutes of the contest and a cheer went up when a ball was finally lofted into their half to break the spell. Then Sainz picked up a rare loose pass and sprinted half the length of the field before shying miles over the bar.

For all their possession, Saints carved out very few real chances as Hanley and Duffy held firm in the City area. A couple of shots and headers flew high or wide and Gunn seemed calm and collected as he dealt comfortably when high balls were thrown in. City were living on scraps but finally managed a few probing breaks that showed promise. Just after the twenty minute mark City had the ball in the net as McCallum latched on to a cross from the right that Hwang couldn't quite get to. There wasn't much complaint at the time but looking at the comments at halftime it appears that it was one of those that VAR might have ruled as a goal. All I can say from my view above the River End, the flag went up immediately and there was little dispute from players or crowd.

I thought Sainz looked very bright today and as well as doing his defensive work he was always looking to run with the ball. This he did to good effect a couple of times and only a strong block prevented a shot on target as he dropped a shoulder and found himself a shooting position. On thirty five minutes another break down the City right gave Stacey a chance to pull the ball back into the area where Rowe was looming. It all happened quickly but it did look like he was completely cleaned out from behind as he shaped up to shoot. Darren England saw nothing amiss however. I admit here that I broke my new years resolution not to swear at referee's

Just before the half ended Armstrong, who was a constant menace to the City defence, struck a post but on balance I think we deserved to go in all square.

I had my grand daughters husband with me today who has often been a Jonah as regards results but he did redeem himself a few times so I think the curse has passed. He is really a Man U supporter so probably deserves some sympathy at the moment.

I wondered if Wagner would sling Sargent on for the entire second half but he resisted the urge until well past the hour mark. The pattern of play didn't change much from the first half but I began to feel much more confident of the defence being able to repell borders than has been the case for much of the season. Hanley had shown his pace, muscle and experience a few times first half and he and Duffy were mostly confident and composed. He made a brilliant tackle in the box after the ball had broken kindly for Saints and the rest of the back line managed to usher the ball to safety as Saints stepped up the pressure.

With twenty minutes left there was finally a mistake as a low ball in from the right seemed to go right through Kenny and left Gunn and Hanley bamboozled as Armstrong netted from about a yard out. It was disappointing and I was beginning to think that was that but to their credit the home side refused to die. Idah came on for Hanley as Wagner pushed men forward and Sargent began to show a bit of menace.

With over ten minutes left City sprang quickly forward from midfield with Rowe and Sara interchanging and a defence splitting pass took Sargent clear and holding off a defender he slipped it past Lumley into the far corner of the net. Minutes later a break down the left brought the crowd to their feet and I couldn't see who was almost on the end of it. Judging by the ohh's and ahh's it was close.

To be honest I predicted a one all draw earlier on the prediction thread so was well satisfied considering the balance of play. Armstrong might have sneaked it in time added but Gunn, who looked solid all afternoon, was well placed to save. In the end I thought we were well worth a point against a team that will more likely than not, be going up in an automatic position come May.

Hanley and Sargents return are big pluses and showed today how much they have been missed. I also thought Sainz had one of his best games so far. Rowe was mecurial with a mixture of good and bad while Sara and Nunez were both quietly effective.

Best Wishes to all for a Happy and Prosperous New Year.

 

Happy New Year Rickyyyyyyyy

I have no idea why that disallowed goal was accepted so meekly. I Couldn't see anything wrong with it and it should have been one of those incidents that spark indignation from the supporters. If that 'goal' had been at the other end I don't think disallowing it would have been so acceptable to the supporters. 

 

 

[Robert N. LiM 4,450]

3 hours ago, nutty nigel said:

I have no idea why that disallowed goal was accepted so meekly.

I think it was because the whistle went before McCallum shot. The Saints keeper made no real effort to save it. So we'd kind of accepted the decision when Hwang couldn't control his header, when it didn't look as though a chance would result.

[Unthink road 132]

3 hours ago, nutty nigel said:

Happy New Year Rickyyyyyyyy

I have no idea why that disallowed goal was accepted so meekly. I Couldn't see anything wrong with it and it should have been one of those incidents that spark indignation from the supporters. If that 'goal' had been at the other end I don't think disallowing it would have been so acceptable to the supporters. 

 

 

The ref blew before McCallum shot. Keeper and defenders heard it and didn't really try to stop it. But Hwang was probably onside in the build up and the ref shouldn't have blown. If he hadn't, not sure we would have scored. 

[nutty nigel 7,557]

Thanks @Unthink road and @Robert N. LiM

I watched the highlight just now and what you say is true. But that's for after the game. If the ref came anywhere near me during the game I gave him stick. (maybe a white stick). Didn't look offside to me! Anyway I've got specsavers appointment tomorrow so I'll book the Lino in.

There's no VAR in the champs which is good. But the old values should apply and the injustice is something we could have fed from. Those injustices used to bring increased levels of support. We'll all be turning up in our armchairs soon...

[Unthink road 132]

I get what you mean. Should have been a collective emotion to the incident. Hwang didn't look off to me on the replays. Just feels like everyone is just sitting back waiting for a new era. We're not used to boring midtable football anymore. It will turn again, I'm sure. 

[ricardo 7,395]

9 minutes ago, Unthink road said:

We're not used to boring midtable football anymore. It will turn again, I'm sure. 

It always has,

the trick is living long enough to see the up turn.