Lazlo78

Nice assist from JWP for the first goal (I assume he's the No. 4):

Great blog, Neef! To me the defensive midfielder is one of the most difficult positions to rate if you are just watching the game instead of specifically looking at what he is doing. Nice to see that you bring some observations to the table. Would have loved to hear you input to my question in the Sunderland match reaction thread: http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?41925-Saints-0-Sunderland-1-Post-Match-Reactions&p=1561942#post1561942. Back then, I assumed that we just wouldn't get too detailed tacical discussions on here, but several people have participated in this excellent thread. PS. We conceded 14 in the first 4 games, not 12...

As seen here, Reeves got off to a good start as well: http://www.saintsweb.co.uk/showthread.php?43148-Ben-Reeves Good on Hoskins with the quick goal!

Still too much hands on? As for Twitter, I read some but post little... If we're not already connected there do give me a shout

Henceforth this final payment shall be known as the Sæhrímnir Treasure, borrowing on from Norse mythology...

This must be a misunderstanding. You can't leave out a defender who has perfected the wonderful art of ghosting in front of a striker to intercept a pass. With sublime intelligence and impeccable timing, it has become the former Portuguese international’s trademark. Swooping silently akin to the magpie stealing the family silver in the dead of night, he barely gets caught. You just can't leave him out.

Any updates on other players on our loan list? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southampton_F.C.#Out_on_loan I imagine that Sharp and Hammond are getting lots of games?

Good idea with the bus - they can drop off loan players at their new clubs at the same time!

Well spotted

Pochettino's tactical demands should decide who will be his first choice in defense. Rather obvious yes, but perhaps more relevant than if we played a more traditional style. Will Hooiveld thrive with a high defensive line with little margin for error? Can Yoshida's anticipation make up for his tendency to dive into tackles a bit too early? Is Forren hand picked for our new playing style? Will Fonte keep adapting and improving?

I thought the same thing: he may be behind Davis, but if Davis is used in tandem with Ramírez then JWP is first in line to take over from Schnork....

The last two games certainly supports this view, but I hope (and think) there's more to Gaston. Earlier, he has shown a willingness to track back and tackle, so he's no MLT in that respect. It remains to be seen whether MP can make him fit into the new system, but he should have all the assets to play between midfield and attack...

Weird story. JWP going to Coventry would be good for them and not too bad for him (basically because he would get loads of game time albeit at a lower level), but it would make little sense for us - he can't be too far off the first team, can he? I'll assume it's a hoax...

Missed this excellent thread until now. Interesting to see how individual players have coped with the new system, and I'm sure MP will continually look to bring in players who fit in well with his footballing ideology. Or maybe some of the academy players suddenly find themselves closer to the first team?

I hope you remembered to give Gaston's thigh a good massage - we need everyone ready for the run-in!

Just remembered: that was one nasty tackle that JRod delivered yesterday - a more dramatic ref may have sent him off for that... I did appreciate it though

I thought it weird too and cross-checked Beeb with Sky - so I concluded that my Danish footy site was not up to date. Thanks for clearing that up! http://www.bold.dk/fodbold/England/League_1

If they are getting away with it, they're escaping through the basement...

I think so too. 89 league goals and 10 cup goals according to Soccerbase and Wikipedia: http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=16995 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rickie_Lambert#Career_statistics

Positive spin is that their attendance figure seems to have stabilised somewhat and it's not even that far fetched to say that they could get similar(ish) figures if they do fairly well in L2 (in case they get that far). Negative angle is that it is just not good enough for the PST budgets, and the attendance numbers are being disputed by those at FP.

I was quite excited by the Biglia rumours, but at the same time I really want Cork and Schneiderlin to boss that midfield for a long time

Very sensible post IMHO. We're just about seeing the light with JRod, so it seems odd to write off Gaston so quickly. Does it have to be so polarised that he is either great or crap? I quite like the idea of what a confident and fully fit Gaston could bring to the team, even though I do acknowledge that he is not contributing as heavily as he may be expected. For now, I will hope that he will take his performances to the next level and become an important player to the team. I see no reason to write him off just to prepare for a possible "I told you so" moment in the future...

I was afraid he would turn into a solid battling forward who can apply pressure on the defense but who poses little goal threat. Today's showing can't entirely dispel that fear but he has shown that he is a real assett in our offensive play. The way he set up Davis against Chelsea showed a glimpse of his technical ability and today he continued in that vein with some excellent touches. The assist for Lambert was a show of power and the assist for Morgan was pure persistence. Great game from Jay...

Admittedly we didn't really get our game flowing in the first half, but it was still interesting to see how we tried to adapt and by the end of the half it was all Saints. The second half we looked to have settled and we dominated all 45 minutes. The commentators on the stream noted after our equaliser that Wigan really didn't have an extra gear to shift into; we were controlling this game. I find it interesting to see how we gradually get a hold of the game - personally I wouldn't call it dull...

I know it doesn't really count for anything on here, but it's really enjoyable to watch our matches - especially under MP. We have good spells and bad spells, but basically we are an aggressive, dynamic team with a clear game plan. Look to the Molineux to see what it's like to get in a manager with experience from the English league but absolutely no idea of what kind of football he wants to play... This project is interesting to see unfold, and it remains to be seen whether MP has the quality to coach the team and whether the players have the quality to deliver results over the next 13 games. I really look forward to it!