Alanh

Does anyone know why we are playing on the Friday night rather than the Saturday that just about everyon else is playing on?

Back from the match. It was one of those games where nothing would falll right for us. we had few good clearcut chances despite loads of possesion. They defended very deep with 8 behind the ball for most of the match and managed to get something in the way of most of our attacks to break them up. Connolly was probably affected by this more than any other player, nothing fell for him. Their goals were pretty much the only serious attacks they had. If we keep on playing like this we will win more games than we lose or draw. Not sure if it will be enough to get us to the playoffs, but we have to aim for it. Waigo posed a threat in the first half when he had the ball on the wing, but there was no real end product. Antonio is very direct but he's got a lot to learn about delivering a final ball. he overruns the ball a bit too often, but he's 19 so has time to learn. All in all a great comeback and it feels disappointing to not have 3 points after the effort and the commitment.

It seems that those on this thread expressing a desire to see 4-4-2 are mainly concerned about the aspect of the strikers role, and their preference for a pair working in tandem. I just want to respond to Joe's point above that over the last 5 - 6 games, where we have got the system working, there have been no occasions where Lambert has been an isolated frontman with no-one picking up his flicks. He is being supported by up to four midfielders any any given point thanks to the holding role that Wotton is playing. Lallana is supporting him by getting onto flicks and playing balls through. Hammond is playing classic box to box midfield so is in the opposition box when we are pressuring. Waigo is knocking in Lambert's rebounds and Schneiderlin is spraying the ball around from deep, resulting in crosses coming for Lambert to attack. With Mellis, Mills and Antonio on the bench we have more of the same to help out as required. If we were playing a flat bank of 5 across the midfield I might share your concerns but at no stage have we done that.

4-5-1 is too simplistic a description of our recent starting system. We are playing a holding midfielder, to centre midfielders and two wide midfielders who have a job of either playing like wingers or supporting the striker. This means that we can be playing 4-1-4-1 or 4-3-3 at any given point in the match. This formation really suits the key players in the squad and offers great versatility at differnt times in a match. Listening to AP in his post match he refered to switching the system when we went to 4-4-2 so it's great to know that he is looking at another plan should the initial option not work and that the players are able to make the switch. As the season goes on I can only think that their ability to switch system will improve. I don't think anyone should get hung up on the way that AP is playing with one nominated striker. Firstly that one striker is very good at holding up the ball and bringing others into play. Secondly, there is variety, energy, pace, skill and flexibility in our midfield which is making us unpredictable and difficult to play against and on no occasion is Lambert isolated as a lone striker.

Just got a couple of tickets from the latest batch of 600 that were released this afternoon so will be able to keep with the Saints fans. Seems like we are going to have a big crew there.

Just been told by the ticket office that we have sold out ouur allocation and to look out on the OS for any details of more tickets being offered.

LM was and always will be a hero to Saints fans everywhere for 1976, Keegan and the second place finish. After he left Saints he didn't have anywhere near that level of success so judging him on his career I would find it difficult to say he was in the top 20 managers in English football. Any manager who has won one or more cups is up there alongside him. Anyone who has won the First Division / Prem has to be up there as well. Anyone who has won a European competition or managed the England team successfully has to be above him so I make the top 20: Ramsey, Bobby Robson, Revie, Greenwood, Shankley, Paisley, Dalgiesh, Busby, Ferguson, Wenger, Mourinho, Benitez, Saunders, Kendall, Armfield, Mee, Venables, Burkinshaw, George Graham, Clough. I would say however that LM is currently one of the top 20 managers in English football who are plying their trade on the after dinner speaking circuit.

I think you just need to look at the signing of DC as an improvement to the squad and we will probable see a striker shipped out once he has proved his fitness as a result, possibly Saga. At the moment we can only really play Lambert up front from the start of a match as none of our other strikers are up to partnering him at the moment. That pretty much forces us into a 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 formationso the addition of DC (when he gets fit enough) will give us another option - to go 4-4-2 either from the start or to change the shape of a match. AL is pretty versatile and can play on either flank or through the middle so I only see DC as strengthening our squad overall.

Will be a good signing if, as Pardew say, he can get fit and back to his best form. Will give us the option to play a regular 4-4-2 with more confidence and capability, compared to pairing Saga or Patterson with Lambert.

Yep, next step is to get off the bottom, but after that we should be looking to pick up one place at a time with a view to getting out of the relegation places around mid December. I would have said earlier but there are only three league games in November. The good thing is we only have to play Norwich of the top performing teams between now and then so we have a run of winnable matches. If we can get some momentum behind us we should be able to go on a roll now that we seem to have sorted out scoring from open play. Just got to hope that Lambert, Hammond and Lallana stay fit and we don't pick up and suspensions.

When Morgan is fit again he should be brought back in at the expense of Wotton as he is much better on the ball. Play him and Mellis in the middle and give the Wotton role to Hammond, who is disciplined enough to protect the back four and is also more mobile than Wotton and so can offer more support to the rest of midfield. Agree it was Wotton's best game for a long time, but in the long term he is limited compared to the likes of Schneiderlin and against a quicker attack he will be exposed.

I suspect you might be right but I'd be really interested to understand the need for the EDL in Southampton other than the suggested desire to join a club which may offer an outlet for racist tendancies. I really don't buy the idea that people in Southampton (or indeed the vast majority of the country) feel the need to protect themselves on a daily basis from this one specific perceived threat when statistically it's far more life threatening to cross the road or go to the hospital.

Given that the started objectives of the EDL (according to the OP on this thread) is solely to target Muslim extremists, not Muslims, or any other racial minority in general, can they tell us how exactly they plan to do this? Are there a list of named individuals who are confirmed extremists? How will they ensure that non extremists are not in any way affected by their actions? Also, is Southampton an area known for it's Muslim extremists? I have never heard of any significant issues emanating from Southampton i.e suicide attacks on the mass population, so unless I've missed them why is there a need for EDL in Southampton?

Before I read it I assumed you meant Holmes had injured his back as the only news we ever hear about him is related to an injury.

I agree with you in terms of MS looking a class act when he came on. The problem he seems to have is performing like that for any more than 15 minutes in any given match. When he's on from the start he seems to drift out of matches for long periods. It's great to have him as a part of the squad, but like a few of the younger players I think he will benefit from a combination of starts and benches. As the season goes on I think he will come more to the fore (assuming he stays) and I hope that he turns into the player you describe.

Agreed he's not got much competition but really he only influenced a couple of matches even if one of them was the 4-3 win over Norwich. Even in his 6 months in the first team I'd say Theo was far more exciting.

Perhaps you should have mentioned this yesterday before the window shut!!

Mellis and Trottman hardly constitute half the team and both of them play in positions where we have cover. They are the only ones on a half season loan, the new guy is here until May. Let's hope AP does get the team playing though, then perhaps, if Trottman and Mellis have proved integral to our success we can persuade them and their clubs to extend their loans.

I pretty much agree with the idea of playing Lallana off the front man. He's going to be an enigma and like MLT I think we are only going to see the best from him if we build the team around him. The alternative is to play him in central mid alongside Hammond as he will retain the ball and always be available to take a pass while leaving the tackling to Hammond. I have no idea why you have put Saga on the right wing though given that he's an out and out striker. I'd rather see James out there as he's got a decent cross and can cover at full back if Murty or Thomas gets stranded upfield.

Based on Saturday (I wasn't at the Millwall game) Paterson looked just what he is - a kid who is learning the ropes and isn't yet a fully fledged striker. It looked as though his head went down as the half went on, probably as a result of not testing the keeper more with the chances that came his way in the first five minutes. He looks like the sort of player who will develop as he physically grows and gains first team experience. i could see him bbeing a valuable striker for Saints in the long run. Saga looked like a player who had loads more experience and confidence, but did not get the breaks to put any of it to good use. He put as much effort in as anyone else on the pitch and if he had got the chances that fell to Paterson in the first half he might have scored them but he's hardly been prolific in the last year so I wouldn't be putting my house on it. It's a squad game so there is definitely room for both players if Saga wants to be here. I'd give Saga a chance to start tonight, possibly with Rasiak (assuming neither are in talks to leave) and see if he can show that he is up for it for the season.

And in the course of that month we've brought in 6 new players and it looks like there are a few more - probably 2 or 3 - in the offing.

What a phenomenally dull race - AGAIN. Last year was a procession and it was the same this year. It's great to get new circuits on the calendar when they add something new like a different country, or an innovative aspect like the Singapore night race but Valencia is little more than a weaker version of Monaco and has now delivered the most boring race of the season for two years in a row. Was there more than 5 genuine competitive overtaking moves in the entire race (outside of the first lap rush for the first few corners)?

No, don't sell him, have a bit of patience. He looks like he isn't contributing to the team at the moment because he is playing our of position on the left wing and has a natural tendency to drift into the middle. He needs to find his rightful position, probably in a Le Tiss type of attacking midfield / stiker role, and not stuck out on the right or left wings.

It did seem like they were saying goodbye to the format. I know that certain elements will continue - The Stig for instance, but perhaps they are looking at reinventing certain parts of the show and freshening it up. Not a bad idea if you ask me as there are only so many ways you can film fastish cars going round the same track and the piece on the two Aussie Vauxhalls last night hilighted how they are running out of ideas. Also they need a supply of ever faster cars to make the Power Lap section interesting and I guess there aren't as many of them coming through now given the state of the global car economy.

In which case lose Woodgate (because he will be injured anyway), Hargreaves (because he will be injured anyway) and Bent and leave a spot for an emerging talent from this season - perhaps the likes of Sturridge, or Agbonlahor.