Another poor performance as City line up in a bizarre fashion, defend poorly and allow Southampton - Stern John specifically - to splatter the Tigers all over Hampshire.

Report by Paul Robinson.

I’m often asked, as I probably will be tomorrow following my extended week off, “Did you have a nice weekend”, to which I will most probably reply as I seem to too often, “Lovely thanks, all apart from 90 minutes of it!”

Having been on leave for the last week I’m due 2 x , “Lovely thanks, all apart from 90 minutes of it!”

It could have been Oh so different, had both Windass & Delaney not missed open goals, had we defended properly, had Turner not tweaked his hamstring and had to be replaced.

On a blustery & wet afternoon, perched upon my lofty position the team were fielded as:

Myhill
Brown Turner Delaney Ricketts
Marney Ashbee Hughes Okocha
Windass Folan

Playing a ‘Diamond’ midfield with Okocha spearheading and playing just behind the front 2, a midfield, as my friend commented, very brave or very stupid.

Kicking off, and facing a City crowd of between 800-1000, I couldn’t help thinking how well the ground staff had done to actually get the game to go ahead, so wet underfoot, but as they say, same for both teams.

A cautious start to the game, led to the 1^st action after 10 mins when Myhill palmed away a curling free kick, only to the feet of Wright-Phillips who blasted well wide. Ricketts shortly after whipped down the right side and put in a lovely cross to the head of Windass, who you would have bet your house on to score, unmarked, 8 yards out.

You would be, today, homeless.

Understandably, many were finding the conditions a bit on the slippery side, and a few minutes later, such an incident, let in S’ton but the shot was blasted well over to the delight & relief of the Tiger faithful. Another glorious chance then fell to the head of Delaney with possibly and even easier chance, as we gained a corner. Taken short & returned to Okocha, who swung in a curling cross, to the completely unmarked DD, the Irishman, inexplicably decided to close his eyes and skew the ball off the top of his head and over the bar.

If ever 2 headers were evidence of un-conviction, these were they.

As it was, although we didn’t realise it at the time, this was to be virtually our last serious effort on goal, as Southampton, who were also struggling couldn’t quite believe their luck after the break.

Southampton, a team bereft of confidence, then proceeded to split the defence open with a through ball from wide, to the lesser of the Wright-Phillips clan, who would have given his brother a week of nightmares with a tame effort that dribbled wide.

Wrong-Phillips again the culprit moments later had a shot blocked by the excellent but glued- to-his-line-to-our-detriment Myhill.

Surman, a constant threat to us all afternoon then had a rasping shot tipped over by Myhill who made a replica save moments later, from whom, I could not say as my fingers were covering my eyes increasingly as the half wore on. Still nearly half time, and nil-nil, we can get into the dressing room and one of  Brown’s rousing half time talks will warm the cockles almost as much as my recently purchased Gerbing’s electrically heated jacket.

(If Mid-February, you glance over to South Stand to see a plume of steam emanating from a resident therein, you will have gathered that I have also acquired the electrically heated matching pants.

Why take chances?

 As the game bore down on half time, you had the feeling that if they DID click in front of goal, we would be in trouble, and so it proved.

A right wing cross, not cut out by our make-shift left back (how many times have we said that this season) was met at the far post by Wright-Phillips and thumped past our non-cross collecting net man.

Half time chat concluded that this game was not beyond our reach, but gloom & despair was quickly realised as the teams trotted out minus Turner, arguably the player of the season so far, having apparently tweaked his hamstring.

Dawson replaced, and Delaney slotted into the centre.

Pluckily lads the pair of them, but Championship players? No, not in my book I’m afraid.

The left back berth needs sorting in January as a priority. Turner, Brown, and Ricketts seem solid enough, but a lack of strength in depth was shown in the 2^nd half, and why the hell have we been reliant on a makeshift left back all season!

A shot by Okocha after the restart was comfortably held, and a daft penalty appeal by Deano, smacked a bit of desperation.

The game was effectively killed as a contest after 60 when anther cross from the left was not stopped and a completely unmarked Stern John rose to head home his 1^st.

Now whilst I agree that the two central defenders were static & useless, a cross into the middle of the six yard area should really be meat & drink to any goalie worth his salt.

The Unseasoned Myhill, whilst spectacular in the shot stopping, was dreadfully lacking in what should have been bread & butter stuff.

Southampton were all consommeing now, as they smelt blood in the water, and we were under the cosh.

A rasping drive, from a saint, and a good shout for a penalty turned down, after a clumsy Ricketts challenge.

McPhee replaced the rapidly reducing Okocha, and Shortly afterwards Southampton replaced Wright-Phillips with Saganowski.

Another shot over quickly followed by a header just wide and it was one way traffic now, as City made their final sub, and somewhat of a perplexing one.

Garcia for Marney.

The third goal was somewhat lucky in execution, but if you spend as much time as they did camped in the opposition half, you deserve the luck.

A low ball into the area was again not dealt with and the Saints sub took a wild swing at it which completely missed, the ball however hit his standing foot, and he had all the time in the world to swivel round and pass back to John, who hit it against the flailing defenders, as it looped in the air and bobbled past Myhill, I kind of sighed that this summed up our afternoon.

The Saints were in Party mood now and from the kick off their keeper collected the ball, pumped it up field , where it was headed on to the now alert and confident Stern John, who our defence stood around and admired the execution as he volleyed over the despairing Myhill.

4-0.

It could have easily been 5 had Delaney not dived in front of the drive on goal in the closing minutes and I for one would not have complained.

On the way out of the ground I overheard a Saint’s fan, in his late 40’s early 50’s who was unimpressed with his team, as he thought City were extremely Naïve and should have closed the game down at 0-0, wise words.

Apparently Brown was scathing in his after match report, and intimating  that some established players who were now playing in the highest league they have played in were not pulling their weight and it would be addressed in January.

I have been a supporter of Ashby in the past, but you will have noticed that this report makes no mention of his performance, and yet it reports his performance fully as well.

HULL CITY (4-4-2): Myhill; Ricketts, Turner, Brown, Delaney; Okocha, Ashbee, Marney, Hughes; Folan, Windass.  Subs: Dawson (for Turner, 46), McPhee (for Okocha, 63), Garcia (for Marney, 73), Livermore, Duke.

Goals: None

Booked: Delaney, Ricketts

Sent Off: None

SOUTHAMPTON: Davis, Wright, Bennett, Davies, Skacel, Euell, Surman, Safri, Hammill, Wright-Phillips, John.  Subs: Saganowski (for Wright-Phillips, 69), Viafara (for Hammill, 78), Rasiak (for John, 83), Bialkowski, Lallana.

Goals: Wright-Phillips 43; John 58, 76, 78

Booked: John

Sent Off: None

REFEREE:  M Thorpe

ATTENDANCE: 18,125