A trip to Southeast London and The Den of Millwall. In the context of the championship, where every game for us seems to be in the Frozen Wastelands of the North, it’s nice to be a bit more local.
Millwall have had a somewhat indifferent start to the season and a couple of
weeks ago, parted with their manager Gary Rowett who had been there for the
last four years. Apparently, there was none of the old Millwall spirit which
all the readers will remember being manifested by the likes of Terry Hurlock, Tony
Cascarino and Teddy Sheringham back in the late 80s. Rowett’s Millwall lacked
bravery and often went out to ‘not lose’ games rather than to trying to win
them and that is what ultimately caused his departure, with a fanbase that
demands a braver, more combative approach.
I’ve heard the term ‘tough place to go’ a lot this week. I guess it is as much as any away ground is
but it certainly isn’t as tough as it was in the late 80s/early 90s at the old
ground.
So, Millwall are still managerless at the moment but rumour has it that Adam
Barrett is in the dugout for the last time today with a new manager to be
announced next week and maybe, just maybe, it will be the return of
statistically one of the best managers in Europe, who could’ve married a nice
Welsh girl if he stayed in the Welsh Mining Village, instead of travelling the world to Luton.
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Talking of our favourite Mr Jones, it has been teased on Twitter that he was going to do a Coaches Voice masterclass and as the pictures advertising it had orange counters in front of him, I assumed it was going to be a Luton Town thing but no, the game in question was Saints against Manchester City in the Carabao where we denied them the quadruple, of course. As I write, I haven’t watched it but I would love to know if they make any mention of the fact that Pep totally shat it with his team selection. I am sure that Nathan will try and take credit for that.
Things are going well at the moment of course and there was another boost on Friday as there was an official sighting of the Loch Ness Drogba with Ross Stewart playing for the Under 21s against Sunderland. We lost, which at the end of the day doesn’t matter, but the main man scored his first goal in Saints colours in only his 7th minute on the pitch. There is still no need to rush him into the first team picture but the 45 minutes he got in were a major plus.
Anyone Know Who This Is?
To today and the Saints line-up is predictable.
James Bree deservedly keeps his place again and Alcaraz is preferred to
Adams. Millwall have the ex-Saints
Bartosz Bialkowski in goal, who was of course, understudy to Kelvin Davis when
we were in the Championship, most notably under Whiskey George Burley. Bart got a chance at the end of the playoff
season in 2007 and was in the team for the first leg of the playoff semi-final
against Derby and played well. George’s glass of Jim Beam told him to put
Kelvin back in goal for the second leg and he let in a crap goal after about a
minute and Bart’s career at Saints was from then on restricted to the odd appearance,
where he generally was ok/average. I
remember one ‘Taibi’ like goal conceded.
Still, he’s had a decent career at Championship and League 1 level.
Away we go and once again, our gameplan is, we have the ball and we’re not
letting you have it. There are no real
chances until THB tries a long diagonal long ball which causes a bit of panic
in the Millwall penalty area and the ball eventually bounces out to Sulemana on
the left whose low cross is set up for Stuart Armstrong to lash it first time,
forcing Bart to help it on its way over the bar.
Millwall aren’t getting on the ball much as you would expect but when they do
we get a sighting of that rare thing where a Saints full back, namely James
Bree, actually blocks a cross and Millwall get a corner. A subsequent push on Baz clears any danger.
A Saints attack breaks down on the edge of the Millwall penalty area with Smallbone
giving it away but in the surprise of actually having possession, Millwall give
it straight back and Alcaraz makes a yard before smashing it straight at Bart,
who somewhat eccentrically shovels it wide of the post.
The corner is cleared but we recycle it back out of Stuart Armstrong who plays
the ball in to the under-lapping Smallbone who flashes it across and once again
Bart makes sure everyone sees him pushing it wide of the post.
As another half of dominance without goal draws to a close, THB concedes a
corner and from it, a knock back at the far post and Harding meets it 3 yards
out and manages to hit the bar meaning we get a bit lucky and go in at 0-0. We play superb football up until we get 30
yards out and then there is a bit of a void.
It hard to say anyone has played badly but no one has done anything
particularly brilliant either, so it’s no surprise that there are no changes in
personnel made at the break. What has
changed however is that KWP is playing a lot higher in the second half and he refuses
to give up on an overhit through ball, keeps it in and after a superb touch
past a defender, Stuart Armstrong should pull it back to Adam but gets greedy
and tries to poke it though Bart who saves comfortably.
We’ve got them pinned back now on the hour mark and Alcaraz is running the show. Via Stuart Armstrong, KWP has a cross shot
which is again cleared for a corner.
Another chance goes begging when Smallbone plays a 1-2 and barges into
the box and the ball breaks to Adam Armstrong who hits it at the fucking moon.
James Bree has picked up a knock, thanks for what looked like a perfectly fair
tackle and on comes Ryan Manning. Manning immediately gets trashed in midfield
and loses the ball allowing Millwall to build up on the right through Saville. Millwall get excited for a moment and commit
some players forward but when we clear it, we break with Alcaraz steaming through
midfield and finding Sulemana on the left and with his first goal of the season
beckoning, he cuts in and hits it and Bart gets down and pulls off a really
good save this time.
Fraser on for Sulemana, who is unlucky to be replaced and the impressive Alcaraz
finds Smallbone and then Stuart Armstrong breaking from midfield and his low
left footed effort drags just wide of the far post. It’s his last contribution as off he comes
for Shea Charles and Che Adams is on for Smallbone with Russell Martin showing
intent to go and win it in the last fifteen minutes.
Though we are building up a head of steam , it begins to look like it’s not
happening when Alcaraz makes space on the edge of the box before smashing it
and seeing it blocked by a defenders chest/arm.
Whilst we’re appealing for apparently the ball drops to Wee Man Fraser
who puts a pretty shit effort wide of the far post.
90, 91, 92, 93.. and KWP slides a ball into Arma, who lets it run to lose his
marker. His cut back is blocked back to
him and time stands still as he rolls it back to Fraser, who with a swing of
his Size 6 boot (that’s a guess) knocks it past Bart… GOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL...
94 minutes, Wee Man Fraser again, get the fuck in!!!
We’ve only gone and fucking done it again. 94th minute and we nick a winner in
a game that we’ve completely and utterly dominated more or less from start to
finish but the lack of goal threat meant that for all the world look like a
frustrating 0-0 where the opposition come away with a point, wondering how the
fuck they did it because they’ve barely touched the ball. The last minute
winner certainly puts a different slant on things and totally changes the
narrative about this performance.
Apart from set pieces, Millwall didn’t look remotely threatening at any point,
the header off the bar in the first half from a corner being the only time we
looked at all troubled but conversely, in the first half in particular, how
many saves did Bart have to make in the Millwall goal that weren’t straight at
him and weren’t firmly in the category of ‘optimistic’ efforts from us. The first time he was truly extended was by
Sulemana on 70 minutes and again, I repeat what has become a theme in recent
weeks, that a good striker transforms this team from a very good one, to an
excellent one.
Adam Armstrong had another one of those mystifying games were basically, he is frustrating and barely involved and probably should be substituted but isn’t… but then assists with the goal. Fair play to him as that was a great bit of composure at the end to tee-up the Wee Man. I reckon it went through his mind that he might be offside when the ball bounced back to him but with the ball coming back off a Millwall player, he was of course fine to play it.
Similarly in terms of overall performance, Ryan Fraser came on and was nowhere near as good as the player he replaced, Sulemana, but popped up to score the winner. This is why fans like me are not managers. Fraser's interview afterwards was comedy gold, accusing Millwall fans of making "Dwarf noises". Even in these politically correct times, I can't imagine that will be particularly high on the list of Millwall fan misdemeanours. At Five foot not much - I'm sure the Wee Man must have heard it all before.
The second half was more or less perfect from us with a lot more goal threat. Charly Alcaraz was absolutely back to his best in what was easily his best 45 minutes of the season, driving us forward at every opportunity and looking uninhibited and direct, exactly like last season. He also stayed on the pitch for all 95 minutes which is a bit of a first and should give him confidence. Similarly, Sulemana is looking more and more like he might have 90 minutes in him as well. He pulled out some ridiculous stuff today and I almost felt sorry for their right back, who did in fairness, stuck to his job well. Going for a nutmeg in your own penalty area is something I could do without however. Flynn Downes was absolutely everywhere and it kind of summed up a bit of the malaise around Millwall that the fact that there was a West Ham player in their midst, barely seemed to register.
It was another good day for Russell Martin with more vindication of his style of play, with us being in control, wearing down the opposition and eventually winning the game late on. Tactically he was spot on as well with the shift at half time to push KWP right up the wing and having Bree drop in almost into a back three at times.
Elsewhere, the only black mark was Jan Bednarek picking up his fifth booking of the season which means he will miss a game, which will give either Mason Holgate or maybe even Jack Stephens a chance to play next week against West Brom. James Bree, who was again very good took a whack to the ankle so hopefully he can recover so we are not changing two positions in the defence.
We don’t move up the table at all today with Leeds having won at Leicester on Friday but we do open up a bit of a bigger gap to those chasing and besides, as we all know, the league table means jack shit at this time of the season. It’s all about momentum and confidence and we have loads of both of that at the moment. We just have to keep it going.
As I’ve just said, West Bromwich Albion at home on Saturday. Let’s fucking do it and….
Up the fucking seven games unbeaten Saints.
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