Saint Charlie

For those of you with Saints Player listen to Holloway's pre match interview before they play Brighton today. Absolute rant about his current situation with potential job offers, his poor Blackpool contract and the difficulty working with Karl Oyston who makes Cortese seem easy to deal with. He basically admitted that they should have sold Phillips to us, that they have always told their players if they play well and get a better opportunity they will let them go. He said Phillips was calling him every five mins asking to go and that it has been hard to motivate him after his Chairman told them Phillips couldn't go. He said Oyston is a bastard to deal with and had not answered any of our calls which ****ed off Phillips.He said it had a big impact on other players in the squad and they probably didn't get that situation right. That's just one part of a mental interview that's well worth a watch.

Quality stuff! How could anyone want to get rid of this guy?

Same as Richardson & Chaplow who also get better through not playing.

No mention of Lee...assume he is available then. Might be a good option off the bench.

Just humour him. Bizarre.

Means nothing. Wasn't that Baxter guy backed down at one point to being nailed on? End of the day - Adkins is our Manager.

We are discussing what team to play vs Spurs should be. So we might as well at least pick that team in the same formation we know we are going to play - otherwise the discussion is surely a bit pointless? The point is to discuss the players we would have in the team - those players will line up in a 4-3-3 variation. All these 5-3-2 formations are not worth writing down as they won't happen. Might as well start picking teams with Chaplow to man mark if we are going to play fantasy football.

He was back light training. Adkins said originally that about 6 weeks was right, but only when someone asked him about that timeframe. Original injury was at least three weeks ago so possible he could be back at least for the WBA game.

As much as I dislike them surely you have to want WH to beat Wigan. WH won't be going down.

Yeah - Adkins much more forward thinking than nearly all the names mentioned. Still don't really understand why people would get rid of NA. If it is substitutions that is quite funny. If its transfers then I think it is clear that Adkins doesn't have sole say on this (nor do many Managers these days) so how can that be his fault?

We play 4-3-3.

Guess we will find out today from NA if there is any chance of Ramirez figuring.

Some of these teams are hilarious - mainly for two reasons: 1. Adkins clearly said we are going to play 4-3-3, and then people set up the team in other wacky formations that we have never tried. 2. Chaplow - was a fringe player end of last season, and somehow lots of people think he could suddenly do man marking jobs (he has played his career as an attacking midfielder). With the midfielders we have available it would be worrying to see him start the match. 3. Suprise about Boruc in goal - clearly he needs games, clearly he is the best and most experienced at a decent level of all our keepers - not such a suprise. For me: -------------------------Boruc------------------------ Clyne-----------Fonte---------------Maya----------Fox ---------------Schneiderlin------Davis--------------- --------------------------Lallana--------------------- Puncheon----------------------------------------Mayuka ------------------------Lambert--------------------------- Clearly if gaston is fit he plays - in for Mayuka, with Lallana moving wide and Gaston at the no 10.

I was at WH and we weren't open. We just couldn't do the defensive basics such as tackle, clear the ball and not concede pens. Nothing to do with a "floating defender". First half WH barely got inside our area, second half when the ball was put in there we didn't do well enough indivdually against the man we were up against. Nothing to do with team shape. if we played 5-3-2 it would just invite so much pressure and wouldn't make a difference defensively. You can't stop individual mistakes just by chucking another man back there. We could have 7 defenders and would still condede if we don't mark, tackle or position ourselves correctly. For example the WH first goal - we had probably 8 men or more in the penalty area...it isn't the solution. Teams haven't run through us time and time again - we have conceded because we can't defend the 18 yeard box without making errors - not because there is a lack of defensive cover. See the above post where I went through every goal this season - probably one would have been stopped with this "floating defender" but none of the WH goals would have been.

We aren't doing zonal marking anymore interestingly...

Its not about the formation - theres an old saying "defend in to out, attack out to in"

Redknapp's first week: 1. "I can only do a good job if the Chairman leaves me alone etc" 2. We will play 4-4-2 3. If you are younger than 25 train with the youth team 4. Oi Cortese, I want Kenwyne Jones Yes - I could really see HR buying into NC's Southampton Way vision....for that reason it would definitely not happen.

We certainly should be flexible during a game to change to get results - but it is clear we will be starting at least in a 4-3-3. I would suggest that if any blame can be attached to the system it is far, far outweighed by the poor individual defensive performances that have been put in. In addition - the games we did play more 4-4-2, Wigan 2nd half and Everton - we were passed around in the middle and couldn't get any real foothold. The central 3 allows us to have decent possession, which we have in lots of games - we just need to tighten up at the back individually - and if the current players are not capable then its damage limitation til Jan until we get some who are.

I cans see the point - but aside from a goal vs Arsenal and one vs Everton i don't see that the midfield have allowed lots of players to run through willy nilly. Look at the goals - nearly all come from where the CBs don't clear effectively, or just their feet tangled, condede stupid penalites, slip, stick their leg out halfheartedly at shots going wide etc. IMO this is not due to team shape. If the quality of thsoe players were better we would have conceded half the goals we have. Add to this the fact Morgan Schneiderlin has (up to last week anyway) the most interceptions in the league then I feel that isn't the issue. Think of these goals and ask if a back 5 would have actually helped: Tevez - decent run, maybe keeper could do better but good goal. Pass could have been stopped. Dzeko - No - stacks of defenders in box Nasri - Individual error - stacks of defenders in box Di Santo - see Tevez but decent goal Kone - individual error Van Persie - Slip, individual error - could have blocked cross Van Persie - poor clearance leading to pressure - keeper should save Rio shot - stacks of defenders in box, nobody marking Rio Van Persie - As above - loads of defenders there, nobody marking Hooiveld OG - Could have stopped cross but def an individual error from tanglefooted Jos Podolski - Free kick - indivdual error Davis - poor positioning, stupid foul Davis Gervinho - good defensive shape but error Yoshida Clyne OG - Not a lot he could do IMO Gervinho - No clearance in box, stacks of defenders - tap in. Walcott - Decent finish - can't remember build up Bent - stacks of defenders - no clearance, individual error Fox (suprise bout of ball watching) Osman - Stacks of defenders - beaten out wide, no clearance, second ball fell to them Jelavic - quality finish, allowed to run through too easily - maybe 5 man defence could have helped Jelavic - ball watching Richardson Jos OG - Individual error - stacks of defenders, feet in a tangle. Very poor Jos OG - Again, stacks of defenders, their attacker reacts first - deflected Noble - Comedy of errors - stacks of defenders, no clearance, poor keeping Nolan - Poor from Yoshida, Jos didn't close down, Fonte let Nolan go Pen - Fonte - individual error - pony play Maiga - Loads of defenders - neither Yoshida, Fonte or Hooiveld thought to tackle - quality finish To be there doesn't seem to be a problem with teams carving through us at will - seems 80% + of the goals were poor play from the defenders - not overwhelmed by attackers but can't do the basics. If there were five of them these mistakes could still easily happen. The midfield are no worse than any other, especially in the centre and when MS plays, at defending - but they have to be able to rely on their CB colleagues to clear the ball and do their jobs.

So its 3 CBs with wing backs? Essentially as follows: The solution to frailities at full back is to push them higher up the pitch, leaving more space behind them? The solution to defender making basic errors is to shove another one in there because then the individual errors will stop? Look at the goals we concede - it is nothing to do with not having enough players back defending. It is the individual errors that some of those players are making. If we play five at the back it will probably stop us from scoring, which is the one thing we are doing well.

Even if it might work in theory it would just become a back 5 that would be pushed back and invite pressure - exactly what we don't want. Also - as per the suggestion this player would replace Schneiderlin, our best player this season... Lallana is fine, the problem is simple - defensive personnel keep making silly mistakes because they arent good enough at this level where you get punished. None of the goals at WH were because of the formation or Lallana - they were poor basic errors, no sweeper would have helped when Fonte pulled Carroll's hair, or the fact that Fonte, Jos nor Yoshida closed down Maiga.

Clyne looked good going forward against a team that had zero threat out wide as they played a narrow formation. He didn't look suited to the left at Everton and has always played RB. No point covering one weakness (Fox) by causing Clyne to become another weakness. It would be an idea if we had another Rb as good as Clyne to come in, but IMO we are in a worse position than anyone thought if he has to shuffle Clyne to LB to simply get the benefits of playing Frazer Richardson. If we had Kyle Walker to come in then maybe, but Richardson - same as Sharp, Hammond etc - isn't a Prem player, never was, never will be.

Yeah would agree - he was purposeful at WH and also looked sharp vs Villa and Everton when he came on. I agree with your team, was pretty much what I said apart from I think Boruc should play - he needs games and an experienced keeper to marshall the defence should be what we need. Gazza will clearly be class but we need to get some consistency of selection.

This - its easy to forget but at times we have played well this season. If we can get a bit of consistency of selection in the back 5 and get Ramirez back then we arent a terrible team. If we have 15-20 points by Xmas/New year then we will be ok.

Seeing as we play 4-3-3 I can't see Shaw and Fox starting.