Next up to take on our questions is Saints fan Connor Armstrong ahead of their visit to Selhurst Park this weekend. We thank Connor for taking the time to share his views with us. Here is what he told us.
Q. How has the season gone so far in your view?
The season to date has been pretty successful and memorable in my eyes. We started really strongly with an impressive defensive record although injuries and some harder fixtures then took that apart. I think we were about third in October. The manager is great and the style of play is usually great to watch. We do need to sharpen up in front of goal though. It’s also fantastic to see four of our lads get called up for England which underlines how good this season has been.
Q. Where do you think you will finish in the league this season?
I said I’d be happy with a top half finish at the start of the season and I think we will do that. Most likely ninth or possibly eighth if we can rediscover our early season form over the last ten games.
Q. After a great start to the season you have dropped off the pace but still looking for a top ten finish. Do you think that the problems behind the scenes had an impact and in the long term will that effect the managers position?
I don’t agree that problems behind the scenes, and I presume you are alluding to the departure of Nicola Cortese, have caused us to drop off the pace. I think that has come as a result of natural exhaustion, injuries and some harder fixtures. However, the influence that Nicola Cortese had on creating the attitude of the football club cannot be ignored and many fans do fear that Pochettino will in fact walk away at the end of the current season.
Q. Amongst your ranks there are two former Eagles in the shape of defenders Jose Fonte and Nathaniel Clyne. How are they thought of at St Marys by the fans and how have they performed since they joined?
Jose is a real fan favourite having been here since the League One days. He’s a solid centre-half who has continued to improve his game and remain in the side at all levels. His commitment and progression has been impressive, as shown in his partnerships alongside Radhi Jaidi, Jos Hooiveld, Maya Yoshida and now Dejan Lovren. Jose is still there and still looks worthy of his place.
Clyne is also popular amongst Saints fans, although he’s being sidelined right now as a result of Calum Chambers’ impressive start to life in the first team squad. Clyne was fantastic least season and many fans regarded him as one of our most consistent performers. I’m not sure what more he needs to do to get an England call-up, and I am sure many Palace fans will back me on that.
Q. Which Saints player has impressed and which has disappointed this season?
For me, our player of the season so far must be Adam Lallana. He’s massively stepped it up having got over some patchy form and an injury last season, and he’s now clearly the heartbeat of this Southampton side. It’s fantastic to watch him play, he’s so exciting and entertaining to watch. It’s amazing to see him getting his chance with England now, after many years of loyalty to Saints.
On the disappointment front, many fans may consider that to be Jos Hooiveld, who has shown himself to be out of his depth at this level. However, Rickie Lambert has failed to hit the heights of last season despite some patches of good form this season.
Q. If you could choose any three players from the past that played for the Saints that you feel would improve the current team, who would they be and why?
The first one I’d get back in the fold is Gareth Bale, for obvious reasons. It’s a shame he left, and he’d be absolutely fantastic playing in the three behind the front-man.
The second would be Marian Pahars, as the Little Latvian provided that bit of nous and guile in his movement that would definitely exploit defences with our current style. Too often we seem to open teams up and not have that ‘predator’ in the middle with some lively movement.
Last but not least, I guess we really have to include Matt Le Tissier. He was simply unbelievable.
Q. Who do you think the Saints should be concerned about from the Palace line up and vice versa?
For me it would probably be Thomas Ince and perhaps Marouane Chamakh. Ince caused us some problems in the Championship, although that was when we had Richardson/Butterfield and Fox, so I’d feel more comfortable with Chambers/Clyne and Shaw. Chamakh can be a useful player when he wants to be, but he needs less of that throwing himself to the deck, as he did back at St Mary’s in October.
From a Palace perspective, you’ve got to close down and nullify Adam Lallana. Even as recently as the Liverpool game last weekend, we were on top and creating chances through Lallana. Second half he was shut down somewhat, and we struggled as a result. Jay Rodriguez can also be a real pain for defences due to his direct running and strength when making runs across the backline.
Q. How do you think Palace have fared so far in their return to the Premier League?
I’ll be honest, I’ve seen Palace as two different sides this season. Holloway’s Palace and the Palace of Pulis.
Under Holloway I was confident you’d totally bomb and go down, but that was because I never rated him. Pulis, although I am not a big fan, has been absolutely superb for you guys in sorting your organisation out and making you an effective unit. Should you survive, which I wouldn’t bet against, he has to be a candidate for Manager of the Season.
Q. Your prediction for this one?
It’s about time we got back on track and kept a clean sheet. I’ll back Saints to win 2-0, but I wouldn’t at all be surprised if we ended up drawing this game.
Q. And finally, tell us a little about yourself and anything that you would like to promote.
I’m a freelance writer for a couple of websites, but most of my work is found with Here Is The City. If you want to follow me on Twitter, feel free, my username is straightforward – @ConnorArmstrong.
