This Saturday West Ham welcome Southampton to the London Stadium. We have been pretty woeful of late, and we are desperate to get back on the winning path. Before the game I spoke to friend and Saints season ticket holder Simon Lacey from Dance Company New Adventures to discuss the game.
Hi Simon, the last time we chatted was just before the 2nd fixture of the season. I guess like me you’ve been pretty disappointed with the way your league campaign has gone?
It’s been a near-disaster with it hard to remember any good moments!
Also like us you have parted with your manager mid-season, albeit you did wait a tad longer. Are you happy with Pelligrini going? Likewise what are your feelings about his replacement Mark Hughes?
I’m not a sacker by instinct – was against getting rid of Puel after finishing 8th and being cheated out of a League Cup final win by officials supporting the glory hunters at United at the end of last season – but Pelligrini had to go as he could not motivate the players or show any signs of turning things around. Hughes has only been appointed until the end of the season and if he keeps us up then I will be happy about that, whether he then stays depends on how we have stayed up I would say – if its a scramble and as much to do with the inadequacies of other teams then I wouldn’t want an extension, if we play well and its not a dog-fight to the end then he can be considered.
At least you have the comfort of still being in the FA Cup: how do you rate your chances in that?
We are clearly the rank outsiders, but having said that I think we got the preferred draw for us in that Chelsea are the team we are most likely to luck a 1-0 win against. Spurs have home advantage and would probably turn us over, so the hope is that Mourinho can bore them into submission and we get revenge for last year in the final and relive the glory day of 76! Bigger on hope than expectation though.
Be honest: an FA Cup win or staying in the league? The decision is yours!
Some of my family are saying, FA Cup win but Prem for me; don’t want to watch a minimum of one season of championship fare again with the inevitable loss of any players deemed worthy of playing in the Prem, although not many are springing to mind after this season!
How worried are you about your final fixtures? Any potential banana skins (excepting us – of course!)
They are all worries at this stage as we are currently bottom three; the majority of fixtures this season we have managed to turn into banana skins so again, they all are! City at home on the last day of the season – hhmmmm!
Who do you think will end up being relegated: are you staying with your original choice of Brighton, Swansea, and Palace?
Don’t expect any of those three will drop, possibly Swansea if the old doubts re-emerge and they lose the Carvallho coming-in effect – we still have them to play so have to target that game for 3 points to keep them in the mix. The Baggies have gone and I think Stoke will go too. If it is not us, then the most-likely to join these two are probably Huddersfield then yourself. Hughton has done well at Brighton and Palace & Roy will be fine if Zaha is fit for enough games; put the latter in any of the teams battling it out and I’d fancy them to survive.
I suppose like most neutrals you will be happy that Manchester City look like they are going to walk away with the league?
Who is going to go into the Champions League with them?
Spurs, Liverpool and probably United. City are easily the best and great to watch so happy for them be Champs and (he says though bated breath in both cases) ex-Saints FC at Anfield and Spurs are impressive and good on the eye too.
Which opposing teams/players have impressed you at St Mary’s this season?
Its been hard to focus on that and not the deficiencies of our own rabble but Leicester (under Puel of course) have been the only team that have really turned us over although Spurs were very dominant and Palace showed great resilience and organisation; both the latter games losses after being ahead.
Conversely which of your players have lived up to expectation, and who have not?
The full backs Bertrand and Cedric have been good and others have played well occasionally. McCarthy has looked much better in goal than his more illustrious team mate Forster – that is one thing we share with West Ham, supposedly big-time England goalkeepers who have not impressed – ‘big-ego Charlies’ more like! Just check the squad out for who has not lived up to expectation over the whole season other than those previously mentioned, but they have been badly managed/motivated and the hope is that Sparky lives up to his name in that respect.
What’s your highlight of the season so far?
That takes some thinking but probably seeing your lot off at St Mary’s eventually, having thrown away a 2 goal lead.
How do you expect Southampton to set up against West Ham on Saturday/Team/formation prediction?
I hope 4-4-2-ish as in the Cup against Wigan i.e. with 2 forwards Carillo and Gabbiadini and one of them being a little deeper or wider. When points are the only thing that matters you have to get the ball in and around the box quickly, whether through longer balls or faster and more incisive passing. Other than that, the goalie and back 4 pick themselves (unless Yoshida is fully-fit), Lamina and one of Hjoberg and Romeo in central midfield, Tadic and one of Ward-Prowse, Buffalo and Redmond as the more creative midfielders.
Prediction for score?
It’s not a prediction but a hope, away win and 0-1 with a goal that should have been disallowed for offside will suffice at this stage. I do have one further comment and that is in support of VAR – if it had been in use, the blind/incompetent officials at Watford would have disallowed Watford’s late equaliser when punched into the net by the cheat (red card and suspension too to follow) and we would have had the 3 points deserved for probably our best away performance of the season – would I care if it took 5 minutes to decide and as a fan at the ground I didn’t know what was going on – methinks not!
Many thanks to Simon for his time, we’re meeting up on Sunday and I hope to have the bigger smile on my face! I’m going for a 1 – 0 victory to West Ham, but like him more in hope than expectation. COYI.