Premier League Match 17 - Southampton 3 Arsenal 2

Ralph Holds Up Charlie Austin After 20 Minutes of Running About

Ralph Hasenhüttl’s first home game and the splendid chap has bought me a beer. It’s not his fault that I was late to the game because a number of ridiculous circumstances but the thought was there and it put everyone in a good mood before kickoff.  I missed out on my freebie because I was refereeing an Under 15‘s match out at Stoneham, which was supposed to be a 10 o’clock kick-off but because Stoneham Lane was completely flooded… and then the fire brigade turned up… and then some people refused to drive through it… we didn’t kick off till 11 and it was mad rush at full-time so I came through the turnstiles at 1:29pm in full refereeing full kit wanker mode, with whistle still round my neck and my son was a full kit wanker also, complete with shinpads.  Who cares?

I don’t care about missing out on the free beer, as long as we put in a performance today. Today from me is not about winning, it is about seeing the potential direction. Of Southampton FC for the rest of the season and for the club to prove to me that we are in someway at least, heading in the right direction. A quick glance the team as I run through the concourse shows three central defenders with Yoshida, presumably playing in between Vestergaard and Bednarek. Mario Lemina is missing, presumed injured and so Romeu continues in midfield. There is the massively welcome return from injury for Danny Ings meaning that beer and kebabs boy is on the bench. The bench also contains Shane Long in case we need anyone to run around and be a distraction.  Whilst I expected Marcus Barnes to be on the bench, that particular spot goes to Tyreke Johnson, making his first appearance in the match day 18.

Apart from issuing beer tokens, Ralph had spent the last week watching two Under-23 matches and obviously liked what he saw in Johnson which is brilliant because it tells the Under 23’s that they have a chance which despite what the powers that be had been saying for the past three years about the pathway, didn’t seem to exist. It does however highlight the ridiculousness of loaning out Josh Sims as he would no douby be in front of Johnson in the pecking order but there you go. I suspect that Hasenhüttl wouldn’t have sanctioned that deal.

Arsenal. They lost the first two games of the season to Manchester City and Chelsea and since then haven’t lost in 22 games in total. They have a leagues top scorer in Pierre Emerick Aubameyang so with our record against the big six clubs, I expect this to be a piece of piss and we will win easily. Their new manager Unai Emery has immediately fixed the flaws that Arsene Wenger could not fix in his last 10 years at the club by finding a new central midfield pairing of Torreira and Guendousi who despite being tiny and very young respectively have raised the level of this undoubtedly talented squad.  Another summer signing is Stephane Lichtsteiner who I know from watching the Swiss national team.  He is a massive shithouse, specialising in the screwed up face and gamesmanship.  Good player but a complete tool.

Away we go and I’m looking at Arsenal’s team on the scoreboard at the Northam End and notice that there’s not one English or even British player on there.  No matter how often this happens, it still seems like a bit of a joke to me.  Anyway, Arsenal create the first chance when a lovely ball over the top by Guendouzi picks out the run of Aubameyang but Macca has read it well and blocks comfortably enough.  The first difference in our approach is evident from our first real attack as Hojbjerg skips round a challenge in midfield and sends Redmond away.  Direct running at the goal rather than crabbing across and Redders finds Armstrong on the left who tries a curler but straight at Leno.  Over on the touchline I can see Big Ralph bouncing around in the technical area as the keeper saves it.

We have lift off with a move from the back – Romeu finding Armstrong who gives it to Targett who shifts it away from Bellerin and fizzes over a cross and there’s Ings in between Lichtsteiner and Koscielny to bullet a header past Leno.  Brilliant cross, brilliant goal.  Get in.  It’s rocking – the ground is actually rocking.  Awesome.

Some things don’t change though – ten minutes later and Arsenal build down our right and Valery gets left 2 on 1 and Monreal gets over a cross.  Mkhitaryan is unmarked and despite Vestergaard’s attempt to intercept the cross, he plants a header past McCarthy for 1-1.  Bollocks.  It’s nearly double bollocks a few minutes later as Torreira gets a low cross in from our left and Aubameyang has a tap in, well he does until Bednarek appears from nowhere with a brilliant tackle.

The value of this is amplified just before half time as once more we wotk up the pitch following a McCarthy catch and the ball passes through Ings, Hojbjerg and Valery to Redmond and he floats in a delightful chip and Ings has again got in between the defenders and cushions a header, looping perfectly over Leno who just turn and watches it drop into the net.  I was directly behind it at the other end of the ground and it was always going in. Half time – bloody hell, we’re winning.

Lacazette is on for Bellering at half time as Arsenal go to 4 at the back but ht ecentre halves are Koscielny and Xhaka so you would think, more chances for us there.  It’s the other end of the pitch we have to worry about first though as Bednarek and McCarthy just about manage to deny Aubameyang again.   We haven’t given away a shithouse of a goal yet today but that changes when Romeu thinks he has the whole pitch to himself and takes ages on the edge of the penalty area and loses it – Mkhitaryan shoots and it deflects off Vestergaard and gives McCarthy no chance.  Fuck’s sake.

As we have become used to losing, we sit and wait for Arsenal to score again and Iwobi really should do but spares us by curling over the bar in shite fashion.  A knock the Redmond has seen Tyreke Johnson warming up but when Redders can’t continue, it’s Shane Long who gets the nod.  Oddly enough, he’s done well against Arsenal in the past.  70 minutes are up and Ings is blowing so Mr High-Press himself is on for A 20 minute waddle.

Hang on – Austin is working like a bastard, knocking defenders around and wins us a corner.  Targett’s delivery is met from 6 yards by Yoshida and he has to score but Leno pulls off a miracle save and keeps it out and GOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLFUCKINGHELLITSSHANELONGGGGGGG…. Offside.  Bollocks!!!!

They’ll fucking score now you watch…. Shit…. More good defending from Vestergaard this time as Aubameyang fires a cross across the penalty area.  We might score or they might score but maybe, just maybe, the season is turning.  Yoshida wins the ball and gives it to Captain.  Hojbjerg slides a lovely ball inside the full back to Long and everyone groans as he checks out rather than running at the goal but he floats a lovely ball over the top of the flapping Leno and there’s Austin to nod it into an empty net.  Lift off.  I’m sure there have been moments like it at St Mary’s but I can’t remember a recent one…. Mané’s winning goal in the 3-2 come back vs Liverpool probably.

As the game winds down, Arsenal don’t look very dangerous with Özil in particular not looking arsed.  Ralph sends on Tyreke Johnson for his debut to chase the ball down and the final action is Bednarek blocking a Mkhitaryan shot and that’s it.  Fucking hell.

What is this feeling? What is this feeling of happiness at the final whistle? Okay, we’ve had the old decent performance and the odd hard earned point but this is something else. We’ve actually won a home game in the Premier League. Not only that, we been one of the big boys in a league game for the first time since Ronald Koeman was in charge. Whatever the media try and tell you, don’t believe this was anything other than a totally deserved victory.  The players did what amounted to a lap of honour and Ralph Hasenhüttl was bouncing around behind then, revving up the crowd and generally cementing his legend status after one home game.

What a difference a manager makes. From the stoic defending of McCarthy, Vestergaard, Bednarek and Yoshida right through to the relentless harrying of the opposition by Redmond, Ings and Armstrong, this was more or less everything that Ralph promised when he took over. We were excellent and no one had what you would call a substandard game. If it is your first game in charge and the winning goal is from a combination of Long and Austin, then you clearly have something about you. Ralph obviously wants the team to play with a lot more energy and he set the tone himself from the sidelines, bouncing up and down and kicking and heading every ball.

The main credit though must go to the players. It would have been very easy for them to let the heads go down as we twice surrendered leads but we kept going and got what we deserved in the end. The game just about ticked every box in that we pressed high, we defended properly, a youngster got on the pitch to make his debut and most importantly, we actually fucking won.

For a team that hasn’t lost in 22 games, I didn’t think that much of Arsenal. The fact that their players roll around on the ground after every single challenge that comes in, wears a bit thin after while. As I said earlier, I didn’t have a single English or British player in the starting 11 which I always find vaguely ridiculous in the English Premier League. I love the fact that we have five British players in the starting 11 and two more coming off the bench. Arsenal brought Mesut Özil off of their bench but he clearly couldn’t be less arsed if he tried.

I’m impressed that Ralph decided today to ditch his favourite back four and go for a three at the back formation which suits our limited central defenders. All three of Vestergaard, Yoshida and Bednarek put in excellent displays. It was particularly pleasing for Vestergaard after the gift horse moment last week. Matt Targett on the left defended strongly and put over one of the best crosses you will ever see for Danny Ings first goal. Yan Valery is clearly better as a wingback than a right back and he put in another very strong performance. The captain was immense in midfield and Oriol Romeu next to him did a great job except for pissing around with the ball to gift Arsenal their second goal.  

Redmond and Armstrong defended superbly from and gave the Arsenal defenders no peace at all, consistently winning the ball in the opposition half and setting the tone for the rest of the performance. Then there was Danny Ings. Back from injury with two goals and it doesn’t get any better than that. The biggest shock though, and I have to mention it, were the performances of Charlie Austin and Shane Long. Forget the fact that they combined for the winning goal for second and just focus on Austin hammering back on the right to smash into a tackle against Monreal and win the ball.  Shane actually had the ball in the net but it was correctly disallowed for offside but best of all, I could not believe what I was watching when he floated that inch perfect cross over the goalkeeper, straight onto Austin’s head.  And the crowd went mental.

Home went a Full Kit Wanker in a referee's kit complete with whistle and his son, covered in mud and wearing shin pads.  My Dad must have been tempted to walk a few yards in front of us. We don't care - we won a game.

The hard work starts now. This was a bonus three points today as no one could’ve expected any more than one of the most. Next up it is Huddersfield away and to paraphrase the old cliche, it’s no good beating Arsenal if you are then going to go and lose to Huddersfield. What this result gives everyone is a lift. Ralph Hasenhüttl has major credit in the bank, the players are feeling good about themselves, the crowd is right behind the team again and the belief that we can get out of this mess is much stronger than it was before kick-off.  Let’s Go.