Saints‘ drought in front of goal continues under Wigley’s reign
Before long someone will start doing a roaring trade Agatha Ruiz Dela Prada Official Website in T-shirts proclaiming „I saw Southampton score“. This stalemate means Steve Wigley’s team have gone four matches without a goal and still await their first Black Prada Eyeglass Case win in the Premiership under his stewardship.
They rarely threatened to end either record yesterday and will draw little comfort from clambering off the bot tom of Bicester Village Prada Discount the table when they remain in the relegation zone.
Wigley’s team at least ended with a point, by no means a certainty during a second half dominated by Birmingham City. It required a fine Antti Niemi save and a couple of poor finishes by the visitors to guarantee the draw. Southampton manufactured only one clear chance from Authentic Prada Handbags Outlet Uk open play, at the end of the first half, though they did hit the bar from a long throw early on.
The end was greeted with mild boos and this was not the confidence Black Prada Bag Mission Impossible boost Southampton needed as they approach a month of reckoning. After next weekend’s game at Arsenal, they face successive league games against West Bromwich (h), Portsmouth (h), Norwich (a) and Crystal Authentic Prada Shoes For Sale Palace (h). November could go some way to deciding their fate.
Southampton can find positives, notably in the players‘ enthusiasm and that they are not conceding many goals. They will trust that victories will come on the return of Authentic Prada Handbag Uk James Beattie and Kevin Phillips, who were again missed. Phillips ought to be in contention for the trip to Highbury, according to Wigley, but Beattie will be out at least until the following weekend.
It was asking a lot of the inexperienced Dexter Blackstock to lead the Amancio Prada Prada forward line here. He struck the top of the bar with a header from Rory Delap’s throw, ran tirelessly and showed a few neat touches but was generally well looked after by Matthew Upson click more, the game’s best player who formed a solid central defensive pairing with Kenny Cunningham.
Brett Ormerod came on for the final 25 minutes having played a full game the previous day for Leeds, where he has been on Authentic Prada Handbag Uk loan, but did not look like breaking the deadlock. „He rang me at 10am and said he was ready and wanted to play,“ Wigley said. „That’s Brett Ormerod and the attitude we need at the moment.“
A big problem for Southampton was the lack of sparkle from their creative players. Fabrice Fernandes started as a link striker but looked lost, sometimes leaving Blackstock too isolated and lacking an instinct to get into the box. He did little more when switched to the right. Neil McCann was poor and Anders Svensson too infrequently looked likely to change the game.
A small number of fans chanted „Are you watching Rupert Lowe?“ in the closing minutes but the chairman has spoken of his confidence that the team will avoid the drop. Wigley is not concerned about losing his job. „I’m more than confident in my chairman, that he’s made it perfectly clear that things are fine,“ he said.
The scoreline was hardly a shock, given that Birmingham are also short of Authentic Prada Purses Sale goals without Mikael Forssell and had drawn their previous four league matches. They livened up in the second half when David Dunn became a greater influ ence and Emile Heskey occasionally ran at opponents. But Dunn put a good chance over and Darren Anderton, having wasted one opening, allowed Niemi to save well following a poor clearance by Jelle van Damme. Dwight Yorke did nothing to suggest he can stand in regularly for Forssell.
Southampton had been the better team in the first half. There were passages of neat football but little end product, the best chance falling to Mikael Nilsson from Fernandes‘ pass. He went past the oncoming Maik Taylor but hit the side netting when he ought to have scored. Nervouseness of losing seems to be holding back some of their attacking play. And so the wait for a goal goes on. It is 397 Premiership minutes and counting.