derry

I think one of the big mistakes we made this year was to think we would be able to make the massive step up, then keep the ball by passing it around in our own half against such opposition. We need variation, the best team have no problems in hitting 30 yd through balls or putting in loads of crosses. Let's get back to playing the way we can and start by raising the tempo and pressurising the opposition then getting the ball up to the front runners quickly.

433 worked with three strikers because of a bit of pace and striker movement, it won't work with static wide men. It has to be Mayuka, Lambert and Rodriguez at the front to make that work. Mayuka and Rodriguez are both decent at closing down wide and anticipating the full back threat. Davis holding in midfield with Schneiderlin and Lallana attacking when possible. I like Reeves and even if Fox was in the back four we would give goals away on our left. I think I'd like to see a back four of Clyne, Fonte, Yoshida, and Reeves. But Gazzaniga should play in goal. I just hope we don't go 451 as a basic system, in spite of the fact 433 at times defending can become 451. Furthermore leave the three strikers up at defensive corners as we did v Spurs in the second half.

What went wrong tonight has gone wrong before tonight in the league. We picked a system and stuck a bunch of players into positions they weren't comfortable in. We picked 451 and shoehorned in the players. To start with the attitude of the club in this cup was wrong, we aren't interested but the worst thing is the amateurish way we are selecting the team. OK, I can go along with using this group of players but not the way we selected them. The back 5 is a formation that is no problem it's the way the rest line up that troubles me. If the club weren't that bothered about the result, so losing isn't a problem, why didn't we give it a go instead of playing 5 in the middle and only Mayuka up front. I personally felt that we would have been better with this group to play 442 with a middle four of Guly, JWP, Chaplow and SDR, with Lee and Mayuka up front. If 433 was used, the front could have been Mayuka, Lee and SDR with a middle of Guly, Chaplow and JWP either would have been better than the sterile 451. Last Sunday we found out how to make 433 work by accident, play three strikers with a bit of pace and interchange. It's not a rigid formation like 442 it is designed for improvisation. 451 is a chickensh1t formation with the players Saints have, it can happen transitionally as a result of playing 433 but shows a defeatest attitude if it is selected that way. We have to get away from the stupidity of selecting a system then putting in the players. We have to see which is our best team and put it out in a formation that gets the best out of those players. All players can usually play in a certain way, two players together can conflict whereas one of them with a different player can be a revelation. It's the same with our 433, picking the usual players doesn't balance but put Mayuka in with Lambert and Rodriguez suddenly make three up front work. Switch Schneiderlin and Davis's roles and the midfield is suddenly more positive. What does worry me is the inability of the management for whatever reason to pick a team that works. The last half hour was accidentally the best we have been all season. Why do I say accidentally? because changing the underperforming Puncheon for Mayuka was the only change that made any sense from those available, also if he had known the difference it would make he would have started Mayuka. The goalkeeper position is still a problem, IMO in the games I've seen, Davis looks out of his depth, Boruc unconvincing and a bit immobile, Gazzaniga, young but a real talent and not to blame for either of the own goals in his last game and our best keeper. Talk of Gazzaniga going out on loan is crass stupidity. Boruc might have played 200+ games for Celtic, that's a lot of games leaning against the post watching crap. I don't give a damn about reputations but the two games he's played to date haven't been impressive.

I don't get the Sun but I understand it was in there, nuff said. Not on OS. If Davis is a liability, if he has to play isn't he still a liability? I think Gazzaniga is better than Boruc, who was awful against WHU and was at best average against Spurs. He might be 20 but he is cool headed, kicks well and is a good all round keeper. He should be playing for us. He had no chance with either of the goals v Fulham and was in the right position to save if Hooiveld hadn't deflected the second goal past him and the first was going wide until Hooiveld sliced it into our net.

If this is true, Adkins is a twit. We need three keepers, but if anyone should go on loan, let Davis go back to a level he can play at. Gazzaniga is better than Boruc who moves like an old man.

We still need to get some results under our belts. I think that the unforgiving demands of the Premier is undoing some of our stars who were able to coast a bit but now nothing less than 100% concentration is punished defensively. I'm not a lover of the mania to play 100 slow motion consecutive passes in our own half then give the ball away to the opposition who attack with pace and movement. I think we were much more effective in the last half hour and played some really sharp football which I really enjoyed. I didn't really enjoy us being cut to pieces for half an hour in the first half.

Conversely Mayuka shut Bale out of the game with his tracking allied to his threat. He seemed to be thinking ahead and seemed to drop into a covering position early.

I watched Lallana yesterday from a defensive point of view, he wasn't alone, Puncheon was equally culpable. On the occasions that Lallana was sprinting back trying to get into a defensive positions he had spent a period walking/trotting watching the play going on near the ball, in other words ball watching before spotting the danger developing and setting off belatedly. The danger was there to see but it wasn't registering, he needed to drop into the defensive slot or pick up the relevant opponent before the ball was switched into that area rather than twenty seconds later busting a gut to make little difference. The defensive coaching isn't up to the mark and players need when not active to read the next probability and just go there before they are needed. That's how good defences compact and are difficult to break down. As somebody said on another thread, the back four don't pivot quickly enough when the attack is switched to the other side and the midfielders often don't drop into a position to present a defence in depth to the attacking side. The redundant full back has to immediately get back to cover the two centre backs who are the pivot, while the previously covering full back advances to meet the threat, at the same time midfielders get across to screen the three rear defenders goalside blocking the new threat. It needs anticipation from those players not close to the ball to move to counter a switch that is likely to happen rather than not anticipating and busting a gut, too little too late.

When I'm in an area containing speed cameras I set the cruise control at the speed limit and let it take me through the camera.

I think Reeves is a revelation. I believe he is 20, he has a high tempo, I think he is worth a go. He looked good in midfield but I was really impressed with his tempo, tackling, and movement, he is an excellent passer with either foot. He put in a first class cross for a goal on the far post v MU U21s after being put in on the overlap by SDR. SDR had a part in all three of our goals in that game. (Obviously not enough for Adkins who was at the game)

Gazzaniga, Clyne, Fonte, Yoshida, Reeves; Ramirez, Schneiderlin, Lallana; Mayuka, Lambert, Rodriguez.

He makes the 433 work with three strikers. A far better player than Puncheon and his anticipation for covering his full back was also good. He should have been in from the moment he signed. He doesn't need to bed in. As for the bench I think DeRidder should always be one of the 7 because of his pace. If we need to change games he would be more use than introducing another square passer.

It will probably be a reserve based team but I would like to see the team that finished on Sunday with Gazzaniga for Boruc, play with a view to seeing whether it could be a starter for WBA presuming that Ramirez is unavailable. Gazzaniga, Clyne, Fonte, Yoshida, Reeves, Guly, Schneiderlin, Lallana, Mayuka, Lambert, Rodriguez. I would also like to see DeRidder on the bench.

At that time he wanted to play with Harding and I presume that is what happened until Fox arrived. Lallana really needs to look at his defensive duties. He is a liability defensively in the Premier because he isn't disciplined enough to get back into a covering position before the ball is on it's way. Fox isn't the best defender so it needs both of them covering that area Spurs murdered us in yesterday.

It's not the system, it's the players being comfortable, The change worked because 433 was natural with three strikers and was even better with Guly, Schneiderlin and Lallana although Davis holding and Schneiderlin attacking was an improvement but really only because the introduction of Mayuka turned the system from a one legged duck into a swan. It's all about using the system that the players fit into naturally, just picking a system and putting in players to make up a pattern never works unless the players suit the system.

Lallana has never liked playing with him. I think that has done for him here. That came from a family member not long after he arrived. He was never really given a chance.

I wish I'd thought of that, genius. Seriously Bill, I just don't think our coaching is that good, especially defensively, we need to get a top class man in to advise, Ron suggested Gary Neville or someone of his ilk. As for Clyne and it also applies to Fox. They are always facing the wrong way so have no way of challenging the attacker. Both face inwards so that the attacker is attacking the ball over the top of them. Clyne needed to be facing outwards towards the dugout watching the ball coming in, in front of him, so that he was then in a position to attack the ball and possibly clatter Bale in the process. I saw nothing yesterday from Bale going in where he might get clattered. Under a determined challenge he wouldn't have had a free header. I thought Boruc was a bit ponderous and I much prefer Gazzaniga. One thing I thought was crass, yesterday was at the start of injury time fighting for an equaliser and every second vital, Lallana, Schneiderlin and a couple of others surrounded the referee over a meaningless free kick to Tottenham and wasted at least 30 secs arguing. Referees don't change their minds, they need a sharp kick up the backside, it was our time they were wasting, I bet the Tottenham players were laughing at our lack of nous..

The first hour was a nonsense. There were several major problems. Davis and Schneiderlin are too negative to play together. On a couple of occasions at 0-2 we were attacking and Davis just didn't bother to make the run into the box just strolling and watching. I can't believe that Lallana has been coached on defending since he was a kid. Attack wise he can be at times frustrating taking an extra touch but at other times he can be a genius. Defensively he is pretty hopeless because he isn't reading the game. Yes he does make the effort to get back but mostly too little too late and the damage is done. If he would just look around instead of standing ball watching he might see the area he has to get into to help the defence. It's no good having to run 30 yds and not get there in time when 10 secs earlier he could have dropped into the defensive slot in time to close down an attack. Puncheon was just as culpable and neither full back received the help they had a right to expect. The change after an hour bringing Mayuka on and playing three strikers was the right call. Mayuka looks a good player and quick. Bringing Guly on for Davis gave us an attacking midfielder and Reeves looked a breath of fresh air, really lively. We looked a different team, positive and difficult to handle. The Spurs wide men and full backs had their hands full so were only attacking on the break. I know they were trying to close out the game but even so as Adkins said we just ran out of time. I just don't see how Boruc is preferred to Gazzaniga. I'd like to see this team start the next game. What was interesting and something I've always advocated leaving three strikers up at defensive corners which left us seven to defend against three rather than have a box with about eighteen players crowded into it. At half time I just thought we were going to get a hammering. After the game it almost felt like a win after we battered them for twenty minutes. Maybe even play this team at Leeds.

How many goals has he scored though. £7m for a non scoring striker doesn't cut the mustard no matter how pretty he plays. He's paid to hit the back of the net. Lambert does and is a clever player, Lamberts goals could keep us up but Rodriguez's lack of them will relegate us. For vital penalties I want Lambert taking them not Rodriguez whose only penalty so far was poor/ lucky.

The only game I've seen this season that we have looked competent is the 441/1 that we played v Villa with Clyne supporting the attacking 4 who were interchanging well. The players looked comfortable.

Try reading it again. Isolating had nothing to do with football but in the sense of Lambert being left out of the squad.

Lambert is a big man in football terms, we need to keep him match fit. The more he plays the fitter he gets. If we keep leaving him out he won't be sharper just less fit. All the training in the world doesn't give match fitness. He should play all the league matches unless there is an injury problem. If we get a vital penalty in injury time I want Lambert taking it, not some rabbit in the headlights tapping it to the goalkeeper.

It could be this ridiculous 'policy' to play only 433. It doesn't really work for Lambert. he is a clever footballer not a front running workhorse. He is also the best goalscorer we have. We need him in tandem with another striker plus pace at least on one side. It may be that Adkins always intended to call him in after isolating him. I hope they have come to terms because he is the one player that can score goals. We need him more than he needs us.

I was waiting on the first tee this morning, somebody I know well, that is well connected Saintswise, was in the group behind, he came up for a chat knowing I thought Adkins shouldn't be replaced but that's another story. What he did say, which I found astounding, as I think that Saints always spend the night before an away match in a local hotel near to the venue, was that Lambert was at home on Saturday morning. Can anyone throw any light on this?

It wasn't the reason he and Wally Downes were suspended after the Bristol Rovers game. That is what Cortese said after being placed in an impossible position.