CB Fry

A cup is a cup. The League Cup is still proper silverware. I'd take it over five, six, seven league spots (as long as we don't go down). Being that we're not even playing until Monday night, we should be trying to win with a full strength side.

Hughes would get us organised, would take him all day long, even though I don't much like him and he was shi t for us. I think Villa is borderline, it is doable from Sandbanks in a way that, say, Wigan isn't. Reading and the Billionaire Russians might surprise us yet though.

The usual Arry love-in on Five Live just now. He aint going to no Championship Club. If he really wants back in, I think there are five jobs he'd take if offered- QPR, Saints, WHU, Reading, Fulham with maybe Villa at a push, as sixth. Of them its between QPR, Villa and us on who sacks first. I still don't think he'd come here and I remain unconvinced he actually wants another job.

Absolutely. McCarthy won't be our next manager and nor should he be.

It's completely unreasonable to expect us to pick up any points when every single team we've played so far this season is above us in the table.

Adkins has kept zero teams in the top flight thus far. And Mick has taken his country to the world cup finals but I'm sure winning promotion with Scunny is a far greater achievement.

I replied to someone saying he "started badly in the Prem". He didn't. He won the Prem first time of asking. And he didn't start badly at Man U. He finished second in his first full season. Please point out where I am wrong, and prove it. Good luck.

...in your opinion. As it stands he's no better than Coyle, Mowbray, whoever. Just someone who has got promoted to the Prem. And he's way behind the Mick McCarthys and Pardews of this world who have proved they can stay there. It's only because Nige is the current Saints manager you even think that. If he was Reading's manager you wouldn't think twice about calling him a clown.

What are you talking about now? Oh yes, the usual Wes Tender trick of making stuff up. I am completely aware of the Alex Ferguson story, better than most on here. Where have I ever said he didn't struggle during his time there? Do tell. Wes Tender. Pathetically wrong, as ever, as always.

Not like you to be pathetically wrong. Oh, actually, it is.

Between 1994 and 2004 we essentially went through a manager a year, yet still sustained top flight status, often with very healthy mid table finishes. This forum is going to implode if we do stick with Nige and still go down. ...but...but..but...this cannot be....we stuck by him...he should have turned into Alex Ferguson..... although, of course, the Lawrie Mac story will get wheeled out....

Seriously, how many more are going to come out with this rubbish? We did not get promoted a year early. Cortese expected us to be promoted last season. Not "hoped", expected.

Cherie Lunghi.

If it is THE Simon Blackwell then he's one of the main writers on the magnificent The Thick Of It. Failing that, might just be a bloke called Simon.

It's only on the Sunday because of Spurs in the Europa, it is not a TV game so it will not be on TV. It will be on the online streams though so I will be watching it.

You should have been here (well, its old school equivalent) seven or eight years ago when I first started. Back then it was full of people saying the forum had gone to the dogs and it is not surprising that the good posters don't post on it any more. Completely changed now of course.

Delldays isn't talking about replacing Adkins though. His pretty obvious point you miss is that Adkins hasn't proved anything yet, as a top flight manager. You can list out what you like but Adkins is just one of a hatful of managers who have taken teams up from the second tier. Mowbray, Coyle, whoever. You say you wouldn't swap Adkins but quite frankly if he was someone elses manager you'd look down on him just like you look down on all those other managers. Tony Mowbray plays attacking football, scores loads of goals and actually won the Championship title, something Nige couldn't manage. Adkins hasn't invented attacking football you know. Adkins might turn into the next David Moyes but he is just as likely to be the next Owen Coyle.

When did Alex Ferguson get back to back promotions with Man United?

Who cares about the forty thousandth retread of the Alex Ferguson routine? It's been wheeled out on webforums for every single manager we've ever had. Cortese should never have sacked Wotte on this horsesh it logic.

....and? If comparisons to Guardiola aren't relevant, why are you comparing Adkins with Ferguson from 25 odd years ago? Why not compare him to, say, Jozef Venglos?

First full season. Read what I wrote you utter moron.

Do you mean Ferguson's first season in the Premier League, when Man U won the title? Or do you mean Ferguson's first full season in the English top flight, when they finished in second place? If that is "poor" I think you have unreasonable expectations.

You could also see him going to somewhere like Ipswich, do okay for a bit, lose in the play off semis then struggle the next season, get sacked, then end up at Burnley, or Preston or Watford. Ady Boothroyd was the future once. Paul Jewell was the future once. Phil Brown was the future once. Owen Coyle was the future once. Tony Mowbray was the future once. Paul Lambert was the future last season. Danny Wilson. Ian Holloway. Peter Taylor. Iain Dowie. Until he has actually done something at this level I don't buy into the idea that Adkins is some wonder manager. He's basically achieved what many before him have....and if he wasn't Saints manager very few would be conparing him to the Barcelona boss or a future England manager. He aint Pep frigging Guardiola.

I think you'll find this entire thread is speculation. Read the question in the OP.

Pardew would have got us out of L1 easily. Whether we'd got back to back promotions is hard to say - not because Pardew is any worse than Adkins, he clearly isn't - just that back to backs are so rare and difficult. Once in the Prem Pardew would have done better than Adkins. Simple know how. Pardew has done it in this division at not one but two clubs bigger than Saints. Adkins has yet to prove he is anything more than yet another Phil Brown/Owen Coyle/Ian Holloway/Billy Davies/Ady Boothroyd/Peter Tayor/Danny Wilson/etc etc. Lets hope he can be but he has a job on.