Voting was locked for this match at midnight on Sunday 7th February but you may still add your mini match reports. Note that members and non-members alike were able to vote.

Your Newcastle United v Southampton Match Reports

ElijahK added 17:26 - Feb 6 We simply lost that game down to some poor mistakes off of Bednerak and MacCarthy! I mean also what the hell is up with Ings and Adams!? Neither of them have scored an open play since we played SHEFFIELD UNITED! Which has now been 10 games! I mean what’s happened to this team as other than Walker-Peters we probably had our best starting lineup today and couldn’t even score a single goal against a Newcastle team that had 10 players for like 25 minutes and then 9 for another 25 minutes! We’ve got the FA cup game on Thursday and I’d like to see Forster in gaols as if he performs well, I think he should start against Wolves! And maybe the same for Salisu and Bednerak has had a few poor games recently and if Salesian does play on Thursday and shows a good performance then yeah why not start then for the league game against wolves!? Such a poor a disappointing result! There’s just no excuses this time!

5

SaintPaulVW added 17:32 - Feb 6 Dumb defensive mistakes in the first half and dumb play in the second half when we had the advantage in numbers did for us. It's obvious everyone is low in confidence and probably still a bit rattled. It took a few games to come back last time.
5

codge added 17:35 - Feb 6 We lost this game with some stupid mistakes AGAIN that’s we seem to do to often.We have lost the plot on offense and we certainly get our share of bad luck,not to mention anyone in person but we still need to straighten out this pathetic defending or we are in for a lot more of this dross.A game we gave away and not the first or probably not the last.
8

I_would added 17:36 - Feb 6 Results for league of 9 or 10 players Leic & ManU 18 Saints 0
-7

Boris1977 added 17:41 - Feb 6 I was pretty confident when I saw the line up but ended up wound up and and annoyed. Bruce showed what a manager should do when your team go down to 10. His players chucked everything in our way - defended like devil's rather cat flaps. On a positive note good players don't stop being good players they lose form but rediscover it too. After Tuesday the club need to stick together to get out of this slump. I think they will do it but it will take a few games.

5

Boris1977 added 17:41 - Feb 6 I was pretty confident when I saw the line up but ended up wound up and and annoyed. Bruce showed what a manager should do when your team go down to 10. His players chucked everything in our way - defended like devil's rather cat flaps. On a positive note good players don't stop being good players they lose form but rediscover it too. After Tuesday the club need to stick together to get out of this slump. I think they will do it but it will take a few games.

0

sandywelsh added 17:47 - Feb 6 Stephens at fault for the first 2 goals and McCarthy for the third. Stephens is to slow to play Right Back. Why were so slow building up when they had only 9 men on the pitch? United tore us to threads when we went down to 10 men on Tuesday. None of our players create anything going forward and no speed.
9

claus5 added 17:48 - Feb 6 This is a very difficult defeat to take, we really have no excuses. McCarthy makes far too many mistakes, i'd bring Forster in till the end of the season to see if he is still good enough. Can't believe we had 20 minutes against 9 men and barely tested their keeper. This season now relies solely on Thursday vs Wolves, lose that and it all starts to look pretty bleak. We won't go down but the bottom 6 looks very likely, very sad after the way we started!

11

sidsaint added 17:59 - Feb 6 After 0-9 any team would have tried to respond with a defensive set up and keep a clean sheet. We didn't, is that brave or stupid? When it should have been all hands on the decks against 10 men we were not direct enough. The pitch was a quagmire which didn't help and we tried to play through it. Bad luck at times didn't help. Let's take a rest, especially Bednarek and McCarthy, and regroup. Wolves is a must win game surely before we lose more confidence.

4

KriSaint added 18:28 - Feb 6 On a positive note we already have enough points to - almost surely - avoid relegation if we don't get more than a few points in the remaining games of the season, and I choose to focus on the positives from this match. Vestergaard back and playing well, JWP scoring his 10'th freekick goal, an absolute masterpiece - again - and Minamino showing class and scoring a good goal on his debut. Bednareks lack of fortune continued, deflecting a shot into our goal and not dealing well with the cross for Saint -Maximin who got to the backline and cut inside to pass to Willock who scored the easiest of goals. I feel sorry for JB. He is so determined, and he is a good defender and important team player, who is having a rough periode, unfortunately. My biggest disappointment - besides the fact that we were not able to score against 9 men in 13 minutes + 6 minutes of added time - was McCarthy's stupid contribution to the 1-3 goal just before halftime. It's a stupid pass to Bertrand who was under heavy pressure from Almiron on a heavy pitch. I think Ralph should consider Forster for the next league game, especielly if he plays well on thursday. His confidence is surely better than McCarthys. I definetely think Ralph should have substituted Redmond for Djenepo when we played 11 vs 9; he's simply a better player when it comes to unlocking a well packed, deep standing defence. Redmond looked lively in the start of the game but disappeared and overall didn't have a good game, let's be honest. Also Ings hitting the inside of the far post in what looked like a shot destined for the back of the net was hard to take. As was Vestergaards fine header, which was saved by Darlow-the-time-waster :( . We should have gotten at least a point from this game, but I imagine that we had some heavy legs (from the Man.U. disaster game out there in that pouring rain on a heavy pitch. On an other positive note, I know there aren't many, but still..., I think Kyle W-P, who is such an important player, will be able to play in the FA cup 1/8 final vs Wolves on thursday in what is suddenly a very important game. An FA cup final could save a season that looked so promising not so long ago but now looks like an increasingly complicated season. But it's a complicated season for all teams, we have to remember that. Let's move even closer in the bus an stick together and support our team and manager. It ain't over till' the fat lady sings, and we could still achieve success. COYR <3 <3 <3

11

DellBoyWally added 18:46 - Feb 6 Sell Stephens- 2 assists to NUFC - and Redmond who cannot beat a man without losing the ball and incapable of passing to a teammate - pass success was 6%. Ralph might have realised what a fake Stephens is. Swapped JanBad to RB (he'd had to cover for a out of position Stephens most the first half) and got rid at first substitution. Should have replaced Redmond at same time. And leave them in NE

4

felly1 added 19:34 - Feb 6 Well said KrisSaint, pretty much said how I feel basically.
2

sandywelsh added 19:43 - Feb 6 That was bad we needed to get 3 points out of that game. Now we have Crystal Palace, Wolves, Brighton and Newcastle just below us. Need to 40 points asp.
8

Alehouse added 19:45 - Feb 6 When Newcastle were down to 9 men we still had 4 or 5 in front of their 2 banks of 4. No idea as to how to take advantage of the 2 extra men. We learnt nothing being whacked by Utd. Too much sideways passing, too slow to move the ball forward. JWP is a great from a dead ball, but will always prefer a sideways pass.
9

SanMarco added 23:44 - Feb 6 No idea why Stephens at RB - cost us first two goals. Then with 10 secs of half to go McCarthy can hammer the ball up the field/into touch and we go in a goal down - instead...(also Bertrand could have also kicked for touch.) Second half we didn't have the guile or wit to break them down. Minamino scored a great goal but clearly tired and should have been subbed; Redmond totally ineffectual and our play totally ponderous. Even against 9 you won't always score but Newcastle, a poor side with a greatly weakened defence AND only 9 men, held out EASILY.

6

Peterx added 09:17 - Feb 7 Pulverised down the left by St Maxim, missing KWP and letting Valery out on loan looks crazy now in hindsight.
1

Flamingbankers added 10:38 - Feb 7 Many Saints fans were overconfident going into this match - but this is a merciless league injuries or no injuries. I don't think it's fair just to blame the starting XI. On the whole I like Ralph but he he does seem to be confused at times: being both inflexible and impetuous. Often making critically poor judgements and decisions (and it's the fine margins that often undo us): 4-2-2-2- just isn't working and exposes our wing-backs to all Premier teams who find this relatively easy to exploit ( let's not forget the lack of expert investment in the club for the past 5 years); Djenepo should have played instead of Redmond or at least replaced him as early as possible. The problem with the players coming back was that they were rusty but were tested to the limit by a sodden pitch, fast direct players and a clinically well organised team. Subsequently, Saints just didn't have the energy (directness) or creativity to break down Newcastle however their numbers were depleted. A bamboozling Djenepo given a freer reign might have done that. It was unfortunate that we didn't have our most creative player - Armstrong (although he's also 'blown hot and cold' this season). At the moment, considering our form, the way teams below us are gathering points and the fixture list: its hard to see us gaining many more wins or points until the end of the season. Can we gain another 11 plus points in 16 matches? Saints should but it's not a given in this league. Ralph has to start thinking more clearly and ruthlessly.

0