Southampton and Republic of Ireland striker Shane Long has certainly had his critics so far this season, few dismiss and overlook his work rate but his goal threat has long been an issue.
It’s been a good week for the 32-year-old though and when he scored against Watford in midweek, not only did he set a new Premier League record for the fastest goal, he also made it three goals in his last four matches, so he’s another player who has seen their form improve following the arrival of Ralph Hasenhuttl.
Despite late disappointment in the match as we were denied the win with a late leveller, there were certainly positives to take given the points gap we now have on Cardiff City, and Southampton fans on social media were more than happy to lavish praise on Long for his own recent improvements.
Hopefully, his improvement continues and along with the rest of the side we take some momentum into next year as we all hope for better.
Love what Ralph is doing with this team. Bringing players through to perform who didn’t under previous managers. Shane long is a Hasenhüttl style player. Doesn’t stop running and defends from the front. Nice to see him scoring again too. #SaintsFC
— Ashley Jones (@Joner07) April 24, 2019
Im one of Shane Long biggest critics, only for his goalscoring record & easy chances he misses. However Im so pleased his hard work on the pitch is playing off for him & he has a record to his name, I will always appreciate him for his attitude & commitment to the team #SaintsFC
— Andrew Douglas (@AndyDouglas79) April 24, 2019
7 seconds. Most #SaintsFC fans hadn't even finished saying, "Why is Shane Long in the starting line-up…" ????
— Michael Kavanagh (@KavMike) April 24, 2019
Sign him up, his work rate and pace gives us options.
— Stuart Hack (@HackStuart) April 24, 2019
Now we’re safe, think we should heap enormous praise on Hasenhuttl who’s done a great job. Redmond and Long looked like they’d never score again when he came in. Still lots of work to do, esp. defensively but to keep that side up with games to spare is very impressive. #SaintsFC
— Mitch Le Tissier (@MitchLeTiss76) April 24, 2019
Absolutely outstanding first half, and, despite his previous goal scoring record, Shane Long proved again that he can be a great asset under Hassenhuttl… disappointing to concede so late but still an important point #saintsfc https://t.co/gbsZLBMtFh
— Simon Cleary (@clearysgp) April 23, 2019
Hassenhutl still has a lot to do to sort out #SaintsFC over the summer, but turning Shane Long from a player who takes 7 months to score to one who takes 7 seconds is already a pretty big achievement. #WeMarchOn
— Jack Kingston (@jack_kingston_) April 23, 2019
