CB Fry

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.

Quite. At this point in time he's done no more than Ian Holloway. Less, really.

He's bound to magically turn into the next Alex Ferguson soon....after all he's had loads of time and that's all you need according to forum wisdom.

I simply cannot see it being Redknapp - not a great fit with Cortese and definitely not a great fit with the fans (which I know Cortese won't give two sh ags about but it does contribute to my feeling that it just isn't going to be him). I'd also question whether HR actually wants to manage another club. He might be enjoying the media work and just hanging about just in case Hodgson blows it. My current call is either a) some young foreign manager I haven't heard of - a lower grade AVB type or b) Alan Curbishley. Curbs is steady, efficient and organised enough to secure us in the division for next season, he has been waiting for the right job and I think this could be it. Personally I'd go for Curbs because in a team with scant Premier League experience, I think we need a manager who has some. Not the most exciting appointment but then neither was Gordon Strachan.

Did Nigel claim Jos was a top target? Honestly can't remember him saying that at the time. Either way it felt, and was, a last minute signing.

We could have worn white shirts/red shorts on Saturday. We didn't. You seriously think we're not going to wear yellow again after barely being out of it thus far?

No one else was trying to get Ramirez this summer. We were the only game in town.

Absolutely this. Ridiculous to make out we were anything other than one of the strongest teams in the division.

Interesting WHU are already in "the solid six" - didn't we finish above them? And didn't we outspend most of Europe?

No mention of the push that completely changed the game then? The usual typical anti Saints agenda from the BBC........

I think we should drop Lambert for the next five games in a row. This is genius for several reasons - he's desperate for a rest, its good practice for the team for when he really is injured. And this would make him the ultimate impact player - the brilliant shock factor will completely destabilise the opposition when we finally play him again bringing him on in the 85th minute on Boxing Day.

Sorry, that was and is an appalling "game plan". RL would have contributed to the defensive performance you are bemoaning.

So, just to confirm, rather than start with a player so feared that the opposition have to "sit" three players on him...leave him on the bench so the opposition can then free up those three players to focus on beating us. Starting your best player on the bench is not using him "properly". Seriously, you are mental.

Disgraceful thread. Don't you remember where we were three years ago?

Don't play Lambert because we "know won't score"? Against West Ham United? What? Lambert is our best player, bar none. Relegating him to a walk-on part and nothing more than an Ole Gunnar Solksjear super sub is effing retarded.

Funny, I was going to start a pis s-take thread complaining about how MOTD was biased against Saints for failing to mention how brilliant/hard done by/totally cheated out of it we were to be so narrowly defeated 4-1. Glad I didn't bother because there's you're never far away from a genuine "anti-Saints agenda" thread. Well done. How come Lineker didn't mention where we were three years ago? It's a disgrace.

Correct. Another manager could definitely do better. That's true at most clubs. If Adkins does go I think we'd have to go with a Curbishley. An organiser, a driller. I can see Curbs getting ten clean sheets out of us, which would be the ten wins we need to stay up. Dull but effective, a bit like the Hoddle era.

Owen Coyle was flavour of the month about 18 months ago. Now look at him.

..especially as our squad is, man for man, far better than Strachan's cup final squad.

When are we going to wear the white kit?

No we didn't.

Glad its not just me then. Effing useless.

Where, exactly does MLT say "we didn't need Markus". Do find the quote.