Shane Long comes out fighting, sticking it to the critics

If only his finishing was as razor sharp as his tongue

Shane Long has hit back at critics who claim the bubble has burst for Southampton. 'I think lots of people don't have a clue what they are talking about, saying stuff like that' the Ireland striker said. 'I think if you'd come to watch us and seen the games, you would be happy with the performances'. Long was responding to criticism of his side following five defeats on the bounce, their worst losing spell in over a decade. After losing a host of star players and their highly regarded manager Mauricio Pochettino, the popular consensus in the summer was Long's new club would spent this season battling relegation. However, the Saints went on an incredible run, losing just twice in their opening 12 games and appeared to be contenders for European qualification. Their recent poor spell seemed to suggest Southampton would begin to slump back down the Premier League table, but Long was dismissive of any such notions after Southampton's 3-0 win over Everton on Saturday. 'You'd be disappointed with the results, like we were, but we knew that if we kept doing the right things that things would turn our way and we'd get that rub of the green and take our chances when they come. That was the case against Everton. I think after the first goal we kind of played a bit more freely and caused them a lot of problems'. (h/t to BBC Sport)