With all due respect to Brentford... when I saw the fixture list and saw some of the teams we'd be playing this season... I laughed. Leeds didn't make me laugh, nor did Norwich or Charlton but Brentford, Yeovil and Milton Keynes Dons... yep, mild hilarity. Oh, the arrogance of being a Premier League Club as recently as four years ago. I don't laugh now, instead I look at the league table and before the game, Brentford were 16 points ahead of us.
As you may have read before, I wasn't going to the game as it was my sons 5th birthday party and I was helping supervise 20 kids at a farm. The party was however due to end at 3 o'clock ut the kids were allowed to carry on playing afterwards. Both Dad and I had slipped the season tickets into the pocket because, as we said as we left, you never know... cold day in hell and all that.
2.55pm and kids are leaving and going home and my own kids are all off playing at being farmers and they're really not going to miss us are they? "We're going to the football" I stated nervously to my wife who responded with a knowing smile. Before any minds could be changed we were off, armed with boxes full of kids party paraphenalia and into the car and gone.
3pm and we were 5 miles away. Radio Solent on...." and Paterson is clean through, ohhhhhhhhhh". Death race across town was in progress, slowing only for speed cameras and traffic lights. I don't know the stats on which city has the most of these two enemies of the person who is late... but I bet Southampton is right up there. At 3.12, we're outside Ocean Village looking for somewhere to beach the car when with a shout of "THERE'S A PARKING METER!!!!!!!"... we were in. Three quid later, were hoofing it towards the ground, eventually arriving at 3.20.
The first half rocketed by unsurprisingly, with the round leather thing spending much of its time in the air. Jacob Mellis had a couple of nice touches and of the other new boys, Dean Hammond was putting himself about in midfield and was making a good fist of refereeing the game, chipping away at the ref... good stuff. Neal Trotman was enthusiastically throwing himself into challenges wth not a single thought as to where the ball was. His combative approach was meaning that whilst he was missing the ball, the Brentford forwards were getting cleared out and thus getting nowhere near the ball so I guess he was doing a job.
At half time I decided to listen to the fans around me to get their appraisal of the first half, especially the bit that I missed. They officially are .... morons. I don't care how old you are, there should be no confusion between a 6ft 2, 22 year old black man and a 5ft 9, 36 year old white man. Dumber (he of Dumb and Dumber mentioned in the blog on the Millwall game) was missing his partner in irritation today and was thus making up for it by showing off to a new friend... but with extra volume. I decided to seek the sanctuary of the toilet.
2nd half started and Saints made two substitutions. Mellis obviously wasn't impresive in the part of the game I didn't see as he was off to be replaced by Jake Thomson and Sitter Paterson was replaced by Saganowski to partner Lambert which give us a first taste of what would be most fans preferred strike force. Away we go... hoof, hoof, hoof.... crap.
Saints were playing the marginally better football and the ball was worked out to Lloyd James in the right back position about 5 yards inside the Brentford half.... he half looked up and crossed it over everyone and off for a goal kick. Utter garbage. David Beckham has a lot to answer for. Before Beckham, players actually tried to get to the line and cross the ball away from the keeper so a forward could attack it... then along came Goldenballs who whipped in the ball from further out and suddenly, no one can be arsed to get to the line any more. Fine, if everyone could bend it like Beckham. Sadly most people can't and Lloyd James certainly can't.
Amazingly. football did then break out on the pitch and a sustained passing move, keeping it on the deck, eventually found Lallana on the left wing, his cross was headed back across by Lambert and Dan Harding arrived to smash it in. One nil and the season is about to start. Here we go...
Brentford, not reading the script and having seen that keeping the ball on the deck was the way forward then put together their one bit of football for the day as their left back set off on a weaving run from the half way line. I would say that he beat four players and crossed it where it was headed in at the back stick. This would be true but it doesn't do justice to the inept defending that meant that none of the aforementioned four players even tried to tackle the guy. It was like watching someone dribbling round big red and white cones on a training pitch. Some people in the crowd actually got closer than James and Thomson who were particularly at fault, just standing there and watching. Naivety (sp!) and inexperience at it's worst.... bring him down, take the booking, we're 1-0 up with 15 to go...
Brentford decided then that they were happy with a point and Saints decided that hoofing the ball forward aimlessly was the way to go. The last 15 minutes were pretty uneventful and so it petered out into another home draw. Still on -8. At this rate we will be on 0 points by Christmas.
On reflection, the shape of the team was a lot better than previously with Davis, Trotman, Hammond and Lambert providing a decent strong spine to the team. As it stands we are now in need of a winger who can get past people and deliver a cross. There is a uniform lack of pace in the side so maybe a quick striker needed as well. Also, creativity is lacking so Schneiderlin and particularly Lallana need to step up. That's what you're in the team for boys and if you don't start soon, I would expect some bench duty.
Anyway, Brentford 8 points, Saints -8 points. Not laughing. A positive end to the day though because I went home and no one had missed me.
As you may have read before, I wasn't going to the game as it was my sons 5th birthday party and I was helping supervise 20 kids at a farm. The party was however due to end at 3 o'clock ut the kids were allowed to carry on playing afterwards. Both Dad and I had slipped the season tickets into the pocket because, as we said as we left, you never know... cold day in hell and all that.
2.55pm and kids are leaving and going home and my own kids are all off playing at being farmers and they're really not going to miss us are they? "We're going to the football" I stated nervously to my wife who responded with a knowing smile. Before any minds could be changed we were off, armed with boxes full of kids party paraphenalia and into the car and gone.
3pm and we were 5 miles away. Radio Solent on...." and Paterson is clean through, ohhhhhhhhhh". Death race across town was in progress, slowing only for speed cameras and traffic lights. I don't know the stats on which city has the most of these two enemies of the person who is late... but I bet Southampton is right up there. At 3.12, we're outside Ocean Village looking for somewhere to beach the car when with a shout of "THERE'S A PARKING METER!!!!!!!"... we were in. Three quid later, were hoofing it towards the ground, eventually arriving at 3.20.
The first half rocketed by unsurprisingly, with the round leather thing spending much of its time in the air. Jacob Mellis had a couple of nice touches and of the other new boys, Dean Hammond was putting himself about in midfield and was making a good fist of refereeing the game, chipping away at the ref... good stuff. Neal Trotman was enthusiastically throwing himself into challenges wth not a single thought as to where the ball was. His combative approach was meaning that whilst he was missing the ball, the Brentford forwards were getting cleared out and thus getting nowhere near the ball so I guess he was doing a job.
At half time I decided to listen to the fans around me to get their appraisal of the first half, especially the bit that I missed. They officially are .... morons. I don't care how old you are, there should be no confusion between a 6ft 2, 22 year old black man and a 5ft 9, 36 year old white man. Dumber (he of Dumb and Dumber mentioned in the blog on the Millwall game) was missing his partner in irritation today and was thus making up for it by showing off to a new friend... but with extra volume. I decided to seek the sanctuary of the toilet.
2nd half started and Saints made two substitutions. Mellis obviously wasn't impresive in the part of the game I didn't see as he was off to be replaced by Jake Thomson and Sitter Paterson was replaced by Saganowski to partner Lambert which give us a first taste of what would be most fans preferred strike force. Away we go... hoof, hoof, hoof.... crap.
Saints were playing the marginally better football and the ball was worked out to Lloyd James in the right back position about 5 yards inside the Brentford half.... he half looked up and crossed it over everyone and off for a goal kick. Utter garbage. David Beckham has a lot to answer for. Before Beckham, players actually tried to get to the line and cross the ball away from the keeper so a forward could attack it... then along came Goldenballs who whipped in the ball from further out and suddenly, no one can be arsed to get to the line any more. Fine, if everyone could bend it like Beckham. Sadly most people can't and Lloyd James certainly can't.
Amazingly. football did then break out on the pitch and a sustained passing move, keeping it on the deck, eventually found Lallana on the left wing, his cross was headed back across by Lambert and Dan Harding arrived to smash it in. One nil and the season is about to start. Here we go...
Brentford, not reading the script and having seen that keeping the ball on the deck was the way forward then put together their one bit of football for the day as their left back set off on a weaving run from the half way line. I would say that he beat four players and crossed it where it was headed in at the back stick. This would be true but it doesn't do justice to the inept defending that meant that none of the aforementioned four players even tried to tackle the guy. It was like watching someone dribbling round big red and white cones on a training pitch. Some people in the crowd actually got closer than James and Thomson who were particularly at fault, just standing there and watching. Naivety (sp!) and inexperience at it's worst.... bring him down, take the booking, we're 1-0 up with 15 to go...
Brentford decided then that they were happy with a point and Saints decided that hoofing the ball forward aimlessly was the way to go. The last 15 minutes were pretty uneventful and so it petered out into another home draw. Still on -8. At this rate we will be on 0 points by Christmas.
On reflection, the shape of the team was a lot better than previously with Davis, Trotman, Hammond and Lambert providing a decent strong spine to the team. As it stands we are now in need of a winger who can get past people and deliver a cross. There is a uniform lack of pace in the side so maybe a quick striker needed as well. Also, creativity is lacking so Schneiderlin and particularly Lallana need to step up. That's what you're in the team for boys and if you don't start soon, I would expect some bench duty.
Anyway, Brentford 8 points, Saints -8 points. Not laughing. A positive end to the day though because I went home and no one had missed me.
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