derry

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.

Adkins was my first choice as a replacement for Pardew at the time. He has all in all done a terrific job. This year was always going to be difficult so the very least that should happen is to give him the time to turn it around. I don't like some of the things he does but he is the one that has to do the job. If the worst happens there is nobody better to manage us in the Championship but I hope it won't come to that.

We now hold the record for the most goals conceded in the first eight games.

I'm all for equality, for a start prison sentencing should be the same.

There is no dispute that Nicola Cortese is autocratic and does things his way. However the club's relationship with the fans is tenuous to say the least. Yes we have an official site but nowadays unless looking for confirmation of some detail or getting tickets it's hardly worth checking it. Cortese is still at war with the Echo so anything there is just speculation. BBC is a bit better but it seems that there isn't much of a relationship there now. There is a large fanbase all looking for information eg how are the injured progressing, but the club works like the secret service. Surely it would make things a lot better if the club's public relations was more relaxed, the ticket office more flexible, non confidential player/club news more available. Be more compatible with the Echo/Solent and generally more customer friendly. I know Cortese won't change but it appears that his approach filters all the way down and generally annoys a lot of people who in the end are the customers. It seems to me supporters are tolerated but not welcomed. I'd be interested to know what others think.

I know the feeling, it's called ageing.

Lallana needs somebody to do the job that stifles his talent and neuters his threat. Most people on here can tell us what is or isn't wrong and who isn't very good. Expert at saying what won't work but not a word about how do we stop leaking three goals a game except shuffle the pack. In the end we have to be better defensively and unless Adkins waves a wand and makes his players defend better the only way I can see of tightening up within a straitjacket of 433 is play a defender as a front sweeper. In the end the mistakes happen close in and the ball ends up in our net. We need to defend from the front and reinforce the midfield with a defender or/and make more effort to get goal side earlier in greater numbers and pressure the ball harder. I see Mancini today coaching his defenders and forwards separately in how to move laterally as a group and pressure in numbers something that Barcelona are brilliant at, the moment they lose possession.

Not if the four compact and slide across to the threatened flank. Only better if 5 in midfield but we don't do that well. Usually too little too late from front men changing from attacking 433 to defending 451. We've conceded more than a few from dead balls.

Ain't that a fact How's the ticker now?

With the 442 we didn't tighten up the midfield. It's an old saying defend in to out, attack out to in, therefore the defensive 442 requires the wide midfielders to close up with the central midfielders the whole moving across to stifle the threatened flank. MU playing 442 is very compact defensively even one or sometimes both of the strikers tighten up into midfield. Our players are not disciplined enough and don't press hard enough from front to back often not bothering to pick up. A lot of the goals we have conceded may have been avoided with better defending/delaying/pressing from the moment possession is first lost.

Very true, but we have a major weakness with the existing set up. All we have really are Yoshida or Fonte but at the moment we have to get through to January and pick up points. The present way isn't working and the 433 ish isn't helping some of the players who don't get it. 442ish is more natural to them so we have to change something. I wouldn't advocate a front sweeper if we switched to 442ish. MU adopted a modified diamond last night and went two nil down then went back to two up front and wide players to win 3-2.

You assume too much I only said put in a front sweeper, the midfield balance would still need Schneiderlin and Davis and three attackers. Either way, we have to stop conceding three goals a game and Fox, Fonte etc aren't going to improve overnight and the midfield isn't defending well either so they have to change something. Sooner or later the penny will drop. If Adkins doesn't develop a bit of pragmatism, he will lose his job then somebody else will come in, ditch the free flowing possession and fight for points and be allowed to by a desperate chairman who won't want to be relegated.

I think the off the cuff style of play passing about in midfield is all very nice but there is a lack of discipline which is leading to our inability to defend. Our players aren't good enough to play off the cuff and will relegate us unless we become more disciplined. We have to tighten up front to back and work harder. Ball watching by Fox and Fonte especially is a major problem.

It was my intention that Davis and Schneiderlin would still play as a pair in front of the extra defender. I personally would advocate three strikers in front of them. Maybe with a front sweeper the circumstances that led to the goals wouldn't have occurred, as there wouldn't have been the gaps and the marking should be tighter. 21 goals conceded in 6 defeats means the defence needs to be tightened up, obviously nobody playing in midfield at the moment can do that. Hence my suggestion of a front sweeper.

What is obvious is your superficial knowledge of football tactics (Reading 'Inverting the Pyramid' by Jonathon Wilson might help but I doubt it). A sweeper is the free one of a man marking back four. A front sweeper is a defender that protects an orthodox back four. Schneiderlin plays deep but doesn't give the defensive cover across the field. A defender would do a better defensive job freeing up the two midfielders to join the front three. We have conceded 24 goals doing it the way we are, so that isn't working, putting in another defender could plug the holes. Fonte or Yoshida could do that job. It is a defender not a midfielder. It is only a small difference from five at the back, 3 CBs with wing backs.

No, his position not untenable.

There is a solution. Dispense with a holding midfielder and play a defender in front of the two centre backs to sweep across in front of the back four and cover the space being exposed by the wide player not tracking back. That would cover the unreliability of the forwards in being too slow to counter a threat. Something we don't do well is stay with the attacker. Fonte lost Nolan on Saturday after initially picking him up but reverted to ball watching and wandered off freeing Nolan to knock the cross in. Once a player tracks an attacker they have to stay with that attacker and tight mark until the danger is dealt with. Picking up initially then letting the attacker free is suicide in the Premier. One of the reasons Dickson doesn't get a look in, is that Lallana doesn't want to play in front of him.

If there is unrest at the club and HR is being sounded out, my question is who by. 75% of a poll on here and the Echo support keeping Adkins. The man deserves the season whatever the results to see if he can keep us up. He has given us two very successful seasons, we are where we want to be, in my opinion too early in the team's natural evolution. Two years from now we might have been considerably stronger. Redknapp isn't a genius, he has wasted enormous sums on bad players over his career. He has never gone anywhere and made the current team better without almost completely replacing the squad. Even then Spurs with enormous expense is the best he has been. At Portsmouth bankruptcy occurred as a result of massive waste. If we are going to change, it needs a manager similar to Di Matteo/Clark not Redknapp and his baggage.

I was told today that he was light training but has suffered a relapse (swelling) so recovery put back. Presumably nobody knows anything as there is nothing on here?

Neither, Fonte was pushed before jumping. A blatant two handed push that should have been penalised by the referee/linesman.