Praise For Two Strikers

A home win. Wow! These points were vital to get us back in the chasing pack. The performance was definitely secondary to getting our first home win since August.

Theo Walcott and Djamel Belmadi gave The Saints the all important win against Stoke, who were reduced to ten men.

Redknapp told the official site 'That is a massive game for us. We have won two in a row with clean sheets now and we are beginning to turn draws into wins which is vital. Once again we had all the ball just as we did at Millwall but once again we probably played better in the first half against 11 men. Suddenly we had too much time and became over-elaborate but the second goal at the end made it a decent result.'

Heaping praise on Walcott he said:

'Theo took his goal really well and had a decent finish even before that when the referee pulled play back. He still has a lot to learn and needs to work harder when he loses the ball but he is improving. He is just a kid but the crowd respond to him. He gets them off their seats and he has a good future if he keeps going like this.'

He adds about Belmadi:

'I am pleased for Djamel too because he is a good player and a really good footballer. He knows what he is doing and how to play. I like people who know what they are doing and that is him. He gets his head up and can see a pass and pick it out.'

Next up, Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Bring them on!