Voting was locked for this match at midnight on Sunday 23rd August but you may still add your mini match reports. Note that members and non-members alike were able to vote.

Your Southampton v Stoke City Match Reports

Bawdrip added 20:57 - Aug 22 Not a great match but a great ending. We looked slow at times but kept going and deserved the win on the second half performance.
3

Bowlercow added 22:06 - Aug 22 Why isn't Leo taking people on like he did last season?He looked disinterested at times.. Larin looks 2 yards quicker Fellows needs a goal Azaz and Downes are instrumental in almost everything we do Get Jander back and buy a good Charles replacement Overall I enjoyed the game and like we deserved a draw last week Stoke probably deserved a draw this week
2

Cjay80 added 22:25 - Aug 22 My first ever time in the Noisy Northam, having always admired it from the Chapel, and it didn't feel as noisy as I expected. The game was our common slow 1st half, much better second and frantic finish. Good to see Jack in much better form than last week. 3 good goals, one lost through shoddy defending (again). Bugged me with our yellow cards today. Refs give yellows too easily, not every foul needs to result in a card, a free kick is often sufficient punishment for the offence.

1

SaintPaulVW added 09:11 - Aug 23 Tough watch but a great end. Larin and Mubama show benefits of having good strikers who can clinically finish chances in tight games. Mubuma looks to want to play for the crowd which is hopefully the start of a massive feedback loop. We were clearly on top in the second half but couldn't convert chances into goals. Hopefully we are starting to get over the baggage from last season and get some of the unbeaten run's confidence back. Losing at Watford might actually have given us the perfect mental reset.

1

KriSaint added 11:46 - Aug 23 Nervous first half. Much more focus, concentration, fight / work rate and determination on the second. Good substitutions. Congratulations on first goal scoring to Mubama. VERY important win. Up the Saints. My Man of The Match goes to Flynn 'Big Heart' Downes. He wasn't totally innocent in Stokes goal, though.
0

KriSaint added 12:52 - Aug 23 That 1-1 goal: According to tactics there comes a point where Saints start to press Stoke when they are in possession in their own half playing the ball around their own box. So, Downes leaves his man (who is attacking midfielder Bae Jun-ho) to move forward and help Azaz/Larin pressing, which - according to plan - results in Stephens leaving his backline to mark Bae Jun-ho as cover for Downes. What happens when Stephen is in the proces of running towards Jun-ho? Jun-ho who has run ten yards inside his own half receives the ball from his centerback and Jun-ho easily rounds Stephens who is three yards behind him with one neet little touch with the out side of his right boot, whereafter he runs towards our goal with an empty highway in front of him. The ball is then quickly played out to Gallagher on Stokes' righthand side, and he crosses the ball low into our penalty area, where there is no Stephens but an unconconcentrated / unaware Downes, who has just bust a lung to run back and defend , resulting in an easy first time finish ('Frank Lampard type goal') from Stoke midfielder Galbraith. MUCH too easy for Stoke and certainly not the ideal way to construct our pressure. Back to the drawing board on that part, please.

0

KriSaint added 22:09 - Aug 23 That 1-1 goal: According to tactics there comes a point where Saints start to press Stoke when they are in possession in their own half playing the ball around their own box. So, Downes leaves his man (who is attacking midfielder Bae Jun-ho) to move forward and help Azaz/Larin pressing, which - according to plan - results in Stephens leaving his backline to mark Bae Jun-ho as cover for Downes. What happens when Stephen is in the proces of running towards Jun-ho? Jun-ho who has run ten yards inside his own half receives the ball from his centerback and Jun-ho easily rounds Stephens who is three yards behind him with one neet little touch with the out side of his right boot, whereafter he runs towards our goal with an empty highway in front of him. The ball is then quickly played out to Gallagher on Stokes' righthand side, and he crosses the ball low into our penalty area, where there is no Stephens but an unconconcentrated / unaware Downes, who has just bust a lung to run back and defend , resulting in an easy first time finish ('Frank Lampard type goal') from Stoke midfielder Galbraith. MUCH too easy for Stoke and certainly not the ideal way to construct our pressure. Back to the drawing board on that part, please.

0