If Harold Wilson reckoned a week was a long time in politics, 11 days in football must seem close to an eternity. A lot has happened since Saido Berahino said he would not play for West Bromwich Albion again on 2 September having been denied a transfer to Tottenham. Yet he made his comeback as a second-half substitute in this otherwise dull affair and he was met by a mixed reception.
His introduction was the only lasting memory from a forgettable scoreless draw. Although his 35-minute cameo was unspectacular, he offered more than the man he replaced, Rickie Lambert, whose performance could hardly have been more muted. How Tony Pulis, who said everybody should take some blame for the fallout from the non-transfer, could do with Berahino’s goals – this was their third blank from five games.
Despite a definite smattering of boos directed at the 22-year-old, Pulis praised the home support’s welcome. “I’m pleased Saido had such a great reception, it’s wonderful and shows the quality of our supporters. He is a young boy who has made mistakes. The important thing now is that he learns from them. He is a talent and when we brought him we saw glimpses of what he can give us.”
Action wise, attention surrounded an early penalty claim that the managers took widely differing views of, with both critical of their own player. Callum McManaman went down at the feet of Matt Targett after 16 minutes, the teenage left-back sliding in recklessly to take man and ball. Stuart Attwell, in charge of his first top-flight game of the season, dismissed the firm appeals but Ronald Koeman thought luck was on Targett’s side. “Matty takes a lot of risk to slide in,” the Saints manager said. “He is lucky that the referee didn’t whistle. I say always to defenders to keep on your feet, don’t go down because it gives the ref an opportunity.”
Pulis, on the other hand, said he would speak to McManaman on Monday, believing he made a meal of the challenge. “I have to say the referee and the linesman on that side have made an excellent call.”
That apart, a Craig Dawson header over from a teasing Chris Brunt corner and, at the opposite end, Jay Rodriguez turning a Dusan Tadic corner off target were the only noteworthy moments of a dour opening half. Koeman said that was his team’s best chance. “It was not good enough in the final part, not clinical enough,” he said. “We were making too many difficult choices with the final pass but if you can’t win, don’t lose.”
West Brom were evidently lacking in ideas up top. Lambert and Salomón Rondón are much of a muchness and, when combined, key components of any successful strike partnership are absent. Their limitations meant Virgil van Dijk, freshly arrived from Celtic, enjoyed a comfortable start to life as a Southampton defender, while Albion’s own debutant centre-half, Jonny Evans, was not too bothered by an isolated Graziano Pellè.
Rondón should have threatened Maarten Stekelenburg 54 minutes in when fed from the right. Although his footing gave way there were disappointed groans when he blasted over. The re-integration of Berahino followed immediately. It will take some time for him to win everybody over but few could argue he is their best attacker.
Territorial advantage belonged marginally to Southampton, however, many of their moves orchestrated by a typically neat performance from Victor Wanyama, but they, too, created precious little to bother Boaz Myhill.
The visitors did have a counterattack that should have yielded more than a James Ward-Prowse hack over entering the final 15 minutes after Tadic’s lay-off, but they could have been there until sunset fruitlessly chasing a goal and it may still not have arrived.
