Gary O’Neil
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Gary O’Neil reveals Bournemouth are in a different place from early season 9-0 thrashing #AFCB

March 10, 2023
Cherries face Liverpool tomorrow (12.30pm) for the first time since the Premier League record-equalling loss on Merseyside. That humiliation, under then-boss Scott Parker, came on the back of a 4-0 loss at Manchester City and 3-0 home defeat to Arsenal. Cherries are facing the same sequence of fixtures now, with O’Neil’s charges beaten 4-1 by City and 3-2 at the Gunners prior to hosting Jurgen Klopp’s Reds. Parker was sacked in the wake of that 9-0 loss against Liverpool and boss O’Neil, who was a coach on the day before soon stepping into the interim head coach role a few days later, believes he has pushed the team forwards. Asked if that fateful day in August was the first thing he thought of ahead of facing Liverpool again, O’Neil said: “The 9-0 doesn’t come into my mind at all. “Obviously we were in a very different place then. “The lads will just prepare for this like it’s another game against a very, very good side. “They’re in good form at the moment. Obviously have fantastic attacking threat. “So it will be a tough ask, of course, but we approach the game like it’s a game we need to take three points from and that’s all.” Having faced the top two sides in the division in the past two weeks, Cherries now host a resurgent Liverpool, who thrashed bitter rivals Manchester United 7-0 last weekend. They have climbed up to fifth in the table, unbeaten in five in the Premier League, without conceding. Asked if there are positives of pushing Arsenal so close last time out, leading 2-0 before losing to a 97th-minute Reiss Nelson strike, into playing another top side this weekend, O’Neil said: “I think looking at the three-game run of fixtures when we faced it last time – we went to the Etihad and I don’t even know if we had a shot, maybe had a shot or two and didn’t really lay a glove on them. Arsenal came here and we didn’t lay a glove on them. “Obviously Anfield everyone knows about. “And in my opinion we’ve just gone toe-to-toe with Manchester City and created a lot of chances, had the most shots against them (of anyone) all year. “And we went to Arsenal and forced them to go past the allotted six minutes (of added time) to get their winner. “So a big shift in how well we’re doing against these sides, but it’s still very difficult to put points on the table against them. “But the lads understand that we’ve come on a long way, we just need to push on a bit further and make sure come May 28 (final game of the season), we’re the ones celebrating.”
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Ralph Hasenhuttl responds as Southampton fans chant ‘sacked in the morning’ #SAINTSFC

May 8, 2022
RALPH Hasenhuttl said he “understands completely” Saints supporters chanting against him, during the dismal 3-0 defeat at Brentford. The travelling support, who had been impressive and vocal throughout the contest, turned on their manager in the closing stages. Chants of ‘you don’t know what you’re doing’ and ‘sacked in the morning’ were aimed at the Austrian boss, as Saints’ run of just one victory extended to 10 Premier League matches. “At that time they were absolutely frustrated, I understand this completely and I take this no problem,” Hasenhuttl said. “Since I’m here I will always be responsible for every mistake my players make, every shot on goal what is not a goal, I take the responsibility and this is my job. “We can understand the frustration because at the moment we are not playing like a Premier League team, especially not in and around the boxes, ours or their box. “We had a lot of chances today, moments where we can score but we don’t do it and then we concede goals from when we are not exposed. “Two-on-one situations where we cannot clear the ball, running into each other. Then it looks how it looks, the opponents score three times and we do not.” However, Hasenhuttl insisted he did not hear the chants himself during the match. “I do not hear it during the game because I was concentrating, so it is not something that should hurt because this is the business,” he added. “We have had very good moments since I’ve been here, beautiful games away, and at the moment we are lacking what they want to see from us. “It is absolutely understandable that they are not happy when you concede goals that easily and the biggest chances you don’t score. As I said, it is up to me to find solutions and we will do this.” The 54-year-old instead praised the supporters for their voice in the Brentford Community Stadium, and across his three-and-a-half year tenure at the club. "I think they supported the players quite well, I must say. I cannot say they didn’t do it, they were loud even after a not so easy 90 minutes. "This is not the issue for me, if they support the players everything is okay for me. I think they did it and for as long as I have been here they have done it. Especially the away fans, I must say, they are very special." A message from the Editor Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo. Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website. You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more. Don't take my word for it - subscribe here to see for yourself. Follow the latest breaking news in the Southampton area by joining our Facebook group - Southampton News - Breaking News and Incidents Follow the latest court and crime news on our dedicated Facebook group - Hampshire Court and Crime News
Ralph Hasenhuttl
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Hasenhuttl ‘not surprised’ at Southampton fans anger after Chelsea mauling #SAINTSFC

April 15, 2022
RALPH Hasenhuttl admitted “I’m not surprised they (supporters) are angry” after their 6-0 defeat to Chelsea last week, but insisted “we still have a lot to play for” in the final seven games. Saints have had a hammer blow to their hopes of landing a top-half Premier League finish for a first time under the Austrian’s tenure, going five matches in succession without a win. Only picking up one point, with a 1-1 draw at Leeds United, in that time, it is fortunate that Hasenhuttl’s side are still within one point of the top 10 and could achieve their targets. Crystal Palace, Brighton, Aston Villa and Brentford are all within one or on level points of the St Mary’s side, and Saints will face all of them but Villa in the run-in. Hasenhuttl and his charges were booed at half-time of the eventual 6-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend, while supporters have vented their frustrations in the week since. “I am not surprised that they are angry about us,” he insisted. “When we are at half-time 4-0 down, what do you expect? I think it was a not good enough performance so it is understandable I think. “You see how tough it is in the Premier League, it is not about home or away, we have shown perfect performances away – very good ones with points. In general, we still concede too many goals. “This is what we have to stop because it is not always possible to score two or more goals to win a game. In general this is something that we have to quickly change.” After consecutive clean sheets versus Norwich and Everton in February, Saints have gone on to concede 15 goals in the five Premier League matches that have followed. It takes their total goals conceded to 52 – a record that only four teams in the division have exceeded, including bottom teams Watford (60) and Norwich (63), Leeds (68) and Newcastle (54). However, Hasenhuttl reassured fans, adding: “We have still a lot to play for, we have our target – a top 10 finish. “It would be the first time in five or six years that we are in this level and we have a chance this season, definitely. “It is a big goal for us and we need to win from these seven games three or four otherwise there is no chance of doing this.”
Che Adams
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Southampton star CHE Adams reveals players were not worried about getting 9-0 drubbing from Chelsea #SAINTSFC #ChelseaFC

April 12, 2022
CHE Adams insists he was not worried about another nine-goal drubbing during the 6-0 Chelsea defeat because “we played much better than the other games”, despite conceding “it wasn’t good”. The Scottish international played 90 minutes of the ill-fated Manchester United trip last season, while he watched on from the bench as Leicester City tore St Mary’s to shreds before that. However, even with Thomas Tuchel’s Blues six goals to the good with 35 minutes left to play on Saturday, 25-year-old Adams claims those horrors did not cross his mind. Che Adams has not found the net since Norwich in February (Pic: PA) They certainly did for supporters, with the stadium bowl filled with the drone of nervous murmuring once the Chelsea celebrations had subsided. Adams had Saints’ only real chance of the game, but fired straight at goalkeeper Eduoard Mendy from close-range after Kyle Walker-Peters’ perfect delivery. “Yeah everyone is not happy with the result,” Adams admitted. “We weren’t at our best but you know, it’s one of those days. “Some days you get it wrong and they were very, very good today, everyone knows how well we can press but today wasn’t our day and we have to dust ourselves off and go for next week.” Saints manager Ralph Hasenhuttl (Pic: Richard Crease) He continued: "When you let easy goals in it’s hard, you dig yourself a hole that we have to climb out of. They were good and it killed the game for the second-half how we conceded so early. It wasn’t good.” Asked if the previous 9-0 defeats he had witnessed haunted him while manager Ralph Hasenhuttl turned to damage limitation, he insisted: “Not so much today actually, no. “We played much better today than the other games, we created chances but they were clinical in front of goal and took their chances.” If it was not for 34-year-old out-of-contract goalkeeper Fraser Forster, it just might have been anyway. Goalkeeper Fraser Forster was impressive despite conceding six (Pic: Richard Crease) Forster faced 14 shots on target from the Chelsea onslaught – in comparison to Saints’ solitary one in reply – making eight saves, including efforts right in the bottom and top corners. Timo Werner and Mason Mount were both denied certain goals that would have eventually added up to their hattricks, yet Forster did not face another shot after the 61st minute – as the European champions took their foot off the gas. The only criticism you could have had of Forster was that his early miskicking did little to settle the nerves, before Chelsea’s grip began to strangle the home side. “He saved a few attempts on goal and we didn’t protect him enough defensively as a team, definitely,” Adams admitted, speaking about the former England international. Che Adams had Saints' only effort on goal, shortly after the half-time break (Pic: Richard Crease) “It’s really a shame when you’ve got a keeper that’s doing everything he can do but we didn’t help him.” While some fans vented their frustrations towards the team or manager at half-time, Adams adds that most of the support was picked up on by the players. “The majority of the fans stayed and were clapping us towards the end so we really appreciate that,” he continued. “It’s not nice as a player or as a fan to sit here and watch your team go through that but we have to dust ourselves down and go again next week.”