Matthew Le God

He was with the 1st team far more than the "reserves" last season. He featured in 32 games for Saints in 2011/12, the vast majority coming on as a sub.

Adkins said recently in an interview that he is happy with Fox and Shaw at left back. Plus if needed Clyne can play left back (as he did for Palace on occasion) and Richardson at right back.

Lets say Hooiveld was injured in training today, you would be comfortable to see Seaborne, Cork, Richardson or Stephens start at centre back on Sunday vs Man Utd or indeed any other Premier League game this season?

We have no depth at CB at all, if Fonte or Hooiveld are injured or suspended we have to play Seaborne. Beyond that it would be Richardson out of position or young Stephens.

After the Northampton vs Wolves game live on Sky on Thursday evening.

None of the starting XI from the Wigan game were in the squad of 18 tonight apart from Kelvin Davis on the bench. It was done to rest them and give fringe senior players and youth players a game.

Daft enquiries happen all the time, last summer Paul Jewell publicly admitted Ipswich Town made an enquiry for Rickie Lambert. Quite why he bothered wasting his time with that I don't know!

He was the golden boot winner at the 2012 African Cup of Nations, helping Zambia to win the competition and has 36 caps at the age of 21 years old. Does that not indicate a good level of competence?

Signing Clyne? The emergence of Shaw? Adkins saying he intends to sign one or two centre backs before the deadline?

Wright or Ramirez?

Hmm... Ramirez perhaps? Jordan Sibley ‏@jordansibley Spent my evening in the office at St Mary's rather than at Stevenage. Transfer news coming up on http://saintsfc.co.uk shortly... #SaintsFC

The 1st round highlights were on TV, as are tonights games... http://www.radiotimes.com/episode/ryjyv/the-league-cup-show--second-round

There would have more disruption to the preparations for the 1st team training for the Man Utd game. Adkins and 1st team coaching staff wouldn't be back in Southampton until early Friday morning and wouldn't be able to do proper 1st team training on Thursday. Plus about five of the team tonight have a good chance of being in matchday 18 for the Man Utd game. With it being played tonight it allows those involved to recover tomorrow and the coaching staff can hold proper training on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Use Saints Player.

So you want a new centre back and then pick Seaborne over Fonte for a place on the bench?

Say what? That he has been on the decline for years and signed on loan for Brighton in the Championship this summer?

He isn't going to be on £70k p/w, not sure why you still believe that. In any case Ramirez is better than John Utaka.

Are you sure about that? Their owner Carson Yeung is still in trouble for money laundering and they had numerous problems with their accounts relatively recently. He goes on trial in November and his assets were (and possibly still are) frozen... http://www.birminghammail.net/birmingham-sport/birmingham-city-fc/birmingham-city-fc-news/2012/08/22/birmingham-city-carson-yeung-again-denied-in-attempt-to-travel-to-china-for-father-s-funeral-97319-31674698/ Plus I doubt many players would turn down a chance to move to the Premier League, I don't think Birmingham will be going up this season.

So Gaston Ramirez and Matt Phillips (and a few others) aren't "known" or "quality"?

Even though Man City dominated possession when we had the ball that then skews the positions of the players whilst not in possession. A player with a more defensive role without the ball may be given more license to break forward when Saints are attacking and vice versus, again skewing the graphic and what you can take from it. Lallana for example wasn't anywhere near Guly Do Prado when we didn't have the ball, yet the graphic shows he was very close to him. Often Guly Do Prado was isolated for long periods as Lallana was doing a defensive role as part of a central midfield three, each taking it in turns to press although largely with Schneiderlin behind Lallana and Ward-Prowse when not in possession. The way some of you are reading the graphic is giving a very distorted view of the game.

I give up. Good night.

Yes I did! I said whilst attacking it is hard to label a team with a formation and then explained why that is the case and compared it to labelling a defensive formation. That is an answer to your question!

Bored of you now. Have fun.

Post #53 says... "a formation whilst attacking is less rigid and less defined" A formation whilst defending is generally more rigid and defined as you are getting men behind the ball and working to a system. When you attack you can do so in a number of different ways and is harder to label it with a specific formation, especially in the case of Nigel Adkins who like fluidity of movement whilst attacking. He even said recently "when attacking everyone is an attacker, when defending everyone is a defender". It is easier to see formations laid out for a defending team, rather than one breaking forward with runs from numerous players. Data like those graphs can be manipulated to show numerous things, doesn't mean they show a true reflection of what you are claiming they show.

I don't think I can dilute down any simpler.