Football Weekend beginning 1st September

[winchester_royal]

You read too much into my post.

I didn't want Southampton to win necessarily, I just didn't mind who won. It's too early in the season to let concerns about relegation issues impact on enjoyment of a football game.

Tbf though some people find favouring a team enhances the viewing experience.

[Mid Sussex Royal]

Poor Saints.

its going to be hard for us and them, fooking brilliant to see their crowd deflated.

TBH if I could see a third team to go down other than us, I'd fancy them to stay up. I rate their style and Adkins. Fingers crossed West Ham, because it just isn't going to be a second season where all three stay up again.

Don't agree about Adkins - he is becoming too much of a smart ar$e and rates himself as some sort of super tactician - he's becoming as annoying as Allardyce in interviews and I'm pleased they lost.

Takes off his most effective players today when they were causing United major problems on break and doesn't even start with Lambert at City. I really hope they go down.

[Ian Royal]

No newly promoted team has ever lost their first three prem games and stayed up.

Up until last season all three promoted sides had never stayed up. I wouldn't write off Saints just yet. How many newly promoted sides start a season with their first three games including the most successful club of the last 20 years and the current champions?

They desperately need a result quick though, or those gutsy performances with no points will mean less than nothing.

[Compo's Hat]

[E. Andrew]

^^^

Adriano with a fabulous goal to begin things...

[TheMaraudingDog]

Glad United won that, means Southampton don't leapfrog Liverpool in the table

[Ian Royal]

Is it just me, or has Raphael been absolutely toilet defensively so far this season? And he seems to have a real attitude problem with it. Looked pretty sharp going forward though. Not that that is particularly what you want to see in a fullback most.

[cmonurz]

I'm afraid I was wanting the glory boys to win aswell, RR, for the reasons you suggest.

Far prefer Saints normally, of course.


And LOL at Cmonurz ("it's only 3 games gone") lowering his sights for the Mighty Reds already. Apparently they might get an Europa league place

You're a trifle pathetic, aren't you.

[leww_rfc]

Southampton

(A) Man City 3-2 LOSS
(H) Wigan 0-2 LOSS
(H) Man Utd 2-3 LOSS

that Wigan game inbetween was a great opportunity missed!

[LWJ]

Southampton

(A) Man City 3-2 LOSS
(H) Wigan 0-2 LOSS
(H) Man Utd 2-3 LOSS

that Wigan game inbetween was a great opportunity missed!

LOL @ their defence and people saying they won't struggle.

[bassavage]

Southampton

(A) Man City 3-2 LOSS
(H) Wigan 0-2 LOSS
(H) Man Utd 2-3 LOSS

that Wigan game inbetween was a great opportunity missed!

LOL @ their defence and people saying they won't struggle.

Tbf they have played the two best sides in the league and given them both a massive run for their money. They've got Arsenal away next but between that and December they don't have any of the so called "big clubs" except Spuds and Newcastle at home and all the games they have they are capable of taking points out of games. They do have goals in them, which they've proven but they are very dodgy at the back. Can't see them finishing any higher than 16th but may just edge out enough 3-2ers to stay up.

[Maguire]

I think Saints will be ok but it doesn't help that they're now effectively playing a 35 game season.

Plenty of goals in them, good structure to the team, just a shame about the pony central defence.

[LWJ]

They have shipped 2+ goals in 3 of their games this season. 1 being against Wigan, who scored a total of 42 goals last season, averaging just above 1 goal a game. They might of played well, but some of the goals they have let in have been diabolical.

[Ian Royal]

They have shipped 2+ goals in 3 of their games this season. 1 being against Wigan, who scored a total of 42 goals last season, averaging just above 1 goal a game. They might of played well, but some of the goals they have let in have been diabolical.

it's generally teams that can score well that stay up IMO. you can cope with being open at the back if you can bang a few in. I might even check the stats at some point.

[Kitsondinho]

They have shipped 2+ goals in 3 of their games this season. 1 being against Wigan, who scored a total of 42 goals last season, averaging just above 1 goal a game. They might of played well, but some of the goals they have let in have been diabolical.

it's generally teams that can score well that stay up IMO. you can cope with being open at the back if you can bang a few in. I might even check the stats at some point.

Blackpool is all I have to say.

[Ian Royal]

There are of course exceptions, hence the use of "generally". But happy for someone to post up some actual evidence to prove me wrong. I may even do it myself if I get bored enough over the next few days.

[bassavage]

There are of course exceptions, hence the use of "generally". But happy for someone to post up some actual evidence to prove me wrong. I may even do it myself if I get bored enough over the next few days.

Just a little look:

1) Blackburn scored 48 goals last season, the joint 9th highest in the league (1 more than Liverpool), finished 19th. Bolton were the 12th top scorers with 46, finished 18th.
2) As mentioned previously Blackpool scored as many as 5th placed Spuds and finished 19th in 2010/11.
3) Burnley were joint 11th top scorers in 2009/10, finished 18th.
4) Newcastle were also joint 11th top scorers in 2008/09, finished 18th.
5) Birmingham were 10th top scorers in 2007/08, finished 19th.

That's just from the last 5 seasons, not looking through any more at the moment.

Also worth pointing out Ipswich scored the same number of goals as us last season and finished 27 points and 14 places behind us.

[Ian Royal]

Fair enough... I briefly glanced at last season and it did look like most of the relegated teams scored a fair few.

I'm only talking about PL, which I think is a different kettle of fish to the chump. That's "only" six teams out of 15, but it's certainly undermining what I'd thought.

[bassavage]

I know what you mean Ian, scoring certainly helps and you don't win games without scoring goals but keeping them out is just as if not more important. Think of how bad England were against Italy in the Euros, how one sided that game was, yet had we taken our spot kicks correctly we would have made the semis.

[Platypuss]

As an other datapoint, Chelsea won the EC because they could defend, not because they were any good at attacking.

Also 2007-08 in the Prem ( ) - us and Birmingham scored the most goals out of the bottom 7. We both went down.

Success is built on a strong defence.