Postmatch Reaction | Saints 1 - 0 Norwich City

0:00Full time from St Mary Stadium Saints go into the top six of the championship for the first time this season thanks to our goalkeeper, our goalkeeper on loan from Bayern Munich, Daniel Perez, oh my word, what a save he's made it here at the end it was a cross in the box, bullet header, he's got down and he's made a brilliant save, big goalkeepers, good goalkeepers get your points, he's helped to get Saints tonight, three of the biggest points we could collect all season, that was a really, really hard for victory tonight, Norwich City came here and they played really, really well, Saints just with the one goal through Finnazzaz who was brilliant on the night, got some lovely, lovely footwork at times, he reminds me of the Tissier times and that has put him in very, very high regard, he was probably a man of the match until Daniel Perez is stepped up and made to massive saves tonight, he parried one shot, midway through the second half and had to make a second save, really, really

1:01good and then at the end it was well into stoppage time and we've also hit the bar as well, it was a ball in the box, it's come up off of Jack Stevens's leg and looped onto the crossbar and you thought, Saints are never going to hang on here and months ago before Christmas we would have lost this game tonight, I've nearly lost my voice, Daniel Perez though, got a great bit of business from the football club in January to bring him in, we were desperate for a top, top quality goalkeeper, we've got that and boy was he good tonight, ended up with a man of the match and rightly, rightly so, set up right in front of the northern end as well, it was a funny atmosphere inside to marry tonight, you can get that in midway games, it was quite full up, more full up than a lot of the games but it was a little bit of a funny atmosphere but Saints dug in deep, it was a real professional performance, Norwich Credit to them, they came in and they played some really good football, they started the game, the better of the two teams, first 15 to 20 minutes, they were really good, until Saints

2:03got in a lead, they sped things up a bit, played a bit of quick fast football, that all come through Azaz who was really, really good and yeah, when we score we, with a little moment or two thought I would go on and get a second but we didn't and then it got a little bit edgy as the game went, I thought the substitutes, when they come on struggle to get into the game a little bit, Shay Charms is not at it at the moment, for some reason, I don't know why, but he's just not quite the player that he was, Caspianna did okay in midfield, James Brewer thought a right back was really good against the night, he's always good, the back forward done well, they dug in deep, hard balance and Stevens, lot of headers, lot of clearances but I've got to talk about the referee, the referee tonight was awful because they were physical Norwich, they threw a lot of nasty tackles in, they won, they were probably the most physical side I think I've seen this play against and some of the tackles that didn't get any book, there must have been eight or nine tackles in the first half and a couple of those were bookings and the ref didn't do anything at all and in the end he ended up with a few in the book but it took him around 40 minutes

3:04to book anyone I think if I'm right and saying correct me if I'm wrong in the comment spots below but an awful referee yet again, we've had a lot of bad referees, this guy was up there but probably one of the worst, Flynn Downs got booked, he had to come off in the end because he did look like he was probably going to walk otherwise, Col, Larry worked hard up front by the way, a lot of people criticised him but I thought he worked quite hard, dug in deep for us and we needed him tonight, he got the flick actually from the throw in from James Brewer for Azaz to score, it's a lovely goal from Azaz, give me all your thoughts to that one in the comments box below but this is three massive points, we had to dig in deep tonight, it doesn't matter about the performers, all it matters about tonight is the three points, we needed the three points desperately tonight, we've done what we needed to do, yes it wasn't pretty at times but we won't come up against many better sides of the Norwich, I think they're a really good side and they walk away from here tonight, really disappointed not to get anything, one of the informed sides in the championship Norwich and Saints have beaten them tonight, it's a credit to Eka

4:08and to Saints for getting that over the line, digging in deep when you need to, give me all your reaction in the comments box below as I come out some memories, I'm off to find Chris and they're going to do some more reaction with them, stay tuned to the channel for that, if you enjoyed the video just smash a like on it, subscribe to the channel if you haven't done so already but this sets us up very very nicely for another home game on Saturday against Otsford United who are fighting for their lives at the bottom end of the championship, massive, massive win for Saints here at St Mary Stadium tonight, it finishes up Southampton 1, Norwich City, Neil.

5:11So good, I think he has got to be the number one player that we've got to get more longer term come the end of the season but yeah I think it's, as I said last week mind, I think it's the side of a good team when you can you know play not massively great like we did tonight but still end up getting the result and I think that's the difference between the Saints team and the Saints team at the beginning of the season, the Saints team at the beginning of the season would have conceded one maybe two goals tonight, so yeah it makes a massive difference, any other stand-up players for you tonight? I think, well, the Flindowns played really really well, Finna's has had a really good game tonight. That was super. Yeah he was and he obviously scored a goal but he worked away and I think I probably unsung here tonight was Laren because he just, he really did work, he didn't do anything particularly spectacular but he kept defenders occupied and he worked really really hard so I think he's the sort of player you'll forget about on a night like this. The goal was down to him as well wasn't it, he got the assist from the goal. That's right yeah and absolutely and I just think he just toils away, he toils away and works and he's strong and he did get knocked at the ball a couple of times but he was

6:15really really strong so he's solid but not so spectacular isn't he, is that sort of player but I completely agree with you about Perez, I mean he's got a bit of crazy about him as he's he's just done top talking and shouting and directing and he did all the right stuff and he even went down and in three times and he just slowed down, I'm not sure how convinced he was injured but yeah it was it's all just gone really well and I think 1-0 is a sort of that's the sort of score you have when you're going to you want to run at the end of the season you're going to get in the playoffs or get promoted isn't it you know you dig out a 1-0 win I didn't really feel at any point I didn't feel personally that Norricks were going to score I know there was a couple of close chances at the end but I just thought although we weren't in control in the second half and the same way the first half Norricks weren't really an either so I think in the end it was probably a fair as all. Saints go 13 games unbeaten Chris it's quite an incredible run that we're on right now momentum is everything in football isn't it we have to take that into saturdays game as well 13 games unbeaten it's unreal.

7:15Yeah no it's it's really really good he had that blip when he first took over and really this run is started since the Pompey game really yeah you know I think I called the players out saying they didn't have any bollocks and I really listen to Chris they tune in it's brilliant to see it's the show we didn't happen a little bit earlier because we wasted a few games but the momentum is with us not with not with Rex on the moment and saturday saturdays massive because that a lot down the road are going to be supporting us because we're playing Oxford as well so the whole of the South Coast is red on saturday. Yeah massive I took about to Daniel Perez good goalkeepers can get your points at big big moments he makes a big save at Coventry the weekend he was superb against West Bromber Week ago as well he's gone a long way Charlie to getting it to massive points in the last week hasn't he? Yeah we're definitely making that game in points with him and Garl he's definitely earning his and in his corn he's doing he's doing it and he made it he made a good save stood

8:15tall sort of say solid in the first half at one point so he's he's done really well and I think a lot of things have really changed since since that Pompey game a lot of things have changed we're better at defending set pieces we're winning more second balls that started like certainly tonight I really noticed that you know we weren't we weren't winning all the second balls but we were winning a lot higher proportion of second balls we're passing it around one of the first half today we're passing it around creating space in midfield you know we're getting it forward really quickly it just felt all we were missing tonight was two or three more goals and we're able to slow the game down as well and and regain a little bit of composure just by going back and forth a little bit it's a little bit potecino is where we used to play very very quickly and then slowly going to a crawl yeah and just it just gives us play it's chance to regroup and get back to where they need that's right yeah but and oh well a story intelligent yeah we're playing very intelligently at the moment yeah and down shield in the back for the moment he's been immense the last few games yeah and he's he's got a bit of freedom now now that he's not on the booking for two games so yeah just everything everything is clicked seems to

9:21have clicked just at the right time for us yeah and even when you're under the course at the end of a game like tonight they had a couple of chances hit the bar I think the last but as I say I didn't feel we weren't in control like we're in the first half we weren't out of control either they were never on top in the way that you you might you know you might think they were if they have him like peppering the goal they weren't doing that well they started the game well didn't they know it's first 15 minutes they were probably the better side but Saints just a professional like they weren't at the start of the season there's a huge difference between now and then what it was like under real steel it started seasonally it's so different so different and like as I said I think this this team you know had this game been you know six months ago we might have conceded one or two tonight I think having just going back to Perets I think having him in there gives Taylor Howard Bellis and Jack Stevens it makes him look so much more confident in what they're doing as well having Perets behind them rather than having Gav behind them so yeah just fantastic as you said I thought Flynn Downs was great I think he's been absolutely fantastic

10:22the past few guys I think he's you know he had that blip didn't he and he seemed to have come back and I actually think he's he's better than he was under Russell Martin I think to be honest he's just been so big as well he's a better footballer because he's playing with more freedom he's not in a really tight system like he was with Russell Martin and he was great for that system but of course this is a more exciting system to watch and he's he seems to be relishing he seems to be playing chilled into the role of it more they all have they all seem to we seem to be able to control games and I think you were right what you said about that we're very very different to what we work to start the season under will still we seem to be able to grow into games rather than sort of shrivel as we did a little bit at the start of the season so yeah all good for me before we wrap up just a little thought or two on Tonda and what a great job that he's done for someone so young that's never managed at senior level he's done incredibly well I've read a lot of articles in them recently it the turnaround that he's that he's produced here is is unbelievable really

11:23he's a good tactician by the look of it I mean we all we all looked at the team on saturday and sort of questions you know no wingers and things like that and he's he seems to be able to out-tactic a lot of the other managers a look at the run Norwicher on at the moment they're on a great run coming into this game tonight and like Charlie said we just we we we controlled it and it's he's he's a very very good up and coming manager and he's the kind of person that you'd like to still be in charge in 10 years time yeah we need a long we need a long long run with a manager rather than a rather than a swap to someone who's not great and I was a critic I don't mind being wrong because I was a critic of Tonda when he first came in and I made some comments about him and I don't I don't mind being wrong yeah I really don't yeah I love it I love it it's been good post-match reaction we've really enjoyed this we'll be back again on saturday with plenty more get involved in the comments box below give us all your thoughts and all your reaction guys thank you all very much indeed thanks for that cheers thank you mate