24/10/2026
With an alarm set to go off in just under 4 hours this seems like a bad idea, but after watching a lunacy of a football match like that I'm probably not sleeping anyway, so here goes..
SAS MATCH REPORT v West Ham:
- With a goal difference of 19 after only 11 games it's fair to say that the Hammers are clear favourites to win the league, making this our hardest game of the year. This is made clear to me by Jo and Adam as the game starts with them saying, between Adam's Norwegian lessons, that we need to sit deep and keep it 0-0 for as long as possible..
- As I was driving for the first 5 minutes of the match I only had the audio to rely on and I fully expected to be able to take my usual spot behind the couch well before the first goal wen...1-0 Matsuki. I open my front door and scramble to put on the TV to see a replay.
- West Ham are currently looking like a team that thinks they're going to walk the league, a dangerous mindset in the Championship. Speaking of, with the ball dangerously close to going out, Ryan Manninginho pulls off a sublime bit of play on the sideline that puts the Hammers on the back foot, forcing a save into no man's land. And, having faced a tricky week, it's a lovely moment for France as James Brie wheels away in celebration following a rocket that Kim Jong Un would be proud of. 2-0 Saints
- They sometimes say (I've no idea who they are) that 2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline and that's certainly the case when you sit deep and gift the ball to the opposition every ten seconds. Having spat out their bath water, West Ham now look the team that's going to walk the league, as they walk around our players and line up to score like it's a nightclub cubicle.
- Seeing this is being posted to Facebook we can safely assume you all remember the OG Space Jam and unfortunately for Leo it looks like a little green alien has taken all of his ability. If he wants to steal some back he need look no further than former Saint Walker-Peters, who lashes one into the top corner. To say that was coming would be somewhat of an understatement. 2-1. They were right
- Don't know about you, but 2-1 feels a lot more dangerous than 2-0 and it's more of the same as West Ham keep pressing and we're stuck dreaming of the better times when we crossed the half way line. Our defence is somehow holding up with the help of Daniel Peretz who's busier than a Man City lawyer
- We're desperately hanging on until half time so we can do this for another 45 minutes (hours) until a rare foray into their half. Their defenders seem so surprised to see us attacking that Lewis Dobbin has no issue making it 3-1. Lull them into a false sense of security, make them think we're s**t, then strike. Masterful planning Mr Eckert. Half time.
- Second half gets underway. Not sure how 3-1 compares to 2-0 on the danger scale (I'll ask them), but it doesn't exactly feel comfortable. Thankfully we're attacking more than that 20 minute window in the first half which gives Peretz the occasional 5 second break between saves.
- 65 minutes into this game and there have been 35 shots. There's been so many shots that I fully expect to see a conspiracy video from Pete Evans about this game.
- We've got blocked shots, shots just wide of the upright, saved shots, shots slamming against the crossbar and shots up to Row Z. The Championship really is a mad league. I can see why Middlesbrough were so keen to stay. Can't blame them.
- Being Southampton we never do things the easy way, so that came in the form of a Soucek goal in the 92nd minute. 3-2. Squeaky bum fingernail time. Thankfully the 4th official had held up 5 minutes on his board despite Peretz spending a month on the ground. Joke was on us though as the last two minutes felt like they went for two years until the whistle was finally blown, much to the chagrin of the seven West Ham fans who stayed around to beat the traffic.
- Best team in the league? Not today. Peretz huge, Jack likewise. So many played well and we deserved that 3 points. Now I deserve those 3 hours of sleep. Ciao 👋
