Rodriguez stakes claim to start against Villa (From Daily Echo)

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  st bevois wrote:
  

  Saintsteve7 wrote:
  

  warrens 76 wrote:
  

  since 1885 wrote:
  If we play Rodriguez we have to let him run at defenses. The slow passing game won't play to his attributes. Anyway, with or without him we need to speed things up. This season the team's best performances have come when we play direct football, so let's be more positive in our play. COYR!

  Been agreeing with you for weeks we move the ball to slow..give the opposition far to long to cover our attacking options.
  
  England drive me mad.stop...control..
  
  
  
  think..pass we are doing the same far to often...
  
  should be..Think....pass...
  
  
  
  .period.

  What you need to realise is that as a club we have never been known as a good passing side. It is something we have tried to implement since NA arrived and it takes time. Time that I'm willing to give NA or whoever is in charge. Passing the ball around is the easy bit it's passing the ball around quickly that takes time. Barcelona didn't develope their style in 2/3 seasons it's it took 10+.
  
  Would we really like to go back to the Strachan/Pardew days? Although both managers took us to cup finals, let's be honest neither manager was too fussed about playing nice football. Under both managers we played a lot of long ball football and I applaud the club for wanting to change direction.
  
  I think we'll need to be patient, I believe we will get there!

  Eh!!?? You obviously never had the pleasure of watching Golac, Ball, Williams and Channon tearing teams to bits with some of the finest one touch football I have ever seen (what we always do seem to have over the years is a leaky defence). Lawrie always bought in footballers as well as those who can "mix" it. Chris Nichol was reviled for the Mark Dennis episode but he put together one of the most exciting young teams with an old head in Jimmy Case spraying the passes around. Branfoot got it wrong and bought the wrong players in. Other managers - Hoddle, Souness etc even for short periods played to our "ethos" as much as possible. The reason Beattie scored goals under WGS is because we moved balls down the flanks and put crosses in - not all long ball. As David Armstrong used to say in his commentary, that was a major key to success ie get past and behind the defence to the bye-line. Even the niave and failed experiment of Lowe's under Jan P was at least based on a football ethos with our young kids bullied out of it the Championship. We have always been the West Ham of the South and I would rather be us than them right now. The key is balance and not having the goalie pass the ball out to a full-back with two players closing him down. Its not always the goalie's fault - its been drummed into him during training all week to play like that. Whilst it may be laudable to play like that, NA has to realise that this is not the Championship where we used to dominate for the most part (should he not know that?) and outpass teams to death. Funny really - even Chelsea came unstuck like that in mid-week - perhaps they caught our defensive lurgy last week. As Warren has said and others - there is a time to move it fast - to gain an advantage or territory and there is a time to hold the ball and play it around. There have been bad times, but more often than not over the years we have played passing football - its what the fans want to see and we have always made that clear to the club. I look forward to a repeat of the previous Villa second half today - we really should go for the "throat" from the off, especially after their midweek result. Please NA do not be negative - press, dominate, out-pass them, an early goal hopefully and knock the stuffing out of them!!! Unfortunately - despite the recent improvement and with Fonte out I don't feel like our defence and team can do what Norwich and Sunderland did to us and what QPR and Swansea did to Chelsea ie dig in and hold out and sneak one. We really shouldn't be thinking like that COYR!!!!

  Lol. Sorry mate I don't go back that far! I watched my first game as a 9 year old at White Hart Lane back in '91 I think it was and then had the pleasure of mostly very ordinary football up until now. You are right at times under certain managers (Souness) we have played some decent football but it's never lasted! I'd like it to become the 'Southampton way' and any new manager has to stick with it.
  Like I said passing the ball about is the easy bit. Moving it quickly and being effective takes time!"
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